In this article I’d like to address a common misconception — the idea that dogs with SARDS also have Cushing’s disease. This is outdated information. Furthermore, I’ll explain why promoting this idea can be dangerous. Let’s review some terminology first. Cushing’s Disease Cushing’s disease refers to a tumor growing on the pituitary gland (near the brain)…
Sometimes I’m asked, “Caroline, how does your SARDS treatment protocol different from Dr. Plechner’s protocol?” Before I reply, let me say that Dr. Plechner’s work was important to me, both personally and professionally. And despite some significant differences in our work, his work influenced mine. Dr. Plechner’s work was unconventional. And because of this — rightly…
Many of my articles discuss estrogen levels in SARD dogs. Other sex-hormones are typically elevated as well. This article will focus on the effects of elevated androgens— testosterone and androstenedione. As you read on, I’d like you to keep in your mind an image of the typical teenage boy. Maybe you can picture him standing…
Last week a general practice veterinarian asked me the following question. “Why is the daily replacement level dose of cortisol higher for SARD dogs than the physiological dose for Addison’s dogs?” This is a good question but I doubt it’s of interest to the average dog owner. Therefore, my comments are directed to the prescribing…
Some people take issue with the way I describe the underlying hormone problem in SARD dogs. In this article I’m going to tell you why I use the phrase adrenal exhaustion. Here is a graphic representation of adrenal exhaustion. Bold text indicates areas of excess activity. Small text indicates an area of insufficient activity. Please…
I received this note recently from the owner of a darling little dog named Milo. You can read our conversation below and you can read more about Milo’s recovery here. January 29, 2019 Hi Caroline, Our dog has been on the SARD protocol since August and regained vision in his left eye soon after the…
In this article I’d like to discuss some finer points of adrenal activity. If you haven’t read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, please do. Also, please remember I am not dispensing veterinary advice. I am sharing my observations and information that my holistic veterinarian once shared with me. If you find this…
If you haven’t read Part 1, please click here. In that article we discussed how the term “steroid” has mistakenly come to mean cortisone and prednisone. And we noted that SARD dogs routinely develop high levels of steroids internally, called sex-hormone steroids. Here in Part 2 we’re going to address another misconception. A Quick History…
We’ve all been taught that the term “steroid” means cortisol and its cousins cortisone, prednisone, methylpred, etc. Medical and veterinary personnel fall into this trap, as well. Doctors say things like, “I’m going to write you a prescription for a steroid.” So, we all tend to equate “steroid” with cortisone and prednisone. When we discuss…
After some thought I’ve decided to write this article in plain English for the benefit of the average dog owner. If you wish to see a more thorough explanation or bibliography, click here. As you may know, cortisol is our natural anti-inflammatory hormone. It plays a role in essentially all body functions and is necessary…