Advice please. My 11 yr old Golden and Cushing's

[Emm6008]

My Golden Retriever is 11 and I took him to the vet because he hasn't been himself lately. A Geriatric Profile was done ( bloodwork) . His bloodwork came back with a very high level related to the adrenal/pituitary glands. The vet said a normal reading was around 141 and my boy's is 517. He also said he was hypothyroid. He did have some sensitivity in the kidney area when the vet physically checked him over. Right now I am so worried and have to wait till Monday to talk with the Vet again. Of course Cushing's was mentioned by the vet on the phone today. Testing for it and medication which I understand both are very expensive. Everything I have read regarding the meds used to treat Cushing's, the side effects sound terrible, almost worst than the disease. My boy is 11 years old and has had a great quality of life. Now he is drinking more, coat does not look good, he's a little listless, tires very easily. I just have a million questions which my vet will help with Monday, but I want to do what is best for him. Any advice one could give would be appreciated and maybe help ease my worry. Thank you.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and your boy,

First and most important, Cushing's is not a death sentence for one's dog. Cushing’s is a treatable disease and with proper medical management, close monitoring and owner observation, most Cushingoid pets can live to their full life expectancy, with complete or partial resolution of clinical signs, and good quality of life!

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.

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).

Non-adrenal illnesses such as diabetes and any thyroid issue should be ruled out before running any Cushing tests. Diabetes and thyroid problems do share some of the same symptoms as Cushing's and non-adrenal illnesses can create false positive results on all Cushing tests.

If you could round up copies of all tests that were done on your boy and post any abnormalities that are listed, here, that would help us a lot. Also what symptoms does your boy display? How much does he weigh? Is he on any other herb/supplement/medicine?

The medicines to treat Cushing's are strong but if the proper diagnostic/treatment protocols are followed the side effects are minimal.

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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[Emm6008]

Thank you for the information and support. I will post again when I get more information. I'm hoping I might be looking at just a Thyroid problem as some of the symptoms are the same. I had an Australian Shepherd that was hypothyroid from birth. From what I've read Cushing's can cause low thyroid readings so at this point I don't know. Thanks again....:)

[frijole]

You are right - this could be strictly a thyroid problem and that's an easy thing to treat. You could start by treating it and see if it works. THere is NO rush to treat cushings as it isn't an immediate threat to life. So take your time and make sure you have a solid dx before worrying about treatment options.

Lori is right - should it be cushings your dog can lead a normal life. The key to avoiding problems with the drugs isn't the drugs - it's the vet and you. Problems are due to the fact that it is often misdiagnosed by inexperienced vets, doses are too high, protocol regarding how to dose and what to look for (overdose) are not communicated to owner or owner fails to follow instructions (perhaps just didn't understand instructions).... so don't worry about the drugs.

Focus on getting the diagnosis right first. We're here to help. Kim

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome. Yes, definitely have the thyroid issue checked out before moving on to cushings testing, as that one can mess with the cushing test results.

I do love goldens, they are so beautiful and so happy no matter what it seems. I had a golden for many years, and she was a treasure.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[cheydogger]

I just wanted to stop by and say hi. I am still fairly new to this Cushing's stuff too. I will tell you my girl was diagnosed with Cushing's a month or so ago and.....you are correct-- the thyroid can be a little low with Cushing's as my girls is. She just started on Trilostane to control the cortisol, then we will re-check the thyroid when we get her stabilized.

You will find a lot of information on this forum. I think most people on this site know more about Cushing's than some vets. Lol. It is a lot to absorb at first, I know.

Everyone here will help you through this. Hopefully, your pup has something as simple as thyroid.

You are entitled to copies of all test results. It was brought to my attention when I joined this site to keep a folder with all of Chey's test results not only to post on here, but also good to have if I ever had to take her to another vet or emergency.

Let us know what you find out.

Take care,

Ro and Chey

[Emm6008]

Thank you everyone so much for the information. I was unable to talk to my Vet today as his wife had a baby, so consequently I'm no farther ahead. I did pick up a copy of his bloodwork and the ALP reading is 517, normal being around 141. I don't know if it means anything to those of you that are experienced with these readings. His endocrinology is -3.86 which is his thyroid. Glucose and Albumin are down. He has Reactive Lymphocytes present. If I can't get the Vet tomorrow I will take him elsewhere. It's good to know that Cushing's is not immediately life threatening. Right now I'm just trying to get all the info I can and I do understand that not all Vet's are spot on. Ralphie has lost weight, he is down 10 lbs since May. I did cut back on his food in May because he was up to 90 lbs and he did have a more active summer. Fingers crossed tomorrow I will know more.

Thanks again...

Nancy and Ralphie

[frijole]

Thanks for the update. Alk phos of 500 is not that high and could be caused by a number of illnesses - we see cush dogs in 1000-2000 range fwiw.

The fact that Ralphie has lost 10 lbs is a sign to me that something else is going on. Cush dogs receive signals to eat and/or drink despite being full and they gain weight as a result.

Hoping you can get with your vet tomorrow so you have some peace of mind and progress! Hang in there. Kim