Lab with Cushing's Disease (Mocha, 7 y/o female, with calcinosis cutis)

[choclab]

I have a 7 year old, female chocolate Labrador. She was recently diagnosed with Cushing's disease and I have read a little bit about the disease. The disease is that the body produces it's own cortizon called cortisol, and a normal dogs level is 16 and my dogs level is at a 35. She has calcium diposits on her back, in between her shoulder blades that has broke open (due to the disease, it makes her not heal.) We also ordered her some medication the vet recommended to help with the disease. We get the medication on Monday or sometime next week.
I was curious if anyone else has dealt with this disease? Is there anything I can do to make my dog more comfortable? We clean the open wounds twice a day, and put gold bond on it to help dry it out to heal. My mom was curious if an oatmeal bath would help with her skin at all, or make her feel less in pain? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much.

[mytil]

Hi and welcome to our site.

I am wondering if your are referring to something called calcinosis cutis and it is sometimes associated with Cushing's. There are a few here who have dealt with this skin condition. I am not sure oatmeal will help this particular condition.

Also, when you get the chance please let us know what tests were performed (and the results) to diagnose Cushing's. And also what medication was prescribed?

Here are some links that further describe Cushing's along with the tests and treatment options http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180. The one link to kateconnick explains it laymans terms.

I am sure others will chime in shortly.
Terry

[gpgscott]

Welcome from us also,

I am sorry your pup has high cortisol. There are a number of testes used in determining Cushing's do you know which ones have been done on your pup?

I don't know about the oatmeal, I do know that if it is Cushing's and you begin the right treatment that most dogs under treatment do very well and recover from skin, hair, and other issues that the Cushing's causes.

What else can you tell us about symptoms, testing, and the medication which is on its way to you.

Best wishes. Scott

[choclab]

She does have calcinosis cutis. I also have read a bunch about it and she has all the signs. They are rock-like bumps on her back, in between her shoulder blades. They have burst open and are oozing and bleeding sometimes. I do clean them twice a day, and put gold bond powder on it to help dry it out.

As far as testing for the Cushing's disease, she has always been muscular and about 80 pounds. (That is pretty big for a female lab) But we used to take her on hikes and run her quiet a bit. She started peeing in the house, which she never, ever did. She would drink so much more water than normal, and beg all the time. She acted like we starved her. Which is ridiculous, because she is so spoiled!Also, she would pant constantly. I would take her on a short walk and she would pant for hours after. We thought it was because she was hot, she was drinking the water but we decided to take her to the vet.

The vet looked at her and weighed her and she was 94 pounds! He kept her there for a few hours for tests. He tested her cortisol level and it was very high for a dog. He gave her a cortisone test (ACH). A few hour later, her level had not changed. That's how he figured out she had Cushing's. She also has most of the signs that we have read about. He said it could be a tumor in her adrenal gland, or it would be in her pituitary gland. I took her for an ultra sound and she has no tumor in her adrenal gland. Although her glands were swollen. The specialist said that medication will help level out the cortisol in her body and she should start to heal and get better and hopefully live a close to normal life as she could. There is a percentage that she could start too loose her eye sight, and memory. Which I pray does not happen. I just had to put my cat down because she was loosing her mind and that was the hardest thing for me. I cannot imaging having to put down another animal right now.

The meds the vet prescribed is Trilosten. And she is currently on anti-biotics because of her open woulds and they were infected.

Thank you guys for being so concerned and supporting, I didn't know there were groups and websites like this. It helps so much!

[labblab]

Hello, and welcome from me, too.

As you can see from my avatar, I am another Lab-Lover! I am so sorry for the reasons that have brought you here, but so glad that you have found us. You are in good company :). We have many members who are also using trilostane to treat their Cushpups, so I know there will be lots of folks who will be joining you in sharing their experiences.

It sounds as if your vet has taken very reasonable steps in diagnosing your girl's Cushings. She does have classic symptoms, and the diagnosis has been confirmed by an ACTH stim test and also an abdominal ultrasound which showed that both adrenal glands were enlarged. Two swollen adrenal glands are indeed consistent with the pituitary form of the disease. As your vet has warned, in a small number of dogs the pituitary tumor that causes the disease can enlarge in size and cause neurological problems. But for most dogs, the pituitary tumor always remains very small, and the Cushing's symptoms that are caused can be controlled very effectively with medication.

Since your girl is being treated with trilostane, here is a link on our "Important Information" thread that will offer you a lot more information about trilostane treatment and monitoring. Can you tell us what dose your dog will be started off on? The starting dose is usually based on the dog's weight. Also, if you could find out and tell us the exact numbers of your dog's diagnostic ACTH test results, that will also help us to track her progress once she starts taking the medication. As you'll see from the following link, followup ACTH tests are necessary to see how well the trilostane is working as far as lowering her cortisol level.

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185

Once again, I'm so glad you've found us. I'm not sure, either, whether oatmeal baths will be helpful with the calcinosis. However, I know that oatmeal is often said to be soothing for a variety of skin ailments. So if your vet thinks it's OK to give the oatmeal baths a try, they might feel good on your girl's skin. Sorry I can't be more helpful about that, but please feel free to ask any other questions that come to mind!

Marianne

[apollo6]

Welcome
I am Apollo's mom, Apollo is on Trilostane. Hate to do this read my thread if you have time.
Yes Apollo had the skin liaisons on his back, belly, legs. Pus came out , I have used Thayers alcohol free toner-unscented witch hazel with aloe Vera (can use any brand) pour a little bit on cotton ball and apply to it. His skin was getting pretty bad. Since he is on the right dosage of Trilostane, the skin liaisons have cleared up, hair regrowth, pot belly gone, still weakness in hind legs. He used to have muscular hind legs. The over production of cortisone can cause muscle wasting, among a host of other symptoms.
Most importantly before even starting treatment you need to determine which kind of cushing it is. There are three kinds. Did you get an ultrasound of her abdominal would show if one or both adrenal glands are enlarged similarly, a full blood panel to show elevated readings and an ACHT STIM TEST. Only after you are sure it is the pituitary kind would you consider treatment-Trilostane is an option. weight is important as to dosage.
rule of thumb
The UC-Davis current recommendation is to initiate trilostane therapy at 1 mg/kg once daily. That dose is continued for about one week until a veterinary re-check can be completed.
1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pounds
explaination of the three kinds of cushings
http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html
I started very low dosage, because my little guy has always been sensitive to medications.
Sonja and Apollo

[gpgscott]

Moria in my avatar was also a big girl, around 75 lbs in her prime and not a chubby:D

It sounds like you have caught the Cushing's early on and have every reason to hope that the Trilostane will take care of her problems.

Please let us know when it arrives and about dosing and followup testing, there are lots of people here with practical experience in Trilostane treatment. I am not one, Moria's variety of Cushing's was an elevation of estradiol and involved a different treatment.

Glad you found our site and looking forward to the treatment making a positive difference in your pup's life.

Scott

[choclab]

Thank you everyone so much, and I will keep you posted once we get the medicine how much the dosage is and how she is doing on it. I will check with the vet what he thinks I should do about her skin sores, and talk with him about oatmeal baths!

[labblab]

Hi again!

Just wanted to let you know that one of our Moderators who is currently on vacation also dealt with calcinosis cutis as an issue with her Cushpup. Her name is Angela ("Sabre's Mum"), and she should be back with us again around the first of the month. I know she'll be happy to talk with you and offer you her support.

If I'm remembering correctly as to what she's written previously, I do believe that calcinosis cutis is a definitive indicator of Cushing's. So that's added confirmation as to the accuracy of the diagnostic test results. Also, worries about infection are an ongoing concern until the Cushing's treatment facilitates the healing of the skin. It sounds as though your girl is already being treated with antibiotics, so that is a good thing. And as I say, Angela may very well be able to offer you additional tips as well. I'll leave her a message to check on you once she returns. ;)

Marianne

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome from me too.

I only have a minute but because you haven't started treatment yet, I wanted to share some very important information with you that might make a difference to you and your vet as to whether to proceed with Trilostane as the treatment of choice.

Dr. David Bruyette is a reknown endocrinologist, as well as the developer of Anipryl, the first drug approved for treatment of canine cushing's disease. He is also a hug fan of Vetoryl (Trilostane); he is a featured speaker for Dechra, the manufacturer of Vetoryl; and Vetoryl is his treatment of choice in his practice. He praises the drug; however, he readily admits that he has had very poor results in resolving calcinosis cutis with Trilostane. I suspect, and this is me thinking out loud, that the problem might be because a dog with elevated cortisol will also be hypersecreting sex steroids. Sex steroids can contribute to calcinosis cutis and since Trilostane is known to elevate sex steroids. It makes sense to me that it could possibly exacerbate the problem, making it worse instead of better.

Because Calcinosis Cutis is not easily remedied with any treatment, I highly recommend that you discuss this with your vet before starting treatment with Trilostane. You may want to strongly consider asking your vet to contact Dr. Bruyette to confirm what I've told you and to discuss your girl's circumstances. Dr. Bruyette's practice (VCA West Los Angeles) runs 400,000 cushing's panels each year so you gotta know that they treat one heck of a lot of cushdogs and have lots of experience with Trilostane. His contact information can be found at http://www.vcahospitals.com/west-los-angeles

[mypuppy]

Welcome to you and your 7 year old female chocolate lab from me and my 7 year old, female, chocolate lab, Princess. Wow, your story sounds so similar to mine and many others here. BTW, I love all dogs but I am so partial to labs for obvious reasons. My Princess was diagnosed with pituitary cushings a year ago and is on Vetoryl. I must say as horrified as I first was to begin treatment because my gp scared the daylights out of me, I am so happy to have found this forum with such wonderful and knowledgeable people and so glad for this medication because it has brought some happiness back into my life and my precious baby just to not see her in the discomfort of the extreme thirst and urination, the ravenous appetite, the panting, etc. She is now playful, comfortable and happy. And it's a wonderful feeling. I do so hope that your baby will bounce back once she begins her treatment. Now I must say that you should not compare your pup to mine or anyone else's here because they are all unique in how they react to treatment and how long treatment will take effect. I hope you have an experienced and Cush savy IMS, with good bedside manners and patient. This condition is definitely a long journey with many ups and downs but with your constant supervision and your IMS's constant communication you shall get there. I'm sorry for your pups diagnosis, but you seem to have taken the initial steps to take care of your baby, and that goes a long way with all of us on the forum. So keep up the great work and do not hesitate to ask as many questions as necessary. I am definitely no expert on all this stuff but there are many others here who have years of experience with this condition and you will soon learn how valuable their comments and opinions are. Hang in there and do not get discouraged please. We are all on this same ride with you and are here for you and your baby. I'm also sorry about your cat, ugh. Take care of you and that lab--they are precious aren't they. Xo Jeanette and Princess

[choclab]

I love labs, they are the most playful and fun dogs! I love that they are great around children and they are even great watch dogs! Although my Mocha would never go up and bite an intruder, she would most likely be the one holding the flashlight! I am so glad to hear that your Princess is doing a lot better! Thank you for the information and support! Xo, Brittany and Mocha!!

[labblab]

Hi again!

I just wanted to add one more piece of information. I'm so glad that Glynda has given you this additional feedback about possibly reconsidering treating your girl with trilostane. Just so you will know (and you may already know this already!), if trilostane is not the best treatment option given the calcinosis cutis, there is another equally effective medication available: Lysodren (the active chemical name is mitotane). Trilostane and mitotane suppress the production of cortisol via different mechanisms. But they both are very effective treatments for Cushing's. And unlike trilostane, mitotane also decreases the production of other adrenal hormones as well. This may not be an issue for the majority of Cushpups, but it may be a benefit for your girl's skin issues. I really hope your vet may be willing to contact Dr. Bruyette. And if it turns out that trilostane is not the best option -- don't despair. We also have many successful "mitotane stories" here as well! It has actually been used here in the U.S. for a much longer time period than has trilostane.

Marianne

[choclab]

My name is Lori, Britt's mom. I wanted to first start off by telling you all that my daughter Brittany is the one who set up our username/password her. she is the one who found the sight and started posting- I'm so impressed with all that she has explained here in her post. Not to get sappy yet I am a lucky mommy to have such an amazing daughter. ok, enough on that, i just wanted to clear up any confusion that may come from 2 of us using one log in, maybe i'll have to make my own at some point! she certainly struck gold by finding this group, you all seem like amazing dog lovers with a wealth of knowledge in this disease that has come into our lives. Thank you for all the great information that has been shared thus far-

Mypuppy your dog Princess has such a priceless expression in her photo!! I love when dogs do the head tilt. So your puppy is on Veteryl, is that another name for Trilostane? I am happy to hear that your lives have become more normal....did Princess ever have the skin condition or lesions that are associated with Cush? How long did it take for you to see an improvement? what type of dosage is she taking, and how much did she start with if you remember? Sorry to riddle you with questions but i am just thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to someone in our shoes.

My friends and family know i love my dog and that I am worried yet I think they cannot TRUELY understand unless sadly they've been here. I at first was TERRIFIED she would pass, or have to be put down. As Brittany mentioned we recently put down our cat- she was almost 15 years old, her name was princess as well, and it was such an emotional roller-coaster i know i couldn't bear to see Mocha suffer yet the thought of having to put her down breaks my heart. I am sure you all can relate. I am full of questions, so again sorry to throw all those out there at you :O)

Marianne, thank you too for your information. I did call my vet (i swear i have that poor man on speed dial!!) he is not a specialist (should i change, i have been with him for 17 years) though he did send us to a specialist whom recommended Trilostane as well. I expressed some of the concerns you wrote about, I cannot imagine her break out being worse as far as her skin goes yet know it actually could. We came to the decision to give it a try, and switch meds if needed. He stated they really all do have their own issues though Trilostane was thought originally to be a much less evil~ I couldn't remember the Dr's name you mentioned, but just wrote it down. We go in tomorrow and he is always willing to listen. Where abouts is Dr B located? curious.

All right all you dog lovers, Brit is at school and my baby (ok so she is 12 and not really considered a baby) is wrapped up in a book- i see some jacuzzi time in my near future :O)

Happy Friday~
Lori

[labblab]

Hi Lori, welcome to BOTH you and Brittany!! :) :)

You have every reason in the world to be proud of Brittany and all the helpful information that she has given us about Mocha! And even though we're already on page two of Mocha's thread, I do want to make sure that you've had the chance to find and read through all the additional replies that were posted on the first page. For instance, here's a link to Glynda's ("lulusmom") original reply in which she discusses the possible issue relating to trilostane and calcinosis cutis and also gives the contact info for Dr. Bruyette (he's in Los Angeles, by the way):

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?p=40402#post40402

Once you click on Glynda's reply and have a chance to read it, you can scroll up the rest of the first page to see all the other replies, as well. You may have already seen them all. But sometimes it can take a little while to get used to how our threads and replies are set up, and I just wanted to make sure that you haven't missed out on anything that was written earlier. Hope all this additional info helps!

Marianne

[labblab]

Me again, with one more link to emphasize for you...

This is a link to a thread on our "Important Information" that contains a lot of helpful info regarding trilostane treatment. When you have the chance to look through it, I think it will answer a lot of your questions about dosing and monitoring. Initial dosing is based upon weight, and as you will see, there are two different protocols that are favored by most vets in the U.S. Sonja has already mentioned the UC Davis protocol (1 mg. per kg.). The other protocol is that of Dechra (the manufacturers of Vetoryl, which is the veterinary brandname version of trilostane). Although Dechra's published recommended starting dose is from 1-3 mg. per pound, we have learned that their U.S. technical representatives are advocating that initial dosing begin at the lowest end of the range: at 1 mg. per pound. Anyway, here's the link with all this info and more:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185

Marianne

[mytil]

Well, it seems you have gotten lots of help here and some really great advice.

And, you go girl Brittany for starting this thread about your Mocha. :D

Please keep us posted
Terry

[gpgscott]

Welcome again, this time to the whole lot of you:D

I would also urge your Dr. to contact Dr. Oliver @ UTK (university of Tennessee@Knoxville). He is a reseach Dr. and his lab does a unique panel called a full adrenal panel which looks at all six hormones created by the adrenals all of which can cause symtoms of Cushing's.

He routinely engages in email and phone consults and has helped many of our members both with testing and interpreting results.

joliver@utk.edu

Scott

[zoesmom]

So welcome, Lori, Brittany and Mocha -

Also a lab lover - our last dogm, who we lost in March, was an 80+ lb. lab mix named Zoe and she took trilostane for four years. Have been looking at adopting another and met one named ....... Britt. An older yellow lab who, unfortunately, is still recovering from hip surgery, so......that idea is on hold since we have so many stairs to get outside. Meantime, adopted a cute border collie - 1 yr. old - and she's a bundle of energy, keeping me busy right now.

Anyway, your Mocha is 7, huh? Just wondering if you've already started the trilostane or if that's about to happen??? Also, curious about what dose the vet recommended? If you are already going ahead with the trilo and it doesn't help the calcinosis cutis, then switching to lysodren will require a 30 day washout period (usually) before you can go to the lysodren. But what's been written about lysodren/skin issues is interesting. Somehow, I missed that info up til now. Let us know what's happening with Mocha. Sue

[mypuppy]

Hi Lori,
I was just as impressed to learn your 12 year old took the initiative to get the ball rolling for Mocha. They can be quite helpful at times--I have a 13 and 5 year old, but anyway getting back to your precious Mocha (gosh it's like looking at my Princess), and I have to agree with what your daughter said, Princess will scare off any intruder with her deep bark but she would lead them to the jewels if they got in--lol, and if they throw her a ball, forget it--lol. Mocha is beautiful. I love close ups. Oh and thanks for the compliment on Princess's head tilt pic. I adore when she does it, usually when I say words like.,eat, out, walk, ball, and so many others. Anyway, sorry for rambling and let's get to some of your questions. Princess started on 120mg. Of Vetoryl in November 2009. As Marianne already pointed out it is the brand-name for the ingredient trilostane which is what treats the Cushings. Anyway, not sure how much your gp has explained on this condition and the protocol for treatment, but it involves frequent testing once they start treatment in order to check their cortisol levels. This test is called ACTH stim, and should be performed within 15 days after beginning treatment. If it were not for that one test I would have not known that her levels had dropped so much that it could have been very dangerous for Princess. I don't want to frighten you here, but when you asked if you should switch from a gp to an IMS, IMO, I'd say yes if you feel your gp is not too knowledgeable with this condition and it's treatment and protocol. My gp wasn't and in fact never even knew my Princess had cushings so thank God for specialists. Princess went into remission of her cushiness symptoms for 5 months, what a nice break, and now she is back on 30mg once a day. As for the skin condition Princess has had flare ups of flaky skin once in a while but not extremely irritated. I did find oatmeal baths helped her skin a great deal. I can't add anything on the calcinosis cutis condition, sorry. I hope Mocha finds some relief soon. Does Mocha suffer from a lot of ear and eye infections? I am trying to figure out if it's a lab thing or just the cushings. princess's is constantly battling one or the other between the eyes and ears. I feel terrible. But anyway I will write more another time as I think of anything and you do the same. The othes here have given you some valuable info to get yourself educated before you make a move with Mochas treatment. Take your time, learn as much as possible and proceed cautiously. We are here for you and Mocha. Xo Jeanette

[apollo6]

This is the shampoo the vet gave me to use for Apollo when he was having all the skin issues.
I also used the Aloe Vera with Witch Hazel ointment to ease the skin.
I even tried to pop the calcinosis cutis( told that was not a good idea)

http://www.sogevalus.com/derm_shampoo.html
You can buy at the vet or online, Amazon.com, other websites.
Apollo had the skin liaisons, ingrown hairs, white bumps also on the back part of his neck, with hair loss there also, and black skin. He has them on his tail also. The new drug has helped allot with his skin issues. He also had black skin on his belly.
If in your profile under the user cp-profile you could let us know where you are located, we could help with resources and maybe specialists in your area.
Hugs Sonja and Apollo

[choclab]

Hello again everyone!

Mocha finally got her pills yesterday morning. The vet prescribed her the Trilostane, and started her off with 60mg, twice daily. We gave her one dose yesterday and once so far today. Today will be the first day we give her 120mg. We told the vet we were concerned whether the trilostane will help with her calcinosis cutis, he said if it does not help with that then we will do the 30 day wash-out period and start her on the Lysondern. The doctor said he wanted to start her with the Trilostane because it is less damageable to her body. The Calcinosis Cutis on her back does not look too much better than when they first started oozing and bleeding. My mother and I cleaned them out last night with Hydrogen Peroxide diluted with warm water, and the wounds turned white instantly and we could actually hear the infection bubbling and getting cleaned out. Like a sizzling sound. The vet also did give us a solution to help clean them out, it's called Chlorhexiderm Soln. When we clean them out it looks like the scab is peeling off.

Please take a look at our album, I have posted a picture of the wounds on her neck.

-Brittany

[labblab]

Hi Brittany,

I just had a look at both photos in your album. Mocha has a beautiful face :) :)! And I'm so sorry to see the sores on her neck :(. Poor sweet baby! I'll keep my fingers crossed that the trilostane treatment will help. But if not, it's good to know that your vet is open to making the switch to Lysodren.

The beginning trilostane dose is a tad higher than the current recommendation of the U.S. office of Dechra (a total daily dose of 1 mg. per pound, and Mocha weighs 94 pounds). But the "proof of the pudding" will be in how she responds. I see your vet has also decided to start right off with twice-daily dosing. The manufacturers of Vetoryl still do recommend beginning with once-daily dosing, and only shifting to twice-daily dosing in certain situations. But there are other experienced specialists who prefer the twice-daily route, and it sounds as though your vet is choosing that protocol for Mocha. We'll be hoping that it works out very well for her. We'll all be following Mocha's progress right alongside your family, and we'll be really anxious to hear how she does.

The typical recommendation is to perform a monitoring ACTH stim test in about two weeks in order to see how she is responding to the trilostane. Has your vet talked with you yet about scheduling a test?

Marianne

[choclab]

Jeanette,
First I want to thank you for the compliments on Mochas behalf! lol- I agree with a seperate post you made about you being partial to Labs, me TOO. Mocha is a sweet heart and for the first 4 years of her life grew up in my "in home daycare"- so she even took commands from not so well spoken 1&2 year olds! ha, sometimes i couldn't understand what they were saying but boy she sure did. As for Brittany, she is actually 20. She is the one who started the thread, my 12 year old is Cierra and I also have a son in between the girls who is 15-CJ. I am lucky as I do have amazing kids! I am sure we are living some what similar lives with our sick doggies and great kids. It's tough that is for sure, yet I know we will both get through it.

Ok, so I got a lil bit off track there, I wanted to respond to your questions of eyes and ears but I tell you with minimal sleep and lots to be done my brain does that more and more these days. (it couldn't be that I am knocking on 40 right??!!!)

Mocha did (not so much now) suffer from ear infections. It was mostly as her ears flap over keeping any moisture inside. We would take her often to the dog beach and she would play in the water, or bathe her and no matter how careful we were water would make its way in. I got several ear cleaning solutions and then came across a product called VETS +BEST- one is a EAR RELEF WASH and the other I use after baths or swim (which no swimming for now) and is called EAR RELIEF DRY. It's similar to Swimmers Solution yet for dogs. It is a primarly natural product made of Chamomile and Yucca (the wash) and Calendula and Clove (the drying solution) I know from working with my sister (she owns a natural remedy company in laguna) that clove has somewhat a antimicrobial property. she has used it in parasite cleansing formulas in conjunction with other stuff. It seems to work well. I use a few squirts in her ear, rub the ear canal and then use a few large cotton balls to swab the junk that becomes loose. after this I use the drying solution and put a small squirt and rub it in- it eventually turns into a powder and absorbs any excess water or solution that may still be in her ear. THis is what has worked for us, your vet & local health store can possibly point you to additional items. It can get costly dealing with ear infections every other month- we know we did that and fortunatly have had some good luck this past year re: the ears. As for eyes like i said she has not had issues.

Happy to hear Princess was able to go with out Trilostan for 5 months, good for you & her!!! How did you know she had too much? was there an obvious sign? I tried to go back and read your post of when you first started boards, yet of course got side tracked on some other info you and others posted so stopped before i reached that point in post!! I tell you, my mind.....

So anyone that has a strong stomach take a look at our album- Brittany took a photo of Mochas wounds (the calcium cutis SP) its graphic I do warn you and anyone else whom looks at our album.

I was so worried that I almost sucked it up and went to ER yet I know it will be ANOTHER $300 dollars- I am willing to pay what ever it takes to make her healthy and happy yet dont want to spend my reserves un less necessary, you know??? I know there will be another ACTH test in 12 days so I want to keep money aside for the absolute treatments and tests. As Britt said Mocha was started on 120 mg's at that rate her meds alone will be $200 per month! is there somewhere cheaper i can get them other than my vet? will that possibly be her normal dose for life or will the mg requirement go down? just worried, ya know? I have thought about applying for a 2nd job as well. As a single mom of three with a 20 year old in college & a sick dog to boot my bank account is not looking so great! As I am sure you all can relate. I didn't take her to vet, I did however send her photo to my good friend (Britt also took photo to vet when she went to pick up meds, he said keep an eye and he'd check later in week) whom was a vet tech. She did calm my nerves a bit by pointing out that the pigment of a dog is differnt and can very from my own pigment. Mocha does has light brown/black skin spots that I can see now that her fur was partially shaved. We are continuing to wash wound and administer her antibiotics. If she looks this way Monday then we will take her, at least at that point were looking at $100 rather than 3-

Anyhow lots to do today, house looks like a tornado hit!!
Happy Sunday, and thank you to all who posted respones- you all rock!
L&B

[choclab]

Marianne,
Thank you for replying to our post! We are both also very concerned whether or not we should be giving her the full 120mg a day. Do you suggest we start her out with one pill a day? Then call our vet Monday to talk to him about our concerns? As usual, she is sleeping more than ever after giving her medication. She seemed to be breathing a bit faster, not sure if my fear is seeing that or if it is actually happening. Our nearest vet hospital is 40 minutes away, and is very costly.
Our vet did talk to us about Mocha coming back in for tests in about 14 days, we have no scheduled and appointment yet but we are aware she needs to go back in for testing. Hopefully we see an improvement!

-Brittany

[labblab]

Brittany, if you are feeling concerned about Mocha's dosage, then I think you could just leave it at the 60 mg. until you've had the chance to talk more with your vet tomorrow. You won't be harming her by starting out slowly, and that way you can feel more comfortable about "upping" the dose to 120 mg. if that remains your vet's recommendation after your conversation.

Also, your mom just posted a question about the cost of the medication. It sounds as though you are buying it directly from your vet? Is Mocha taking brandname "Vetoryl?" It is possible to buy compounded versions of trilostane that would be less expensive, but some vets are comfortable with that while others are not. Either way, if you ask your vet for a prescription, you still ought to be able to purchase Vetoryl from an online pharmacy for less than $200 per month. Here's a link to another member's thread in which we just had a recent discussion about brandname vs. compounded trilostane. Once you click on the reply, keep on reading because the conversation continues through several posts:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?p=40214#post40214

Marianne

[labblab]

I just wanted to add that if your vet would be interested to talk with Dechra about the 1 mg./lb. dosing recommendation, he can call their U.S. office directly. Dr. Tim Allen is a vet who is employed as a technical representative with Dechra. Dr. Allen is really nice (I've called him with questions, myself), and I know he'd be happy to discuss Dechra's most recent recommendations with your vet since they are a bit different from the table in the published Vetoryl Product Insert. Here's a link:

http://www.dechra-us.com/Default.aspx?ID=365

Marianne

[zoesmom]

Actually, the link that Marianne posted to Rebel's thread contains some trilostane prices I quoted (off the top of my head). However, turns out I was off, for the worse.

Let me give you the right info on prices from pethealthpharmacy.com in AZ. Wait, just to make sure they're correct, will go copy the ones I know are correct and paste here. Be right back. Sue

[mypuppy]

Lori,
I don't have a lot of time but wanted to say that when Princess started on 120mg once a day I did not see any obvious signs that her levels had dropped dramatically. Again it was at the 14 day acth stim test when werealized it. My IMS wanted me to wait a week off the Vetoryl and restart her at 60mg. However I learned on the forum that Dechras product insert recommends not restarting treatment until symptoms return. In fact I spoke to Dechra directly and they told me the same. This is why I held off on giving Princess her med for 5 months which is when her symptoms returned. Princess had her last stim last week and it seems her levels dropped again, and we now switched her to 30mg once a day, so far so good. I really wish you would talk to your vet about perhaps going lower on Mocha as well and as Marianne said, you can work your way up. BTW, do not continue purchasing your meds from your vet at 200.00 per month. I too was buying mine from my vet at first until I heard of so many online pharmacies which were a lot less. I pay 63.00 per month at valley vet.com. I hope this helps. Take care of you. Xo Jeanette

[zoesmom]

Ok, back....

This is the correct info that I posted to someone else's thread a while back. It's pethealthpharmacy.com's prices for compounded trilostane. These prices were from a couple years ago:
(Of course, you'd have to double these prices for a month’s supply if your dog ends up needing that twice a day dosing, which not all dogs do.) More on this below*

60 mg capsules x 30 day supply is $32.40.
120 mg. capsules x 30 day supply is $48.90
175mg x 30 capsules is $64.02.

This last price is approximately the same strength that I ordered for my Zoe. In Feb 2010, I paid just over $260 for 120 caps compounded at 180 mg./capsule.

So comparing that to the 175 mg. price (multiplying this price by 4 to get price for 120 caps), you get $256. Based on that, you can see their prices haven’t increased much at all in the last couple years. (S & H is in the $5 range, regardless of qty ordered.)

As it happens, I talked with pethealth just this week and got their most current prices for some various other dosages of trilostane.

30 caps x 63 mg = $34.65 (they have to do something other than 60 mg, because that's the Vetoryl strength, so that's how they get around it)
30 caps x 75 mg = $37.
30 caps x 90 mg = $40.65

Those first two average out to barely $1/day for a dog taking trilostane just once a day.

I have to say I was always happy with their customer service. Even when there were glitches with my order, they went out of their way to make things right as quickly as possible. (Really, only one glitch in 2 or 3 years, and it wasn't really their fault, either, but rather my vet's office.) They are also good about responding to questions (e-mail or phone)

*Now about the dose. I agree with Marianne in that it might be safer to start Mocha at 60 mg once a day (rather than bid). This is based on my own and Zoe's experience. She was a big girl - over 80 lbs - closer to 85 -when started on trilo. Her starting dose was high (180 mg) but still within the guidelines used at the time. On day 3, she fell into trouble - with diarrhea and vomiting. We had to stop, wait a few days and then restart at a lower dose. Again, more trouble on day 2. Again, we stopped, waited, restarted even lower still. The dose that she could finally tolerate was only 45 mg sid. For her size, though, that wasn't getting the cortisol down to where it needed to be. So over the next 2 or 3 months, we gradually ramped it back up - increasing the dose gradually until her cortisol reponded adequately. We did something like from 45 mg to 60 mg to 75 to 90 mg and finally to 120 mg. She didn't have any more problems after that, other than some depression and tremors, which I feel were most likely from something we call cortisol withdrawal syndrome.

So you can see, I am definitely in the camp for starting low and going slow. Seems to be an even wiser move with the BIG dogs, just based on what we see amongst members. Anyway, Zoe eventually ended up back on that 180 mg - TWICE a day and didn't have a problem with it later. Just seemed like her system needed more time to adjust to changes in cortisol. Good luck with Mocha. You know what to watch for, right? Not eating, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and lethargy. If you see any of those things, stop the trilo at once and call the vet. Sue

PS - not to worry about the whoppin' dose Zoe took. I only know of one or two other dogs here who've required that much trilo. I'd be surprised if Mocha ended up on more than 90 or 120 mg, and good chance it won't even be that much. All dogs are different and the dose can take some tweaking over the first few months. But whatever she ends up on, pethealthpharmacy will compound to the exact strength that you need (anything other than the 10, 30, 60 mgs that Vetoryl sells) so that way, you don't have to give multiple pills at one dosing, which was often the case with Zoe years ago. I was always trying to combine different strengths of the vetoryl to get what dose she needed, so back then I had some 15's, 30's, 60's and 120's to make it work. That was before vetoryl and the compounded trilo became available here in the States.

[labblab]

Hi again, Brittany and Lori.

I've been thinking about you guys this morning, and I hope that you'll come away from your conversation today with your vet feeling comfortable with whatever dosage recommendation you jointly decide upon. As you know, we have wanted to share our own thoughts with you. But your vet may have specific reasons for wanting to start with the 120 mg., and may already have consulted with other colleagues. In Mocha's case, the calcinosis cutis is definitely a consideration and an issue that many of the rest of us have not had to face. It has to be painful for Mocha and an ongoing infection risk. So it may be the case that your vet is wanting to be somewhat more aggressive about getting her cortisol level reduced quickly, rather than taking an extended period of time to "work up" with the medication.

The truth is, the beginning dose is a bit of a "craps shoot" for any given dog since every dog metabolizes the drug differently and dosage needs can end up varying widely. My own Lab only weighed about 65 pounds when we started treatment. At that time, the recommendation for his weight was 120 mg., so that's where we began (although it was twice the dose that Dechra is now verbally recommending). He immediately responded with improvement of his symptoms, but his cortisol level still remained higher than we wanted even on that dose which equalled 2 mg./lb. So I learned that you really can't predict in advance what the optimal dose will end up to be for any given dog.

Our experience here has been that dogs do seem to experience less side effects when they are started low and work their way upward. But the tradeoff can be a delay in symptom resolution. And in Mocha's case, that may not be the path that your vet wants to take. So this is a long way of saying that personally I would have been glad to see your vet starting Mocha at 90 mg. as a total daily dose (and if he wanted it to be twice-daily dosing, you could give a 60 mg. capsule in the morning and a 30 mg. capsule at night, for instance). But he may have his own reasons for thinking that 120 mg. will be the better dose in her case. Either way, I think it's really good that you are discussing the dosing with him further so that you will all be on the same page this week as Mocha starts off on her treatment!

Marianne

[apollo6]

I did look at picture . Mocha is a beautiful dog.
I pray the medication will help with her back.

I attached to sites and google on prices for Vetroyl. If you find a good price on the web, you just need your vet to call the persciption in. It is cheaper then buying from the vet. They get quiet a mark up.



http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=057ae20c-efea-490b-b89e-562663425dfe

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS229US229&q=trilostane+60+mg&wrapid=tlif12856375966562&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=7UWhTLD8H5CisQPa17V_&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CCsQrQQwAg

Wish I could give you input about Mocha's back.
Will be praying for you and Mocha
Hugs Sonja and Apollo.

[mypuppy]

Hi Lori and Brittany,
Haven't seen any updates on Mocha and was wondering how things are going? Thinking of all of you. luv and tight hugs. Xo Jeanette and licks from Princess

[Franklin'sMum]

Hi Lori, Brittany and Mocha :)

Hoping everything is going well for you all. Has your vet given you any prednisolone/ prednisone? It's strongly advised to have it on hand should any adverse reaction happen (diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, not eating, not drinking, anything out of character etc.) It replaces the cortisol if the body's levels have dropped too low, and will make Mocha (or any cush pup) feel better quickly. Mocha may not show any of the usual symptoms of too low cortisol, each pup is different and reacts differently, and the only sure-fire way to tell is to have a ACTH stim test done.

I know you're paying very close attention to her, and just wanted to pass that info along, as didn't see it in your thread. Having the pred is peace of mind, especially over the weekend, or after hours if you should happen to have a 'freak out' :eek: (Happens to us all :o) My previous vet recommended dosing at 1/2 mg pred per kg of dog.

A few of our members have found that their vet had been using the whole vial of cortrosyn or synacthen (the stim agents that can be used for the ACTH stim test) instead of just the amount needed. My Franklin is 7.6kg (16 lbs) and could get 7 tests from one vial, which makes it a heck of a lot less expensive than using an entire vial per stim test.

Oh, about the dosing, I remember reading something about a "skin to weight ratio". Which basically means that a bigger dog has more skin compared to it's weight, and a smaller dog has less skin to it's weight. As Sue (Zoe'sMom) said, we have seen a lot of bigger furbabies need less mg than what a smaller pup may need. (Previous vet has another cushpup that weighs 10 or 11kg, and last I heard is on 360mg Trilostane per day :eek::eek: (Up from 240, then 300mg) :eek:. So pretty much, it's whatever works for the individual.

Hope the gold bond/bond gold and anti-biotics are helping Mocha's neck. Please keep us updated.

Jane, Franklin and Bailey xxx

[choclab]

Thank you everyone for the helpful information. Sorry it has taken so long to respond, it's been a busy week!

Mocha started her medication on Saturday as you all know. We started her on 60mg, the vet prescribed her 120mg a day, but we were concerned how she would react to that much. We did take her to the vet Monday to get her wounds cleaned out. He said that it was infected and prescribed her another anti-biotic and he cleaned it out. It does look a little better today, but it is still bleeding a little bit. He also said we should up her medication to 120mg a day. So we did start that Tuesday. She has been doing well so far on that dose, but it should take about 14 days to start working. I am praying that it helps her and her skin starts to heal and she becomes happy and bounce around like she used too. :)

We did also get directions to an animal hospital closer to our house so if there is an emergency we are able to get her to help.

-Brittany

[labblab]

Brittany, thanks so much for the update. I'm really glad to hear that Mocha is doing well so far on the trilostane. And it is entirely possible that you will see improvement in some of her symptoms more quickly than 14 days -- I surely hope so! Is that when you will be taking her in for her first monitoring ACTH test?

Marianne

[choclab]

Jane, Franklin and Bailey, does the vet prescribe the prednisolone/ prednisone? Are you familiar with the cost of the medication? That is a great idea to have some of that around the house, I know my mom will be happy to hear about this idea because she is very worried about what "could" happen to Mocha if she does have too much cortisol. Thank you so much for bringing it up in the post!

Marianne, I do hope so too that we see improvements sooner than 14 days. She will have her first ACTH test in about 10-12 days I believe.


Xo, Brittany and Mocha

[mypuppy]

Hi Brittany
I know Jane explained to you about the prednisone and notice she's off line now so hope she and you do not mind my commenting. The prednisone can be purchased at your vets, and it is not costly at all. I paid a little over &10.00. Can't remember for how many pills but there were quite a few. BTW, as I have always understood it, I believe the prednisone is used on a pup in the event their cortisol levels drop too low, not high. You would know if they dropped too low if they become lethargic, vomit, have diarrhea, not eating, looks anorexic. As for seeing improvements of symptoms while she is on her med, as Marianne pointed out, you may even see some improvements before the 14 days. For my Princess, her symptoms resolved in a matter of 3-5 days, but again, they all respond differently. I do so hope you see quick results soon. let us know either way and oh that poor Mocha with her skin condition--I feel awful for her. I pray her skin issues resolve as well. Luv ya bunches. Xo Jeanette and Princess

[apollo6]

Will be praying for and Mocha.
If it helps each day, post how she is doing to get support and feed back from us. That's what I did when I first started. It really helped encourage me .
Hope Mocha's skin issues will heal.
Hugs Sonja and Apollo

[Franklin'sMum]

How's Mocha doing today?

(Jeanette, thank you and please do post clarifications in my absence. This time zone difference sometimes makes things difficult) :)

Jane, Franklin and Bailey xxx

[Sabre's Mum]

Welcome Lori, Brittany and Mocha … a little belated but I have been enjoying the warmth of the Cook Islands!

Marianne is quite correct that from all my research … calcinosis cutis is a definitive indicator of cushings.

Our Sabre, a Hungarian Vizsla – who is no longer with us, had calcinosis cutis. Sabre was treated with Lysodren so I cannot comment on the effectiveness on Trilostane in controlling calcinosis cutis. From our experience, once Sabre started his treatment with Lysodren, and his cortisol levels reduced, the calcinosis cutis was easier to manage. We tried many things to control the calcinosis cutis and try to prevent infections. Initially we tried Pyohex (?sp) – a chlorhexidine based medicated shampoo but we found that this only reddened his skin so we stopped this. I see that you have been given some chlorhexderm solution. How is that going for Mocha? Our vet said that some dogs cannot handle chlorhexidine so we changed to a product called Aloveen which is an oatmeal based shampoo which is left on the skin for five minutes. We were initially giving him a wash every three days drying him down, then dabbing the calcinosis areas with Epiotic scuffing any loose bits off gently. We also tried betadine on the areas as well. When we thought an infection looked likely (did this when only a small spot looked suspect) we put him on antibiotics. Our vet said that it was hard to control when infected so we tried to keep on top of any potential infections and tried to keep the areas as dry as possible. We also put a T-Shirt on him when he started to nibble on any areas. There is a product called DMSO which I found whilst doing some research a couple of years ago which some vets recommend to be used for calcinosis cutis but we are unable to get it in New Zealand so I never tried it.

As I said earlier, once Sabre was treated with Lysodren and his cortisol levels reduced, his hair grew back and the calcinosis cutis became manageable. In some dogs the calcium deposits rise to the surface, the skin heals and they disappear but in Sabre’s case this only happened in a couple of spots. He continued to live with large … what I would call plates in a number of areas – some as big as about 4 x 5cm. These never bothered him much … only when his cortisol levels became too low and he would try to nibble them or roll on his back wriggling side to side to try and scratch them. Once his hair grew back we never had an issue with infections.

There is a picture in my gallery which shows him with his calcinosis cutis … and no hair on the main part of back. http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=97&pictureid=783 And later when his hair is fully regrown … albeit more like a labrador’s coat! http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=97&pictureid=784

My understanding is that the light brown/black skin spots are just part of the cushings symptoms. Sabre also developed these as well.

Lori/Brittany is you do have any further queries please ask away.

All the best
Angela

[choclab]

Hey Everyone, what a day! First off, almost my whole family and i have a cold or flu of some sort~ sux!
At any rate, Mocha went to the vet today for her test. She has only been on the meds for 12 days yet she seemed a bit more "sleepy" than usual. Normally when we open a door or a cupboard she is up and coming! for past day or so she kind of waits to see if she "hears something good" like a cheese wrapper, ya know? Just not normal for her. With all the talk about watching for LETHARGIC BEHAVIORS I just didnt want to wait. We get the results tomorrow, so hopefully Brittany or myself can come on and post. She is on Veteroyl, 120 MG per day now.
Her skin is looking worse i am afraid. Not better. Makes me sad. I wonder if she is in pain, or just miserable. We really are doing everything we can to the best of our ability. We have switched cleanser. Before the speacilist had her just being cleaned with a light blue solution. A week later we took her to vet (after we posted that god awful photo!) and he gave her a smaller bottle with a thicker darker blue solution. I hear folks say that some dogs get redden by this- however both of our names have washed off bottles so i have NO IDEA what is inside! I can certainly call vet to find out....just at a loss here. We tried an oat meal bath a few days ago....we now notice she has a few more sores on her rump area along with one on her lower lip/cheek area. It is just terrible to see as i am sure many of you can imagine as you've experienced it yourselves.
The vet did perscribe an ointment today, Mupirocin 2%. He also gave her a free sample of a spray to use ( i will have to find the name on that) he has NEVER TRIED IT and wants us to pick one spot to use it on. He said he has heard good things on it, just wants to see how she will respond.
This morning she shook her head and actually **WARNING NOT FOR WEAK STOMACHS** a blood clot flew off! it was the size of medium butterfly. shaped that way too...I just couldnt believe. I put it in a small bag for vet as it almost looked like liver to me...not her liver i know...just very odd.... anyhow. indeed he said it was a clot. How long do we stay on the veteroyl before we do a 30 day clearing period, in order to switch meds? i just dont know if this will work. I am second guessing my self and MY VET everyday. I know he has great intentions (and recently i know he has a GREAT BANK ACCT!!) but intentions dont usually heal with out knowledge.
Ok, enough from me....its late...I am tired...though tomorrow morning i will still be tired...seems like i feel that way a bunch lately.
hope you all and your furry babies are doing good....
night,
Lori

[Sabre's Mum]

Hi Lori

Great to hear from you. I must warn you re the calcinosis cutis ... it does get worse before it gets better so do not despair. It was only after some time after Sabre's cortisol levels came down and his hair grew back before it appeared to get better


How long do we stay on the veteroyl before we do a 30 day clearing period, in order to switch meds? i just dont know if this will work.

As a past Lysodren user I will leave this up to those that use Trilostane to give their input on this one. If it were me I would want Mocha's cortisol levels to come down and some resolution of the calcinosis cutis. If I didn't see the latter happening, I would switch BUT this is difficult - as never using trilostane/vetoryl and not knowing the timing of the resolution of symptoms. Also skin issues and calcinosis cutis are one of the last to resolve themselves.

You are doing a great job ... watching Mocha ... let us know what the results are.



Angela and Flynn

[Bichonluver3]

Hello & welcome from us!
Chloe has just developed these lesions, also, and I am to hear from our vet tomorrow about the results from her repeat UT panel. Will let you know what he says. I have been applying Animax cream (which I had from the vet for another dog who had lesions from allergies) and the sores look better today. It is an antibiotic cream and I used it so sores would not get infected. Will be back tomorrow.
Carrol & Chloe

[choclab]

Hey everyone!!

Sorry it has taken us so long to reply back! Mocha has had two tests so far, and since she has been on the Vetyrol, she has improved so much!! She started on a dose of 60mg. She was on that for two weeks and then had a test done at the vet. Her cholesterol level was cut in half and the rest of her numbers were looking so much better! Our vet has upped her medication to 90mg and again, she had a test and her levels improved even more. Her sores took a while to start healing and closing up, but within about three weeks on the medication they started to heal. It has been about a month and a week since she started her meds and her wounds are all healed and there is even some hair starting to grow back :D

Although her sores have healed wonderful, her hair on her lower back is starting to fall out. We are not sure if it is because the medication she is on or not, but there are no sores underneath. Is the medication a form of chemotherapy? Our vet is unsure why it is falling out too. We recently asked around for a vet that knows more about Cushings and we found a vet who specializes in it and is close to our home!

Thank you guys for being so supportive and giving us feedback.
And again, I'm sorry we have taken so long to give an update!

[labblab]

Oh, this is terrific news about how well Mocha is doing!!! :) :) :)

Thanks so much for coming back to give us an update. And I think I may be able to reassure you a bit as to her hair loss. It is not uncommon for newly treated Cushpups to undergo a massive shedding episode. It seems to be related to the regeneration of the normal hair growth cycle after it was "short-circuited" while the illness was untreated. Here is a link to a recent thread where this very question was discussed in more detail. In this case, the owner is treating with Lysodren.

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2527

I'm guessing you will soon notice new baby hair growing back in those areas where Mocha is now shedding so profusely. Please do keep in touch and let us know. ;)

Marianne

[zoesmom]

Lori and Brittany and Mocha - What a fantastic update. And like Marianne, I agree that the loss of fur is from the reduction in cortisol. Around here we usually say they are blowing their coat. Sometimes it's massive shedding, sometimes it can be a horrendous case of 'dandruff' as the dead skin cells flake off. As an example of how the cortisol can affect both their skin/fur issues, my Zoe had her belly shaved for an u/sound and the fur didn't grow back for almost a year (even though her cortisol had come down significantly during that time.) Then, we upped her dose (think it was early Dec.) and when we came back from a Xmas trip, her belly fur was suddenly growing like crazy, where it had been bare for so long. About the same time, she developed the worst case of dandruff I've even seen (black dog, too :eek:). That also included a good bit of hair loss - no new bare spots thankfully. That went on for about 4 or 5 weeks and then finally it all settled down. Some say have noticed when their cush dogs blow their coats, a slightly different color fur will come in. Keep us posted! So happy for you and Mocha. Sue

[choclab]

Angela and Flynn, we did notice that Mochas wounds were getting a bit worse but eventually got so much better! They are all closed and new skin is over them and even a little hair is poking through! It looks funny, but at least hair is growing back in that area! Even though her wounds are closed up, her new skin looks REALLY dry. I don't know if I should put a non-scented lotion on it to help it get some moisture or if that is just normal?

Carrol & Chloe, has the vet given you the results from her repeat UT panel? How is she doing?! I'm so sorry to hear that she developed these lesions as well. They are not fun for us or the dog. I hope the vet gives you some answers.

Marianne, thank you for reassuring us with her hair loss. We are happy that there are no wounds underneath the hair like last time! It is still falling out, but not as bad!

Sue, we had to shave Mocha's stomach just like Zoe, for an ultrasound and her hair has yet to even come through. I was worried it just stopped growing. But thank you for sharing your story and I can't wait for Mocha's to start growing back! LOL.


Thank you everyone for your replies!


Brittany & Mocha

[choclab]

I am posting a new picture of Mocha's back. Her wounds were on top and you can see her hair loss on her back.

[Sabre's Mum]

Brittany and Lori

Fantastic news about Mocha's calcinosis cutis .... it definitely becomes easier once it heals up and hair starts growing! With regards to the dry skin it is just something that most dogs go through once starting treatment with Lysodren or Trilostane. Sometimes they will also lose hair as well... as you have seen with Mocha. Personally I would not use a non-scented lotion but would look at adding things like flaxseed oil or evening primrose oil to her food. This is what we did and it eventually comes right.

Angela and the playful Flynn (17 month Vizsla)

[Sabre's Mum]

I have just checked the pics of Mocha's back and it looks absolutely fantastic ... you must be SO relieved.

Angela and Flynn

[choclab]

Good Morning,
Thank you to all who have posted, it really is surprising how much she has healed. I think Mocha is getting a bit chilly now that the days/nights are getting colder. she sleeps with Brittany on her bed more often now then before, as well as takes naps in her own bed which i must say she had never gotten much use of. I have attempted to alter a man's large T-shirt to put on her yet it either seems tight at the neck or hands too low in the mid section. i have gone online and found a few Tshirts for larger dogs (and can i just say that finding clothes for a large dog is tough! if she were small i could by her everything from sweaters to freaking ballet shoes!! lol wheres the fairness in that!!!??) yet am wondering if anyone has had experience with tshirts or have a brand/sight they prefer?
thanks for your input, as usual Britt and I value your opinions :O)
happy sunday!!
Lori, Mocha, & Britt (now watch Britt will claim i LOVE MOCHA more as i put her before my 2 legged child!!! LOL)

[Harley PoMMom]

yet am wondering if anyone has had experience with tshirts or have a brand/sight they prefer?
thanks for your input, as usual Britt and I value your opinions :O)
happy sunday!!
Lori, Mocha, & Britt (now watch Britt will claim i LOVE MOCHA more as i put her before my 2 legged child!!! LOL)


Addy, Alison's suggestion is certainly cheaper and will do the trick but you can order special made sweaters for females. The problem with buying from Walmart and Petsmart is that most sweaters are unisex and do not cover the belly for obvious reasons. Here's a site that makes sweaters to your specifications and the belly is completely covered for females.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57588734/very-exclusive-design-hand-knitted-dog

I don't have any experience with the site that I quoted but Glynda does and I believe Addy just bought something there for her furbaby, Zoe. :)

[Sabre's Mum]

Hi Lori
When I used a t-shirt for Sabre we tried to tie a not underneath to pull the underside in. It mostly worked ... just be a bit of a problem sometimes if he popped out to go for a pee :( .... and I hadn't quite got it right. He was neutered early so did not cock his leg. He also had a fleece jacket and a "Drizabone" jacket which was flannel lined.

All the best
Angela and Flynn

[princessdaddy]

Hello my Princess was recently diagnosed with Cushing's. I would like to know how your pup is doing now in 2014 Thank you princessdaddy