Jack, right adrenal tumor - undergoing diagnostics

[JackiesMom]

Hello,
My name is Mary and I found this forum after reading a posting by one of your members who has a dog that was diagnosed with a pheochromocytoma. They found a tumor on Jack's right adrenal gland which we now have to rule out at being this or cushings or a functional adrenal tumor or combinations of all.

After two days of tests, the Internal Med. Drs. are leaning towards him have the long named one, which I have read about and seems pretty scary. We start the next round of tests on Monday to further isolate the type of tumor.

My other lab, Cooper, has Addison's disease so it seems I have two dogs now with adrenal gland issues.

Thanks for listening and I look forward to reading more on your forum.

[labblab]

Mary,

Welcome to you and Jack, and Cooper, too! I've taken the liberty of moving your post from our "Checking In" thread so as to create a brand new thread that belongs to you alone. This way, it will be easier for our members to reply to you directly with their thoughts and suggestions. I'm so glad you've joined us, and I will be anxious to find out what Jack's additional testing reveals.

Marianne

[frijole]

Hi and welcome! My name is Kim and there are more than one of us whose dogs have had pheochromocytomas..... but my girl Annie had one. They are extremely rare (in humans also) and often go undiagnosed. Simple question - does Jack have high blood pressure or has he had episodes where his breathing is extremely fast, he sweats, trembles ? The episodes may only last a few minutes. It can be months in between them.

Please tell us Jack's story - as much as you can and we'll do everything we can to help. My girl lived with her pheo for two years (after diagnosis). Since they are so rare it is hard to find people that have been thru it.

If it is a pheo, know I will help as much as I can. Kim

PS Just read that your other dog has Addisons. My other gal Haley had cushings! I know it is tough... should have gone to vet school... ;)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Mary and welcome to you and Jack! :)

I'm really glad you found us and hope you learn much from our family here. Kim is the resident Pheo expert ;) so I know she will be a great source of info and comfort for you.

Ask any questions you may have and we will do our best to help you understand...or learn together.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[JackiesMom]

Thank you for getting back to me. Here is a little more about Jack.

We adopted him in February. At that time, he was three years old. He had gone blind at two years old due to Degenerative Retinal Atrophy. After having him for a week, he came down with kennel cough and struggled through that for about 3 terrible weeks. Then all seemed fine. About two months ago, he started dribbling when playing and then waking up when he wet his bed. He has never gone in the house, only seemed to lose control when he was sleeping. We put him on "PPO" medication and that seemed to help with the dribbling. We did the test to see if drinking more than usual but not really. He did pant but we attributed it to his blindness and being afraid.

Since the wetting when asleep got a little better but still could not leave him over three hours, we went in for more tests. They found high levels of protein and low gravity levels in his urine. We then went to an Internal Med. Dr. After an ultrasound and x-rays, they found a tumor on the medulla part of the adrenal gland. They also did a heart check and blood pressure check. He has high blood pressure which the "PPO" meds don't help but we are leaving him on it for now.
We did a new round of urine tests today. I just got word that his UCCR test came back normal but he still has high level of protein in his urine.

Now I wait until after the holiday to find out what next. In his hospital discharge info it said that it may be that we do a Low Dose Dexamethasone Suppression test but I will have to wait to hear more.

Jack is very happy being home. He still pants a lot and living in Florida, does not enjoy being out in this heat so he does his duty and wants to go right back.

I can't take him on his morning runs right now as his foot dermatology issue has resurfaced after the major rains we had. So, now he is also on an antibiotic to help with the redness between his pads, even though he is on an ultrahypoallergenic dog food.

Poor guy just can't seem to get a break.

Well, sorry for going on and on but I wanted you to know as much about my guy as possible. I am learning so much with my Addison dog, Cooper, and now even more with my Jack.

Have a wonderful Holiday.

Mary

[molly muffin]

What a lucky guy he is to have you in his life. :) Hope they can figure it all out soon. I'm a newbie too and it really is great to have people who all understand the anxiety and worry and can share some knowledge too. (that's a bonus) :)

[Harley PoMMom]

We did a new round of urine tests today. I just got word that his UCCR test came back normal but he still has high level of protein in his urine.

Now I wait until after the holiday to find out what next. In his hospital discharge info it said that it may be that we do a Low Dose Dexamethasone Suppression test but I will have to wait to hear more

Mary

When an UC:CR test result is normal that pretty much rules out Cushing's, so IMO, a LDDS test is not needed.

The high level of protein would be a concern to me, was an UPC test done?

Love and hugs,
Lori

[frijole]

The reason I asked about high blood pressure was because the vets at K State after looking at the adrenal tumor on my dog indicated that should my dog have incidents of HBP that would be enough to dx it as a pheochromocytoma. You mentioned they were thinking it was a pheo earlier - did they rule that out?

I agree, I would not waste another penny on cushings testing. The urine test ruled it out. Kim

[Squirt's Mom]

Third vote - my understanding is that if the UC:CR is normal, Cushing's has been ruled out. Even an abnormal UC:CR does NOT mean Cushing's - that simply means something is going on and further testing is needed. So the UC:CR can rule out but not diagnose and Jack's result rule Cushing's out for him. Don't put him or your pocketbook through the LDDS...unless it has some other use outside Cushing's, which I'm not aware of. ;)

[JackiesMom]

Third vote - my understanding is that if the UC:CR is normal, Cushing's has been ruled out. Even an abnormal UC:CR does NOT mean Cushing's - that simply means something is going on and further testing is needed. So the UC:CR can rule out but not diagnose and Jack's result rule Cushing's out for him. Don't put him or your pocketbook through the LDDS...unless it has some other use outside Cushing's, which I'm not aware of. ;)

Thank you all. I will speak with the Internal Med. Drs. after the holiday. They have been leaning towards it being pheo so I agree, Cushings is now ruled out, what next?

[JackiesMom]

Well, the news is in. The Drs. believe Jack does not have Cushings. All tests are pointing towards it being a pheochromocytoma. We are now waiting to hear from the Surgical Oncologist to determine when we can schedule the tumor removal. Jack will have to be on medication several weeks before the surgery due to the risk of stroking.

They are hoping that the removal of the tumor will also help with his high bloodpressure and the high amounts of protein in his urine.

It is so hard to deal with this but at least we know now and can move forward with helping him.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Mary,

I hope the surgery goes without a hitch and that the results are everything we desire. Keep in touch and let us know how things are going.

What med will he be on while he waits for the surgery?

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[frijole]

Mary, Well at least you now know. I'm glad you are working with specialists. If I can help at all just let me know. If you need encouragement - look at my girl Annie's photo album (thru my profile). It took us so long to figure it out she was no longer a candidate for surgery. Do keep us posted and know love and prayers are being sent from my home to yours. Kim

[molly muffin]

I think it's better to be sure of what something is than to have even one iota of doubt. Once you know, you can make a plan and just deal with everything so much better.
Let us know when the surgery will be. Hugs Sharlene

[JackiesMom]

Hi Mary,

I hope the surgery goes without a hitch and that the results are everything we desire. Keep in touch and let us know how things are going.

What med will he be on while he waits for the surgery?

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Thank you,
He will be on phenoxybenzamine for about two weeks prior to the surgery.

[JackiesMom]

Thank you everyone. I will let you know how things go.

Mary

[JackiesMom]

Hi,
We just got the call. Jack is scheduled for surgery on July 24th. The Surgical Oncologist does not want to wait any longer due to the size.

[Buffaloe]

Hi Mary,

My female german shepherd mix had a very large malignant cortical adrenal tumor removed from her left gland at the age of 12. Shiloh lived well into her 15th year with a great quality of life. For us, an adrenalectomy was the only choice. We had great surgeons and she handled the surgery, post-op and complete recovery without any significant issues.

I realize Jack has a pheo. which is different than a cortical adrenal tumor but I think he is going to do great! He is so young, which is a gigantic plus. It will probably be a very emotional process for you (it sure was for us) but I'm confident you are making the right choice. You're giving Jack a great chance to live another 10-12 happy years. He is a lucky boy and you and Jack will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Ken

[Bo's Mom]

Jack is receiving well wishes from all of us...furry friends included. Let us know how he is doing.

[MBK]

Hi, Mary,

I just wanted to say hello and to wish you and Jack well. It just doesn't seem fair that the little guy has been through so much in his short life. But, he did finally get lucky when he was adopted by you. He now is in the best hands he could possibly be in. It takes a special person to take on a special needs dog and to give him a chance to have a great life.

I'll be pulling for you both!