My dog has lymphoma. What's the prednisone limit & life expectancy?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | neutered | 5 years and 8 months old | 77 lbs
Our dog has been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Stage 4. We are going with Prednisone and pain control. We have already had to increase the dosage of Prednisone as it wouldn't last as long. We are now doing 50 mg twice daily. What is the maximum dosage that a 75 lbs could take? How much time do you think we have with him?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on November 17th, 2016
Max is already on a high dose of prednisone and I doubt increasing the dose would improve his symptoms. Prognosis depends on the type and stage of lymphoma, but in general the median survival time with prednisone is about a month. I'm so sorry about Max's diagnosis.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on January 8th, 2019
It depends on the type of lymphoma and the grade and stage, but generally speaking you can expect 1-3 months on average. This is of course the average and I’ve seen dogs live 6 months with prednisone alone. I’m glad Glori still seems to be doing well.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
OK, so my dog was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma back in October. We’ve had her on prednisone since then, so it’ll be three months this month. I’ve read that prednisone helps treat certain cancers, but especially lymphoma. Typically speaking, how
It depends on the type of lymphoma and the grade and stage, but generally speaking you can expect 1-3 months on average. This is of course the average and I’ve seen dogs live 6 months with prednisone alone. I’m glad Glori still seems to be doing well.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is a puggle, 11 years old just diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes mostly around the neck area, my vet states to put her on prednisone to diminish swelling and make her comfortable. She may last for a few more months. Chemo may allow her
First off, I'm sorry that Roxy has lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes)! Yes, your vet is correct that this treatment protocol can give her more time with you. Each dog responds differently to the treatment, but with chemotherapy, the median survival time is 6-12 months. Given I can't see her in person, I can't say for certain how long she is survive, but I do recommend following your vet's recommendations to increase your time with her. Again, I'm sorry about her diagnosis :-(
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my dog was diagnosed with lymphoma. he had no weight loss, no loss of appetite and he had lots of energy until the vet put him on Prednisone no he has lack of energy, no appetite and is panting all the time. His lymph nodes seem to be getting eve
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I am sorry to hear Diesel isn’t feeling well. The prednisone is supposed to help slow the growth of the cancer but eventually it won’t be effective. Prednisone alone isn’t enough to cure him. If he is getting worse and the lymph nodes are growing it is likely the prednisone is no longer helping. I would discuss your options with the vet that diagnosed him but there isn’t much more they can do for him. I am so sorry and I hope the rest of his life is pain free. Good luck and kisses to Diesel!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Nemo as been diognosed with lymphoma secondary cancer . He is on steroids and eating well but loosing weight . He's 5 lbs 1 Oz , he's still very active during the day and sleeps a lot on a night . Nemo is nearly 15 but doesn't seem in any pain . How
Hello, Im so sorry to hear about Nemo. There are various types of lymphoma that have different degree of aggressiveness. Although steroids is one form of treatment, there are multiple other chemotherapy agents that could increase his life expectancy. With steroids alone however, expect survival time is about 1-3 months depending on the type of lymphoma. Additional chemotherapy can increase survival time up to a year. If you're interested in chemotherapy for Nemo, have your veterinarian consult with or refer Nemo to see an oncologist. He may need additional testing to determine the type of lymphoma he has and offer you a better informed prognosis for him. Hope this helps and best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Am LVT w/20 yrs XP. Have a Golden w/lymphoma multinodal, nodes are re-growing on pred. Is she entering end-stage? Can't find a good website to help me know what to watch for to know It's Time, am all about QOL. She has been asymptomatic other than e
Hi there! Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is a common question I encounter as I only see cancer patients and lymphoma is very common in my practice. Prednisone is good for lymphoma though as you are noticing, lymphoma will eventually progress, as noted by peripheral lymph node enlargement. Normally, lymphoma will not cause clinical signs for some time until it enters more of the end stage. Lymphoma is not typically a painful disease and it is more of a debilitating disease. For this reason, what you will notice at the end is clinical signs such as lethargy, decreased appetite and Brandi just not being interested in the normal things that she enjoys. The median survival time of dogs with multicentric lymphoma just on prednisone is about 2 to 2 and 1/2 months. Usually I tell my clients that the time to consider humane euthanasia is when they are not doing 3 out of their 5 favorite things. Good luck with your girl!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 8 yr old lab was diagnosed with lymphoma what is your advice on treatment? Chemo or prednisone ?
I'm sorry to hear that Daisy received this diagnosis. There are certainly risks and benefits to both options with respect to side effects, life span and cost. Side effects of prednisone in the short term can cause excessive drinking and urination. Some animals with underlying heart disease can go into congestive heart failure and other animals can develop diabetes as a result of the high doses of corticosteroids given in these situations. Around 40% of dogs can achieve remission for 4-6 weeks with prednisone alone, but this is certainly based upon an individual's response to medication and if any metastatic (spread) of disease is present. Obviously, this treatment is much less expensive, but a much shorter survival time is expected. Daisy's chemotherapy protocol is based on whether she has B cell or T cell lymphoma and if any metastatic disease is present. As a generalized statement, lymphoma responds to chemotherapy better than most cancers. Oncologists strive to administer chemothe
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was diagnosed with lymphoma five weeks ago, decided on prednisone alone. He’s constantly unsettled, barking, moaning also he’s gone from a gentle giant to an absolute nightmare. We are not sure if it’s the lymphoma taking over or the steroids.
Steroids usually makes a dog more lethargic rather than anything else, so i do believe it is the lymphoma causing all these symptoms unfortunately, it might also be a sign that the prednisone is not working.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
1. What is the difference between prednisolone vs, dexamethasone? 2. Are they equally effective when used to treat feline intestinal lymphoma? 3. Why and when would the doctor choose one over the other? 4. What kind of response would we see in c
Dexamethasone is 7 times stronger than prednisolone and has an increased rate of GI upset or stomach ulcers. Typically on prednisolone is used in cat because prednisone is broken down to prednisolone--so it is easier to start with the broken down form already. Prednisolones are specifically used when talking about lymphoma due to the potential side effects of dexamethasone. Dr.s chooses one over the other base on preference or what you are treating -- specific diseases have research to back the use of one--lymphoma does better with prednisolone. You will not see a fast improvement with just prednisolone or even if you added stronger chemo. It is a slow progress no matter what. Just using prednisolone you can see a good appetite, no change in diarrhea, no added weight gain. It merely suppress the cancer cells temporarily and helps them feel better. Even with other chemos, it is long term process with slow results---2-4 months to see improvement with the diarrhea in severe cases.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
1. How long will a cat with intestinal lymphoma respond to a "prednisone only" treatment? Will we see a response immediately, in a week, or longer? 2. I heard that starting prednisone may render endoscopy test unreliable, is this true?
1. Some cats can maintain a good quality of life with prednisolone (a metabolite of prednisone used more commonly than prednisone in cats) managing lymphoma for a year, but others may only maintain a good quality of life for a few weeks to months. The response is highly variable depending upon the type of lymphoma present and severity of clinical signs. Most cats will begin to show a response to prednisolone within the first week. 2. Yes, performing endoscopic biopsies with prednisolone treatment will make the results less reliable. Biopsy samples will be altered, preventing an accurate diagnosis. If endoscopy and biopsies will be performed, I always wait to start prednisolone until after this procedure. On another note, if chemotherapy may be performed, it is best to wait to start prednisolone until other chemotherapy drugs are also started. Starting prednisolone prior to other chemotherapy drugs hinders the effects of chemo.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My little guy is taking 20 mg prednisone 1 x a day for 10 days. He has cancer in lymphoids as of 12/21/18. Dr. didn't prescribe weaning off prednisone, when 10 days are up that's it, cold turkey stop! Shouldn't he be weaned off???
I am sorry your dog is suffering from lymphosarcoma. He will need to take the prednisone for the rest of his life as that slows down the cancer. There is no need to wean him off. You will need to discuss this with your veterinarian.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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