[chiclet]

For the last couple of days, my dog's bark has become very high pitched when he is very excited, doesn't take much. Is it possibly the symptom of some health problem? He is 15 pounds and going through skin issues since the summer. Vet figures it is allergies and while we are trying to figure this out, he is taking vanectyl-p. I have him reduced to 1/2 tablet every two to three days depending on how his rash is looking.

Just wondering if some illness I need to worry about could possibly cause this.

[CorkyMax]

I looked up about vanectyl_p. Here is a link: Vanectyl-P Side Effects in Dogs | eHow.com Wonder if one of the possible side effects (And there are many!) could cause that bark---maybe the dry mouth for one. Did you know that vanectyl_p includes the crap prednisone in it!? I just answered a member on weaning off this prednisone. Here is a copy of what I posted her ---> As far as the Prednisone (This is a steroid)---Words from a book I have: The bottom line with steroid use is to be sure that there are no other alternatives, because steroids can be very detrimental to your dog's health. Once steroids are started, they cannot be stopped cold turkey. The dosage must be decreased gradually to allow the adrenal and pituitary glands to begin working again. If you are planning to take your dog off steroids, I advise that you consult a holistic veterinarian to help your dog through this difficult period. There are homeopathics, herbs, and supplements that will support your dog's adjusting system and make the transition as problem-free as possible. (end of quote) (CorkyMax here replying to the other member: I doubt if your vet --if not a holistic one, is going to be as exacting about info on this but you could just see what he has to say---Have you got the impression yet that I don't put much stock in regular vets!? I wish I had a holistic vet near me--I do feel that I would of had much better results/outcomes if I did!!--Won't go into some of my experiences! I can't give you an answer to this:I have cut back the Prednisone from 1 per day, to half, now down to 1/4. do you think it is safe to stop now? Me talking here(CorkyMax)--> I am not even a reg. vet and I don't know what the dosage is, and I hope it would be based on the size of the dog, or how long she has been on it or when you started cutting down or for how many days in between the decrease, how bad her immune system is compromised--how under the weather she is--How much she can handle at this point--a lot of variables there even for a vet the way I see it---Sorry! I wasn't going to go into this but---My mother had adopted a Bichon with severe skin allergies--The vet (my vet too) put her on Prednisone and it helped some but the dog appeared to going to be on it forever (VERY BAD THING!!). It got so it was not doing much good after awhile. My mother finally gave the dog up to a rescue as she couldn't deal with it anymore--She is going to be 92 this month and lives alone. She kept in contact with this rescue for Bichons. They were hopping mad when they learned how this vet took care of the permanent condition with the skin problems--the Prednisone. Yes the prednisone helped especially at 1st. BUT it did not cure the problem and the prednisone merely stopped the immune system from working--so stopped the itching because no immune system fighting the condition because it was 'turned off.' To make a long story short--One day (and not too long after they got the dog) the rescue called my mother to say that the dog had passed away. I blame it on the prednisone use for so long that the immune system would not work anymore. I do not know how the Rescue handled the weaning off of this crap--But no matter how slow and careful they may of been--the immune system would not work any more!! (end of the copied post)

Me (CorkyMax ) talking to you, Chiclet:
I hope you will contact your vet if you haven't already on how to wean off this stuff whenyou do take your dog off of it as it can be dangerous----See above! How long has your dog been on this steroid? I hope it hasn't been so long that it is going to be hard to get the immune system working again!

I just checked to find a couple of previous threads I had done in here on prednisone---> Important to Know if Dog is on Prednisone!

Puppies on Prednisone

[chiclet]

Thanks for the info. I know some of it, especially the tapering off. I tend to be more conservative in that area than I probably need to be. I am just aiming to keep the response blunted, otherwise it would be hard to tell what is making him worse and what is not.

He has been on it, off and on since sometime last summer. He had knee surgery last april I think it was, so I don't know if any of this is related. Also, there are his vaccinations. Who knows what triggered what.