Question about Supraglan from new member

[poodleluv]

Hi,
I guess you know what kind of dog I have. He is a sweet 11-year-old miniature poodle who has gained 5(!) pounds and seems to be a textbook case of Cushings.

I'm very upset about this, particularly because I knew he was not well five months ago, but the vet did nearly $1,000 worth of tests and everything came up negative. Vet says he was probably sub-clinical at that point. However, he had some signs, and I wish I'd known to google the symptoms that didn't seem at the time like they could be related to one another.

At any rate, I am about to embark on a trial run of Supraglan and Milk Thistle, and am interested in knowing if anyone here has tried these or other herbal remedies. The side effects of trilostane are scary, and I'm not a fan of pharmaceuticals - having done better with natural remedies than with drugs for the humans in our family.

Advice appreciated - if you're a real dog owner - no drug reps please. Thanks so much! And best of luck to you and your little luv.

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I only have a minute but wanted to share my response to another member who inquired about Supraglan:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showpost.php?p=65530&postcount=2

There are no drug reps here but I will tell you that there are a lot of online snake oil companies like Supraglan who prey on petowners who are desperate to find an alternative to conventional meds.

If your dog has overt symptoms that are associated with cushing's yet all bloodwork is negative, it is quite possible that you are dealing with atypical cushing's. The hallmark of typical cushing's is elevated cortisol but with atypical cushing's, the cortisol is normal but one or more of the adrenal sex hormones is elevated. The only way to determine if your dog has atypical cushing's is to have your vet request a full adrenal panel from the University of Tennessee (UTK). If s/he is unfamiliar with this condition, have him/her contact UTK and they can explain the condition as well as provide instruction on how to ship the blood sample. Please see link below for contact info:

http://www.vet.utk.edu/diagnostic/endocrinology/index.php

Also, you can find good information on atypical cushing's in our Helpful Resources section:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198

Glynda