12 yr old male Lhasa diagnosed with Cushing's

[Rachelintn]

Hello from Tennessee!!:) My Lhasa Apso, Oreo, was just diagnosed with Cushing's disease a few days ago. He is 12 years old, and I have been treating him for diabetes for the past five years with insulin and and with the w/d diabetic dog food. Up until I came across this site, everything I have read about this disease makes me cry.. It's nice to see a little hope :) The vet is working on a treatment plan that is best suited for my baby..Oreo has also developed a chronic cough during the last 6 weeks.. The vet had mentioned that the excess cortisol could be masking other diseases..Did anyone have any respiratory illnesses surface once the Cushing's was treated?

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to you and Oreo. Waving to Tennessee from Canada. :) I'm really glad you found us. Really sorry for the reason though.

Okay first if you aren't a member already I recommend that you also join our sister site, http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/ We have members who are dealing with both issues and it helps to be a member on both sites.

Okay, so first off, what made your vet look at cushings? Were you having trouble with the diabetes control at all?

What tests were done to diagnose cushings? Do you have a copy of the results of those tests and any other bloodwork? If so can you post the either high/low results with range and unit of measurment please. This helps us to know what your vet is looking at and to guide us with what is going on with your baby. (who btw is is just beyond cute).
Coughing, has an ultrasound been done? Two things that would make me want one is the coughing, is there fluid anywhere, heart issues, etc. Anything else that is wrong can also cause false positives on cushings tests, so you want to know what is going on.

yes cortisol can cover up other issues, Usually joint issues like arthritis, but anything can pop out when cortisol starts going lower. It doesn't really sound like a respiratory issue is being masked if Oreo is coughing. I'd want that checked out before looking at cushings treatment.
Now is Oreo having any classic symptoms of cushings? excessive drinking, peeing accidents, panting, ravenous hunger, pot belly, skin issues, etc. (keeping in mind that several of these symptoms are the same as with diabetes).

Okay, so have I overwhelmed you yet? I hope not. :) Several others will also be by to welcome you and probably have a host of more questions that I forgot.

One thing here, is we don't give up hope, EVER. We fight for every precious moment and we all walk the same path, our methods for dog to dog might differ, this one tries that, this other one tries this, but it's the same journey and we all are trying to get the same place, a stable, good quality, normal life span with our best buds. You'll never be alone again, as long as you have the link to the forum, someone will always be around to answer any questions, listen to a rant, or share a shoulder and a tear. We've all cried out eyes out with worry, fear, happiness, and a multitude of other emotions that this disease can cause.

Again welcome
Sharlene and Molly Muffin (Molly btw, is a cross lhasa/shih tzu)

[Simba's Mom]

Welcome to the family, you will get so much information and encouragement from this awesome group of cush parents...
Hugs from Simba and me....

[labblab]

Hello and welcome!

I literally only a have a moment to post right now, but I want to give you a link to the thread of another member who has just joined us with her diabetic dog. If your vet is planning to treat Oreo with trilostane, you will want to be sure to read the conversation in this thread regarding dosing BEFORE Oreo's medication is ordered:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5033

Looking forward to learning much more about your baby!

Marianne

[addy]

Hi and Welcome,

I'm with Sharlene in suggesting you find out what is causing the cough before starting treatment. We never know what may show up one we start treatment. High cortisol helps self medicate inflammatory issues. Allergies can show up.

My Zoe is a Lhasa, they sure love to make us laugh, don't they? We are not certain how old she is, she came to live with us from animal control six years ago. We guess somewhere between 12 and 14. She was diagnosed almost 3 years ago.

Please check out the link Sharlene gave you to our sister diabetes site, they are a wonderful, knowledgeable group.

(hugs)))))))

[Rachelintn]

Wow.. Thanks for the welcome everyone! We are trying to deal with oreo's respiratory issues before treating for cushings.. I am still giving him the same amount of insulin, and he is on heartworm prevention.. He is on his third round of antibiotics, and has cough syrup that isn't working :( He has a small amount of fluid around one lung, no murmurs..the X-rays showed a little cloudiness that she thought was normal for his age.. His heart rate was a little slow, but heart and lungs sounded good.. His glucose is controlled, but his liver enzymes kept coming back high, and he developed a little bit of a pot belly.. She considered cushings based on his belly and enzymes. I suspected cushings in '08 when he was diagnosed with diabetes, but then his enzymes came down and the symptoms almost disappeared after i started his insulin..She did the low dose dex test and said he suppressed after four hours, but rebounded at eight hours..

[Rachelintn]

I'm not sure about the numbers on the dex test.. His eosinophils have been really high, high white cell count has been high.. I don't have his actual CBC or chemistry panel with me because the er vet kept it, but I will get another copy when I go back to my regular vet this week ( I took him to the er over the weekend cause his cough scared me, but they didn't have any additional answers for me about the cough ) I know she has been looking at the trilostane, but she hasn't decided yet because we are working on the cough and because she wanted to talk to a professor she had about treating a dog with a dual diagnosis. He hadnt shown any classic signs of cushings since his insulin was regulated until he started panting at night again a few weeks ago.. Also his liver was a little enlarged on the X-ray.. No ultrasound or tracheal wash has been done yet..I noticed too that his albumin was a little low and his potassium was a little high..

[Rachelintn]

I call Oreo my first born lol I also have Dixie, Daisy, and Jasper that are Lhasas, and Maggie, who is lab/retriever mix that my parents rescued.. I am a teacher, and I don't have any human children lol My dad said if I were a vet, id have a house full of kids lol I am so thankful for a snow day, because I can't stand leaving Oreo when he's coughing like this... These dogs ARE my babies.. I'm so thankful to y'all for the support.. It helps having other dog parents to talk to :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Rachel in TN! and welcome to you and Oreo! :)

I lived in TN, in Cordova, for a few years. When I came back home to ARK it would tickle me no end to hear folks complain about the traffic. :p I lived within a stone's throw of Kroger but it took me 30 min to drive there in Cordova! Perspective does wonders for the Soul. ;)

I want to share a bit of my Squirt's story with you. She tested positive on five Cushing's tests - the LDDS, HDDS, ACTH, UTK panel, and abdominal ultrasound, two of them. After the second US, I was told about a tumor on her spleen. After the tumor and half her spleen were removed, the cortisol returned to normal and remained within range for nearly 4 years.

Cortisol is one of the body's natural defenses against any kind of stress, internal or external. So any illness can skew the tests for Cushing's providing false results, as with Squirt. So my advice based on our experience is to put Cushing's on the back burner for now and concentrate on finding out why he is coughing. I wouldn't waste any money on cush testing right now. ;) The good thing about Cushing's is that it is a very slowly progressing condition and there is rarely need to rush into treatment. Most cush pups have had the condition for several years before it is diagnosed and the vast majority bound back with proper treatment. So taking a little time to do some more testing for other conditions shouldn't be an issue at all.

About the cough - I'll share another recent experience with Squirt. One nite not long ago she had a coughing fit that scared me to pieces. It lasted for a while. I came on and asked here for ideas while we waited to see the vet. A dear friend suggested dust mite allergy and gave me a link on how to take care of them. I followed the directions and have kept up the routine....Squirt has coughed only twice since. Her labs showed elevated EOS which can indicate an allergic reaction so the dust mites seem to be the answer. I was terrified it was her heart - she was 15 on the 25th of Feb. - and am so relieved it seems to be something so simple. Here is the link just in case - http://www.ehow.com/how_5037812_clean-bed-mites.html

I'm glad you found us and especially glad you found hope here. You and Oreo are no longer alone. We will be here and walk every step of the way with you...even if it turns out this is not Cushing's. Ya'll are family now and this family sticks together through thick and thin. Never hesitate to ask questions and we will do our best to help. Hang in there! :)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Rachelintn]

I am also going to have Dixie, who is 11 yrs old, tested for cushings because she has started having increased water consumption and increased appetite, and has started having accidents in the house.. Her blood work was perfect except for raised liver enzymes.. I also recently had her tested for allergies because of her skin being itchy, and after testing, they gave her a round of temaril so I'll have to wait for the steroid to leave her body to know if her enzymes are really elevated, or if it was a response to temaril..how long do u have to wait before testing for cushings if they have taken temaril short term?If she does have increased cortisol, will her allergy tests be invalid? Sorry for all the posts lol

[Rachelintn]

Thanks Squirts mom..lol.. Funny we both brought up allergies lol I hadn't read your post yet before my last post about dixie.. I'll try cleaning for mites to see if it will help them.. Ty :)

[Rachelintn]

Sorry I missed a few days logging in.. I'd like to respond and help a few people instead of just asking for help lol As y'all know, Oreo has had a relentless cough for a month that antibiotics are not clearing up.. He is having a bronchoscope on Monday so please say a few prayers for us :) Dixie, my oldest female that I will be testing for cushings soon, had a cyst removed last week. The cyst was benign, thank God, but the vet also had the surrounding skin checked for the cause of her itchiness. It came back as allergic dermatitis... The allergy tests I had done on her a month ago came back negative for everything.. Could she have masked allergies like this if her cortisol is too high?

[molly muffin]

Checking in to see how the bronchoscope went. Hope it went okay and all is well. Oh wow, two now Dixie too. So glad that the cyst was benign, that is reassuring.
Yes if Dixie has high cortisol, then she wouldn't feel as itchy. She still should have tested positive on the test for something though. Seasonal maybe? What about the dust mite possibility? That is a big one.
Feel free to read through some of the threads and any you want to just say hello on, go for it. We'll answer. :) Just jump in! LOL

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi,

Cortisol acts as a natural anti-inflammatory so once treatment starts and the cortisol level is brought back down to normal levels, things like allergies and arthritis can come to the forefront. The cortisol sort of "treats" conditions like allergies and other inflammatory conditions so it isn't usual to see things like Oreo's allergic dermatitis show up "suddenly" when it has actually been there all along just masked by the cortisol's effect on the inflammation.

Hope this helps!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[molly muffin]

How are the kids doing today?

Sharlene and Molly Muffin