Why is my dog bloated with a pot belly and groaning on prednisone?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Rusty had an infection in his paw, those can be ouchy! Prednisone has a lot of medical indications, but the side effects do include an increase in appetite, drinking/urinating more, and a possible "bloated" abdominal appearance. These symptoms typically resolve within 48-72 hours after completing the course of the medication. If they are persistent or you are concerned, I would recommend reaching out to your regular veterinarian to see if Rusty needs to be re-checked or if anything else may be going on. Good luck!

Poor Bentley! I'm sorry to hear that he's so uncomfortable. Steroids such as prednisone can sometimes cause weight gain, excessive panting, increased thirst, and urinary accidents in the house - so it's certainly possible that some of the issues you are seeing could be side effects from the medication. Since he isn't feeling any better after 5 days, yes - I would definitely recommend giving your vet a call or taking Bentley back tomorrow for recheck visit. It sounds like he may need a different course of treatment, or possibly some diagnostic testing to see if something else is wrong.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to increased appetite which is a very common side effect observed with prednisone. I highly recommend that you let your veterinarian know so that his prednisone dose is perhaps modified. Good luck and have a great day!

Those are definitely the side-effects; increased appetite and thirst, change in behavior, panting more and weight gain. For more information about the side-effects, I recommend you read the article at the link below. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/steroid-treatment-long-term-effects-in-dogs I assume the nose condition you described was diagnosed as an autoimmune disease (i.e. lupus, pemphigus). The mainstay treatment for this condition is prednisone. However, there are other possible treatments, so it's worth scheduling a recheck appointment with your veterinarian. It's quite common for some owners not to like the side-effects of steroids, so they should understand and be able to suggest other options. I hope that helps and Kenzie gets better soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. That is a very high dose of steroids for a dog his size. This dose will suppress his immune system in addition to all of the side effects that you are noticing at home. Steroids will cause panting, increased thirst, urination and hunger. Some dogs will experience skin and coat changes, muscle weakness/ loss and gastrointestinal ulcers in rare cases. Doses this high are only used to treat severe life threatening conditions. I recommend contacting his veterinarian today to discuss his treatment plan. Typically the steroids are tapered once the primary disease is under control. There are other immunosuppressive drugs available that may have less side effects. Perhaps he would do better on a different medication. However, never stop steroids yourself as they need to be carefully tapered down. I hope this information helps!

It would be unusual to see diarrhea as a side effect of prednisone, so I would suspect fat something else may be causing it. If your dog is acting normal otherwise, you can try withholding food for the next 12-24 hours and then feeding plain boiled chicken and white rice for the next few days. If this doesn't help, or if she develops any other symptoms such as vomiting, acting lethargic, or not wanting to eat, then I would recommend having her examined by a vet as she may have a more serious problem.

Prednisone is commonly given to dogs that coughing to help. It is generally not a side effect of it. Most common side effects are increased appetite, drinking alot, urinating alot, panting and a bloated, distended abdomen