My dog has hip arthritis. What are the risks of steroid treatment?

Question

What are the consequences of putting a dog on steroids for hip joint arthritis? Dog is 8 1/2 yo border collie, neutered male, never sick, very active. Saw vet last week, had X-ray, no wounds or Lyme disease. Prescribed carprofen 75mg but is getting worse - can hardly walk. Showed slight symptoms 2 weeks ago. Pet's info: Dog | Border Collie | Male | neutered | 55 lbs

Tomasz Wnuk · Accepted Answer

In general terms, steroids are stronger anti-inflammatory medications compared with carprofen but they are more likely to produce side effects, like excessive thirst and appetite, weight gain, muscle wastage, stomach ulceration. For managing hip arthritis weight control is as important as medications, so if your dog is overweight you should address that as well. You could try to add food supplements, for example glucosamine and chondroitine and get pain killers for Toby from your vets. Finally, some of the hip problems can be treated surgically (removing the tip of the femour, replacing the hip joing etc). The decision how to treat is based on dog's condition, age and severity of the disease.

My dog has hip arthritis. What are the risks of steroid treatment?

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