My 5 year old rescue dog was diagnosed with Pituitary-dependent Cushing's

[cathyw]

Hello... my name is Cathy and around the 1st of the year my 5 year old rescue dog, Bonnie was diagnosed with Pituitary-dependent Cushing's. They started her on the liquid Trilostane.. started her on the low dosage of 0.3, and now she is up to 0.5. She gets 2 doses twice a day..7:00 AM and 7:00 PM....
Have seen some improvement.. i knew something was wrong because she had started drinking massive amounts of water, and being that she is totally housetrained, she had several accidents in the house
Bonnie still would drink all the water in the world if i would let her. I have to let her out alot to go pee. The dosage of 0.5 started on March 11...
I just would like to visit with people that are using Trilostane on their dogs, and if you are seeing improvement...

Thank you

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Cathy and welcome to you and Bonnie! :)

We are a Lysodren house so I will let the Trilo folks talk to you about treatment. I did want to let you know, tho, that it is dangerous to withhold water from a cush pup. They don't pee so much because they drink so much - it is the opposite. They are going to pee a lot no matter how much or how little water they get so it is imperative they have access to water at all times to prevent dehydration. So be sure to let her have all she wants. As the cortisol comes under control, you should see this dropping off quite a bit. ;)

The more you can tell us about Bonnie the better. We LOVE details so anything in her medical history you think would be important, her test results, the things you see different in her, and so on. We will play 20 Questions with you for a bit but that is so we get a better picture and can be able to be a bigger help to you both. I'm glad you found us and look forward to getting to know you both.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

PS. Be sure to check out the Helpful Resource section. There is some very good info there on Trilostane.

[doxiesrock912]

Cathy,
Daisy Mae just started taking Trilostane less than 2 weeks ago and yes, I have seen improvement. She no longer empties that water bowl in one shot, her eating is not quite so ravenous, coat continues to look better, she's more responsive to me and alert.

We go for the first ACTH test since starting the meds on April 18th which will confirm the improvement I'm sure.

All of the meds have side effects, this is why it's so important to also see an Internal Medicine Specialist who will work in conjunction with your vet for the best treatment options.

I was also freaked completely beyond description when Daisy's PDH was confirmed and it is not curable, but many dogs live out the remainder of their natural lives comfortably and happily with proper treatment.

I've learned so very much from everyone here!

[labblab]

Welcome, Cathy!

I'm so glad to see you've made it to us! ;) :)

In addition to filling us in on the diagnostics that led to Bonnie's Cushing's treatment, can you tell us how much she weighs and also the exact wording of the dosing information that is written on her trilostane bottle? I think you've told how much of the liquid you are giving her, but I'm not sure how much trilostane she is getting in each dose of liquid.

Also, has she yet had an ACTH monitoring test to judge the effectiveness of her current dosing? We really need to know the exact numbers of the test results if you can please get them for us.

Thanks so much!
Marianne

[cathyw]

Bonnie will turn 5 later this year... she weighs around 64 lbs. the label on her bottle says " Give 0.5 cc twice daily by mouth"... She has had 2 ACTH tests... the most recent one 2 weeks ago. I took a urine sample in with me and it was very diluted. My Vet said the dosage she is on now is the correct dosage. It seems every time she has that test she seems to "go backwards" as far as the excessive water drinking... The Cushing's has not affected her hair or her appetite.. it was the excessive water drinking and having a few accidents in the house that i knew something was not right. My Vet runs an IStat test and other blood work on her... seems everything is good... I was told by my Vet and all the research that i have done, that she may never be like she was before..

[cathyw]

It will take me awhile to get use to this forum... how do i go about inserting a picture of Bonnie?

[cathyw]

Leslie, where is the Helpful Resource Section?

[Harley PoMMom]

Leslie, where is the Helpful Resource Section?

Here's a handy link for you: Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10)

Love and hugs,
Lori

[StarDeb55]

Cathy, welcome to you & Bonnie! I can't comment a whole lot on trilostane as I have never used it.

From Marianne:

In addition to filling us in on the diagnostics that led to Bonnie's Cushing's treatment, can you tell us how much she weighs and also the exact wording of the dosing information that is written on her trilostane bottle? I think you've told how much of the liquid you are giving her, but I'm not sure how much trilostane she is getting in each dose of liquid.

Somewhere on the medication bottle there should be a concentration listed. It would be something like 100 mg/ 1cc or 1ml, milliters & cc are the same thing. Using the 100 mg example, this would mean that Bonnie would be getting 50 mg. of trilostane with each dose. This is the dosage information we always like to see as Dechra along with several major vet schools like Univ of Calif. at Davis recommend a starting dose of 1 mg. /lb for trilostane.

Debbie

[molly muffin]

Hello Cathy and welcome to you and Bonnie.

To add an avatar, go to User CP, on the the left side you'll see Edit Avatar, click on that and check Use Custom Avatar and you can upload a file from your computer to use.

Sometimes after an ACTH test you will see for maybe a day an increase in drinking and urinating, but that usually goes away and is a response to the test. Not all dogs respond like this to the test, some you wouldn't even realize they'd had one.

It depends actually on what the results of the ACTH test show as to how well Bonnie is doing and if you are in the correct range. Do you have copies of the ACTH test results? The post number should be below 9ug, if symptoms are no longer evident. If symptoms are still evident, then you want to get down to just under 5ug.
That is how you know how well Bonnie is doing on Trilostane. When the cortisol is under optimum control, then the drinking and urinating is some of the first symptoms that usually will go away. This may not be true for all dogs, as every dog has their own unique response to any drug but in general this has held true.

I hope that Bonnie continues to do well on the Trilostane. If you have any questions at all, just ask. We have lots of combined experience here.

I will say that having a copy of the test results for your own file, can be very helpful in keeping tabs on treatment of cushings.

Again, welcome. :)
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Simba's Mom]

Welcome Cathy and Bonnie, so good to have you here, this site is awesome full of info and encouragement. I have an 11 yr old doxie who takes trilostane 25mg once in the am...he's doing pretty good, his coat is very soft, he doesn't pant anymore and his pot belly is down as is his water intake. He does have some tummy issues but I will be starting him on florlfora as soon as I get to the city to get it..I couldn't do this without all these wonderful cush parents. So settle in and get comfortable, you are in good hands!!!

[Trixie]

Hi Cathy,
I am almost as new as you are here and don't have much knowledge to share.. but this board has been such a relief for me. Lots of support and unbelievable information. Lots of smart people are here and know so much about this disease! It has been so helpful for me and I'm sure it will be for you too.
My mini schnauzer will start on the Trilostane this weekend. I am hoping for the best with this treatment. Hope Bonnie continues to have great results on the medication!

Barbara

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Cathy,

If you will look at the top of the page underneath the header, you will see Canine Cushing's Information and Support Forums. If you click on that, it will take you to the Index page where you will find several other boards on the forum, including the Helpful Resource section. The Everything Else section has info about thing peripherally related to Cushing's as well as things totally off topic. There is a How To section explaining how the forum works and our very special In Loving Memory section. Make yourself at home and look around! You can't go anywhere you aren't allowed and I doubt you can mess anything up - I didn't and that says a whole lot! :p

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[molly muffin]

Hi Cathy. Checking in to see how you and Bonnie are doing. Did you ever get a chance to roam around and see how to post a picture and browse the resource site.

If you have any questions, just let us know. We'll help all we can.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin