BLOG DISCLAIMER

**DISCLAIMER** Please note: I am not a veterinarian, and the purpose of this blog is solely to educate, provide resources, and share Reo's story. In this blog, I will present research and information on the theories of SARDS to which I subscribe, along with my own narrative. If you think your dog may have SARDS, or adrenal exhaustion/Plechner Syndrome, please seek veterinary care right away!

If you are just beginning your SARDS education, I suggest you start with the blog post from August 22, 2011 entitled "SARDS Resources". If you'd like to know our trials, tribulations, and joys from the beginning, start with "But first...Reo!" and click chronologically on from there.

If you would like to read my suggestions as to how I would approach treatment for a newly-diagnosed dog, check the November 16, 2011 post "If I had another SARDS dog" (and then read my blog more fully for appropriate context).

Though we have decided to suspend Reo's retinal protection supplements in September 2012 (see September 16, 2012 post "Decision for Reo") due to the fact that she had very little remaining vision, I am still strongly supportive of our treatment approach, and know that it changed Reo's health and longevity in a positive way. Feel free to comment and ask me any questions - I am happy to help if I can!

Update: Reo became an angel on October 21, 2014. She had a profound kidney infection, causing acute kidney failure, and she was unable to recover. The contributing factors to her decline are covered in my February 16, 2015 blog post "Farewell to Reo".

Though I do not regularly update this blog any longer, much of the information is still relevant (though some of the links may be out of date). Feel free to join the conversation at "SARDS Dogs United" on Facebook.




Friday, December 21, 2012

Waiting for EI-1 results

12/21/12 - Still waiting for Reo's bloodwork to come back from NVDS.  Apparently, their equipment is down and waiting to be repaired.  With the holiday, they think results will come toward the end of next week.  Sooooo, we are being patient.

Reo has been doing very well this week - in a great mood, killing toys.  :)  She probably feels the lightness of our household, too, as we look forward for some time off!  Lots of cuddles and walks in the dogs' future (not that they don't get those every day, but just a little more than normal!).

Special shout-out today to our other Min Pin, Leigh, who turns 12 today!!

Wishing all of my readers a very happy holiday season, with health and happiness to come in the new year!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Diabetes-free!

12/14/12 - I'm very VERY happy to report that Reo does NOT have diabetes!  We went into the vet this morning for a fasted blood draw and urinalysis - both came back negative.  HURRAY!

I was initially concerned that perhaps her adrenal glands kicked in a little bit, and that she had too much cortisol in her system, leading to high blood sugar, but this does not seem to be the case (will wait for the EI-1 panel results next week).  Though, I was definitely miffed that she was not displaying any symptoms of diabetes.

My current theory for the high blood sugar on Monday was the stress of the vet visit.  Because Reo was the second dog to go back for a blood draw, perhaps this was enough time for her to have a little adrenaline rush/blood sugar release, which caused the high glucose reading.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Bloodwork, and possible diabetes?

12/12/12 - I couldn't resist updating the blog on this date, could I?  :)

On Monday, I took all of the dogs in for their annual exams and bloodwork.  Having 3 senior ladies means keeping check of health on the inside, even though everyone looks healthy on the outside!

Reo got blood taken for both an EI-1 panel from NVDS, as well as regular chemistry/CBC.  Apparently, the nurses took too much blood too quickly - Reo passed out right after the blood draw!  It was super scary at first, but they gave her some oxygen and she perked right back up.  The vet likened it to standing up too quickly and getting lightheaded.  That's never happened before, so we'll have to be more careful on blood draws next time!

Though we need to wait until next week on the EI-1 panel, we already got the chemistry results back.  First of all, Reo's blood remains lipemic (fatty).  It has been this way for the past year or so, and I wasn't too surprised, but it does affect the CBC portion of the results.  Her cholesterol is normal.

She had very slight elevations in two liver enzymes, ALT and ALP.  Because they are very mild, the vet is not concerned, especially as she has been on long-term Medrol.  However, her blood glucose was very elevated (377!), and our vet is concerned that Reo could have diabetes.  :(  Though she was 7 hours post-meal, we will do a fasting blood glucose, and possibly a fructosamine test as well, to see where we stand.  At the same time, we will do a urinalysis and urine culture to see where we stand there.

The strange part is, Reo is not drinking or urinating more frequently.  She does not have accidents in the house.  She has not gained any weight (in fact, she lost a bit since our appointment in June), and is not more hungry.  We keep a close eye on her PU/PP/PD, given our experiences in the past.  Reo is also on grain-free, low-glycemic dehydrated/freeze-dried raw food.

First, cortisol is insulin's counter point.  As insulin LOWERS blood sugar, cortisol INCREASES blood sugar.  This is important to remember.  Many Cushingoid dogs (high cortisol) also have diabetes - I think about 20% of dogs who are Cushingoid also have diabetes.

I have been thinking a lot (I know my readers are surprised!) about what could have brought this on.  In the past few months, I discontinued Reo's phosphatidyl serine supplement.  Phosphatidyl serine is thought to blunt the cortisol response/spikes in cortisol.  It's possible that my giving her PS was reducing the amount of circulating cortisol in Reo's body, and when I stopped giving this supplement, she had an increase in cortisol, resulting in an increase in blood sugar (this will become apparent when we get the EI-1 panel results back - if her cortisol is high, perhaps this is the case).

For the past couple of years, I have been operating under the assumption that Reo has very, very little adrenal function (if at all).  However, perhaps her adrenals can make a bit of cortisol, and her daily dose is giving her a bit too much.  We may need to adjust the dose of her Medrol.  I plan to wait and see what the repeat blood tests say, and then I will contact Dr. Plechner and see if any adjustments need to be made.

Reo, our little problem child!  The great news is that she is happy, healthy, and not displaying any "symptoms".  I hope the glucose reading was a fluke somehow, and she is not diabetic.  I can't imagine having to stick her twice per day, although of course we are totally committed to her for life!  <3