My 10-year-old dog passed away last night. Two weeks ago, he was treated for a severe ear infection; the vet prescribed Dermipred 20 (one tablet morning and night for five days, then half a tablet morning and night for 10 days). On the very evening the treatment finished, Wednesday 24th October, he started panting and couldn't put any weight on his front left leg. We took him to the vet on Thursday 25th October. He was diagnosed with muscle weakness in his leg. The vet put him on a drip, supposedly to help with the pain. On the Friday, he decided to do an X-ray. We went in to see him and, to our shock, he couldn't stand on his legs at all and started urinating on himself. We left him there for the X-ray, but an hour later the vet called to tell us he had died. Granted, he was old and had arthritis, but today we're wondering if the Dermipred was responsible for his health deteriorating so quickly and ultimately for his death.
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Hi billedeverre, I think you're right, I need to find out for sure, so I'm going to book an appointment with my vet. But to be honest, I think my dog had health issues after all; he was sleeping a lot and wasn't as lively on his walks anymore. I went to work with a heavy heart this morning. This afternoon, I went on the website for my local rescue centre and I'm going there in person on Wednesday because I can't stand the void left by his absence. I think I'll be making some lucky dog very happy, but I'll never forget my dog – his name was Dino, by the way, and he was my baby.
Your little girl was beautiful, and 17 is such a wonderful age to reach. I’m going to take your advice and go see my vet, because I really am consumed by guilt. I can’t get the look in my dog’s eyes out of my head when we went to see him before his X-ray; you could see the distress in them. He even tried to stand up for me but he couldn’t manage it, and that image just haunts me. Like your girl, he ate normally the day before he was admitted, and like her, he never missed a mealtime. Thank you so much for your messages anyway, they’re really helping me.
Yours is helping me too.
I suggested asking for a chat with your vet because I’ve thought about doing it myself; it’s not our profession and when we’re in pain, anxious, and in shock the first time they explain what’s happening, we don't take everything in. It doesn't help at all—quite the opposite. After they’ve passed away, I think it’s actually really important to go back over everything that happened that day. Vets are increasingly trained to understand the bond we have with our pets, so they do get it. I’d suggest booking an appointment and paying for a consultation, just like when I take my little girl in for a check-up. By the way, I want to say that vets aren't just out for the money, despite what I’ve read here and there; my surgery actually refused to let me pay for ‘helping him on his way’, which was also the case when my parents had to do the same for their two little cats a few years apart.
I hope your vet can ease some of that guilt for you and that you'll talk to us about it.
I’ve got a long day at work tomorrow when my head is completely elsewhere; I’ll just have to try and get through it as usual... well, except this time...
Goodnight, Mjdino
Your little dog was beautiful, and 17 is a grand old age. I’m going to take your advice and go to see my vet because I really am eaten up with guilt. I can’t get the look in my dog’s eyes out of my head when we went to see him before his X-ray; you could see the distress in them. He even tried to get up for me but he couldn't manage it, and that image haunts me. Just like your girl, he ate normally the day before he was admitted and, like her, he never missed a mealtime. Thank you for your messages anyway, they’re really helping me.
Yes, it’s like I was saying—your dog was still so young, and the fact that everything happened so suddenly makes the loss even more devastating. It’s clear from your messages that it makes the guilt feel so much worse. But vets and their nurses are usually very compassionate people; they know how to reassure them and give them a kind word, and I’m sure that’s exactly how it was for your little one. I know that saying it doesn't just get rid of that feeling of doubt and guilt that you can’t seem to shake. Perhaps trying to book an appointment with the vet would help; you could ask if they’d be willing to sit down with you to go over everything that happened again. It might help ease some of that horrible guilt you're feeling.
Siska was 17 years and 3 months old, yes, but she was still walking around the house and ate her food with real gusto on the very day she passed away. She even came to see me when I walked through the door, so it still makes things incredibly difficult; even though I was prepared for bad news, I was in a complete state of shock when I saw her little head drop. Even the vet couldn't understand how she was still eating and walking, because she already had fluid on her lungs and a lot of fluid in her abdomen since midday. She was walking around the waiting room a lot too, while I followed her and stroked her, so I do wonder if I should have agreed to have the fluid drained. But I said I didn't want any aggressive treatment or any care that would make her suffer. I made that choice for her and maybe I was wrong—even if I don't really believe I was—but I still have moments of doubt. Everything just went so fast in that consulting room.
And after 17 years together, it’s so hard to break those old habits and accept that she’s gone. She hadn't even gone grey and still looked like a young dog only a month ago, even if she did sleep a lot during the day. Mind you, she had an internal clock that went off as soon as it was dinner time; that never changed, right up until her final day.
Yes, I know we’ll meet again in another life, I’m sure of it. We’re going to let a bit of time pass and then we’ll head to a rescue centre to make a lucky pet happy, as I’ve got so much love to give and the house feels so empty. Thank you for trying to cheer me up, it’s really tough.
When you’re ready, go for it! Head straight to the rescue... and whether it’s in a week or six months’ time, it’ll be a lovely, well-considered thing to do. Big hug.
@Billedeverre, I also empathise, but at least your girl was old and you were expecting it. My dog was still so full of life the day before; he’d had his walk and nothing suggested such a sudden end. He even ate normally that evening. I also think that leaving him at the vet’s in a sort of cage, away from us, might have traumatised him, but I’m going to try and process my grief now. I agree with you, it really isn’t easy.
I’m so sorry about your dog, but I really think you’re being far too hard on yourself. We always do what we think is best for them at the time—you have to keep that in mind!
@Enicia, I think your experience is quite different. In this case, the dog was on the treatment for a fortnight and their condition only went downhill once they stopped taking it.
I hadn’t made the connection between Dermipred and cortisone before. You can't really say that this medication is dangerous. My parents have Dachshunds, and two of them are on Dermipred without any side effects at all. One passed away recently, but it had nothing to do with the treatment—he had a serious brain tumour.
Like any medicine, it can probably be harmful in certain specific cases. You can never rule out an intolerance, an allergy, or an underlying health issue.
But we shouldn’t be scaring people by saying a certain medication is dangerous without being sure. Especially since it’s not a new drug on the market; there’s a proven track record with this type of medication.
Hi there, I had exactly the same feeling that the cortisone hastened the end for my dog (referring to the 'Snoopy isn't doing well at all' thread). My dog also collapsed and never managed to get back up, and he became incontinent... I still have my doubts. But reading your post, I think that, just like mine, your dog had age-related kidney issues and the cortisone only made things worse... That said, can we really blame his death solely on the cortisone, especially in such a short space of time? My dog collapsed and stayed incontinent after only a few days of cortisone, but frankly, I don’t think so... Anyway, I’m so sorry for your loss; I lost my old boy last month and I truly sympathise with what you're going through...
