Gizmo-10 y/o boston terrier with Cushings and Calcinosis cutis

[Susan]

Gizmo, my 10 year old boston terrier was diagnosed with Cushings and cutis Calcinosis in December. He is on Vetoryl and responding well to his medication. I do have concerns with his calcinosis and was wondering if anyone has experienced a dog with this skin problems. My vet has me put DMSO on the areas where his skin has the bumps, etc, everyday, and then i put on tee shirt on Gizmo. He acts fine, eats, etc. fine. It just seems his skin is not making a big improvement and in some areas there is still a little spreading of the bumps going on. Will this ever clear up?

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Gizmo,

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

I was wondering if you could round up copies of all tests that were done on your boy and post any abnormalities that are listed. Also, could you tell how much Gizmo weighs and what dose of Lysodren he is/was taking?

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

One of our Moderators, Angela, is our resident expert in Calcinosis Cutis and I am sure she will be along shortly so in the meantime here are some links to other members Threads with dogs that have Calcinosis Cutis:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4884&page=2

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3956&highlight=Calcinosis+Cutis&page=10

www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3940&highlight=Calcinosis+Cutis&page=8

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4130&highlight=Calcinosis+Cutis&page=7

Love and hugs,
Lori

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to you and Gizmo.
Calcinosis is very hard to clear up, but I think you might glean some information from the threads that Lori provided you.
What was the results of the last ACTH test? You really want to get that cortisol down on the Post number and then you are looking at time to see results on the Calcinosis.
We're very glad you found us as you'll see there are a lot of people going through the same thing, including cc. We are a very good supportive bunch that are more like family. We worry about everyone and their furbabies all the time. :) So, we'll probably ask lots of questions.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Susan]

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I don't have Gizmo's #'s, but the vet did call me last Saturday to say his numbers have greatly improved and to continue giving him his medication. I am supposed to return in one month for blood work again. His skin is just so bad, it is upsetting. And these crusty spots still seem to spread. Overall, not so bad, but they do spread a little. No signs of a big improvement yet.

[addy]

It can take awhile to improve and when you are anxious to get relief for your baby it does seem to take forever.

Not to bug you but you should always ask for copies of any tests done to Gizmo and keep them in a file. Your vet wont mind and will be happy to email them over. It just helps you and Gizmo. And we like to pester for test results :):):) We dont mean any harm, it just helps to have them. You would be surprised how many times members have come here with the understanding from their vets that their pups were doing just fine with their ACTH tests only to find out the vet was not reading the numbers correctly. Happens more than one would care to think;)

[scoora]

Hi Susan-Welcome. My Scoop has Calcinosis Cutis. He is on Vetoryl. He started with it on his back. Then his front underarms and a little at his back legs and butt. The vet tested the area on his back and he had 2 infections there. He was on a strong compounded antibiotic for 6 weeks. I was also putting DMSO on it. The underarms weren't tested but didn't seem to be infected, just were open and wet. In Nov he was in the hospital for ear surgery. While he was there the surgeon started putting Mupirocin Ointment on his back and underarms. After 3 days he came home and his back looked so much better. I used the ointment for 4 weeks. All the scabs came off his back. I think the underarms were harder because they would keep rubbing. There are black spots and no hair on that area of his back but so much better. After the 4 weeks the vet had me switch back to DMSO. His underarms still have a lot of scabs but they are starting to fall off. Takes time but Scoop's has improved. Good luck with it.

[Sabre's Mum]

Welcome

Our Hungarian Vizsla, Sabre, had calcinosis cutis and was treated with Lysodren. Things will get worse before the skin condition will improve and it may take 4-6 months down the track before it resolves to a point of "being there" but not causing any issues. Up until this point in time it is a matter of "managing" the calcinosis cutis. The biggest issue to to try and stop any infections getting out of control. We were quite proactive with antibiotic use .... the vet prescribing them as soon as an infection started. We tried to keep the area as dry as possible. It can be a bit hit and miss ie we tried medicated shampoos (only made it flare up), oatmeal shampoos (didn't do much really), scuffing "stuff" off with Epiotic (an ear cleaning solution the vet said was OK to use on skin) and betadine (this worked well to dry up areas .. but if I recall correctly watch out for areas with broken skin). We used T-Shirts and jackets to stop Sabre from trying to get at areas he could reach. We continued with his flaxseed oil and added Evening Primrose Oil. We were unable to source DSMO here in NZ so were unable to try this out. From all my research at the time this seemed to be a very good option.

Are you once dosing or twice daily dosing?

Angela and Flynn

[Susan]

Thank you for writing back and giving me the helpful information. Gizmo is taking vetoryl 30mg once a day, and has no problems with it. He has had no skin infections, although he has lost a lot of his hair along his back, and shoulders. I give him an oatmeal bath twice a week, not sure if it helps or not, but doesn't seem to be doing any harm, and he does look somewhat better afterwards. For the most part his skin looks dry.I apply the DMSO to his skin everyday. There are some areas with just plain hard skin, and then I will come across small patches of the crusty build ups. He does wear a tee shirt after the application of DMSO. I'm just hoping it will stop spreading! I was wondering what the flaxseed oil is for?

[Susan]

Hi Susan-Welcome. My Scoop has Calcinosis Cutis. He is on Vetoryl. He started with it on his back. Then his front underarms and a little at his back legs and butt. The vet tested the area on his back and he had 2 infections there. He was on a strong compounded antibiotic for 6 weeks. I was also putting DMSO on it. The underarms weren't tested but didn't seem to be infected, just were open and wet. In Nov he was in the hospital for ear surgery. While he was there the surgeon started putting Mupirocin Ointment on his back and underarms. After 3 days he came home and his back looked so much better. I used the ointment for 4 weeks. All the scabs came off his back. I think the underarms were harder because they would keep rubbing. There are black spots and no hair on that area of his back but so much better. After the 4 weeks the vet had me switch back to DMSO. His underarms still have a lot of scabs but they are starting to fall off. Takes time but Scoop's has improved. Good luck with it.
Vicki, Thank you for replying. For how long has Scoop had the cc? Are you still applying the DMSO, and if so how often? Thanks, Susan

[Sabre's Mum]

There are some areas with just plain hard skin, and then I will come across small patches of the crusty build ups. He does wear a tee shirt after the application of DMSO. I'm just hoping it will stop spreading! I was wondering what the flaxseed oil is for?

Flaxseed oil is high in Omega 3 and Omega 6s and is very good for the coat and skin. Here we are able to buy a high quality organic one and I just added it to his meal. Evening Primrose Oil is also very good for the skin. I read some fantastic research on the use of EPO and Borage Oil (I think it was this ... something I couldn't find and NZ) and the use for skin conditions. I read this 5 years ago and now the search engines no longer like to find it!!!! My vet actually suggested the EPO.

Sabre had large plates of calcinosis cutis as well. These healed, hair grew through and they were eventually "just there".

Take care
Angela and Flynn

[Susan]

Flaxseed oil is high in Omega 3 and Omega 6s and is very good for the coat and skin. Here we are able to buy a high quality organic one and I just added it to his meal. Evening Primrose Oil is also very good for the skin. I read some fantastic research on the use of EPO and Borage Oil (I think it was this ... something I couldn't find and NZ) and the use for skin conditions. I read this 5 years ago and now the search engines no longer like to find it!!!! My vet actually suggested the EPO.

Sabre had large plates of calcinosis cutis as well. These healed, hair grew through and they were eventually "just there".

Take care
Angela and Flynn
Anglea and Flynn, Thank you for getting back to me. How is your Sabre doing these days and hold is Sabre?

[Sabre's Mum]

Sabre passed away in March 2010 at 11 years old. He was diagnosed in early 2008 and was treated with Lysodren for two years. I have stayed around here on this wonderful site to help others ... particularly with calcinosis cutis. Here is a picture of Sabre a year after diagnosis. His hair grew back like a labrador - he lost quite a lot of hair initially - but he no longer had any bald patches. http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=97&pictureid=784

Flynn is our 4 legged Hungarian Vizsla who was diagnosed with SRMA and IMHA at 6 months old. Now in remission and will be four years old in four months time.

Angela

[Susan]

Sabre passed away in March 2010 at 11 years old. He was diagnosed in early 2008 and was treated with Lysodren for two years. I have stayed around here on this wonderful site to help others ... particularly with calcinosis cutis. Here is a picture of Sabre a year after diagnosis. His hair grew back like a labrador - he lost quite a lot of hair initially - but he no longer had any bald patches. http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=97&pictureid=784

Flynn is our 4 legged Hungarian Vizsla who was diagnosed with SRMA and IMHA at 6 months old. Now in remission and will be four years old in four months time.

Angela
Sabre was a beauty! Thank you for your dedication on this site assisting others like me on the journey with Cushings. I greatly appreciate it. Sabre coat looks great in the photo! Good luck with Flynn, i hope he will live a long healthy life..

[Sabre's Mum]

Yes, Sabre certainly thought he was handsome. He literally would pose in front of the camera. We have such amazing photo albums tracking his life. Mmmmm in fact we have more photos of Sabre than we do of our two legged kids. We also have the picture of him in the daisies (In the Loving Memory album) blown up on a canvas.

I still remember the panic and internet research that I did when Sabre was going through diagnosis ... we had to wait I think 8 weeks before we could start testing, whilst his calcinosis cutis did it's own thing (the vet wasn't totally sure what it was). This waiting probably made it worse for me but we eventually got a diagnosis and the help of this wonderful forum.

Now, we can pay it forward.

Angela and Flynn