Has anyone given thier dog Prednisone or any other steroids?

Question

My dog has Addison's Disease and has to take Steroids for the rest of her life, her body doesnt produce them.
I have had a dog in my training class that took prednisone (for another reason) and I referred them to a veterinary behaviorist due to aggression and the highest level of anxiety I have ever seen in a dog. The dogs' veterinarian told the owner that the aggression and anxiety was due to the steroids and this dog takes 1/3 the amount of my dog.
My vet says that since lexus doesn't produce the steroid, she will not react this way.
She does not show any aggression and is extremely well trained, (for me, not my boyfriend)
The difference I see is she is exceptionally STARVING all the time! I call her pizza pie eyes! Her anxiety is over food now, and she is interested in seeing other dogs alot more, with no aggression. This is not a problem for me, my boyfriend is not a very good handler though ! :)

I hope no more side effects, has anyone else had a bad reaction?

The Peeing, I forgot to mention that! SHe is "regulated" in that area, at first I took her out in the middle of the night, and she peed inthe house. My vet actually said that her dose may be too high because of how hungry she is but it is not time again to test, (every month)
I have heard of aggressive dogs on prednisone, aside from that dog I saw (which may or may not have been), I have not seen a confirmed aggressive dog or known anyone who has.... yet
Lexus is my demo dog as well, although with the pred, when I pulled out a treat to do something with her, she went into the "bang" position (one of her tricks) they thought it was hilarious, I thought "who is this dog?" She has turned into a zombie!
Also when I laid her morning pills out, next to her hotdog slices, she stuck her tongue out and "snuck" a pill! What a wierdo!
Thank you for your answers, I found the Addisons site nd I should sign up, The comment about the high fibre is a great idea, I heard that before but forgot:)

Thank you all for you answers to my question, I see the high anxiety alot.
mcghankathy, I am very sorry for the loss of your dog,... :(

Answer 1

My mastiff (2yrs. old) took prednisone and MedCam liquid pain med for a year due to severe dip dysplasia, and a grossly deformed spinal colunm. She ate twice as much as my other two, and she was the smallest, at 115 lbs.. She walked with a really strange gait due to her problems, and even though we tried surgery-we couldnt help her. She did however, eat like a horse and seemed more "nervous" than my other two mastiffs, who are complete loads. The vet said it was the prednisone. Eventually we had to cut way back and then discontinue it because she developed stomach bleeding, from all the N-said type meds for pain and the steriods. We finally had to put her down last April because she could not move her hind quarters at all. Once we stopped the medicine because of her internal bleeding-she got really bad. So, steroid use is a double edged sword. Some dogs do great on it-especially if the do not produce their own form of the steroids.For my baby-it was the beginning of the end. She took so much for so long just to walk, it ate a hole in her stomach and made her a nervous wreck Good Luck to you. I know it's not easy, what we go thru for our dogs..

Answer 2

Not all dogs have this reaction. A man in my breed club recently just shared a story that both he and his twin brother became very "aggressive" on prednisone, but fortunately this is not a typical side effect for either dogs or humans. The only way to know is to try it.

A worse side effect of prednisone is that it tends to depress the immune system. It's possible that this may also not be a concern in your dog's case since the pred is bringing your dog to "normal" steroid levels.

In any event, not taking the pred will probably be worse than taking it. My old lab girl was on prednisone for several years before passing away at 15 1/2 last fall. She did show signs of immune deficiency toward the end (had demodex mange), but she wouldn't have lived that long without the pred, so the quality of life improvement made it worth it.

There's no way to know for sure whether the pred will cause aggression in your dog, but it's most probable that it will not. Good luck with her.

Answer 3

Prednisone is a steroid drug given to control inflammation or allergies. Like any drug, it has main effects and side effects. Common side effects for prednisone are drinking more water, eating more food, and urinating more often and urgently. Yes, there are long-term side effects, but your dog shouldn't experience these on a brief course of prednisone. It is common for your veterinarian to start the process with in injection, and then to follow up with pills. Usually, the dose is tapered so that you wean the dog off the medication. Your veterinarian would not have prescribed the medication unless he or she felt it was necessary and safe. I'd go ahead and give it, exactly as the doctor directed. Also, be sure you understand the underlying cause for her allergies (talk to your veterinarian about this). The more you know, the better you can help to prevent further outbreaks. If she's allergic to fleas, for example, keep her on Advantage or Frontline to prevent them. If she has contact allergies to, let's say, grass, make sure she stays off the grass. If she has food allergies, feed her the allergy-free diet your veterinarian recommends. Sometimes, your veterinarian will recommend frequent bathing to help reduce contact allergies. Or, if the problem is serious and difficult to control, ask your veterinarian about a referral to a veterinary dermatologist. I've taken prednisone for short periods of time -- and I'm very much alive, thank you! Like me, she should be fine.

Answer 4

Unfortunately, you don't have a lot of choice since oral steroids are the main way to treat Addisons. The fact that the other dog took less than yours should not worry you- 1) your vet is right 2) you can't correlate between dogs. Prednisone does make them want to drink a lot more and can increase hunger. Talk to your vet about these concerns. I would switch to a high fiber diet in order to make your pup fill full without a lot of additional calories. Good luck!

Answer 5

Dog On Steroids

Answer 6

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Answer 7

The steroids will increase her appetite.
That will be a forever thing. As long as she takes them she will be hungry all the time. They also increase thirst and many dogs start having to go out much more often than they did before.
you will have to be careful about feeding her as they will get fat quick because of the hunger increase.
My dog had to take them for awhile for an allergy problem.
We took him off the oral ones and started using a creme on him for the rash that had steroids in the creme.
I never had any aggression problems with mine (male doberman) but he was ext remelt well trained as I used him as my demo dog for work. I am a dog trainer doing mostly behavioral work with problem dogs.

Answer 8

Medication react differently in dogs just like people. Anxiety is a side effect so in increased water intake and of course having to pee all the time. Make sure that blood levels are monitored along with dosage amount. The side effects will lessen as her body gets used to them.
Join a web support group if there isn't one in your local area. Having people who are dealing with the same sitution with their pet may help with concerns that you have. Here is a web site that has alot of info.

Answer 9

Give your dog a bath rather than paying someone else to get it done.

Answer 10

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