Obsessive behaviour on Prednisolone

[Kirsty.Stick]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced any obsessive behaviour whilst heir dog was on steroids?
Cali is flea biting her toys or our bedding a lot and this sometimes leads to obsessive licking of her feet. She also licks the patches that remain from her joint taps and cannula, the hair has barely grown back and she is making the skin raw, sometimes I catch her licking the joints of her toes and these become red also. We are about 8 weeks in to treatment and on 20mg pred a day over two doses.

Thanks
Kirsty

[Jo CIMDA]

 Hi Kirsty

Obsessive behaviour is not unusual when the dog has been on steroids for a prolonged period. Compulsive licking of legs, especially the forearm and front paws and an obsession, even aggression, over toys etc., is not that unusual.  These are all typical symptoms of anxiety/stress caused by the high levels of cortisol in the dog's blood.  Not all dogs will respond in this way but excessive cortisol (hypercortisolism), whether it be drug induced or not, can definitely cause anxiety, even in humans. This behaviour will subside as the preds are lowered.

I can't remember the drug protocol Cali has been on but perhaps you can have a chat with your vet about lowering the dose, but that depends on the resolution of her AI disease and the drug protocol she is on. Is 20mg a day still a significant dose after 8 weeks, for a dog of her size?   Sometimes if the dog is showing extreme side effects it is time to lower the dose regardless of the drug regimen or the AI disease.  The whole treatment process has to be tailored to the individual which means a good balance between the resolution of clinical signs of the disease and the side effects of the drugs,  and the vet and owner must be prepared to go off regimen if clinical signs suggest. After a long period of time the side effects of the drugs can be more problematic than the disease.

She may set up secondary infection if she continues to lick her legs, and also pred causes thin skin and this can be a problem with healing sore skin and wounds.  Will Cali wears some soft socks to prevent her from doing damage to her skin?

Jo


See this link for more information.

https://www.vetinfo.com/prednisone-side-effects-dogs.html 

Prednisone is a corticosteroid that can be used to treat conditions and diseases such as asthma, allergies and arthritis. However, when prescribing this medication, the prednisone side effects should also be considered, as these may cause a lot of damage if administered as a long term treatment.


Prednisone Side Effects
Dogs that get prednisone as a short term treatment (i.e. 1 to 4 weeks) may not experience any side effects. However, if the treatment is lengthy, prednisone may cause a number of side effects, including:

Immunity suppression, which makes the dog more susceptible to infections; the immune system cannot protect the dog, so his health must be carefully monitored and secondary diseases must be treated as soon as they occur
Increased appetite, that leads to weight gain
Increased thirst and more frequent urination
Water retention, caused by the sodium in the salt, in case the dog has a diet rich in salts
Fluid in the stomach
Myocardial arrest
Oily skin, which may be due to hormonal imbalance
Coarse hair, unhealthy looking coat
Sudden aggressiveness
Irritability
Anxiety
Depression
Nausea
Kidney problems
Ulcers, stomach problems
Colitis
Diabetes mellitus
Hypertension

[Kirsty.Stick]

Hi Jo

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

We are due a blood test next Tuesday to assess CRP and phosphate levels, if these are normal (not sure what will happen with the phosphate yet) then we will drop to 15mg a day over two doses and retest the blood 3 weeks later. She is a little under 16kg at the moment which is the biggest she's ever been! I wonder whether she is showing some irritability too as she will 'tell off' my other half sometimes if he fusses her for too long, she's also a little clingy towards me and I have kind of put that down to anxiety at the moment but we do have a behaviourist coming to help us figure out how to read her better and not elicit this behaviour. She goes from being submissive towards my other half to showing her teeth or nipping. We've had a few behaviour issues before which have greatly improved since treatment has started so I wonder whether it has always been pain/discomfort related.

We are also having some soft stools and diarrhoea despite the prescription diet, she has no treats or sneaky extras, I wondered if this was just the steroids or maybe with the anxiety she is working herself up and upsetting her stomach?

Thanks
Kirsty

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi Kirsty

Diarrhoea can be caused by anxiety but also, when a dog is on prednisolone and the immune system is suppressed they are vulnerable to bacteria. 

The most common infections seen when a dog is immunosuppressed are urinary tract infections, chest infections  and a gut bacteria, called campylobacter.  Healthy dogs may have campy' but their immune system keeps it in check and it is controlled. There are other bacteria and also parasites, such as demodex, that can be a problem when the dog's immune system is weakened. 

If Cali is still having problems when you go to see the vet it might be prudent to take a stool sample and have it tested for unwanted bacteria. You could try her on Prokolin or slippery elm powder.  This might firm up her stools.

Jo