My Chihuahua has a tilted head and is unsteady. Can I give cortisone?

Hi there, It sounds like Roxy may have an ear infection or something stuck in her ear. Typically this is why dogs will tilt their head. I don't think it's related to the medications but I would recommend having your vet check her and see if she has a deep ear infection. I hope that helps and thanks for using Pet Coach!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Depending on the cause of the infection (bacteria or fungi) different medications may be prescribed. Steroids are typically given to reduce inflammation and pain. At times, this action is sufficient to take care of a mild infection because it prevents from further scratching and self trauma. If the Seamus is still having the same signs, he should be seen by his vet, or a different veterinarian for a second opinion. His lethargy may be unrelated, so it is important to have him evaluated for that as well. I hope all is well and that Seamus feels better soon!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Steroid use, dosing and the taper needs to be decided upon by a Vet that has examined the pet. We can not prescribe drugs or tell you how to use a drug because we legally are not allowed to. I am sorry. I recommend calling your Vet and asking them since they have a legal relationship with you. Have a great day!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If your vet suspected that the swelling behind the ear is from trauma and that Mila is in pain, anti-inflammatory medication would be a better choice than an antibiotic. It is very unlikely that manhandling caused trauma to the middle or inner ear but it sounds that Mila is not very well. I would suggest to contact your local vets to confirm why Mila was prescribed an antibiotic and find out if they would prescribe a pain killer for her. The other option would be taking her to a different vet. Unfortunately, human anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or naproxen are toxic and must not be used in dogs.

Based on your description and her age, I personally would not recommend steroids for this skin infection. Express your concerns to the vet and consider not giving the steroids going forward. Often-times a topical spray that contains a steroid is helpful and not as much of an issue as oral steroids can be. The antibiotics alone however should take care of her skin condition if this is just a bacterial pyoderma. I hope that this helps! Best of luck with your pet Molly moving forward. Take care.

The answer to your question really depends on when the injection was given, what type of steroid it was, what dose of steroid was given and what his Prednisone regimen has been, so your vet will need to answer that question. If your vet is already closed for the day, it will likely be safer to skip his Prednisone dose tonight and call them first thing in the morning to discuss when to resume his Prednisone. Some steroid injections only last for 12 hours, but some last for much longer, so you do not want Chester to have too high of a steroid dose tonight. Hopefully you can talk to them tonight to figure out the best thing to do. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

No, cortisone drops alone will not treat a bacterial infection. Many ear drops have a combination of cortisone along with an antibiotic and/or an antifungal medication, so it's possible that this is the type of ear drop that was prescribed. If you have the specific name of the drop, we can tell you for sure what's in it :)