Josh: interpretation of test results

[cuteynfatal]

Hi all,

First, thank you for being here. I've been reading the posts and I can feel the warmth and support.

My Josh is a 13 yo Yorkie Terrier mix. He came to me as a rescue 3 years ago & thus I don't have much prior medical history. At the time, he had food-aggression issue and skin issues. But everyone, including several GP vets didn't give me any cause for alarm. Then he started having eyes problems and a specialist said the calcium deposits on his eyes could indicate Cushing's.

Josh had a Dexamethasone Suppression test on 06/09/13. The GP vet said the numbers were consistent with Cushings but she wasn't 100% sure. I've read that stress can cause false positives -- and I'm sure Josh was stress, being poked & siphoned all day long.

His results:
Pre-Dex: 3.7
Post 8hour Dex: 3.9
Cortisol: 2.0

What should be my next step?

Thanks in advance,
Lyna

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Lyna,

Welcome to you and Josh! So sorry for the reasons that brought you here but sure glad you found us.

Cushing's is one of the most difficult endocrine diseases to get a confirmed diagnosis for because not one test is 100% accurate at diagnosing it and other non-adrenal illnesses along with stress can create false positive results on all tests for Cushing's.

I'm a bit confused with the results of Josh's Dexamethasone Suppression test, the low-dose dexamethasone suppression (LDDS) test has 3 draws; a baseline/resting, a 4 hour draw, and an 8 hour draw, could you please check to see if there was a 4 hour draw and post it?

Many of the symptoms attributed to Cushing's are also shared with other health problems. The aggression and hair issues could be from hypothyroidism, has this been ruled out? What about diabetes? Does Josh have excessive thirst or urination? Is his urine diluted? Has a senior wellness blood panel been performed? If so, could you post any abnormalities that are listed with their reference ranges and unit of measurements..e.g. ALT 150 U/L (5-100)...Thanks! Is Josh on any herbs/supplements/medicines? I apologize for all these questions but the more we know about sweet Josh the better our feedback can be, ok?

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

Love and hugs, Lori

[Simba's Mom]

Hello and welcome to you and Josh, so glad you found us...this forum is a wealth of info and encouragement too, we all are here for you...

[cuteynfatal]

Thanks Lori,
I'll scan in the LDDS test results and post. I'm sure I'm reading it wrong.

In the meanwhile, here are additional information:


1. He's had several senior wellness panels. His numbers are high. I'll scan and share those too.
2. Diabetes was ruled out.
3. The vet never mentioned hypothyroidism for his food aggression. Josh was in foster care for over a year (and I think mainly in crates). I assumed his food aggression was merely territorial.
4. Recently he has been drinking more than usual. He had UTI a week before the LDDS test which made it difficult for him to pee. Though the UTI is seemingly gone, he still has trouble controlling his bladder like the pre-UTI days. For a couple of days after the UTI, he was peeing inside the apartment 2-3X per day. Now it's back down to 1X per day or less.


I'm a first time pet owner. Any advice is greatly appreciated.


Hi Lyna,

Welcome to you and Josh! So sorry for the reasons that brought you here but sure glad you found us.

Cushing's is one of the most difficult endocrine diseases to get a confirmed diagnosis for because not one test is 100% accurate at diagnosing it and other non-adrenal illnesses along with stress can create false positive results on all tests for Cushing's.

I'm a bit confused with the results of Josh's Dexamethasone Suppression test, the low-dose dexamethasone suppression (LDDS) test has 3 draws; a baseline/resting, a 4 hour draw, and an 8 hour draw, could you please check to see if there was a 4 hour draw and post it?

Many of the symptoms attributed to Cushing's are also shared with other health problems. The aggression and hair issues could be from hypothyroidism, has this been ruled out? What about diabetes? Does Josh have excessive thirst or urination? Is his urine diluted? Has a senior wellness blood panel been performed? If so, could you post any abnormalities that are listed with their reference ranges and unit of measurements..e.g. ALT 150 U/L (5-100)...Thanks! Is Josh on any herbs/supplements/medicines? I apologize for all these questions but the more we know about sweet Josh the better our feedback can be, ok?

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

Love and hugs, Lori

[mytil]

Hi Lyna and welcome from me.

Looking forward to those numbers/results as well. Your Josh is really a cutie pie.

Terry

[goldengirl88]

Hi Lyna:
Sorry to hear about your poor doggy. I know calcium deposits are caused by Cushings as my Tipper has them. They can be helped with medication. Everyone is waiting to see the numbers as they will surely tell the story of what is happening to your baby. Good Luck. Blessings
Patti

[addy]

Hi and Welcome,

Crystalline opacity in the cornea can be attributed to Cushings, inherited, a high fat diet or other endocrinopathy. At least that is what my dog's ophthalmologist explained and wrote to me as my Zoe has multiple eye issues as well as Cushings.

I'm so glad you gave Josh a good home. He is so lucky to have found you.

Cushings is a bit tricky to diagnose as Lori already explained. Go through our resource section and read as much as you can. We see dogs misdiagnosed, started on wrong doses, etc. It is a lot to take in but you have time to learn and make sure of the diagnosis.

Glad you found us.

[Harley PoMMom]

First time pet parent! Well congratulations!!! Bless you for giving Josh a forever and loving home!

UTI's can be miserable and sometimes hard to get rid of. When a dog's urine is diluted (low urine specific gravity (USG)) a regular urinalysis may not pick up on an UTI so than an urine culture and sensitivity test should be performed. With the urine culture and sensitivity test the lab will see if any bacteria "grows" in the urine and thus will be able to tell exactly what antibiotic can kill it. Was an urinalysis done on Josh's urine and is it diluted?

Looking forward to those test results. ;)

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 Josh.

Hugs,
Kathy

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome from me too :)

Awww, that is so sweet of you to give Josh a forever home and be a first time pet owner too. Yay, welcome to our crazy pet loving world.

UTI's can be trickly like Lori said.

You don't have to scan, you can type out the abnormal high low with range if you prefer.
For example:
ALKP 876 ug (range150 - 354ug)

There should be comment on the LDDS as to what normal range that is too, but it should be something like
Pre or Base 3.7
4 hour 2.0
8 hour 3.9
It's up to you of course or you can scan.

Again, welcome to the forum, we'll help you out as much as possible. :)

Sharlene and Molly Muffin