How safe is prednisone for allergy treatment?
My Lhasa Apsos have allergies and have been tested.
I tried Atopica with no luck and it was expensive.
My vet said that giving my dogs predisone every
other day would not hurt them. Your thoughts
please.
Janeen
Mililani, HI
Allergies are frustrating, to be sure. Just ask anyone who suffers from hay fever. Allergies can make you miserable, and, for now, they cannot be cured. People actually move across the country to try to escape from their allergies. That is part of the reason why Arizona’s population has grown so rapidly in recent decades.
In pets, allergies usually cause skin problems such as hair loss, red skin, and itching. Ear infections also are common.
As I have mentioned, at the current time there is no cure for allergies. But there are several treatments. Some, such as flea control, soothing baths, omega-3 supplements, and hypoallergenic diets are simple and safe, and should be considered in every pet with allergies.
Others treatments, such as antihistamines, are generally safe, but not always effective. They are appropriate for some, but not all, allergy sufferers.
And then there are the bigger guns: allergy testing, followed by allergy shots, may help some pets. You mentioned that you have gone down this road without success. Genesis is a topical spray that significantly helps some pets. Atopica is another potent allergy treatment. It is expensive and generally effective, but it does not work in every pet.
Finally, there is the biggest gun of them all: prednisone. Prednisone is an anti-inflammatory steroid that is related to cortisone. It is simultaneously the best and the worst drug ever invented. No drug is more effective at treating allergies in pets. But prednisone also can cause a large number of side effects.
Pets who take prednisone long-term may suffer increased thirst, increased urination, weight gain, and personality changes. They may develop bladder or sinus infections. They are at risk of liver damage and diabetes.
However, not every pet who takes long-term prednisone suffers from these issues. Some pets can take prednisone for years without developing any problems. Others cannot tolerate the medicine for even a week.
So, to answer your question (finally): it may be safe for your dogs to take prednisone every other day. Or it may not. It depends on your dogs.
Here is what I recommend you do. First, exhaust all of the other treatment options that I have mentioned above, and make sure that none of them works.
If it turns out that only prednisone can make your dogs comfortable, then use it. But use the minimum effective dose. Monitor for the side effects that I mentioned above. And, very importantly, run comprehensive blood and urine tests every three to six months to ensure that the medicine is not having adverse internal effects in your dogs.
Finally, remember that some pets outgrow allergies over time. It may be worth your while to experiment (under the supervision of your veterinarian) with reducing or eliminating their prednisone doses periodically.
You have questions. 
My best buddy Atlas is an allergy sufferer who has done all of the above and more: special diet, antihistamines, allergy shots, cortisone shots, prednisone, temeral-p, cyclosporine (liquid and pills), antibiotics. He’s seen numerous vets (my girlfriend is one, love her and the cheap meds!) and specialists who all end up scratching their head at his case file. This has been an ongoing battle for years now, one that we seem to have fought to a stalemate with an elizabethan collar and antibiotics for his breakouts. One thing is for certain, no more steroids! Atlas became diabetic (transient thank dog!) and a bit crazy after taking pred/temeral-p for a year or so. Good luck!
I am afraid of Predisone and will never give it to another animal
of mine, ever.
People, including the vets, tell me that Predisone had nothing to
do with my Poni’s seizures and I try to make myself believe that.
But I still wonder.
The vet prescibed it for her to help “make her comfortable”. She
was having a runny nose (for over a year) and we just found out
she had tumors in her lungs.
But, Poni had her very first seizure within hours of my giving her
the first pill.
I stopped giving it to her, But the vets and everyone else said they didn’t think the Predisone had anything to do with it. So, a few days later I gave her another pill - within hours she had her second seizure, then a 3rd, then a 4th, etc.
I had to put Poni to sleep within 14 hours of giving her that second pill.
Any person or animal can have an extreme adverse reaction to any medicine, food, or any product.
I know of a woman who went to a beauty supply store and tried on some eyeliner. She had an adverse reaction to it, spent 4 weeks in the ICU, and died. This does not mean that eyeliner is inherently evil.
The same is true of prednisone, Rimadyl, and every other medicine, food, and grooming product.
I am terribly sorry for your loss of Poni. It is likely that she died as a result of a reaction to prednisone. But I can list hundreds of other pets whose lives have been saved by the drug.
Like I said: it is simultaneously the best and the worst drug ever invented.
[…] How safe is prednisone for allergy treatment? […]
Actually, Dr. Barchas, I wish you would have lied to me and told
me the Predisone did NOT cause the seizures.
Clinging to what all the other vets and people told me, of it not being
the predisone, was the only thing that was getting me through her passing; telling myself it wasn’t ME who killed her.
Now I know it was me; for not listening to my instincts after her
reaction the first time I gave her the pill.
Dixe, I do suspect that an adverse reaction to prednisone triggered the seizures. But prednisone is not what killed Poni. Lung cancer killed Poni. The prednisone reaction was simply the final straw.
You did not kill Poni. Cancer killed her.
Once again, I am sorry for your loss. It is always incredibly sad to lose a loved one, but you should not in any way feel responsible for what happened. It is clear that you did everything in your power to help her until the very end.
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Hi Doctor,my cat also take prednisone for allergy.If he does not take that,he will start itching,loosing his hair and getting red skin.Right now I am giving him 4 MG of the prednisone twice a week.I would like to try the Omega 3,but I have no clue what to get and how much to give him.Could you please tell me how to do it?
Also it is getting harder and harder to feed him the prednisone .I make it into little pieces and put it in his food but he smells it and refuse to eat it.What should I do?
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My golden has suffered for 3 years with itchy feet. he initially chewed them until they were raw. finally went to a dermatologist and had test and shots. he first used predisone and temral p to clear them up, which worked. shots did nothing. he has had several rounds of something called (not sure about this spelling) kenakonazol which works for a couple of weeks. are there side effects to this medicine because i would like to give this more often if it won’t hurt him. also i was told to give him 3 , 25 mg of benedryl. my daughters vet said never give more than 2, ever. is this really bad because i have done it a lot.
thanks teresa
I have learned that commercial dog food causes many pets to suffer needless allergic reactions such as licking or chewing feet, itchy ears with waxy discharge, skin eruptions and more. If your dog has allergies, please do an internet browse “truth about dog food” and read the various sites regarding this topic. Sadly, the big dog food companies use stomach-turning and poisonous ingredients together with non-nutritional fillers to feed our pets for the least cost. Meanwhile, they spend billions on tv commercials that make us think we are buying great food, when we are actually feeding roadkill and euthanized dogs/cats to our pets. Dr. Pitcairn explains this thoroughly in his book as well. There are some GOOD foods for dogs out there, but you cannot buy them in grocery stores or Walmart type stores. You can find some at Petco and some online. My favorites are Solid Gold, Evangers, Fromm, Natural Balance. Check out the web — you could save your dog’s life and lots of money for future vet bills.
My 1.5 year old 6 lb. has developed White Shaker syndrom . She is a Maltese.She shakes all over,head tilt.blinking eyes rapidly and very nervous. Took her to Vet the said predisone should help. Gave her 1/2 twice a day for 10 day the 1/2 for 10 days now we r weaning her off 1/2 pill every other day.Pills are 5mg.When taking these pills she was not my puppy she slept under bed wouldn’t come . Then Can u help me more? she would do nothing but sleep.
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i was on here looking to find out infomation about prednosone. my dog has allergies and my vet prescibed it to him. i came across a website all natural products for dogs. im gonna try it. i dont want my dog on the steroid anymore. to many side affects for me. if anyone wants to look into this natural stuff, the website is www.thewholedog.org. im sure there are others too.
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