My dog is starting prednisone. What side effects and when to start?

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 does sound like some kind of painful reaction. If he is otherwise normal now, I would just continue to monitor him. If it continues, have Jack re-examined by your vet to see if there is a medical cause for the sudden yelping. Side effects of prednisone can include anxiety or restlessness, and I wonder if that could be contributing to the new behavior.

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.

You are correct that these are very common side effects of prednisolone. The good news is, they are normally not dangerous to the dog - just a bit annoying to deal with. Without knowing why Snitch was prescribed this medication, I can't tell you whether or not it would be safe to skip a dose - so I would not recommend making any changes to his prescribed medication schedule until you speak to his regular veterinarian. I would suggest calling his veterinarian to discuss your concerns and ask about possibly modifying his dose when you are able to - until then, it would be best to continue the medication as prescribed.

Prednisone can absolutely cause behavior changes and mood alterations. The side effects are usually at their greatest during the first two to four week of therapy as the body grows accustomed to glucocorticoid drugs. The metronidazole is not likely a cause of any side effects you are currently seeing. If you are consulting with a oncologist regarding Pepe's case, do not hesitate to contact them with any questions involving his therapy. These cases can often be complex and require a lot of special attention to drug interactions. Anyway, if you require further consultation please let me know. Hope this makes sense.

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!

The answer to your question really depends on when the injection was given, what type of steroid it was, what dose of steroid was given and what his Prednisone regimen has been, so your vet will need to answer that question. If your vet is already closed for the day, it will likely be safer to skip his Prednisone dose tonight and call them first thing in the morning to discuss when to resume his Prednisone. Some steroid injections only last for 12 hours, but some last for much longer, so you do not want Chester to have too high of a steroid dose tonight. Hopefully you can talk to them tonight to figure out the best thing to do. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.