The Low-Down on Steroids and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs for Your Pets

I recently had a 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. Unfortunately, he ended up falling ill and needing emergency surgery. 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) and kidney failure. These drugs decrease inflammatory chemicals in the body, but some of those chemicals help support 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:
- Aspirin
- 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! This is especially important if you have to see an emergency vet or a veterinarian other than your pet's regular doctor.

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.  NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give any human medications to your pet unless your veterinarian tells you to. Human anti-inflammatory drugs are not formulated for pets, and can be much more toxic than veterinary formulations.  

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!