My dog got a vaccine. Will steroids affect its effectiveness for illness?

Unless the veterinarian administered an immunosuppressive dose of dexamethasone, it should not interfere with the immune response for the vaccinations that were administered. The dose that we give for preventing an allergic reaction is lower than the dose given to suppress the immune system. I hope this helps!

A short course of predisone is unlikely to have any adverse effects in an otherwise healthy dog but may be of more risk if she has other, underlying health conditions? It may however reduce the efficacy of the vaccine and limit the protection this gives her against rabies. It would be worth telephoning the clinic to assess the risks and benefits of her particular case if she has a complicated medial history

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bella. I try to avoid chronic high doses of steroids in dogs whenever possible as there are side effects internally and externally. However, an injection to control a reaction is not something that concerns me if she is not taking other medications. Steroids can interfere with certain drugs. If her veterinarian deams it necessary after seeing her, then I would go ahead and have it administered. Great question!

Antibiotics would not affect the immune system’s ability to respond to a vaccine. If he has a significant infection there might be some concern but if he’s been on the antibiotics for a little while and does not have a fever the vaccines should be effective.

Conventional treatment includes immunosuppressive drugs such as steroids. Dietary changes and antioxidant supplements may also be indicated. There are multiple autoimmune conditions in dogs and treatment usually depends on the specific condition as well as the severity of the condition.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sorry to hear that Lav is having this issue. The autoimmune condition will likely never be resolved. Steroids may make it go into "remission" but will not cure it. Some dogs can eventually come off the steroids and go for long periods without it but esentially the autoimmune condition will always be present. She should not be spayed while taking steroids as that class of medications causes delayed healing. She should only be spayed during a period of remission. I agree that she needs to be spayed. The false pregnancies can cause pyometra which is a life threatening condition. If she gets pyometra she will need emergency surgery that must be done even if she is on steroids causing extra complications. She will also be undergoing surgery while she is sick adding to the complications. Hope this clarifies. Best wishes to you and Lav.