9 Year Old Maltese with Cushings

[Squirt's Mom]

Acupuncture can take a bit of time for the full effect so don't get discouraged just yet. Is your baby girl on any anti-inflammatory herbs, supplements, etc along with the med the doc gave? If not, you might talk to the Holistic vet about something like Devil's Claw. Cold pressed wild Salmon oil can help a great deal if it is joint related and has anti-inflammatory properties as well. My Squirt has two back legs that are pinned and screwed together and I use several things to help with the inflammation. She just started a product called Get Up and Go that is similar to Dog Gone Pain but has more herbs and more of the herbs I wanted her to have. I get it at Only Natural Pet online. I also use their salmon oil as it has the highest EPA and DHA that I have found - the Omegas that do the work.

Something that can help the liver a great deal is SAMe. I give a liquid form to Squirt since she no longer accepts pilling. Be sure to give it 2 hours either side of food for optimal absorption. Herbs that can help the liver are Milk Thistle, Schisandra, Artichoke to name a few. If the anti-inflammatory the vet gave you is an NSAID that will be very harsh on the liver and I would talk to him / her about something that wasn't in that class of med like Adequan, Dasiquin, etc.

[KennyJ]

Yes, the anti-inflammatory is rimadyl. I was thinking just like you. If her ALP is 3500 is that a medication she should be on. And so far it has not helped her. The herb that the other Vet gave me is Dispel Stasis in the Middle Palace. You can't really find that much info on it though. Does Milk Thistle help bring the ALP back down to normal range or am I just hoping? I guess it won't help if the Cushings is not under control.

Acupuncture can take a bit of time for the full effect so don't get discouraged just yet. Is your baby girl on any anti-inflammatory herbs, supplements, etc along with the med the doc gave? If not, you might talk to the Holistic vet about something like Devil's Claw. Cold pressed wild Salmon oil can help a great deal if it is joint related and has anti-inflammatory properties as well. My Squirt has two back legs that are pinned and screwed together and I use several things to help with the inflammation. She just started a product called Get Up and Go that is similar to Dog Gone Pain but has more herbs and more of the herbs I wanted her to have. I get it at Only Natural Pet online. I also use their salmon oil as it has the highest EPA and DHA that I have found - the Omegas that do the work.

Something that can help the liver a great deal is SAMe. I give a liquid form to Squirt since she no longer accepts pilling. Be sure to give it 2 hours either side of food for optimal absorption. Herbs that can help the liver are Milk Thistle, Schisandra, Artichoke to name a few. If the anti-inflammatory the vet gave you is an NSAID that will be very harsh on the liver and I would talk to him / her about something that wasn't in that class of med like Adequan, Dasiquin, etc.

[KennyJ]

Just found this on Devil's Claw. Not sure how accurate it is.

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-healt...w-warning.html

[Squirt's Mom]

I would stop the Rimadyl - it can have some nasty side effects and will definitely be hard on the liver. And, yes, Milk Thistle can help lower the liver enzymes like ALP as can SAMe. In conjunction they can do wonders. However, we need to know why the values are elevated - is it Cushing's or is it something with the liver itself? So getting the testing done is the first step - full labs and an abdominal ultrasound would be a good start. If it turns out your girl does have Cushing's, sometimes those liver values come down with the cush treatment alone and sometimes the pup needs more help like the MT or SAMe or med from the vet. Don't you wish it was as simple as - if you see X, use ABC and all will be well?

[Squirt's Mom]

From your link -

...but people should be aware that just because something is a natural product, it doesnt mean it doesnt come with risks.

This is what I was trying to convey above - herbs are drugs in their own right and as such have their own set of side effects both positive and negative. "Natural" does NOT mean benign. When using herbs you have to look at everything - interactions with other meds, herbs, supplements, foods, etc - just as we do when using chemical preparations (pharmaceuticals). Our pharmaceuticals are often made from plants but one single constituent of that plant has been extracted for use in the drug. When we use herbs, we are often using all the constituents in that plant. So while one constituent may help with inflammation another constituent in that same herb can cause diarrhea, another can cause excess peeing, another can help with vision, and another can cause elevated heart rate...all while addressing the inflammation. So it is seldom wise to simply start using herbs on our own - we need expert support from a Holistic vet...and a willingness to learn as much as we can about the herbs as about the conditions we are trying to treat. You have just begun a fascinating journey, Kenny.

[KennyJ]

What about this product? Denamarin

From your link -



This is what I was trying to convey above - herbs are drugs in their own right and as such have their own set of side effects both positive and negative. "Natural" does NOT mean benign. When using herbs you have to look at everything - interactions with other meds, herbs, supplements, foods, etc - just as we do when using chemical preparations (pharmaceuticals). Our pharmaceuticals are often made from plants but one single constituent of that plant has been extracted for use in the drug. When we use herbs, we are often using all the constituents in that plant. So while one constituent may help with inflammation another constituent in that same herb can cause diarrhea, another can cause excess peeing, another can help with vision, and another can cause elevated heart rate...all while addressing the inflammation. So it is seldom wise to simply start using herbs on our own - we need expert support from a Holistic vet...and a willingness to learn as much as we can about the herbs as about the conditions we are trying to treat. You have just begun a fascinating journey, Kenny.

[Squirt's Mom]

Denamarin is a combination of SAMe and the active ingredient in Milk Thistle that helps the liver - silybin. It is a good product that is often very beneficial for our cush pups as well as others with liver issues. Certainly worth a shot!

http://www.drugs.com/vet/denamarin.html

[KennyJ]

Do I need to get this from a Vet or can I purchase it online?? Does it only come in pill form?? Getting Gracie to take pills can be a real pain sometimes.

Denamarin is a combination of SAMe and the active ingredient in Milk Thistle that helps the liver - silybin. It is a good product that is often very beneficial for our cush pups as well as others with liver issues. Certainly worth a shot!

http://www.drugs.com/vet/denamarin.html

[Harley PoMMom]

Denamarin can be purchased online without a rx. Many members, including myself, have used Milk Thistle instead and this product does come in a liquid form.

[Squirt's Mom]

Denamarin does not require a prescription as far as I know. However I'm not sure it comes in a liquid form - a google search may answer that. I can't pill Squirt so I have to use things that I can add to her food, which is home cooked so it is easy to mix med into it. You might try using a little Green Tripe or a good canned feed that she likes to give pills.