Can my dog with IBS take prednisone long-term for symptom control?

Many dogs with IBS will respond to a food trial or hypoallergenic diet. You may want to discuss prescription diets with your vet. A homecooked diet is also possible, but should be formulated by a veterinary nutritionist to make sure that it is completely balanced. With your veterinarian's approval, you can get a customized recipe from Balance It. https://secure.balanceit.com Here is some information on a food trial - it is most commonly used for dogs with food allergies, but some IBS dogs will respond to the process: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499 Acupuncture and herbs are also options for holistic care of IBS symptoms in dogs. I would recommend that you find a certified veterinary acupuncturist or a vet that practices holistic veterinary medicine in your area for specific recommendations, since there are so many factors that need to be considered to make an herbal treatment plan.

Hello, thank you for your question about Chester. Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic condition in dogs secondary to an underlying allergy leading to inflammation in the GI tract. It is different in every patient. Meaning that some patients require Prednisone long term while other patients can be weaned off the Prednisone completely. Since Chester has been maintained on Prednisone every 4 days for quite some time without any flare-up I think it would be reasonable to consider discontinuing it at this time. However, if you are concerned that he is prone to having flare-ups it is not problem to keep him on this low dose of Prednisone. Hope this helps, good luck!

Inflammatory bowel disease is an immune-mediated problem, in which the immune system attacks the cells of the intestines and causes inflammation, thickening, poor absorption of nutrients, etc. Prednisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory drug, and also has immuno-suppressive effects at higher doses. Both of these characteristics are useful in treating IBD.

Prednisone is the drug of choice for irritable bowel syndrome, and it's given for at least two to four weeks. I would try it for Trixie and the vet can do blood tests as needed to check on her calcium levels. I hope this helps.

We are not in a position to change or reduce dosage prescribed by your treating vet and you should contact your vets office to advise. It is likely they will half the frequency every few weeks until he is more stable but this must only be done under direction from your vet

Unfortunately, these are common side effects of prednisone - it often causes bloating, weight gain with a pot-bellied appearance, and in many cases seems to be make dogs more irritable. It may also cause increased thirst, urination, and appetite. I'm not sure what medical condition your dog has that the prednisone is treating, but I would recommend talking with your vet about your concerns - in many cases, there are altnerative medications such as Atopica or Apoquel for allergy problems, or azathioprine for immune-mediated illnesses, that can be just as effective and generally cause fewer side effects. It may be possible to reduce your dog's dose of prednisone or even taper off of it altogether if a different medication is used.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Blood can definitely be seen with cases of IBD. For IBD, immunosuppression is typically the treatment of choice in severe cases. Azathioprine is an immunosuppressant drug that is commonly used along with changing the diet to something such as Royal Canin Ultamino. I would discuss this with your veterinarian for starting something such as Azathioprine in place of steroids to see if this helps more. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than willing to help you further. I would also recommend adding in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora, which can be purchased online or at your local pet store quite easily.