My Jack Russell Terrier, Josh, has been Diagnosed with Cushing's Disease

[steveds]

Josh is 12 years old and has been diagnosed with Adrenal (ADH) Cushing's Disease this week. As well he has been having seizures and has a heart murmur. My vet is recommending me take him to an Internal Medicine Specialist.

[addy]

Hi ,

That is a LOT to handed all at once. I am so sorry for what you are going through. Is it possible to tell us which tests Josh had to diagnosis Adrenal Cushings? If you could list the results that would be helpful.

We have members whos dogs have seizures. One of our Administrator's dogs has them and I know Marianne will stop by to discuss.

There are different grades of heart murmurs. Do you know which grade Josh has? I have been told my Zoe may have one. Sometimes they can hear it, sometimes not.

All these health issues can seem overwhelming but they can be sorted out and since you are here, you dont have to do it alone:):)

[MBK]

Welcome. I'm very sorry to hear that Josh has been diagnosed with cushings and understand how frightening that can be. You have come to the right place for a wealth of information and support, though. Others will be along soon to ask you a ton of questions and to share their extensive knowledge. Don't let their questions scare you off.

I just wanted to welcome you as a fellow JRT lover. I have two. Maxwell is 12 years old this month and, fortunately, healthy as can be. Alivia is 14 1/2 years old and was diagnosed with a right adrenal tumor about 1 1/2 years ago. Due to her age and some other medical issues, I opted to not put her through surgery. At one point I thought I would have to put her on medication for the cushing's, but she seemed to rally and has been doing very well for some time now.

Cushing's is a strange disease. There are many shared symptoms but I don't think there are two identical stories here. The people here helped me tremendously, especially when this was all new.

So, again, welcome.

[steveds]

I will post more about Josh's tests later tonight. Just to let you all know, I am not really good and kind of dumb when it comes to medical stuff, but I will do my best.

[molly muffin]

Hi and Welcome to you and Josh.

I hate to say it but most of us start out not knowing much about lab test, results, etc when we come here and gradually you learn more and more just by reading the threads.

When it comes to the lab results, we need abnormal results, so something that is out of the normal range. Post like this:

ALT - 54 range 10 - 118 nmol (that is mine) and date

So anything "off" on the test. Any ACTH, LDDS test and their results which look something like this.

cortisol base
cortisol 4 hr
cortisol 8 hr
or whatever it shows with the results next to the time.

I hope that helps you out a bit. If you have any questions, just ask and we'll try to help.

I know it is a lot to take in at once and Josh, seems to have alot going on. So the main thing is to calmly try and figure it out, so you can make a decision about what steps to take next.

Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly muffin

[mytil]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Is your vet helping you in finding the Specialist? If not, here is a link where you can find one http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182. If you have any troubles going through this, let us know.

We are all here to help.
Keep us posted
Terry

[GabbySue]

Hi Steve and Josh

Welcome from another JRT owner,my Gabby is 10 but not my first JRT, I've had them for 18 years,including one that had a congenital heart defect with a heart murmur. This group has given me so much help for my girl that had Cushings and is now in Addisons and I just joined the group 3 months ago!!!

You are in the right place for info, and I have been able to make more informed decisions about Gabby's care because of all the guidance from the group.

Just remember there are no dumb questions!!

Tiffany and Gabby Sue

[steveds]

Thank you for all the support. I have been a little stressed out the last several days, but I will post Josh's test results soon. Josh is going to see an Internal Medicine Specialist this afternoon at 2:30pm.

[molly muffin]

What did the Specialist say today?

Crossing our fingers and worrying, right there with you.
Hugs,
Sharlene

[steveds]

The Internal Medicine Specialist noticed that Josh had very, very low calcium levels and re-did the test to make sure and they were still very low. They gave me the estimates of further tests and I went home to think about it. I am on a fixed income, so I do not have a lot of money. I have already spent quite a bit of money already. I just don't know what to do next?

[molly muffin]

Oh dear. That is a lot of stress to be under. Take a couple deep breaths and try to think calmly. I know that is hard in this situation.

First, it is hard to even hazard a guess as to what should be done without seeing the numbers. Cushings and most other ailments stories are always told in the numbers on lab results, so first off, did you get copies of the lab test that Josh has had and can you post those numbers? High/Low and ranges and what the test is.

Maybe then we can all look them over together and some of our people who are quite familiar with what various numbers mean (more so than I) can help you to determine what is a priority vs what can be put off.

Also, take a look at our help page with financial information, maybe that will give you some ideas or things to look into too.
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212

We really do want to help all we can, it's just that those lab results are so gosh darn important to be able to make any kind of informed decision. That and symptoms of course, how is Josh acting, eating, sleeping, the all important poop patrol information, etc.

We're here for you.

Hugs,
Sharlene

[frijole]

Welcome from me as well. My dog was misdiagnosed as having cushings and she ended up having an adrenal tumor that mimicked cushings. She too had a heart murmur because this tumor excretes adrenaline. I would be the IMS would want to do an ultrasound because that way you can see the tumor and what type it is.

My dog took a long time to diagnose as it is a very rare type of tumor. By the time we figured it all out surgery wasn't an option... that said, she lived for two years with it.

Hang in there. We'll help however we can ok? Kim