How long can my dog take low-dose steroids for allergies safely?

The duration of action can last anywhere from a few days to as long as 6 weeks. It will vary based on the dog's weight and metabolism. Please confirm the amount or dose with your veterinarian. An "average" dose, depending on concentration (20mg/ml or 40mg/ml) ranges between 0.25ml to 1 ml. This is a very potent steroid and long term use is not without risks. Other safer treatment options include allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, antihistamine use and food elimination trials. Consider a recheck with your veterinarian or an internal medicine specialist. There may be a correlation or Lola may have a completely different underlying condition.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry Bruno had hives and other skin irritation. Prednisone can have an effect on the body if given long-term or at high doses; typically, a short course of a steroid can have some short-lived side effects (increase in hunger/urination, eating/drinking more), but tends to be otherwise well-tolerated. While any medication can have an adverse effect (and if you are seeing any concerning signs I would reach out to your regular veterinarian immediately), low doses of appropriately dispensed steroids should be processed fine unless there is another underlying medical condition. Again, if you are concerned or if Bruno is showing signs of being ill, I would have him evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Poor Lily. Sometime both Apoquel and steroids might be necessary to control skin condition. Generally speaking, steroids have more side effects compared to Apoquel and is important to consider correct amount and length of treatments. Steroids need to be tapered gradually so please do not stop them without having gradually reduced the dose. Apoquel has a maximum effective dose so if Lily is already getting the maximum you won't see any beneficial effect if you increase it further. I would suggest to ask your vet exactly when to start and stop steroids as she knows Lily condition very well and can organize for her a treatment plan. Please post again in the forum if you need further advices and I hope my answer is helpful.

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.

Fighting secondary skin infections and allergies is tough. Drugs like prednisone and Apoquel are used to control inflammation. In some cases, we add a drug in an effort to taper prednisone if long term immunosuppression is needed. Ideally, long term immunosuppressives should be avoided but in some cases are needed. You should consider discussing referral to a veterinary dermatologist for intradermal skin testing.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Steroid use, dosing and the taper needs to be decided upon by a Vet that has examined the pet. We can not prescribe drugs or tell you how to use a drug because we legally are not allowed to. I am sorry. I recommend calling your Vet and asking them since they have a legal relationship with you. Have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The real answer is- it depends on why they were prescribed and for how long. If this is for an auto-immune disease, your pet’s life may depend on the steroids. Same for severe asthma or allergic reaction. If however, it is for itching or minor swelling/inflammation, or allergies, a shorter course or even a single injection may be safe. In general steroids do not tend to cause serious side effects unless they are used at high doses or for long courses of treatment. Long story short, it may be perfectly fine to skip the oral medication but definitely ask your doctor first.