Dont what people think but every time Max takes steroids (Prednisolone.) he calms down, is less grumpy than usually and is generally more sociable. I have read that this particular steriod affects hormone production so am wondering if Max has some sort of hormone imbalance as the side effects given on the medication's leaflet say it should have the opposite effect making him more excitable. Anyone got any theorys or have a good vet they could ask as our vet still after a week hasnt called us back

hope you dont mind, but why is max taking this

Max was only taking it for 5 days because he had a rash between his legs sammie.

Hiya,

Ok I havent been writing on here for a while because I have work commitments and a new dog, however I have still been reading, and from what I have read this Max is one very stressed little puppy dog, I have read every post I can find on him and it SEEMS you just keep trying different methods to try and make him less aggressive,

Do you really think this is doing him any good what so ever?

Vikki

Hi Banger,

Is it possible that he has arthritis or some other connective tissue or joint disorder that is causing him pain? I ask this only because prednisolone is primarily a steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. It usually makes a dog feel better temporarily by this reduction of inflammation. Unfortunately as good a drug as prednisone is for short term problems, it has major debilitating effects if used long term (bone deterioration, muscle atrophy, suppression of the immune system, etc.) Have you tried using ibuprofen daily? If not it may be worth a try. Give him 10mg/kg of ibuprofen twice daily for a few days and see if that helps. Give it with meals as it can be hard on the stomach on an empty stomach. (Ibuprofen is also an anti-inflammatory medication though non-steroidal and with much less long time side effects.)

You may wish to have your vet do some blood tests if this doesn't help to check and see if he has an imbalances that can be corrected. Long term steroid use is not a viable long term option due to the side effects.

Regards,
LoneStar

Be very careful giving ibuprofon it can cause liver damage in dogs.Gillian

Dermatitis. We've had this discussion before. I obviously have a better memory than Banger despite being a lot older :) Here

It wasnt Dermatits this time Isabel some sort of rash and the vet prescribed anti-biotics and steroids. He was on the steriod for 5 days and the anti-biotics for 10 days but as soon as he came off the steroids he was back to his normal grumpy self within two days. I did ask the vet to test his thyroid but he said that wouldnt do any good as the thyroid just affects metabolism.

Hi Banger,

Maybe your vet needs to bone up on thyroid problems,

Anxiety, Exciteability and agression can be an early sign of Hyperthyroidism (excess thyroid hormones) in addition to more obvious signs like weight loss or tremors. Often these signs are present before weight loss or tremors are noticeable

Lethargy, depression, sleepiness, can be early signs of Hypothyroidism ( lack of sufficient Thyroid hormones ) Often these signs are present before weight gain and other signs are noticeable.

Skin and hair/coat can be affected in both cases

The above is for information purposes only, it doesn't mean I suspect your dog has either, but arming oneself with information makes dealing with the vet a lot easier. :D If you do suspect thyroid problems there is plenty of information on the 'net' to help you decide.

Regards
Dill

Thanks Dill, yes this is what I had read somewhere. Thought it may account for his irritability but I'm no vet.

Adrenal insufficiency also goes hand in hand with thyroid problems which could account for him improvement whilst on steroids.

The only reason my adrenal heamorage was discovered was because of my unusual mood swings due to the fluctuating corticosteroids in my system. Everytime I was on steroids for my asthma I went back to normal within a few hrs to a day of being off them I would swing from horrific anxiety where I couldn't do anything to almighty rage and irratability. Depending on when the test's were done as to whether I would be low end of normal to high end of normal, only a contrasting CT scan revealed the problem almost 2 yrs after the injury, I have a good Dr who knew me before my injury so had a comparison.

I took steroids at 15mg's daily for a yr and now do short bursts of 60mg for 14 days once every 6wks - the effects seem to last that long for me. I take them for 2 problems firstly for the adrenal problems. My 2nd problem is autoimmune Menieres disease, the steroids suppress my immune system improving my balance and hearing - this is where the 6 wks comes in.

Max's improved behaviour should indicate to a good vet that this dog has a problem area possibly within his endocrine system or just inflammation somewhere, he shouldn't dismiss your observations out of hand.

Thyroid does NOT just affect metabolism. Your vet needs to check out the research done by Jean Dodds and others on the link between aggression and thyroid. I have first hand experience of this - our young Maremma was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis and his ONLY symptom was sudden outbursts of what I can only describe as rage aggression. He was not a dominant dog and for the most part was very gentle and laid back. But with this condition he would suddenly attack us - quite seriously. He was diagnosed by Jean Dodds (our vet sent the samples to her lab for analysis) and both our vet and trainer agreed that his aggression was caused by this hormonal imbalance. We tried soloxine which helped for a while but the "control" of the condition was just too fragile - the attacks restarted after 6 months and in the end we had to put him to sleep as we could not live with the risks any longer (he was 100lb+ of raging dog when he had an "attack"). So it didn't end well in this case but I believe that in many cases it can be controlled more successfully - and at the very least it helps to know why.

I would insist on a full thyroid blood panel - antibody tests are vital here - not just hormone levels (which can be through the roof in the early stages).

Best of luck
Janet

Link to article
Lara x

Very interesting article Lara.