My dog is aggressive on prednisone. Can I stop his meds now?

Steroids like methylprednisolone have a very wide dosage range, so the dosage used is largely a matter of personal judgement and experience for each vet. However, since it sounds like Babygirl is having some unpleasant behavioral side effects from the medication, I would recommend calling your vet to discuss your concerns. He/she may recommend decreasing her dose, or switching to a different medication to control her itching.

Thank you for your question regarding Kaner. I would recommend finishing off the course of steroids as directed for two reasons. First off, you want to complete the treatment regimen for which they were prescribed so the underlying disease does not recur. Secondly, it is necessary to taper steroids. When a dog takes them orally, their body doesn't need to make them. The gradual taper off signals the body to start making them again. If you stop steroids abruptly, the dog can become sick. The side effects are definitely frustrating, but will decrease as the dose is reduced and finally stopped. As far as diabetes, it is unlikely given the length of time Kaner has been on the steroids. I see this side effect much more frequently in cats. I hope this information helps and that Kaner is back to normal soon!

In general, steroids need to be slowly decreased over time and are generally not supposed to be stopped abruptly although it is not always detrimental (it depends on the dose/length of time pets are on them). I recommend to call your veterinarian first thing tomorrow morning. They can look at the dose and decide if Diesel should be placed back on a lower dose or if it is ok to not start them again. You should also have your vet mark that he may be sensitive to steroids so they should be lowered for him if used at all. I hope this helps.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Dozer. I'm sorry he has cancer! Do not suddenly take him off the steroids, you should work with the local vet to taper him off of them if you do not want him to be on them. Give them a call to discuss a schedule to taper them off. I hope this helps!

If he is having side effects then you could skip today. Since it is just a short course of steroids, it shouldn’t be a problem to miss a day. You could also give him 1/2 the dose and see if he has less side effects with a lower dose. Hopefully, the itching has improved. If he needs long term allergy medications then you could talk to your vet about Cytopoint or Apoquel.

This is a common reaction to steroids. If the steroids were only for his itching you may try to decrease his dose in half to see if you see improvement in the side effects but still see relief in his allergies. But I would still call your vet to let them know he is having this type of reaction. If he was prescribed steroids for an auto immune disorder I would contact your vet before adjusting the dose. I hope this helps.

Your dog should be weaned off Prednisone slowly. In many ways, prednisone is similar to the corticosteroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone produced by the adrenal glands located along each kidney. Because of this, when taking prednisone, the adrenal glands start decreasing their production of cortisol. It would be too shocking for the adrenal glands to find themselves out of the blue in need of producing cortisol in large amounts again, so by tapering the prednisone gradually, the glands are given some time to resume their normal function. The main risk is what is called an " addisonian crisis" or "iatrogenic hypoadrenocorticism" which can be life threatening and can cause the dog to go into shock. This can happen when the prednisone is stopped out of the blue and the adrenal glands are dormant because they weren't given a chance to gradually become active again. When this happens, the dog's potassium and sodium levels get unbalanced. The sodium levels start to fall, while the potassium levels start to rise. High potassium levels can have a detrimental effect on the heart and can lead to circulatory collapse. Affected dogs may appear weak, lethargic, they may vomit, have a low, irregular heart rate and may go into shock and even collapse. Affected dogs need to seek immediate emergency treatment to correct the electrolyte imbalances and possible low glucose levels through supportive care consisting of fluid therapy and careful monitoring. Rapidly-acting corticosteroid medications such as prednisolone sodium succinate or dexamethasone sodium phosphate may be needed. This whole ordeal can be easily prevented by gradually tapering the dog off the steroids. Dogs on prednisone for quite some time, need to be tapered even more gradually. The vet will tell owners how.