Prednisone and prednisolone are the steroids vets reach for most often in dogs, for everything from an itchy allergy flare to an immune system that has started destroying the dog's own blood cells. Prednisolone is the active form: a dog's liver turns prednisone into prednisolone, and in dogs the two are dosed the same way.
The dose depends almost entirely on which job the drug is doing. A low dose calms inflammation, and a dose several times higher holds back the immune system. Some dogs with Addison's disease also get a very small daily dose alongside their main treatment, to replace cortisol their body no longer makes.
Two rules hold whatever the dose. Never stop it suddenly after more than a short course, and never give it together with an NSAID pain reliever. This guide gives the published doses by purpose, each with its source, a calculator for your dog's weight, and what is normal and what is an emergency once your dog is on it.
Prednisone Dosage Chart for Dogs
How to read it: doses are milligrams (mg) of prednisone or prednisolone per kilogram (kg) or per pound (lb) of body weight. Because the two drugs are interchangeable in dogs, the same numbers apply to both. All rows are for dogs, by mouth. The first three rows are also in the calculator below the chart; the others are for reference only, because the vet sets those doses case by case.
Only give what your vet prescribed, at the dose they set.
For information only. These are typical published dose ranges, not a prescription and not medically verified for your pet. Your veterinarian sets the dose after examining your pet. Never start, stop or change a medicine without their OK.
Purpose | Dose per kg | Dose per lb | How often | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FDA label (PrednisTab prednisolone): inflammatory and allergic conditions | About 0.55 mg/kg a day | 0.25 mg/lb a day (2.5 mg per 10 lb) | Daily total, split into doses 6 to 10 hours apart | Label uses: skin, allergic, eye, ear and joint inflammation. Label bands: 1.25 to 5 mg a day for 5 to 20 lb, 5 to 10 mg for 20 to 40 lb, 10 to 20 mg for 40 to 80 lb, 20 to 40 mg for 80 to 160 lb. Reduced gradually once the condition is controlled | |
Anti-inflammatory: allergic itch (atopic or flea allergy dermatitis), allergic bronchitis | 0.5-1 mg/kg | 0.23-0.45 mg/lb | Once a day (your vet may split the day's total into two doses) | Whole day's amount. Then tapered to the lowest dose and frequency that keeps the signs away. The 2015 ICADA atopic dermatitis guidelines give the same daily range | |
Immunosuppressive: immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) | 2 mg/kg | 0.91 mg/lb | Every 24 hours | Merck's first-line dose. See the ACVIM row below for the consensus range and for dogs over 25 kg (55 lb) | |
Immunosuppressive: IMHA, ACVIM consensus range (chart only) | 2-3 mg/kg a day | 0.91-1.36 mg/lb a day | A day in total, as one dose or split into two | Dogs over 25 kg (55 lb): dosed by body surface area instead, 50-60 mg per square meter a day; your vet does that conversion. Two of the eight panel members prefer not to start above 2 mg/kg a day. A start above 2 mg/kg is brought down to 2 mg/kg or less within 1-2 weeks once the dog responds | |
Immunosuppressive: immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP) (chart only) | High starting dose, as for IMHA; your vet sets it | Tapered slowly over 4-6 months or longer, because relapses happen | |||
Addison's disease, for dogs that need a glucocorticoid alongside their Addison's treatment (vet-set): first few days (chart only) | 0.5-1 mg/kg | 0.23-0.45 mg/lb | Every 24 hours | Added to the mineralocorticoid treatment, then tapered over the first few days to the lowest dose that controls the signs | |
Addison's disease, for dogs that need a glucocorticoid alongside their Addison's treatment (vet-set): maintenance (chart only) | 0.05-0.1 mg/kg | 0.023-0.045 mg/lb | Every 24 hours | Typical range; it can vary. Your vet raises it during illness or stress | |
Cancer (lymphoma, mast cell tumors) (chart only) | Set by your vet or veterinary oncologist as part of the treatment protocol |
Dose calculator · Prednisone / prednisolone
Prednisone and prednisolone dose calculator for dogs
Not a prescription. For information only. These are typical published dose ranges, not a prescription and not medically verified for your pet. Your veterinarian sets the dose after examining your pet. Never start, stop or change a medicine without their OK.
Only give what your vet prescribed.
All doses in this calculator
| Pet | Use | Typical dose | How often | Route | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog | FDA label (PrednisTab prednisolone): inflammatory and allergic conditions | 2 to 9 kg (4.41 to 19.8 lb): 1.25 to 5 mg a day in total (5 to 20 lb); 9 to 18 kg (19.8 to 39.7 lb): 5 to 10 mg a day in total (20 to 40 lb); 18 to 36 kg (39.7 to 79.4 lb): 10 to 20 mg a day in total (40 to 80 lb); 36 to 73 kg (79.4 to 160.9 lb): 20 to 40 mg a day in total (80 to 160 lb)FDA-approved label dose for PrednisTab: 2.5 mg per 10 lb (4.5 kg) a day, about 0.55 mg/kg. Label uses: skin, allergic, eye, ear and joint inflammation. Given until the condition is controlled (usually 2 to 7 days), then reduced gradually. | daily total, split into doses 6 to 10 hours apart | by mouth | PrednisTab label (DailyMed, FDA NADA 140-921) |
| Dog | Anti-inflammatory: allergic itch (atopic or flea allergy dermatitis), allergic bronchitis | 0.5 to 1 mg per kg (0.23 to 0.45 mg per lb)Extra-label. This is the whole day's amount. If your vet splits it into two doses, each dose is half of this. Then tapered to the lowest dose and frequency that keeps the signs away. The 2015 ICADA atopic dermatitis guidelines give the same daily range. | once a day (your vet may split the day's total into two doses) | by mouth | Merck Veterinary Manual |
| Dog | Immunosuppressive: immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) | 2 mg per kg (0.91 mg per lb)Extra-label. Merck's first-line dose. The ACVIM consensus (2019) gives 2 to 3 mg/kg a day, as one dose or two, and doses dogs over 25 kg (55 lb) by body surface area instead; see the chart. Tapered slowly over months by your vet. | every 24 hours | by mouth | Merck Veterinary Manual |
Per-lb values are calculated from the per-kg doses (1 lb = 0.4536 kg) and rounded. The label row uses the label's own figures. "A day" means the total for the day, whether your vet gives it as one dose or splits it.
Why the doses are so different
- The job sets the dose. The immune-suppressing range (2-3 mg/kg a day) is roughly two to six times the anti-inflammatory range (0.5-1 mg/kg a day). At the high end the drug is no longer just calming inflammation; it is deliberately holding back the immune system.
- Addison's is replacement, not treatment. A dog with Addison's disease lacks its own adrenal hormones. Its main medicine replaces the missing mineralocorticoid, and dogs that also need a glucocorticoid get a small daily top-up of prednisone. That is why the maintenance dose is a small fraction of the anti-inflammatory one, and why too much shows up as Cushing's-type signs.
- Big dogs get special math for immune disease. For IMHA, the ACVIM consensus switches dogs over 25 kg (55 lb) to a dose based on body surface area. Two of its eight panel members prefer never starting above 2 mg/kg a day because of the risk of worse side effects at higher doses.
- The label row is an FDA-approved dose. PrednisTab prednisolone tablets are FDA-approved for dogs with inflammatory and allergic conditions, and the first row is their label dose. The other rows, like immune disease and Addison's, are extra-label use: legal when a vet prescribes it, with the dose coming from published guidance and the vet's judgment.
- Your dog's label may not match exactly. Tablets come in fixed strengths, so a dose is often rounded to something you can actually give. A small difference is normal. A big one is a reason to call the clinic, not to change the dose yourself.
If your dog got into the bottle or was given too much, call your vet or an animal poison line right away: the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661.
What Prednisone and Prednisolone Do
Both are synthetic versions of cortisol, the glucocorticoid hormone a dog's adrenal glands make to prepare the body for stress. Cortisol affects nearly every tissue: it raises blood sugar, breaks down stored fat and protein for fuel, and keeps inflammation in check.
At treatment doses, prednisone and prednisolone switch off many of the chemical signals that drive inflammation, which is why they work so fast on itch and swelling. At higher doses they also suppress the immune system itself, cutting the number and activity of the white blood cells that attack the body in immune-mediated disease. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, prednisolone is about five times as potent as cortisol as an anti-inflammatory, and a dose lasts roughly a day.
Prednisone vs Prednisolone
Prednisone is a prodrug: it does nothing until the liver converts it into prednisolone, the active form. Dogs make that conversion quickly, so vets treat the two as bioequivalent and the doses are the same. Even so, Veterinary Partner notes that vets have been using prednisolone more often, partly because of supply problems with prednisone.
The difference matters in two situations:
- Liver disease. Because prednisone needs the liver to activate it, Merck advises against prodrugs like prednisone in animals with liver failure. Vets give prednisolone instead.
- Cats. Cats convert prednisone poorly, so they get prednisolone. A dog's prednisone is not a stand-in for a cat's prescription.
What Vets Use Prednisone for in Dogs
PrednisTab prednisolone tablets are FDA-approved for dogs with inflammatory and allergic conditions. Many of the other uses below are extra-label, which is common and legal in veterinary medicine.
- Allergies and itchy skin. Short courses calm severe flares of atopic dermatitis or flea allergy until the cause is controlled. Allergic bronchitis responds to similar doses.
- Other inflammation. The label lists eye inflammation such as uveitis, ear inflammation (otitis externa) and some joint and muscle conditions.
- Immune-mediated disease. When the immune system attacks the dog's own tissues, high doses hold it back. The classic example is immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), where the body destroys its own red blood cells. In the ACVIM consensus, about 80% of dogs with IMHA responded at first to a glucocorticoid alone.
- Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP). Here the immune system destroys platelets, the small blood cells that help blood clot. Dogs with ITP may show tiny red spots on the gums or skin, bruising, black stools, blood in the urine or nosebleeds. Treatment usually starts with a high dose of steroids that is then tapered slowly.
- Addison's disease. Dogs with Addison's disease (hypoadrenocorticism) don't make enough adrenal hormones. Signs are vague and come and go: poor appetite, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy, often worse with stress. Treatment is usually lifelong. The main drug replaces the missing mineralocorticoid hormone, and dogs that also need a glucocorticoid get a low daily dose of prednisone that the vet sets.
- Cancer. Prednisone is part of treatment for lymphoma and mast cell tumors, usually in a protocol your vet or a veterinary oncologist designs. (See our post for Pet Cancer Awareness Month.)
- Other uses. Swelling of the brain or spinal cord after trauma or a disk episode, dangerously high blood calcium, and low blood sugar from insulin-secreting tumors.
Why You Must Taper Prednisone
While your dog takes prednisone, its own adrenal glands sense the extra steroid and stop making cortisol. After weeks of treatment they can shrink. If the tablets then stop overnight, the body has nothing to fall back on.
The result can be what Merck calls an Addisonian-like crisis: lethargy, weakness, vomiting and diarrhea, and in severe cases shock and death. Merck, the FDA label, VCA and Veterinary Partner all give the same rule. Never stop suddenly after more than a short course; your vet gives the taper schedule.
How a taper usually works:
- Control first. The starting dose continues until the condition is under control. For allergic flares that is often days; for immune disease, weeks.
- Step down gradually. The dose comes down in steps. For IMHA, the ACVIM consensus suggests a first cut of about a quarter once the red cell count has been stable for 2 weeks, then another quarter roughly every 3 weeks, checking blood work before each step. Most dogs with IMHA take prednisone for 3 to 6 months.
- Every other day. After about two weeks or more of treatment, vets often move to every-other-day dosing. Veterinary Partner explains that the "off" day lets the dog's own adrenal glands stay active, and Merck notes it also reduces side effects.
- Lowest dose that works. Short courses taper to zero. Chronic conditions taper to the smallest dose that keeps the signs away, and some dogs stay on a low maintenance dose.
If the signs come back during a taper, call your vet rather than going back up on your own. With immune disease, relapses are common enough that Merck recommends tapering ITP over 4 to 6 months or longer while the platelet count is monitored.
Side Effects of Prednisone in Dogs
Many dogs on prednisone drink more, pee more and act hungry. These are the expected effects of the drug, not a sign that something has gone wrong. In one study of dogs treated for immune-mediated joint disease and cited in the ACVIM consensus, after 45 days on prednisone every dog was drinking more and eating more, 91% were urinating more and 81% were panting. By 3 months, about half as many dogs had most of these effects as the dose came down.
To make life easier, keep fresh water available all the time, plan for more trips outside, and don't respond to the begging with extra food. If the thirst and urination are hard to live with, tell your vet; they may lower the dose or choose a different steroid.
At higher doses or with long-term use, other effects can show up:
- Vomiting, diarrhea and mild behavior changes
- Weight gain, a pot belly, muscle loss and thinning skin or coat, signs of iatrogenic (drug-caused) Cushing's disease
- High blood sugar, which can tip a dog that was close to diabetes into the disease
- Bladder infections, which are common in dogs on long-term steroids and may not cause obvious signs
- Stomach and intestinal ulcers and bleeding, especially at higher doses or with an NSAID
- A rise in liver enzymes, especially ALP, on blood work (steroids trigger the liver to make a specific form of it; see elevated liver enzymes in dogs)
Because of these, dogs on long-term prednisone need regular checkups: blood work and urine tests, blood sugar, and sometimes an ACTH stimulation test, at a schedule your vet sets.
When to call your vet
Call now:
- Black, tarry stool, bloody vomit, or vomiting with a dog that is listless or won't eat (possible stomach or intestinal bleeding)
- Weakness, collapse, vomiting or diarrhea after a dose was stopped suddenly or several doses were missed
- Your dog got into the bottle or was given too much
Call your vet the same day:
- Losing weight despite a big appetite, with extreme thirst (possible diabetes)
- Straining, pain or accidents when urinating
- New weakness, muscle loss, a pot belly or aggressive behavior
- A fever or any new infection
Mention at your next check: thirst, urination, hunger and panting that are hard to manage. Don't stop the medicine on your own for any of these; your vet will tell you how to adjust it.
Never Combine Prednisone With an NSAID
This is the one interaction every owner should know. Steroids slow the turnover of the cells lining the gut and block the prostaglandins that protect it, and Merck notes that they magnify the ulcer-causing effect of NSAIDs. Veterinary Partner is blunt: glucocorticoids should not be used together with NSAIDs such as aspirin, carprofen (Rimadyl) or deracoxib, because the combination can cause stomach or intestinal bleeding and ulcers. Never add an over-the-counter pain reliever to a dog on prednisone.
Other drugs your vet needs to know about, from the VCA list:
- Insulin: steroids raise blood sugar, so diabetic dogs may need more insulin.
- Diuretics such as furosemide: the combination can drain potassium.
- Phenobarbital, cyclosporine, ketoconazole, mitotane and certain antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, macrolides) need extra caution when combined with steroids.
- Vaccines: tell your vet about prednisone before your dog is vaccinated (for example, the DHPP vaccine).
- Lab tests: steroids can affect allergy tests, thyroid tests, cholesterol, potassium and urine glucose. VCA advises against starting them in a dog due for allergy testing within the next month.
Always share the full list of medicines and supplements your dog takes.
Which dogs should not take prednisone
Per the FDA label and VCA, prednisone and prednisolone should not be used in dogs that are allergic to them, or that have viral infections, stomach ulcers, corneal ulcers, systemic fungal infections (unless the steroid is treating Addison's) or Cushing's disease. They are used with care in dogs with diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure, kidney disease or other infections, and in growing puppies, because steroids can stunt growth.
Pregnancy: steroids can trigger early labor in the last third of pregnancy, and the label reports birth defects such as cleft palate in puppies of treated dogs. Veterinary Partner advises against using them in pregnancy.
How to Give Prednisone
- Give it with food.
- Give it in the morning if your dog takes it once a day, as VCA advises for dogs.
- Measure liquids carefully with the syringe or cup that came with them.
- Missed a dose? Give it when you remember, unless the next dose is almost due; then skip the missed one. Never give two doses at once.
- Don't stop early, even when your dog looks better. Follow the taper.
- Store tablets at room temperature in a tight container, out of light. Store liquids as the bottle says; compounded liquids can have different storage needs.
Prednisone and prednisolone come as tablets in several strengths and as liquids; your vet can also give a steroid injection in the clinic.
Quick Answers
How fast does prednisone work in dogs? It starts working in about 1 to 2 hours, and improvement in the signs should follow, according to VCA. For immune disease, recovery takes longer: your vet will track blood work over days to weeks.
Can I stop prednisone if my dog seems better? Not on your own. After more than a short course, stopping suddenly can cause an Addisonian-like crisis. Ask your vet for a taper.
Are prednisone and prednisolone the same for dogs? Practically, yes: a dog's liver turns prednisone into prednisolone, and vets treat them as interchangeable. Dogs with liver disease, and cats, should get prednisolone.
Can my dog take prednisone with Rimadyl or aspirin? No. Steroids plus NSAIDs raise the risk of stomach and intestinal ulcers and bleeding.
Why is my dog so thirsty on prednisone? Thirst, peeing more and hunger are the most common effects. They often ease as the dose comes down. Tell your vet if they are hard to manage.
Originally written by Jaclyn. Updated by the I Love Veterinary editorial team.
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Corticosteroids in Animals
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Addison Disease (Hypoadrenocorticism) in Animals
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Regenerative Anemias in Animals
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Platelet Disorders in Animals
- Swann JW et al.: ACVIM consensus statement on the treatment of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs (J Vet Intern Med, 2019)
- Olivry T et al.: Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis, 2015 updated guidelines from the ICADA (BMC Veterinary Research)
- DailyMed: PrednisTab (prednisolone tablets) label, Lloyd Inc., FDA NADA 140-921
- Veterinary Partner (VIN): Prednisolone/Prednisone
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Prednisolone/Prednisone
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and Pet Poison Helpline
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.
