Bugsy - 9 year old Boston Terrier

[gretchenbailey]

Hi, my name is Gretchen and I have a 9 year old Boston who has been diagnosed with Cushing's for about 2 1/2 years now. He is on Lysodren 2 times a week. Since December he has had something going on with his skin. It is very flaky and he has been scratching a lot. I know they are more prone to skin infections having Cushing's but nothing seems to be clearing this up.

I took him to the vet last Wednesday for a checkup on his skin issue. They still don't know what is going on with his skin. But to make matters worse, last week Bugsy stopped eating. I took him back to the vet on Friday morning since he had not eaten anything since Wednesday. He aslo was very lethargic and not interested in taking his daily walks or treats of any kind. He was still drinking water. Tests have come back negative for proetein in the kidneys and his liver is fine. Electrolytes are ok so they are thinking maybe his adrenal gland is too suppressed. They gave him a shot of dexamethasone on Monday and that seems to have perked him up a little. I went to see him yesterday and he did eat a couple bites of chicken for me. The vet did a stim test yesterday and we are awaiting the results to see what his levels are.

He's been in the hospital since Friday. I'm hopeful he will get to come home soon but feel helpless.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Gretchen,

Welcome to you and Bugsy and I am so glad you found us as we will help in any way we can.

The lack of appetite could be from low cortisol and the results of the ACTH stim test will definitely tell us what his cortisol levels are. When you receive the ACTH stim results could you post them here. The other possibility for inappetence might be from pancreatitis.

Dog's with Cushing's disease are prone to skin infections and allergies. The other possible explanation is Calcinosis cutis, has a skin scraping or punch biopsy been done?

I was wondering if you could tell us more about Bugsy and his treatment plan such as the dosage of Lysodren he is taking and his weight. Are his symptoms controlled?

Please know we are here for you and Bugsy and are with you on this journey.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[addy]

Hi Gretchen,

Sorry to hear about Bugsy. I hope you find some answers and Bugsy gets released from the hospital and comes home. Lori has you off to a good start with some questions. i just wanted to stop by and give you a hug (((hug))))).

addy

[gretchenbailey]

Thank you so much for the replies and kind words!

The ACTH pre test was 0.9. The vet said it should be below 5 but he is too suppressed. I forgot to look at the dosage of Lysodren he was on. I was giving him 1/2 tablet twice a week.

His Cushing's syptoms seem to be controlled, especially compared to when he was first diagnosed. He has been diagnosed for about 2 1/2 years.

We have stopped Lysodren and he was given a shot of percorten. He is also on 2.5 mg prednisone daily for 30 days. He got to come home from the hospital yesterday! His appetite is back and he is eating again.

When I took him in last Friday his weight was down to 20.5 pounds. He has had skin scrapes done and has been on antibiotics but his skin just doesn't seem to be improving. The vet said we would need to do skin biopsy next but wanted to get some weight back on him and let him rebound from his week in the hospital first.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Gretchen and a belated welcome to you and Bugsy! :)

I am so pleased to see that he is back home and feeling better! :cool: And I know you are relieved.

If he has been losing weight while on maintenance, it could be that his dose needed to be adjusted down to a lower amount. My Squirt, about 15 lbs, is also on a Lyso maintenance schedule; she gets 125mg every third day. Each pup is different and it is good that you got him to the hospital when you did as it is obvious his cortisol dropped too low for some reason. Now, to learn the reason and go forward from here.

You and Bugsy are no longer alone on this journey. We will be here to help in any way we can. Never hesitate to ask questions and we will do our best to help you understand...or we will all learn together if needed.

I'm glad you found us and hope Bugsy continues to improve!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[gretchenbailey]

It looks like Bugsy's Lysodren was 250 mg twice a week.

The vet and I actually discussed lowering his dose to 250 once a week before this happened.

So for now he is off the Lysodren...

Thanks again for the welcome and encouragement! I wish I had found you 3 years ago. This has been quite a journey but my little guy is a fighter and hasn't given up yet!

[jmac]

Hi Gretchen,

I want to (belatedly) welcome you and Bugsy as well. I'm so glad to hear he is home from the hospital and feeling better! That is great news, and must be a huge relief!

I am so glad you found us. You and Bugsy will no longer be alone on this journey. There are many knowledgeable, helpful, caring people here who will help you get through this.

I hope they will get to the bottom of Bugsy's skin issue, but for now, I'm so glad he is back home with you.

Julie & Hannah

[marie adams]

Hi Gretchen, welcome to you and Bugsy!! :)

Wow! what a scare you had--so good you got him into the vet when you did. Now he is home and happy.

I am so glad you found us and now the experts can help you figure out what will be best for Bugsy. They helped me so much when I needed it.

Now that you are part of the Cushing's Family, please continue to ask all the questions you will need to ask!!! Everyone here is full of advice and stories to help you and Bugsy down this path.

[gretchenbailey]

I haven't been on for a while but wanted to give an update on Bugsy. After I got him home from his last episode, his skin issue continued to get worse. My vet said the next step was to do a skin biopsy but he wanted to let Bugsy recover from his Adrenal suppression.

I found a dermatologist who came to our area once a week and took Bugsy to see her. She did the biopsy and determined that Bugsy has pemphigus foliaceus and a secondary staph infection on his skin.

So now he is on an antibiotic for the staph infection and that is almost cleared up. He is also on 20 mg of prednizone and a daily dose of Atopica. He seems to be responding well to the treatment and the crusting has reduced considerably. His hair has started coming back as well. However, I have noticed occasionally his back legs sometimes give out on him. This is something I noticed when he initially was diagnosed with the Cushings.

Does anyone have any experience with pemphigus foliaceus?

Thanks,
Gretchen and Bugsy

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Gretchen,

Good to hear from you again and especially good to hear that Bugsy's skin is getting better.

I am not familiar with this condition but did want to let you know that the pred and Atopica may be what is causing the leg weakness. These meds can cause Cushing's signs, and rear leg weakness is one of those signs. I hope the meds work well for him and he is feeling much more like his old self soon!

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[gretchenbailey]

Thanks Leslie!

My primary vet did say that he would show some Cushings symptoms again....the strange thing is that when I gave him the pred, he was fine again. It has only happened a couple of times but I'm such a worrier...not sure how many lives my little Bugster has left!