Printable View
Hi marianne,
i agree w you 100% and thanks for looking out for bella. I should have gone w my gut feeling from the start, because i was also concerned w the high dosage. But the doctor stated that due to result from her 12 hr exam day, bella would be able to handle the dosage. She did the first month w no problem but now she's up and down and today she hardly ate anything. But she's still playful & will bark at dogs on tv. Like always!
I look to your reply tomorrow. Have a goodnight
Again....I am going to be blunt...for the sake of Bella's life.
I am BEGGING you....PLEASE do not give Bella any more Vetoryl! Please please please please!!! I am very concerned her life is at risk as I am writing this. Please no more Vetoryl. In fact, if I were you, I would be getting her to an ER asap to have an ACTH run immediately and to have her electrolytes checked. The most you can do to help her is to stop the Vetoryl. BUT understand - she has been on a dose that is too high for her and just stopping now may not be enough to save her adrenal glands. She may need steroid replacement and medication to help re-balance her electrolytes. If she continues to get this dose it may well kill her.
I want to repeat - HER VET IS WRONG ABOUT HOW TO ARRIVE AT THE STARTING DOSE. IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH TEST RESULTS. DOSE IS BASED **ONLY** ON WEIGHT. To start treating dogs using this very powerful drug based on anything other than weight makes this vet dangerous for our cush babies.
By telling you to continue giving this drug at this dose to an obviously sick dog is another reason this vet is very dangerous and I would be running out the door as fast as my feet could carry me before they killed my dog.
Please. I know you love Bella with all your heart. I know what she means to you and your hubby. Trust me on this - it is better to let a dog with Cushing's go completely untreated than to misuse the drugs used to treat the disease. And her vet IS misusing Vetoryl and by doing so is putting your precious angel at risk. Please stop giving this drug and if she continues to be sick get her to an ER asap. It is because I also care about Bella that I tell you these things. Please let us help you and Bella.
Hugs,
Leslie
Hi again, and I’m afraid I still have only a moment to write but I will return later today. If the only adverse effect that you’re seeing today is a lack of appetite, then I’m not as worried as Leslie that there is an urgent crisis that requires emergency attention today. However, if Bella starts acting lethargic, vomits, has diarrhea or any other more serious symptoms, then it’s a different story.
I absolutely would not give her any more Vetoryl, though, until you’ve been to the vet tomorrow and any necessary monitoring testing has been completed. Again, I’ll write more later on.
Marianne
OK, I’m finally back again! In advance of your appointment tomorrow, I urge you to read through this post on our Resources forum. It will explain the initial dosing protocol that is now recommended by the majority of clinicians worldwide, as well as the makers of Vetoryl. As you will see, initial doses are based solely on weight, and not on cortisol level. Subsequent dosing changes are indeed based on monitoring cortisol results, as well as observable symptom resolution. However, it’s not yet clear to me that Bella has had any specific monitoring blood testing since beginning the Vetoryl. This testing would involve one of two tests: either an ACTH stimulation test, which involves two cortisol blood samples drawn one-hour apart, 4-6 hours after a dog has taken her Vetoryl dose with breakfast. The other option is a single resting cortisol blood test drawn one hour before being dosed with Vetoryl at breakfast. The all-day LDDS that is referenced on your paperwork is solely a diagnostic test for Cushing’s. It cannot be used for monitoring purposes after treatment has begun.
Additionally, you want to monitor a dog’s basic blood chemistries after beginning Vetoryl. Potassium and sodium levels are especially important in this regard, because dogs can become very ill if the levels of these blood chemistries become unbalanced due to an overdose of the medication.
Given Bella’s loss of appetite and even only occasional nausea, it is doubly important to make sure that her current dose of Vetoryl is not oversuppressing her adrenal function. So before resuming treatment, I’d insist that the appropriate monitoring tests first be performed. In closing, here’s a link to that post about initial dosing guidelines. You may even want to print it out and take it to discuss with your vet tomorrow.
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/show...=1251#post1251
Also, here’s another important resource thread that explains the necessary monitoring testing in greater detail:
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/show...l-(trilostane)
Marianne