Darlin' 10 yr Daschound with Cushing's

[DarlinsMom]

Hi Everyone!
I am so happy to have found this site! My Darlin was recently diagnosed with Cushing's, and any advice would be so greatly appreciated!
I can't afford the traditional medicine, lost my job in Sept.
I just ordered her some herbs from a Pet Herbal store and would love any feedback, advice, HELP you can offer for us!!!:o
She started having symptoms a few years ago, although I didn't know it was symptoms of Cushing's. Dry coat, calcification on her tail, lethargy.
Then the excessive hunger and thirst started. I've nick-named her the Hoover, she's like a vacuum. Constantly searching the kitchen floor for any morsel. The worst symptom she has is the hind legs, she can't move them very well and is losing muscle mass rather quickly. Sometimes her front leg will give out and she falls face first. So sad! She started peeing in the house a few months ago, but it was the hind legs and a fever of 107 that prompted the vet visit...Pneumonia. It's such a long story, and when I have more time I will share it with you.
For right now, my main concern is what do I do for her now???
When do you know it's time to just let them go? I can't seem to make myself do that without at least trying to help her! I am really hopeful that these herbs will help her. The reviews are very promising on them. Thanks for allowing me to share a little bit of my life with you. I look forward to hearing from anyone that can offer some hope and help.
Namaste.

[mytil]

Hi and welcome to our site.

I am sorry your girl has been diagnosed. When you get the chance post the results of the tests performed to diagnose this.

I know it can be very expensive to treat and I am sorry anyone has to make a choice in health issues like this. I do not know how much is being spent on herbal or the natural meds you are currently giving, but it is important to understand that these meds actually do not resolve the root cause of Cushing's, they only mask some of the outward symptoms so the problem with the excess cortisol is not resolved with these at all.

The meds traditionally used successfully to treat the root cause is Lysodren and Trilostane/Vetoryl. I do urge you to talk with your vet about this and the cost difference between these two.

Here is a link that may offer some help in treating your girl - http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212.

Please keep us posted.
Terry

PS - your vet may also work out a payment plan with you on testing costs etc - I asked mine to and he did.

[labblab]

Namaste, welcome to you and Darlin!

I am so sorry that Darlin is having increasing problems, but very glad you've found us. I am also sorry about your job loss. There are so many people out of work right now and looking for a new job -- I know this is probably the worst time possible to find out that Darlin may need some expensive care in order to improve. However, I am sorry to tell you that if she truly has conventional Cushing's (elevated cortisol caused by either a pituitary or adrenal tumor), then it is unlikely that any herbs or supplements will lower her cortisol level sufficiently to give her relief. There are at least a couple of companies who market "miracle" supplements with glowing claims. But we have not seen evidence that any of these claims are substantiated.

I do not want to mislead you by telling you that treatment with prescription medication is inexpensive. But exactly how great the expense turns out to be can depend from one dog to another. There are several factors that can make a difference: the weight of the dog (initial dosing protocols depend upon how much a dog weighs), how efficiently the dog metabolizes the medication, and how quickly the dog becomes stable on any given dose of medication. It is the initial diagnostic and monitoring testing that also adds a lot of expense. As time goes on, the testing typically becomes less frequent and therefore less of a burden. And if a dog stabilizes quickly, the longterm expense may turn out to be more manageable than you might expect. There is also one prescription medication option, Anipryl, that doesn't involve monitoring tests at all. The downside is that the majority of Cushpups do not show improvement on that particular medication. But you might consider giving it a try.

It may be the case that prescription treatment really is financially out of reach for you right now. But if you will tell us all you can about Darlin's diagnostic history, other health issues and current weight, we may be able to give you some suggestions that could lessen your costs if you opt to give the treatment an initial try.

I need to head off for now. But I'll try to come back later to give you some more info, and I'm sure that other members will also be by to welcome you, too.

Marianne