Jack and cushings

[Jacksmum]

My dog Jack a staffordshire bull terrier, was diagnosed with cushings 5 yrs ago at the age of 6 which i have heard is a young age, it took many many months to get the diagnosis as my concerns about his behaviour changes excessive hunger and constant drinking were dismissed and i was told over and over again that there was nothing wrong with my dog! When i finally found a vet that took my concerns seriously and another blood panel was done, and came back with raised liver enzymes the subject of cuishings was raised, and the appropriate blood tests done, and i was finally given a diagnosis. this diagnosis has been rechecked by 3 subsequent veterinarians as all were sceptical, so it is most diffenately confirmed. Jack has not had an easy time of it, he has had severe and prolonged bad reactions to every medication available to treat cushings to the point that he can not take them, i can no longer have him vaccinated as he now has severe reactions to vaccinations and i have almost lost him twice, i have yearly titre tests done to check that he still has antibodies against parvo virus and distemper and thankfully so far he has, thankfully we do not have rabies in australia so he is not at risk of that. I ended up taking Jack to a holistic veterinarian, who designed an eating plan and special diet for him as well as prescribing supplements and holistic remedies to help control his cushings, this was 4 yrs ago, he also has weekly massages, swimming sessions and bowen therapy, this seems to work well for him and he has blood work done every 6 months to make sure, this is very involved and requires very careful monitoring and i wish i could use the meds, has anyone else had these issues, and if so how did you handle them?

[NoonelovesmelikeNorman]

Welcome JacK - too new to answer ?s but wanted to welcome to the group...others are more knowlagable

Hang in there!

Peace, Sharon & Norman

[labblab]

I want to "second" Sharon in welcoming you and Jack! I have only a few moments to write, but would you be willing to give us more details about the Cushing's drugs that you tried? Which drugs and for how long? If you could possibly remember dosages, that would be great as well. Oh, and how much does Jack weigh?

We've just had another new member join who is voicing some of the same issues as you have had. But as we've also told the other member, sometimes the issue relates to an inappropriate dose as opposed to the drug itself. So if you can give us more information, that will be a great starting point for us to help sort things out.

Thanks so much in advance,
Marianne

[Concernedmom]

Wanted to say Hi and welcome you also. I'm fairly new to the site too. People are super nice and very knowledgable about cushings. I'm sorry you've had such a hard time of it with your Jack. It sounds like you and Jack have been through a lot through the years. . I have a Maltese who was on Trilostane in December, had a reaction to the medicine so we stopped. We also went to a homeopathic vet and is now on a homemade diet with holistic remedies. It's only been a little over a month but all cushing symptoms are controlled. We are having good luck going this route right now. You mentioned Jack has gone the holistic route for 4 years now and has worked well for him. Has Jacks symptoms been totally controlled as mine have? I haven't done any blood work yet we go April 16. Would you mind saying what type of blood work you have checked so I might know what I should look for? If you wouldn't mind talking about the remedies Jack is on I know I would love to hear them and I'm sure there might be others that might like to hear also. The more we can learn what works for people the better off we are.
My pup is 13 and Jack is what 11 right? Sounds like Jack is in really loving hands. You came to the right place to ask questions. I hope you can get some relief for Jack or maybe find other things that might work for him. Hugs

[molly muffin]

Hi. I wanted to check in and see how things are going with Jack.

Hope all is well.

Let us know when you get a chance.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Budsters Mom]

Hi,:D
Just wanted to pop in and say hello and welcome to you and Jack.:)

I am so glad that you found us. Our arsenal of angels are very knowledgeable and will do everything in their power to help you. Be ready to answer tons of questions! Our angels love data. They soak it up like sponges. Please post any test results, symptoms, and concerns. The more information, the better.:)

Kathy and Buddy :D

[SoggyDoggy]

Hi, Just wanted to check in and see how Jack was doing?

My Boy Fraser also has severe reactions to the vaccinations here in Aus, so I do know what you mean about that. He was fine with them for a number of years, and then suddenly had huge allergic reactions, his nose and face swelled significantly. The first time it happened we only got him to the vet with about 10 minutes to spare before his airways closed up! :eek: The new thoughts are that dogs should only be vaccinated every three years here now anyway, though many vets are still very sceptical about that. Seems you are proving the theory true though!

I'd be interested to learn more about the reactions to the cushings meds that Jack was put on. Would you please be able to give us some more details? Which meds did you try, what was the dose, how much does jack weigh and what were his reactions? It would help us all learn more about potential difficulties with the drugs so that we are in a better position to help other members.

I am glad that you have found a way to help Jack out though, and for such a good length of time! Very tough to be diagnosed with cushings at such a young age. You have done very well by him. How is he going now?

Let us know when you can.