I posted recently that my dog peg was about to start steroids,she has been on them for two weeks now with great improvment,only that she is continually hungry,I know that this happens but I am not sure how best to deal with this,as she is now totally obsessed with food,so much so that she won't leave the kitchen.
I need to give her more food to build her up anyway,but its muscle tone that she lacks more than anything,even though she has walks everyday,I am not seeing much improvment with muscle,her back end is thin and still weak,better with time,I hope ,but her strength has increased(that was me being dragged up the road after seeing a cat)but what should I be feeding her to help keep her content?
Peg loves pasta beyond anything else,do you think its ok to give it to her everyday if I mix it with her normal meal?I have always been strict with feeding and have never given her anything she shouldn't have,but yestserday was a battle of wills,which I lost,after peg staring at a box of mini donuts and then me putting them out of sight,she just stared at the cupboard,I gave her one:rolleyes:
Should I increase her normal food intake,or is this something that means she will always be hungry?
My problem with peg also comes with the fact that she was starved,so when we first had her she used to be like this but after time, she knew that she would always get a meal,so stopped worrying,but I can see from her behaviour last night she is fretting over food and won't settle,and this was after she had dinner,a chew,small bowl of pasta,biscuits,and a mini donut.Lots of questions I know but any advice?
Ash

Is she on short term Pred?  If so, often the initial stages of insatiable appetite gradually eases off although the affects can remain up to *6 months* :rolleyes: - hopefully not in your girls case ;)

Pred in long term use, even at low dosage, does have an adverse effect on muscle tone unfortunately and it may take quite a long time to notice any improvement - however much work you put into it. 

As to trying to gradually build her up and get her toned, you will have to be fairly strict with her diet if she's taken on the "eat until I burst" attitude with all food.   Give her some raw veggies to chew on between meals to reduce her cravings and slightly increase the size of her meal(s) to make a slow and gradual improvment in her weight.  Fit in an extra, say, 15-20 minute road walk a day and re-assess her over all condition after a week.  Then if you're seeing an improvement try and stick with that routine in her food and exercise or if she's not filling / hardening up at all, up the stakes (or steaks ) a bit.

HTH, Teri  :)

   

One of my springers has been on pred now for long term use.  In the opinion of the vet and myself the benefits in his case far outway the cons.  He has been on a low dose now for years (now down to one tablet every other day).  He does have a huge appetite and would eat everything and anything put in front of him (he also tends to lurk in the kitchen after any morsel which may hit the floor!!)  I would not recommend increasing her food as my dog would just end up the size of a bus! Dogs also tend to drink more with steriods.  Hope this helps.

While many dogs will increase weight on steroids due to increased appetite, Prednisone (& Prednisilone) are catabolic steroids - not to be confused with anabolic steroids as taken (inappropriately) by athletes to increase muscle, stamina etc. 

Catabolic steroids are used (amongst other things) primarily to reduce inflammation - whether of joints, muscles, basically any cells within the body.  In doing so they often reduce the "cell mass" - hence why muscle tone is reduced.

regards, Teri

My GSD was on long term prednisolone. She was ravenously hungry all the time. I once caught her wearing the swing bin lid like a necklace and bless her it was so unlike her. Every person and every dog I have ever known ( and unfortunately I've known quite a few both human and dog) on prednisolone suffers from quite severe weight increase, even with restricted food. It is astonishing how the weight magics away once they stop steroids. Also they tend to get a drum like stomach too. Certainly I would say don't increase her food. As Other Poster said, increase with veggies and I think if she's on long term steroids you will just have to learn to live with a hungry dog - I did:rolleyes:
Kat

Thanks for your replies,I didn't know that as for muscle tone the steroids were working against me,and yes it is prednisalone,but sadly this will be long term,but we hope we can go 1 tab every other day,I don't know though,I want this to work as she was on painkillers (zubrin)for many months,and I know that can't go on.

As she is a saluki,I cant see her ever being really overweight,but I will be careful,today I went and bought some james wellbeloved food,which says it helps with skin cond,as peg has dry flaky skin now as well,always has on and off,so I am going to give her 'lunch' as well as the usual breakfast dinner,and hope that this tides her over and I will go with the veggies as well.
It would be hard to see if she has a drum belly,as you know dogs like this are all ribcage,but I will watch out.
Many thanks,Ashlie.

Hi Ashlie
Good luck with Peg. For all the down sides of steroids, they do also solve problems too, and allow dogs to function that probably couldn't without them. Without them my GSD couldn't walk - period. The side effects will vary from dog to dog, but do all you can to minimise the dosage, as you say, one every other day or even every two days, really helps mitigate the effects.

Kat