My dog, now almost 8 years old, developed discoid lupus at around 3 years old - before he came to live with me. The condition has not exactly made him pretty looking but he is such a sweetheart that who cares about looks? The condition hasn't bothered him too much over the years, just needing sun screen, and generally keeping him comfortable.
He has now suffered quite a bad flare up, itching, biting himself and looking very inflamed around the face area particularly, the vet thinks this is because of the stress of my getting another dog (bitch actually) and has put him on Prednisolone 25mg once per day. He has only been taking them for 3 days and already seems much more comfortable and less inflamed, although is drinking loads and weeing very frequently.
I have read a few real horror stories regarding possible side effect, and wondered if anyone on here has used it for their dog (or cat) and what experiences they have had. The 25mg per day reflects the fact that he is a giant breed weighing around 80kg. He has been fed R.C. for the past 5 years so don't think his flare up is food related, he seems almost frightened of my new rescue bitch so the stress theory is very possible.

My eleven year old dog has been on medrol since she was two.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylprednisolone
In her case she cannot tolerate her own gut bacteria and has overgrowth  of clostridium, helicobacter,e coli etc...the medrol  has helped her immune system ,whilst she also has to take an antibiotic to keep her gut stable.
I would say it has been well tolerated,she takes 8 mg on alternating days,she weighs 20kg. She does not drink or wee excessively,probably because the medrol is such a low dose.she also had a proteus infection that was resistant to 12 Antibiotic groups and ulcerated her throat and skin.at this point she had lost a third of her body weight.
It says on the link it is also used for dogs with lupus.....you could ask your vet about medrol if his present pred. medication  keep causing him to drink more etc.
My friends dog was also having the same side effects as yours on pred and switched to medrol,with her vets approval, and she has seen it was  better tolerated.
My dog is now eleven and she has recently been diagnosed as having kidney issues,also hypothyroid......I don't regret the medrol as it has saved her life,and she has had a good long run with it.I still recall vividly the day it was first prescribed,when she was two....it was a last chance measure to save her life.she had been haemorraging from her stomach for days with a proteus infection,that also had ulcerated her skin in 45 places. The medrol really changed her life around.

When my boy was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus, someone on this site pointed me in the direction of CIMDA. It is a fantastic site, dedicated to auto immune disease and is forum based. The knowledge is amazing and the help and advice second to none.  I can't recommend it highly enough.  They can tell you the protocols for steroid use in relapses, as set out by Michael J Day, specialist in immunogical disease. You can also find other people's experiences with the same diseases.

Just google CIMDA and join up. Best thing I did.

Thank you for that info. Brilliant site and good to feel you are not alone with this horrible condition.

Hi samsmum. I had a little westie that was on Prednisolone for GME. After about 18 months her liver failed because of it and she had to go to the Bridge. From what I know its best for them to have the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time.
Good luck

thanks to all who offered advice, he seems to be getting used to our new addition - not exactly friends but better than before, and his flare up is subsiding. He is on a very low dose now, and I am hoping that at his check up next week he may be able to reduce the dose further or even stop for a time.

Thanks for the replies.
I've been doing a bit of research and it seems reactions to wormers are quite common, although my other dogs have not had this (same breed). I will try Panacur next time and see what happens. Isla is fine now. I gave her a small amount of boiled rice when her stomach had settled down and that stayed put. This morning she was ravenous and seems as naughty as ever. I also emailed the breeders to see if the pups they kept from the litter had been affected at all, but they have all been fine.