Corticosteroid use in small animal neurology.

Abstract

Glucocorticoid drugs are frequently used nonspecifically by veterinarians to control clinical signs associated with central nervous system disease. However, this use is infrequently justified and can also be associated with detrimental long-term patient outcomes. First, there are few diseases for which glucocorticoids are the preferred or definitive treatment. Second, their actions may blunt subsequent diagnostic efforts, for instance, by altering MRI appearance or cerebrospinal fluid cell content, or lead owners to abandon pursuit of more appropriate therapies if they perceive the first-line steroid therapy to be a failure.