Controversial Uses of Steroids in Veterinary Emergency Rooms

Jamie M. Burkitt, DVM, DACVECC, assistant professor of clinical surgical and radiological sciences at the University of California, Davis, says traumas are an area where the use of steroids might be controversial. However, she says, most veterinarians are aware that in instances of head trauma, steroids are not an indicated treatment.

In both veterinary and human medicine, there is debate as to whether steroids should be used in spinal cord injuries. But investigations in the veterinary community on such cases have been unable to show any treatment benefit, Dr. Burkitt says.