Drugs

[Marvo]

Quick question about medication please. I have a terrier, approx 30 kilos and he has an allergies problem where he gets itch skin and chews holes in his fur and chews his paws, it's not uncommon for him to bleed from the nibbling, scratching etc.

He's been on Lenisolone 5mg tablets for the past year and I've balanced his meds quite finely whereby I alternate giving him a full tablet one day and a half tablet one day, always in the morning. Maybe once or twice a month he get a bit itchy and I give him a full tab 2 days running (3 days if necessary) and he's fine again.

He's not on any other medication.

I'd like to change his medication to Prednisone 5mg tablets. Is Prednisone more likely to have adverse effect on his liver function than Lenisolone? Are there any contraindications I should be looking for that are specific to Prednisone? Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Apache]

I don't know what the drug laws over there are, but do you not need the involvement of a vet?

I hold prednisolone the drug in (Lenisolone) as a much better steroid than prednisone.

Can you get oclacitinib maleate (sold as Apoquel in the UK) over there? Not much more expensive and fewer side effects.

If my dog was itchy I'd put it on Apoquel

 

[Blue Duck]

Is it like Thailand, you go to a pharmacy and pick what you want?

"I'll have two packets of tramedol, one pack of vallium and some morphine please!" 

:lol:

:buzz:

 

[binky]

any idea what's causing the itchy skin Marvo?

 

[Marvo]

His itching is part of symptoms similar to hayfever, even a couple of days without meds he chews paws and legs and scratches himself constantly. He also gets rhinorrhea which is vetspeak for when the snot starts flying...and when I say flying I really mean flying.   He's an 8 year old rednose American pitbull terrier and they're know for allergy problems, this one's no exception

.

Usually you do need the involvement of a vet but I'm a registered paramedic and am permitted to administer steroids amongst certain other drugs but obviously usually to humans rather than animals. I can write my own script and the local pharmacies stock Prednisone but not prednisolone or Lenisolone that the vet had him on.

Not sure why oclacitinib maleate wasn't preferred, when we inherited him I tried to get his medical histories from the various veterinary's seen previously but without success.so jak inhibitors might have been tried previously  He also had diagnostics for a congenital chest disorder when he was a puppy but those records also weren't available.

.

 

[Apache]

I really hold prednisolone over prednisone. I know they use more prednisone in the US. If you could get hold of Apoquel then I'd push for that. It's very new (in the UK anyway) and controls the itching with no side effects. And it's not expensive.

 

[binky]

a big tough dog with hayfever, that's quite funny, but not if you have to live with it.  You have to wonder then if there is any milage in some of the 'alternative' hayfever treatments.

Anyway, I know buggr all on these issues in animals.

 

[Essex1]

Bloody hell he is beautiful. 

 

[Apache]

You have to wonder then if there is any milage in some of the 'alternative' hayfever treatments.

Such as?

 

[Marvo]

Earl Grey Tea ?.............

They traditionally use Rooibos tea in this neck of the woods to treat allergies by just drinking it or as a skin application. http://www.lipoid-kosmetik.com/sites/default/files/files/PDF/en/Technical_Papers_Publikationen/13b_Rooibos.pdf.

He looks like a brute but he's a big softy.....apart from he doesn't like Rottweilers and we had a bit of an incident with one recently where the neighborhood watch guy was walking past the house with one and he ran out of the gate and put it in hospital for two days ; ( The picture above was just one from the net to illustrate the breed, here's one of him.



@Apache, I'm going to try him on Apoquel for a week and see how he gets on with it. Thanks for the advice.

 

[binky]

my jack russell doesn't like any of the pit bull / staffy breeds, but that is down to badly treated rescue dogs having had a go at her.

 

[binky]

Such as?

There's all sorts like the Vicks nasal spray stuff that is supposed to protect against colds, another old favorite is patroleum jelly up your nostrils (good luck with that one). It was just a thought as steroids can cause longer term problems. My son gets a mild form of exzema ( and mild hayfever). He uses steroids if something causes it to flare up, but has found 'bio-oil' is useful for stopping the itching.