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By Marc Brannigan and Natalie Mondine, co-founders of HempMy Pet · Published September 28, 2026 · Last reviewed September 28, 2026
We have grown, formulated and bottled organic full-spectrum hemp oil for pets on our own Colorado farm since 2016, and we funded two university clinical trials using our own oil. We are not veterinarians. Everything below comes from the published veterinary literature, cited at the end. Prednisone is often prescribed for serious conditions, and nothing here is a reason to stop it.
If your dog started prednisone and is now drinking the water bowl dry, asking to go out at 3am, and eating like it has never been fed, you have not done anything wrong and your dog is not having a rare reaction.
You are having the completely normal experience. It just does not match what most of the literature reports.
Side effects from short-course prednisone are commonly reported in under 5% of dogs. When researchers actually asked owners day by day, 90% reported at least one behaviour change by day 14 — and 74% by day 5.
This is not an argument against prednisone. Owners in that same study rated their satisfaction 4.5 out of 5, because the drug works. It is an argument for knowing what is coming and planning around it, instead of wondering at 3am whether something has gone wrong.
What Prednisone Is, and Prednisolone Too
Prednisone is a synthetic corticosteroid — a manufactured version of cortisol, the hormone the adrenal glands produce. At anti-inflammatory doses it suppresses inflammation; at higher doses it suppresses the immune system itself.
Prednisone and prednisolone are not quite the same thing. Prednisone is a prodrug: the liver converts it into prednisolone, which is the active form. In dogs with compromised liver function that conversion is less reliable, which is why vets often prescribe prednisolone directly. If your prescription says one and a forum says the other, that is usually why.
Vets use it for allergic and itchy skin disease, immune-mediated conditions, inflammatory bowel disease, certain cancers, Addison's disease, and inflammation that has not responded to other measures. The range is enormous, which is exactly why the dose your dog is on tells you very little on its own.
The Gap Between What Is Reported and What You Are Living With
This is the part we built this article around, because we could not find it stated plainly anywhere an owner would look.
A 2023 study in BMC Veterinary Research set out to test a specific suspicion: that because corticosteroid side effects are reported at low rates and vets are comfortable prescribing them, the real-world impact on dogs and owners was being underestimated.
Owners of 31 dogs on anti-inflammatory doses of prednisone or prednisolone reported what they saw, at set points, for up to 14 days.
- By day 5: 74% reported at least one change — increased urination, drinking, appetite, panting or vocalisation. A third of those described the changes as greatly increased.
- By day 14: 90% reported at least one change.
- 61% were refilling the water bowl more than before.
- One in three were cleaning up urinary accidents from a dog that had been reliably house-trained.
- Adverse effects appeared regardless of the starting dose or regimen.
Two things in that study matter as much as the headline. First, owner satisfaction stayed high — 4.5 out of 5 — because prednisone is genuinely effective and owners knew it. Second, 70% said they would choose a more expensive treatment if it had fewer side effects.
That second number is the honest summary of the whole situation. The drug works. Living with it is harder than the reporting suggests.
What to Actually Expect
The near-universal three
Increased drinking, increased urinating and increased appetite. These are not really "side effects" in the sense of something going wrong — they are the predictable pharmacology of a corticosteroid, and in a short course they usually resolve within days of stopping.
Practical consequences worth preparing for: more water available at all times (never restrict it), more frequent trips outside including at least one you did not use to need, accidents from a previously continent dog, and a dog that will counter-surf, raid bins and beg in a way it never did. That last one is pharmacological hunger, not a training regression.
Panting and restlessness
Common, often worse at night, and one of the most wearing effects for owners because it disrupts everyone's sleep.
Over longer courses
- Weight gain and muscle loss — a distinctive combination that can produce a pot-bellied look.
- Thinning coat, skin changes, poor wound healing.
- Higher infection risk, because immune suppression is the intended effect at higher doses. Urinary tract infections in particular are easy to miss under all the extra urinating.
- Iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome — the picture of cortisol excess produced by the medication itself, rather than by disease.
- Adrenal suppression — the reason tapering matters, below.
- Behaviour changes, including irritability in some dogs.
Two Things That Are Genuinely Dangerous
1. Never combine prednisone with an NSAID
This is the single most important interaction on this page. Giving a corticosteroid alongside a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as carprofen, meloxicam or deracoxib substantially raises the risk of gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding. It is a genuine contraindication, not a caution.
It matters because it is easy to fall into. An arthritic dog on long-term carprofen develops a skin flare and gets prednisone from a different appointment. If your dog is switching between the two, your vet will specify a washout period — observe it exactly. Our write-up on Rimadyl and carprofen side effects covers the other side of that combination.
2. Never stop it abruptly
Prednisone suppresses the dog's own cortisol production. Stopping suddenly after more than a few days can leave the body unable to produce what it needs, which is an emergency. This is why prescriptions come with a taper and why the pills get smaller, then every other day, rather than simply ending.
Finish the taper as written, even if your dog looks completely better. And if you are stopping early because the side effects have become unbearable — which is a real and common reason — call your vet and say that, rather than stopping on your own. There is almost always a way to adjust.
When to Call Your Vet
- Black, tarry stool, or vomit that looks like coffee grounds — possible GI bleeding. Same-day call.
- Vomiting or diarrhoea that persists more than a day or two.
- Signs of infection — fever, lethargy, a wound that is not healing, straining to urinate.
- Sudden collapse or profound weakness, particularly if doses have been missed.
- Drinking and urinating that is escalating rather than plateauing.
- Any marked behaviour change that worries you.
Making It More Liveable
- Give it in the morning, with food, unless your vet says otherwise. Morning dosing sits better with the natural cortisol rhythm and moves the worst of the drinking and urinating into daylight hours.
- Never restrict water. The thirst is pharmacological; restricting it risks dehydration and does not reduce the urination proportionally.
- Add one more trip outside than you think you need, including a late one. Most accidents are a timing problem, not a training problem.
- Plan for the appetite. Bins secured, counters clear, and if your vet agrees, bulk the meals with something low-calorie so the dog feels fed without gaining weight.
- Ask about every-other-day dosing for longer courses. Alternate-day regimens can reduce adrenal suppression — whether it suits your dog's condition is your vet's call.
- Write down what you see, with dates. Given 90% of dogs show something by day 14, your notes are what let your vet distinguish expected from concerning.
- Finish the taper. Every time.
Can Hemp Be Given Alongside Prednisone?
We are going to be more careful here than we have been on the other drugs in this series, because prednisone is different.
There is no canine research on combining CBD with corticosteroids. None that we can find, and we looked. The 2024 canine enzyme study flagged tramadol, not steroids — but absence of evidence is not evidence of safety here, it just means nobody has looked. We covered what is and is not known drug by drug in our guide to CBD and your dog's medications.
What we will say plainly: hemp does not replace prednisone. If your dog is on a steroid for an immune-mediated disease, a cancer protocol, or Addison's, that prescription is doing something a supplement cannot do, and stopping it is dangerous. We are not going to imply otherwise to sell a bottle of oil.
Where the conversation is reasonable is the opposite direction: some dogs are on prednisone for inflammation as part of a broader comfort plan, and owners want to know whether anything else in that plan could let the dose come down over time. That is a legitimate question for your vet, who can weigh it properly. Our own 90-day trial of 37 dogs with chronic joint discomfort found that of 23 dogs taking gabapentin at enrollment, 10 discontinued it and 11 reduced their dose — every change made by that dog's own veterinarian. That trial did not involve prednisone and we are not extending it to a drug it never tested.
Full-spectrum extract, grown and bottled on our own Colorado farm using organic practices — the same oil given to the 37 dogs in the 90-day study. Third-party tested, Certificate of Analysis in every order. $99
Shop the 1000mg Oil → See the StudyQuestions Worth Asking Your Vet
- What exactly is the prednisone treating, and how will we know it is working?
- How long is the course, and what does the taper look like in writing?
- Is my dog on anything — including an NSAID — that this cannot be combined with?
- Would every-other-day dosing be appropriate for my dog's condition?
- At what point do the side effects become a reason to change the plan rather than push through?
- What monitoring do you want, and how often?
Frequently Asked Questions
How common are prednisone side effects in dogs?
Far more common than most sources suggest. Side effects are frequently reported in under 5% of dogs in the literature, but when researchers asked owners directly, 74% reported at least one behaviour change by day 5 and 90% by day 14 — most often increased urination, drinking, appetite or panting.
Why is my dog drinking and urinating so much on prednisone?
Because that is the predictable pharmacology of a corticosteroid, not a sign something has gone wrong. In one study 61% of owners were refilling the water bowl more than before and one in three were cleaning up accidents from a previously house-trained dog. Never restrict water; add extra trips outside instead.
Can I give my dog prednisone and an NSAID together?
No. Combining a corticosteroid with an NSAID such as carprofen or meloxicam substantially raises the risk of stomach ulceration and bleeding. If your dog is switching between them, your veterinarian will specify a washout period — follow it exactly.
Can I stop my dog's prednisone early?
Not abruptly. Prednisone suppresses your dog's own cortisol production, and stopping suddenly after more than a few days can cause a dangerous adrenal crisis. If the side effects have become unmanageable, call your veterinarian and say so — there is almost always an adjustment available.
What is the difference between prednisone and prednisolone?
Prednisone is converted by the liver into prednisolone, which is the active form. In dogs with reduced liver function that conversion is less reliable, so prednisolone is often prescribed directly.
How long do prednisone side effects last after stopping?
For a short course, the increased drinking, urinating and appetite usually settle within days of finishing the taper. Effects from long-term use, such as muscle loss and coat changes, take longer and should be followed by your veterinarian.
Can my dog take hemp or CBD with prednisone?
Ask your veterinarian first. There is no canine research on combining CBD with corticosteroids, so this is honest uncertainty rather than a known safe combination. Hemp does not replace a steroid prescribed for an immune-mediated condition or cancer.
Does prednisone cause Cushing's disease in dogs?
Long-term corticosteroid use can produce iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome — the same picture of cortisol excess, caused by the medication rather than by disease. It is one of the main reasons long courses are tapered to the lowest effective dose and monitored.
The same full-spectrum oil that went through two university clinical trials. Start low, go slow, and tell your veterinarian what you are giving.
How We Sourced This Article
- Perception and usage of short-term prednisone and prednisolone in dogs. BMC Veterinary Research. 2023;19:91. PubMed. The owner-reported study behind every figure in this article: the day-5 and day-14 rates, the water-bowl and house-training findings, the 4.5/5 satisfaction score, and the 70% who would pay more for fewer side effects.
- American Kennel Club — Prednisone for Dogs. Owner-facing overview of uses, administration and tapering.
- VCA Animal Hospitals — Steroid Treatment: Long-Term Effects in Dogs. Source for the long-course effects, iatrogenic Cushing's and adrenal suppression.
- Court MH, et al. Cannabidiol and cannabidiolic acid: preliminary in vitro evaluation of drug–drug interactions involving canine cytochrome P-450. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2024;47:1–13. PubMed. Cited for what the canine enzyme work did and did not flag.
- Kogan L, Hellyer P, Downing R. The Use of Cannabidiol-Rich Hemp Oil Extract to Treat Canine Osteoarthritis-Related Pain: A Pilot Study. J Am Holist Vet Med Assoc. 2020;58:35–45. DOI 10.56641/UPRM3253. Our disclosure: HempMy Pet supplied the hemp extract and reimbursed clinic costs; per the journal we had no input into study design or interpretation. This trial did not involve prednisone.
If you find something here that conflicts with your veterinarian, email us at support@hempmypet.com and we will correct it.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is educational and is not veterinary advice. Prednisone is a prescription medication — never start, stop, or change your dog's dose without your veterinarian.
