Pertinent Identifying information is redacted.
DHEA Questions for <redacted>
DHEA is a pre-hormone that in mammals can be converted to testosterone -OR- estrogens depending on the mammal ingesting it. And that is, IF the animal is in “decent” health.
<redacted>’s kidneys (per that bloodwork) aren’t “bad at all” and for a 17 year old dog would be “better than expected”
-> This is pretty thorough explaining why: https://drjohnson.com/
<redacted>’s ALT (a liver enzyme that suggests liver DAMAGE – is quite high.
This is pretty thorough: https://drjohnson.com/so-
<redacted>’s ALK (a liver stress enzyme) is normal. (That’s great, and rare for a 17 year old dog)
You asked about exhaustion of some parallel systems when a pet gets “a lot” of DHEA.
In testing, YES the system can do “all the things it has to do” with DHEA at the expense of the mavelonate pathways – namely depredation of specific antioxidants such as:
Geranyl geraniol [x]
Folates [x]
Potassium Nitrate (I don’t have info on using KNO3 in dogs but it’s dangerous)
Other antioxidants which can be replaced with Vitamin C and / or NAC.
Page 18: Our novel data indicate that Such auto inflammatory disease,
loss of control of vasodilation, depletion of monoamines,
and increased levels of phenylalanine induced by high dose
DHEA treatment can be prevented by co-administration of
specific metabolites, including BH4, IPA, a nitric oxide
donor Such as potassium nitrate, monoamine precursors and
cofactors, folinic acid, ubiquinone and tocotrienols. This, for
the first time, permits high dose DHEA to be administered
at doses sufficient to induce sustained tumor NADPH deple
tion in vivo. The combination of high dose (HD) DHEA,
BH4, IPA, nitric oxide donor, monoamine precursors and
cofactors, ubiquinone and tocotrienols
loss of control of vasodilation, depletion of monoamines,
and increased levels of phenylalanine induced by high dose
DHEA treatment can be prevented by co-administration of
specific metabolites, including BH4, IPA, a nitric oxide
donor Such as potassium nitrate, monoamine precursors and
cofactors, folinic acid, ubiquinone and tocotrienols. This, for
the first time, permits high dose DHEA to be administered
at doses sufficient to induce sustained tumor NADPH deple
tion in vivo. The combination of high dose (HD) DHEA,
BH4, IPA, nitric oxide donor, monoamine precursors and
cofactors, ubiquinone and tocotrienols
Those factors can be replaced by Geranyl geraniol, B complex vitamins and postassium nitrate. (I know very little about potassium nitrate (Can harm or kill dogs) but it’s “salt peter”
KEY TO NOTE: This information surrounds VERY HIGH doses of DHEA and nothing close to what you’d be giving <redacted>.
Duration of DHEA. Some dogs are on DHEA for years. I’ve been recommending it since 2019/2017
<redacted>’s best management of his liver and kidney issues would be:
Liver: Find out why the ALT is high. An ultrasound of the liver and then some other things at the advice of your Vet to determine why the ALT is high while the ALK is normal.
This is very thorough check with your Vet:
KIdney: I have my best luck with occasional “fluids” under the skin (monthly? weekly?) his numbers are VERY mild. But also Hill’s KD diet which traditionally in my practice can drop numbers about 30% which for <redacted> would make his, normal.
