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He's been on steroids for over a year…..will this harm him in the long run?

4K views 40 replies 21 participants last post by  dcg9381 
#1 ·
Brutus has serious skin issues. His skin turns bright red all over and itches him like crazy. He rolls around miserable because of the itching. After trying many different foods and no relief from his itching, and at this point he was scratching himself till he bled. He had 2 skin infections from the scratching the Vet placed him on continuous steroids which he has been taking twice a day for a little over a year now. I am not big on medication use but have no idea what else to do for him. I also wonder if being on steroids constantly might eventually be harmful to him. Any advice or knowledge would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
#4 ·
Steroids in humans (I assume the same would be true in all mammals) can
accelerate the aging of organs approximately seven-fold. Long-term steroid use can result in a number of undesirable side effects - I would definitely research other options, especially holistic remedies.
 
#6 ·
one of my GSD`s had skin issues as your`s, he was on prednisone, for 8 months and developed pneumonia, the ER vet told me the prednisone, breaks down the immune system over a period of time
 
#7 ·
Yes, corticosteroids have side effects when used long-term. Your vet should have told you about this. They are considered a "last resort" treatment because the side effects can be serious, even devastating when used over a period of years.

I know how awful the chronic itching can be, and if prednisone is the ONLY thing that gives him relief, then it's hard to say no to that. It's about quality of life and the lesser of two evils. I assume you've done skin scrapings and other diagnostics and have not been able to determine the cause of the itching. Allergy testing might be helpful, although if the dog is allergic to something in the environment like grass, pollen, mold, etc., your only recourse is to move somewhere the allergen doesn't exist. Like the desert or the arctic. :(
 
#8 ·
ohhh no-I don't want to compromise his immune system or damage his organs! Because of the elimination diets not resolving his allergies the vet did not recommend allergy testing because she said his allergies are most likely environmental and not avoidable.

I have not tried the raw diet. Not sure how to even do that and we are on a tight budget. I mean would he need lots of vegetables as well to balance his diet, and how much meat would I give him per meal? I'd have no idea how to feed him that way and he is a big boy weighs well over 100 lbs and the steroids make him constantly hungry like a raving woof and thats no exaggeration. He has been trying to eat everything even my daughters crayons.

*And the steroid he is on is Prednisone.
 
#9 ·
If you ask your vet for the name of the steroids and google it, you can probably find a ton of info on the side effects of long term use. A vet was going to place my allergy dog on prednisone regularly and I did some research and found that the ingredients thru long term use will result in various organ failures. That's when I went the hollistic route and found alternatives that worked. The prednisone only alleviates the symptoms by about 75% for a day before he will need another shot.
 
#13 ·
While your vet MAY be right it seems that a skin test might find a few environmental allergens that can be avoided... cedar, cats, fleas, etc. I had an aussie with bad environmental allergens. We called UC DAVIS dermatology and a kind doc there discussed the case and then referred me to a vet dermatologist. We did shots for a year with no real luck (but some of my friends have had great luck with the shots). I did diet elimentations and raw with no luck. I also did Tavist long term and that was helpful (Tavist being an over the counter med - vet recommended trying different allergy meds to find the best one).

I would call your local vet school hospital and try to get referrals.

As someone said, it is about quality of life. Don't throw out the steroids just because YOU are scared of them. BUT do pursue if some other method works to improve his life.
 
#17 ·
Brutus is given the steroid through pills at home-I have reduced what he is taking even further by cutting the pills in half-it's just enough to control the itching so its tolerable but not completely gone-I am trying to keep him on the lowest possible dose. The OTC med idea is a good one-I will also ask the vet about this. Thanks!
 
#21 ·
I second asking about APOQUEL.. My vet just went to a seminar on it, said it sounds promising and non steroidal.

A person on one of my FB pages, said she used it on her gsd who has always had the "itchies" and she saw an improvement very fast..

Something to look into anyway.
 
#22 ·
Going through a very similar issue with Titan.. just without the year long steroids. He has had his share of skin infections because he's itchy ALL the time. Right now he has a command to stop itching. I let him for a few seconds then it's enough. We did just start on Prednisone again for the next 3 weeks because he won't stop itching. Very low dose though.. one pill every 2-3 days. Just to take the edge off.

Something I would suggest, which was suggested by my vet, was allergy testing. After trial and error on many different fronts, we just haven't been able to narrow it down. We are only doing the food allergy this time around.. if it's that we can fix that easy by changing his diet... and if it's not that I would assume it's environmental and we will go from there. You may look into doing the same sort of thing.
 
#24 ·
4 things you may want to consider trying:;)

The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain Free Embark:
Embark - Grain Free, High Protein Dog Food | The Honest Kitchen

Krill Oil - some people find krill more helpful than salmon oil for a particular dog:“Krill oil has a unique biomolecular profile that distinguishes it from other fish oils. While EPA and DHA in fish oils comes in the form of triglycerides, the EPA and DHA is already incorporated into phospholipids, which facilitates the passage of the fatty acids through the intestinal wall. This increases the bioavailability of the EPA and DHA and improves absorption and assimilation.” "Krill Oil contains Astaxanthin which is a powerful antioxidant and is also an anti-inflammatory. “Astaxanthin is a carotenoid-type of antioxidant that is even more powerfu than beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, lycopene and lutien.” Krill Oil capsules (180 per bottle): 1 bottle - Mercola.com

Digestive Enzymes/ProBiotics combination (to support and heal the gut): The Wholistic Pet

SeaVive: Myself and a few friends have seen amazing results using this product for fungus and allergies for our dogs! My dogs fungus started to go away in 2 weeks and one friend saw a noticeable change on day 4! My husband and I also take it everyday to keep our immune system up during the winter months!
SeaVive Information:
IMMUNE SYSTEM MISSION: Prevent disease and infection
Mucous membranes that line body cavities open to the environment, such as those found in the nose and gut, house antibodies called immunoglobulins that ensnare pathogens and potential antigens encountered in daily life. Thus, mucous membranes function as the first step in the mission of the immune system to prevent disease and infection.
Toxic invaders that sneak by the mucosal barrier are met by white blood cells called macrophages, which by a process called phagocytosis literally digest and destroy invaders in the blood. Thus, macrophages become the body's inside line of defense responsible for seeking and indiscriminately destroying viruses, parasites, fungi, and bacteria.
Two new supplements aid and assist these defenses against disease and infection. They are Colostrum, which supplies critical immunoglobulins to block invaders at the level of the mucosal barrier, and Beta glucan, which stimulates the action of the macrophages to phagocytize invaders in the blood stream. A third supplement Seacure® aids the immune system indirectly by correcting pathogenic bowel permeability to prevent hazards from passing through the gut membrane to infect internal organs. Finally, Vitamin C is well recognized for its immune-supportive properties. All four of these components are combined to produce the one-of-a-kind immune-booster ... SeaVive®. About SeaVive

Quote: SeaVire® is a 100% natural, pre-digested fish protein concentrate combined with Colostrum 80/40 which is critical for good immune function. This combination is the only product on the market like it in the world. It is now available in the nutraceutical industry today. SeaVive® naturally contains a total of 18 amino acids including the 11 essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the dog/cat's body and must be supplied to the body in their daily diet. But when a system is compromised due to disease or a debilitating condition SeaVive is the ideal supplement because of the benefits of a quickly absorbed and fully assimilated protein source- one of which is fast repair and recovery from illness, surgery, and wound healing.

Because SeaVive® is already pre-digested it is 100% usable by the body, and it does not require effort on the part of the dog's digestive system to process the protein. This makes it readily available for nourishment, boosting immune function and accelerated healing. This product is perfect for fading puppy syndrome, the systemic yeast removal detoxification process, dog's whose systems are depleted from IBD, IBS, Coccidia and Giardia. It is a terrific supplement for dog's with allergies due to its immune boosting properties and an answer to nourishment for the stages of early renal failure because it's a protein the body does not have to process, so it is usable and not hard on the compromised kidneys.

During the manufacturing process of SeaVive they employ a proprietary technology that permits them to, naturally, breakdown the fresh raw material, Pacific Whiting (a member of the Cod family) making SeaVive
almost 100% absorbable and assimilated by the body.

Due to this technological process, the body does not have to further digest SeaVive® which makes it very easy on the body, permitting the naturally occurring minerals, nutrients, amino acids and peptides of the fish to be utilized immediately assisting the body with the natural healing process.
Some Examples of Use:
Detoxification During Yeast Removal
Boosting Immune Function
Allergies
IBD and IBS
Digestive Issues
Malabsorption Issues
Giardia
Coccidia
Parasites
Malnutrition
Rescue & Repair
Lactating Bitches
Fading Puppy Syndrome
Wound Healing - Topically
Repair After Surgery
Wound Healing - Internally
HOD (when off feed)
Nourishment Post Surgery
Renal Failure

About SeaVive
Or here: SeaVive 90 Capsules by Proper Nutrition

Always add new foods or supplements slowly.

Hope your baby finds some relief soon!

Moms:)
 
#26 · (Edited)
Have you checked his thyroid level? It might be worth a try as itching is a symptom of thyroid imbalance. Just a thought...........
Had you tried antihistamines yet? When I was having this problem someone recommended coconut oil I think it was, and another supplement, I'll have to find the info. I didn't end up needing either as my girl did have hypothyroidism and is now being treated for that, the itching is pretty much gone.
 
#27 ·
FWIW, and no one has mentioned this so far, if you decide to take your dog off the prednisone, it MUST be tapered, never quit cold turkey. Consult your vet for a withdrawal schedule.
 
#29 ·
From the Dane Lady: "It is my opinion, after working with hundreds of cases over many years, that when we are trying to re-balance the system and reduce the yeast/fungus levels in the gut, we have a much higher success rate when the thyroid is working properly. Now the problem is that yeast die-off, known as mycotoxins, actually can destroy the thyroid gland, which is the master lock to the whole glandular system (endocrine system). This is why having an current and accurate thyroid test done is critical to a successful re-balancing of the yeast overgrowth in the digestive tract.
Most veterinarians do not do a complete thyroid panel (5 panel test), nor do they know how to recognize a low normal test. I feel it is of utmost importance that you get a thyroid test analyzed by Dr. Jean Dodds at www.hemopet.com. I feel so strongly about this that I often will not do a consultation until pet owners have this thyroid test done before our consultation. Go to hemopet.com and click on services. You will note Dr. Dodds has 4 sections with instructions and forms for you to print out and take to your vet. Your vet will draw the blood and mail it to her laboratory and she will send you the accurate results. She does a complete Thyroid Antibody Panel which includes T4, Free T4, T3, Free T# and a TGAA (thyroglobulin autoantibody) test.
I really don't recommend going by your vets blood test. But if you have already gone to your own vet and they have run a T-3 and T-4 - look at the numbers, if they are in the middle (50%) range, it is considered low for the giant breeds and you must treat with thyroid meds. You must insist on it. In fact, if your dog is a large/giant breed and it comes back in the middle range say 1-10 and it reads a 5 on your dog, it means it needs to be treated with meds. Ideally a large/giant breed needs to be above the 50% range and on small active dogs it needs to be even higher than that - say on 1-10 range it would need to be a 7-8!"

This is what it says at Dr. Dodd's website:
"HEMOLIFE, provides the most comprehensive diagnostic profiles for detecting and interpreting autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism, with our specialized reference ranges. We use novel, 'green' non-RIA technology never offered before in veterinary medicine (patent pending). The Thyroid Antibody Panel (Thyroid 5™) is comprised of T4, Free T4, T3, Free T3 and TGAA. No other diagnostic laboratory offers this technology or provides clients with the detail, personal assessment, and recommendations offered by Dr. Dodds and her staff."


Here is the form that you can give to your vet to submit blood for the test: Hemopet



Hope you find and answer!
Moms:)
 
#32 ·
Hello I had the same problem with our cocker spaniel..Thank god ours GSD so far are good ..We have spent hundreds on him and could never clear him or itching to stop...The Vet said steroids are not to be given all the time it will do a lot of damage to immune system and liver and kidneys..The allergy test showed he was allergic to almost everything..So all the medicines that were a short term fix we came across this product Nzymes Healthy-Skin Program for Yeast Overgrowth | Nzymes.com. ...We have only been using it for a short time but have seen improvement ..So good luck just wanted to give you another site to look at..
 
#33 ·
Hello I had the same problem with our cocker spaniel..Thank god ours GSD so far are good ..We have spent hundreds on him and could never clear him or itching to stop...The Vet said steroids are not to be given all the time it will do a lot of damage to immune system and liver and kidneys..The allergy test showed he was allergic to almost everything..So all the medicines that were a short term fix we came across this product Nzymes Healthy-Skin Program for Yeast Overgrowth | Nzymes.com. ...We gave only been using it for a short time but have seen improvement ..So good luck just wanted to give you another site to look at..

Appreciate it! :)
 
#35 ·
Has your vet had you taper down the dose of Prednisone to the smallest possible effective dose? Prednisone is NOT something you want to keep a dog on for any extended period of time. And if so, I believe they usually want to test the liver every so often.

It does suppress the immune system, and effects the liver. Not only that, but it can affect the bodies ability to make/regulate the hormone on its own. Prednisone use can also mask a lot of problems. It is an anti inflammatory. So if there is swelling somewhere, (say the spinal cord) and the dog is regularly on pred, you would have NO idea because it is likely the symptoms wouldn't show, or at least wouldn't be as bad as they really are.

Do NOT just stop the prednisone though, the dog will have to be tapered off of it.
 
#41 ·
Long term, it's bad. If it were my dog dealing with allergies, I'd have some testing done - I think long term it's much better for the dog and might be less expensive than multiple vet visits.

You can always try different food supplement combos, but if those don't work, I'd test.
 
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