Alivia was recently diagnosed with Cushing's - Alivia has passed

I was trying to look myself & see what breeds are on here the most. Seems like a lot of Boston Terriers as well as the JR. :(

I did just read somewhere that Jack Russell Terriers do have a higher than average rate of Cushings. I thought it seemed like it!

Has anyone read the recent (3/2012) VERY promising study about treating atypical cushings with a daily low dose of prednisone? The amount is much lower than the typical amount prescribed for inflammatory problems and is basically the same amount that would be produced by healthy adrenal glands. The theory is when the body realizes there is cortisol replacement circulating in the body it stops over stimulating the adrenal glands and when that happens the levels of precursors and sex-hormones decline towards the normal range.
In this study:
92% of elevated sex-hormones were reduced, with 64% returning to within normal limits.
100% of all estradiol levels were reduced.
88% of all cortisol readings were reduced AND 100% of all elevated cortisol levels were reduced!

One of the dogs in the study was a female JRT. ;) I am definitely going to be talking to Alivia's vet about this!!

WOW what a promising study. That is Very exciting possibilities. Do let us know what your vet says.

hugs,
Sharlene

Mary Beth, that does sound like good possibilities. Where did you find the study?

Even with 2 ultrasounds it was never conclusive that Alivia has an adrenal tumor. Her sex-hormones were elevated, though, so I feel more comfortable at trying the low dose Prednisone regime than I do with either mitotane or trilostane. If this really does work, just think how very unhappy the drug companies will be! Much less money for them and for vets treating cushing's, as well. The study seems to make a lot sense to me.

Here is the link to the study:
http://www.petcarebooks.com/pdf/Atyp...-treatment.pdf

The test group is small but the results are quite impressive. Thoughts anyone?

Hi Mary Beth,

Even though this publication of Caroline Levin's is relatively new, her concept of giving low-dose prednisone for treatment of atypical Cushing's is one that she has advanced for some time now. It is not a treatment approach that has been substantiated or endorsed by the conventional veterinary community. I believe this article, like many of her previous books and articles, is self-published by Ms. Levin as opposed to appearing in a peer-reviewed, professional journal.

Here's a link to another thread in which a member earlier asked about her treatment theories (in this member's case, it was in relation to SARDS -- the syndrome involving sudden blindness along with hormonal abnormalities).

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3869

I have not had the time tonight to thoroughly read through this newest publication. However, just upon glancing through it, I see that Ms. Levin references "significant" improvement with low-dose prednisone treatment, but without presenting any statistical computation to support her use of that term. In scientific research, true statistical "significance" must be established before asserting that there is any genuine treatment effect.

As you can tell from my replies in that thread, I would not choose to pursue her treatment recommendations, myself. However, certainly you should discuss them further with your own vet if you think they might have some merit for Alivia.

Marianne

Hi Mary Beth,

The thing that came to my mind is this - many feel that Atypical, elevated intermediates, is a precursor to true Cushing's - elevated cortisol. That seems to be the case with my Squirt. If I had started giving her pred, even a low dose, when her cortisol started rising last summer, I wouldn't have known it was from the cortisol and would have blamed the steroid. That means, her body would have had to deal with the excess cortisol her body was producing PLUS the pred - which is used to replace cortisol when it gets too low. So Squirt would have had a massive amount of steroidal side effects with no clear indication of why.

I always have issues with authors of such articles and books that reference themselves as much, or more, than others. Ms. Levine has done this in everything I have read that she has written so I have a difficult time trusting her "conclusions". ;)

If I were offered this opportunity for Squirt based solely on Ms. Levin's article and conclusions, I would probably laugh in their face then get very angry that they would put my baby at such risk playing guinea pig with her. Give this a great deal of thought, do a great deal of research to support her findings, talk to your vet, to other vets......dig DEEP before you put Ali on this "protocol". She has been through sooo much already. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

well fooey. Now see if this is just one persons conclusion with no studies to back it up, I'll be very irritated. These are our beloved companions, members of our families that they are messing with.
You know the thing to do is ask one of the world renown specialist for their take on it plus your vet.

hugs,
Sharlene

But, Leslie, isn't she saying that the ADDITION of the low dose of prednisone keeps the adrenal glands from over producing on their own and thereby lowers the cortisol? Keep in mind that the dosage she suggests is MUCH lower than the doses commonly given for inflammatory problems.

I know it's a long shot, but I also know and believe that the drug companies and veterinary community in general make a TON of money selling drugs that are overpriced and very restricted in how they can be obtained. Same with the repeated testing. It really is not in THEIR best interest to invest time or money into finding a better treatment that would essentially take a massive amount of money out of their pockets. So, maybe Ms. Levin does not have a lot of back up on this in part because the drug companies certainly would not support something this simple. I just think her findings are too significant to be brushed off so easily. What would her ulterior motive be for going against the conventional wisdom of the big drug companies? It's not like she's trying to sell a snake oil cure for her own personal gain.

Quote:

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What would her ulterior motive be for going against the conventional wisdom of the big drug companies? It's not like she's trying to sell a snake oil cure for her own personal gain.

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I don't know Ms. Levine but I do know that there are folks who simply like to see their name in print, who like to know folks are talking about them, who like to make themselves appear much more than they actually are - in other words, who are full of self-admiration and promotion. She would gain recognition, status, admirers, and she does make money from the books she sells that offer some of these thoughts as "science". It is entirely possible that she will see your post here supporting her idea, saying you are going to try it on Ali, and use your words to "endorse" her "cure via pred". (PLEASE - I am NOT saying that is something she would do, just that it is a possibility.)

A true scientist would never offer such a treatment with a med that is already known to have serious side effects at any dose long term for a condition that the EXPERTS cannot agree on without extensive testing, trials, peer reviews in medical journals and so on. Just because pred is a recognized and known drug does not mean it can't be used as a snake-oil treatment. If the AVMA picks this up and runs with it, then I will reconsider but not until then. ;)

Just so you know, I am a HUGE proponent of alternative, complementary, nutraceutical, Holistic approaches and agree completely with your assessment of the drug industry's power. I am studying herbs for pets and humans, use them often for myself and my babies and will always look there first before a pharmaceutical, chemical solution. But I never, ever look at one source, talk to one person, and decide what to use. However, there are times and situations where herbs and alternative treatments do not work as well as the pharmaceutical treatments and we must keep an open mind concerning all approaches for each situation that arises. There is no one approach that will work for all in all situations. If we blind ourselves with our preconceptions and prejudices we lose the opportunity to learn and grow...as well as lose the opportunity give our babies the best possible aid.

We cannot tell you what to do with your baby - she is yours and the consequences of your choices are yours...but remember Ali will be the one to bear the physical effects of your choices. All I am saying is be thorough in researching this and don't rely on Ms. Levine's say-so only. Write some of the experts in canine Cushing's like Peterson or Feldman or Bruyette and see what they say; talk to your vets; talk to your human docs; read, read, read.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang