Decadron (dexamethasone) injectable or Prednisone in the pill form are steroids that are used for a variety of conditions, one of them being as an anti-inflamatory agent.
They work by reducing the inflamation and irritation of the vocal cords that occur when a dogs has barked so much that he has stretched and irritated the vocal cords. This will sometimes give very noticable results but other times it will take several months for the dogs mouth to return to normal.
I would suggest giving 10 mg of prednisone daily for ten days or use a higher dose and taper gradually over a week. You can also give 4 to 6 mg of dexamethasone IM. Keep the dog quiet as well. Just remember it may take longer for the voice to fully recover. I would only use the steroids shorterm because they can cause bone loss, fluid retention and other problems if used longterm. So use them for a week or so and rest the voice and eventually it should return.
The antibiotics mentioned may help if the dog's voice problems are related to some type of infection of the larynx.
Registered: Mar 2005
Location: north dakota
Posts: 2363
don't you have a vet down in them hills???
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JAMES RIVER HOUND KENNEL
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If you have the 4 mg/cc, give 2 cc the first day and then 1 cc daily for about 5 days.
If you think she has an infection as well, start her on an antibiotic. Vibramycin (doxycycline) 100 mg twice a day (not three times a day), Bactrim (TMP/sulfa) twice a day, or Augmentin (amoxicillin/clavulanate) twice a day would be fine. There are other that would work as well.
I am glad you clarified using dex. It can cover an underlying condition,such as an infection,and the animal should be cleared first. Prednisone will do the same.
I give some B12 or B complex first. 3cc under the skin every other day for a week. Worm her out good and pump some feed to her. She will regulate the feed on her own. Then look at her. After all of the other variables are out of the way then give her some dex. if she's still down. She may just need some TLC and a no bark collar.There are many wonder drugs out there but no substitute for good feed and water.
02-27-2010 04:48 PM
