Frustrated Yorkie owner

[Nanny]

Does anyone know what I can expect if I take my dog off Trilostane. What will happen if I stopped meds altogether. This is his second med. Use to be on Lysodren. I hate what my dog has become. Skinny, confused, lethagic....not my same dog anymore. Now we have a dog who drinks less and no longer pees in the house, but he looks so awful and I feel his quality of life is no longer there. He's not the happy go lucky Yorkie who was fat and peed all over the house in puddles. So which was better???? :( I know I sound awful, I'm just heartbroken and frustrated. Is the Trilostane really making a difference in his life? Is it just treating the symptom but not really adding any quality to his life? He's only 7.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and your sweet boy,

Could you tell us when the last ACTH stimulation test was done and post the results. It could very well be that your furbaby's cortisol is too low and/or the electrolytes are unbalanced. Have the electrolytes been checked recently?

When you switched from the Lysodren to Trilostane was there a one month wash-out period?

Do you have any prednisone on hand?

Does your boy have any other health issues? Is he taking any other herbs/medicines/supplements? How much does he weigh? And what dosage of Trilostane is he on?

Sorry for all the questions but the more we know the better our feedback can be.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[addy]

Hi,

I can hear the frustration and understand it. Lori has some good questions. I also wonder what happened when your pup was on lysodren? Why did you switch?

Of course you are heartbroken. It is so hard to see them sick, especially when you try so hard to make them better.

Hang in there and if you can give us more information, we may be able to help you sort through things. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum.:):)

Glad you are here,
addy

[frijole]

I'm sorry you had to find us but I'm glad that you did. 7 yrs ago these fine people saved my dog's life and my sanity. I had to fire an incompetent vet... I don't know what your situation is but if you could please start at the beginning and tell us everything about your dog, the symptoms, the timeline, the testing that has been done (including results) and the dosing etc.... I guarantee you... there is a ton of knowledge and boatloads of heart waiting to help you.

You aren't alone... we just need to know more in order to help you.

Kim

[mytil]

I too am sorry your pup is having these issues. I second what the others have mentioned.

It is really important you let us know how much Trilo you are giving. Being lethargic and confused is not what is considered normal reactions to properly given Trilo unless the dose is incorrect and like Lori mentioned the electrolytes are off.

Please keep us posted
Terry

[jmac]

Hi there, and welcome to the forum.

I am sorry to hear your dog is not doing well, but I want you to know you have found the best place you could to get help and support for both of you. The people here are very kind, caring, knowledgeable, and dedicated to helping every member take care of his/her dog.

As others have already mentioned, the more information we have about your dog: test results, weight of dog, dosage of any medication, etc., the better. I can completely understand your frustration and sadness, and although I don't have experience with Trilostane, I know that is not a normal response. The good news is you are not alone in this. We'll help you through it.

Julie & Hannah

[marie adams]

A Warm Welcome from me also!!! :)

I am so sorry your little one is not doing so well. Lori's questions are so she and the others can give you the correct advice--and they know a lot--been there done that.....

They were so helpful to me in my time of need and continue to be there now with my new little one. This is a village that helps all. You are now part of the family...:)

Take care!!!

[Nanny]

Thank you to all who have responded. I won't be running any numbers by you at this time. Cooper was hospitalized this morning with Addisons. We have decided that the Trilostane is not the answer for him. He is doing much better this evening and has already shown signs of improving. His little body is just a skeleton. His tremors that he's had for two months have already subsided. I don't want to discourage anyone who is on this med, but I can say that I will never give Cooper another one. Not sure what the future will hold. Not sure what we will do for future treatment if any, but I definitely will keep on reading on this website. You all sound like wonderful people. I had so many questions answered that I was wondering about just from reading all the postings. Thanks so much. I'll check in again. Nanny & Cooper

[labblab]

Dear Nanny,

I'm terribly sorry that Cooper has ended up in an Addison's condition. Of course, his recovery is your primary concern right now and it may be quite some time before elevated cortisol becomes an issue for him again. However, it's not clear to me yet whether or not Cooper's trilostane dose was closely monitored by your vet during his course of treatment. In other words, it may not have the trilostane itself that was a problem for Cooper, but instead the dose he was taking. I have to be honest and tell you that the problems you are describing -- he "looked awful," was skeletal and tremoring -- should have been huge red flags for your vet that his dose was too high and that he needed intervention sooner rather than later. Did your vet perform monitoring ACTH tests along the way?

We do not have enough information yet to really understand the course of Cooper's treatment. But from what you have told us, the trilostane may still have the potential to really help Cooper in the future, but only if it is dosed and monitored appropriately by your vet.

Marianne