I am a new subscriber and would value your opinion. My 9 year old 75lb Huskey/Lab mix went to the vet a couple of months ago to get lab work done prior to having a broken tooth (which had become infected) extracted. We noticed this when one side of his mouth swelled. The lab results came back with a dramatically elevated ALKP (1600). The first thought was Cushings. However, he has no outstanding symptoms (no weight gain, bloat, increased water intake, urination, lethargy, etc). He has a good appetite and has been normal and active in every way.
He had the ACTH Stim test and showed no signs of Cushings. The Vet put him on Demarin and Actigal for a month just to see if it would help. Aside from the Demarin making him very lethargic, we noticed no effects. The ALKP did go down to 1400 but the Vet thought that insignificant. We retested in another month and the ALKP was 1700. The next step was an ultrasound and x-rays. Chest and abdominal x-rays were normal. No issues on the ultrasound with respect to the liver, stomach, heart, lungs, gall bladder, etc. so no biopsy was done. The ultrasound did show symmetrically enlarge adrenal glands. This would certainly indicate a potential for Cushings but with no other symptoms or diagnostics pointing that direction, we are all stumped.
For now, we are taking a “wait and see” approach. We have our beloved family member on Purina Liver Diet with cottage cheese every day or two. He also takes ~375mg of milk thistle daily. His activity level is normal (a little slower in our hot Florida summer but it’s the same every year). We started him on a walking program over two years ago for general health. He still walks 2-2 ½ miles 5 days a week with no changes in ability or demeanor.
By history, he has never had any health issues (other that the broken tooth he originally went to the Vet for) or surgeries (other than neutering). We are at a loss and would certainly value your opinion on what, if anything, we should be doing. Thank you!
Richard