Lily—A Happy, Healthy Pet Once Again!

Lily, a 10-year-old Westie came to our Internal Medicine Service with problems including increased panting, a distended abdomen, lethargy, and weakness. Screening lab work with her referring veterinarian suggested Cushing’s Disease, a common hormonal disorder among dogs. An abdominal ultrasound revealed a large tumor in the right adrenal gland. The tumor was so large we worried it was invading large blood vessels in the abdomen. A CT-scan revealed the mass was simply compressing these vessels and that the disease had not spread. We operated on Lily and completely removed the mass, a benign adrenal tumor. After a few weeks of a weaning dose of replacement steroid therapy, Lily got back in stride and started making trouble with all her farm buddies—Cody, Brier, Oakie, and Tweed!