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Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / July 2006Prednisone side effects and withdrawl??
My 7 year old black lab was diagnosed with Mast Cell cancer in September, after a tumor removal turned out to be worse than expected. The tumor was rated between a 1-2 on a 1 to 3 grade scale; 3 being the worst. A couple of months after the removal, another large tumor appeared and was removed. The doctor then prescribed Prednisone - 20 mg a day. The immediate side effects were increased thirst and hunger. In addition, my dog stopped shedding and growing hair. She was fine for several month, though another lump did appear. The lump was removed, and was found to be a benign fatty growth. One problem that has recently started was my dog was bleeding after a bowel movement. I got her x-rays and blood work to see if the cancer has moved inward. Everything looked fine and her personality is 100%. I took her to two vets for this, and neither mentioned it as possibly being a side effect of long term Prednisone use. I did online research and found that ulcers can appear over time. She had been on it daily for over 7 months. Without consulting a vet, because neither of them seem very well versed in Prednisone side effects or Mast Cell cancer, I began weening my dog off Prednisone. I wanted to see if the bleeding would stop. Well, it has definitely lessened, and the extreme thirst has also vanished. One big concern now is that my dog is losing her fur at a rapid pace. She did not shed for months, now it's falling out in piles. She's got bald pathches showing up everywhere, yet there is no new fur growth in the areas she had her last surgery, which was over a month ago. I've planned on putting her back on the Prednison in time, though changing the dosage to every other day, but I'm now very concerned about the rapid hair loss and still no growth of new hair. Does anyone have any ideas or advise about this. The vets I'm dealing with don't seem to be much help, and I don't have the cash to go for one of the top of the line doctors. Thanks. There are SIGNIFICANT side effects and risks associated with long term daily use of prednisone. If your vet truly did not discuss these risks with you before starting daily pred, you need to find a new vet NOW! There really is no correlation between cost of a vet and quality of a vet -- start calling around and find one with prices you can afford who sounds like he/she knows what they are doing! My clinic is one of the cheapest in the area and I can promise you we practice some of the best medicine. Just like the most expensive clinic around practices some of the worst medicine. Regarding your dog, if she was on pred daily for 7 months, she may have developed Cushing's disease. That can cause hair loss and skin problems. And by being on pred daily, her body may have shut down it's own production of steroids. So now, if she's completely off steroids, you could also be dealing with Addison's (the opposite of Cushing's), which can also cause skin problems. Or it could be completely unrelated -- allergies, bacterial infection, ringworm, mange, etc etc etc. Find a better vet, and get some more bloodwork done, that's what I'd recommend. Deborah, DVM > My 7 year old black lab was diagnosed with Mast Cell cancer in > September, after a tumor removal turned out to be worse than expected. [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Thanks. Now I'm absolutely horrified, though I appreciate your feedback. At this point I am so irate with my current vet that has been doing all of the surgeries and suggesting the steroids. He NEVER mentioned any potential side effects. I plan on making phone calls on Monday to find someone that actually understands the effects of prednisone and Mast Cell cancer. As for the dog, she responded fairly well to the Pred, other than the thirst. She just had surgery last month but both growths were either fatty or acne/cyst like. NOW she has some nasty growth on her back leg that appears to be another cyst type thing. It's scabbed and leaked already, and is about the size of a nickel. Also, there was a blemish on her belly that I pointed out to the vet a couple of months ago. He said it was nothing to be concerned about. Unfortunately, over the past couple of weeks it's began to swell and I fear it will be mast cell. I do have a direct question for you, or anyone reading. I weened her off Pred over a 2 week period. She responded well, though did have one brief period of nausea. She's been Pred free for two weeks, and that's right when the hair began to fall out significantly. Right now I'm looking at a virtually bald belly that had about 3/4 more hair just over a week ago. I'm tempted to give her more Pred to prevent further hair loss, but then fear I may continue the other problems caused by Pred. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I've read online stories in which people have been able to keep their dogs around for years after a diagnosis of Mast Cell cancer with the use of over the counter antihistamines. It sounds very logical, considering the mast cell tumors are a result of histamine. My dog has been allergic to AIR (or so it seems) since she was a pup. I assume that's been what led to this... > There are SIGNIFICANT side effects and risks associated with long term daily > use of prednisone. If your vet truly did not discuss these risks with you [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > > > > Thanks. He NEVER mentioned any > potential side effects. .........Most likely he was thinking since your dog has cancer the side effects are the least of your problems. That's no reason for not discussing the issue with you. Some vets aren't very good at *partnering* with their client's owners. . I weened her > off Pred over a 2 week period. She responded well, though did have one > brief period of nausea. She's been Pred free for two weeks, and that's > right when the hair began to fall out significantly. Right now I'm > looking at a virtually bald belly that had about 3/4 more hair just > over a week ago. ........that's confusing to me. I would think that she'd be an Addisonian by now (adrenals supressed), but hair loss is a Cushinoid symptom, Cushings being too much cortisol (steroid) production. I'm tempted to give her more Pred to prevent further > hair loss, but then fear I may continue the other problems caused by > Pred. I'm not sure what to do at this point. .........I had an Addisonian dog that required pred and she was on it from age 10 to 14 1/2 when she left the planet. She took it every other day. It sounds very logical, > considering the mast cell tumors are a result of histamine. .......no not really. Mast cells are even in our bodies - they're a natural part of the immune system. Mast cells do produce histamine, though, so when you have lots of mast cells (as in cancer), you've got lots of histamine production, which tends to wreak havoc on the stomach in particular. My dog has > been allergic to AIR (or so it seems) since she was a pup. I assume > that's been what led to this... ......seems she's always had a hyperactive immune response. No telling why, though, she got mast cell cancer. buglady take out the dog before replying If your vet truly did not discuss these risks with you > before starting daily pred, you need to find a new vet NOW! ........why Dr. Deb, are you saying find another vet? (tongue firmly in cheek!) My clinic is one of the cheapest in the area and I can > promise you we practice some of the best medicine. ..........From all the things you've mentioned about your clinic, I'd go to you guys if you weren't way up there in the panhandle. buglady take out the dog before replying |
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