Question re Lysodren and Loss of Appetite

[Wyatt]

Wyatt is my 11 yr old Border Collie/Shepherd mix who was diagnosed w/C.D. recently, and has just started Lysodren. This is his 6th day and until now I was overjoyed he wasn't experiencing any side effects (diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, etc.). However, tonite he decided he wasn't hungry and hasn't eaten a thing. Could not even tempt him with a Thinker (salmon stick). He did drink the water I placed before him. Didn't drink excessively. Will be calling vet tomorrow (Wed). Just wondered if I s/b worried.

[AlisonandMia]

Hi and welcome.

It sounds very much like his cortisol has gone too low.

When did he last have a Lysodren dose? And did your vet tell you to stop dosing as soon as you saw any signs (like slight decrease in appetite) that his cortisol was now down within range.

Do you have prednisone on hand and/or do you have access to emergency care?

Alison

[frijole]

I agree that the cortisol could be low. Make sure you do not give any more lysodren.

Its a little late but here are instructions to follow when giving lysodren during the 'loading phase'. You need to set up an appt to have an acth test done and the electrolytes checked.

No more lysodren until the cortisol levels are measured. Please keep us posted. Thanks, Kim

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181

[Wyatt]

Good evening. Wyatt is apparently on a decline. He did not eat this a.m. and yes - the Vet did say that any sign of abnormal activity, I was to stop the meds immediately. That wasn't hard to figure out since I was s'posed to give him Lysodren on a full stomach anyway. He has since stopped drinking water, and can barely walk. I don't know if that's his hip dysplasia getting worse, or if it's the Cushings (loss of muscle mass)...maybe a combo of the two. Tomorrow a.m. I am taking him to the Vet so that they can do an ACTH test. Since his Cushings is NOT pituitary based,but rather there's a mass on his adrenal gland, it's also possible the mass is malignant rather than benign. The Vet originally had told me the majority of cases, the mass is benign. Sadly, the operation to remove the mass is $5000!! Ugh. I also can have an ultrasound (?) to see if the tumor is malignant or benign. That costs only $200. Thanks to all those who responded. I feel better knowing others are out there and that I"m not alone. All I feel like doing lately is crying over him. :*-( He's got so much spirit that I feel like he's fighting to stay alive. Oh -another weird thing - he seems like he can't always hear me...not responsive and when I step in front of him, he acts surprised to see me, and puzzled as to who I am. Reminds me of dementia. Is that a side effect too I wonder?

Thank you!

[frijole]

I'm not sure if you read the link I sent but please do. Also - do you have prednisone on hand? You are describing signs of an overdose/too much lysodren. You need to call your vet NOW and describe the symptoms and give the dog some prednisone.

If you can't get ahold of your vet I would give the amount of prednisone on the bottle out of caution. IT will give your dog relief in a few hours.

If you don't have prednisone I would take your dog to an emergency vet right now so your dog can get some prednisone.

Please answer these questions asap. These are classic signs of too much lysodren. Kim

[AlisonandMia]

I don't think you can be sure at this stage that Wyatt really is in some sort of decline. It sounds very, very much like he simply has low cortisol levels. Low cortisol makes them feel absolutely awful (probably like a nasty 'flu) and very, very week and frail. A dose of prednisone will usually pick them up very quickly. If they haven't been low for too long they often bounce back within an hour of being given prednisone. If they have been staggering around feeling horrible for many hours or days then it can take a bit longer for them to feel well again.

How was the adrenal tumor diagnosed? Really the only way to diagnose adrenal Cushing's is to do an ultrasound - there is no blood test that can conclusively diagnose an adrenal tumor although some can point to the possibility. So if you haven't had an ultrasound done it is still possible that Wyatt's Cushing's is pituitary. Unfortunately, ultrasound can't really tell you if the tumor is malignant or benign although if the tumor is really large then that would suggest strongly that it likely was malignant. With adrenal tumors in dogs about 50% are malignant and 50% are benign.

Regarding his not being able to hear you and being surprised when you turn up in front of him, it sounds like he is most likely going deaf. When older dogs go deaf it tends to happen very rapidly - or at least it becomes noticeable very suddenly. If he is going deaf then it is unlikely to be related to either the Cushing's or its treatment - more just an older dog thing.

Please don't give up on him yet - his current problems are very likely just the result of low cortisol and all he needs is some prednisone to supplement the cortisol he can no longer produce for himself. When he has the ACTH stim test done he should have his electrolytes checked too.

Alison

[frijole]

Hi from me again! Checking in to see how you and your dog are doing this morning. Kim