Use of steroids for dogs

When it comes to our pets, we try everything to provide them with comfort and proper treatment. We consider many medicines like steroids for our pets. But do we step back and think about how these impact our pet’s health? Steroids are one of those classes of medication commonly used to treat skin allergies, autoimmune diseases, and respiratory illnesses in dogs. Steroids have a particular influence on the dog’s quality of life.

The steroids contain anti-inflammatory elements that effectively reduce inflammation and itching in dogs with skin allergies. The medicine treats skin conditions with allergies like atopic dermatitis, flea allergy, bee stings, food allergies, inflammation and itching, and respiratory diseases. Despite the wide range of its usage, steroids could significantly influence your dog’s quality of life. The side effects are severe or sometimes life-threatening, whether the medication is given orally or by injections.

Also, read the article on Pyometra: Why It Is Important To Treat Pyometra In Dogs On Time? – Know The Reasons.

Type of steroids for dogs

Before delving deep into the impact of steroids on our pet’s health, let us understand the different types of steroids available for pets over the counter.

• Mineralocorticoids
• Glucocorticoids
• Adrenal cortical
• Anabolic steroids
• Estrogen
• Progestin, and 
• Androgens

Mineralocorticoids:

This steroid treats Addison’s disease in dogs when the adrenal glands fail to produce two steroids; mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. This steroid focuses on enhancing the water balance and maintaining electrolytes in a dog’s body. 

Glucocorticoids:  

• Prednisolone 
• Betamethasone 
• Hydrocortisone 
• Dexamethasone etc. 

Glucocorticoids reduce inflammation and itching if given in a low dose, but higher doses could suppress your pet’s immune system. 

Adrenal Cortical:

This steroid treats the chusing diseases and Addison’s diseases in dogs through injections into the body. This method ensures common side effects when used for short-term processes. 

Anabolic Steroids:

This anabolic is not currently applicable to veterinary treatment. Veterinarians often prescribe it to treat appetite stimulation,  increase strength, enhance body weight and cure anaemia in dogs. However,  veterinarians strictly prohibit the consumption of anabolic steroids by pregnant animals. It may cause severe congenital disabilities and include potential side effects for reproductive dysfunctionalities. 

Estrogens:

Estrogens treat urinary incontinence in female dogs. This steroid works as a booster dose to encourage female dogs to enter their heating cycle. 

Progestin:

Progestins effectively treat pseudo-pregnancy in female dogs or delay their heating cycle. This steroid works for specific skin problems or tame aggressive behaviour in male dogs. Androgens treat hormone-responsive urinary incontinence in male and female dogs. Like progestins, they also suppress heat cycles or elevate pseudo-pregnancy in female dogs.

In addition, Corticosteroids are another standard medicine that reduces inflammation in dogs due to bronchitis. The consumption of this medication entirely depends on the dog’s health and severity of illness.

Side effects of steroids on dog’s health

Despite the beneficial results, some significant side effects can influence our pet’s life quality. The side effects range from relatively minor to substantial and sometimes life-threatening. Studies have shown that steroids can cause a significant behavioural change in 30% of the dog population during and after steroid consumption. The side effect may differ based on the prescription of Steroids for your pets and can range from long-term to short-term experiences. 

Increased thirst

Increased thirst is one of the significant side effects we can notice in our dogs. It occurs for both short and long-term treatments. If your dog consumes more water than usual, you should talk to your veterinary doctor about this symptom. Providing more daily water to your dog is another way of supporting your pup’s entire treatment process.

Uncontrolled urination

Frequent urination or failed house training may occur when steroid intake happens by our dogs. Due to the medication, our pets experience a lack of control over their urination or bladder functions. It leads to frequent urination here and there, all around the house. With suitable medicines prescribed by veterinarians, such incidents or side effects get managed effectively. Close monitoring of the urination process and time gap can help pet owners to address the issues. 

Agitated behaviour

Nervousness and agitation are side effects that steroids often ignite in dogs. Steroids create restlessness and trouble relaxing in a dog, leading to difficulty sleeping or staying asleep. However,  dogs often become agitated due to the hormonal changes caused by the steroids. It can startle the dog with anything, even a normal household noise. 

Increased food demand

 Increased appetite is on the list of side effects though eating heavy or frequent meals does not affect a dog’s health or cause severe illness. It is pretty safe if you provide your pet with the required food from time to time. But a lack of proper monitoring of your dog’s condition can lead the pup to steal the food from the counter or search in the trash bin. It could significantly contribute to experiencing severe health issues in dogs, like liver damage or diarrhoea in the future. 

The above list of side effects does not encourage pet parents to avoid steroids prescribed by veterinarians. But it proposes to create awareness among pet owners and pet-parents regarding the usage. On the other hand,  getting aware of the potential threats for the possible side effects of these medicines can help a pet parent consider the problem and develop a proper solution.

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How do steroids influence a dog’s life quality?

Despite medical requirements for dogs to consume steroids and their periodic illnesses, steroids significantly influence their quality of life. When your pet takes medicine, side effects like frequent urination or frequent water intake could challenge pet parents to manage their daily routine.

The busy daily schedules have created a significant challenge for pets in maintaining a healthy and playful lifestyle, creating stress for the parents in the same context. If your pet has to go for urination frequently, it will distress the canine, refraining from having a regular playful day. In addition,  agitation and behaviour change can compel pet parents to keep their pets indoors for a long time, eventually influencing their mental health.

Watching your beloved pet suffer from health issues is an indefinite choice for pet parents. Though relying on steroids for an extended period could also lead to some unpleasant experiences. Hence, with certain precautions and awareness, we can manage our pet’s health and lifestyle while treating their illness to its core.

How can you handle the side effects of the steroids and improve your dog’s quality of life?

Managing the side effects is quite alarming and stressful for pet parents. In other words, pet owners need to focus on the areas under control. To ease up our pups, we can consider providing loads of water to create a continuous watering system for our dogs. A bit of exercise and frequent checking on their behaviour are also effective in managing stressful situations.

Most importantly, giving them love and treats can help control their agitated behaviours and calm them down. We must remember that the more we stress the opposing sides, the more our dog gets distressed, and the situation worsens. Being an empath and considering helping our pets gather up in such cases is the most accommodating thing we can do.

Bottom line

Steroids can be life-saving medications, but sometimes they bring challenges. Precisely using medicines is essential. Pet parents should work closely with their veterinarian and consider the dog’s mental health.