took him to the vets. they said its a soft tissue injury in his neck. steroids, muscle relaxers and pain med not working. now noticing his neck is getting smaller like hes loosing muscle mass and panting alot and peeing alot for like 2 min strait. He is still in alot of pain. The medicine is not working. I am taking him back tomorrow. could this be something else other than a neck injury?

Chosen Answer:

Side effects – of anti-inflammatory steroids can be numerous. In dogs and less often in cats, the most commonly seen side effects include an increase in thirst and appetite, followed by an increase in urine production, and possible weight gain.

In dogs, panting can be a common side effect, and sometimes mood alterations can occur. These mood changes may make the dog irritable and sometimes can result in a “nice” dog suddenly snapping at its owners. Often times, tapering the dose of steroids down, will result in a decrease of the side effects.

Steroids
Steroids are no longer the first choice recommendation for use as anti-inflammatory in dogs. Steroids lead to loss of muscle mass, which is a big problem in dogs. causes wasting, so to add something that will only increase the loss of muscle mass is not a good line of defense to follow. Natural anti-inflammatories, such as those listed on the Medication and Exercise Schedule page should be the first choice.
by: Malamute Breeder
on: 17th July 10