Prednisolone/Prednisone

[critterkeeper2]

I recently had one of my dogs treated for a disc problem in her neck.  She was given a decreasing dose of Prednisone to take over 10 days  which helped her considerably.  Now, my other dog (same size and age) is showing symptoms of the same condition.  I want to try the Pred on him but I don't have any left.  Instead, I have a large bottle of Prednisolone.  If I gave Ruby 40 mg's of PredNISONE, would I now give 40mg of PredNISOLONE?  Or would the dose be different?

[tonyb286]

Hi. The difference between prednisone and prednisolone is that one is the precursor to the other. Prednisone is activated by enzymes in the liver to turn into prednisolone. They do have similar uses but prednisolone is more readily absorbed by the body. Prednisolone is usually used when there is liver toxicity or liver failure involved.

There is no great difference between them, other than the above, however ... it is normal practice to begin at a low dosage, rising to a level that's appropriate for the weight of the dog. It is equally important to wean off this potent corticosteroid and not stop it abruptly.

For these reasons, I would strongly urge you to contact you vet for advice about dosages. Tony

[critterkeeper2]

both dogs are rottweilers, both are same age and approximately same weight. Both are current on vaccines and both have recently received blood test results indicating that all is normal.I see nothing wrong with using same dose but only wanted to know if there was a major difference between the two- prednisilone and prednisone

[shannon781]

Before giving these meds, I would call your vet and make sure this other dog doesn't have any contraindications to steroids. Steroids are not benign in many situations and other health conditions...I can't give info on giving meds to animal that it is not prescribed for so, your vet may be able to give the advice if he/she has seen the other dog. Does your other dog have any health conditions that you know of? How old is it?