Dog's dry, flaky skin & hair loss: Prednisone alternatives & safety?

Question

My dogs skin is severely dry, and flaking like crazy, and missing hair. I was hoping there is an alternative to Prednisone, and if not, is Prednisone harmful to my dog? The vet he was taken to before, they said it was allergies, but his whole life he's never had an issue. I would like to get a second opinion. Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 8 years and 5 months old | 110 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to know this without an examination and it is hard to see it based on this picture. However, based on your description, I think 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. Prednisone is not likely to be harmful to be used for a short amount of time to help with itch. However, longterm, it can result in chronic side effects. 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!

Dog's dry, flaky skin & hair loss: Prednisone alternatives & safety?

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