Glucocorticoids are used for many purposes in veterinary medicine but often come with significant adverse effects. Polyuria and polydipsia are the most common adverse effects noted by owners. To determine whether administration of desmopressin ameliorated the polyuria and polydipsia, a prospective study with 7 healthy Walker Hounds was performed. Daily water intake and urine specific gravity were measured in dogs under 4 separate conditions: no medications, prednisolone only, prednisolone and desmopressin, and prednisolone immediately after discontinuation of desmopressin. When compared to baseline, six out of seven dogs became polydipsic after administration of prednisolone twice daily. When desmopressin was administered to dogs receiving prednisolone, there was a statistically significant decrease in water intake and sodium concentration, and a significant increase in urine specific gravity. This suggests that desmopressin ameliorates the most significant side effect of prednisolone noted by owners, but that hyponatremia is an important complication associated with desmopressin.

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