New member Twinkie - Vetoryl

[JoanneL]

Hi everyone,
New to this forum. I am currently treating my third Cushings dog with Vetoryl. The first two were treated with Lysodren with poor outcomes, however, my 8 year old " baby" ,Twinkie, was diagnosed 10/11 and started immediately om Vetoryl. She is doing very well and has only had to have her dosage increased by 10 mg. We typically repeat her ACTH test every 3 mos and she has had 2 ultrasounds showing no change in the size of her adrenal tumor. Surgery was considered but the surgeon recommended waiting to see if the tumor enlarged. This surgery can be performed laparoscopically in the right setting. Which is less wear and tear on the dog.
As for medication I discovered the best bang for the buck is an online pharmacy, california pet meds. I compared all the online pharmacies I could find and this was the least expensive.
Thank you for this wonderful forum and good luck to all.

[mytil]

Hi and welcome to our site.

Wow, you have a lot of experience under your belt in treating cushpups and am glad you joined us!!

Terry

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Joanne and welcome to you and Twinkle! :)

Since you are talking about laproscopic surgery, I assume she had been diagnosed with ADH - the adrenal form of Cushing's? If so, why the wait to remove the tumor? I would be talking to a board certified surgeon about this before I decided to wait. ;) They are the ones who could tell you whether that is a good idea or not and why. Depending on the size and placement of adrenal tumors, they can be inoperable so I wouldn't wait very long to talk to a surgeon. This is a very, very serious surgery. ;)

I am sorry your first two cush babies had a hard time and hope the Trilostane (Vetoryl) works well for Twinkle. But I don't want you to be operating under the false idea that Vetoryl is any safer than Lysodren - it is not. They both have the same risk factors, up to and including total adrenal necrosis and death. The key to both drugs is the experience of the vet, the vet's willingness to follow protocols, and the knowledge and diligence of the parent. With Twinkle being your third cush baby, you should have plenty of knowledge stored up! :D

Please get copies of the tests done to diagnose Twinkle and post them here along with the units of measurement (ug/dl or Mnol/L...etc) and the normal ranges for each value. Like this example -

ALP – 1012 U/L Normal = 20 – 150 U/L
ALT – 205 U/L Normal = 10 – 118 U/L
AMY – 1519 U/L Normal = 200 – 1200 U/L

Include all comments on the ultrasound as well.

This will help us help you help Twinkle. :p


I'm glad you found us and look forward to learning more about the both of you as time passes.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Boriss McCall]

Hi Joanne,
Welcome to the crew!
You have had 3!!! cush pups?!?!:eek: You must be a pro by now.;)
Glad you are here with us.

[goldengirl88]

Twinkie:
Please be careful of the pharmacy you are using. My Vet told me a great number of these online pharmacies get these drugs anywhere. (One of my Vet's clients got meds and it was only sugar pills) He told me you cannot be sure of what you are giving your dog. I was going to use this pharmacy until I researched it further and found out you should only use a VIPPS approved pharmacy. With a dog in this condition I didn't want to take any chances. I am using Lambert Vet Supply, and they are definetly approved by the board of pharmacists. They have the VIPPS seal on their website and my Vet even called for me. They get this product straight from the manufacturer, which is important. The prices were about the same as California Pharmacy. Good luck to you and your baby.

[addy]

Three Cush babies?

I stand in awe, and I mean that with the utmost respect.:):):):):)
I admire your strength.

We are so happy you found us and I am sure you have a lot to share.

Welcome!!!

[molly muffin]

I agree with Abby. 3 is amazing to have had to go through this with. One is amazingly stressful, 3 I can't even imagine. I assume not all at the same time?

So Twinkie had an adrenal tumor?

Sharlene