4 MONTH old PUPPY MAY HAVE TO HAVE STEROID INJECTIONS....BUT WHY ?

Question

i have a female staffordshire bull terrier.just lately shes been really scratching herself so i took her to the vets and they done a scrape.i phoned a week later and they said its not mites,and they said she may need to have a steroid injection!? what will this do to her and how will it stop her scratching ? thanx

no chalice i didnt! otherwise i wouldnt be on here would i ! i really hate it when people are so dumb!!

and maybe if it was the vet i spoke to then i might have asked but it wasnt it was the receptionist...

Answer 1

Cortico steroids help to quiet an overactive immune system that makes your dog itch. They will make her feel much better. You might try benadryl at home first, but if that doesn't help, do get the steroids. Injections are safer than taking steroids by mouth, and they will work for your dog's problem. Some dogs, and some people, just have over active immune systems that make them allergic to normal things.

Answer 2

They are not talking anabolic steriods but corticosteroids. These are substances that have good medicinal actions -- it is a strong anti-inflammatory drug and can be very helpful in the 'itch/scratch' cycle that often occurs. It will often relieve the itch so that the dog doesn't scratch and perpetuate more itching... this is common in dogs with flea allergies, food allergies and that sort of thing. She likely won't recieve 'injectionS' but an injection to help break that cycle. The side effect of corticosteriod injections can be a depression of the immune system so she might be prone to an infection, although dogs do not have instances in this side effect very much like humans tend to do. I tell you these things and then tell you that you need to ask your vet these questions -- that is what you are paying the vet for and they should be more than willing and capable of answering your every question on the subject. Also, you need to find out the initial cause for the itching - if the steriod injection makes it worse, even without seeing mites on a scraping, I would consider that it is demodectic mange and have the vet treat accordingly - the mites don't always show up on the scrapping and Staffs are prone to it as well as at four months one would not think she has developed an allergy to stuff yet... just my though but the vet should be able to tell you much, much more... Good luck.


add: Uh, you are getting defensive which tells a lot about you... the vet should be talking to you -- would you go to the doctor with your child (or your parents with you) and not speak with the doctor? Let the 'receptionist' talk to you about what was to be done with your child?? Comeon, get off the freaking computer and go ask your vet what s/he is planning and why... geez, there is no shot that will cure what ails you :P

Answer 3

Steroids can help relieve the severe itching associated with severe allergies. However, steroids come with many negative side effects. Common short-term side effects include increased hunger, weight gain, increased water intake and urination, and immuno-suppression (meaning your puppy will be less able to fight off infection and diseases on her own). Long-term, steroids can cause diabetes, liver problems, pain and inflammation of the pancreas, unpredictable behavior, muscle degeneration, and ulcers of the GI tract. Long-term use or overdosage can also lead to Addison's Disease and Cushing's Disease...both of which are auto-immune diseases. I would be VERY leery of using steroids in a 4 month old puppy. Steroids can be an extremely effective and beneficial treatment for certain diseases, but they should really be a last resort when nothing else works or a temporary solution from SEVERE discomfort while you figure out what is causing the symptoms and if it is possible to manage them without steroid use.

My suggestion would be to find a new vet. Your vet should have called you that same day with the results of the skin scraping. Even if they got busy and didn't have a chance to call you back that day they should have called you back long before you called them a week later. Especially if they think your dog is honestly in need of steroids (unless of course they are one of those vets that over-prescribes steroids instead of trying less aggressive and safer treatments first).

Even if you don't talk to the vet directly over the phone (most vets rarely speak directly to clients when they call because they are busy in appointments or in surgery) you should still ask questions of your vet. The ENTIRE staff, including the receptionist, is trained to be able to answer at least the most basic questions...and if they don't know the answer they will go find the answer from someone on the staff who does know. At the very least, you could ask to leave a message for the vet and have the vet or a technician call you back to answer your questions.

Answer 4

You need to call your vet and discuss why he wants to use a steroid injection. Steroids can help stop the itching but it is only temporary and not a permanent solution. The steroids are going to cause an increase in appetite and water intake this also results in more potty trips.
A better route to go is figure out what is causing the itching. Make sure you feed a high quality food without corn and fillers- check the bag for ingredients.

Answer 5

Short term use of sterioids should not hurt your puppy, but, they can have the same effect as on people when used long term or in large quantities, ie...personality changes, over building of muscle mass etc.
Before you give your dog Steroids, try a few other things.
Check for fleas, if your dog has little black specks that look like pepper, especially around the base at the top of the tail, it's fleas.
Dry skin, this time of year, depending on where you live, artificial heat from your furnace is VERY drying, you might try giving her a bath in oatmeal shampoo, formulated for dogs, but no more often than every two weeks.
What do you feed her? You might want to put her on Canidae or Avoderm, both have high quality ingredients, with no fillers or preservatives, and include fish and other beneficial oils.
Hope this helps.
Marti

Answer 6

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RE:
4 MONTH old PUPPY MAY HAVE TO HAVE STEROID INJECTIONS....BUT WHY ?
i have a female staffordshire bull terrier.just lately shes been really scratching herself so i took her to the vets and they done a scrape.i phoned a week later and they said its not mites,and they said she may need to have a steroid injection!? what will this do to her and how will it stop her...

Answer 7

Steroids stop itching, but they aren't going to help much if you don't find out why she has been itching and remedy that, otherwise you are just masking the problem.
Did your vet tell you that she has allergies or anything else. If so, you need to find out WHAT she is allergic to and try to fix it. It may be a food allergy or allergy to fleas or pollen.
See if you can figure out what is making her itch and go from there.
The steroid shots should just be used to stop her discomfort while you fix what is causing the problem.

Answer 8

Didn't you ask the vet this question when they told you? Or did you just say 'oh OK then'. I don't understand it when people do this!!

Steroids have anti-inflammatory properties, they are good at stopping itching. They are not the same steroids that people take to give them muscles if that's what you're thinking - these are anabolic steroids. Your pup will be having catabolic steroids.

Please direct any questions about your pup's treatment at your vet, since you will get a much better answer than you would on here.

Chalice

Answer 9

Steroids shots help regulate hormones, ect that affect the skin. I worked with dogs for 4 years and saw many that really benefited from the shots.

Answer 10

more than likely she has a weak immune system, wouldn't stay in good health without meds ...... this will be an expensive procedure and more than likely last her lifetime..... many dogs are allergic to fleas or mites, their skin looks horrid from biting and scratching, usually smells bad too ...... or maybe she's allergic to something else around your house .... one time i had a dog like that and couldn't afford the meds so i gave the dog to someone else and the dog started healing on it's own without meds, seems the dog was allergic to something around my house.

who knows, but i wish you luck cause I've been there and done that & it ain't fun !