Replied By Romina (Los Angeles, Ca) on 03/02/2010
I didn't know of any of these side effects when my dog got the shot. He is 3 years old now and has about 4 of these shots. He has very bad allergies and itching all his life but the treatment for that is too expensive for me. The shots seemed to work fine with him for about 2 months but the itching would return. He's never seemed to have any of the side effects listed only that he would drink more than the normal amount of water. Thank you all for your posts I will be sure to NEVER get him that shot again. Are there any ideas of anything else to do to stop the itching??Replied By Mountainlady (Bakersfield, Ca) on 07/03/2010
My black lab has had skin itching most of his 12 years. After many useless trips to the vet, my feed supplier suggested changing his food. We now feed all natural products with no chicken or beef products or by products. He cannot tolerate the grains or glutins in anything. He is now fed duck and potato canned food and a glutin, meat and grain free dry food for several years. His skin condition has improved greatly and the itching has stopped. Most of the time, I have found the allergies are caused by food. The vet didn't bother to tell us that and would rather medicate than suggest a change in the diet. Unless of course they are able to sell you the food. Don't fall for that either. We also found that he is allergic to a lot of stuff in treats. When he starts itching again, we stop what ever is new to his diet. Now he gets dry white bread toast pieces for a cookie treat and he has no problem with that. They are crunchie and he loves them.Replied By Max (Monterey, Ca) on 06/02/2011
hello.. We just took our 6 year old beagle to the vet because his ears were itchy. Vet said ears were just red inside and gave him a coritsone shot and some ear drops it has been 4 days and he has drank a ton of water, seems uncomfortable and peeing a lot. Vet said he would drink and pee a lot. After reading everyones comments I will never go the cortisone route again. thank you all for your comments even though many of them are heart breaking..Replied By Ariana (Berkeley, CA) on 03/02/2015
Romina,
Steroids are often prescribed to suppress allergic reactions to things, the most common of which is a food allergy. Therefore it is infinitely better to try changing your pet's diet. There is a lot of information about this on the web...but many people believe that animals are not meant to eat grains, which is widely used in dog and cat foods. I now believe it is the source of many problems for cats in particular. It led my cat to getting IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) which led the vet to prescribing Presnisolone (steroid) which she has been on the last 2+ years. Steroids suppress the animal's natural immune system and my cat apparently got a kidney infection sometime and I think didn't have the ability to fight it...that's why I'm dealing with now. ugh. Poor thing...she is weak and now on steroids and antibiotics. (You have to wean them off steroids slowly...)
