9yr old Newfy

[kulataz]

Hi there,

I have come back today from a colourflow doppler check on my Newfy Darcey after couple of strange episodes in her life.

When they checked her today her heart rate was 250 BPM which fluctuated between 100 adn 250 irregularly. Twice now she has collapsed for a few days and was like she was in pain, eight months apart. Because of her breed and the high rate my vets diagnosed DCM but today her heart was given a healthy thumbs up apart from the hight bpm.

I have been reading up on Cushings as the heart specialist mentioned adrenaline levels could cuse her symptoms.

Basically I am trying to find out if anyone else has ever had a dog with cushings having a heart rate of above 200?

Many thanks

Graham

[lulusmom]

Hi Graham and welcome to the forum.

Dogs with cushing's have high levels of cortisol and in most cases, other adrenal hormones which commonly increase blood pressure. Hypertention most definitely will increase the heart rate so it is very possible that members have reported high heart rates but I can't remember any specific thread. The symptoms you mention seem to fit DCM as opposed to cushing's. Please take a look at the symptoms for DCM and let us know if Darcey had any of the symptoms commonly associated with cushing's, like extreme hunger, dilute urine, excessive drinking and peeing, panting, thinning or loss of coat and thinning skin, which bruises easily.

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/cardiovascular/c_dg_cardiomyopathy_dilated

Glynda

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Graham
Welcome to you and your Newfy. Glad you found us. I just wanted to mention that my Roxee had a high heart rate, much higher than her litter-mate sister. I don't recall what her heart rate was but Vet always mentioned that it was much higher than Rozee's.

Roxee had cushings..... Rozee does not.

[littleone1]

Hi Graham,

Corky and I also want to welcome you and Darcey. I really don't don't have any input about the heart rate, as Corky's never had any issues with it.

You have found a wonderful group of people that have a lot of knowledge and experience, and provide feedback on many issues with our furbabies. I'm glad you found us.

Terri

[kulataz]

Hi All,

Many thanks for the warm welcome for myself and Darcey. Here is a piccy of her lying down from few years ago

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/kulataz13/Digsig.jpg

Anyway in answer to your questions I woould say she has a few of the Cushings symptoms. She hs always been a drinker(and a originally a padller in water) of water but I would say recently she is drinking more and is actually learning to lift the toilet seat to drink.....yuk, minger. She also can hold pee in very well but when she does go its like she aint gonna stop, sometimes feels like over 30 seconds she pees for.

When we originally noticed something was going wrong she had to be rushed into the vets for few days as it was like she had been poisoned. During this time she was shaved to scan her tummy and now nearly nine months later it has not grown back in. I have also noticed that her undercoat that Newfies should have is nearly all gone. She is very reluctant to walk too far and is very unstable on her feet.

Graham

[lulusmom]

Hi Graham and thanks for your reponse. I have a few comments below in blue but first I want to say that Darcey is gorgeous and so are the other two furbutts in the first picture.


Hi All,

She hs always been a drinker(and a originally a padller in water) of water but I would say recently she is drinking more and is actually learning to lift the toilet seat to drink.....yuk, minger. She also can hold pee in very well but when she does go its like she aint gonna stop, sometimes feels like over 30 seconds she pees for.

Dogs with cushing's lose their ability to concentrate their urine so they pee alot, causing them to drink alot. If they don't drink enough, they can become severely hydrated and possibly die. Urine is extremely dilute and urine specific gravity is low. Did your vet do a urinalysis, including a urine culture? If so, can you share the results with us?

When we originally noticed something was going wrong she had to be rushed into the vets for few days as it was like she had been poisoned.

This is not something we see with cushing's. When was the last time your vet ran a blood chemistry for Darcey? Can you get copies and post the abnormal values here, including the normal reference ranges? I'd like to see if there is any similarity to the abnormalities we see with cushdogs.

During this time she was shaved to scan her tummy and now nearly nine months later it has not grown back in. I have also noticed that her undercoat that Newfies should have is nearly all gone.

Newfoundlands are a double coated breed and these breeds seem to be predisposed to a condition known as post clipping alopecia. This is a pretty benign condition and is cosmetic as opposed to medical. I am not quite sure about the loss of undercoat though. I can tell you that there is a definite hair loss pattern with cushing's, being primarily on the torso, with normal coat on head and feet.

She is very reluctant to walk too far and is very unstable on her feet.

Exercise intolerance is a symptom of cushing's, as is muscle weakness caused by the catabolic effect of excess cortisol. Muscle wasting makes a dog pretty weak, especially in the hindquarters. However, the symptoms you describe are not exlusive to cushing's and could be caused by any number of other conditions, including hip and spine problems.


Graham, have you discussed your concerns about cushing's with your vet and if so, are you planning on moving forward with testing?

[kulataz]

Hi and thanks for your comments about my darling Darcey. She is an ex winner at Crufts and has pulled carts for many parades and has done water rescue including tests and charity events.

At the moment I am learning a lot about a lot of things. At first my vet thought it was DCM but the heart specialist who is a Newfy expert has given her heart a clean bill of health apart from the high heart rate. I am trying to make sense of the symptoms I can see and try and find a cure for her or even something to help her. There were bloods taken last year but were DCM specific, with one of the values being high pointing to DCM( I cannot remember what it is but will try and get the values). I mentioned Cushings a long time ago to the vet but have not mentioned it again to him. We have not had urine tests done but yes I will be having a chat with him after he has spoken to the heart specialist. To be honest I had not heard of the post clipping alopecia and yes it could be that.

I plan to research as much as I can and try and narrow down the possibilities. all tests up until now were for DCM but now we know its not that we have to look for something else. If cushings can be checked for easily I will get it done unless you specifically say she does not have it. I bow to your obvious experience. Its all a bit new to me for now but I really really appreciate the help you hve given.

Graham

[lulusmom]

Hi Graham,

Since it's been so long since bloodwork was done, if I were in your shoes, I think I'd start with a senior panel. I'm not convinced that Darcey has cushing's but if she does, there are certain blood and urine abnormalities that are red flags for a vet experienced with cushing's. With the increase in drinking and large volumes of urine, I would definitely want a full urinalysis with a urine culture. If Darcey's urine is dilute, a culture is needed to really see the population of white blood cells due to being diluted out. If Darcey has hypertension, your vet should have checked kidney values. Do you know if this was done?

Testing for cushing's is an expensive proposition so unless or until Darcey is displaying problematic symptoms, I personally would not pursue cushing's until the vet has ruled out more likely causes for the few symptoms you are seeing.