Steroids and dogs health

[Tobietots]

My dog has been given steriods to clear up a leaky bowel, has anyone had this with their dog and how did they respond to the steriods?

[Barbara Nixon]

Monty had steroids at 5 months, for a skin problem. He had no ill effects at all. teddy had two short courses for his allergies and ah agin no problems. steroids are fine and helpquickly, if used in moderation. The problems start when they are used longterm. My collie cross was given a very high dose for his cancer. The only problem he had was extreme weight gain, but he was on a very very high dosage for several months, but they gave him those months, as they slowed the cancer's growth.

[Caraline]

Yep my understanding is the same as Barbara's, that short term, steroids are extremely valuable for certain conditions and that problems are usually associated with long term high doses.

[sins]

Absolutely, Daisy has had a steroid injection on two occasions,once for an eye infection when she was 12 weeks old and a few weeks ago for severe gastroenteritis.On both occasions it made a remarkable difference within a few hours.Used under veterinary supervision it's a very useful medicine.
Sins

[pippa]

Pippin needed them on a few occasions for bowel problems and they worked wonders..

[LauraD]

I just wanted to chime in on the topic. I had to give Riley a light steroid called Temaril-P for itchy skin last summer. The results was immediate and he stopped itching. However, he then stopped eating and we went through months of getting his appetite back through meds., acupuncture, herbs, etc. His tummy has never been the same since, he now has a very sensitive tummy whereas before he could eat anything.
I am cautious of steroids, but i do believe they can give great immediate results. I thought i would share my experience to give additional information.

[Rosewoodsteel]

-Not sure about health issues,
but steriods will make'em better ball players

[Barbara Nixon]

If riley still has itchy skin, Perhaps it's worth trying Atopica. it worked wonders for Teddy, with none of the dangers of steroids. my vet said that dogs who respond well to steroids usually do to this drug, too.

[Tobietots]

Thank you one and all for your useful comments, they are much appreciated.

[Cathy Moon]

I just wanted to chime in on the topic. I had to give Riley a light steroid called Temaril-P for itchy skin last summer. The results was immediate and he stopped itching. However, he then stopped eating and we went through months of getting his appetite back through meds., acupuncture, herbs, etc. His tummy has never been the same since, he now has a very sensitive tummy whereas before he could eat anything.
I am cautious of steroids, but i do believe they can give great immediate results. I thought i would share my experience to give additional information.

I had a similar experience with Geordie - I had to give him Prednisone (steroid) and Baytril (antibiotic) following his PSOM surgery, and his digestive system is now very delicate after taking these two meds. We had numerous vet appointments for diarrhea and colitis. We finally changed him to a commercial frozen raw diet that meets AAFCO standards in our efforts to bring his health back, because he doesn't do well on kibble any longer. I still don't understand what happened to him, but he is healthy again and his coat is thick and shiny.