The Side Effects of Azathioprine In Dogs

About Azathioprine Side Effects

Azathioprine is used in the treatment of anemia, arthritis, bowel disorders, and other illnesses in your dogs. However, azathioprine does have side effects in dogs. In fact, your vet will be watching your dog’s progress very closely since the side effects of this canine medication are serious. The side effects are lethargy, fever, reluctance to move, and a decrease in appetite. Dogs are much more unwilling to move around when they take this drug. More so than other animals. These azathioprine side effects in dogs will have your vet very concerned.

There are other side effects of this drug in dogs. Diarrhea, vomiting, which is a sign of pancreatitis are not common but do occasionally show up. The azathioprine is used as a pain reliever and also suppresses cell development in the skin, blood or other physical system immune disorders. It is also used to treat arthritis which accompanies diseases of the skin such as myasthenia gravis. These autoimmune illnesses also tend to affect nerve and muscle functions.

When your dog is prescribed this medication, be sure to tell your vet of any other medications that it is taking so that there are no drug interaction problems. Also be sure to tell your vet of any side effects that your dog experiences. Azathioprine acts like chemotherapy on your dog to make sure that stays hydrated. This will also help to avoid the azathioprine side effects that can be dangerous to dogs. Be sure that your dog gets the actual azathioprine and not Imuran which is only approved for humans.

Azathioprine is also prescribed for dogs with Hemolytic Anemia, which is dying off of red blood cells, and low platelet count in the blood which is necessary for the blood to clot properly. When prescribed for autoimmune systems in dogs it actually indulges the immune system where the antibodies are being produced. If you don’t understand what this means, it’s a good thing for the animal.

When your dog is in pain, you want to do everything you can to ease it’s discomfort so azathioprine is wonderful for this. But you do want to keep a close watch on your pet so that you can let the vet know if any of the azathioprine side effects in dogs shows up in your beloved pet. It cannot be stressed enough that if your dog does develop the loose bowels, to keep giving it plenty of water so that it does not become severely dehydrated and let your vet know immediately of this development if it happens. Dehydration in dogs can be just as deadly as it is with humans. Since this is the most common azathioprine side effect in dogs, this is the main thing that you need to watch for. Azathioprine should only be given in low doses. Your pet trusts you to take care of him. Watch him closely. If a fever develops, tell your vet right away. There are special thermometers just for animals because their body temperatures vary greatly from humans.

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