I'm sure there are times when steroids are a last resort. Ringo has had some allergy issures going on. He's only 9 months old. I was so afraid to take him to the vet because I thought they'd give him a steroid shot. I thought I could figure out what the problem was on my own. He was chewing his skin until it was raw and bleeding. I knew I had to do something. I finally took him in after about 4 days of this. They took a blood test to see what he was allergic to. She said then we will give him shots. I freaked out. She explained to me that it wasn't steriod shots but allergy shots. A small dose of whatever he's allergic to is given to him so his body will learn to fight it off. I thought "COOL"!. Anyway...we are waiting on his test results and I'll tell you what happens next. The test cost $149. The shots are $150 for a year. Which comes out to $12.50 a month. He shouldn't need them after a year. I'll let everyone know how this goes. It's worth a shot. Anyway, look for other alternatives to steroids, if you can!
Your baby's knees will hurt more if he puts on that steroid weight. My mom's beagle looked like stuffed sausage after taking steroids for grass allergies. He eventually died of cancer. I'll try to find you some info on dog arthritis. I suffer back pain myself and they wanted to shoot me up with steroids and I told them I'd try therapy first. It's working. Good luck!
http://www.doggiesparadise.com/steroids.shtml