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View Full Version : Bevo, 7 yr-old Golden Retriever, recent possible diagnosis



Bevomom
04-02-2013, 06:02 PM
My name is Amy, and I'm proud to be Bevo's Mommy. :) We adopted him from a rescue group when he was barely 3, and he has been our angel ever since. At the time, he was recovering from a torn ACL, but otherwise was healthy. Over the last year and a half, we have experienced a large weight gain, which aggravated his poor knees and added Rimadyl to our daily intake. With that came a hypothyroid diagnosis and treatment, but no weight loss. We were also told to try a different diet, which cut down his food intake. He did lose the weight, but his appetite was ravenous... he was/ is never full. My poor guy acts like he is starving ALL the time. We attributed this to the new diet. We also groom him regularly, and noticed after grooming him last fall, that his beautiful coat had not returned. (On the plus side, he looked quite handsome wearing sweaters and coats this winter. ;) ) However, the real trigger started at the beginning of last month, when I noticed him gulping water. Along with that came the super embarrassed, ashamed, apologetic looks that we have all seen from our babies when they started peeing. He had never had an accident before. EVER. I knew something was up. I did a little research before heading to my vet, and of course realized he had all of the markers for Cushings, but kept it to myself and prayed. Our visit to the vet yesterday has led me here. My wonderful vet said he was almost certain after a few minutes of speaking with me, and seeing him. He didn't mention it at first, but tested for UTI to rule it out. When he re-entered the room, the Cushings discussions began. For now, he is on a 30 day regimen of antibiotics because he has an elevated white blood cell count. He is also on another med to improve his liver function. He is really trying to rule other problems out first. However, he has already told me what to expect in our near future. It looks like our next step will probably be a Dexamethasone test sometime next month, followed by an ultrasound. As worried as I am about my golden boy, I am actually slightly relieved to hear that there is a solution for him, and we can get him back on track and feeling better-- hopefully soon. Throughout everything, he is always happy, loves snuggling with his family, and giving everyone his slobbery kisses! :D

addy
04-02-2013, 08:11 PM
Hi and Welcome,

I am glad to hear your vet is going to attempt to rule out any other diseases first as non adrenal illness can affect Cushings tests. Please keep us posted on any test results. You can just post them here on your thread. Cushings is a very hard disease to diagnose as many illnesses mimic it so history is an important part of the diagnosis.

The two man drugs used to treat the disease are Trilostane (Vetoryl) and Lysodren (Mitotane) They work in completely different ways.
Our Resource Section has many good articles to read about both drugs should you eventually be looking at a Cushings diagnosis.

My girl was diagnosed almost three years ago and has been on Vetoryl almost 2 years. Cushings is not a death sentence and is seldom an emergency to treat so make sure you have an accurate diagnosis. That is the important part.

I am glad you found us. Post any questions and we will do our best to answer and if you just want moral support, well, we are pretty good at that as well.

Simba's Mom
04-02-2013, 08:18 PM
Welcome Amy and Bevo, so glad you found this site! You will find so much info here and encouragement too, settle in and remember we are all here for you and Bevo too!!

lulusmom
04-02-2013, 08:36 PM
Hi, Amy and welcome to the forum.

I'm glad you and Bevo are here and that we will have an opportunity to help you both through the rough patches. We're great handholders and information purveyors so get ready for sweaty palms and lots of homework. :D So let's get started by having you round up all the tests that have been done by your vet so far. I believe that would be blood work and urine tests. For the bloodwork, you need only post the highs and lows and please include the normal reference ranges. Make sure you get copies of all future tests too and keep them in a folder. They come in handy if you ever have to make a trip to the er and for those times when we nag you to post the results. :D

We have a wealth of information in our Helpful Resource section so please utilize it to educate yourself. We all eventually figured out that safe and effective treatment is much easier facilitated if the vet is experienced and the pet owner is educated. That's a winning combination for Bevo. You may have already done a good deal of research and could be at a more advanced level but I still recommend that you start your reading with our sticky thread entitled Links to Cushings Websites (especially helpful for new members!) I have provided the url below:

http://k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180

Looking forward to hear a lot more about Bevo.

Glynda

molly muffin
04-02-2013, 09:50 PM
Welcome to the forum. Isn't Bevo just a handsome boy.

In addition to what the others mention, you said he is on thyroid treatment, what are his current numbers for his thyroid? Has he had a thyroid panel to revisit that in case it is out of wack and causing some of the problems?

It does sound like your vet is caution and understands that many other things can give the same symptoms as cushings. If it is cushings, then we'll be right here with you.

Many dogs are treated for cushings and live their full lives just going along being treated. Once you find that good dosage, then things become much easier to deal with.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Bevomom
04-15-2013, 07:43 PM
Thought I would give an update. We are still in "waiting" mode. Bevo is taking 675 mg of Denamarin daily, and 500 mg of amoxicillin twice daily, along with with 0.8 mg of soloxine twice daily. I asked his vet about re-running his thyroid tests, but they were just done in January and were perfect. He doesn't want to re-run them at this time. There has been ZERO change. He has now been on the Denamarin and Amox for 14 days- his vet said it needs at least 21 days to start to show any improvement, if there will be any. Our biggest problem is the night accidents. We have tried EVERYTHING. He is a large golden retriever, and we are afraid to stop all water in the evenings. However, last night, that is exactly what we did, starting at about 8. You would have thought his whole world ended. We have tried potty pads- he refuses to use them. We are thinking about putting him in an enclosed area tonight, but I'm sure even the neighbors will hear THAT. Does anyone have any creative ideas?:confused:

addy
04-15-2013, 08:02 PM
I dont have any creative ideas but if he does have Cushings, stopping water is not a good thing.

Did you discuss this with your vet? I understand that you do not have a firm diagnosis yet, but maybe run withholding water past your vet.:):)

Trixie
04-15-2013, 08:12 PM
Hi Amy,
I was exactly where you were a few weeks ago. Denamarin and amox. was how we started this journey too. I am too much of a newbie to be of real help but everyone here will be of great support to you and help you with all your questions.
You said Bevo won't go on the pads. How about doggie diapers?? I know you have a large male dog but I googled it and it seems there are a few products are out there that might work. Maybe at least they might help get you and Bevo through the night. Hoping the best for Bevo!!
Barbara

Bevomom
04-15-2013, 08:21 PM
We have spoken with the vet about limiting water. He told us it was ok to pick it up at night, but otherwise not limit it. We realized last night that Bevo was going to voice his disapproval about this idea, as well. Back to the drawing board... I'm thinking doggie diapers may be the way to go. Cross your fingers that he will tolerate them. :rolleyes:

molly muffin
04-15-2013, 10:30 PM
Crossing fingers, now if Bevo would just cross his legs :)

I know they can't really hold it though. It's a wicked cycle with the drinking, needing the water, and peeing uncontrollably.

Hope the diapers work!

What is it with goldens. :) They always look like they are smiling to me. (I had a golden too, she had that same happy face)

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

molly muffin
04-17-2013, 07:13 PM
Hi again :)
Did you try the diapers? did Bevo leave them alone? Hope all is going well.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin