Sarah

[Diana]

I am new to this forum and it has only been 3 weeks since she was officially diagnosed, but I have know she wasn't right for some time now. It started with her heavy panting and not wanting to take walks with me. First diagnosis was hyperthyroidism and she's been on soloxine for months. She just started the trilostane 100 mg twice a day, 2 weeks ago Saturday. On Wednesday, she would hardly eat at all and her back legs were wobbly. Vet said to skip evening dose and maybe go to 50 mg. Unfortunately I kept her on the 50 mg when the vet wanted her to go back to 100 mg. Now I had to wait another week @ the 100 mg for her next test.

I too am concerned with her heavy panting all the time. At nite she is extremely agitated. I don't know how to explain it, but it seems like she is having panic attacks. My vet prescribed trazadone for nites to help her get thru. I am just worried that it is not working. She doesn't eat voraciously like before or constantly drinking water, but these panic attacks and panting are tearing me apart. Thanks for listening Diana

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Diana and welcome to you and Sarah! :)

I am sure hoping Sarah is a big dog because 200mg a day of Vetoryl is a pretty big dose. How much does she weigh?

It would help us a great deal if you could get copies of all the testing done to diagnose her Cushing's - the general lab work that shows things like the ALKP, AST, GGT, cholesteral, triglycerides, etc plus the LDDS, HDDS, ACTH, and ultrasound - any of those she has had.

Based on her behavior - weakness in her back legs and lack of appetite, your vet should have done an ACTH at that point instead of telling you to change the dose. Those are signs that her dose is too high and her cortisol went too low - the vet should have checked. If I were you, I would call them now and ask for the ACTH to be performed asap to see where she stands.

How is she behaving today? Have you seen any diarrhea / loose stools, is her appetite still off, is she still having weakness in her legs? If you are seeing ANY of these things, do not give any more Vetoryl until the ACTH can be done. And just so you know, dogs should NOT be fasted before the ACTH so if your vet tells you to fast her, don't.

I'm glad you found us and look forward to learning more about the both of you...and anxious to hear how Sarah is doing today and see those test results. ;) Keep your chin up! You have found the very best place to be with folks who have a great deal of experience, knowledge and support to share. You and Sarah are no longer alone on this journey - you now have a new family here with us.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[JoannH]

I'm pretty new here too. I have a little 18 lb dog on 30mg /day of trilostane. I agree with Leslie, if you could provide more info including test results I think the folks in this forum would be better able to help. Daisy had a lot of the same symptoms and is still having trouble sleeping. There's a lot of experience here, so if you can provide more info please do.

[mytil]

Hi Sarah,

Welcome from me too.

I agree, please tell us how much your girl weighs. With 200 mgs, your girl must weigh over 140 pounds! And then to go from 200 mgs to 50 mgs is such a big jump for her system. Please take a few minutes to read through these links http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185!

Did you vet also prescribe prednisone just in case the cortisol levels dropped too low?

With her symptoms on Wed, your vet should have jumped on that and run an ACTH test (as well as checked her electrolyte levels).

Please keep us posted. And Cushing's is a slow progressing condition, so please if you feel your girl is not doing well, it is okay to stop the Vetoryl and retest and regroup.

Terry

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Diane,

How is Sarah? I am a bit concerned with her signs and would love to hear from you if you can.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I agree, it's important to know your dogs weight. Dechra, the makers of vertoyl base their recommendations on the dogs weight. 100 mg twice a day, I've never heard of. That would have to be a massive dog. Anything else can send them into a crisis state. Did your vet give you any prednisone in case of a crisis? Some of the symptoms you have described sound like this could happen.
The heavy panting I would want a test like an ultrasound to look at the heart and other organs. A full blood panel is a definite recommendation if one hasn't been done. If one has been done, also results of all cushings test such as ACTH and LDDS would be good to post too.
Our members have a lot of experience with cushings, going back years and years, some have been in contact with the leading experts in the field. They would be happy to comment, but really need to know some specific information.
I do hope that everything is still okay today.

Sharlene