Auto-immune Diseases and Prednisone
Question:
>Anyone have any experience with this? My pup (8 months) was just >diagnosed with Lupus and the Vet wants to put him on Pred. I’ve been >doing some reading about the long term and short term side effects of >Pred. and was wondering if anyone here has actually dealt with it in >their dog. >Anyone else have a dog with Lupus? What can I expect? The vet didn’t >seem to think it would shorten his life span or effect the quality of >life (except during an acute attack), but I’d love to hear from folks >who have been through the same.
I’ve been through it with *me*, and I know many other people who have. Long term treatment (in humans) with *very* low doses isn’t hellish, but affects the body’s ability to use calcium. Folks on long term steroid therapy should be taking lots of extra calcium and eating lots of calcium rich foods. I don’t know if this is true with dogs. Ask your vet. The risks increase (in humans) with increased doses. Mood swings, depression, acne, weight gain, fat deposits in unusual places — ick. In humans, lupus *can* affect quality of life, as it can attack organs, but it might be different in dogs. In any case, you need to weigh the risks of steroid therapy against the risks of untreated lupus. Mary – Mary http://www.prado.com/~iris
Response:
beans would fill the dog up without adding lots of extra >calories. My dog wouldn’t eat them, we’d have to give her lots of >broccoli.
I read an earlier post regarding humans on Prednisone and the requirement for additional calcium. Broccoli is an excellent source of calcium and a filler. I hadn’t thought of broccoli as a filler. What a great ideal. Since my dog is on Prednisone, I’ll have to add broccoli to her diet when I’m not adding green beans, that way she’ll have a variety. She is hungry all the time, poor thing. The vet said she may have hunger pains that hurt, so I try to fill her up without adding fat. LP
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>When people say "long term usage" of the drug, what does that mean? 2 >months? Six? A year?
A short term dose would be for ten days or so. When one of my doctors put me on a drug for "long term usage", I questioned him a year later as to when we were going to attempt a reduction of dose. He said "I *did* say long-term, remember"? I thought a year *was* long-term. His intention was something approaching forever. So I’ve learned to ask. In the case of pred, outside of the hunger pains that can occur, you probably won’t notice much of a difference in two months time. Real side effects, and the lasting ones, shouldn’t happen in that period of time. Bulking up a gangly dog is probably not going to happen – at least not like you think. In humans, side effects of even short-term use include increased hunger, some reduction in metabolic rate and eventually a reduction in muscle mass – a classic prescription for weight gain. Yes, it’s a steroid but it’s a different class of steroid than you think of. It’s not a muscle-building steroid. The weight gain will not be muscle. These side-effects of relatively short-term use of pred will stop when you stop the drug. For people, they start to consider the possibility of increased osteoporosis after six consecutive months of treatment or of twelve months over an eighteen month period. So I’d say six months is getting to the point of "long-term". I always noticed that after about a week on pred that my shopping level increased. We have documented this side effect on half a dozen occasions. And I know of at least one other case of a similar effect on another person. I doubt that you will notice this in your dog – mine never had this reaction. I suspect it’s just the result of feeling better. When it works, pred is a wonderful drug. Good luck with the treatment. ~~Judy "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind." — Theodorus Gaza
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I’ll add something on the Pred and I’m curious as to the dosage that your dog will be taking and his weight. I’m part of a K-9 Addison’s group and lots of us use Pred for our dogs–a different situation though, as it’s replacement for what their bodies no longer produce. At high dosages (initial diagnosis), many of them eat like piggles, drink a lot and may experience incontinence, so don’t get exasperated with him if he gets you up during the night or has an accident in the house. For long term usage, ask your vet about using the variations of Pred, some are easier on the liver than others. Hydrocortisone (I think) is one, I’ll ask if you want me to. The side effects that I’ve experienced on a fairly high dosage is insomnia, burning stomach, moodiness, ravenous appetite. So, I don’t know why they can’t experience the same things. The green beans are filler, like lettuce would be for us. If you want him to put on some weight, use a good quality food like Innova. Fatty foods will only add fat. HTH! Trish
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>You might start out with pred, but keep searching for other treatments as I >find it hard to believe they haven’t gone past steroids for this disease.
They haven’t gone much past steroids for most auto-immune diseases in humans. My own experience here is not for lupus but for sarcoidosis (which I have had now for several years) but the diseases are very similar. The problem is that they do not know what the "trigger" for most of them is. So all they can do is treat symptoms. Pred is the gold standard treatment for people for most of them. And yeah, long-term it can be a lousy drug. In the time I was on it, I developed osteoporosis and diabetes and we were forced to find a second-line drug. So keep searching for an alternative. Some of them work pretty well if the symptoms are not too extreme. ~~Judy "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind." — Theodorus Gaza
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Three weeks ago, my dog was put on Prednisone (20 mg) for something other than Lupus. I was instructed to give one pill a day to her for 3 weeks, then a pill every other day for 2 weeks, then 1/2 pill a day afterwards. My dog may be on it for maybe 6 months. Because Prednisone makes one very hungry and thirsty, my vet advised me to add green beans to her diet. This is to prevent the terrible hunger pains as well as preventing her from bulking up. Lots of fresh water is of course a given. THE IMPORTANT THING TO DO IF YOUR DOG IS ON Prednisone: Take your dog to a vet for a blood test. The vet should check for white cell count, liver & kidney functions. Follow up with a second visit 10 days later to see if there is any changes. Good luck and follow the vet’s directions to the T. LP – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Anyone have any experience with this? My pup (8 months) was just >diagnosed with Lupus and the Vet wants to put him on Pred. I’ve been >doing some reading about the long term and short term side effects of >Pred. and was wondering if anyone here has actually dealt with it in >their dog. >Anyone else have a dog with Lupus? What can I expect? The vet didn’t >seem to think it would shorten his life span or effect the quality of >life (except during an acute attack), but I’d love to hear from folks >who have been through the same.
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> Because Prednisone makes one very hungry and thirsty, my vet advised me > to add > green beans to her diet. This is to prevent the terrible hunger pains as > well > as preventing her from bulking up. Lots of fresh water is of course a > given.
Green beans, huh? Not sure I’m following the logic on preventing the hunger pains. Could you explain? In Harper’s case, we *want* him to bulk up some. He was in that gangly, skinny phase when he got sick and dropped some weight due to the illness…we’d like him to put some back on–the Vet included. Right now, he’s scheduled to be on the Pred. for 2 months at decreasing doses every 14 days and goes in for his bloodwork in 2 weeks. When people say "long term usage" of the drug, what does that mean? 2 months? Six? A year? Lisa
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> I’ll add something on the Pred and I’m curious as to the dosage that your > dog > will be taking and his weight.
I’m not sure what the miligram doses are per pill off the top of my head, but Harper weighs about 45 lbs right now…down from 50 or so when he was healthy. Right now, he’s on 3 pills a day for two weeks, then down to 2 for two, then down to 1.5 for two, then down to 1 for two. I can check on the MG level of the pill when I get home. Thanks for all the help, everyone. :-) Lisa
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>Green beans, huh? Not sure I’m following the logic on preventing the >hunger pains. Could you explain?
String beans would fill the dog up without adding lots of extra calories. My dog wouldn’t eat them, we’d have to give her lots of broccoli. I once knew a hugely overweight rescue corgi. The vet had her new owner feed her only broccoli except for a reduced amount of kibble at the end of the day. She lost weight and seemed happy with her food quantity. (Her poop, on the other hand, was colorful.) – Mary http://www.prado.com/~iris
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Anyone have any experience with this? My pup (8 months) was just diagnosed with Lupus and the Vet wants to put him on Pred. I’ve been doing some reading about the long term and short term side effects of Pred. and was wondering if anyone here has actually dealt with it in their dog. Anyone else have a dog with Lupus? What can I expect? The vet didn’t seem to think it would shorten his life span or effect the quality of life (except during an acute attack), but I’d love to hear from folks who have been through the same. Thanks, Lisa & Harper
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Long term use of prednisone will definitely affect bones, heart muscle along with all other muscles, thickness of the skin, and lower resistance to disease. I don’t know much about lupus, but try searching google.com with "prednisone+lupus" and "canine+lupus". I’d also check www.vetinfo.com for general info on lupus. How was he diagnosed? By symptoms or were there tests? I’d also check yahoo.com groups – probably is one for canine lupus. You might start out with pred, but keep searching for other treatments as I find it hard to believe they haven’t gone past steroids for this disease. I’d also seek out an alternative vet who has treated the disease and see what they have to say. Good luck buglady take out the dog before replying – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Anyone have any experience with this? My pup (8 months) was just >diagnosed with Lupus and the Vet wants to put him on Pred. I’ve been >doing some reading about the long term and short term side effects of >Pred. and was wondering if anyone here has actually dealt with it in >their dog. >Anyone else have a dog with Lupus? What can I expect? The vet didn’t >seem to think it would shorten his life span or effect the quality of >life (except during an acute attack), but I’d love to hear from folks >who have been through the same. >Thanks, >Lisa & Harper
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