There are lots of reasons for pruitis in animals and some of them don't even have the skin as a primary reason. Insufficient kidney function for example can cause itchiness. I had a cat with constant itch and everything kept coming up negative until my vet had a hunch about a certain mite normally not causing systemic reactions in cats. Well, it did on my cat and he put her on revolution and it was history. I've kept old and terminal animals on pred since it was the lesser of evils and made their last days on earth more comfortable, but I am sure you would not like to make this a long-term treatment. Hope you find an answer.

Holy cow ..what a reply ! ..

In all honesty - if I understood all that - I'd already be a vet ! I'm not the brightest crayon in the box when it comes to medical stuff. Can you give me the Readers Digest condensed version in easy to understand terms ? LOL

Thanks for taking the time to post it for me .

Kathy

The most important sentence in that whole post is this:

Goal of therapy is to use as much as is required & as little as possible for as short an amount of time as possible.

Well - now THAT makes perfect sense. That's my goal .Stop the itch ,but do no harm in the process.

The longer or more often or pred, the more likely you can have bad side effects. Prednisone destroys muscle (including the heart), suppresses the immune system, can ulcerate the stomach to the point of rupturing, cause diabetes, cause thin skin, weakens ligaments and tendons (which may cause surgical disease), causes panting, can cause hair loss, extreme hunger and thirst, dilutes the urine making your pet have to pee all the time (dose dependent) and more.

There is no way to give pred without having some degree of all of the side effects. It's not usually enough to be noticeable but the more the pet is on pred, the more likely to run into trouble.

Thanks again Meghane !

A way to mitigate the bad effects is to take the drug every other day - that way the body does not quit making its' own prednisolone.

It's powerful and cheap but is a bad guy in the long run.

Good post. My golden was on pred for about 2.5 mths...and has now been off for about 2 mths, but she has not lost the weight that she gained...her appetite is back to normal so no reason for the weight to stay on.....also, she has developed a growth on her lower eyelid...could this be a side effect. She will be going to the vets next month for her follow up...not rushing her in for the growth because it is small and does not seem to affect her in any way......the strange thing is that our little yorkie keeps licking it and trying to bite it off the golden....humm

Is there any chance that an ingredient in her food might be bothering her?

My dog was on it for hot spots - she licked holes into her legs - we had just stopped her third round of prednisone when we felt desperate knowing that she really couldn;t live on that stuff forever - we finally decided on our own to change her dog food - know we are not financially invested in this product- we took her off the Purina and put her on Orijen and within three weeks she completely stopped licking at the hot spots.

This dog food costs more and isnt as easy to buy because grocery stores don't carry it (high end dog food store here carries it), but if you are willing to put your dog on this and allow your dog to eat ONLY THIS FOOD OR TREATS MADE WITH NO GRAINS/FILLERS for three weeks or so, then you might find that your dog's problems are over or so greatly reduced that it's finally controllable.

It is very important that the dog eats only the food because if you feed him dog treats from the grocery store, you are defeating the whole point of finding out if it's a food allergy - the allergy would most likely be from the junk put in common dog food products such as fillers and grains. No people food - this is very important that your dog eat ONLY the chicken/turkey Orijen or similar high end brand dog food product.

We began to see results within a week or so but for some dogs it takes longer if it's a food allergy that is the problem.

A person at the store told us to put our dog on the chicken/turkey Orijen because chicken/turkey is the least likely for the dog to have allergies but there is also beef, other meats offered but were I you, I'd stick to the chicken/turkey since it's best allergy wise since some allergies can be aggravated by other meats. If you get cookies for your dog, look in the same area as the dog food and find some in chicken/turkey with no grains/ fillers and you should be safe. Our dog eats less of this dog food because she is filled up faster with decent food and fillers and that helps with the difference in price.

The dog food costs more but it's worth it and the poops are much less and much firmer. You want to keep the dog treats as close to the dog food as is possible. Those cookies will be more expensive too, but it's worth it.
It must be delicious, our dog loves it right from the first bite, obviously so since she danced around her bowl asking for seconds, please.

It can't hurt to try this and very well might help - food allergies are a huge problem for dogs due to the crappy dog food ingredients used as fillers and the huge amount of grain thrown in to fill up the dog.

We are so glad we did this and she has not had a single hot spot problem since we put her on the Orijen a year ago. I hear that some product with the main word "California" used in the brand name is very very good too - I'm sure in a high end pet food store you can ask for help and they will guide you to a good brand, but I swear by the Orijen because that is what worked for our dog so well and so quickly.

Best of luck to your little buddy and to you also. It's hard to see your dog in such constant, steady discomfort, I know.

My little girl bichon has Cushing's disease and we are a member of k9cushings website. There are a number of people on that site whose dogs developed Cushing's disease from overuse or misuse of prednisone. If you post your question there, you will receive answers from people who have experienced this firsthand.
All 3 of my dogs were serious lickers, scratchers and biters. I changed their diet. It all stopped.
Hope this helps.

My rottweiler, Ray, is approximatly 7 years old. In September he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma after visitng the vet for a slight limp. His back left leg was amputated September 24 and we went through 4 chemo treatments over the winter. Post surgery he took a few weeks to recover. After his recovery he got back to his old self, he could run, play, go on walks, was capable of most thinks prior to his surgey. In February we noticed a bit of a slow down, but it was a tough winter, lots of snow, we thought perhaps either he was over tired because of the extra work moving around on snowy ground or just the cold was getting to him. Then one day in February he woke up in the morning and could not walk on his back leg at all - it seemed to happen overnight. We thought injury to his back leg or back initially, but all x-rays are negative. He went on 10mg of prednisone. This got him moving enough to go outside to the bathroom and move a round the house a bit, but not at the strength he once had. Since February he has regressed more, he is now on 40mg of prednisone a day to maintain enough mobility to go outside to do his business and limited movement around the house. We have tried to begin dialing back the dosage, but he regresses back to extreme difficulty moving around. My question is 1- How much danager is my dog in being on this prolonged usage of prednisone. 2- has anyone had success with altenate drugs? I should also mentiong that he is also on some herbal supplements, weekly accupuncture, and a boiled chicken and veggy diet.

Thank you

mw1590, my dog is going through the same thing right now! Fritzy is a mutt, 10 years old, and last fall, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma after a slight limp. His back left leg was also amputated and he went through 6 months of chemo. Then, he was fine for a month, and all of a sudden, he woke up in the morning, squealed, and then couldn't walk. He's now on 10mg pred, robaxin, and a pain killer. And he seems to be regressing, with the latest symptom being episodes of crying, cramping, panting, and shaking usually starting 15 mins after eating and lasting hours at times. I'm at a loss. Not sure what to do. He's been to every doctor in the book. What happened with Ray? Fritzy's seems to be on the identical path, and this is the first time I've seen an identical story!! Please share.

I'm sorry to hear of your dog's illness and urge you to have a serious talk with your vet about his condition and prognosis.
As you know, robaxin is a muscle relaxant and you can read the side effects at this site: http://www.ehow.com/list_6363068_side-effects-robaxin_v-canines.html
If your dog is having difficulty getting up, some of it may be due to the robaxin, but the symptoms you've described go beyond the side effects of robaxin.

Did your vet examine your dog for possible spinal problems, and what has he said about the cancer returning?
I don't mean to sound uncaring, but personally, if I had a dog crying, panting, shaking and cramping (all signs of pain) and the vet was unable to find the problem, I would have the vet ease his pain by euthanasia.

Please read the link below about Osteosarcoma and it's overall prognosis.

Here is a link that might be useful: Osteosarcoma

Calliope, if you still have your kitty with skin problems, there is a very cheap and easy way to keep any mite or insect out of the skin. You want to use food grade Diatromaceous Earth on the skin. Keep away from nose. Any mite or insect that eats it gets their guts cut to pieces but it is in our food products so insects don't get in it. The insects and mites are too small to be able to ingest it. Two grades, 1 for food and 2 for pool. Pool would be unhealthy for furbabies

You might consider looking for a "dermatology" vet since it's a dermatology issue. It will probably save you tons of money and frustration.

FYI. I've discovered over many years dealing with skin issues if a vet tries more then two or three times to fix the problem, he/she probably does not know what is going on. Ask why the change in procedure........

You just copied and pasted this... and it was published by "mahdiuri" yesterday

Plagerized Post

I've had dogs all my life and NEVER have I seen or heard of so many dog owners dealing with chronic itching and paw licking like we have today! My 14 yr. old Shih-tzu had been on Apoquel and now I can't get her off it. It stops the itching, but not the paw licking. When my vet didn't pay attention to my Walmart Pet Rx refill, I was stuck over memorial weekend without meds! I am at the mercy of my vet now, and being held hostage to pay for Apoquel on an on-going basis, it's expensive! Now I will just put my dog on Prednisone and call it a day. I've had it! She's 14. If it alters the years of her life, so be it, I cannot be held hostage by my vet or go broke using Apoquel, which by the way has caused my dog to get bumps on her body. (Read about that!) Both my husband and I have lost our jobs due to Covid and now this! The vet will probably insist my dog keeps coming through her door so she can keep charging me especially since I buy the meds thru Walmart which is cheaper than her. God help me and my dog and whatever is causing all this itching in our dogs. What is going on with all the itching and licking everywhere???? Something is wrong! What is happening to our pets?

Carrie, i’ve wondered that myself, why so many dogs are itchy. As for using the pred, I understand at this point quality of life and comfort are important for your pup. I assume and hope you are using the minimum amount. When our cat was on it, we gave every other day.

My dog gets itchy in the fall. He gets a Cytopoint shot which lasts a month. Not sure if it’s cheaper than Apoquel, and you probably don’t want to try a third med at this point anyway.

I know you are anxious about the jobs, anxious about the pup. I wish you peace.

I also have a 9 year old shihtzu and last weekend she had on sudden paralysis and she couldn't stand up and it took me a few hours to get a hold of a vet , I took her in last Saturday night and the vet said she has something wrong with her spine without doing any exrays , she just concluded that it was spinal and gave her a pain shot and ASPIRIN and another shot for nauseous, well on Sunday she wasn't any better and it appeared to me she was taking a seizure so I called the vet back and was instructed to bring her back in , they gave a shot
Of neurontin in pill form and put her on prednisone 5 mg the neurontin is to be given ever 8 hours and the prednisone once a day , I gave her the neurontin for a few days till I seen she's sleeping to much to really be eating anything so I stopped the neurontin and continued giving her the prednisone which through prayers she's doing ok with and of the mornings she still shakes some and she still has a low energy drive , I'm totally suspecting this could be IVVD since that runs in shihtzus and the surgery to fix it is between 3000 and 5000 which isnt affordable , I'm suppose to reduce the prednisone tomorrow at half the dose which I'm totally leery about doing, I just wished they were certain about her spine since to exrays were taken i have been totally devastated over her since last week , she does seem to walk without limping now and she eats good and drinks good , I'm just worried about the prednisone issue 🙏😢💗

My dog was diagnosed with DM spinal disease i was given pedisolone which i do not like giving so i decided to try her with cbd and turmeric which has worked wonders ...

if you are talking about degenerative myelopathy, there are very few (if any) treatments that will halt this disease. DM is a presumptive diagnosis after all other spinal issues have been ruled out. DM can only be positively diagnosed by analysis of a section of spinal cord tissue after the dog has died. has your vet done any other diagnostic tests to determine if there are any disk problems, etc.?

i lost one of my corgis to this disease years ago. it's very sad to watch progression.

No only xray ... my girl had no control over her back legs but since giving her cbd has improved ... i have seen and heard a disc click i her back but i thought this was caused by the dm ...

I haven’t read about anyone mentioning Cytopoint or Apoquel for the allergies.

My frenchie had such bad allergies and we tried changing her food, laundry soap, etc and nothing helped. One day she had scratched and licked herself raw. I took her to the vet and they gave her a steriod, which helped immensely. She got another steriod shot the next month and then we decided to put her on Cytopoint. It has worked wonders for my dog. She needs an injection of Cytopoint about every 5 weeks and it costs about $65-75 every time. I have a friend who also has a frenchie with the same problems and he decided to get Apoquel which is a daily tablet and costs a little bit more a month.

Yes Cytopoint has been very helpful to my dog. He gets too itchy 2-3 times a year, doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason to when. When he starts to scratch, we take him in for a shot. He doesn't get it regularly, just when he gets to scratching too much. It really does work well and gives him great relief. The scratching is miserable for dogs, and if they break the skin, it can cause infection. When he gets itchy, the special shampoos do nothing. Cytopoint is worth every cent.

My Peaches has a rare disease called syringomyilia that is more common in her breed. She's a cavalier king charles spaniel. She always scratched her left side, bunny-hopped, couldn't tolerate a collar touching her neck. My vet thought it was allergies or ear infection. I'm the one who asked for a referral to a neurologist. Now we manage with gabapentin for nerve pain. Good luck to you and your pup!!❤