My dog is on prednisone. When might muscle wasting begin to show?

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!

This is most likely the prednisone causing this. Prednisone causes muscle-wasting, which will make her a bit more week and give her a more sunken-head appearance. The muscles that surround the side of the head are quite prominent, so when they shrink, it will make the head look more caved-in. Prednisone will also change their behavior. They will often seem more dopy and not quite as responsive as they were. You are seeing this just now, because this drug takes a while to accumulate in the body before it starts having its max effect. That is one of the reasons for tapering it down, because once the levels are adequate in the blood, it does not take as much to keep the drug at the optimum level in the body. Luckily, all of these things are reversible when the prednisone is stopped. I know it can be difficult to see them go through these changes, but they actually tend to feel much better when they are on the prednisone. If she is otherwise doing OK, then I would not worry too much. If she is not eating, or showing signs of pain, then I would take her back to the vet for an evaluation. I hope that helps and Karrma gets better soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jack. I would start his first dose tonight if it is to be given twice per day initially. Steroids can have some side effects, but typically help quite a bit with GI disease. The drug can cause increased thirst with a subsequent increase in urination. This can lead to accidents in the house. Most dogs will have an increased appetite and pant more than usual. Some can gain weight and have changes to the hair and skin. Liver values can become elevated with longterm use. Rarely, I will see a patient become aggressive with steroids. There can be drug interactions with other medications as well so be sure to check with his doctor before giving any other medications or supplements. I hope this information helps!

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.

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 pup! Unfortunately, weight gain is a very common side effect of steroids, especially at high doses - there isn't much you can do to prevent it or make him lose weight as long as he's still taking them. Depending on what his medical condition is, there may be other medications that he could take that would allow him to reduce his steroid dose or even discontinue the steroids altogether - I would recommend talking with your vet about your concerns, since the best option for Diogie will depend a lot on his medical history and the reason he's currently taking steroids.

That is a low dose, however, there is no set time frame for you to see side effects. Some dogs are more sensitive and develop side effects quickly, and some dogs are on it longer before this happens. Side effects include excessive thirst and hunger, panting, developing a pot-bellied appearance, and losing overall muscle tone. It is not a medication that is ideal for long-term use. Allergies can be very frustrating to manage. If you have a veterinary dermatologist in your area, you may consider allergy testing and even allergy shots to try and make Lily more comfortable. This isn't available everywhere, but if other medications haven't helped, it might be worth looking into. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.