Significant muscle wasting due to predisolne

[Rebecca]

Hello, I am new to this site but am so thankful I found it.
Ashton, my 9.5 year old neutered Rottweiler has seizures – normally once or twice every 35 – 45 days or so. On January 14-15, he had 7. He was then put on phenobarbital. Within 2 days, his immune system started attacking his red blood cells. We immediately stop phenobarb and he was given a steroid injection. He is still on predisolne- 1.5 tablets (25mg per tab) a day. He was on 2 tabs a day – His rbc when he was on 2 tabs was around 32. 3. However, on 1.5 which we started last week, it dropped to 30.1. If it drops again next week, the vet says we will need to increase the dosage.

Ashton is significantly losing muscle mass – head and face becoming sharper – you can feel the bony structure. Is losing muscle overall also – hind legs etc. Pees uncontrollably, always hungry, eating poop, and is developing a pot belly all in the space of 2 months. I am very concern how much his body can take if he needs to continue pred. Please, please advise. Is there any way we can help him build muscles? Will the musclewasting stop and pot belly reduce when pred is stop? What must I do to help him? I really appreciate any advice.

[Vally]

Hi Rebecca,

I’m sorry you’ve come looking but glad you found us.

First of all, YES. When the prednisone is reduced, all the symptoms go away. For now, use good quality proteins, white fish is good as it’s easy on the liver which will be working hard right now because of the prednisone.

Is Ashton on any other medication?

Do you have a copy of Ashton’s blood works? If you like you can attach them to the Urgent Advice, and Patrice, the site owner, will have a look at them for you and can help you to understand what is happening.

The seizures, has Ashton had his thyroid checked? May be a dumb question, so please forgive me. My boy Bingo started having seizures about a month after vaccinations. He was never vaccinated again, and I changed his diet to raw feeding. The seizures eventually stopped, however, a few years down the track, he did develop AIHA. When diagnosed, he was also found to have hypothyroidism.

Ask anything at all Rebecca, we love to help.

Vally

[Rebecca]

Thanks Vally. So glad to have found this website.

Ashton is not on any other medication aside from predisolne and famotidine. He’s on other supplements though.

I have changed his diet to grain free kibble and he has two raw meals a week.

He will be going for another blood test on Tuesday – hopefully, his rbc does not drop further or we will need to revert to 2 tab of predisolne.

I really hope we can stop predisolne soon as he’s ‘wasting away’. I don’t have insurance so it has been trying too.

Thank you all for your advice and support.

[AmyE]

Hi rebecca!
The best thing you can do to slow the muscle waste is to put him on 100% raw food. This stopped the muscle waste in our dog completely. It may not stop it completely for you but it will slow it down A LOT! Muscle meat is key to stoping it. Here is a good article to follow.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/raw-feeding-primer/
We have been fighting this now for 2 years. Our Coal had IMHA at 4 months and a relapse of IMHA and IMTP Last year at 2 years of age. She now has a disease called Evans Syndrome. It is a long and frustrating road but there is hope of remission. Good Luck!
Amy & The Girls (Coal, Leia & Vidia)

[Rebecca]

Hi All,

Went to the vet on Thursday – Ashton’s HCT is 30.8%, slightly up from 30.1% last week. PLT and PCT is within normal range at 432 and 0.33% from 574 and 0.47% last week.

Have been travelling for work so been terribly busy. Had taken serum for typhoid panel testing but not sent it our yet so in freezer. Hope to send it out this week.

Vet decided to taper the predisolne to just one tablet a day (25mg); will need to re-check again this week to ensure HCT does not drop further. Overall, Ashton is ok -eating, relatively active (loves to play ball) but wasting muscle significantly resulting is bony for a Rottweiler. Will the muscle return if and when we stop predisolne?

Will up-date when I can. Thank you all for the support and advise given. BTW, have increased his raw diet to twice a week; trying to do it three times but is challenging.

[Vally]

Rebecca, can you check about freezing the serum. I’m not sure the sample would be good when frozen and I don’t want you to send it off if it won’t be any good.

Checking weekly is a really good thing, especially after a taper.

Muscle tone will get better once prednisone is reduced and hopefully stopped and I’m a big fan of raw food. I didn’t use it whilst Bingo was on the pred though as they are more susceptible to stomach bugs and because their immune system is being kept shut down, they have a hard time fighting it. He ended up with a massive case of gastro (had to be hospitalised) and from then on used cooked food until he was right down to only a maintenance dose of pred.

Good luck on your next check up.

[Vally]

Rebecca, just wondering how Ashton is.

Vally