Has anyone ever had a dog on long term, very low dose ( 5 mg's per day) pred for allergies? I am wondering if it's possible for a normal life expectancy when doing so. I have sadly discovered some allergies in a couple of my dogs.. One gets really bad this time of year and allergy shots, bathing, etc did nothing for him. Pred seems to be the only relief and generally speaking a low dose works... But the symptoms are coming on earlier in the season and lasting longer... Pollens are the major issue according to the derm doc.

If I were to put a dog on pred, I would suggest giving the lowest effective doseage possible every OTHER day. Give the dosages early in the morning to more closely mimic the normal body rhythms. Just understand that even with low doses, cushings is a potential problem, not to mention weight gain and increased water intake and urination. I have seen cases that had to have pred for relief. Just be careful....

I give my girl two (10 mg) tablets of Claritin once a day starting in early spring and end when the snow arrives . She has a pollen allergy that when inhaled causes her to have breathing problems and skin issues. My Vet prescribed the claritin along with a flovent inhaler to be used twice a day. This is her second year on these meds and she has done great !!! I buy the generic brand Loratadine at BJs 300 tablets....much cheaper ! Be sure to buy the plain kind....not the kind with the decongestant in it! I would check with your Vet before using the Loratadine..... it might be worth a try....I don't like to use the prednisone on a daily basis.

And your claritin should have a LOT fewer side effects as well. It's certainly worth a try before delving into the side effects of pred.

I have a bitch with severe environmental allergies who has been on pred for about 5 years now. She gets 5mg every 3 days, for times when the pollen is bad, like right now, I increase to every other day. She has not had any of the side effects on this dosage. She also gets claritin like others have mentioned, and allergy injections once a month. Though she still gets itchier at times than a normal dog she is comfortable and her skin and coat look good. I would rather she not be on the pred but I do not want to change anything, I would rather make she sure she stays comfortable than seeing her suffer like she was, even if it means a shorter life. But so far she is very healthy at 9 years old. But I would try other things first, pred should be a last resort, though it does work wonders, you may want to use it just to break the itch cycle then see if you can stop using it.Allergies really stink.

Your dog would be much better off with Atopica, ask your derm vet. It's more costly but you can get a generic version (human cyclosporin) at Costco for much less. Good luck.

Thanks for the replies... We tried the Atopica and vomiting was a big issue..
I have a friend who is into applied kinesiology.. She would like to work with one of the others whose symptoms are less... I think I may give it a try..

I just sent my rescue girl to the bridge. She had terrible allergies that got worse in recent years. Benadryl didn't help at all. We finally put her on a small dose of prednisone about 4 months ago. She took it every other day until the beginning of May, when she got sick. Her coat looked great and she was not itching, scratching, biting, rolling in the grass. No hot spots.

She went to the bridge on Friday. She was between 10 & 14 years old (probably closer to 14).

Not sure what happened - probably cancer.

I had a girl on 5 mg pred every day from 8 years old on. She died at 14 of congestive heart failure. After modifying diet and putting her on pred she stopped scratching and had coat on her belly and no red ears, the rest of her life. At that dose we did not see the increased water intake or urination.

We did yearly blood work.

To make a dogs life comfortable, I would try it again.

Sue Puff

temeril-P might be a better choice.


https://animalhealth.pfizer.com/sites/pahweb/us/en/Products/Pages/Temaril_P.aspx