I have just got the first bottle of pills for my dog peg, steroids, which I will probably have to give her for the rest of her life, she has some form of autoimmune, but the drugs keep her well and happy, I don,t have a choice,as I nearly lost her back in march and it was a steroid injection that brought her back, from not being able to walk or eat, as so much pain.
Question is,long term, has anyone been there?
I know side effects will show eventually,but if anyone out there can just say,my dog has taken steroids for how ever many years, I would be truly grateful to hear.
Ash.

Hi Ashlee

My GSD Blue, sadly now passed was continually on steroids for probably the last 3 yrs of her life. They did take their toll on her. She gained the 'steroid belly' (large like a drum) and was perpetually starving, and she gradually lost hair on her tail so it was almost bare, and her 'trousers' (long haired GSD) all but disappeared. Like you, I had no choice, and wasn't able to find an alternative. Your best plan is to find the lowest possible operating dosage, or try every other day or even every 3rd day, to try and lessen the effects. How old is she, and what are they given for? I did try some medication that was supposed to have similar effect to the steroid, but was non-steroidal, but unfortunately it didn't have any effect. I wish I could be more positive about them, but they are never good news in the long term. However, you have to do whatever you can, and I would do the same again if I had to.
I wish you both well
Kat

Hi
Our last gsd was on steroids for 10 years because of itchy ears and feet, since reading these boards I now realise it was probably some sort of allergy but at the time I just took the vets word that he needed the steroids.His life would have been unbearable without them though due to the itching.
They made him always hungry and hyperactive but he did live to 11 and his heart failed eventually.
The vet said they probably did shorten his life but not by much.
Good luck.

wow, thanks for quick replies!

Peg is a saluki, and after 10 months was diagnosed with a form of auto immune ,rheumatoid arthritis, well this is the vets best guess.
I have had two lots of xrays and full bloods done all which were normal thank god, so vets very foxed for a while.I posted so much last year about her,as at first wrongly diagnosed as under active thyroid
Peg we think is about 7/8, as a rescue dog we are not sure.
We will definatly try to keep the dose as low as we can hoping to go as you said, every other day or so.
I am so glad for your posts,although I am sorry for anyone who has had to keep thier dogs on long term drugs,
thanks again, Ash.

My westie, Jake, has been on steroids for 3 years and has no obvious side effects, other than when I tried to stop them for a while and then put him back on them he had bladder problems for a day of two!  Poor lad couldn't stop weeing!  He'd be running to the back door with a trail behind him for a 100 yards or more!  He is now coming up to 6 years old, so has been on them since about 2/3 years old.  His quality of life without them would not be worth living and I agreed with the vet that a shorter but better quality of life was the best alternative to a long life suffering.

Best of luck, and like the previous poster suggested, reduce them to alternate days if you can.