Questions about the use of steroids to treat pemphigus foliaceus

My 10 year old male cat was diagnosed with pemphigus foliaceus when he was three. For the first two years he was treated with steroid tablets everytime he had a flare up. Then they stopped working, so they treated him with steroid injections during flares. Due to progression of the condition he has been on monthly steroid injections for just over two years, as a preventative method. Since then he has only had one minor flare. As he has got older I've got more worried about the steroid use, even though I know how bad the condition can get without it. Before he was put on the monthly injections the condition got really bad. He ended up having ulceration in his mouth on on his pads constantly for six months and it left him with scaring and some loss of sensation all around his mouth. I do worry about the steroid use and his age as I know it isn't the most gentle of treatments. Are there cases where cats can completely recover from this condition and no longer require steroid treatment? Also are there other treatments that aren't as harsh in his body as steroids are?

Hello! Steroids are an inexpensive and have shown to be very effective against pemphigus.  They do have systemic (body wide) side effects that can cause concern.  Vets often advocate tapering the dose eg using on alternate days, every third day, every fifth.....   To find the minimal effective dose, which helps to reduce side effects...... Moe to follow

Hello! Steroids are an inexpensive and have shown to be very effective against pemphigus.  They do have systemic (body wide) side effects that can cause concern.  Vets often advocate tapering the dose eg using on alternate days, every third day, every fifth.....   To find the minimal effective dose, which helps to reduce side effects...... Moe to follow

My understanding is that this is a chronic skin condition, not a disease from which cats recover completely and that most cats would require some meds on an ongoing basis.

However, there are some drugs which can be given as an alternative to steroids which may have much more preferable side effects.  These include chlorambucil and cyclosporine and it may be well worth asking your vet about them.