Restricting Water For Dog On Prednisone? 7 Clear Advice

If your dog is on Prednisone, it may get to a point where you start considering restricting its intake of water. This may be on account of the excessive urination that Prednisone often causes in dogs. But is it really a good idea to restrict water for a dog on Prednisone? Read on, for answers.

Restricting water for dog on Prednisone is not a good idea. If you restrict water for a dog that is on Prednisone, it may lead to distress from unquenched thirst, dehydration and possibly kidney problems, among other issues. It is therefore best to just let a dog on Prednisone have access to as much water as it needs.

Sure, the excessive dog Prednisone urination problem can really turn into a crisis. Sometimes for a dog on Prednisone leaking urine becomes a routine affair. So you actually have the dog leaking urine all the time.

Yet even at its worst, the Prednisone incontinence dog owners often have to deal with can’t really be solved through water intake restriction.

Sometimes, all you have to do is use potty pads to take care of any pee accidents that occur due to Prednisone dogs incontinence.

In any event, after a while, the excessive Prednisone related peeing tends to decrease. Moreover, with time, vets tend to lower the Prednisone doses they put dogs on, further reducing the excessive urination.

Ultimately though, restricting water for dog on Prednisone may be one of the worst things you can do. Sometimes, it can lead to a cascade of other complications, which ultimately kill the dog.

Then one is left complaining ‘Prednisone killed my dog’. Yet it is not the Prednisone that killed the dog, but rather, the water intake restriction.

What Is Prednisone?

Before proceeding with this discussion on the subject of restricting water for dog on Prednisone, we first need to acquaint ourselves with the Prednisone in question.

So, what is Prednisone? The answer is that Prednisone is a medication that is often prescribed to treat various conditions. It is a corticosteroid drug, which helps to combat inflammation and suppress inappropriate immune responses.

As such, dogs suffering from conditions that are characterized by inflammation, as well as autoimmune conditions often need to use Prednisone.

In dogs specifically, it may be suitable for use in treating arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, asthma and various allergy-related conditions.

Can You Restrict Water For A Dog On Prednisone?

Restricting water for dog on Prednisone is not appropriate.

Understandably, due to the excess peeing which dogs on Prednisone experience, it can be tempting to restrict water. But that is not the right thing to do.

If you restrict water for a dog on Prednisone, you may end up causing the dog to have dehydration. And dehydration is the sort of thing that can easily kill a dog.

Even if the dog doesn’t get to the point of dying from dehydration, it may still suffer a great deal of distress. This would be distress on account of it being denied access to water when it needs it most.

You have to understand that one of the Prednisone dog side effects is that of increasing thirst. Therefore a dog that is Prednisone experiences a great deal of thirst.

Now if you restrict water for such a dog, you subject it to extreme distress. It may even end up drinking water it shouldn’t – including the water in your toilet bowl – out of desperation.

Moreover, Prednisone is one of those medications that are quite hard on the kidneys. Therefore dogs on Prednisone need lots of water to ‘flush’ their kidneys.

If you deny a dog on Prednisone access to water, it may end up with kidney damage. This may cost you a great deal of money to treat. At worst, it may cost you your dog’s life.

For all these reasons, restricting water for dog on Prednisone is not an appropriate thing to do.

Even the idea of restricting water for puppy at night would be improper, if the puppy is on a drug like Prednisone.

Why Do People Consider Restricting Water For Dogs On Prednisone?

There are two key things that may make someone consider restricting water for dog on Prednisone.

First is the excess urination that we often see in dogs that are on Prednisone. While using Prednisone for dogs urination (excess urination) tends to be a very common side effect.

This is the sort of excess urination that may make a dog leak urine even while walking. So it is a big deal.

Some people consider using water restriction for dogs on Prednisone in order to prevent the excess urination.

The second reason why people consider restricting water for dog on Prednisone is the fear that the dog may end up taking too much water.

So, for instance, one fears that the dog may get water intoxication, or at least diarrhea, on account of taking too much water – due to Prednisone use.

Indeed, people whose dogs are on Prednisone often ask, can a dog drink too much water on Prednisone?

To be sure, Prednisone can make dogs take in amounts of water that appear abnormal. It is not uncommon to find dogs on Prednisone consuming two times or even three times their normal water intake.

This can cause some worry in certain dog owners.

Therefore we have those who consider restricting access to water for dogs on Prednisone in order to keep the dogs from taking ‘too much water’.

Do Dogs On Prednisone Need More Water?

While discussing the subject of restricting water for dog on Prednisone, it is a good idea for us to first find out whether dogs on Prednisone really need more water.

So, do dogs on Prednisone need more water? The answer is ‘yes’. Greater thirst is one of the side effects that dogs on Prednisone get.

Therefore a dog that is on Prednisone will usually require more water than it usually does. Actually, it may require twice as much water as it normally does.

This effect is not unique to Prednisone though. Almost all steroids tend to increase the desire for water.

Indeed, if you research on the question, do steroids make dogs thirsty, you will find that the answer is ‘yes’ for almost all of them.

Therefore dogs on Prednisone do indeed need more water.

Dogs on Prednisone experience unusual thirst. And it is precisely for this reason that restricting water for dog on Prednisone would be rather cruel.

By the way, even humans on Prednisone often experience greater thirst. This is what leads to questions like, should I drink more water while taking Prednisone?

Others take it further and ask, can you drink beer with Prednisone or can you have a glass of wine when taking Prednisone?

Some will be forthright and just ask, can you drink wine while taking Prednisone?

So the urge to drink more while on Prednisone is definitely there.

And this is further evidence that restricting water for dog on Prednisone is a heartless thing.

Dogs on Prednisone really need more water.

Why Do Dogs On Prednisone Need More Water?

So far, we have established that dogs on Prednisone require more water.

This logically leads to another question: why do dogs drink more on Prednisone?

There are three simple reasons why dogs on Prednisone need more water.

First is the fact that Prednisone makes the dogs thirstier. Therefore if dogs on Prednisone don’t get more water, they may experience the distress that comes from extreme, unquenched thirst.

Second is the fact that Prednisone is one of those medications that are quite hard on the kidneys. Therefore a dog that is on Prednisone requires plenty of water, in order to ‘flush’ the kidneys.

Consequently, if a dog that is on Prednisone doesn’t get enough water on a long term basis, it may suffer kidney damage.

Third is the fact that Prednisone causes greater urge to urinate in dogs. And whenever the dog urinates, it of course loses some water.

Therefore if a dog that is Prednisone doesn’t get more water, it may end up losing a bigger amount of water (through urine) than it takes in. The end result may be dehydration, and the complications that come with it.

It is for these three reasons, then, that dogs on Prednisone need more water.

And by inference, it is also due to these three factors that restricting water for dog on Prednisone would be such a bad idea.

How Much Water Does A Dog On Prednisone Need?

In most cases, a dog on Prednisone will require more water than it normally does.

Exactly how much water to give a dog on steroids like Prednisone will depend on factors like the dog’s size, the steroid dosage it is on, its thirst levels… and so on.

Usually, you find a dog on Prednisone needing twice the amount of water it normally takes.

Now there is a general guideline for how much water a dog needs under normal circumstances (when not on Prednisone).

That guideline is to the effect that ‘a dog needs an ounce of water for every pound of its weight per day’.

For instance, a 40 pound dog needs 40 ounces of water (around 1.2 liters) per day.

So when the dog is on Prednisone, you double this. Therefore the 40 pound dog, now on Prednisone, gets 80 ounces of water, which is roughly 2.4 liters.

Generally, if you double the amount of water the dog normally gets, it should be alright. That is what most tips for dogs on Prednisone seem to recommend, and it makes sense.

The dog’s own body can also tell how much it needs. So you just give the dog as much water as it can drink. Whenever you find its water dish empty, refill it.

Remember, if you don’t provide enough water, you may end up with the dog acting weird on Prednisone. For instance, due to excess thirst, the dog may become restless.

Or if the thirst turns into dehydration, the dog may become lethargic. Indeed people often ask, can Prednisone make dog lethargic? And the answer is that one of the mechanisms through which it can do is via dehydration.

Thus if a dog on Prednisone doesn’t get the water it needs, it can indeed become lethargic.

Can A Dog Drink Too Much Water On Prednisone?

As noted earlier, one of the reasons people consider restricting water for dog on Prednisone is to keep the dog from having too much water.

But can a dog drink too much water while on Prednisone?

The answer is that a dog usually can’t drink too much water on account of it being on Prednisone.

Once the dog’s body detects that it has had enough water, it usually stops drinking.

Cases of water intoxication in dogs are very rare. Even cases of dogs having diarrhea on account of having too much water are rare.

There you shouldn’t entertain the fear that the dog will have too much water on Prednisone.

Does Prednisone Cause Frequent Urination In Dogs?

Another key reason why people consider restricting water for dog on Prednisone is out of the fear that the dogs will pee too much.

So, for instance, one fears that the dog may end up making a mess with pee, due to drinking too much water while on Prednisone.

Does Prednisone make dogs pee a lot? The answer is ‘yes’. One side effect that dogs on Prednisone often get is that of peeing a lot.

Sometimes it gets to a point where a dog owner starts asking, why is my dog peeing so much on Prednisone?

To be sure, this effect is not only with regard to Prednisone. Almost all other steroids have this effect.

Thus if you research on does steroids make dogs pee a lot, you notice that the answer is mostly ‘yes’.

The whole thing is apparently due to Prednisolone liquid concentration effects.

So peeing a lot is a common side effect of Prednisone on dogs. Since it is a side effect, one may ask, how soon do the side effects of Prednisone start?

And the answer is that these side effects may start very soon after the dog begins taking Prednisone. Usually within a couple of hours, you may see side effects like more peeing.

Another related question: Prednisone side effects – how long do they last? And the answer is that they usually last for as long as the dog is on Prednisone.

So once the dog goes off Prednisone, the side effects tend to disappear shortly afterwards.

As such, weaning dog off Prednisone side effects is usually not much of a challenge.

Can Prednisone Cause Incontinence In Dogs?

As noted earlier, people often consider restricting water for dog on Prednisone due to continence concerns.

And there are indeed instances where one notices that a dog can’t control bladder on Prednisone.

This leads to the question, can Prednisone cause incontinence in dogs?

The true position is that Prednisone often causes frequent urination in dogs. Sometimes, this can lead to incontinence – like where the dog starts leaking urine.

There is also the situation where dogs on Prednisone may be more prone to UTIs. The UTIs in turn can lead to some degree of incontinence.

What Happens If You Restrict Water For Dog on Prednisone?

Several things may happen, if you restrict water for dog on Prednisone.

Firstly, the dog is likely to experience great distress. This is distress on account of having unquenched thirst.

Secondly, the dog may end up drinking contaminated water, due to the intense unmet thirst and desperation.

Thirdly, the dog may suffer kidney damage. This is especially possible if the dog remains on Prednisone for long, and it doesn’t have access to adequate water all along.

One may ask, how long can a dog stay on Prednisone? And the answer is that there are dogs which stay on Prednisone for years.

Now if a dog stays on Prednisone for months (let alone years), and it doesn’t get enough water all along, there may be kidney damage.

But in the short term, there also remains the risk of the dog that is on Prednisone with restricted access to water ending up with dehydration.

Can Prednisone Cause Dehydration In Dogs?

As noted earlier, dogs on Prednisone urinate more than usual. And every urination amounts to loss of water. Now if a dog passes out much more water (via urination) than it takes in, there can be dehydration.

Therefore Prednisone can indeed lead to dehydration in dogs.

If you don’t do something about the dehydration, it can in turn hurt the dog greatly.

This whole thing is similar to how Prednisone sometimes leads to panting. Then you have someone asking, does heavy panting from Prednisone hurt my dog?

The answer is that any adverse effect Prednisone causes can hurt the dog. Even the dog weak hind legs Prednisone side effect we often see can sometimes lead to other complications.

In fact, even the aggression side effect Prednisone causes can turn quite nasty. That is especially if one doesn’t know how to calm a dog on Prednisone…

So the bottom line is that Prednisone can indeed cause dehydration in dogs.

Restricting water for dog on Prednisone greatly increases the risk of this dehydration effect.

How Do You Deal With Prednisone Related Peeing In A Dog?

The main reason for most people thinking of restricting water for dog on Prednisone is to do with excess peeing.

But instead of restricting water for dog on Prednisone, there are better ways to deal with the excess peeing problem.

One of the best strategies you can use is that of putting absorbent materials in the area where the dog stays.

This way, even when it leaks urine or pees around, the absorbent material will take in the pee.

Washable potty pads can be very useful in this regard.

Another thing you need to do in this context is regular cleaning of the area the dog stays in.

What you also need to know is that the excessive peeing tends to decrease with time. As the dog’s body gets used to Prednisone, you may see less and less of the peeing frequency.

Moreover, after the initial high dose of Prednisone, vets tend to reduce it soon. This they do to arrive at a ‘maintenance dose’. Once there is dose reduction, the excess peeing also tends to go away.

Final Verdict – Restricting Water For Dog On Prednisone

People often consider restricting water for dog on Prednisone due to the excess peeing that such dogs usually have.

There are also those who consider restricting water for dogs on Prednisone to keep the dogs from drinking ‘too much water’.

But it is not a good idea to restrict water for a dog on Prednisone. It may cause the dog great distress from unquenched thirst. The dog may be forced to drink any water it can get, out of desperation – including contaminated water.

Lack of access to enough water for dogs on Prednisone may cause dehydration.

And the dog on Prednisone that doesn’t get enough water may end up with kidney problems.

Therefore it is best to just ensure that the dog gets enough water when it is on Prednisone. Often, this means giving the dog double the quantity of water it usually consumes.

You can deal with the excess urination through absorbent materials, such as washable potty pads.

And you don’t have to worry about the dog ‘having too much water’. That is because its body usually has a mechanism to tell it when it has had enough.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet dog a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️