Sophie, 8 yr old Boston Terrier

[Sophie's mom]

Hi all. I've never joined a support group before. I feel like by doing so here, it just confirms this horrible diagnosis for Sophie that I've tried to deny. So it hurts to register and type all this out, but I know that there is help for us here in your feedback. Thanks. I'll post more details about Sophie's condition and test results soon. Sandra

[labblab]

Dear Sandra,

I am so glad you've found us :), although I surely can understand your very mixed feelings :o. Receiving a diagnosis such as Cushing's can be such a double-edged sword. It can be both a relief (to finally know and understand what is causing the problems) and a burden (feeling so overwhelmed by diagnostics and testing and treatment options). But we will help you and Sophie in every way that we can. So here's a big "Welcome" to you both! And we'll be watching for your additional postings.

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Sandra,

Welcome to you and Sophie! :)

Yeah, joining a group that blatantly says it is for canine Cushing's can be a challenging task. Folks don't come here and post out of curiosity; they come because they have a need driven by a disease they don't understand and which terrifies them. And it is doubly hard to face the fact that your own sweet baby could have this disease.

But, join you did, which tells me that you are one heck of a mom. You are reaching out to find help for Sophia and that says a lot. And you have hit the jack-pot here at K9C! :D

Honey, I was a total basket-case when I got here. I think my first post was several pages long and most of it was incomprehensible. :o People wrote back but they spoke in Greek as far as I was concerned. Everything I read was in Greek, nothing anyone said made any sense to me at all. The only thing that was clear in my mind was, "OMGOMGOMG my baby is sick!! :eek:" A dear friend here later told me she saw me as a woman with her hair standing on end as if she had stuck her finger in a light socket. She kindly left out the bulging eyes and flying slobber! :eek::p

But the wonderful folks took my hand and gently led me along until I could begin to understand just a little bit. The more I learned the calmer I became. I would like to say that I became saner, but I don't ever see that happening! ;):p As you learn more, your fear will become less and less, and you will feel more comfortable dealing with Sophia's condition. Knowledge truly is power when dealing with Cushing's. You are her first and last defense, her only voice, her advocate, and the more you know the stronger you will be in these roles. But don't panic - we are here to help you every step of the way.

So to help us help you we need some info so now we will play 20 Questions. ;)

How old is Sophia? What breed(s)? Is she spayed? How old is she? How much does she weigh? Does she have any other health problems? Is she on any meds, supplements or herbs and if so what, why, and how much? How did the Cushing's diagnosis come about - did you see signs and take her in or did the vet see something? Is she showing any signs like voracious appetite, excess drinking and peeing, loss of housebreaking, hair loss especially on the legs and/or tail, weakness in the back legs, frequent UTIs or skin infections, changes in the color and feel of the skin? What tests were done to determine Cushing's? If you have those actual results, it would help us a great deal if you would post them along with the units of measurement and normal values for that lab. Did your vet rule out diabetes and hypothyroidism? Have you been given any meds to treat the Cushing's? If so, which drug, how much, and how often? Are you sick of questions yet? :p

Don't worry about the length of your post. When you are ready, tell us everything you can about Sophia. The more we know, the more meaningful feedback we will be able to offer. Plus, we just love details! ;):D

Please check out our Helpful Resource section. It is full of useful info! You can find it here:

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

And here are a few more links that I found very helpful:

http://www.lbah.com/canine/cushings.htm

http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html

http://www.newmanveterinary.com/CushingDiag.html

Hang in there! You are off to a great start. You and Sophia are not alone on this journey. We will be with you every step of the way - offering our experience, first-hand knowledge, and support anytime you need....all you gotta do is holler!

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls :D - always

[lulusmom]

Hi Sandra and welcome to you and Sophie.

I usually ask a bunch of annoying questions but I am happy to say that Leslie has already asked every question I could possibily think of at the moment. Good job, Leslie! We'll all be waiting to hear more about your sweet girl and I look forward to getting to know both of you much better.

Glynda

[StarDeb55]

Sandra, welcome to both you & your girl, Sophie! I seriously know that a diagnosis of Cushing's can be absolutely overwhelming, I've been through it twice. I just want to let you know that it is not a death sentence, & that with proper treatment your girl can live out her normal lifespan with a great quality of life. My first boy, Barkley, was successfully treated with Lysodren for nearly 8 years, crossing the bridge at 15. My little Shih Tzu, Harley, was diagnosed at 13, & was successfully treated with lysodren for 2 1/2 years. He crossed the bridge in early October from causes totally not related to his Cushing's.

The best thing you can do to help Sophie is to read up on all aspects of Cushing's becoming a knowledgable owner as you are her only voice & advocate. We are looking forward to hearing more.

Debbie

[Sophie's mom]

Thank you for the kind greeting and warm words. I read this forum for several hours last nite once I found it. I was amazed at how embracing, supportive and informative everyone was. I'm still a little numb from finding all this out about Soph. I'm not much of a talker, but please know I will read and absorb all that I can. I am also impressed with everyone's medical prowess--I can barely just talk about this now, but expect to get up to speed quickly. I look at Soph as I type this and she's relaxing in the sun, having just begged part of my lunch....still hard to believe. Just like all of you, she is my baby and my husband dotes on her as well. Our (human) kids are in college, so Soph gets all the attention and hugs.

Sophie will be 9 in March. She's a Boston Terrier and weighs 19 lbs, which is about 1.5 lbs too much, but she's always been a little beefy. No ongoing health issues prior to this.

During her annual vet checkup in August, she had her blood profile done. (I'll need to stop here to say that I just don't have the knack of describing medical terms or tests as well as many of you do, but I'll do my best) I had recently followed my beloved vet from her previous practice to a new one. The old practice had nice software that she could recap the visit in writing with all of the particulars and test results. The new practice is not as advanced, but she is a superb vet and her expertise I feel, far outweighs the convenient office technology. So I don't have or remember the exact issues on the blood work that prompted the closer look, but she had us come back for a thyroid and urine test. I had also mentioned to her that Soph was drinking more water in the evening and had wet her crate a time or two in the past 6 mos, which was highly unusual. I had not noticed any unusual panting, although Sophie always responds to high stress situations (doorbell, fireworks, vet visits) by panting. Tummy was always a little large.

10-11-10:
Urine - 10007 s/b 10015 to 10050, so somewhat diluted. Thyroid - T4 .8 1-4 is normal Free T4 = 11 8-40 is normal From this she concluded that there was no hyperthyroidism and nothyroid meds needed Ultrasound suggests pituitary dependent


10-25-10 ACTH Stim results 30.7 with 5.5-20 as normal a blood pressure test was also done this day with normal results

11-4 - Vet confirms Cushings and suggests Trilostane. I respond that if treatment is needed, I want to start mid-Dec so I can take time off work to be home with her--vet agrees but cautions not to wait too long

11-29 - second ultrasound and liver biopsy of two nodules of interest. Waiting for those results now. Vet and radiologist believe the nodules are cushings related but need to confirm prior to starting Trilostane.

Now that I know what I know...I see much more water drinking and standing at the door to be let out. She does seem hungrier--wanted to eat sand on the beach during our recent vacation. And, sadly, in the last few days, both of us have noticed some instability in her hind legs---standing with them awkwardly placed.

So thats what I know up until now - and until I get the call with results from the 11-29 tests. I see now I need to keep much better records of her test results in order to best manage this.

Sorry for the long post...Again, thank you for all of your kind words.

[Sophie's mom]

left this out---she is spayed and takes a daily Cosequin supplement. She has always eaten Nutro Natural lamb and rice with a little boiled chicken (tsp) shredded on it.

[littleone1]

Hi Sandra,

Corky and I also want to welcome you and Sophie. As you have already found out, this is a wonderful group of very caring, supportive and knowledgeable people. They have a great deal of experience.

I know I felt the same way when Corky was diagnosed with Cushings. I never heard of it before. But thanks to our family here, they have really helped Corky and me get through so much.

I wish you and Sophie the best.

Terri