Prednisone dose have some of the side effects that you listed. Increased thirst and urination are common, as well as panting, and pacing. I have also seen some dogs get aggressive while on it, and they can have mood changes (act depressed and lethargic). However, the other problems are not commonly seen with prednisone, but more often with brain lesions (strokes, brain tumors).

I would suspect your dog may have had more trauma than a simple tendonitis from falling from the stair. Is it possible that he had some head trauma during this fall also? That might induce a stroke or a bleed in the brain that might take a couple of days to become evident.

You said your dog was fine before the shot, but he really wasn't. He had fallen down the stairs and hurt himself. Do you know why he fell down the stairs? Was his balance already off? It is possible that your dog had some mild issues that were made more evident after the fall. Prednisonse should not cause all these problems, it may be coincidental.

However, if the prednisone did happen to cause some of these changes, 2 weeks is certainly enough time for the shot to wear off. If this was a different formulation of prednisone, it could have been longer acting, in which case, you will need to wait a bit longer to have these effects wear off. I wouldn't think much more time would be needed to see an improvement. If it was a type of stroke or hemorrhage in the brainor brain tumor, there may not be much you can do to help him. It seems your vet is doing everything he can at this point. I would definately give it until Monday, and if he is not better, you can make your decision then.

Here is some info on prednisone: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=622

Let me know if you have further questions.

Sorry I misunderstood about his "fall". Hopefully it wasn't severe enough to cause a head trauma.

Yes, best case scenario is that these effects will wear off and he will get back to his normal self. Unfortunately, I've never in my experience seen this type of reaction to prednisone. I would certainly be up front if I did, because you need to know! I am just concerned that your poor guy has some other underlying problem going on in his brain, and the prednisone may have nothing to do with it. I think you should be aware of this possibility (I think you are).

There is really no treatment for the symptoms you are seeing...if they are due to prednisone, then the body needs to break it down. Prednisone is usually cleared from the body within a few days if it is a short acting shot. Do you know the specific name of the drug your vet gave?

I think the medications he is on are fine, do you know the name of the Prozac-like drug? Your vet may have felt this would help with his restlessness, but unless you know the name I can't comment on whether this is necessary or if it may help him.

If he doesn't want to eat and drink on his own, bringing him home may not be best. However, some dogs WILL start eating and drinking once they do get home. If you can commit to forcing food and water if he will not take it on his own, I think the home environment is the best. You can cook him chicken breast, or boil some hamburger with some rice, or any other favorite foods he might like. You will certainly give him more TLC than being at a vet clinic all weekend. If you can't get him to eat and drink though, he might worsen :(

Dexa (dexamethasone) is similar to prednisone, and is a steroid. Deramaxx is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID). It is NOT recommended to use the two drugs at the same time, as this creates more side effects. Aspirin is another NSAID, and adding that to the mix can also create more problems. The main side effect we see with NSAIDs is stomach irritation, and when multiple drugs of these types are given together, there is a higher risk of the stomach getting irritated, ulcerated, and perhaps bleeding internally. So, aspirin and Deramaxx should never be given together. In my opinion, I wouldn't have even given him dexa to take with the Deramaxx, I think that is asking for trouble.

So, he was on a lot of medications that can cause loss of appetite. I'm not sure if his neurologic signs are related to these drugs or not. Aspirin can thin the blood, and can create prolonged bleeding, but I'm not sure he got enough to cause any serious problems. I would be more concerned with how his stomach is feeling, secondary to all the medications he was on.

How is he feeling today? If he still has no appetite, personally, I would add something like Pepcid AC and a stomach protector for him to take to see if that would help his appetite. Does you vet think he will be able to come home soon?

Hi Ella,

I know this must be very difficult for you. I am very sorry your dog is not doing better. In my opinion, I honestly believe your dog has something more serious going on than just a bad reaction to medication. His neurologic signs (standing in the corner staring, trouble balancing, walking in a circle, leaning on the wall when walking, and even his pacing and panting) all indicate a problem in his brain. None of the medications he was on or was started on should cause these side effects. Maybe some drowsiness or tiredness, or loss of appetite from stomach upset, but not the circling or balance problems.

It might be a good idea to get a second opinion on monday, unless he is worse, and then I think you might want to put him down. This might make making a decision a little easier for you. Bring copies of all blood tests, xrays, and all the names and doses of all your medications to the new vet. They can examine him, and hopefully give you their opinion of the situation. I have given you mine, but keep in mind that I have not ever physically looked at or examined your dog, and so don't have all the info I need to make a firm recommendation to you.

Also, I do not agree with your vet using Dexa and Deramaxx together. It is very much frowned upon, and not considered standard veterinary practice. It may very well be used in that way with people, but it is not in veterinary medicine. This is just an FYI, I don't think these medications are part of your dog's bigger problem. But, take a look at this site, and read down to the section on interaction with other drugs. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_dexamethasone.html It may not be an issue in the short term for your dog, but in any case, I would choose one drug or the other, and not both. If a dog develops stomach ulcers while on these medications together, it would be your vet's fault.

You've done everything you can, and if Monday he is not improving or worse, I think it would be the right decision to put him down. Otherwise, I agree with you and would look for a second opinion like you had said.

Please let me know on Monday what you decide to do. You can wait until after that to accept if you like, so this question stays open and we can continue to correspond. I will keep you in my prayers over the weekend.