Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.
I was told that the left adrenal gland is usually a little easier to remove because it isn't located quite as close to the vena cava, which is the largest vein that takes blood from the organs back up to the liver and heart. The right adrenal gland is usually stuck to the vena cava which makes things harder.
Did they say whether they thought the tumor was invading the veins? That can make surgery trickier. Often a CT is recommended so they can know for sure whether the tumor is growing inside the veins or still contained within the adrenal gland. They can get a pretty good idea about that on ultrasound, but CT is best. Not every surgeon requires a CT...it is definitely best, but the surgeon I ended up choosing felt comfortable enough with our ultrasounds (I had two different people do them right before surgery, and he'd had five total ultrasounds within about 18 months) and her ability to go ahead and deal with anything in the veins during surgery. But, a different surgeon may have a vastly different idea and push really hard for the CT scan. The CT will also help look for metastasis (spread) of the cancer too.
I talked to two different places/surgeons about costs and risks. You want to make sure the surgeon has done this type of surgery several times before and feels comfortable with it and has had good outcomes. It is a risky surgery even for a perfectly healthy dog. It is scary having to make those decisions, believe me, I know. It's easy to dwell on the 1 in 5 dogs that do not survive the recovery period with adrenalectomy, but the reverse of that means that 4 out of 5 dogs do make it. If you go forward with surgery, you're going to have to come to some type of terms with the unfortunate but real risk that he could die, but know you were making the decision you thought was in his best interest at the time.
I'd encourage you to meet with the surgeon and see what they have to say. Ask them the questions posted here, and really be sure everyone is comfortable with whatever decision you make. We're here to support whatever you decide. If you haven't already, reading some of the stories of dogs like Flynn on here is enlightening. Many of the pets undergoing adrenalectomy have good outcomes, but others do not, but I felt like it gave me a good idea of what to expect and ask Winston's doctors.
Kellie, dog-mom to Winston