My GSD was put on PLT about a year ago for HD. She had been on Metacam, but we had a scare about her kidneys. Turned out kidneys were fine, but had put her on PLT in the meantime and she was great on them. My vet said that because the steroid component was so minimal dogs could stay on them long term with no ill effects and he had had dogs on them for years without any problems.  She is on half the recommended dose for her size (2 tabs per day) which is 2mg of prednisolone per day.  I hate the idea of steroids, have a morbid fear of them and the damage they can do. She shows no side effects on them at all, and does extremely well, you would never know there is anything wrong with her, she flies! She doesn't have the endurance she once had, but she is also 9 yrs old!

However, it still plays on my mind that she is on steroids, and whether this is doing any long term damage that I can't see. She had a mass on her tail back in March and had a pre anaesthetic blood test, which was excellent. I am considering taking her off the PLT and going back to NSAIDs but am worried about rocking the boat when she is so good. I feel that I might just throw everything out of whack and never get it back as good as it is now if you know what I mean. I know I could go back on them if she didn't do as well, but I am very undecided about what to do.

Has anyone else had a dog on them this long term or longer, any thoughts?

As she is doing well and having no side effects I would continue as 2mgs is a very low dose, my human patients who stay on a long term maintenance dose get 5mgs per day and if poorly go up to 40mgs for a week and then weaned down again. 

I hope she continues to manage her condition with her present medication for many years to come.

Don't be scared of steroids, hormones are steroids and we all live with them in fact we are in more trouble without them. If your dog is doing well then I would carry on the quality of life is the most important. However never just stop taking them you need the vet to work out a reduction program.

Thank you both. No I understand that we would have to work out a reduction programme if she were to come off of them, I understand they cannot just be stopped. and that in itself would have to be managed with I imagine some pain killers to 'fill in' the gap until she could go on to NSAIDs.

Her quality of life is fantastic. I want to keep her active because of the HD (use it or lose it) and she has no problem with a full exercise regime, and still loves to chase her ball with gusto, though I don't overdo it. I look at her sometimes matching my younger male up and down the stream when he is racing and think, well you don't look half bad girl! And that's the thing, she looks great! I don't really want to take her off of them as she is doing so well, but I keep having this worry in the back of my mind that maybe I am doing harm that I cannot see, and then how would I feel. I just need some input from others with knowledge and experience to reassure me I think!

A couple of things I have read about PLT and a couple of people who have mentioned it to their vet have seemed to imply that it is something they would only use as a 'last resort' and I think that is what has got me a little worried. On the other hand, something else I read said that some experienced vets recognise the value of PLT, so maybe my vet is just that much more experienced! I have reviewed this with my vet a couple of times and he has assured me that it isn't a problem.

Rhodach, do your human patients on 5mg have any side effects or is that a dose low enough to avoid side effects but to reap the benefits? What would you consider long term?

If it's any help, a client's dog has been on 5mg prednisolone every other day for the past 4 years, without side-effects. If your girl's doing well then I'd hesitate to rock the boat. NSAIDs aren't necessarily safer longterm, affecting kidneys or liver.

Agree JG, in the past I have had dogs on prednisolone for many years without showing any adverse effect one was a GSD who lived to 15 so not only was she on them long term they extended her life as there is no way I could have kept her going that long with the spinal problems she had. My present vet also prescribed them for back problems as it seems they are by far the best for that. Any medication can have side effects but you have to weigh the advantages against that and there is many a dog who has enjoyed extra years of life, the most important word is enjoyed.

Just another thought as she is doing well now are the possible problems with long term steroids any worse than possible problems long term with nsaids just notice jg made similar comment but possibly from a more knowledgeable view

I would say if it aint broken, don't try to fix it.

It sounds like she is doing fantastically and the preds and PLT's are doing their job. I had a GSD that was on Preds for just over 7 years and she showed no visible side effects. For the last 18 months of her life she was also on PLT's and they really helped her.

I am a great believer in quality of life, not quantity, from what you are saying I really wouldn't want to risk upsetting the apple cart. NSAID are ideal for young dogs where long term steroid use can be a problem, but IMHO they are often not tolerated well be older dogs and not as effective as steroids.

The patients who on the low dose are on it for life, they will have spent many years of being on the high dose during a flare up and weaning off completely but eventually they can't manage without the low dose which they then continue that dose in the hopes of preventing/reducing any more problems.

When I started nursing nearly 40yrs a typical person on long term steroids was referred to looking like " a lemon on matchsticks" the body and face are very swollen and arms and legs are thin, this is very rarely seen these days as steroid usage is better managed.

Some patients need calcium supplements as the steroids can cause thinning of the bones but elderly patients may have got that any way whether on steroids or not.

I would discuss your concerns with your vet but I am sure he will agree that whilst she is doing well and her bloods are normal just leave things as they are for now.

Thank you so much, all of you. You have helped me to decide to leave things as they are, which deep down I think is what I really wanted to do. I was worried about rocking the boat, as things are going so well. I hadn't really considered the fact that NSAIDs carry their own problems.

I have discussed this with my vet on a couple of occasions, he knows that it worries me, and each time he assures me that he has had many dogs on this long term without any problems. Then I go away happy until I start to worry again! I don't think she will have any problem with calcium depletion as she is fed a raw diet with plenty of raw bones. When she had the blood test prior to her tail surgery in March he commented that her blood tests were remarkable, more like those he would expect to see in a racing greyhound than an ageing GSD!

One more question - she is on half the dose recommended for her size. If I am lucky enough to have her for a few years yet and if she needed over time to go up to the full dose of 4 a day (4mg prednisolone) would that be considered high on a long term basis?

Thanks again for helping me to come to what I am now finally happy is the right decision.