Luci's story (2 year old Australian Cattle dog, just diagnosed)

[Luci's Mom]

Hi everyone. I am the owner of a 2 year old Australian Cattle dog who was just diagnosed with Cushings. That isn't a typo, she's only 2.

I am pretty upset and am confused about treatment options. Luci seems so healthy and other than drinking a lot and peeing more than usual, she's playful and happy. I've read a lot about Cushings in the past 2 weeks and know this is usually a disease that affects older dogs so of course, I'm also worried about the possibility that the treatment may also shorten her life span.

Does anyone have any experience treating a dog as young as Luci?
Do the natural remedies I read about on the internet work?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Luci's Mom

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Luci's Mom,

Welcome to our cush-family, I am so sorry for the circumstances that brought you here, but so glad that you found this forum. These people are amazing...very knowledgeable about cushings...years of collective experience with this disease...you have come to the right place.

I have to warn you, we ask alot of questions to our new members so we can get to know their precious pups better, ok, so here I go. ready? :eek:

What tests were done on Luci to confirm cushings? Do you have copies of the tests and could you posts the results with the units and reference ranges. Did Luci have a recent CBC and a Chemistry panel blood work done on her, if so, could you post anything on there that is marked High(H) or Low(L) with the units and reference ranges too.

Also what other symptoms does Luci show of cushings? I know you said she has excessive thirst, and peeing...but does she have any other symptom you can think of?

Please know cushings is not a death sentence for a cushing dog as long as you treat the dog and learn as much as possible about the disease and find a qualified GP or IMS who knows cushings as well.

Not one test can confirm cushings or the type of cushings, thats why you need a qualified GP or IMS for this disease. And these wonderful people here will help you with everything too.

Read everything you can, ask alot of questions and we will try to answer them. Just remember you are not alone...we are here.

Links to Cushings Websites (especially helpful for new members!)
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia-like syndrome/ Hyperestrinism/ "atypical Cushing's"
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198

Hugs.
Lori

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi everyone. I am the owner of a 2 year old Australian Cattle dog who was just diagnosed with Cushings. That isn't a typo, she's only 2.

Do the natural remedies I read about on the internet work?
Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Luci's Mom

This is quote from one of our administrators who asked them flat out if their "natural remedies" worked.




There are more than a few of the so called natural remedies online. I've written to all of them and asked point blank if studies or clinical trials had been done to prove their product's efficacy in lowering cortisol. Native Remedies responded by totally ignoring my very direct question and plying me with the same bull that is on their website. I specifically said that my dogs were being treated with Lysodren; however, I would seriously consider treating them with a natural remedy if documented proof of efficacy was available. The thing I found interesting was twice they mentioned using their product in conjunction with conventional treatment prescribed by my vet. Obviously, it doesn't work all that well if you can't forego conventional treatment. What a crock! I wrote back and said; "SHAME ON YOU!" I recommend that you save your money for the melatonin and lignans.

Glynda

Please save your money for the treatment that will work for your Luci.

Hugs.
Lori

[StarDeb55]

Welcome from me & mine!! Lori has gotten you off to a good start. We really do like to see all of the numbers from the testing that has been done on Lucy, it helps us to give you the best advice we can from the group's collective experience. When it comes to the testing that has been done, was an abdominal ultrasound done to take a look at the adrenal glands? Some of the other tests might be a low dose dex test, ACTH, high dose dex, or urine cortisol: creatinine ratio. Most members do keep files on their pups at home as you never know when they might come in handy, especially if you end up at a strange vet. Some of the other symptoms that our pups suffer from are skin/coat problems, muscle weakness, especially in the backend, voracious appetite, & repeated infections as Cushing's does depress the immune system. Just to let you know that Cushing's is not a death sentence by a long shot, my 1st Cushpup, Barkley, was successfully treated with lysodren for nearly 8 years, crossing the bridge at 15 yrs. old.

You are absolutely correct that 2 is extremely young for a Cush diagnosis, but not impossible. The first thing I have to ask is were diabetes & low thyroid ruled out as both of these problems share overlapping symptoms with Cushing's. Is Luci taking any medication or supplements?

When it comes to the junk you find on the internet such as Cushex drops or Supraglan, it's rip-off. These people are out to take your money to line their pockets at your & your pup's expense. The goal of treatment is to slow the overproduction of cortisol by the adrenal glands, bringing the cortisol down to a more healthy level. There are only 2 proven drugs that will do that, lysodren or trilostane. If any of the so-called natural, homeopathic remedies worked, all of us would have our pups taking them in a split second.

The best thing you can do for Lucy, & it sounds like you have started is to to become a knowledgeable, informed owner as you are Luci's only voice, & advocate. On those lines, please take a look at the important information section of the forum where you will found a huge number of links that will lead you to about any information you need about Cushing's disease. We are looking forward to hearing more about Lucy, & we are here to help in any way we can. By the Luci's mom, do you have a name? It's a little more personal than saying"heh, you."

Debbie

[Luci's Mom]

Thanks to all who responded to my call for help. Your advice is great and I'll be sure to be prepared when we see the Vet tomorrow to talk about treatment options.

I have already decided that I don't have rush to make a decision and your responses have confirmed that for me, thank you again.

When Luci first showed symptoms that were unusual for her (excess drinking and peeing) she had CBC & Diff (CBC Plus), Clinchem III and
Urine Creat/Cortisol tests. The only number I know for sure, is that her Creat/Cortisone level was 51.4.

That number prompted our Vet to recommend a Low Dose Dex Suppression Test, which she had last week. I won't have the result of that until tomorrow other than being told it confirmed cushings.

One of the first things I asked when she first went in for tests is if she could have diabetes, but indications are that that was not the problem. I know one of the tests she had was for diabetes, but I don't which one.

As for symptoms other than drinking and peeing, she had lost a bit of weight but I had attributed that to a recent change in her diet. I also now realize that what I thought was laziness on her part, could very well be muscle weakness and stiff joints. She has a beautiful full coat and no skin problems at all. No infections, no digestive problems but she has been eating a bit more than usual this past week. She had always been a real picky eater before.

We take Luci to the chiropractor and my husband told her today that Luci has been diagnosed, and she said that she had noticed that the area around Luci's kidneys is hard, so I don't know if that has always been the case, or if that is a recent development (my husband didn't think to ask, but I will follow up with her myself).

I can't think of anything else to tell you at this time, but will follow up next week once we have all the test results in hand.

Thanks again
Laurie (Luci's Mom)

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Laurie,


I have already decided that I don't have rush to make a decision and your responses have confirmed that for me, thank you again.
This is so true, making sure that Luci is properly diagnosed is vital to a proper treatment plan. Although the two main drugs used for cushings, Lysodren and Trilostane are wonderful drugs in controlling cushings in cushingnoid pups, they are lethal in a non-cushingnoid pup.


When Luci first showed symptoms that were unusual for her (excess drinking and peeing) she had CBC & Diff (CBC Plus), Clinchem III and
Urine Creat/Cortisol tests.
Did she have the urine cortisol/creatinine ratio test? I'm thinking this is what you're talking about, right? Where you catch her first morning pee at home and then take it to the vets office, right? Actually we found out that one should catch 3 morning pooled urine samples collected by the owner at home and refrigerated and then taken to the vets office.

One other thing I did want to mention is non-adrenal illnesses can skew LDDS test, that's one reason why we like to see those numbers on the CBC and Clinchem III, we also highly recommend doing an ultrasound because alot of times it can show what is going on with the internal organs...but we'll talk about the ultrasound later, ok...one step at a time. ;):)

Remember you are not alone on this journey, we are here for you and Luci, so if you have any questions please feel free to ask, I can't promise you that we'll be able to answer them all, but we'll give it our best.

Hugs.
Lori