Dog on cortisone for bronchitis: Can I ignore her food begging?

A blood test may be able to indicate any infections present but the vast majority of cases do have a low grade infection due to the trauma and injury associated with prolonged coughing and do benefit from a course of antibiotics if unwell. I would also recommend a course of prednisone to settle the condition and allow the inflammation and irritation to reduce and natural antiinflammatories may be considered to try to maintain the condition thereafter. The side effects of steroids are generally dose and time related and short courses are of limited risk of side effects compared to the benefits produced

You can feed her puppy food in small frequent meals to help her gain more weight. You should schedule a vet visit to have them check her over and see if there are any problems and maybe a reason why she was on the prednisone. Prednisone is a steroid that is often used for pain and inflammation or skin disease and allergies. If none of these are noted, you can stop the medicine and see how she responds

I think therapeutic diets work best: Hill's Metabolic or Royal Canin Satiety are the two I most frequently recommend. They have increased protein and vitamins/minerals but are much lower in calories. You could also try sticking with your current food but cutting back on how much you give (I usually recommend cutting back about 25%) and increasing exercise as well as minimizing treats or replacing them with lower calorie options like frozen green beans. While there are over the counter foods that are designed for weight loss they can still have very different calorie contents and some weight loss foods even have more calories than regular foods.

Aw I am so sorry to hear this about her. Her illness is likely what is causing the decrease in appetite. The steroid usually helps to decrease the inflammation and increase the appetite. A few things I would talk to your vet about is whether a daily probiotic and a long term appetite stimulant would help her. I would also talk to your vet about starting her on weekly Vitamin B12 injections. Most dogs with GI cancer or IBD have low Vitamin B12. Your vet should be able to give her one injection a week for 4-6 weeks then decrease the injections to once a month if she is doing well. Vitamin B12 is also a natural appetite stimulant. I would also talk to them about whether an oral steroid daily would be better than the occasional steroid injection. I obviously do not know what type of steroid injection they are giving. Some steroid injections stay in the system for 6-8 weeks where others only stay in the system for 48 hours. I would also consider putting her on a hypoallergenic diet if she would be willing to eat it. If she prefers human food, you may consider making her own diet at home. If you do, I would visit balanceit.com for recipes and also talk to you vet about which type of foods would be safe for her. I hope this helps!

As you know, Cushing's disease causes excessive cortisol (steroid) production, which can lead to an increased appetite. With the cortisol levels under control, Lucy's appetite may have regulated, but 13 pounds is a pretty significant weight loss. Normally, you should be able to easily feel (but not see) a dog's ribs and see a waistline when looking down on them from above. We can easily become accustomed to seeing overweight dogs as "normal" and can perceive a healthy weight as being too thin. (Without examining Lucy, I can't comment as to if she is truly underweight, or if her weight is appropriate.) Since her appetite has become picky and her Cushing's disease seems to be well controlled, there is also a chance that she has developed some primary intestinal issues (such as inflammatory bowel disease) chronic pancreatitis, or intestinal parasites. At this point, I recommend taking Lucy to her vet for another exam to assess her overall body condition and consider additional diagnostic testing (CBC, chemistry and abdominal ultrasound) to try to get to the bottom of this issue. I hope that all goes well!

Do you think her body weight is appropriate? If she is underweight, she can eat more. If she is normal, you may consider putting her food in treat or puzzle toys so that it takes her longer to eat. She may also be looking for attention. Help her get in more play time or do obedience training to give her mind something to do. If she still seems really hungry, you can try feeding a weight loss food at higher amounts - they usually have more fiber so that it fills the dog up without adding extra calories.

Unfortunately, these are common side effects of prednisone - it often causes bloating, weight gain with a pot-bellied appearance, and in many cases seems to be make dogs more irritable. It may also cause increased thirst, urination, and appetite. I'm not sure what medical condition your dog has that the prednisone is treating, but I would recommend talking with your vet about your concerns - in many cases, there are altnerative medications such as Atopica or Apoquel for allergy problems, or azathioprine for immune-mediated illnesses, that can be just as effective and generally cause fewer side effects. It may be possible to reduce your dog's dose of prednisone or even taper off of it altogether if a different medication is used.