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My underweight rescue dog is on steroids. How to make her healthy?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Female | 1 year and 8 months old | 0 lbs

Hi I recently rescued a dog from a friend and I am unsure as to what steps to take to ensure my new dog is healthy again, she is very underweight and weakish, she has recently been given prednisolone tabs, what could these be for and should I continue giving them to her? Any help would be much appreciated. Thankyou, my name is nick and my dogs is called jess

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 29th, 2018

You can feed her puppy food in small frequent meals to help her gain more weight. You should schedule a vet visit to have them check her over and see if there are any problems and maybe a reason why she was on the prednisone. Prednisone is a steroid that is often used for pain and inflammation or skin disease and allergies. If none of these are noted, you can stop the medicine and see how she responds

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    Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on March 20th, 2020

    For exercise, I recommend going on a walk and let Gracie set the pace. Start short and work up to longer walks. I would also discuss her allergies with the vet and work on treating the specific allergy. Allergy testing and allergy injections or sublingual drops may be what she needs. Long-term steroids are not recommended due to the effects on the immune system, liver, skin (causes thinning and can lead to infection), predisposition to diabetes and Cushing's disease, etc.

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