Cushings

My dog Dizzy has begun to present early signs of Cushings she has had a blood test showing raised levels ACHT 600 physical signs drinking a lot, hard pot belly bald patch on her tail and back leg plus a slight weakness sometimes in her back legs and once panting while at rest. I have insurance but it only covers up to £500 for 365days/1yr  for each condition so given that and the fact that she has a good quality of life I am postponing more defintive diagnostic tests until her condition becomes a problem for her to have full diagnosis and treat her. She also gets so stressed at the vets and I dont want to put her through 8hrs for tests and subsequent medication all that entails unless I absolutely have to it is a matter of how to judge this and are there any other things I can do like diet supplements for liver, pancreasIi know this condition is gradual and cant be prevented but is there anything else I can do for her? In the UK the licensed treatment is Vetrol

[Dan Sims, DVM]

Your vet should run an ACTH RESPONSE test if Dizzy is able to hold down food and has a good appetite.
We send our patients home for the 2 hour gap between blood samples to reduce stress.
Cushings disease results from the overproduction of cortisone by a tumor in the body.
Diabetes and high blood pressure can develop secondarily but if untreated the pet will become incontinent and be quite difficult to keep indoors.