Does anyone understand cortisol readings? cushings disease

[2Pigs3Hamsters1Dog]

Hello Everyone,

I asked the vet for a print out of the cushings disease Test readings as i was curious of the readings.
the below information is what i have recieved on printer paper.

Dexamethasone Suppression Test

Cortisol Basal H Result- 342..0 Units nmol/l Interval 50.0-250.0

Crotisol 3 hr Post Dex 266..0 nmol/l

Cortisol 8 hr post Dex 156..0 nmol/l 0.0-40.0


Low dose dex suppression: Inadequate Supression at 3 and 8 hours consistent with diagnosis of Hyperadrenocorticism if clinical signs fit.

The vet has put her on Vetoryl 70MG a day, she is a English Springer Spaniel who is 12 Years old.
Could anyone tell me if these readings are high? The vet wouldnt explain much about the readings.

Thank you

 

[eingana]

Hi there, and welcome to Dog Forum

As it happens, my first degree is in biochemistry, so I'm not terrified of this sort of test data.

Your vet has used the most sensitive test for cortisol, which is a good sign that the results are reliable. The first two sets of figures are pretty meaningless to be honest; the baseline is just a baseline and although it's high, the real test is whether the dexamethasone does suppress the cortisol levels enough.

As stated above, the normal range for cortisol in the baseline is 50-250 nmol/l of blood and clearly your dog is out of normal range at 342. If your dog's adrenal glands were working in the normal way then the 8 hour result would have dropped the levels to between 0 and 40 nmol/l of blood, so 156 is 4 times the maximum level that should be present.

Based on those results I would imagine pretty much every vet would want to bring in immediate treatment to try to bring your girl's levels back down towards normal. They may wish to repeat the test after some time on the treatment to verify that the desired effect is being produced by the drugs.

Most people find that their dogs have a new lease on life once they are stabilised and happy on the right medication for their dog, so I hope that this is the case with your little one too

 

[2Pigs3Hamsters1Dog]

Thank you, you have put my mind at ease

 

[Roger Biduk]

Hello Everyone,
I asked the vet for a print out of the cushings disease Test readings as i was curious of the readings.

the below information is what i have recieved on printer paper.

Dexamethasone Suppression Test

Cortisol Basal H Result- 342..0 Units nmol/l Interval 50.0-250.0

Crotisol 3 hr Post Dex 266..0 nmol/l

Cortisol 8 hr post Dex 156..0 nmol/l 0.0-40.0

Low dose dex suppression: Inadequate Supression at 3 and 8 hours consistent with diagnosis of Hyperadrenocorticism if clinical signs fit.

The vet has put her on Vetoryl 70MG a day, she is a English Springer Spaniel who is 12 Years old.

Could anyone tell me if these readings are high? The vet wouldnt explain much about the readings.

Thank you

Hello 2Pigs3Hamsters1Dog,

Sounds like you're with an allopathic vet... you should [MUST] be seeing an allopathic vet who is also qualified to practice holistic / integrative veterinary.

There's 1000 of them on my Pinterest and webpage... if you give me your zip / postal code I can narrow it down to the good ones near you.

Roger Biduk

 

[eingana]

Hi Roger

I think that 2Pigs3Hamsters1Dog should take his/her dog to the vet with which s/he is confident and happy with the treatment as being best for her dog. If this is a holistic vet that's great, but it's by no means the only way forwards.

Please don't tell people that they MUST do something when this is just your opinion.