Vet/dog question from a lurker

Whenigrowup

My dog has allergies, and has been on allergy shots and prednisone at times to help. Since moving, he hasn't needed shots, but his itching was pretty bad today so we agreed to give him prednisone we still had from before the move. Dh incorrectly recalled the dosage and gave him 3times what we normally give. The dog got 15 mg at one time. He normally got 5. He is acting fine but I'm worried. I find all different info online for max dosages for a dog his size (20ish pounds). Watch and wait, or find a 24 hour emergency vet clinic?

Ireland05

I wouldn't worry about it. Steroids are pretty safe when given short term. I would call in the morning to see if they would recommend a taper. Calling the poison control line could help ease your mind.

RondackHiker

I don't actually know this one... I'd give the vet a call. I am not currently remembering anyone tripling their dog's steroid accidentally. Some other meds? Yes, but I'm not remembering steroids.

I've given really high steroid loads before, in extreme cases (a last ditch effort to save a puppy when in a county without vet care). He didn't live long enough to taper, but it was unrelated to the steroids.

I'd mostly want to know about tapering and what I should look for that would hint he was struggling. I don't think I'd be concerned enough to bring him in at this point unless something scary starts happening or the vet freaks.

For future reference, if you realize a med error quickly, force feeding (with a syringe) large amounts of hydrogen peroxide can make a dog vomit.

RondackHiker

My vet friend is on vacation so I used Dr Google.

It looks like a short term high dose isn't a big deal according to this site:
https://www.wedgewoodpetrx.com/learning-center/professional-monographs/prednisone-for-veterinary-use.html

But this one says it can be fatal, with no details about WHAT a fatal overdose level is: https://www.buzzle.com/articles/prednisone-side-effects-in-dogs.html


I'd call your vet and be prepared for some side effects, even if pup doesn't usually get them.

Whenigrowup

Thanks for the responses.  He is fine.  The animal poison control (which has a $65 fee) calmed me down and he slept like a rock.  He hasn't been sleeping well due to the itching.  He is already getting itchy this morning.  We are going to do 10mg today (in 2 doses).  The plan is to get him back on his shots and get a referral here for when we run low on his serum.  We had hoped that moving would eliminate the need for them, and he did well this summer, but he is miserable now.

RondackHiker

I'm sorry he's miserable. Have you done allergen testing on him? Maybe he'll be better once fall ends.

Whenigrowup

@RondackHiker

We have done the allergy testing on him, which is how we got his serum.  He had a dermatologist in Houston that we saw twice a year for check ups and refills.  It was expensive, but worth it.  He used to itch frantically.  It was worse in Houston (he was allergic to so much there).  He has fewer things here that he is allergic to.  His allergies (like mine) are high in certain seasons.  When he starts itching, I start sneezing.

@Fredalina

He eats regular dog food.  We tried a special diet first (with the dermatologist), before the allergy testing, to see if it was related.  It didn't help him at all.

Whenigrowup

Purina One chicken and rice

Whenigrowup

I will look into that.  When we did try the special diet (we did it for about a month) we had him on a food from the vet that sounds similar to what you're describing.  There was no corn and the protein was lamb, but I don't remember the name of it.  It is worth a try again.

Thanks!

RondackHiker

I'd try a allergen diet as well. I like the one fredalina suggested, and I also dislike the prescription/science diets as well. They're good for kidney failure but not great for other things.

Even if it doesn't make him less itchy, it's just better to have him on a better quality food. Purina is kind of like us eating fast food for every meal. It's food, but not good food.