Re: I知 new! 6yr old Rottie/Catahoula mix recently diagnosed and having quite the tim
When you see the same signs you noticed before starting treatment that is a good indication the cortisol is rising again. Signs like excess drinking, ravenous appetite, excess urination, heavy panting for no reason, etc. In addition the regular ACTH or PVC monitoring tests will catch any increases or decreases in cortisol which is another way to know if a dose change is needed. The testing schedule is every 90 days for life unless you see signs that indicate the cortisol is too high or too low then testing is needed at that time. Any time the dose is changed the testing schedule starts all over at the 2 week mark - 2 weeks, 30 days, then 90 days if all is well. The signs that the cortisol is dropping too low, which is a critical situation, are loss of appetite, loose stools/diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and lethargy. If you see any of those signs stop the med and call the vet asap. Maintaining that testing schedule is important and I am so sorry Eli had a bad reaction last time with bruising. My Squirt used to bruise quite often from the tests but she healed and it didn't seem to bother her tho it really bothered me!
The dose should never ever be increased without doing an ACTH that proves the increase is needed. This is a very very risky move even tho the increase is only 5mg. Please keep a very close eye on Eli for any of those signs of low cortisol. Vetoryl is a very powerful drug so should be handled with extreme care. Low cortisol is a life threatening situation while high cortisol is not so it is always better to be sure any increase is really needed. The signs you mentioned could be due to any number of other reasons that have nothing to do with Cushing's or cortisol so always test to be sure 1) nothing else is going on and 2) that the cortisol is actually too high again. We don't want any posts saying Eli is sick and I know you don't want that for him.
Hugs,
Leslie
"May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"
Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.