My 9 yr Doxie Gus may have cushings

[Gusmonster]

Gus went in for a senior blood panel before a dental surgery and the vet called saying his liver values came back high plus elevated triglyceried (sp) and cholesterol. Vet cancelled the dental and wants Gus to take a test next week for cushings - he has to go in for a cortisol shot at 8am and then be tested at noon and again at 4pm to test his levels. I never heard of cushings til yesterday and Gus seems perfectly healthy and happy.
He does have three little pink growths around one ear that the vet said looked benign and about six months ago he stopped using his step-stools to get on the couch or bed and waits for me to pick him up instead. I just figured it was age. Other then that theres nothing different from the way he's always been. But now I'm sick at heart worrying about this test.:(

[addy]

Hi and welcome,

We all get scared when we hear the word for the first time but Cushings is a very hard disease to diagnose. Not any one test is perfect. While vets will look at certain blood abnormalities, it is not always Cushings causing them. We have some wonderful articles in our research section and you should start your journey there. Strong symptoms are a huge part of making a correct diagnosis and most Cushing savvy vets will not start treatment without them. Cushings is a slowly progressing disease so it is seldom an emergency to start treatment. You need to feel confident of the diagnosis.


So breathe in, breathe out, sit back and start learning about the disease. Others will be along soon.

Welcome again. You are no longer alone.

hugs,
Addy

[mytil]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Here is a great link to sites that offers some great explanations to Cushing's, the testing and treatments - http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180

We are all here to help.

Terry

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome from me as well,

It sounds like Gus is going to have a LDDS (low-dose dexamethasone suppression) test performed. It is a sensitive test but the LDDS test can create false positives when non-adrenal illnesses or stress are present.

Elevated triglycerides, cholesterol, and liver enzymes are also associated with thyroid problems. Has your vet ruled out any thyroid problems or diabetes?

Strong symptoms are a huge part of making the Cushing diagnosis, does Gus display any Cushing symptoms such as excessive thirst/drinking and a ravenous appetite?

Is Gus on any herbs/supplements/medicines? Sorry for all the questions but the more we know about Gus the better our feedback will be, ok?

Looking forward to hearing more about your sweet boy.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[Gusmonster]

Thanks everyone for responding so quickly. This all started for us the day before yesterday. We went for his regular yearly check-up and I expected the usual a-ok he always gets except I knew he'd need his teeth cleaned. Gus has never been sick or had any medications at all, no supplements or anything. He eats a premium holistic dog food with no chemicals or preservatives and when we have meat he gets little pieces off my plate. He is a little bit over-weight and that's been our biggest challenge til now.
Lori, Gus hasn't been checked for diabetes or thyroid but I'll make sure to ask the vet to look for those. You say stress can put his liver values up? Could it be only stress? Gus HATES riding in the car, gets all shaky, panting and whining but when he sees we're at the vet he tries to get back in the car and I have to peel him off me so the vet can look at him. I don't know why, he's never been hurt there but he hates it.
As far as symptoms there's nothing I would even have thought about mentioning to the vet two days ago but now I'm second guessing myself. Is he drinking more water? Hungrier than usual? He does have a bald spot on his tail, the little pink growths around one ear and several circular dark pigment spots on his tummy ( he loves to sunbathe ) and he doesn't jump up on his step-stools anymore. But he still wants his three daily walks, wants to play all the time, eats really well and seems his own sweet, happy self.
I'll know more after his appointment on Tuesday I hope. Til then I'll be reading about cushings so I can advocate for him if it comes to that. I just want him to be well and happy. Thanks for the help and support, Deb and Gus.

Edited to add: What scares me most is the vet seemed pretty sure it would be cushings. Told me right off about the tests, treatments and side effects of treatment like he was pretty sure that was it.

[frijole]

When you go in be sure to get a copy of the blood tests that were done and post anything that was high or low as well as the range for normal so we can get a better feel for what is going on. Also get copies of every test you have done. You'll need them later on. :)

If it was a full blood panel then you would have a reading for glucose so you could rule in or out diabetes.

It bothers me that your vet is convinced your dog has cushing's because you really haven't mentioned the typical symptoms. Rule number one is never treat a dog without symptoms. So even if this test comes back positive - I wouldn't treat. This is based on the experience of specialists in the field and is written frequently in articles published to vets.

Alot of vets do not have a lot of experience in treating cushings. It is hard to diagnose and you cannot get a definitive diagnosis without doing multiple tests.

You are doing great by getting up to speed and we of course will answer any questions you have. Keep us posted ok? And yes, stress will effect the test.

Kim

[Gusmonster]

Thank you, Kim. That Gus doesn't have the typical symptoms is the best thing I've heard for three days. :) And believe me noone will be putting any meds in my baby til I know what's going on.

I've read on here alot that cushings is a slow progressing disease. Since Gus really doesn't have any symptoms yet does that mean he could go months without treatment or years? Please say years. And is there anything at this early stage that I could do to delay the progression even more, special foods or supplements?

I should just wait and see what happens with Tuesdays test before asking all these questions but it's hard to wait as I'm sure you all understand. Thanks, Deb and Gus

[frijole]

:) If I had to guess.. years not months.

Regarding what you can do now...... with the high triglicerides I would look at diet. FYI cush dogs cannot tolerate fat and require a low fat yet high protein diet. There are tons of things that cause elevated liver enzymes. I am a believer in the use of milk thistle for the liver. It helped my gal Haley a great deal. At least the numbers went down and she lived to be 16 1/2 so something I did was right. ;) I just bought regular capsules at any health food store, Walgreens etc. Pour the powder into the food. I gave Haley 1/2 a capsule mixed in food in the morning and 1/2 at night. Easy to do - no real taste so dogs eat it.

Most of us discovered cushings by accident because the symptoms could be so many things including old age. My point is they went for years without treatment because we didn't know... absolutely no reason to rush into anything.. if your dog had serious symptoms you would know it.

We are here to help. Hang in there and don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all cushings rookies at one time. :p Kim

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Deb,

Cushing's is truly a slow progressing disease so until Gus displays some overt symptoms treatment is not recommended. When the signs will be obvious I really can not say because all dogs are different and react differently but I will be hoping and praying that you will never have to treat Gus for Cushing's.

This is really no way to prevent the onset of Cushing's. The only things I can recommend is feeding a good quality high protein food that has no fillers or by-products listed. You posted that Gus's triglycerides and cholesterol are elevated so you might want to ask your vet about feeding him a moderate fat diet maybe a diet that contains less than ten percent fat.

If his liver enzymes are also elevated check with your vet about giving Gus either milk thistle or denamarin. These supplements help with liver function.

We are here for you so please do not hesitate to ask any and all questions.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[addy]

Hi Deb,

I waited a year to start treatment with my Zoe. Our first vet tried to scare me into treating her by telling me all her hair would fall out in 3 months. That did not happen. I took my time and educated myself.

Treating Cushings, is seldom an emergency.

Hang in there,
Addy

[Gusmonster]

Hey guys,
Well, we got thru the big day of tests and we'll have the results tomorrow or Thursday. Keep your fingers crossed!

I made a list of questions for the vet from your suggestions and my reading here but luckily our vet is used to that from me :D

Thanks for all the support, Deb and Gus

[Gusmonster]

Yeah!! Gus does NOT have cushings :) :) :)

His Thyroid and sugar are within normal range as well tho his liver values are still a little high and they still want me to take him to a specialist for an ultrasound before they give him his dental. Said maybe the beginnings of arthritis ? but at least no cushings.:)

[lulusmom]

Congratulations! Please keep us posted on the results of the ultrasound.