Cooper had a sore spot between two of his toes on front paw.....vet put him on an antibiotic and Prednisone and medicated wipes to clean between toes. Since then he has been drinking a lot more water than usual plus has had overnight accidents in the house which is totally unusual for him. I went on-line and saw that Prednisone makes dogs very thirsty. Is this something that has come up on the Forum at all or has someone noticed this happening with their pup? I took him off Pred 36 hours ago but he still is drinking a lot of water. Thanks for any help.
Hi, I can't recall seeing any posts regarding Prednisone before, but many drugs have side effects, which your vet should have explained to you. Personally I wouldn't have stopped the Prednisone because Cooper was drinking a lot without speaking to the vet first, and it would not necessarily be unusual for side effects to take time to work through Cooper. An accident overnight would be explained by drinking more water and not being able o go through the night, which could be managed by a trip to the garden during the night in the same way as with a puppy. I would go back to the vet and discuss Cooper's medication and discuss your concerns. Let us know how you get on.
Hi. A direct effect of prednisone is that it makes dogs urinate more (hence the accidents in the house) and as a consequence of this they drink more. How much this affects an individual dog is very variable, some have no noticeable problems others will wee at Olympic standards and consequently drink gallons too. Have a chat with your vet, it's not uncommon and there are things they can do to help.
I have not seen anything about this before and I also think the vet might have said something. I would call the vet as there may be an alternative to use.
Totally agree with Lochan. Who knows her stuff! We have chatted about the effects of steroids before, but search may not have shown it as its a bit cranky. Excessive urination is a common side effect. Be aware that steroids shouldn't be stopped without vet/medical advice. It isn't likely that Cooper has been on a large enough dose for long enough for it to be an issue, but be aware that steroids can suppress your own natural production and if it is suddenly stopped can cause problems. Always safer to chat about it with an expert than just taking a good guess (google supported or not )
Hi All. I probably should not have stopped the Prednisone without asking the vet, you are right. She (vet) never explained side effects, I just went on-line and that is what it says about Pred. I am not faulting Cooper for having two accidents....I feel bad for him because you could see he was upset about that (or maybe I'm reading too much into the look on this face). His sore spot has totally cleared and I am still giving him the antibiotic and using the medicated wipes....have put a call into the vet's office and will see what she has to say about the Pred. It is the third antibiotic Cooper has been on in the last four weeks which I think is excessive....he had diahrrea, then a yeast infection in his ear and now this. I am sure there are some things that need antibiotics (and Pred) but surely diahrrea and even this sore spot between his toes didnt need an antibiotic. I am concerned that, when he really needs one, it will not work. Thanks for all your answers. I will see what the vet has to say.
Vet called back.....she asked how his sore spot was....I told her all cleared up.....she said since I already stopped the Pred, not to go back on it but keep on the antibiotic and the medicated wipes for the 10 day period. Then re-assess how things are. If all clear, then the problem is taken care of. If not all clear, go back to see her. She was not "delighted" I had stopped the Pred but ........ Thanks All.
