Vetoryl and Novifit ok to take together?

[shadylover]

My brother's dog shady is a 14 year old adorable, sweet, smaller lab mix (approx 40-45 lbs) and has been diagnosed with Cushings for about 3 years. She currently takes 30mg Vetoryl 2x day and 1.5mg Meloxicam. She is also on a glucosamine (bad arthritis) and thyroid supplement. She has been on the medication for a few years and gets regular checkups/testing but still seems to have Cushing's symptoms, poor/patchy coat, hair loss, muscle wasting, panting, trembling of the hind legs, drinking excess water and has started urinating indoors at times. Over the last year or so she seems to have some senile behaviors occurring as well...not as responsive, wanders, sleeps alone in living room (always slept in bedroom), etc. I have heard Novifit can do wonders but was wondering if it was ok to take with Vetoryl/Meloxicam? She has a thyroid issue as well and spends her day obsessing over food, digging through the trash, jumping on counters to get food, etc. She is on medication for that as well although I am dog-sitting right now and do now know which med it is.

Also, it seems recently her cushings symptoms have worsened. Do you think she perhaps needs a higher dosage and I should bring it up to the vet? What are your thoughts on the best commercial dog food for a cushing's dog? Thank you for your help. Any suggestions on the cushings, arthritis treatment or thyroid issue are appreciated!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome!

Some of the symptoms that Shady is displaying, such as excessive drinking and urination, can indicate diabetes or an UTI, has Shady been checked for diabetes recently? With an UTI there may be a odor and/or blood in her urine. These same clinical signs also can mean that her cortisol has risen and an ACTH stim test should be done before a dose adjustment is made. Could you post Shady's most recent ACTH stim test for us.

Concerning treatment for arthritis some members use some or all of the following: glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, Omega fatty acids, adequan shots, and duralactin.

From my reading the active ingredient in Novifit is SAMe. To my knowledge there is no interactions between the two. Anipryl is also used for canine cognitive dysfunction and can be used with Vetoryl.

Has Shady's vet been doing thyroid therapeutic monitoring via blood tests? It is vital that thyroid monitoring be done 4-6h post pill.

Please know we will help in any way we can so do not hesitate to ask any and all questions. ;):)

Love and hugs,
Lori

[shadylover]

Thank you Lori! I don't think its a uti as its very sporadic and there is no smell/blood present but I will have them check. She's been checked in the past and its always been negative. As far as diabetes, that is something that I don't believe they have checked. I will get the most recent results and post them in the next day or two. Thanks for your help!

[labblab]

Welcome from me, too!

First and foremost, I am really anxious to find out when Shady's last monitoring ACTH test was performed and what the actual numerical result was. Because even though there could be alternative causes for her problems, virtually every symptom you've described could result from a cortisol level that is too high. The only way to know for certain whether or not she is taking the right amount of Vetoryl is by checking her response on the ACTH stimulation test. This is a blood test that takes 1-2 hours to perform. First, a baseline or "resting" cortisol level is drawn. Then a stimulating agent is injected, and a second blood draw is performed 1-2 hours later. The second draw tells you how much cortisol was being held in reserve in the adrenal glands. So the test result will be broken down into two numbers: a cortisol level 1 and a cortisol level 2. Vetoryl dosing depends upon both resolution of clinical symptoms and also the results of this blood testing.

If it turns out that the ACTH testing has not been done for some time, that is among the first tests I would ask for. Because an increase in Shady's Vetoryl dose -- if called for -- could resolve all the symptoms you've described. :)

Marianne

[littleone1]

Corky and I want to welcome you and Shady.

Corky was diagnosed with CCD almost 7 months ago. He was put on Novifit S. He did very well on it, and his strange behaviors did improve. We kept him off of it to see what would happen. His strange behaviors didn't return until the end of Sept. He's now taking it again. He's taking Trilostane, Soloxine for his thyroid, along with other meds and supplements. He didn't have any problems with the Novifit and everything else he's taking.

Terri