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Originally Posted by Jeri Cunningham  The final test on Krissy came out negative for Cushings so it is back to the drawing board. Our vet is posting everything about Krissy on a World wide vet forum to see if anyone has any ideas.
Krissy is improving slowly so we will see......
The did the ACTH test and Low-dose Dexamthasone test and both showed negative for Cushings.
Our next thing is a MRI of she doesn't get better...  |
The ACTH test is known to have alot of "false negative" results. It's hit or miss. Sometimes it takes several tests to get the positive result. This is why it's so hard to diagnose.
My 15-year old, Tahoe, needs his teeth cleaned. His blood tests showed some elevated cortisol levels, so my vet suggested testing him for ACTH before allowing him to go under anesthesia for the teeth cleaning. (Cushings dogs need a different anesthesia than what he usually uses.) Tahoe has several of the symptoms of Cushings, including:
1) Pot belly
2) Deaf and mostly blind
3) Calcified bumps under his skin (dozens)
4) Diluted urine
5) An enlarged liver (though his blood panel shows a normal enzyme level now after 2 years of Ursidiol treatment).
I read up on the ACTH test before having him tested and was concerned because I read that there is often a "false negative" result with the ACTH test. I was concerned that we would get a "false negative" and then we'd treat him with normal anesthesia when he was, in fact, positive. Well, as it turns out, he tested positive.
My point is that you can have several ACTH's done and get false negative results. Something to think about.
~ Kelly