Epogen for cat with anemia.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Steve,

Sorry to hear that your cat is having problems with anemia. These values definitely are lower than normal and significantly low as well.

Do you know if he is dealing with kidney problems as well? Cats with kidney disease can often have anemia and these are the cases where Epogen can help to get the red cell level up. The reason for this is that cats in kidney failure will often not produce a substance in their kidneys called erythropoietin which is partly produced in the kidneys. If we substitute with Epogen then this can really help.

But, if there is no kidney failure, then it is debatable whether Epogen will be of use.

With that being said, I have heard of cases where vets were quite certain that Epogen helped anemia in non-renal failure kitties. If your vet has recommended this treatment then it is possible that they have had good experience with using it.

I think the biggest concern here is why your cat has anemia as we don't tend to just see anemia in cats. There has to be some type of underlying reason for it. Hopefully you and your vet are able to sort that out.

I can't give you a definitive yes or no answer to your question. But, I can tell you that your vet would not have recommended it unless they felt it was going to help.

I hope things look up soon!

Dr. Marie.



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Dr. Marie replied:

Epogen does indeed need to be given regularly to be effective.

I have found that it is quite rare for a vet to prescribe a treatment just to make money. Still, if you don't feel comfortable, there is no harm in seeking a second opinion.