New to cushings (11 y/o shih tzu)

[Abmis]

Hi
I have an 11 year old shih tzu just diagnosed with cushings. He is expressing very few symptoms( exercise intolerance, panting )he has panted before in times of stress or excitement, now he is maybe a little more lethargic. Cushings diagnoses ALP 1600, then low dose dex suppression and ultrasound to confirm. Both adrenal glands enlarged but symmetrical. My question is when should we start treatment and has anyone had experience with retinoic acid? If so which retinoid did you use 9-cis, 13 - cis or all trans? And what were the results ,side effects etc?

Any help would be appreciated

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The goal of treatment is to remedy problematic symptoms, which are usually a lot worse for the parent than the dog. Most cushdogs who are diagnosed have much more overt symptoms than your pup, such as excessive drinking and peeing and a huge appetite. If my dog was otherwise healthy, meaning didn't have other medical issues that were being complicated by excess cortisol, I'd probably choose to wait until I saw more overt symptoms before starting treatment.

Was it the increase in ALKP that prompted your vet to pursue a cushing's diagnosis? Were there any other blood or urine abnormalities and if so, can you please post those values, to include the normal reference ranges? It would also be great if you could post the results of the LDDS test.

While there have been studies done that show retinoic acid as a very effective treatment for cushing's, it is obscenely expensive and as far as I know, it's not approved nor is it presently being used in tests or clinical trials. I have not heard anything about retinoic acid since the intitial studies were done so perhaps I should do some research to see if there has been any progress in finding a more cost effective form of retinoic acid. Has your vet offered retinoic acid as a treatment option?

Glynda

[NoonelovesmelikeNorman]

Hello! and Welcome to the group form Norman (Cushings doxie) Millie - mini yorkie -pooh and me. I am relatively new to the group so I will let others help with the advice...You ave found a wonderful and supportive group...be patient and no you are not alone...we are here for each other.

Peace and hugs,

Sharon and the pups

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the group. I don't know anything about retinoic acid treatment myself, so won't comment on that.
I will say that what you are usually treating for is the symptoms. If those hasn't progressed yet, then it is up to you whether to start treatment or not. The other thing to consider is how enlarged the liver is and whether that will go down with treatment, is the pot belly making him uncomfortable. (pot belly is caused by a fat redistribution and the liver being enlarged, at least that is what my vet told me)

Again, welcome to the forum, where everyone is going through the same journey.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Simba's Mom]

Hello and welcome to the big family of cush parents and their babies. This site is awesome, you will get lots of knowledge and encouragement. We are all in this together, hang on its an up and down ride...

[Dodie]

Hi & Welcome,

I am new to this site also, but I also have an 11 yr. old ShihTzu Molly. She urinates frequently, likes to lay on cooler floors, is less energetic than normal, but does not have a lot of other syntoms.