New Member - Yoshi & Debbie

[MagooYos]

Hi!

My name is Debbie and I am owned by Yoshi a 10 year young miniature schnauzer who owns my heart.

This past Tuesday I learned Yoshi may have Cushings and I’ve joined the group in hopes of receiving support/knowledge/accurate advise so we may move forward.

From reading posts I know information on Yoshi’s history shall assist others in helping us. Yoshi is a miniature schnauzer who shall turn 10 on April 28. He currently weighs approx 15 lbs.

In July Yoshi had a pancreas attack,
September it was noted Yoshi’s eye vision was becoming impaired (small cataracts),
November Yoshi was diagnosed as diabetic and insulin started immediately. Unable to regulate Yoshi’s blood glucose a blood panel was run on
Feb 7 and the abnormal results were:
Triglycerides = 31.76 mmol/L (high)
Cholestrol = 30.4 mmol/L (high)
Glucose = 26.3 mmol/L (high)
ALP = 536 IU/L (high)

Yoshi was promptly placed on a diet of Medi-Cal Gastro Low Fat. Blood glucose became regulated to than go wonky late March.

Blood work was taken on April 3, abnormal results:
ALP = 2439 IU/L (high)
ALT = 414 IU/L (high)
GGT = 42 IU/L (high)
Cholestrol = 30.9 mmol/L (high)
Triglycerides = 2.43 mmol/L (slightly high but extreme improvement from Feb 7)
Glucose = 11 mmol/L (high but awesome for a diabetic’s fasting BG)
Magnesium 0.60mmol/L (low)
Hemoglobin = 132 g/L (slightly low)
MCHC = 308 g/L (slightly low).

In September I did have Yoshi’s tested for Cushings but unfortunately I can not find the paper at this time. I remember the test did not come back he with a negative or positive reading, his numbers were slightly above negative for Cushings.

Are more tests required? The vet did mention medication (started with a T) but also mentioned he believed it was difficult to regulate diabetes and cushings together. That being said he is always open to learning.

In September I did speak with Yoshi's breeder and he did confirm Cushings has been found in his pups and he immediately stopped the breeding line.

I would appreciate broadening my knowledge base, learning and absorbing from others who have been or are where we are.

Thank you!
Deb

[frijole]

Hi Debbie! Welcome to our forum where many of us have been down the road you are traveling. As you can see, I am a schnauzer lover. It isn't surprising that you'd be dealing with diabetes and perhaps cushings - our breed is prone to both.

Luckily I have never had to deal with a diabetic schnauzer, however my mom, my brother and my aunt all did/do! My gal Haley had cushings and you will be glad to know we treated her successfully for 4 1/2 years with lysodren. She passed at the age of 16 1/2 unrelated to cushings.

So don't worry - dear Yoshi can have a normal life. That said, treating a dog that has both diabetes and cushings is a bigger challenge, but has been done many times by others here. I'm sure they will chime in to help you.

I am curious as to why you think Yoshi has cushings? Symptoms include: extreme water intake (buckets), insatiable hunger (as in will knock over trash cans, constantly searching for food on floor etc), hair loss, rounded stomach, skin issues, hind legs shaking and urination in the house. Note that not all dogs have all symptoms.

Absolutely you cannot diagnose cushings with one test - it always takes a few tests and an ultrasound (recommended) and with the diabetes it will be trickier because nonadrenal issues can result in false positives on cushings' tests.

Don't worry about learning it all - we will help you with that over time. For starters, tell us about any symptoms Yoshi might have that sound like cushings. Also dig out the results from the test that you had done last fall (or go to the vet and get a copy) and post the results here.

I will also tell you up front that you need to get a feel for how experienced your vet is at treating cushings - to be honest - you might need to go to a specialist simply because of the diabetes.
Testing for cushings is not cheap and trust me (I had to fire a few vets who said they understood it but didn't) you can waste a whole lot of time and money if the vet is over their head. But we'll worry about that later - for now tell us Yoshi's story.

Good luck!
Kim

[MagooYos]

Thank you Kim for the warm welcome.

Love it, another mini lover.

I had Yoshi tested in September (yes I'll find the numbers and report) for Cushings because Yoshi's garbage exploring in July which lead to the pancreas attack (this was so out of character for Yoshi), he drank above average, peed so much he continually needed out in the middle of the night, panting. In November he was diagnosed with diabetes so the symptoms above could be explained and all settled down when he was placed on insulin.

Cushings has raised it's head again because of the ALP reading on Monday of 2439 IU/L.

With the Cushings gene being in his line I'm concerned.

Currently the only symptom may be back legs shaking, usually when he wakes. Sometimes he does not wish to exercise but that can also be diabetes related.

Ironically the last week Yoshi appears to be coming around, he seems happy, is vocal, is more attuned to what is going on around him and wishes to be a part of it all and asks for walks which he is able to tolerate. He has adjusted to his vision loss.

Maybe I'm jumping to a conclusion unnecessarily?

Deb

[MagooYos]

Oh and I forgot to mention the one concern which alarmed me so was Yoshi has lost any muscle mass he had. Yes he has lost six lbs since July, one pound in one week two weeks ago, but seeing no muscle (Yoshi was pure muscle) and how frail his legs are, his head also appears smaller.

[frijole]

The muscle wasting could be indicative of cushings but losing weight sure isn't. The blood panel looks like a cush dog's however diabetes mimic cushings so... ??? I'm almost thinking an ultrasound might be a good next step vs cushing's tests. It can give you a real good look at the organs and what might be going on. Make sure the machine is high resolution (they are not all created equal :D).

I had it done at one place and they missed an adrenal tumor on my dog Annie. I ended up having to find a specialist. Had to drive 5 hrs each way (I live in Nebraska) to Kansas State Univ teaching hospital. That is where I got my answers. (Annie had been misdiagnosed as having cushings)

Kim

[marie adams]

Welcome Debbie and Yoshi!!:)

You will get support, knowledge, advice, and just about anything you need here about Cushings. Everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable. If the experts do not have an answer for you they will get one.

I remember all the symptons my Maddie had--panting, hind leg muscle athrophy, the shaking in the legs, lethargic, the stealing food off the table which was not like her, the ravenous appetite, and so forth. We didn't have to deal with her being diabetic so all symptoms were Cushings related. We did get that under control with Lysodren, but there is another drug Trilostane (sp). that works well also.

You are family now!!!:)

[labblab]

Welcome from me, too!

Are you still having difficulty regulating Yoshi's blood sugar? I believe this can be one of the main issues prompting a vet to consider Cushing's in a diabetic dog who exhibits symptoms of both diseases.

If the answer is "yes," then the ACTH would probably be the better of the two diagnostic blood tests to run for Cushing's. It is less likely than the LDDS to give a "false positive" in the presence of nonadrenal diseases such as diabetes.

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Debbie and welcome to you and Yoshi! :)

If you aren't already a member of our sister site, k9diabetes, please go on over and register asap. They are the experts on diabetes and will be able to help you sort things out, too.

diabetes info
http://k9diabetes.com/forum

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[MagooYos]

Happy Monday!

Leslie, Marianne and Marie thank you for the welcomes and input.

Yes at times it has been difficult to regulate Yoshi's blood glucose and that is the reason we explored further. This past weekend we switched Yoshi's meals over from a mixture of wet plus kibble to kibble only. I will be watching his BG closely and am hoping the switch to kibble shall stabilize his BG.

Yes I belong to the most amazing diabetes group who have guided and supported me the past months tremendously. With there expert advice/input Yoshi's triglycerides and cholestrol issues were discovered and a plan of action put into place.

I'm taking Yoshi into the vet's today to be weighed and I'm sure we will discuss how to move forward with the possible Cushings diagnosis.

I will keep in touch.

Have a great day,
Deb