Andy, 5 YR OLD Boxer/chow chow

[josh_popson12]

We have been doing tests for months. we were sent to an actually vet hosp. to get a ultrasound, which the vets came to the conclusion. that andy might have cushings syndrome. the did the long dexamethasone suppression test & they screwed it up. they redid it and we are waiting for results. is they anything we can do for our dog to relieve his symptoms. he has lost a massive amount of body mass, you can start to see his facial bones & his spine very prominently.

i would appreciate any feedback.
tomorrow were going to call the vets & tell them to put stress on the laboratory to get those results back asap.

IM TIRED OF MY DOG, DRINKING 3 TIMES HIS WEIGHT, GOING TO THE BATHROOM ALL THE TIME & I DON'T WANT TO SEE HIM SUFFER ANYMORE. WE ASKED ABOUT THE LOSSED MUSCULE MASS, LIKE IT WAS NO BIG DEAL.... ITS A HUGE DEAL. I WANT MY DOG BACK.

THANK YOU!

[josh_popson12]

THAT WE IS SUPPOSED TO BE HE (the Vets) Sorry. i was typing fast.

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

It sounds like you are as frustrated as most of us were when our dogs were first diagnosed. That's a perfectly normal reaction with this disease. If there is any good news with cushing's is that it is one of the most slowly progressing disease so taking your time to make sure you have a proper diagnosis is a wise thing to do. In order for us to understand if your vet is following proper diagnostic protocol as well as understand Andy's history, can you tell us what other symptoms you have noticed besides the excessive drinking and peeing and loss of muscle mass? Does he have a voracious appetite, loss of coat, lethargic, panting?

We do ask a lot of questions because we can offer more appropriate feedback if we have a paper trail to follow. I'd therefore like to ask you to get copies of all diagnostic tests that were done and post the results here. Your vet should have run an initial blood chemistry and most probably a urinalysis. Please post the high or low values on the bloodwork, making sure to include the unit(s) of measurement...i.e. ug/dl, nmol, etc. Most dogs with cushing's have dilute urine because the kidneys have lost their ability to concentrate the urine. The urinalysis should have included a urine specific gravity (USG) value which is almost always low with cushing's. If you don't have copies of the test results, your vet should be happy to provide you with them. It's a good idea to keep a folder with all of Andy's test results, vaccine records, etc. It comes in handy should you ever need to take your boy to an after hours clinic/hospital. Vets on call appreciate having their patient's medical history at their finger tips. It also comes in handy for times like this when we ask you to post results. Don't forget to post the findings of the ultrasound for us too.

Just to let you know, I have two dogs with cushing's and my second one was a shelter rescue who had advanced symptoms with major loss of muscle mass. He was so weak in the hindquarters that he constantly tremored and would fall over easily. He was also one massive infection...eyes, ears, mouth. It was heartbreaking. To look at him today, two years later, you would not recognize him as the same dog. If Andy has cushing's, I can assure you that with treatment, you'll have your old best friend back. Andy can live out his life expectancy with a really good quality of life. Your boy is quite young so he has lots of living left to do. My first one was diagnosed at three years old and she's now eight years old and going strong.

Hang in there my friend and we'll get you and Andy through this. We're always sad that anybody has to find us but glad that folks find their way here. There is a tremendous amount of collective knowledge here, a library full of information that I hope you will definitely take the time to access and lots of hands on experience with cushing's and common companion conditions. Knowledge is power with this disease and I can tell already that you are a very proactive pet owner which is a necessity. Treatment is better facilitated and side effects are minimized when the pet owner is educated and vigilant and the treating vet possesses a good deal of experience with the disease and the treatment prescribed.

I'm sure other members will be by to welcome you and ask their own questions so try not to get flustered. Just take a deep breath, try to relax a little and give us as much information as you can.

Glynda