The Kat House

It’s Cruella, the wonder dog!

I took this photo when I went to visit Cruella at the hospital tonight. I’m actually surprised that it turned out so well. Witnesses reported only a swift breeze and some rattling of the light fixtures. But now you can see what was invisible to the naked eye. Miss Cruella was feeling so great that she was running around the visitation room at lightning speed - a huge improvement from last night!

Remember how scared I was to put her on Lysodren for the Cushing’s Disease? Well, it was with good reason. Exactly what I was told could happen did happen. Lysodren targets the adrenal glands, shrinking them so that they produce less cortisol. Cruella had a stim test on July 18th, and her cortisol levels were great. Unfortunately, they didn’t stay that way. UT confirmed today that Cruella’s adrenal glands are no more. The Lysodren destroyed them, making her body unable to produce steroids. Instead of Cushing’s Disease, which is a condition causing elevated cortisol levels, Cruella now has Addison’s Disease, which is exactly the opposite. What she experienced last night is called an Addisonian Crisis, which is described as follows.

“The animal collapses in shock due to its inability to adapt to the caloric and circulatory requirements in stress. Blood sugar may drop dangerously low. Potassium levels soar and disrupt the heart rhythm because there is not enough conserved sodium to exchange for potassium. Heart rate slows, and arrhythmias result. The patient may not survive this episode.”

Fortunately, I got Cruella to UT in the early stages of the crisis. She was put on IV fluids to rehydrate her and get her potassium and sodium levels back to normal. An ACTH stim confirmed Addison’s Disease. She has been given several doses of prednisone to being her cortisol levels back into a normal range. Her condition has improved drastically. She is still not completely rehydrated, and her electrolytes are still out of balance. She remains on IV fluids and under constant supervision. Assuming that she continues to do well, she should be able to come home tomorrow evening.

The good news is that I will not have to give her any of that scary Lysodren again. The bad news is that she’ll require a whole new treatment plan. She will be taking prednisone daily and an injectable steroid every 3-5 weeks for the remainder of her life. For the first 2-3 months of treatment, the doctors will have to check her electrolyte values frequently. Her prognosis is excellent as long as she receives her medications on schedule. Without them, she could die.

Many doctors feel that between the two diseases, Addison’s is much easier to treat than Cushing’s. In fact, many doctors in Europe intentionally destroy the adrenal glands of Cushing’s patients so that they can instead treat for Addison’s. I’m not fond of either disease. They are both serious and require close monitoring. But I am thankful that I no longer have to deal with the Lysodren, especially after last night’s ordeal. It just confirms how dangerous this drug is. And by the way, it’s worth mentioning that though Lysodren is often prescribed for Cushingoid dogs, it is actually a human medication that must be purchased from a human pharmacy. So beware if you have to take it. Lysodren has saved the lives of many dogs, but it has also taken lots of them.

Please continue to keep Miss Cruella in your thoughts. And thank you for all the prayers! I’ll post another update on her condition soon.