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Dog on steriods

sramirez

Well-known member
Does anyone have/had their dogs on prednisone/steriods for an extended period of time? Sasha needs to be on prednisone for her MM syndrome (masticatory myositis) now and I'm seeing some odd symptoms - nothing to get excited about but just wondering. I've had to take prednisone off/on for years for my asthma so I definitely understand about the "wanting to eat everything in sight" problem associated with the drug :? (she is hunting the house constantly for some morsel of food that may have fallen).

We can possibly change the medication to every other day after 4-6 months, but want to make sure I watch for signs while taking the drugs daily.

Thanx.

sheri
 
Hi Sheri......I'm sorry Sasha needs to be on pred. My Lhasa was on pred for years. Basically, like you said, it caused extreme hunger. But with her it was hard to tell if it was from the pred, because as you know from our pm's she could eat a horse and still want more food. Even when she wasn't on the pred, she was still always ravenous. She drank a lot of water and therefore, peed a lot. She also panted heavily

She has been on them since she was very young, and the main concern of the Vets was it compromising her immune system. That did eventually happen, which is what I'm dealing with now, but she's also old. They were quality of life drugs, and therefore, necessary. Her immune system really did not seem to be compromised until she was probably 9 or 10, and as you know she is now 13. It took many years of being on them to notice a compromise. She did not take them everyday all those years, but many rounds of every day for 30 to 60 days off and on her entire life. I don't remember how old Sasha is, but if she is just now beginning them, it may never affect her long term. If you have any question, you can PM me.
 
Yes our lab was on it periodically from may - sept. She had severe summer allergies and got got spots, shedding. If it got bad they gave her a steriod medicene - and your right, she'd went balistic hunting down food. She'd finish eating and be looking for more, look outside, knock waste baskets over, steal your food if you so much as sneezed. With in a day or two off it, she went back to being her mannerly self. By the way she was on it from 1 - 15 each summer. I guess the period is less than your dog, but look at how long ours was on it. She was put down in Oct, other than the allergies she was not sick once in 15 yrs.
 
Teddy has been on Medrone since the week before Christmas. One a day, then half, then half on alternate days. On the latter dose, he started licking and scratching his tummy again, so it's not dust mites (house has been treated) causing the problem and we are , now about to try food combinatons, the dose of Medrone going back to half every day, meanwhile.

I've not noticed any change in him, except for no or very reduced, licking and scratching. However, he's greedy anyway and has always taken any opportunity to raid bins, gobble from sacks when doors are left open, jump and snatch from worktops etc..

I did have a collie on a heavy steroid dose, for cancer, over 6 months. he didn't become a foody but did put on a huge amount of weight, anyway. At the same time , Monty had a much lower dose to control a skin problem with unknown origin, and he had no side effects at all.
 
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