Prednisdone

[Cat]

My dog has always been slim and I have always fed him more than the bag recommends as he is active and burns it off. He also gets yoghurt every night and sometimes fish.

He now has an autoimmune disease which he takes prednisdone for. One of the side effects is that he is always hungry. He thinks he is starving and at times seems quite desperate. Another side effect is muscle wastage so he is becoming really bony

Has anyone had any experience with this? I feel horrible and don't know if I should give him more or if I can give him something else to fill him up. If I give him more food is it likely to ever be enough or no because of the steroids?

[jm266]

I too have a dog on daily steroids, he is deficient in cortisol, it has turned him into a shocking thief, he is always hungry and I must be hyper vigilant if there is any food around. I don't try and fill him up, so I can't tell if the hunger ever goes away though I doubt that it ever does, unless the dosage of the steroid is decreased.

The worst thing, IMO, is the state of his coat, it was never fantastic, but since being diagnosed 18 months ago it has noticeablely thinned and doesn't grow back as well. He still has a slightly bald patch from an ultrasound taken at that time and the vet does not need to shave an area when he has blood taken.

The way I look at it, although it is distressing to have a dog like this it is a small price to pay for him to have a relatively normal life.

[Christina]

Yes. I have had short bursts of having to take it myself in the last 2 years.

After about 5 days it made me starving & also very hyperactive.

Some people who are on it long term do get a lot fatter partly because of the drug & partly because they would eat more so probably the same with dogs.

Maybe give him a little more because of hyperactivity but only a little more.

[Nekhbet]

If he's losing muscle and hungry, feed him several smaller meals a day and overall up the food content. In the mean time give him raw carrots to chew on.

Can he have fresh foods like meats? If he can't have them raw can you cook up some mince for him and add something like some soaked oats to help the muscle come back? There is also the Sprinter Gold Muscle Pro powder, I've used in on my dog when she had acidosis, worked wonders.

[Cat]

.

For what I've read the muscle wont come back until he comes off the prednisdone and I don't know how long that will be yet.

I didnt know about hyperactivity...havent really noticed it except maybe for when he scavenging. Aside from that he is not as energetic as he used to be. But I assume that is from being unwell and all the drugs he is on

Thanks for the replies.

[coogie]

Hi Cat,

Alfie has to take prednisone from time to time and he too is absolutely starving when on it, it is pitiful to watch because unlike Issy he is not usually a guts. He also drinks a lot more so we watch him because he doesn't always seem to know when to stop drinking - almost like he is trying to fill his tummy.It's a balance between him drinking more because he is thirsty on the prednisone and just drinking so much to fill himself he is sick. We do pretty much what Nek said and try to feed him smaller meals more often to stave off the hunger pangs,he won't eat carrots though, steamed pumpkin in small amounts seems to help a bit. He does go back to normal very quickly once he is weaned off the tablets though. Hope your boy is feeling better soon. Give him a pat from us.

[Cat]

Poor Alfie Seems to be a horrible drug though necessary

Thanks. Hamish is really thirsty as well but hasn't been sick yet. I heard that it is good as he needs to flush out his kidneys so haven't been overly concerned. Only problem is that he has to go out through the night. but really a small price to pay all things considered. Though I thought tonight with the speed which he tries to consume things bloat could be a worry...

I'll try to figure something out...I am not sure how likely the small meals are because of us both working during the day. I could give it to him when i get up or when I get home, but he needs a different tablet an hour or two before the Prednisone which needs to be on a fairly empty tummy.

He does love carrots so I will try that. I made pumpkin for the first time this week as he had an upset tummy from the meds and he seemed to like it...OH on the otherhand complained about the smell the whole time *eyeroll man*

[CrazyCresties]

Hi Cat, sounds like you're in a similar boat to me Louis was diagnosed just over two months ago with IMHA and started on a high dose of pred, 40mg day. Along with the condition, it completely knocked him sideways. I started seeing muscle wastage after a couple of weeks, along with the hunger and the thirst and constant peeing. Atopica (cyclosporine) was added, and after 3 weeks we started to reduce the pred. The thirst reduced immediately and we have steadily reduced it to the 7.5mg a day that he is on now.

I think once we got down to about 15 mg a day I started to see a slow down in the muscle wastage. His thighs and shoulders got very skinny and I was starting to feel his spine - the worst is the 'pred head' where his temporal muscles above the eyes have gone, and I understand they don't usually come back. Now he has got a good covering back on his spine and thighs, but his shoulders are still quite skinny, but he has a lot more strength back as well :)

Unfortunately the hunger seems to be worse, but I think that is because he feels so much better in himself and he has the energy to 'scrounge'. I've been feeding him a bit extra, but also splitting it into more frequent smaller meals.

How much pred is Hamish on at the moment? It's horrible seeing like this isn't it

[Kingly Pet]

My dog has always been slim and I have always fed him more than the bag recommends as he is active and burns it off. He also gets yoghurt every night and sometimes fish.

He now has an autoimmune disease which he takes prednisdone for. One of the side effects is that he is always hungry. He thinks he is starving and at times seems quite desperate. Another side effect is muscle wastage so he is becoming really bony

Has anyone had any experience with this? I feel horrible and don't know if I should give him more or if I can give him something else to fill him up. If I give him more food is it likely to ever be enough or no because of the steroids?

Hey Cat,

Sorry to hear the above!

Can I ask what is exactly wrong with your dog? I know you said it was an autoimmune disease, but what is happeneing to him?

My mates dog has an autoimmune disease - skin issues - and he is trying a new natural product because he has irritations from taking Macrolone (steroid). His dog is also hungry and urinates a lot when on the roids.

Cheers,

KP.

[Cat]

CC, Hamish is on 40 mg a day. Poor Louis. I imagine it is much more obvious with a Chinese crested. I've let Hamish get rather wooly so the skinniness isn't as obvious but it is quite a shock when I pat him or give him a cuddle. It has certainly taught me that you shouldn't just automatically think the worst of people if you see an emaciated looking dog. We haven't been able to reduce as yet, have to wait for his platelet count to get higher. It is pretty sad seeing him like this and can't wait until he is happier and looking healthier

KP, he has immune mediated thrombocytopenia...which means his immune system is attacking the platelets in his blood.

[CrazyCresties]

I took Louis for his first outing in a while yesterday to a cafe, and while it was warm enough to have him naked, I left him with a thin pair of pj's on as he looks so scrawny at the moment

All the best for Hamish, have you come across this group yet? It's for IMHA but I believe IMT is treated in the same way?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/6228146980/

There are some very knowledgeable and helpful people on there when it comes to managing and treating this :)

[Cat]

Thanks. I had come across a different one but don't think it is active anymore

[Kingly Pet]

KP, he has immune mediated thrombocytopenia...which means his immune system is attacking the platelets in his blood.

PM me if you want and I can keep you posted with my mates dogs results.

Cheers,

KP

[CrazyCresties]

Out of curiosity what is the 'natural product' your friend is using for an auto-immune condition?

[Kingly Pet]

Out of curiosity what is the 'natural product' your friend is using for an auto-immune condition?

Hey CC, I would prefer not to say on here due to my association with said product. I don't want to be seen to be promoting it...... I know how forum memebers feel about that..........lol

Again, feel free to PM me.

Cheers,

KP.

[Skruffy n Flea]

cat, i haven't read all the posts but those that suggest feeding smaller amounts more often is what i needed to do with my boy when he was on pred. it's a necessity and avoids over-feeding because smaller amounts fed every few hours satisfies the hunger pangs and when managed, your dog shouldn't gain much if any weight --- we as humans know that in just the same way and like i always am when on anti-inflams, water is my friend so make sure your dog has plenty of it...

good luck :)

[Cat]

Thanks