Amoxicillin or Prednisone Side Effect?

[Budrbean]

The vet put my dog Ace on Amoxicillin and Prednisone for a bacterial skin condition. He has been on this for almost 4 days. Starting the day afer, I noticed Ace is urinating a lot when he goes out. He doesnt appear to be drinking more water. This morning I got home from work and he had urinated in his cage. I know he just couldnt hold it, he has been house trained for going on 7 months.

Does anyone know if this is a side effect for either of the meds?

He is taking 4-500mg Amoxicillin each day
and 1-5mg prednisone

I dont really question my vet because he has always been right on the money with Ace, but it seems 2000 mgs of amoxicillin is a little strong even though he weighs 116 lbs. Plus the skin condition has cleared so im considering taking him off the meds.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Prednisone, I know from experience, has the potential to make a dog drink more, pee more, have higher activity levels (basically an over-aroused dog) among other things. If his skin condition is getting better, then the meds are probably working and you don't want to jeopardize that by taking him off the meds without consulting a vet.

 

[Renee750il]

Prednisone also can have other, long term side effects . . . far better to get to the root of what is causing the skin problems. Treating long term with prednisone, well, it may not be a great idea.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Ohh, I was under the impression it was short term. Renee is right. There are many long-term complications from using something like prednisone. What is the length of the treatment?

 

[Renee750il]

Oh, and ALWAYS, ALWAYS administer antibiotics for the full course! Stopping the antibiotics before the bacterium is totally dead sets the stage for another infection, only the next time the bacteria will not be susceptible to that antibiotic and a stronger one will have to be used. That's one of the reasons we now have strains of super bacteria that aren't affected by antibiotics.

 

[elegy]

It's the pred. It makes them eat more, drink more, pee more, pant more.

Please please talk to your vet before discontinuing medication. Pred can cause serious problems if it's stopped cold turkey depending on the dosage.

 

[wcladymacbeth]

Oh, and ALWAYS, ALWAYS administer antibiotics for the full course! Stopping the antibiotics before the bacterium is totally dead sets the stage for another infection, only the next time the bacteria will not be susceptible to that antibiotic and a stronger one will have to be used. That's one of the reasons we now have strains of super bacteria that aren't affected by antibiotics.

I was just about to say the same thing. You are awesome Renee.

 

[Budrbean]

He is on it for 8 days. The doctor said this is most likely a recurring problem that will have to be trated when it arrises. He obviously cant stay on the medication. This is the 2nd time in the past year he has had treatment for it.

I read online that garlic tablets can have the same effects on bacteria as amoxicillin. So I may try him on those sometime, besides I dont think garlic would hurt him.

 

[Renee750il]

You should talk to Buddy'sParents (Nikki). She's gone through all sorts of allergy/skin type troubles with one of her dogs and can give you a lot of good direction!

Find out what the bacteria is and start looking for the source. And diet plays a huge factor . . . he wouldn't be so susceptible if his immune system weren't compromised in some way.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Yes, pleases feel free to PM me. I have no problems showcasing our trials- we've come really far!

 

[Miakoda]

Like mentioned, it's side effects from the Prednisone.

And you said the vet put him on it for 8 days, but I hope that's not 8 days in a row and then quit suddenly. Most Pred treatments are for 3 days in a row and then every other day for another 3 and then 2 days apart after that until the RX runs out. A dog (or any other animal and even people) need to be weaned of corticosteroids.

And although Pred is great for short term relief, it does not fix a problem. Now that the dog is more comfortable (I am to assume), it's time to figure out what is causing the skin disorder.

 

[Budrbean]

yeah it was 1 full pill for first 2 days, then 1/2 each day after til gone. 8 day treatment in total.

sending pm to buddysparents

 

[Budrbean]

and the saga continues.....

The medication cleared it right up and it stayed fine for about a week. Now today he is starting to turn red between his legs again!

I have changed his food to a higher quality food (Iams) and it doesnt appear that is the issue. The only other thing I could think of that he has contact with is rawhide chews, I guess its possible he is allergic to them or something in them.

Im just so aggravated that I have spent over $500 in vet bills for this problem and they still dont know the cause. I have changed vets twice and I felt this vet really cares and knows what he is doing....up until now. There has got to be a way for them to find the root cause.

I am out of ideas

 

[drmom777]

Iams has corn in it, among other things. i bet your old foood did too. Many dogs seem to be allergic to corn. It certainly could still be a food allergy. There are a lot of foods out there that are a better bet, and some aren't even more expensive.

 

[Zoom]

I wouldn't call Iams "higher quality" really...there are so many other, better, actual high quality products out there. Iams also uses BHT as a preservative, which is also used in fertilizer chemicals. Ick.

Heck, if anything, try Nutro Ultra or Blue Buffalo. I don't normally recommend those foods but they are better than Iams.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Yeah, Iams is definitely not higher quality. I'd get away from any food containing grains. They are much pricier but are worth it in the end for a healthy dog.

 

[lizzybeth727]

I agree, many skin problems can be fixed by feeding a high-quality food (yeah, it's more expensive, but it has to be cheaper than all those vet bills!!). Even if the problem is not a food allergy, a dog will be healthier on a higher quality food, and then his immune system will be better able to fight little infections like this one.

Also, any time you give antibiotics, you also should feed plain yogurt or acidopholis pills to help build up the good bacteria in your dog's intestines, also keeping your dog healthy and better able to fight off infections.

 

[Budrbean]

where do i buy the foods yall have mentioned?

 

[lizzybeth727]

Nutro Ultra is at most big petstores - Petsmart, Petco, etc. - as well as most smaller stores too. Blue Buffalo is at Petsmart, and I'm sure other stores have it too but I don't know which ones.

 

[Budrbean]

Well its been a week since Ace got off his meds, and guess whos getting the skin irritation again? ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

If it is indeed a food allergy I guess I didnt solve anything by switching to Iams. A friend of mine suggested going and buying a bunch of rice and beans and meat and putting him on that diet for 7 days to see if it clears. Anyone ever done this?

Im just a little irritated that $600 in vet bills later, the vet still doesnt have a diagnosis. Seems to me if its a food allergy, he would be able to tell this? Looks like ill be switching vets yet again!