About prednisone, but OT | Arthritis Information

My dog has had a skin problem for a few years now. It's been treated off and on with prednisone. So this is how it usually goes...he's fine for a while and has no prednisone. A few months later it gets bad, we go to the vets and he gets prednisone...his skin goes back to normal and then off the prednisone. A few months later we start it all again. We've talked about allergies and now buy him a salmon and rice food (very expensive) and his treats are a salmon and potato biscuit with zinc in it. Still though, once off the prednison, his skin starts getting red and irritated looking.

So the last time I was at the vets, I asked her if we could just keep him on a low dose of prednisone to keep the skin from acting up. She tells me there is a new medication out for dog allergies that's been working very well and she'd like us to use that instead of prednisone because she says that she doesn't want him on prednisone regularly because it's not good for him. She then tells me that this new medication is about 250.00 a month!! So I just told her that there was no way I was going to be paying that much money when I can have him taking prednisone that doesn't cost much at all. I told her that I have RA and at one time been on prednsione for a few years (I've been off of it for a while now) and that I know of some people that probably will have to be on it for the rest of their lives. She still doesn't like the idea of my dog being on it.

I'm nearing the last of his prednisone now and wondering what to do. I'm thinking I'm just going to go back to her and tell her I need the prednisone for him and I don't want anything else. Just see what she says and go from there.