Chronic sneezing and Head Congestion

My 15 year old Calico has had allergies for years and the latest round of prednisolone has no apparent easing of the severity. I hesitate to increase the tabs to 5 mg from 2.5 per day. I have done the heavier dose and it does not seem to help. Prior years is was a twice a year Convenia shot or Clavamox pill or other AB with a Depo shot. As time went by the effects were decreasing to a point of hardly any improvement. So, I'm thinking try Antihistamines again. She is 10 pounds Any suggestions on product and dosing? I have tried Chlorpheniramine prior and not impressed with the results. Thanks for reading this.

 

Have you tried a nebulizer to ease the congestion?

 

***Just my personal experience and dosage*** My GA boy and Maury had/have mild allergies in the spring and fall; both bigger boys (around 15lbs) and our Vet told me I could give 1/4 tablet of a 10mg Benadryl. It helped but Maury does not like pills so he probably digested much less than the 1/4 tablet because a lot of it seemed to come back out of his mouth as pink foam . Whether I chased it with water or gravy or tuna juice. He is not a fan of the taste so I only try to give it when he has a day of sneezing fits: where he sneezes like 5+ times in a row .

 

did you try putting it in an empty gel cap so he can't taste it?

 

Haha I had not thought of that . Do they make really tiny one's?

 

yes.... I used to put Zimmy's amlodipine pills in a size 5 gel capsule (that's the smallest.... 4 is small too, but I used 5's) These are the ones I bought, but there's probably other brands as well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LR8TU3M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hey Bert. I have a 12 year old who has chronic allergies that seem to get a lot worse in the spring and summer. He literally shakes boogies all over the place! I've had some success with giving him Claritin, the non-drowsy formula. I actually just buy the store brand because it's cheaper. I give him half of a 10mg tablet once a day in the morning. They're small to begin with, and even smaller once I break it in half. And then I go and break that half in two or three more pieces and give it in pill Pockets or rolled up pieces of Cooper sharp cheese. He loves taking it! I also have a prescription for hydroxyzine, which is an antihistamine with a slight anxiety-reducing effect. Although he's allowed to have it every 12 hours, I give it once at night. Often, he only gets one or the other. And frequently, if he's doing okay, he doesn't get anything at all. Good luck!

 

My 17 year old calico has also had allergies for years, and she has asthma. She is 7lbs. I give her 1/4 of a 10mg Zyrtec every day (vet said, and I have read, that I could go up to 1/2 a tablet). It is a second-generation antihistamine, and they do not cross the blood brain barrier in the same way first-generations ones do, so they do not cause the drowsiness those are known to cause. I also give her Canna-Pet each day. (As a bonus, both of these can increase appetite, which I like for her since I want to make sure she keeps weight on her.)

She was put on Cerenia once for nausea while taking an antibiotic, and for the week she was on it, she did not have any asthma attacks / coughing/sneezing fits. After being off of it a while they started back... I put her on it again, and they stopped. I found that if I give her just 1/4 of a 16mg Cerenia every other day, it is enough that the attacks are almost non-existent.

As far as administering these, I have empty gel caps (size 4). The Canna-Pet comes in those, too. So, I open a Canna-Pet and put half of it in an empty capsule. In the morning, I give her just Canna-Pet. In the afternoon, I put her Zyrtec in the capsule with the other half of the Canna-Pet, and if it is the day for it, I also put her Cerenia in there. I LOVE gel caps. They were life-changing for us. As long as whatever I need to give her fits in there, I can give it to her without issue. She never gets a taste of anything nasty, and I always give her a treat of shredded chicken breast after, so pill time is completely non-traumatic for us both.

 

I have used both Claritin and Zyrtec. Buy the generic brand, it works well. I also give my cats l-lysine just in case it is a respiratory infection. Another thing to try is to use a humidifier to Helo break up any congestion.

 

just for information -- Costco's Kirkland (own brand) Aller-Clear is Loratadine 10 mg, generic Claritin -- mfg is Perrigo

365 tablets per bottle -- tablets are tiny -- but by far the most inexpensive Loratadine to be found

not only is it great for allergic rhinitis, seasonal allergies, hay fever etc -- it's also great for those who react strongly (though not anaphylactically) to mosquito bites or wasp stings

 

1/4 tab Zyrtec. Make sure it is the plain one and not the one with decongestant in it.

 

My girl's intenral med vet prescribed 5mg of Zyrtec (Cetirizine) for my girl with horrible allergies. She used to get steroid shots, but can no longer take them. I have the Cetirizine compounded by BCP Vet Pharmacy into treat chews and she just eats them, no problem. A positive side effect for her is that it also stimulates her appetite because she's 18 years old and I have problems keeping weight on her.

 

One thing I failed to mention is that I also have some serious air purification going on in my house. I have Alen air purifiers with the 'silver' filters which are great for asthma and allergies. Obviously, reducing the allergens as much as possible is helpful in addressing the allergies.

 

Thank you all for your valuable information. My vet is consider a great cat doc. But over the years when I ask him about meds and doses on here he seems clueless. Then all of a sudden weeks later he knows. i guess he is doing research on here. lol
He is least compassionate and competent in most areas. All along my girl has been machine gun sneezing. But lately she seems to be launch missiles. Sounded like one impacted the wall with a thud. So Doc put her on Verofloxin Something like that He said if it is just runny and clear..allergy but if it is colored..infection.

He said it is okay to use a antihistamines while getting off steroids.

Thanks again

 

Steroids can cause Diabetes. I just recently talked to a person here that said her 6 yr old cat had allergies & the vet was giving her steroids. She now has Diabetes!

I've read good things about Zyrtec. I give it to my cat & it's really helped her. She gets 1/2 tab that i wash down with a small squirt of tuna water with a feeding syringe.

 

Wanting to learn new things is a sign of a good vet. He is welcome to join us. Once he realizes how much knowledge and information we have, not only about FD, but also about other health issues we have experience with, he may start to refer new diabetic cat owners to here. That's what happened with my vet.

 

Another tip, odd as it might seem is Vaseline - LIGHTLY coat all the window screens in your house of the windows you open. Also LIGHTLY apply to the blades of ceiling fans and any box fans you use (very easy to get to the blades via a screw driver) - the light coating will trap dust, pollen, etc. so you can EASILY wipe it away.

Use steam on upholstry, curtains and carpets - it actually neutralizes the pollen (due to high temp).

A good trick for walls and ceiling is PLEDGE cleaner - lightly spritz on a cloth and wipe it down, it makes a barrier against dust and such and makes cleaning a BREEZE.

For floors, if hardwood/tile/etc. use a mix of vinegar and water.

Carpet is tougher - if you have a wet vac machine, you can use a mix of vinegar and water or if dry, you can use baking soda. Pollen, even tiny microscopic particles are kinda "sticky" - the baking soda bind them, so you can suck them up.

 

Oh that's interesting. I wouldn't have thought about the baking soda. I'll have to try that on my area rugs

 

Yeah it's been a god send for me honestly, let me know how it goes!