Can you give a dog prednisone that was prescribed for people?

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• Absolutely not! Prednisone for humans has to be monitored closely and the side effects with some people can be unpleasant. Take your dog to the vet! It's cheaper in the long wrong. NEVER use human medications on any of your pets.

• From another source: Actually whether its 5 mg or 20 mg of prednisone, prednisone is prednisone. In some cases depending on where you are (what country) if your pet was prescribed prednisone there wouldn't be any "special beef flavored" variety, they'd be given the exact same tablet you would be taking if you had gotten a prescription for yourself the same day. Please see a vet, however. Prednisone does more harm than good if not given correctly, and sometimes additional tests are needed to check general health, etc before starting a prednisone regimen. But as for the simple question of "can it be done", certainly it can, it is the same chemical. The point the above answer could have made more clearly is that it should not be given if you do not know what you are doing. Unfortunately, some people do not have access to vets, and I understand that. In that case the internet is a great source of information, although it can also be a source of misinformation. Be careful in any case.

First answer by Marcy. Last edit by Dr. Doolittle. Contributor trust: 0 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 10 [recommend question]