My Lucy...does this sound like Cushing's to anyone?

[nancyclarissa1970]

Hi there...I'm a worried doggy mommy to Lucy, an 85 lb mixed breed rescue that I have had for almost 6 years. She was 2 when we adopted her. I believe she might be a lab/shepherd mix.

Lucy has had nonstop ailments ever since we adopted her, and has gotten exceptionally worse in the past year or so. The vet had me change her to a hypoallergenic diet to see if it would make a difference, which it has not, even after many months of top quality food. Here are the ailments she has suffered from:

1. Chronic ear infections that restart as soon as antibiotic treatment ends.
2. Dermatitis which has gotten progressively worse since she began taking thyroid meds for low thyroid levels.
3. Excessive fat in her belly region, although, it is not "potbellied", it's more like two huge flabs of fat.
4. Hyperpigmentation of skin.
5. Excessive flaking of oily yellow skin that I am constantly combing to give her relief.
6. Hair loss due to skin infections and excessive flaking.
7. Recurring vaginal infections with inflamed vulva.
8. Inflamed/Red skin all over.

[addy]

Hi Lucy's Mom,

Welcome!

One of the senior members should be along soon to answer your questions. They will also have alot of questions for you:)

My Zoe has been diagnosed with Cushings. We first noticed hair thinning, rat's tail and constant licking. We went through a number of tests to confirm it, no on test can.

Hang in there and start reading as much as you can. You have come to the right place. Everyone here is very supportive and knowledgeable.

Addy

[apollo6]

Dear Nancy you and Lucy have come to the right place. First take a deep breath. We are here to support you.
Cushing is a difficult disease to diagnose. It can mimic other problems.
symptoms: hair loss, pot belly, dark skin pigmentation, thinning skin, increased thirst, weakness in hind legs, panting.
For me, Sonja, my Apollo had the symptoms for over a year, a little of this, a little of that.
Read up on it first. go to helpful resources for owners of cushing dogs.
If your baby does have cushings , first look into getting these tests:
full blood panel- determine if elevated readings
ultrasound of abdomen-determine if one or both adrenal glands are enlarged, liver enlargement.
You should go to an internal medicine vet specialist in endocrinology, familiar with cushing.
ACHT STIM TEST-determine of cortisol levels are extremely elevated.
there are other tests that can be given also. Senior members will ask you.
Then you and your vet need to determine what kind if it even is cushing: 3 kinds-PHD-pituitary , ADRENAL-if one adrenal gland is larger then the other, or if Atypical( some of the systems but not increased cortisol but increased sex hormones)
Then determine which is the right treatment.
Baby steps. read my thread if you have time:Apollo Trilostane.
I started on this web site in June, and it took me over a month before I got to the point deciding on any form of treatment, before I was sure if Apollo had cushings.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi NancyClarissa and welcome to you and Lucy! :)

Cushing's is a difficult condition to diagnose because the signs of Cushing's are the same as several other conditions - hypothyroidism, diabetes (both types), liver problems, to name a few. In addition to shared signs between conditions, the Cushing's specific tests can return with false postitive/negaitve results. So it is best to have all other possibilites ruled out, and several cushing's tests done before starting with any treatment for Cushing's. The good thing is that Cushing's is slow progressing condition, giving you time to make sure of what you are dealing with.

Since Lucy has already been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, can you tell us what test(s) were done to diagnose this and what the actual results were? Also, what med is she on and how much for this? How long has it been since this was rechecked? There is a form of hypothyroidism that is not a true form but rather a secondary condition to Cushing's. It is called "sick euthroid syndrome". You can find info about these conditions at:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2256

Here is another link from our Resource section that has some good sites for members new to Cushing's. The last link, Kate Konnick, has a great list of common signs seen with Cushing's.

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180

You will note that Lucy has some signs listed yet also displays some that are not commonly found in cush pups. For this reason, I would want to rule out all other possibilties asap.

If you have had any cush specific testing such as the LDDS, HDDS, UCCR, ACTH, UTK panel, or abdominal ultrasound, it would really help us to see the actual resutls of those tests. If you have not had any cush testing, then the UCCR is a great place to start. It is the least invasive and will let you know immediately if this is NOT Cushing's; however, it cannot diagnose the condition. If it returns abnormal, that simply means more testing needs to be done.

Now for a few questions....is Lucy intact? What are the other conditions she is dealing with and what meds, supplements, herbs, ect is she taking now? Is the hypoallergenic diet one designed for Lucy or a commercial feed? If commercial, what is/are the proteins in the feed? Has Lucy seen any specialists for her skin or possible allergies?

I know this can be overwhelming at first but you are in the very best place for information, experience, and support. Our members have lived with a myriad of conditions in their babies in addition to Cushing's and have first hand experience they are more than happy to share. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have; we will do our best to help you understand and if we don't know, we will help you research.

Read all you can from the Resource section and on the threads here as well as info on the web. Ask questions, read, ask questions and read some more. And remember, you and Lucy are not alone on this journey. We will be here with you all the way as we try to help you find an answer to her problems. If it turns out she does have Cushing's, then take a deep breath and know you are surrounded by your new family who does understand.

Keep your chin up!
Hugs,
Leslie and the girls - always

[jrepac]

it could be, but start with a simple and inexpensive test called a UC:CR ratio test

that will tell you if Cushings is possible..

in other words, it can quickly rule it out if it comes back negative

[nancyclarissa1970]

Thank you to everyone for your replies :)) I actually wasn't finished with my list last night because I was using my iPod to write it, and I hit something and it wouldn't let me go back and finish up, lol! Let me complete the list of symptoms real quick:

9. Suspected joint problems (I've noticed this in the past 3 years when she
is climbing onto the bed, or into the minivan.
10. Excessive panting & thirst, even though she has an intolerance to
exercise. My husband took her jogging a few months ago and he had to
bring her back after the first block. (she walked most of it).
11. Not eating well lately....maybe she is sick of her food? She eats it,
eventually, but normally she "wolfs" it down :))

OK.......let me answer your questions now :))





I have not had any Cushings specific testing done. The vet never brought it up and I hadn't suspected it yet.



In January of 2009, a T4 was done and her level was 1.3, with 1.0-4.7 being in the normal range. In May of this year, just two months ago, a Total T4 was done and she was at 0.8, where less than 1.0 is considered low. She was put on Soloxine, at .5mg twice a day. I haven't had the money to see the vet again, however, I gave her a call today to see if she could work something out with me financially so we can do some more bloodwork and the UC:CR, which you have recommended.

Lucy was spayed by whoever her original owner was, according to the shelter where we adopted her from. I wish I knew her story prior to being at the shelter! I know she was having gastro issues at the shelter that were resolving.

The hypoallergenic diet that she was on after January of 2009, was Natural Balance for 6 months or so, then California Naturals for another 6 months. Neither had grains....not sure of the protein content. Either way, she still had the ear infections coming, which were the major problem back then. Now, since February or so, she has been on Pet Fresh Select, which is a PAN dog food. (Pandean or PAN diets stand for Pasteurized, All Natural, and Nutrient Dense. PAN is a scientific descriptor for fresh pet foods that adheres to the principle of minimal processing to retain nutrient value, contain only all natural ingredients, and are fresh & meat-based.) Here is a link to their website: www.freshpet.com I did a lot of research on canine nutrition and found that dogs don't need carbs like humans do, ...they need mainly meat & organ meat, with a little bit of veggies, fruits and a hint of grain being ok. PetFresh has all of this...plus a few preservatives, but ALL packaged dog food has to have preservatives, right? ;)

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to take Lucy to a specialist, such as a veterinary allergist. You see, my husband and I have 4 sons, who are all on the autism spectrum, so I cannot work and my husband makes little money, so we are struggling to pay our bills week to week. I can't even afford a general vet :((. We only had two children when we adopted Lucy, then, we had twins, so our family size went from 4 to 6! I wasn't planning to be in this financial situation when we adopted her, so please keep that in mind and don't think I'm an irresponsible dog owner of any sort please :)). I wish there was something I could do to magically change our situation so I could order every test for every condition I ever suspected her to have......it would make life so much easier for me and so much more comfortable for Lucy. The poor thing is always suffering...be it an ear infection, skin infection, vulvar infection, etc.

OK, thanks again for everyone's help, I APPRECIATE IT! Good night all :))

Nancy

[nancyclarissa1970]

I forgot to add info on the rest of the bloodwork redflagged that she had done in 1/09. She was also heartworm negative in May of this year.

CK: 277 (1-200 U/L range)
Glucose: 10 (60-125 mg/dL range) Vet told me that this was probably
due to the shipping of the overnight test
Eosinophil: 11 (2-10% range)


The other tests she had done that time that were not redflagged were:
ALK. PHOSPHATASE, ALT (SGPT), ALT (SGOT), GGT, ALBUMIN, TOTAL PROTEIN, GLOBULIN, TOTAL BILIRUBIN, DIRECT BILIRUBIN, BUN, CREATININE, CHOLESTEROL, CALCIUM, PHOSPHORUS, TCO2 (BICARBONATE), CHLORIDE, POTASSIUM, SODIUM, A/G RATIO, B/C RATIO, INDIRECT BILIRUBIN, NA/K RATIO, HEMOLYSIS INDEX, LIPEMIA INDEX, ANION GAP, WBC, RBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, NEUTROPHIL SEG,
LYMPHOCYTES, MONOCYTES, AUTO PLATELET, ABSOLUTE NEUTROPHIL SEG, ABSOLUTE LYMPHOCYTE, ABSOLUTE MONOCYTE, ABSOLUTE EOSINOPHIL, ABSOLUTE BASOPHIL, HEARTWORM ANTIGEN.

Thanks again!
Nancy