Question about lysodren

[baconwc]

My dog has been diagnosed with Cushings and we have begun lysodren treatment. The vet has not been able to use a standard ACTH stim test to diagnose or monitor the treatment. However, we are able to monitor her urine cortizol/creatinine levels, and upon diagnosis she was at 184 (34 is considered normal.) After 9 days of loading her urine levels were down to 99 and after 3 additional weeks of 2 pills/week she was down to only 94. We increased to three times per week for the last 3 weeks. In that time (December) she has started shedding a lot of fur. In fact last night a clump even fell out. I know Cushings is supposed to cause fur and skin problems that return to normal once serum cortizol returns to normal. And I have read Cushings can cause fur to fall out. Has anyone seen this kind of shedding when cortizol levels start to come down? I guess I don't know if this is a good sign or a bad one.

[labblab]

Hello and welcome to you and your dog. I am very glad you've found us, but I am very worried about your dog's Lysodren treatment! Can you tell us why your vet is not conducting ACTH testing? Also, what symptoms and other testing led to the Cushing's diagnosis? UC:CR levels can rule out Cushing's, but they cannot be used to confirm a diagnosis (nor to determine Lysodren dosing) because other conditions can also cause elevations in those urine values. Lysodren is a very serious drug which can cause significant damage if not prescribed and monitored appropriately.

Please fill us in on your dog's health history, symptom profile, and other test results, OK?

Marianne

[StarDeb55]

Welcome from me, too! I really don't want to criticize your vet, but his/her usage of lysodren is very unorthodox. It absolutely does not follow the standard tried & true protocol for using lysodren. I speak from experience as I have successfully treated 2 pups with lysodren, & have loads of experience using the drug. Just to confirm what Marianne has already said, you can't use the urine cortisol/creatinine ratio to monitor lysodren therapy. There is some work being done to see if this test might be used to monitor vetoryl therapy but it's still in the preliminary stages. The only real use of the urine test is to rule out Cushing's. I, too, am very concerned about your vet's treatment plan for your pup as the only accurate way to monitor lysodren therapy is by ann ACTH.

As Marianne has said, would you mind filling us in on your pup's history? If possible, could you gather up copies of all labs that were done to diagnose Cushing's, along with any general labwork such as a super chemistry panel? Please post the actual results. On the general labwork, we would be interested in seeing the abnormals only, along with reporting units & normal ranges. Does your pup have any other medical problems? Is your pup on any other medication or supplements? I'm really sorry for all the questions, & we certainly aren't trying to find fault with your vet. It's just that we have seen too many cases of a vet with little experience in treating endocrine disorders misdiagnosing a pup with Cushing's & the pup pays the price.

Debbie

[mytil]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Here is a link that describes the loading and maintenance dose protocols for Lysodren - http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181

Terry

[molly muffin]

Wishing you a merry christmas, and a safe and wonderful holiday.

I hope that all is going well with your baby and that the fur has stopped falling out so badly.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin