what's best for Buffy? (16 y/o miniature poodle) Vetoryl

[alan&mary]

Buffy,our 16yr old miniture poodle has just been diagnosed with Cushings and our vet has recommended that we try Vetoryl.Because of several reasons,we're delaying giving her this drug(or any other cushings drug).Buffy is still very active and enjoys her food,a special gastro formula.
The only symptoms she has at present is the frequent drinking and urinating...we let her out about 6-8 times a day.
Our question is...should we give her the medication and at this age,risk having her quality of life ruined by possible side effects?

[mytil]

Hi and welcome to our site.

I have a few questions to ask.

What tests were performed to diagnose Cushing's. The diagnostic process is the most critical in that there are other conditions that mimic some of the symptoms of Cushing's (diabetes, thyroid problems for example).

Given that your dog only has the symptom of excess drinking/urination, is your dog consuming more food?

I am not a vet and I do not have all the information to make a recommendation for you not to start Vetoryl.

I look forward to your reply
Terry

[Harley PoMMom]

Welcome to you and Buffy from me and my boy, Harley. So sorry for the circumstances that brought you here but glad you found this forum.

Could you tell us how the Cushing's was confirmed, what test/s were done on Buffy? Is Buffy taking any herbs/supplements/medications? Was a CBC/Chemistry blood panel done and if so could you post anything on there that is marked abnormal with the reference ranges and the units of measurements.

Cushing's is one of the hardest diseases to diagnose, strong symptoms are a huge part of making the diagnosis. If frequent drinking and urinating are her only symptoms was diabetes ruled out? A Cushing's savvy vet will not initiate any treatment without strong symptoms and a proper diagnosis.

If Buffy does have Cushing's the good news is that Cushing’s is a treatable disease. Delivery of competent and humane medical care by a skilled GP and/or specialist experienced in the diagnosis and management of Cushing’s has a significant impact on patient survival and well-being. With proper medical management, close monitoring and owner observation, most Cushingoid pets can live to their full life expectancy, with complete or partial resolution of clinical signs, and good quality of life!

Please remember you are not alone on this journey, we are here to help you in any way we can.

Love and hugs,
Lori

Links to Cushings Websites (especially helpful for new members!)
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180

[apollo6]

Welcome .
You are smart not to rush into medication. First what tests where done to determine Buffy has cushings.(full blood panel, ultrasound of abdominal,urinalysis,ACHT STIM (test how high cortisol level is)) Secondly , you need to know which kind of cushing Buffy has. Cushing is a very complicated disease and can mask other illnesses.
this is a link explaining the disease.
http://kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html
Don't rush into treatment right away. Read up on it first. Ask us questions and post the tests already done.

[alan&mary]

Thank you everyone for your quick response.
In the past 2 weeks Buffy has undergone several tests,one of which has eliminated diabetes(urinalysis)...then later that week she had a Vetscan comprehensive diagnostic profile(14+ Lasercyte CBC),cortisol test x 3,Dexamethasone injection and a blood differential evaluation.As result of these tests,our vet told us that she has Pituitary Cushings.
We monitor her fluid intake and frequency of urination.
She's not on any herbal supplements and for many years the only medication that she's been on is Flagyl for her bowels.

[Harley PoMMom]

In the past 2 weeks Buffy has undergone several tests,one of which has eliminated diabetes(urinalysis)...then later that week she had a Vetscan comprehensive diagnostic profile(14+ Lasercyte CBC),cortisol test x 3,Dexamethasone injection and a blood differential evaluation.As result of these tests,our vet told us that she has Pituitary Cushings.

Could you get copies of these tests and post the results here for us, you need only post the abnormal findings with the reference ranges and the units of measurements...example...(ug/dl). This would really help us alot...Thanks!!

Love and hugs,
Lori

[alan&mary]

Sorry to have taken so long in acknowledging your messages.
We are satisfied that our vets' diagnosis is accurate and that Buffy does indeed suffer from Cushings.Our big concern has been our fear of Buffys' quality of life being comprimised by her taking Vetoryl.Since we last posted,Buffy has been on a 10mg daily dose.Today is day#4 and so far there have been no side effects and for that matter,no improvement either.Our vet wants us to give her this dose for 2 weeks(Buffy weighs 11lbs.) then we take her in for blood tests,which I believe is normal procedure.We continue to jounal the frequency of her urinating(8-9 times daily) and we measure her daily water consumption(2 cups a day)We really appreciate the support and advise that you have given us and we'll post weekly updates of her progress.
Since she was an 8wk. old puppy,she has been very good at letting us know when she needs to go out(we have a springy backdoor-stop that she "twangs" to let us know) Lately she has had a couple of accidents and on each occassion has behaved very"ashamed"...tail between legs.It's at these times that we pick her up and lovingly give her that extra dose of TLC....

[littleone1]

Corky and I also want to welcome you and Buffy.

10mg a day to start at Buffy's weight would be at the low end of the dosing range. Has Buffy been tested for a UTI? When Corky first started showing cushings symptoms, which included accidents in the house, which he never had before, he was also diagnosed with having 2 UTIs. Once the UTIs were cleared up, the accidents stopped.

Corky has been taking compounded Trilo for 16 months, and his quality of life has definitely improved.

Some cushpups respond more quickly to the meds than others. Corky started showing improvement within a few days. I'm hoping that you will soon start seeing improvement in Buffy.

Terri

[lulusmom]

Hi Alan and Mary,

You are one of very few members who come here and are knowledgable enough about cushing's to know that their vet made a correct diagnosis. Congratulations on doing your homework. Some of us learned the hard way that our dogs would ultimately pay the price for our decision to place blind faith in our gp vets. Until I got here, I had no idea how many gp vets are clueless about cushing's nor was I ware that it is difficult canine condition to diagnose, which makes it the number one most misdiagnosed condition as well. That's why we ask members to please post the results of tests.

Since you have been an excellent advocate for Buffy and know that your vet has done a thorough job of testing before confirming a diagnosis, can you give us a thumbnail of the steps your vet took. I personally would be very interested to know if a urine culture was done to rule out bacterial infection. Dogs with cushing's have dilute urine so the white cells are diluted out which is why a culture must be done. Do you know if this was done? I am sure your vet knows that a urinary tract infection or bladder and kidney stones can cause some of the same blood abnormalities seen in cushing's, all share the symptom of excessive drinking and peeing and all can cause a false positive LDDS result but I thought I would ask anyway.

Looking forward to hearing more about the test results.

Glynda