Stanozolol for Dogs: Treating Anemia, Boosting Weight & Muscle

Dogs can gain weight in the winter for a variety of reasons.

Learn how to improve your dog's life with nutritional probiotics. Help your dog regardless of age or size & manage inflammation, gastrointestinal health & arthritis.

Learn about the promising new medicine Librela for dogs with arthritis.

Stay away from giving your dog human pain medications which are toxic to pets.

Cushing’s disease is a condition that impacts dog adrenal glands. Visit Petco to learn the signs, causes, symptoms and treatment options of this disease. 

Does your pet have potassium deficiency? Oral potassium supplements for dogs and cats can help you raise potassium levels. Visit Petco to learn more!  

Discover how to choose the best supplements for your pet’s health, from essential vitamins to joint support and digestion aids. Learn age-specific and seasonal supplement tips for cats and dogs.

Poor pup! Unfortunately, weight gain is a very common side effect of steroids, especially at high doses - there isn't much you can do to prevent it or make him lose weight as long as he's still taking them. Depending on what his medical condition is, there may be other medications that he could take that would allow him to reduce his steroid dose or even discontinue the steroids altogether - I would recommend talking with your vet about your concerns, since the best option for Diogie will depend a lot on his medical history and the reason he's currently taking steroids.

I can understand your concerns for Bijou. With Cushing’s disease, the adrenal glands produce too much steroid, which can result in some muscle atrophy. I have never used anabolic steroids on any animals, and from my reading, it appears that nandrolone is contraindicated in the presence of excess corticosteroids. It may be worth considering a second opinion with a local veterinarian that is able to examine Bijou and review all of his medical records prior to the onset of treatment with nandrolone. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be the time for your veterinarian to check in with an internal medicine specialist as this is a bit more complex than typical. Possibilities include an immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in which case other immunosuppressive drugs can be used with prednisone or possibly an infectious disease. They would be able to recommend further but reaching out to a specialist would be an option for further tests/recommendations. Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Wysolone is a brand-name of prednisolone which is a corticosteroid. It can be used for a huge variety of conditions, including for its anti-inflammatory effects or for suppressing an overactive immune system. You can read more about possible uses of the drug at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. That is a very high dose of steroids for a dog his size. This dose will suppress his immune system in addition to all of the side effects that you are noticing at home. Steroids will cause panting, increased thirst, urination and hunger. Some dogs will experience skin and coat changes, muscle weakness/ loss and gastrointestinal ulcers in rare cases. Doses this high are only used to treat severe life threatening conditions. I recommend contacting his veterinarian today to discuss his treatment plan. Typically the steroids are tapered once the primary disease is under control. There are other immunosuppressive drugs available that may have less side effects. Perhaps he would do better on a different medication. However, never stop steroids yourself as they need to be carefully tapered down. I hope this information helps!

He likely has inflammatory bowel disease or some type of malabsorption problem. Keeping him on lifelong steroids (prednisone) is not recommended. The first thing you have to do is get a diagnosis. I recommend he have an abdominal ultrasound and/or x-rays and some blood testing to start with. A fecal test is also a good idea to rule out any intestinal parasites. If you can't afford testing then speak to your vet about doing a trial of Tylosin powder to control IBD symptoms instead of steroids.

A steroid is a medication that relieves pain and inflammation. There are different types of steroids, such as prednisone, but steroid is the "real name" for the this class of drugs. You can only get them by prescription from your vet for specific medical conditions. They can be given orally or by your vet in the form of a shot that can last short term (up to four weeks) or long term (up to eight weeks). If you think Annushka could benefit from steroids, you will have to take her into the vet for an exam. Only the vet can determine if it is an acceptable medication for her.