Worried about Vetoryl

[Dachsfan]

I am mommy to a senior dachshund/jrt mix. He is approximately 13 years old and was diagnosed with diabetes last October. He is taking 9 units of Humulin N twice a day. Recently, he began having recurring kidney infections. He began drinking water constantly and of course urinating about every 2-3 hours. My vet conducted a Cushings test and said he was borderline Cushings. He prescribed 10 mg of Vetoryl once a day. However, when I read on the label that it could be toxic and you would need to wash your hands after administering it, I became extremely anxious about giving something that had those precautions to my little guy. He weighs about 15 pounds. I am so confused because he probably needs the meds but I am very worried about giving it to me (I haven't yet) because of the toxicity and because he is diabetic. Has anyone had a similar experience? I also don't want to touch anything that I has a warning and I'm worried if I put it in his food my other dogs could accidently eat it since I have to watch them during feeding time.

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi and welcome,

There will be many to come by and welcome you and your little one. We also have a few who are dealing with both diabetes and cushings.

What test were performed to diagnose the cushings? Other than the excessive thirst, does he exhibit any other symptoms? Ravishing appetite? Hair loss?

We also have a sister site that may be of assistance in regards to the diabetes.
http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum


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[addy]

Hi and Welcome,

I am so sorry you have a bit of a double whammy. I wonder though what your vet means by borderline Cushings? The drugs are very strong yes, but when given properly to a dog with a definite diagnosis, they are life savers. This is why we all need vets with a great deal of experience.

If you could post the results of your tests that indicated Cushings to your vet that would be a big help to our moderators.

Take a deep breath, you are no longer alone.

[labblab]

I, too, strongly encourage you to join our sister diabetic forum as well. We have several folks who are members of both forums. I think their feedback will be very helpful in sorting out what is going on with your dog. Have you been having trouble regulating his blood sugars lately? We are definitely aware of dogs who are accurately diagnosed with both Cushing's and diabetes, but sometimes "Cushing's" is diagnosed in a diabetic dog when the problem is actually unresolved insulin management issues.

As John and Addy have said, it will be super helpful for us if you can give us the results of your dog's diagnostic testing, including the most recent general blood panel. With the blood panel, all you need to post are any abnormal readings.

Thanks so much!
Marianne

[Dachsfan]

He was diagnosed with diabetes last October. Shortly thereafter, he developed cataracts. I took him to see an eye doctor and planned to have cataract surgery but his eyes became really bad and the eye vet does not feel we need to pursue surgery any longer. That was very difficult for both me and Max (my sweet boy) to accept. He had a history curve for his diabetes and it looked good. The vet thought he also could have Cushings and he ran preliminary blood tests which did not show it. He then did the expensive test where he has to stay there for a while and it did not show Cushings. He seemed to be doing well until he started having blood in his urine a couple of months ago. I took him back to the vet and he was diagnosed with a kidney infection. He started having recurring kidney infections, began drinking alot and of course urinating much more than even he normally does since he is diabetic. His back leg is also shaky sometimes and his belly is round. I haven't noticed any hair loss. The vet ran another round of blood work and took xrays to make sure he did not have kidney stones. The xrays did not show any stones and his blood work did not show any tumors or really anything abnormal. His glucose levels were a little high but that could be because of the time of day I took him in. Anyway, the vet wanted to run the Cushings test again (the expensive one where I have to leave him). He called and left me a message that it showed 'borderline' Cushings. Since he was going out of town he said he would leave the meds for me to pick up at his office. I did not get a copy of the test results and probably would not know what I was looking at anyway. I picked up the meds and started reading the warning label...then went on the net and started reading about Vetoryl and got worried. Since I was going out of town on business I decided not to start him on it because I would not be home to monitor him and did not want my pet sitter to have to monitor him either. I have just returned from my travel and am now trying to determine if I should start the drug. The dosage is small and he is still drinking alot and has to go out constantly. It could be that his insulin needs regulating and maybe he doesn't have Cushings. I guess I should call the vet tomorrow and see if they can do another diabetes curve before I start him on the Vetoryl. This has been a horrific experience (diabetes, cataracts, and now Cushings). I just want my little guy to feel better.

[Roxee's Dad]

Please obtain the test results from your vet and post only the abnormal results with the reference ranges. Especially interested in the ACTH and LDDS test. One is a 2 hour and the other is a 6 or 8 hour test if I remember correctly.

I think most of us would agree that treatment shouldn't start without a confirmed diagnosis. I am also a bit taken aback that the vet didn't want to discuss the administration of the Vetoryl. What to look for and what to do if it does turn out to be too high a dosage. When to come back for a follow up ACTH test. Did he give you any prednisone ?

If he didn't perform an ACTH before the medicine was given, how does he baseline his dosage recommendation? There seems to be many important Dx and Rx ingredients missing.

As has been mentioned, the Vetoryl is safe if handled and administered properly, but I would not give it to my dog if I wasn't 100% sure of the diagnosis.


Recently, he began having recurring kidney infections.

Also wanted to mention that if your Dachsy has a UTI or other illness, there is a good chance that a cushings test will give a false positive. There is no need to rush in to treatment.

Looking forward to hearing more about your little guy. :)