Oscar

[Gweems]

My dog has been diagnosed with Cushing's for 3 years now. He has been doing great until about 6 weeks ago. He started the extreme thirst and peeing in the house again, so I doubled his meds. this did not seem to help. He was on vetaryl 30 mg every night, which I upped to60. He is a 14 year old doxy. We are waiting for blood and urine tests results from his vet. Has anyone had trouble after 3 years of meds, then the Cushing's symptoms coming back, and not responding to upping the meds?

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Oscar,

We have seen that when a dog is being treated with Trilostane for over a period of time that a dosage adjustment is warranted.

Could you tell us more about Oscar, such as how much he weighs, does he have any other health issues, is he taking any other herbs/supplements/medicines? Also, if you could get copies of all monitoring ACTH stim tests that were done and post those results that would be of great help to us in providing more meaningful feedback.

Other things can make a dog urinate/drink more including diabetes, UTI, and/or bladder stones. Have any of these issues been ruled out as the cause of the increased drinking/urination?

Once those recent blood and urinalysis test results come back, if you would post any abnormal levels hopefully then we can help you figure out what is going on, ok?

Please know we are here to help in any way we can so do not hesitate to ask all the questions you want.

Love and hugs, Lori

[Budsters Mom]

Hello and welcome from me too.I am sorry for the reason that brought you here, but so glad you found us.:)You have come to the right place! There are many K9Cushing's angels standing by to help and stay with you every step of the way. They love details, test results, any information you can get your hands on. The more the better. We will do all we can to help. Others will be popping in to welcome you also. So again welcome to you and Oscar,

Hugs,
Kathy and Buddy:cool:

[goldengirl88]

Hello:
Welcome to the forum. Sorry you baby is experiencing problems due to Cushings. I would recommend that you have your dog tested before changing the dosage on the medicine. These are strong drugs and you do not want to over do it and have your dog go into Addisons. I personally never change my Tipper's dosage until she is tested first and I absolutely know she needs a dosage change. The Vet should be recommending the dosage to you, you cannot guess what you should give them,as that is a dangerous way to approach this. The other members will want to see the test results so they can help you further . You will need to post them as soon as possible. I hope you are able to get it all straightened out with the help of the wonderful people on here. God Bless You Both
Patti

[labblab]

Welcome from me, too! But I also want to underscore the advice that Tipper's mom has just given -- it is very, very dangerous to increase a dose of trilostane without having performed an ACTH test so as to know your dog's current cortisol level. The increase in thirst and urination may have nothing to do with his cortisol level -- there are other conditions and illnesses that can cause the problem. So by doubling his trilostane, you are risking overdosing your dog which can have very dangerous results. For your dog's safety, I encourage you to return to the original dose of trilostane until you have the chance to perform additional testing.

Marianne

[Gweems]

Hi,
Wow, I wish I had posted here sooner. Ya'll are wonderful!
I will reduce the dosage back to normal until I hear from the vet.
I mistyped the dosage he has been on 15 mg for about 3 years, I was told to split the contents of a 30 mg capsule. When I upped the dosage it was to 30mg. He weighs 22 lbs. and has no other health problems that we know of and is not on any meds except his heart worm preventive. I will get his first numbers and let ya'll know. The vet did senior blood work on him yesterday, along with a urinalysis and the test to see his Cortisol level.
Oscar's mom

[frijole]

The manufacturer of the drug specifically states NOT to split the capsules = in fact they don't want the dog to even bite into them when chewing them. It is dangerous. Your vet should never have instructed you to do that.

They are to be given with food, and you must wash you hands thoroughly after handling them. Here is the number for Dechra 866-933-2472. Call them! When you call they will make a file on your dog. Anytime you have questions you can call them, they have Vets on staff as well. Kim

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome from me too.

I just noticed that you said he takes his medicine at night? Does he also take it in the morning? The reason I ask is because the ACTH test to be accurate must be done 4 - 6 hours after the dose of Vetoryl (Trilostane) otherwise it isn't an accurate result. The medicine should always be given with a small amount of food also.
Has this protocol been followed? (this is the recommendation from Dechra the maker of vetoryl) I worry if it hasn't that it is unknown what Oscar's actual results are.

yes it is quite common to every so often need to tweak dosage, and also common for UTI's in cush pups.

Again welcome to the forum
Sharlene and Molly Muffin