Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How long dogs take to recover after steroid treatment
By Del Baldo, Francesca et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis recovery after intermediate-acting glucocorticoid treatment in client-owned dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 dogs that had been treated with glucocorticoids for at least a week were monitored to see how long it took for their adrenal glands to recover after stopping the medication. Most dogs showed signs of recovery within about 3 days, but some took much longer, with a couple needing over 8 weeks. The study found that the length of treatment or dosage didn't affect recovery time. If your dog has been on glucocorticoids and you’re concerned about their adrenal health, it’s important to discuss their recovery timeline with your veterinarian.
People also search for: dog glucocorticoid side effects · how long for dog adrenal recovery · dog adrenal gland treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In dogs, duration of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression after systemic glucocorticoid treatment is reported to vary from a few days to up to 7 weeks after glucocorticoid discontinuation. These data are derived mainly from experimental studies in healthy dogs and not from animals with spontaneous disease. HYPOTHESIS AND OBJECTIVE: To determine the timeline for recovery of the HPA axis in a group of ill dogs treated with intermediate-acting glucocorticoids (IAGCs). ANIMALS: Twenty client-owned dogs that received IAGC for at least 1 week. METHODS: Single-center prospective observational study. An ACTH stimulation test, endogenous ACTH concentration, serum biochemistry profile, and urinalysis were performed at T0 (2-6 days after IAGC discontinuation) and then every 2 weeks (eg, T1, T2, T3) until HPA axis recovery was documented (post-ACTH cortisol concentration > 6 μg/dL). RESULTS: The median time of HPA axis recovery was 3 days (range, 2-133 days). Eleven of 20 dogs showed recovery of the HPA axis at T0, 6/20 at T1, and 1 dog each at T2, T5, and T9. Dose and duration of treatment were not correlated with timing of HPA axis recovery. Activities of ALT and ALP were significantly correlated with the post-ACTH cortisol concentration (rs = -0.34, P = .03; rs = -0.31, P = .05). Endogenous ACTH concentration was significantly correlated with pre (r = 0.72; P < .0001) and post-ACTH cortisol concentrations (r = 0.35; P = .02). The timing of HPA axis recovery of the dogs undergoing an alternate-day tapering dose was not different compared to dogs that did not (3.5 vs 3 days, P = .89). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Most dogs experienced HPA axis recovery within a few days after IAGC discontinuation. However, 2/20 dogs required >8 weeks.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38321784/