My dog was prescribed prednisone for an allergy rash on his neck...?

My dog was prescribed prednisone for an allergy on his neck. An itchy rash. He is also taking an antibiotic and the steroid (prednisone) is used to prevent the itching. I found out that one of it's symptoms are premature kidney/liver failure. I called the vet and told them of my findings and they said it's true. Why would they prescribe that medication to my dog knowing the symptoms are fatal???!! I'm furious!

I was told that giving your dog a treatment or prednisone or cortisone twice a year is safe, any more than that is dangerous.

I had a lhasa apso, Tasha, that had severe allergies, everytime we took her to the vet for them they gave her a cortisone shot. Within a year she started getting sick, and it turned out that the drugs had devastated her kidneys and liver and she was going in to organ failure. We had to put her down rather than let her slowly die over the next week or two.

This was about 10 years ago, and when I took my schnauzer in to the vet (a different one) for allergies, they offered a cortisone shot and I almost lost it. My husband had to calm me down to keep me from crying. The vet assured me that it was safe if used sparingly, and when he heard what happened to Tasha, he made a note in my chart that Chelsea is only allowed cortisone once in the spring when her allergies are really bad. thats it.

I dont know why vets use it like it is candy. Im not sure if organ failure is rare or if it just seems like a quick fix to keep the owners happy.

If it really worries you, I would ask the vet about an alternative. We give Chelsea (my schnauzer) regular old benadryl. The vet told me that the dosing should be 1 mg per lb of the dog, the pills are 25 mg, so if it is a small dog, 1/2 a pill, bigger dogs may need two or three.
I also had 2 vets tell me that it is VERY difficult to overdose a dog on benadryl. If they get too much, they will just sleep it off.

The benadryl seems to only last 3-5 hours for Chelsea, but Id rather her be itchy a few hours a day and a little dopey (she gets spacey on the benadryl like some people do) some other hours than give her steroids and lose her at 9 years old.

You might want to use up the dosing of prednisone your doc gave you and just be very very careful about using it after that.

In most cases kidney failure is very slim so the vet is more willing to prescribe it. I have never heard of a vet prescribing prednisone for a rash. Normally it is used for developmental issues such as spinal lumbar disorder to develope muscular strength around unsupported joints. I would thinik for a rash they would have prescribed a cortisone based steroid.
Those are only the possible side effects of corticosteroid usage and generally occur, in animals and in humans, only after high dosage and/or long term exposure (years). For treatment of skin rashes and the like, physicians use the lowest possible dose over the shortest period of time and usually use steroid creme rather than an oral steroid.

You're being melodramatic and you're talking about POSSIBLE side effects calling them symptoms. Symptoms are emergent, side effects are simply possibilities.
Long term user of prednisone, pet owner & former veterinary technician
Because used correctly, it can cause more good than harm.
Prednisone use in humans can cause the same thing...if used long term. It is prescribed for the short term so that the benefits can be felt, but no long term damage should be done.
Any medication, whether for our animals or for ourselves can have side effects and can affect everyone differently.

If you've already started the prednisone, you can not just stop it, your dog must be weaned off of it.
yes it is but there are so many meds that not only vets but human drs like to perscribe without letting you know the side effects.
I knew a missionary that had been perscribed a steroid for a problem and seh ended up several years later with sever health problems.
Unfortunately, prednisone is not the only medication that can cause premature kidney/liver failure in dogs. Almost all chronic medications (anything you give your dog over a long period of time) can and often does cause this. In my opinion, the possibility of liver and kidney failure that comes with prescribing medications like prednisone or acepromazine (used to treat anxiety) is acceptable to most veterinarians because the vast majority of dogs and cats that live long enough to be classified as senior animals will have to deal with it eventually anyway. Kidney and liver failure are among the leading causes of death for dog and cats.
Your vet prescribed prednisone because it is the best drug currently available to treat allergies in dogs. If you are giving this medication to your dog as short term treatment for the rash on his neck, chances are he will be fine. If it is a lifetime presricption (like it is for my dog), then you may have to deal with the side effects somewhere down the road.
The good news is that kidney and liver failure are both treatable. As long as you spend time with your dog and keep an eye on him for changes in things like behavior, appetite, frequency of urination, etc. and make sure you take him for regular checkups after he gets to be about 8 years old. You should catch any medical problems in time to treat them.