Pred and incontinence - Page 1

My girl got stung by a bee and her muzzle and face swelled up so much she looked like a Sharpei. I brought her in to the vet and she prescribed some prednisone and a antibiotic. After only one 20 mg pred she was drinking like a Cushings dog (I guess this is somewhat normal) and began "leaking". Has anyone had anything similar happen with pred? I have called my vet and I am waiting her call back to see if I should reduce the dose or quit it all together because the swelling is going down. Thanks for any input in advance.

Yes, excessive thirst and urination is a side effect of the pred. Next time try a benedryl, it usually works as well and the only side effect might be the dog will act a bit sedated which is not always a bad thing depending on the dog LOL. My first GSD got stung almost every week and the bendryl was all I needed to give him, never antibiotics or cortisone.

First, I'd call the vet. Ask him his opinion, and try suggesting that you'd like to take her off the pred since the swelling is going down. Give her a 25 mg Benadryl. If the swelling goes up, give her another 25 mg Benadryl. See if the vet is willing to try that treatment. I lost a 9yr old, healthy shepherd with cortisone. He fell on his elbow, and I took him right to the vet for an x-ray. My vet and his associates concluded that he had chipped a piece of bone from the tip of his elbow---it was manageable with Cosequin--and that surgery was unadvisable (Cutting would do more damage). They gave him a shot of Cortisone in the leg, and sent him home with me. That night, he went down and never got up---For the next three weeks, I watched all his systems, one-by-one shut down. He was incontinent by the third day. Steroids are either a miracle cure or a horrible nightmare. If you can control the swelling in your female without them, I would do so.

our vet has given medrol. swelling went down quickly and with no side effects.

I agree with the Benadryl for the swelling, as you can easily obtain this without a prescription and keep it around your home. It is not only bee or scorpion stings that can be dangerous, as there are many seemingly harmless chemicals around the home that can cause a severe reaction. For example, one of my bitches "tasted" an elecric air freshener that uses scented oil for the fragrance. She received a "pfui" and walked away. Within less than one (1) hour her snout, face, and throat had swollen to the end that she was having difficuly breathing. I first suspected a sting, but she was inside the home. I immediately administered Benadryl and took her to an emergency veterinarian. By the time we arrived, the swelling had stopped and was beginning to lessen. The veterinarian essentially gave her a stronger dose intravenously in order to stop any further damage. But the quick availability of the Benadryl may have saved her life. The use of Prednisone for any issue has always bothered me because of how it works, and yes, I have used it in isolated cases. It's just not something that I like to use because of it's side effects. However with that said, a short-term usuage of Prednisone should cause no issues. Bob-O

I had given her 2 Benadryl, one when I noticed the swelling and another about 18 hours later, I should have mentioned it in the first post... maybe this was not enough. I did get a return call from my vet who said she needed to stay on the pred for the amount of time she advised (20 mg once daily for 5 days then half the amount once daily for 2-4 days). I know pred can be a miracle as my really old dog is on it and it made alot of difference in her quality of life with the problems she has (5 mg daily). But I don't like the idea of using it when I see such a side affect happen so quickly. Scary stuff... maybe I should try some more Benadryl, she doesn't get her next dose of pred until this evening, about 7 hours from now?? Thanks again

I keep childrens chewable Benadryl just for these kinds of things. My male likes to eat bees and has been stung in the mouth and nose many times. Sedation is always a good break for me as Blitzen mentioned.

Good advice given on here. But DO NOT TAKE HER OFF COLD TURKEY! Pred is a steroid and you have to back it down gradually. I'm sure that was part of your instructions. Benedryl is a much better way to go but it has to used more frequently to make a difference. Consult your vet on the exact frequency and dosage. Many allergic reactions do not go away immediately. 18 hours was probably too long to wait between doses. Debby

OK I am going to try the Benadryl again. Hopefully the swelling will have gone down more by this evening, then I will just use it again instead of the Pred. One more question, do you guys normally give the Benadryl as soon as you see the dog get stung? I know that sometimes you may not see it happen, in this case I did see her get stung but didn't give it to her then, the weird part was she didn't begin swelling until a couple days later... maybe she got stung again... Thanks for all the help, I appreciate it.

I do it as soon as I know it has happened. It can block a reaction alltogether. Once I was away from home at a river and didn't have the Benadryl. I took the stinger out ASAP but my dogs muzzle swelled up on one side. I gave him the meds as soon as we got home and he was noticably better by bedtime and perfect by morning.