I recently had an old client call me about her cat.  He is on prednisolone (a steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) for inflammatory bowel disease.  We have him on the lowest possible dose he can have to prevent his symptoms.  Because she LOVES this cat, she gave him some toy mice to play with.  Unfortunately, because he has been feeling so spry lately, he decided to eat them!  To make a long story short, he had to have surgery because parts of the toy mice were obstructing his intestinal tract.  She called me to keep me abreast of what was going on with him.  I asked her what pain medication they gave him - she said Ketoprofen. 


Ketoprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and it acts similarly to steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as prednisolone.  One might think this is a great thing, but it's not.  Certainly the beneficial effects are amplified, but so are the side effects.  The things we most commonly see are stomach ulcers - sometimes to the point that they create a hole in the stomach (which can be fatal, if not VERY expensive to treat); and kidney failure.  These drugs decrease some beneficial chemicals to the stomach lining and the kidneys.  


A few examples of STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS:
- Prednisone or prednisolone
- Dexamethasone


A few examples of NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS:
- Rimadyl, Novox (carprofen)
- Deramaxx (deracoxib)
- Ketofen (ketoprofen)
- Metacam (meloxicam)
- Previcox (firocoxib)
- Zubrin (tepoxalin)

I'm not going to go into all of the side effects of either of these classes of drugs in this blog entry.  My main points are as follows:


1.  ALWAYS know what kind of medications your pet is on, and better yet, show them to your vet during your visits.  Include holistic or herbal supplements, because they are drugs too!
2.  ASK, ASK, ASK.  Ask your vet if there are any drug interactions with your pet's existing medications when they are prescribing a new medication for your pet.  Also ask your vet what drugs were given as injections if your pet had surgery or another procedure.
3.  This is another excellent reason to keep copies of all of your pet's medical records - this way the vet can read what drugs your pet has been on, what dose and for how long.


IF your pet has been given both steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at the same time, STOP GIVING BOTH MEDICATIONS and call your vet IMMEDIATELY.  This could present a life-threatening condition!

Just wanted to welcome you to the Hamptons Housecalls website!  


From time to time I aim to write things in this blog that I think are important for pet owners to know.  So check back often - you don't want to miss out!!!


Dr. Sarah :)