MsEmilie
04-20-2013, 08:00 PM
Hi! This is my 1st post here. I have 2 lovely girls, Darcy and Emilie, both mixed breed rescues. Darcy is about 9 and she has been with me for the past 8 years. She is medium size, about 35 pounds with the cutest underbite.
In late 2010 she had bloodwork done. Everything was normal except for the ALKP, which was slightly elevated. Vet said not a big deal, just to monitor things. About 1.5 months ago she went in for her senior citizen check-up and had more bloodwork. This time there were a few problems. Her ALKP was higher than last time (sorry, don't have the original results) now at 478, she appeared to have a bladder infection and her T4 was low. I was surprised she had a bladder infection as she displayed no licking behavior or unusual potty action. She received antibiotics and a test to check for hypothyroidism.
One more blood test indicated her "free T4 ED" was within normal range at 15 (normal 8-40), so no hypothyroidism. I asked about putting her on milk thistle and the vet gave her Denamarin.
Just took her in last week for additional blood work. Bladder infection is gone and ALKP is still high but lower than before (now 314 vs. 478).
Given that her liver enzyme was slightly high in 2010, then higher still, now lower but still elevated, I don't know what to think. She has absolutely no symptoms of Cushings: she is slim with a flat belly, beautiful, thick, shiny coat, and no other symptoms. None whatsoever. She is perky and playful and a dainty eater. Vet thinks it may be in the early stages of Cushings and would like to do the LDDS test.
I am wondering if, at this point, I could try keeping her on the Denamarin for 2-3 months and then testing to see if the ALKP has gone down further. But at the same time, I don't want to not give her the best treatment or get an official "yay/nay" diagnosis of Cushings just to save some money and save her from a stressful day at the vet. She would not like being cooped up there all day even though they are very nice.
Her vet is nice and reasonable, not the pushy type, but I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks!
In late 2010 she had bloodwork done. Everything was normal except for the ALKP, which was slightly elevated. Vet said not a big deal, just to monitor things. About 1.5 months ago she went in for her senior citizen check-up and had more bloodwork. This time there were a few problems. Her ALKP was higher than last time (sorry, don't have the original results) now at 478, she appeared to have a bladder infection and her T4 was low. I was surprised she had a bladder infection as she displayed no licking behavior or unusual potty action. She received antibiotics and a test to check for hypothyroidism.
One more blood test indicated her "free T4 ED" was within normal range at 15 (normal 8-40), so no hypothyroidism. I asked about putting her on milk thistle and the vet gave her Denamarin.
Just took her in last week for additional blood work. Bladder infection is gone and ALKP is still high but lower than before (now 314 vs. 478).
Given that her liver enzyme was slightly high in 2010, then higher still, now lower but still elevated, I don't know what to think. She has absolutely no symptoms of Cushings: she is slim with a flat belly, beautiful, thick, shiny coat, and no other symptoms. None whatsoever. She is perky and playful and a dainty eater. Vet thinks it may be in the early stages of Cushings and would like to do the LDDS test.
I am wondering if, at this point, I could try keeping her on the Denamarin for 2-3 months and then testing to see if the ALKP has gone down further. But at the same time, I don't want to not give her the best treatment or get an official "yay/nay" diagnosis of Cushings just to save some money and save her from a stressful day at the vet. She would not like being cooped up there all day even though they are very nice.
Her vet is nice and reasonable, not the pushy type, but I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks!