New Here! 12yo Chow Chow recently

[rileybear]

Hello, My name is Jen and my four legged daughters name is Riley. She was diagnosed this week with Cushings and started on 60mg Vetoryl this Tuesday.

She was tested earlier this year because she had all the classic symptoms-heavy panting, excessive drinking, weight gain, etc, but the test came back negative . We recently switched vets because we were unhappy with the old Vet and they redid the Cushings test and it came back positive.

This is all overwhelming and I found this this site and said "Phew, I'm not alone!"

I just want to make sure I am doing everything correct for my baby and I want to make sure I am asking the Vet all the right questions. Any advice and support would be greatly appreciated.

One question I do have........She has such difficulty sleeping. She is practically up all night sleeping and with difficulty breathing, did anyone else have this problem and what can you suggest????

Thanks,
Jen & Riley

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Jen,

Welcome to you and Riley, so sorry for the reasons that brought you here but glad you found us.

Cushing's is one of the most difficult diseases to get a confirmed diagnosis for because not one test is 100% accurate at diagnosing Cushings and other non-adrenal illnesses can create false positive results on all Cushing tests.

If you could get copies of all tests that were done on Riley and post any abnormalities that are listed that would help us to provide you with more meaningful feedback.

Is Riley on any other medicines/supplements/herbs? Does Riley have any other health issues? How much does she weigh?

The starting dose of Vetoryl/Trilostane is based on a dog's weight, a study from UC Davis recommends initiating Vetoryl/Trilostane at a dose of 1mg per kg of a dog's weight. Starting low and then, if needed, gradually increasing the dose seems to work better.

Difficulty in sleeping or restlessness can be attributed to elevated cortisol.

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

Love and hugs,
Lori

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