Buddy the Beagle's mom
11-20-2013, 08:33 AM
Hi everyone. I'm new here, but have been dealing with atypical Cushing's disease in my 7-year old Beagle Buddy since his diagnosis in the fall of 2011.
In September of 2011, I mentioned to my vet that Buddy was drinking huge amounts of water (about 100 ounces a day). She decided to run tests for Cushing's disease, and when the ACTH stim tests showed possible Cushing's, we sent the adrenal panel to the
University of Tennessee. Atypical Cushing's was the diagnosis, and the treatment sheet from the University of TN suggested melatonin and lignans as the first choice of treatment, but my vet said it didn't work, according to seminars she attended, and put Buddy on Vetoryl. I thought this was wrong, did lots of research, found an online
Cushing's support group and talked to those people. I followed their suggestions of a second opinion with an internal medicine specialist, because Buddy was no better after some months on the Vetoryl. I chose the new doctor for his reputation and credentials,
and to my happiness, he said his first choice of treatment was melatonin and lignans, followed if necessary by a low dose of Lysodren if these did not work. As a result of this new treatment plan, I also changed Buddy's regular vet to one who was board certified and writing a paper on Cushing's disease. So now his regular vet and the internal medicine vet work together, and Buddy has improved a lot.
When I looked for a place to get the lignans and melatonin, I went to the information sheets from the University of Tennessee and chose Lignans for Life, at lignans.net:
Steve Utter
Products Development, LLC
480-636-0675
www.lignans.net
This has been a great place to get Buddy's lignans and K-9 melatonin. The product is excellent, and the service is superb, complete with frequent specials and coupons. I use flaxseed lignans for Buddy because I also use this kind for me because I had breast cancer in 2008.
We had the adrenal panel redone at the end of August this year, and after a year on lignans and melatonin, the adrenal hormone levels have improved a lot! Buddy had 6 elevated levels a year ago, and now there are only 2 still elevated, and those are also dropping. Buddy also now consumes a normal amount of water, and he seems happier and more playful.
Buddy also has epilepsy and ruptured a disc when he was 1 1/2, so he is a problem-filled pup, and we really need the best treatment available for all these issues. We also now use Gabapentin for the seizures, which is much easier on his liver than phenobarbital.
So I am a believer that the melatonin and lignans have helped my boy with his atypical Cushing's, and I really thank the people on the forums that told me their stories and helped me to decide to go to a specialist. Support groups with people sharing their experiences are a huge help in fighting this disease.
In September of 2011, I mentioned to my vet that Buddy was drinking huge amounts of water (about 100 ounces a day). She decided to run tests for Cushing's disease, and when the ACTH stim tests showed possible Cushing's, we sent the adrenal panel to the
University of Tennessee. Atypical Cushing's was the diagnosis, and the treatment sheet from the University of TN suggested melatonin and lignans as the first choice of treatment, but my vet said it didn't work, according to seminars she attended, and put Buddy on Vetoryl. I thought this was wrong, did lots of research, found an online
Cushing's support group and talked to those people. I followed their suggestions of a second opinion with an internal medicine specialist, because Buddy was no better after some months on the Vetoryl. I chose the new doctor for his reputation and credentials,
and to my happiness, he said his first choice of treatment was melatonin and lignans, followed if necessary by a low dose of Lysodren if these did not work. As a result of this new treatment plan, I also changed Buddy's regular vet to one who was board certified and writing a paper on Cushing's disease. So now his regular vet and the internal medicine vet work together, and Buddy has improved a lot.
When I looked for a place to get the lignans and melatonin, I went to the information sheets from the University of Tennessee and chose Lignans for Life, at lignans.net:
Steve Utter
Products Development, LLC
480-636-0675
www.lignans.net
This has been a great place to get Buddy's lignans and K-9 melatonin. The product is excellent, and the service is superb, complete with frequent specials and coupons. I use flaxseed lignans for Buddy because I also use this kind for me because I had breast cancer in 2008.
We had the adrenal panel redone at the end of August this year, and after a year on lignans and melatonin, the adrenal hormone levels have improved a lot! Buddy had 6 elevated levels a year ago, and now there are only 2 still elevated, and those are also dropping. Buddy also now consumes a normal amount of water, and he seems happier and more playful.
Buddy also has epilepsy and ruptured a disc when he was 1 1/2, so he is a problem-filled pup, and we really need the best treatment available for all these issues. We also now use Gabapentin for the seizures, which is much easier on his liver than phenobarbital.
So I am a believer that the melatonin and lignans have helped my boy with his atypical Cushing's, and I really thank the people on the forums that told me their stories and helped me to decide to go to a specialist. Support groups with people sharing their experiences are a huge help in fighting this disease.