4yr old Lab just diagnosed (Sweet Cali has passed)

[Calithelab]

Hi, im new here. I just wanted to get to info and advice from others. My lovely Cali has had a few issues over the last few months, she is fully house trained but had a couple of slip ups, we never thought too much of them and got some meds for a UTI, about two weeks ago she stopped eating and got the runs. We took her to vets who kept her in to do some blood work and run an ACTH test, which we got back on friday to say she is positive for Cushings. Our other issue is that we just changed insurance so neither company will cover the cost of her treatment and we are really struggling what to do as we cant afford the meds and all the blood work that is needed. Any advice you can offer would be great because im so worried about what to do with her
thanks

[labblab]

Hello and welcome, although I am so sorry your Cali is having problems. If you could get copies of those test results and post any abnormal readings as well as the ACTH test numbers, that would be very helpful. Also, can you fill us in on any other specific problems that Cali has been having? The thing is, there can be several different causes of urinary accidents, and loss of appetite and diarrhea are not symptoms of Cushing's. So I am puzzled as to why your vet jumped into the ACTH testing at that time. Illnesses other than Cushing's can result in "false positives" on the ACTH, so I am especially worried that whatever was causing Cali's GI upset may have skewed the test results and Cali does not have Cushing's at all. Any additional details that you can tell us about her health history and her current symptoms will be super helpful. Is she still having diarrhea?

Marianne

[mytil]

Hi and welcome from me as well.

I just wanted to add, what meds was she given for the UTI infection and for how long?

Terry

[Calithelab]

Hi thanks for fast reply.

Looking back there has been a few indicators of cushings. About a year ago i noticed that she was panting more but wrote it off as it was summer. She is also alliergic to grass so we have to give her piriton during summer months, vet diagnosed this a couple of years ago as she had bitten all the fur off her legs and had a few scabs on there, we were given a steroid injection and told to wash her with medicated shampoo, cant remember the name but have some still in the house. I cant remember the first drug that we were given for the UTI but this did clear it up and we had a couple of dry weeks, the second trip back to the vets we were given i think noroclav, but might be wrong, still have packet in house will check tonight when im home and post. the other things that i have noticed about Cali is she is very lethargic, drinks an awful lot. around 2litres a day. the first time we were given the noroclav it was for 5 days then we were told to retest her unrine at end of that week, still showed protien, vet then asked to see her back a week later and retest, this (wednesday) still showed protien and wanted a sample to be send away for analysis. then that weekend she stopped eating and monday took her back to vets which is when he took her in to get bloods done(tuesday). Last year she was a very bouncy dog that loved to chase everyother dog around park but now she just follows me like a 15yr old dog that doesnt want to be out on a walk.
I dont have a copy of test results, will call and ask for them but from what i can rember vet telling me last night on phone was
result before injection should be 25-150 and cali was 155
result after injection should be ~500 she was at ~1200
i dont know what these numbers mean but i think he said it was her cortisol level, does that add up?

Thanks, Kate

[Calithelab]

forgot to answer last question, no she doesnt have any diarrhea anymore. after i picked her up from bloods at vets i got given a paste to give her to try stop the pooping, that afternoon it turned red so called vets back up and they gave me the antibiotic again to try with her, this was another 5day dose, this seemed to work as she began to eat again and poo returned to normal

[mytil]

Thanks so much Kate for getting back to us.

Firstly, here is a link (to other links) that may help out with the finances on testing and treating - http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212 (We all know it can be expensive) :)

Also, there are letters right after the numbers you mentioned in the ACTH test
result before injection should be 25-150 and cali was 155
result after injection should be ~500 she was at ~1200

When you get the chance post these letters (mnol or ug/dl for example).

The fact she does not want to eat, although sporadically, I would be looking at something else. Sometimes, not wanting to eat can mean their teeth are giving them troubles; or GI problems as Marianne mentioned; or even throat problems. Sorry to add more to this, but it could be worthwhile checking into it if you can - especially the teeth.

Keep us posted
Terry

[goldengirl88]

Kate:
Sorry your Cali is having problems. I just wanted to welcome you . Maybe you could ask the vet if they would accept payments, or apply for Care Credit. At least you would have something to fall back on or get you thru this. It has really low payments, and could help you to treat your dog. God Bless You and Cali
Patti

[Calithelab]

Sorry i must add that i am in Scotland so i dont think any of them finances would work over here. I really dont want to have to borrow money if i can help it as its not something that is going to be cured so i would only be mounting up a debt to pay one day.

I did ask the vet about her not wanting to eat and they said that it was due to a bug or something that she had caught and it was just a coinsidence. the not eating was the first time she had ever refused her food, she did take some scrambled egg and cooked chicken off me over the 4 days she didnt eat her food but not any of her dry food, after a day on the antibiotics she did start to eat again, first day took her all morning of going back to her bowl to finish breakfast but in the evening she ate the full meal in one sitting

[mytil]

Hi again,

Only have a sec, but wanted to pass this on to you. TTeaching hospitals can offer a good alternative and they may offer better pricing.

Mr Rory Bell
University of Glasgow
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Small Animal Clinical Studies
G61 1QH Glasgow
United Kingdom Internal Medicine 2006
Status:
Employed: Active Diplomate
Academia

Tel: +44 141 330 5700 Fax: +44 141 330 3663
Email: r.bell@vet.gla.ac.uk

Terry

[Budsters Mom]

Hello and welcome from me too:)
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. So again welcome to you and Cali.

Hugs,
Kathy

[Calithelab]

Hi,

I wanted to update you. I don't know what the measurements were for the tests the vet have done but they are certain Cali is a cushings dog. We have decided not to treat her as its just too expensive for us. We have spoken to vet again and he thinks it is a tumour of some sort causing the syndrome as she is so young to get it.

I was wondering if there is anything we can do to try and help her peeing all the time. She is going out for big walks at 7am and again at 6pm then a little walk at 12.30pm and just before bed about 10pm but every time we open the front door she is peeing on stairs out of flat. I don't want to tell her off for it as she can't help it but its annoying as we are daily washing the stairs. Is there anything out there that could help her?

Also she has quite dry pads, is this caused by cushings?

Any advice you can give would be appreciated.
Thanks

[frijole]

Sorry to hear you got the diagnosis confirmed. I understand money is an issue - it is tough. Regarding the urination you need to know that your dog can't help it - it's the body's fault. The tumor sends signals to the adrenal glands to make more cortisol... the kidneys get overworked and they cause frequent urination which leads to your dog being thirsty. So two things to note - the peeing (due to cushings) causes the dog to get thirsty because they are dehydrated. For this reason NEVER withhold water as they really need it.

So your only choice is to deal with the peeing. You can use diapers or put down "pee pads" on the floor. Not great news but wanted to share a bit about how it all works. Here's a link to some basic info that might help you about cushings:
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180

Wishing you the best! Kim

[doxiesrock912]

Please know that once the proper Cushings treatment is found, the costs do go down since testing becomes necessary less frequently.

Also, familiarize yourself with the threads under the "helpful resources" link on this forum. This disease is not curable, but it is treatable.

I am unemployed and have been for several years. Our 9 yr old miniature dachshund, Daisy Mae was diagnosed in May and we're just now getting to the point where we have a dosage of meds that seem to be working for her and testing is much less often.

At first, I was heartbroken when I learned how much the tests would cost and we went through 3 vets before going to an small animal internal medicine specialist (IMS) and we are finally on the right tract.

Is Cali on prednisone for her allergies? Be advised that steroid use can cause a form of Cushings that is completely different from those occurring naturally.

To give you a timeline as an example:
Daisy has been extremely thirty and hungry, to the point of taking food right from our hands whenever she can get to it. These symptoms were a slow progression over a year or more which often is attributed to age and Cushings isn't thought of until other symptoms come about.

What led us to the vet was a bacterial skin infection. Her fur looked dull, lifeless, and was falling out! She also smelled like a dirty dog regardless of how often I bathed her and she was having poop accidents in the house.

The first thing to do is to treat and cure any infections before testing for Cushings because infections can skew the results a bit.

Once her infection was cleared, then we did the LDDS test and ACTH test which confirmed Cushings.

It took a few months of adjusting dosages (Vetyrol) to find one that worked well and Daisy is also on Tylan powder for recurrent diarrhea which the IMS vet concluded was due to an underlying infection that the antibiotics did not clear up. Unrelated to the bacterial skin infection.

Now, we have no accidents in the house. She is not a stinky dog anymore, is eating and drinking normally, and her fur has grown back and is beginning to look healthy again.

Every dog is different and responds differently.
I just wanted to give you a timeline to show that the costs did come down considerably and if you have to compound medications, buying a few months worth instead of one month at a time definitely saves you money.

Dogs with Cushings that is not being treated effectively are prone to infections such as skin and UTIs. This is also something to be aware of.

Others with more experience can help you with any questions that you may have.

Do you have access to Care Credit? This is a credit card that many vets take and you can also search online for help with paying vet bills. There are organizations out there to help with such things.

Good luck sweetie, with whatever you decide and my intention is not to make you feel badly. I just wanted to give you an example of the reality and know that I was scared to death and full of hopeless feelings too.

This site was invaluable and I learned SO MUCH!
Contrary to what many online sites and vets will tell you, many dogs live out their natural life span despite having Cushings when it is treated and monitored properly.
I no longer feel helpless or hopeless and now that we have a vet that knows how to treat Cushings properly, we are on the right track :)

[molly muffin]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry to hear that your Cali has been confirmed as cushings.

Unfortunately she needs the water because of the cortisol and that is going to make her keep peeing more. It's a catch-22. Hopefully it won't get too much worse.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

Just wanted to stop in and see how things are going. Were you able to get a hold of the other place and get better pricing? Hope all is going well for you. Blessings
Patti

[Calithelab]

Hi, I just wanted to update you all And thank you for your information earlier this year. Sadly Cali passed a few months ago due to getting severe pancreatitis.

[Roxee's Dad]

Oh no ..... I am so very sorry for your loss.

Rest in peace sweet Cali.

[labblab]

Oh, I am so sorry to read this news. But thank you so much for coming back to tell us so that we can join you in honoring your sweet girl. Her name will now be added to our special memorial thread, and we invite you to return at any time to share your thoughts and any special memories of your girl. Especially at this time of year, we understand how hard it is to face the holiday season without her by your side.

Here is a link to our thread of honor: http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?p=89643#post89643

If you would care to share the date of Cali's passing, we can add that to her line. Also, it would be our privilege to also add a photo link if that would please you. Whenever you wish, you can send us a photo at k9cushings@gmail.com, and we will take care of things from there.

In the meantime, sending you hugs and warm wishes, always in loving memory of your baby Cali,
Marianne

[molly muffin]

my sincerest condolences on your loss. We all understand how heart breaking this time is for you.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[addy]

I am so sorry to read your post about sweet Cali.

Hugs and love being sent your way.

[doxiesrock912]

My condolences on Cali's passing.

[scoora]

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of your sweet girl Cali.
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Hugs