Need help with Dachshund please!

[Koolaid8689]

Hi everyone. I am a new user and am looking for any information on cushings diease. My 9.5 year old female long haired dachshund became ill suddenly. One morning she was fine and a few hours very sick. We took our Jersey to the vet and she did extensive bloodwork. Jersey had a very low glucose level as well as a very low potassium? Globans were out of norml range s well. The vet did x-rays from head to toe and did not find anything abnormal. The vet did find a bit of blood in my dogs urine and and diagnosed a UTI.. The vet administered an antibiotic which would be inher system for two weeks. Jersey is drinking and eating... Urinating and her stool is solid for the most part. Here is what is confusing us... Her breathing is very labored when she walks 15-20 steps. Jersey starts to pant excessively and and becomes lethargic and stumbles to walk. Any type of exercise is exerting her. Jersey has an appointment at our vet tomorrow for cushings. I would appreciate any more information anyone could give if this is in fact cushings or another disease. Helen

[Cyn719]

Welcome to the forum - glad you have an appt tomorrow - there are alot of experts on this site and I know they will be along to give you advice - my Penny has cushings - she had increased hunger - drinking - panting and peeing - - my dog also had Addisions - where she was lethargic and panted alot and could not walk well at all --- they are probably may different reasons your little girl is sick but those are just the symptoms my Penny had -- saying prayers for your little girl and keep us posted xo

[Koolaid8689]

Thank you for your kindness. I will keep you updated. Thanks for all the information you provided much appreciated!! Helen

[mytil]

Hi Helen,

Welcome to our site. I am sorry your girl is having so much trouble.

Cushing's is a slow progressing condition so it does not come on suddenly.

My thinking is that the low glucose levels would make her sick very suddenly and not Cushing's. Has your vet mentioned anything about diabetes? Add to that the low potassium levels can cause muscle weakness, increased thirst and urination.

I would discuss these with your vet for sure tomorrow. I would also make sure there are no heart problems that can cause this weakness.

Please keep us updated
Terry

[StarDeb55]

Helen, I'm so sorry to hear that your little one is feeling unwell right now. Cushing's is a slowly progressing disease that literally takes years to do it's damage & for symptoms to develop. Since Cushing's is a disease of middle aged, & senior pups, most parents will mark off the symptoms as being due to aging. The most common symptoms are a voracious appetite where the pup will eat anything it can gets its mouth on, do things like dump wastebaskets trying to find food, eat inappropriate things out on walks, etc. Drinking gallons & peeing buckets, with a pup who has been previously house trained, now, having accidents in the house. Skin & coat issues including loosing hair/thinning hair. Muscle wasting, especially in the back legs rear end. Panting, & seeking cool places to lie down. Is Jersey suffering from any of the above symptoms? It's very unlikely that Cushing's would come on this quickly, but I have learned never to say never. Has your vet done any general labwork such as a senior wellness panel or super chemistry panel? If he/she has, it would be great if you could round up a copy of the results, & post only the abnormals, along with the reference ranges & reporting units. Did your vet say anything about why they want to test for Cushing's or what has led them to test for Cushing's? Do you know what Cushing's test are being done? It would be a great idea, starting now, to get copies of all of Jersey's labwork to keep in a file at home. Most of the members do that as you never know when that file might come in handy, especially if you end up at a strange vet in the middle of the night with an emergency.

Please keep us posted. We are here to help in any way we can.

Debbie

[Koolaid8689]

Thank you Terry for the warm welcome and wishes... Will update tomorrow after testing...

[Skye]

Hello and welcome!!!! I am so happy that you found this site. Rest assured that we are all here to help best we can! Lots of knowledge here with various experiences, I know it has helped educate me in being the best advocate I can for my darling one. Not to mention the emotional support you get. We will all be standing by for the update. Take care and hope to hear from you soon!

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Helen and welcome to you and Jersey! :)

My first thought when reading your initial post was Hypoglycemia - low blood sugars as opposed to Diabetes which is high blood sugars. This is more common in small breed puppies but it is possible in adult dogs, too. With the low potassium too, I would want to check out 1) Addison's and 2) a tumor on the adrenals or pancreas. Addison's is the opposite of Cushing's but is tested for with the same tests. An abdominal ultrasound will let them see the internal organs - xrays won't.

Here are some links on Hypoglycemia for our education ;):D -

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/hypoglycemia.htm

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-hypoglycemia-low-blood-sugar

http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/hypoglycemia-in-dogs.html

http://www.vetinfo.com/dhypogly.html

Just my immediate thoughts for consideration. ;) Probably because I have two itty bitty ones who I am always on guard for low sugars with and have Hypoglycemia myself. ;)

Seeing the lab results will help us a great deal in helping you and Jersey so I look forward to seeing those. Like others have said, Cushing's doesn't typically come on suddenly - it is very slowly progressing and parents don't usually recognize the slow changes as anything other than normal aging. But as has been said, we have seen cush pups break every rule in the book and still be Cushionoid so nothing is set in concrete. There are renegades in every group! :p

I am glad you found us and look forward to learning more about the both of you as time passes. You have found the very best group of folks in the world. The collective knowledge and first-hand experience found here is astounding - and yours for the asking. You cannot find a more caring, supportive bunch of folks anywhere. You and Jersey are not alone any longer - we will be by your side the whole way.

Hang in there!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Skye]

has she had any heart issues? if you get an ultra sound they can do a double cavity ultrasound and check heart and lungs. just a thought.....

[mytil]

How did things go at the vet's?

Terry

[Cyn719]

Just checking in to see how things are and what the vet said xo