Is prednisone causing my dog's dry skin and hair loss on ears?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The photos you have provided are a bit blurry but I can tell that the skin is thickened and irritated. From your description, it sounds as though Cleo is battling a skin infection that could be secondary to a chronic allergy. Prednisone will help with the symptoms of the allergy but unfortunately long term use will lead to abnormal clinical signs from the steroids. I would recommend treating Cleo with oral antibiotics, antifungals alongside topical therapy. She may also be dealing with a condition known as Atopic Dermatitis, in which case will need specific treatment such as Atopica or Cytopoint. I would recommend using the below recommended products and discussing additional oral treatments with your vet other than steroids. I would also recommend having her skin scraped to check for skin mites. I hope this helps and that Cleo's skin improves! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the affected areas twice daily until resolved 3. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules 4. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent ***All of the above products can be found online quite easily*** These treatments above should not be to supplement veterinary care, they should be in addition to.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. The cefpodoxime should help with the bacterial infection component and the prednisone should help with the itch component. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If this is associated with itchiness, this may be due to skin allergies. There are medications such as Apoquel and prednisone which may help to decrease the itch. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Cortisone can help if for example this is due to allergies and it is causing him to be itchy. This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are medications such as Apoquel or prednisone which may help with the itch. 

 There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. 

Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). 

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

 Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!


Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Billy is having skin issues. Skin lesions like you are describing can be due to a variety of reasons, including allergies, skin parasites (such as fleas or mites), an infection (bacterial or fungal) or another underlying disease process. I would recommend having his skin re-evaluated by his veterinarian to try to determine what may be causing his issues, and have any necessary testing done (skin scrape, bacterial culture, or biopsy, for example) that may lead to a diagnosis. Good luck!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some of the symptoms you mention can certainly come from either the prednisone, or the mometamax. She may be reacting to the additional steroid in the ear medication. Usually this gets better in a day or so, & fortunately, this will be at the time you begin decreasing the oral dose. Continue the oral pred. as prescribed by your veterinarian, but do not put anything else in her ear until you have a chance to talk to your vet. It is always best to be a little cautious when putting anything into the ears. I hope Nancy is feeling better very soon. Take care.

Itchy ears are most commonly a sign of allergies. Your dog may have food allergies, environmental allergies, or parasitic/bacterial skin infection. If he hasn't had a skin scraping to rule out parasites, or skin cytology/culture to look for bacterial or yeast infection, these things should be done. Some dogs actually have skin tumors or autoimmune skin disease that is causing the itching, and those dogs need to have fine needle aspirates or skin biopsies taken for diagnosis. Also, you should try a veterinary prescription allergy diet like Hills z/d for 8-10 weeks fed exclusively to treat potential food allergies. It's really important to feed ONLY the prescription diet during this time. Also, I have had great success with the oral pill Apoquel for some allergies as well, and this is a medication that is much safer to use long-term than steroids like prednisone. If this course of diagnosis and/or treatment is not possible with your current veterinarian, pursue a second opinion somewhere else. If all of these options are explored and your dog is still itchy, it's time to visit a veterinary dermatologist specialist.