Jack Russell

[cdsnipes]

Hi everyone my name is Colleen and I have a Jack Russell, with cushings he is on 30 mg. of Vetory every other day, it was everyday but he started vomiting. Since he started taking it his symptoms went away, now he is acting strange hiding in closets, panting a lot, will not come in from outside, he eats but not like he use to, it seems he can't get comfortable. I would appreciate any input.

[mytil]

Hi and welcome to our site. I am sorry you both are having difficulties here.

Firstly, every other day is not a normal dosing schedule and when you can, post the actual test results of all the tests performed to diagnose Cushing's in your boy.

How old is your boy?

Is he taking any other medications or does he have any other health issues.

Sorry for all the questions, but the more we know the more we can offer additional input on his current behavior.

Terry

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Usually when they start vomiting on vetroyl it is because the dosage is too high. The appropriate thing to do at that time is retest the ACTH, and lower the dose, keeping him on an every day dose, but at a much lower dosage. This allows the cortisol to be kept under control at a steady rate without spikes one day and drops of too much the next.

Has he been tested for thyroid, diabetes, kidney issues? Just to make sure there is nothing else going on.

The other thing is was an ultrasound ever done to determine if this was adrenal or pituitary cushings?

Do you have copies of any test results done, that show what the cushings test results were (ACTH, LDDS, etc) and any abnormal blood or urine work?

Okay I don't want to over whelm you, just sort of get you started.

Again, welcome and sorry I just added on more questions to Terry's :)

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[cdsnipes]

T hank you for your replies, I am so happy I found this site. my boy Guido hasn't had any blood work for over a year I'm taking him to the vet this morning, but last blood work he had I was told all results were all good. He is 13 and the only meds he is taking is the vetroyl.

[goldengirl88]

I too have a Jack Russell suffering form this dreaded disease. Just know the people on here will help and support you more than you could imagine. Good luck to you and your baby. God Bless You.
Patti

[molly muffin]

How did things go at the vet today with Guido?

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[cdsnipes]

Hi Sharlene,
It didn't go very well had a vet that didn't know anything about cushings, they wanted 500 dollars to do the testing, I couldn't afford that price checked with another vet that was referred to me by a friend, there going to do the test for less than half the price, have an appointment for Tuesday, he seems to be doing a little better without the Vetory he's been off it now for 4 days, they wouldn't refill my prescription until the blood test is done.
Thank you for asking.

[molly muffin]

Highway robbery these vets get away with sometimes in the prices they charge.
Ask the other vet if they are experienced with treating cushings, how many dogs have they treated, what kind of results have they seen, etc and if it's all good answers,well maybe you will have a new vet. :) Decisions, decisions.
I'm actually encouraged that he is not vomiting and doing better. That really makes me think that the dosage might have been too high for him and should be lowered. Something like a consistent daily dosage might work better for both of you. (something to discuss maybe with the vet who will do the testing).
Hang in there. This is a long journey and best taken with baby steps. Cushings is a slow progressive disease, so you do have time to get it all right and learn as much as you can about it.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[cdsnipes]

he's had cushings for the last three years, he was doing so good with it up until last week, I'm so afraid of losing him he is my baby boy, I live in the Palm Springs area, and the vet's are mostly in it for the money, seems they don't care at all, I wish I could find a good caring one.

He is a really big Jack russell his weight is 33 pounds, he use to weight 43 pounds but since he's been on the meds he lost 10 pounds.

[molly muffin]

Hugs How very frustrating. I'd love for you to find a wonderful caring vet to take care of your boy.

It happens sometimes though that after being on the medicine for awhile, their bodies have different reactions, up or down and need to have dosage adjustments tweaked. If the cortisol numbers all come back within a good range, then I'd have a tests run to check, thyroid, kidney, glucose. Just off the top of my head and things we see pretty often. Also, cushings dogs are prone to bouts of pancreatis too. They might or might not have all the symptoms, but a Spec cPL test would tell you for sure if this is suspected. For instance if you see a high Lipase level, then you might want to go further and have the cPL done.

Hang in there. You've done awesome to come through this for 3 years. Most dogs do not end up passing from cushings but from something else. So hopefully this is just going to be a matter of dosage tweaking if at all.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Harley PoMMom]

This post that I am providing is from one of Administrators and can help you save some money on those ACTH stimulation tests, please feel free to print this out and take a copy along to your vet.


Hi Kelly

The reason why the acth stim test is so expensive is because the stimulating agent, cortrosyn, is ridiculously expensive. There is good news for those with smaller dogs because studies show that while instructions on the .25 mg (250 mcg) vial is to inject the entire vial, only 5 mcg per kg of weight is necessary for an accurate result. While Java isn't small, her weight is still low enough to get two stim tests out of one vial. If you do the math, she'd need a bit over 113 mcg so your vet could just split the vial exactly in half.

I have provided the url to instructions on how to split, reconsititute and store for future use. This info is brought to us by a highly published and well respected endocrine specialist, Dr. Mark Peterson. Either give the url to your vet or print out the article for him and ask for a revised quote.

http://endocrinevet.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-extend-your-supply-of-cortrosyn.html

Glynda

[cdsnipes]

Thank you for the info on saving money, with the ACTH testing, I love this site so much what wonderful and caring people.

And a special thank you to Sharlene and Molly Muffin!

[molly muffin]

Well, shucks now don't make me blush. We're happy to have you and more than willing to help in any way we can. This site is made up of people who are just going through or have gone through the same things that you are. Okay, sure we have people who know TONS, because they've been living this for years and years, and probably have read ever paper that has been published by the vet community in north America, Europe, Australia, etc. (I really do think they should just give them a degree in cushings and get it over with!) I trust their expertise in this area completely and they'd keep any vet on their toes!

We want to get this all figured out and get your boy back on track. Anything else is just not acceptable.
Now make sure you get copies of any and all test results, you probably have your own folder started already but if not, having past test results will be invaluable and save you tons of money if you ever for any reason, switch vets, have to do an ER trip (I know, I've done a couple trips with my molly for various things)
You don't want to pay for tests you've already had done or to have someone say they need to wait for your vet to fax results to them.

We'll all be waiting anxiously to see how the test next week goes. How is he doing today?

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[molly muffin]

Tomorrow is test day!!! :) Hope it all goes well, thinking of you two!

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Simba's Mom]

Welcome Colleen and Guido, I'm so glad that you found this site, it really does help to know that you are not alone with this cushings disease...these Cush parents are so full of info and encouragement so settle in and remember we are here for you and Guido....

[cdsnipes]

Hi Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Just wanted to let you know I have found a great vet that knows about cushings disease, I am so happy! first they did a complete blood panel on Guido, put him back on Vetryol, then she is going to do the ACTH test in 2 weeks to see what his levels are, and the nice thing is they don't charge much! I'm extremely happy, my boy is being taken care of, hope everything is going good with you and Moll Muffin!

Thank you again for all of your help.
Colleen

[molly muffin]

Oh my gosh, I am so happy to hear this Colleen. How is Guido doing? What dosage did the new vet put him on? Did you tell them what had been happening with the old dosage of 30mg? Did you get the results of the blood panel? Anything on it off, high or low?
I know a million questions right :) Well, that's me and I just want to make sure that you and Guido are good. :)
So glad you found a vet that didn't require you to sign over your first born to get tests done. :D

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

I read your post about the od things Guido is doing. Tipper my Jack Russell also exhibited some of those behaviors. I feel it is a side effect of the Vetoryl, as she only started doing that hiding etc. after she started on it. It seems to have gotten better though and she rarely does it now. Maybe after their bodies adjust to the Vetoryl the behaviors diminish some. God Bless You Both.
Patti

[cdsnipes]

HI Sharlene and Molly Muffin
The vet put him on the same dosage 30 mg, his blood work came back good but his white blood cell was elevated she thinks its due to his teeth which he can not have cleaned right now, because of the cushings, his alt was slightly elevated, and his alkaline phosphatase was at 1500 she said because of the cushings. She wants to do the ACTH test in 2 weeks, to have his medication adjusted as needed. Hope all is well with you and Molly Muffin.

Hi Patti so happy tipper is feeling better! How many mg is Tipper on the Vetoryl? Guido is on the 30 mg and he weighs 32 pound he is kind of a big Jack russell, his weight was 43 pounds but had to cut his food down because he was so fat.

[doxiesrock912]

Colleen,

that's awesome!

[cdsnipes]

Thank you Valerie! I hope all is going good with you!

[molly muffin]

Hi Colleen! Checking in to see how you and Guido are doing? Hope you are both enjoying some lovely weather where you are. :) I'm having an envious moment as we're still not warm enough for me yet. :)

Let us know how things are going when you get a chance.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin