This query is on behalf of a friend whose 22 month old spayed bitch is being treated with prednidale--treatment began four days ago, 5mg x 2 daily x 1 week, to treat constant scratching at her face and forelegs and swollen eyes which had been going on for 3-4 days before the trip to the vet. The owner isn't aware of doing anything differently (e.g. out in long grass, different detergent used on bedding, change in diet) other than she might have had a slightly higher protein intake than normal.

She is eating as normal, but drinking heavily and now appears to be sporadically incontinent, urinating in the house even thought she has access to outside, today urinated in her bed, poor girl--and this is a bitch who is scrupulously clean. She is still reasonably happy in herself but with little energy.

I understand that some of these things are known side effects of medication, but is it worth taking her back to the vet tomorrow to see whether the dosage can be reduced or whether there is some alternative?

This bitch is generally very healthy but has had some minor problems in the past with diet and skin, but nothing to the extent she is experiencing now. I wondered if she could have an allergy to pollen(s); the vet checked her for grass seeds (nothing) and is suggesting allergy tests as a next step. I thought road walking might be a better bet than out in the fields for the time being just in case it is related to grasses or some such..Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure about the exact medication that has been prescribed so I hope someone else can answer that for you but if it is a steroid I can confirm that it makes them very thirsty and they need to pee very frequently.  My boy didn't ever have accidents whilst he was on steroids but I'm not too surprised at incontinence.  She might want to ring the vet though just for reassurance.  Incidentally is the medication working - so far?

It's worth mentioning that all my allergic ones are having severe reaction this week - that's both children, my husband, and the dog!!  My son had to have a tablet delivered to him at work this morning as both eyes were nearly swollen closed...

IF allergies are suspected in the dog suggest she wash her down with a very dilute solution of Hibiscrub after every walk, and get her booked in for a York test (or similar).  A Hibiscrub wash is very effective at removing pollens or other irritants from the coat and is my number one coping strategy with my allergic dog.  Staying on roads doesn't really have much impact as many pollens are airborne.  Once she knows exactly what has caused the flare up she might be able to avoid some contact but it's generally quite difficult and even staying inside doesn't completely solve the problem.  Hope she gets some answers soon

Thank you dogsababe, this is helpful. She is not scratching now and her eyes seem less puffy and swollen. I'll suggest the Hibiscrub to her owner. The vet was suggesting testing her for food allergies, but that doesn't seem so logical when this is a recent flare up right in the middle of pollen season, and the areas affected are the dog's face and forequarters--pretty much as though whatever it is is in contact with her as she is ploughing through the grass--more like a contact sensitivity or allergy.

Normally I suffer badly with hayfever. I know I've spent a lot of time indoors becuase of work, but I notice that after two seasons of bee stings (!) I hardly notice hayfever now...

I'll let you know how she gets on and thanks again.

Amber was given this for her allergies and suffered very similar side effects.  It was so grim that I thought she was better off itching!  Obviously there could be something else going on so it could be worth contacting the vet, but this is very much how Amber reacted (with the added bonus of being totally famished, more so than normal).

Now I have worked out Amber's trigger, I give her piriton when she's likely to react and this keeps most of the unpleasant itchiness at bay.

Has your friend bathed her dog since all this started?  There are some very kind anti-itch shampoos which can start to soothe things (virbac episoothe is my weapon of choice).  Amber's problem is triggered by swimming in any kind of water, and she really can't even begin to improve until she's had a good bath.

I'd also be tempted to remove any possible allergens from her diet - go for a hypoallergenic salmon and potato or similar.  While this doesn't sound like a food allergy, Amber's allergy tests flagged up some foods she may be intolerant to, and after removing those 'background' allergens from her life, her reactions to the 'major' ones haven't been so severe.

I hope the poor dog's feeling better soon x

Thanks Clare--this is the boys' great friend Cerys, and you know, I was wondering about swimming since this seems to have started since she went swimming with our boys in a stream near us. I'd remarked on the algal bloom in the water and wasn't happy about letting the dogs swim there. Water levels had got so low that there were mats of it in places and they all ran through several times while flushing duck.

Her owner had given her antihistamine till she could get her to the vet, which calmed the symptoms. This dog is on a good quality gluten free kibble and only gets cooked chicken breast on top of it in small quantities, more as a treat--she was treated last year for seborrheic dermatitis and had a dull greasy coat with that odour, so the vet recommended a diet that reduced the protein she was getting and bathing her in Hibiscrub. I will suggest that she tries a salmon and potato diet, I know the same manufacturer/supplier produces this so she could try swapping her over in small steps.

Will let you know how she gets on--we are seeing her in an hour or so for a welshie walk :-) 

When was she last vaccinated, and has she been vaccinated annually?  I'd be thinking about a vaccine reaction, to be honest.

I will ask, rabid, but I am pretty sure she hasn't been vaccinated--she won't be due her booster till September.

She may want to consider titre testing in the future.  My vet won't vaccinate a dog with allergies!

that's a very good point. I will suggest it. I can see one issue though, since she does kennel her dog from time to time--would they take a dog that has only been titre tested? Is there a Dorwest or other remedy that can help her immune system?

My GSD could not cope with more than half a tablet daily, which was not even worth taking, any more than this she became very incontinent. I have used on my other dog a terrier and she was fine with it, so I think it depends on the dogs reaction.

Believe it or not, lots of kennels won't accept dogs with titre tests only (which is really a more accurate picture of antibody levels, and the immunity they confer, than a vaccination card) but many will accept dogs that have been 'vaccinated' with homeopathic nosodes (which even my homeopathic vet is sceptical about!).  So my preference would be to titre test for my own peace of mind and give nosodes for the kennels to tick the necessary boxes.  Not sure about immune boosting remedies (propolis maybe?), but when Amber's itchy my vet recommends as high a dose of ester-c (stomach friendly vitamin C) as she can tolerate - approx 1000 mg per day for Amber.  I think this is more of an anti inflammatory rather than an immune booster.  I forgot to mention before that I also smother her in aloe vera gel which really does help, even if it does turn her a little green! 

Thanks everyone for all your feedback, I've summarised it in an email for my friend and will keep you posted on her progress.