BRO BOY (Diabetic with Cushing's) on Trilostane

[Bro Boy]

Hello to all of you..I think this is the proper place to start?

I have a little party poodle with a multitude of health problems. He has no teeth, is blind, diabetic with Cushings. We found him, on the street 4 and 1/2 years ago. So absolutely darling then and you should see him now! Pot belly, black ears from bad circulation, no hair except for his legs BUT the good news is he still is active, with a good appetite.

We now think he was dumped by someone that couldn't afford to keep him. He is the most expensive "free" dog in the world!

We guess him to be about 11 to12 years old and because of age, condition,etc. we will do no more heroics medically and just want to have quality time for him from now on. He has never been a snuggly, under the covers dog but now he wears a sweater and buries himself in the covers at night. Circulation?

ACTH tests come back perfect! The last two anyways. He is at .4 ml. 2 times a day. Strength is 60 mg/ml suspension.

My biggest worry is that his ears are dead! No blood circulation, they are very flaky and brittle. Anyone else know this situation? He has dark discolorations on his body but nothing like the ears. Now it looking like his nose will be compromised in the future. ????? Is this a side effect of Trilostane?

Thanks, and I'll tune in again soon to see if anyone has any input for me. bro boy's mom.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hello and welcome to K9C! :)

You are an angel for taking Bro Boy in from the streets. How some people can do the things they do to animals is beyond me but thank goodness for folks like YOU! :cool::cool:

We will question you to pieces at first but that is so we can get the full picture and be able to offer more meaningful insight. So to get the ball rolling...how much does Bro Boy weigh? What other meds, supplements, herbs, etc is he taking beside the Trilo, how much and how often? What diet is he on? Do you have the actual ACTH results and could you post them for us, including the normal ranges and units of measurement (ug/dl, mnol/L, etc)? If you don't have copies of the actual results, you vet should be glad to give you copies. It is a good idea to start a file of these results at home so you have all his history in hand should you ever have to see a different vet.

I don't recall ever hearing about ears like you are describing, but it sounds horrible! :eek: Do they seem to cause him any pain? Does he scratch at them? My first thought was a mineral deficiency, like Zinc but that is just a thought. Has the vet said anything about his ears as to what may be causing this? Were they healthy when you found him? How long did it take for this condition to manifest and become as bad as it is? Is his heart alright...I ask because you mentioned poor circulation? As far as I know this is not a side effect of the Trilo, but each pup is unique and as such will have unique reactions to all drugs so I guess it is possible that the Trilo could be perhaps contributing to the ear problem, but I am more inclined to think it is unrelated to the treatment. Has he had a complete blood work up lately? If so, could you post those results as well? One of our members is trained to read these results in humans and is a big help to us here as well.

I'm glad you found us and hope to learn more about both of you in the future. This can be a scary journey but you don't have to walk it alone any more. We will be with you all the way. We have several Trilo moms and dads here and I am sure they will be along soon to share their experiences with you. Please read all you can, ask any and all questions you may have and we will do our best to help you understand.

Hang in there!
Hugs,
Leslie and the girls

PS. One more question....do you have a name we could use? "Hey you" can get rather confusing! :p

[Casey's Mom]

Bless you for taking him in and he was very lucky to find you! What is your name, we like to keep things personal around here.:) I have not
used Trilostane so don't have any feedback but the experts as I call them will be checking in shortly.

Glad you found us!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Bro Boy's Mom,

Welcome to you and Bro Boy (is this his name?) from me and my boy Harley. If you wouldn't mind telling us your name bc we are so friendly around here and starting out my post with "Hey you" is just so impersonal. ;):)

I see from your post that Bro Boy is diabetic, is this under control? If not this could be part of the circulation problem.

How much does your boy weigh? And could you post his ACTH numbers for us...if you wouldn't mind?

Bless you for giving him a forever home, you're such a wonderful person for taking on this responsibility.

I am sure others will be along to share their great wisdom but for know that is all I can say...I'm at work and they actually want me to work! :eek::)

Hugs,
Lori

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome to you and Bro Boy.

First let me warn you that in order for us to provide you with meaningful feedback, we're going to ask you to post copies of test results that were done to diagnose your little guy. If you don't have copies of the tests, your vet should be happy to give them to you. We would particularly interested in the results of any LDDS tests, ACTH stimulation tests and ultrasound findings. Also any abnormal values on the blood chemistry and urinalysis that were done.

Can you tell us when you started Bro Boy on Trilostane and how much he weighs. Now I would like to comment on the original information you provided on your sweet boy. Please see my comments in blue below.


Hello to all of you..I think this is the proper place to start?

Good job...you figured out how to start your own thread. Please make sure that you keep all of Bro Boys information here so that we have everything in one place for ready reference.

I have a little party poodle with a multitude of health problems. He has no teeth, is blind, diabetic with Cushings. We found him, on the street 4 and 1/2 years ago. So absolutely darling then and you should see him now! Pot belly, black ears from bad circulation, no hair except for his legs BUT the good news is he still is active, with a good appetite.

We now think he was dumped by someone that couldn't afford to keep him. He is the most expensive "free" dog in the world!

I have two cushdogs, one of which was dumped at the shelter with raging cushing's symptoms so I can relate to your last comment.

We guess him to be about 11 to12 years old and because of age, condition,etc. we will do no more heroics medically and just want to have quality time for him from now on.

11 to 12 years old isn't extremely senior for these little Poodles so he may just have many more years of loving left, especially if his conditions are adequately controlled.

He has never been a snuggly, under the covers dog but now he wears a sweater and buries himself in the covers at night. Circulation?

Dogs with cushing's are extremely sensitive to heat and seek out cool places; however, dogs like my little Pomeranian who has cushing's and low thyroid, are extremely sensitive to cold and seek out warm places. If blood chemistry was done, you probably have the results of the T4 and possibly the T3 so that would help us understand if Bro Boy may have low thyroid which could explain why he is so cold.

ACTH tests come back perfect! The last two anyways. He is at .4 ml. 2 times a day. Strength is 60 mg/ml suspension.

At .4ml of 60mg, he is getting about 24mg twice a day. Knowing his weight can help us put things into prospective. Also, please be sure to post the dates and results of all ACTH stimulation tests. Were these tests done within 4 to 6 hours of dosing?

My biggest worry is that his ears are dead! No blood circulation, they are very flaky and brittle. Anyone else know this situation? He has dark discolorations on his body but nothing like the ears. Now it looking like his nose will be compromised in the future. ????? Is this a side effect of Trilostane?

I don't believe the symptoms you are describing are due to lack of circulation or the Trilostane. They are more likely symptoms of the conditions that have been diagnosed. My Lulu was diagnosed with low thyroid and cushing's and loss of coat, crepey, dry skin and change in pigment are symptoms of both conditions. She never regained her coat so like Bro Boy, she only has hair on her head, legs and feet. Her skin progressively got blacker and blacker but I have finally noticed a difference after having her on a fish oil product her vet prescribed called A1/N. For the first time in years, the pigment appears to be changing from gray black to pink. The pigment on her stomach started to change and it appears that it is working its way up her body. The dryness is soooo much better. Perhaps you can talk to your vet about this product for Bro Boy???

My Jojo's nose was cracked and actually bleeding before we got him totally stabilized on treatment. It was painful and he would flinch if I barely touched it. It took awhile but his nose is back to normal.

Thanks, and I'll tune in again soon to see if anyone has any input for me. bro boy's mom.

I'm really sorry for the circumstances that brought you here but I'm super glad that you found us. You no longer have to deal with this alone. You are going to discover rather quickly that we are all eager to help in any way we can. Please do check out our reference library for which I have included a link below. There is a wealth of information there that can help you understand exactly what is happening to Bro Boy. The more you learn, the less the frustration level and the easier it will be to cope and become a proactive participant in Bro Boy's treatment. Of course, you will also get lots of valuable feedback from members who have walked in your shoes and understand what you and Bro Boy are going through.

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10

Also, since Bro Boy has been diagnosed with diabetes, I would highly recommend that you join our sister site, www.k9diabetes.com. The members there know their stuff and can answer any questions and address any concerns you may have. By being a member of both forums, you will definitely have the best of both worlds.

Stay tuned for more welcomes and undoubtedly a lot of questions.

Glynda

P.S. I see that others have already posted so please excuse any duplication. I also wanted to provide a link to information on dry itchy skin.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=427

[littleone1]

Corky and I would also like to say hi and welcome both of you.

I think that is so wonderful that you took your little boy in and took such good care of him.

I wish I could offer you some help, but I'm relatively new to Cushings, and don't have any experience with any of the issues your little boy is having.

You have found a great group of caring and knowledgeable people. Hopefully you will be able to get some answers that you are looking for.

Terri and Corky

[Franklin'sMum]

Hi and welcome from Franklin and myself :)

I am so sorry for your boy's situation, but so glad that he wandered into your arms and heart.

The previous replies have already asked the questions, and there'll be more questions to come after a bit more info from you about your "party poodle" :)

I'm a trilo parent, but still learning the ropes, so probably not much help to you. Many people here have so much knowledge and experience, and everyone is incredibly friendly, helpful and kind.

Looking forward to hearing more,

Jane and Franklin xx
________
BDSM ASIAN (http://www.fucktube.com/categories/229/asian/videos/1)

[Bro Boy]

OK! thank all of you who responded. My name is Martha Lingo. We live in Hemet, CA. I will dig up all records and will be answering as much as possible as soon as possible. I'm grateful for any help. It is so worrisome to daily see his ears worsen and not be able to help him. They started losing thickness about 1 &1/2 yrs ago. I always checked his glucose by pricking the ear until one day I actually went through his ear and pricked my own finger! From then on things have progressively worsened. the ears are black, very scaly and brittle. More to come from me now that I have found you folks. P.S. I forgot to tell that he has thyroid issues also. from martha lingo

[littleone1]

Hi Martha,

It's so nice to know your name. Bro Boy is in good hands.

I look forward to hearing from you and to how everything is going for both of you.

[MiniSchnauzerMom]

Hi Martha,

Just wanted to offer my belated welcome to you and Bro Boy. He's one lucky little guy that you found him and are now his forever home! Just curious - has the vet who does the follow-up for diabetes and cushings ever given you any explanation regarding Bro Boy's ears???

I'll be looking forward to your update.

Louise

P.S. You and I are almost neighbors as I live towards Riverside. :D

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Martha,

Glad to hear from you again! We are all here to help you and Bro Boy any way we can and so happy to have you join our little family. :)

I will be looking for those results as soon as you can post them.

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls