Vet phoned this morning. King’s liver enzymes are still high.
Wednesday morning, I take him in for a day-long test which will, I hope, tell us 1) if he has Cushing’s and 2) whether it’s adrenal or pituitary.
Vet said that if it is Cushing’s, it’s likely very early because King isn’t showing symptoms other than the bladder infection and wonky bloodwork. However, when I look at this list of symptoms here, I can point to a few more things that may be happening, but are so damned subtle that they could be attributed to old age, arthritis, or any combo thereof.
Anyway, good thoughts appreciated. I know that if he does have it, it can be managed.
If he doesn’t have it, it’s back to square one to figure out what in hell could be going on.
Has he had an ultrasound yet?
I will say that any case of Cushing’s that I’ve diagnosed, it’s been pretty obvious just by looking at the dog and taking the history. The test was just for confirmation. There are cases of atypical Cushing’s, so it is still worth doing, but I would be prepared for a negative result.
No ultrasound yet. Just an x-ray at the start of all this because vet was looking for stones/crystals.
We did talk about the results of a previous ultrasound, but it was performed way back in ’07 at the emergency clinic. King would have to go back there for a repeat. I am guessing that’s the next step, if this test is negative.
There are several different options that could be tried next if the LDDS test is negative, but that would be the one that I’d pick if it were my dog. Least invasive and chock full of information. Down here we have a group of travelling radiologists that we can call to come by (bringing their ultrasound machine) to scan our patients for non-emergent conditions. It is very nice for clients, although we also have several specialty practices nearby as well.