Prenisone side effects

[FOSSILFERN]

Hi,

My 18 month old is on 15mg per day right now as his immunity system crashed. His blood levels are alright now and we will be starting to reduce the prednisone next week after his next blood test. He has been on this dose since June 16th. He is acting sort of lethargic the last couple of days and apparently that can be a side effect of prednisone. I am popping into the vet today to ask about this and he already has an appointment next week but I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced lethargy with this drug?

Thanks

Lynn & Barkley

[Love my Cavaliers]

Riley has been on varying doses of prednisone for the last 7 years. Her highest dose was 15 mg. and she is just on 2 mg/day now. I don't remember her being tired on it, but could be. She had the highest dosage when she was recuperating from SM surgery so that kind of complicates things. Other side effects that I've noticed over the years though from long-term usage have been dry, flaky skin and loss of fur on her tail. Her tail is like a rat tail, completely bald. The rest of her fur is also very thin and fly-away. She's no more hungry or thirsty than my other dogs - they're always hungry! Hopefully Barkley won't need to be on it as long as Riley has been, but it's been a lifesaver for her.

[FOSSILFERN]

Thank you so much for your reply. Unfortunately Barkley had another episode and sadly he would not respond to the blood transfusion and we lost him July 12th. This is so hard as we have no idea what caused this idiopathic immune disease. Our breeder is willing to replace our puppy but we are very scared of acquiring another Cavalier. I get the impression that almost all of them have some sort of health issue?

[Love my Cavaliers]

First of all, I'm so sorry you lost Barkley. That is so sad. He was so young. It seems like maybe it was just a flukey thing.
It is true that many, maybe even most cavaliers have health issues, but you also have to weigh your trust in the breeder to decide if you want another cavalier puppy. I got all mine from the same breeder. Right now I have a 9 year old, an almost 13 year old, an almost 14 year old (weeks away from 14 years), and we lost a 14 and 1/2 year old Blenheim last year (he was actually from a backyard breeder). Our 14 year old has SM and is the only one who has complicated health issues, but she has made it to this ripe old age! My 9 year old is the only one with a heart murmur and his is congenital, not having changed from Stage I since he was diagnosed at 6 months of age. My 13 year old is deaf, but that's her only health problem. Both my 9 and 13 year old still race around our 1 and 1/2 acre yard and will walk as long as I can. So, I have had many years of joy and delight from my cavaliers and I still adore the breed.
So, if you trust your breeder - if he/she does the proper testing (including MRI for SM), follows breeding protocol for MVD, is transparent about the process, you absolutely love the breed, and you're willing to take the risk that despite your best efforts some health issue may pop up (as it could with any dog), then I'd say go for it. You may need some time to grieve for Barkley though before you jump in with another puppy. Everyone is different - some like to have a new puppy right away, others need some space alone. I wish you the best of luck whichever way you decide to go. And again, I am so sorry about Barkley.

[FOSSILFERN]

Thank you so much for your reply as it was very helpful and also encouraging. I got Barkley in January 2015 and I live in a rainforest and turns out cavaliers do not like rain so much. He was a challenge to train lol. I wanted to get another now while it is dry and we can spend lots of time outside and hopefully the training will be less challenging. My breeder will not have anything available till next January so I was considering switching breeders.