not sure if it's cushings

[flopapa]

Hi, I have a 8 y/o female mixed breed dog, her name is Dixie. She has been having the following symptoms; excessive thirst, increased appetite, having voiding accidents in the house, weight gain, hair loss, dry coat, tired. I brought her to her vet and she suspects cushings. Her abnormal labs were: serum t. protein 7.9H,Globulin 3.7H,Alk Phos.
202H,Calcium 11.9H,Chol. 519H,Trig. 763H. Urinalysis showed sp grav. low, ph 7.5H, protein 2+ H, Bld 1+ H. Please note her CBC basically normal, her glucose normal, her T4 normal. So what do you all think. I am not able to spend alot of money on treatment, but I do want her to be happy. At the present she seems free of pain, just a little tired and we are kenneling her at night to prevent accidents.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Dixie,

So sorry for the reasons that brought you here but glad you found us.

Strong symptoms, as Dixie is displaying, do play a huge part in a Cushing's diagnosis, but a lot of these same symptoms are shared by other non-adrenal health issues.

How much does Dixie weigh? Is she taking any other medicines/herbs/supplements?

Cushing's can be expensive to start with because the initial expense is during the diagnostic phase, the cost of treating for Cushing's usually goes down significantly after you've got the diagnosis confirmed and the treatment underway.

Please know we will help in any way we can so do not hesitate to ask any and all questions.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[flopapa]

Dixie is 57lbs, she has gained about 8 lbs in 6 months. She is not on any meds except her ht worm shot and flea pill. Thanks for all your help.

[flopapa]

what do I need to get a dx

[Harley PoMMom]

Cushing's is one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose and unfortunately, it is also one of the most misdiagnosed. There isn't just one test that is conclusive, so a vet has to rely on more than one diagnostic and validation test.

The LDDS, ACTH, UC:CR, and/or an ultrasound are the diagnostic tests used to help diagnose Cushing's. If it were me, I would start with the LDDS test. The low-dose dexamethasone suppression (LDDS) test is commonly used as a screening test for canine Cushing's and, in some cases, the results can be used to distinguish pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH) from adrenal-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADH).

Does Dixie have any other health issues?

Love and hugs,
Lori

[flopapa]

Dixie's has a mass on her tail that her vet thinks is benign. She can no longer go for 1 mile wlks, wears her out.

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Lori has gotten you off to a good start so no need for me to repeat anything. The purpose for posting is to tell you that if you are keeping Dixie in a crate at night, please make sure that she has plenty of water. She needs access to water 24/7. It definitely looks as though she is not concentrating her urine so she needs water to stay hydrated. If you deprive her of water, she could get very sick and it can be life threatening.

Glynda

[flopapa]

thanks for letting me know this, I will get her a water bottle for her crate, thank you so much

[molly muffin]

Hello and Welcome. I would second the option of an LDDS test if that is affordable for you to do. I say this because all my tests came back positive for Cushings, (the high cortisol), until the LDDS, and then she suppressed for the full 8 hours. (not cushings). Something else is causing the high cortisol. That is why I recommend it.

It's a bugger of a disease to diagnose, that's for sure. Once you are certain that is what it is and know which type it is, then you can look into treatment options.

Sharlene