So, Lilly came back two weeks later. Check it
out! The owner reported that the
long-acting steroid injection seemed to work immediately, and the lip ulcer
started getting smaller. The foot
responded pretty well, too, she said, with the lateral lesion resolving, and the
larger medial lesion shrinking noticeably.
As you can see, the erosion on the upper lip is about 75% improved:
The cat is almost looking like a normal kitty! The lateral lesion on the foot is indeed
gone, but the medial lesion is still present and is a little raw looking. The owner said that it started to resolve,
but about three days ago the cat started licking at it, and it started to
appear worse, unfortunately.
I gave a
second steroid injection today. The
textbooks say that you can give up to three injections, as often as every two
weeks. I’m reluctant to do that. I gave a second injection today, and in three
weeks I’ll have her back for a recheck, at which time I hope the condition is
totally resolved. I will do some bloodwork
at that time, to make sure that there’s been no adverse effects from the
injection, like
diabetes. Right now, the
cat is fine. Eating and drinking
normally, no coughing, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. She feels great. If the condition is totally resolved in three
weeks, I will probably start the cat on 5 mg of prednisolone every other day,
to maintain the skin.. If the skin stays
normal for a few months, I will probably try to wean the cat off of all
medication. Check back in three weeks to
see how things turn out!
