We have a 12.5 year old Pomeranian with TCC. He’s been on Piroxicam for about 13 months and has responded very well with it. Just this week, he became lethargic and lost his appetite… and he has just been diagnosed with Addison’s dx as well. Now here’s the dilemma… Continue the piroxicam knowing full well of the possibility of GI bleed with the prednisone for the treatment of addison’s or just stop it? Are we running low on options?
Thanks!
There is a gastrointestinal “protectant” called Misoprostol which may help minimize the likelihood of a GI bleed. I would definitely ask about that. Best wishes!
Dr. Kirsten Bock, DVM
Animal Clinic of Benicia
Benicia, CA
Hello,
The amount of prednisone used to treat Adisson’s disease is very low as what is generally used is called physiologic dose which means that it is the amount that the body normally produces. In Adisson’s disease, the body doesn’t produce this small amount. The amount of prednisone used to treat Adisson’s simply replaces what the body has stopped producing. In my opinion, this very small amount is very unlikely to cause GI bleeding even if you use piroxicam at the same time. Using famotidine in conjunction with the prednisone may minimise the small risk even further. You can bring stool samples to your veterinarian to check for occult blood in the stools so if GI bleeding occurs it can be caught early.
Good luck.
Dr. Annie Forslund, DVM
Home Pet Euthanasia of Southern California
Tustin, CA