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Hi i was wondering if you could help me with a medicine issue. My 10 lb dog had i think tonsellitis or upper respiratory infection two years ago and was given antibiotic, biatin, dex steriod .75 twice a day for a week then tape, and also an allergy pill. well we stopped the allergy pill as she was drowsy and loopy but the steriod really messed her up. She couldnt jump and looked "off" out of her eyes. She couldnt jump up on the couch like normal, and she is VERY well housetrained and became incontinent with regard to bladder. Well she was up all night the other night coughing wheezing but she had a history of allergies, but i gave her 1/4 tea of benadryl and it didnt phase her she kept coughing and wheezing, so the vet said they had basically an outbreak of respiratory infections in dogs in our area so he treated for such. I gave instructions to NOT give steriod, but he said that we were just going to do a third of the dose this time. It is now .25 twice a day dex and 10mg of biaton (sp?) antibiotic once a day, the dex for 5 days, antibiotic for 10 days, im starting to worry as she is not really different in regards XXXXX XXXXX but she is getting that fuzzy loopy look in her eyes and its really scaring me, should i be concerned? is this too much a dose? should i stop her dex steriod? She still has some coughing, that seems like a cold type more than allergies that she usually has so im in a catch 22.
Optional Information: Type of Animal: 10lb rat terrier Pet's Gender: Female Pet's Age: 12
Hello. It does sound like she is having a hard time. The one thing that may be worth doing is chest x-rays to make sure she doesn't have pneumonia or heart disease. If she does, then the steroids will make it worse. If it's just bronchitis, then the steroids should help. I would actually go with 0.25 mg once daily in a dog that size though. Twice daily is even a pretty high dose. The antibiotic is also not great for pneumonia or kennel cough. Typically I use Clavamox or Doxycycline or Azithromycin. Those are much better options than Clarithromycin that your dog is on. Just some thoughts. The Benadryl can sedate her, and again that's only helpful if allergic. It's not all that helpful if infectious or heart disease. I would get the x-rays so you know what you're dealing with. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks a bundle, well i thought when i held my hand against her side like at nighttime i feel a rattle but i asked the dr if he heard any congestion and he said he did not, he said it was more a trachy type thing, she is never around any other dogs at all and never out for more than using the bathroom a day, we have two dogs but they have their own fence and are not around any other animal. concerning the steriod, i am hesitant to give it to her, but also hesitant to not in case she needs it so very scared. I havent given her any allergy meds in days just the first dose of dex last night and second dose this morning, and the one dose of antibiotic im sorry i spelled that wrong its Baytil, and thats 10mg once a day for 10 days.
Oh Baytril is a good antibiotic. I would continue that. The steroid can definitely make her loopy. That's not uncommon at all. It'll also cause increased thirst, urination, appetite and panting. I would drop the Dex to once daily- run it by your vet first though.
Will do thanks a bundle, one last question, instead of giving it to her once a day do you think it would make her less loopy breaking one .25 tab into twice a day? or would it be non effective? is the loopyness cause for concern? does loopyness warrant cessation of the dex?
No, Dex lasts long enough where once daily dosing is fine. I usually only do twice daily dosing when using heavy doses for immuno-suppression. For anti-inflammatory properties, once daily is all you need.Also the loopy behavior is expected and should resolve once the dose is lowered/ stopped.
Experience: DVM, Emergency Veterinarian; BS (Physiology) Michigan State Univ
thanks so much just spoke with vet and he said to give .125 twice a day, but to go ahead and give the .125 tonight as well (ive already given .25 this morning so today she will have .375 i think) and then the remainder of the 5 days to give .125 twice a day, also he wasnt aware that it caused loopyness, but she gets this way every time taking it. Wanted to double check with you on these directions to see if its ok thanks! :)
That sounds fine. Some dogs just act "weird" on steroids. Not all dogs, but some will just not be themselves.
You think it's Ok to give .125 2x a day or is that too much versus .25 1x a day? Because she will be getting .375 just for today then tomorrow din to .25 two times a day how dies this sound?
It's essentially the same thing. I just find it easier to dose once daily vs twice daily. The 0.375 is ok today and then go down to the .125 mg twice daily in the morning. It wouldn't hurt to skip the dose tonight, but that's up to you.
Hi La,I'm just following up on our conversation about your pet. How is everything going?Dr. Gary