Sadie-lou-who...

Well, I got bad news on Sadie's test for Cushing's Disease. She does have it. We start a "loading dose" of Lysodren tonight and stay on it for a week. From Kate Connick's site: "Lysodren selectively destroys adrenal cortex tissue, the cells that produce glucocorticoid hormones. An initial week or so of daily lysodren (a loading or induction phase) damages the adrenals enough to bring cortisol blood levels within normal ranges and make Cushingoid symptoms begin to abate." The drug is so strong she has to take a companion dose of prednisone. She will most likely feel pretty sick during this coming week. *tears*

The day after we finish the loading dose, we will take her in for a ACTH stimulation test to see if enough tissue has been destroyed to bring the cortisol levels back down to normal. The danger is if too much of the adrenal tissue is destroyed then she could develop permanent Addison's Disease.

If the treatment is effective (most of the time it is), she will take Lysodren once a week for the rest of her life.

Think good doggie thoughts. I will keep you guys posted. Watch your older dogs for this disease. I didn't realize it was so common. Sadie's first sign was elevated liver enzymes.