# Side effects of steroid use - also in Vets



## Box_Of_Frogs (16 March 2009)

On behalf of a livery at the yard where Sunny is, does anyone have any experience of obscure side effects of long term steroid tablet use in a horse? This is Tango that Llwyncwn posted about some weeks ago. He is a veteran grey Arab x and some months ago he went from being a little porker to all skin and bone. Early tests indicated the possibility of lymphoma which is a cancer of the digestive tract. But later blood tests were vague and inconclusive. Since then he has been on 80 prednisolene (sp?) tabs per day, slowly reduce now to 70. His diet has been adjusted to get as much good quality/high calorie feed/forage into him as possible and there was hope that he was starting to rally.

However, when his owner inspected him yesterday, he seems as thin and ribby as ever (and I mean thin) and, strangely he has started to lose hair from a huge patch on his neck, about the size of a big dinner plate. It's not rug rub and he's not itchy from lice. Round the edges, the hair just comes away in tufts, leaving totally bald skin underneath. No scabbing or sores, just the hair coming out in handfuls!

Anyone know if this is an occasional side effect of steroids? The concern is that it could be a further manifestation of the underlying metabolic problem. The bottom line is the poor owner doesn't know whether to continue his treatment or to call it a day. The horse appears chirpy and active in himself and the only sure way to get a definitive diagnosis is through biopsies that the owner simply cannot afford. A very sad story but has anyone ever met this significant hair loss with steroids before???

Many thanks x


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## ann-jen (16 March 2009)

The most significant side effect of corticosteroids in horses is an increased risk of laminitis. It will also cause an increase in water intake - so drinking and peeing more. Although in dogs and cats steroids can cause thinning of the hair its not a common side effect in horses (think of cushingoid horses - which are horses that are over-producing cortisone themselves - they tend to have long thick coats).


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## teddyt (16 March 2009)

have replied in vet


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## lizzie87 (16 March 2009)

my horse has been on them for allergy problems...she has been having prednisolone. had her on 25mg tablets, but got sachets now as easier. what dose is horse on a day? up to 1 mg.kg of bodyweight side effects are less that 1-2mg.kg of bodyweight per day according to my vets.

BTW, for longer term use alternate day therapy is recommended if poss, and works for my horse. 

most commonly known, laminitis. And from the medicine box...cushingoid symptoms involving significant alteration of fat, CHO, protien and mineral metabolism (e.g. redistribution of body fat, muscle wastage and osteoporosis). During therapy effective doses supress the hypothalomo-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Polyuria, polydipsia, &amp; polyplagia, particularly duing early stages. May cause sodium and water retention and hypokalaemia in long term use. Can cause deposits of calcium in the skin (calcinosis cutis). 
in preg. mares may cause fetal abnomalities, early parturition or abortion. 
May delay wound healing, weaken resistance/exacerbate existing infections. 
Gastrointestinal ulceration
Liver enlargement with incr. serum hepatic enzymes!


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## alisonpook (16 March 2009)

Yes but in a dog.  Our old lurcher was prescribed Predno Leucotropin for failing back legs (she had been on Metacam but reached the stage where she needed more help).  After a few weeks I noticed some loose hair and a tentative pick turned into a bald saucer shape patch on her shoulder (think withers in horse).  A search of the internet came up with a couple of links to hair loss but my vet was very dismissive of the idea when I telephoned him.  He was rather taken aback  with the extent of hair loss when he saw her the next day but after £300 worth of various tests he came to the conclusion that it was the steroids after all.  Over the next few weeks she developed similar size bald patches on each hind quarter.  The dog physio advised us to get her off them as soon as possible but unfortunately they had been prescribed as a last resort tablet and the vet said she would not cope with the side effects of the withdrawal symptoms.

Sadly she is no longer with us.


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