re:Lawyer Dog Pack

[craw42]

Hi, I am a retired RN who just signed up for the site. My niece and her husband are with the government in Afghanistan and I care for their 3 labs and have been for the last 3 years. There are Kashmir and Willow, females both 6 years old, and Max, a male retired service dog is 12 or almost 12 years old.
My reason for signing is that Kashmir was just diagnosed with Canine Cushing's and I would like to do what is absolutely best for her.
When she came to me her weight was 72 lbs. she now is at 155 lbs and having problems with stairs but the worst problem is breathing.
Our vet emailed us information on Cushing's and gave us a few days to decide if we want to go the medical route; referral to an endocrinologist; or holistic. My niece sent me your site and said they would prefer the holistic route. As they are originally from Texas and now in upstate NY, our vet was thrilled that they have chosen this route.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions you can give to me for this precious Kashmir.

[mytil]

Hi and welcome to our site. I am so sorry your girl has been diagnosed.

Firstly, when you can post the actual numbers of the tests performed to confirm this diagnosisl; including any blood chem panel that was performed. Also, include any additional symptoms Kashimir is exhibiting.

Cushing's can be a very difficult condition to diagnose and many of it symptoms mimic other conditions. For example weight gain such as this can be a number of problems from thyroid issues to fluid build up from any heart conditions.

Regarding the treatments options, I surely wish there were holistic options that actually correct and decrease the massive cortisol levels that are circulating throughout the body. There are several medicines that typically used and again depending upon many things: vet's experience with the med, the type of Cushing's and the dog itself. Yes, these meds are strong, but they need to be.

Here is some good reading that explains all this further in layman's terms - http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180.

Please keep us posted
Terry

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome!

So sorry for the reasons that brought you to us but glad your niece sent you to us.

Unfortunately I know of no holistic medicine that can lower the elevated cortisol that flows through a dog's system which is known as Cushing's. The drugs that are most rx'd for Cushing's are Lysodren/Mitotane and Vetoryl/Trilostane. These are strong drugs but are also life saving drugs for dogs with Cushing's disease.

If you could get copies of all tests that were done on Kashmir and post any abnormalities that are listed, that would help us greatly in providing you with more meaningful feedback. Also what symptoms does Kashmir display that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place?

If feasible, seeing an IMS (Internal Medicine Specialist) is recommended because they have more knowledge about Cushing's than a regular GP as an IMS sees and treats more dogs with Cushing's.

Cushing's is one the most difficult disease to get a confirmed diagnosis for and it is ofter misdiagnosed because other non-adrenal illnesses, like diabetes and thyroid issues, share many of the symptoms associated with Cushing's plus false positives results can be created from other health problems.

Please know we will help in any ay 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
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. So again welcome to you and Kashmir. It is wonderful that you're taking care of your nieces three dogs while they're gone. You've been doing this for three years, you must be a saint, and an animal lover. You'll fit right in around here.;)

Hugs,
Kathy

[knitbunnie]

I'm pretty new here, and my 8 year old French Bulldog is in the middle of this whole thing. I honestly don't know what I'd have done without this forum. Everyone has been so kind and helpful and knowledgeable. They've been a real comfort and a calming force as we've gone from one disaster to another, getting to Pia's diagnosis.

The first thing that happened to Pia was an increase in drinking and a raging bout of pancreatitis. It all came on pretty suddenly, and like at least one other forum member, it seems to happen with a change of food. Maybe that threw off the balance, the homeostatis, that I'm sure had developed as an internal coping mechanism to the developing Cushings.

My local vet didn't do such a great job with Pia, and she got sicker and sicker and sicker, while my vet did unnecessary tests, many pointless X-rays, an ultrasound that was terrible (poor visualization technique and also misread by her), antibiotics that covered up another problem (a jaw infection from a foxtail that had gotten behind a rear molar) , and steroids (misdiagnosis of aseptic meningitis) which put off being able to test for Cushings, all while Pia got worse and worse.

People here recommended that we see an Internal Medicine vet, but I sort of dragged my feet because I live in the boondocks, and the IM vet is over 100 miles away. I finally realized that we were getting less than nowhere with our vet, and I called UC Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital. When I told them what was going on, they had me in on a semi-emergent basis in less than 24 hours. It's the best thing I could have done for Pia. She's still not out of the woods, as she's only been on medication for 10 days, but she's headed back tomorrow for some follow-up work.

I scoured the net and I just couldn't find any truly valid non-traditional treatment for Cushings. Believe me, I'm not opposed to non-traditional ways. Pia had a stroke at a young age (she was 5), and after an emergency visit to a neurologist who told us to take her home, that she'd "live or die" (what a jerk!), we found a veterinary accupuncturist and treated Pia with that and Chinese herbal remedies. She has some left sided weakness but before the Cushings, she could run and jump with the best of them.

Here's the thing - not only did I waste a whole lot of money with my local vet (we're talking over $1000.00 thrown away there for nothing), but her utter mishandling of Pia's case put diagnostics and treatment behind by nearly 2 months. (You can't do the definitive testing for 6-8 weeks after having taken steroids). For this, my dog has truly suffered. I wish so much that I'd taken Pia to the IM vet before the local sawbones mucked her up.

I'm an RN, too - retired from a career in peds and neonatal ICU, so you'd think I'd have realized my local vet was pissing in the wind. So much of this could have been avoided if I'd have gone to UC Davis right away. It makes me so sad.

I really wish you luck with your Cushdog. If you do find some holistic treatment that works, I would genuinely love to hear about it. I would absolutely try it if it had a track record of truly helping.

[Simba's Mom]

Hello and welcome, you have found a great place for info and encouragement....that is very nice that you are taking care of those beautiful fur babies of your neice, she lucky to have you! Take care and settle in, we are here for you and your fur babies....

[doxiesrock912]

"Craw42",
my first word of advice from experience is to find an IMS specialist who will make sure that the tests were done correctly and will assist you with treatment options. The IMS will likely suggest and ultrasound too which is a really good idea.

There are no holistic treatments for Cushings. Many here have explored that route and too many GP vets don't know enough about the disease to be confident with treating properly.

Please post the test results that led the vet to diagnose Cushings along with any medications that Kashmir is currently or has recently taken.

The people on this forum are amazingly knowledgeable and you will learn so much from them :) I did!!!!