Could added stress make my dogs cushings act up ?

[Jen729]

Hi all! I'm new to this forum! I have a 7 year old bichon with cushings and she's been on Veteroyl 30mg once a day for about 6 months now with lots of success luckily . But now she is taking antibiotic eye drops to clear an eye irritation and she HATES getting them and she freaks herself out over them , since she has been getting these drops I have noticed the increased thirst and urination again out of the blue . I was wondering if anyone would know if this would be happening because she is stressed over these eye drops or something else? I know this'll sound silly but I just get so nervous now when it comes to her cushings , she's my baby after all !

Thanks so much ,
Jen

[Trixie]

Hi Jen,
You have more experience than I do being you're at the 6 month mark, so I'm probably not saying anything you don't already know. It's great you've had success for 6 months now...I hope that happens with my dog!
Have you had a recent acth test to see how her levels are?
I'm sure stress can play a role but if you're seeing a consistent increase of drinking maybe her level is a tad back up. If it's just a day here and there of more drinking it could be the heat or stress or something she ate making her thirsty.
Being nervous doesn't sound silly...I think a lot of us here on the board feel the same way most of the time! :)
Barbara

[frijole]

Please tell us what the eyedrops are. Google them - they might have cortisol in them (steroid). Kim

[Jen729]

Her next blood work is in a few months and up until this eye issue she has been fantastic and hasn't shown any signs. The eye drops are atropine sulfate ( Antibiotics ) and gentocin sulfate which was a dilator/ pain reliever she finished two days ago.

[doxiesrock912]

Jen, call the vet and let them know what is going on.
Stress can play a role, so can't the eye issue. So many factors come into play with Cushings because the immune system is easily impacted and the cortisol level could very well be changing because of the stress, eye issue, or because it has.

There are no constants with Cushings. I would let the vet give you their perspective.

[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, but be ready for lots of questions! So again, welcome Jen and your new fur baby. I would love to know her name so I can address her as such.:)

Hugs,
Kathy

[goldengirl88]

Jen:
I just wanted to welcome you to the group.Stress definitely can and will make the Cushings higher. The Cortisol affects their fight or flight mechanism, and how they deal with stressful situations. When their Cortisol is real low they have no cushion to handle stress. Stress can raise the cortisol according to my vet. Blessings
Patti

[addy]

Hi and Welcome,

I have not yet had a moment to look up the side efffects of the eye drops you are using, you may want to check that. My pup went through really bad eye problems last summer; for three months she was on 12 different eye meds, then Zoe went through a minor surgery and her cortisol was elevated from it all. In February she had major surgery and we lost all control of her cortisol for a while.

Trilostane can need some tweaking, your pup may need a dose increase if the symptoms you are seeing continue. Otherwise, we often see the hormones cycle up and down, they can vary from month to month.

The only other thing I could ask is if you changed your dog's food in anyway. Trilostane sometimes is not absorbed well, it is not very water soluble, so sometimes the food you give it with can affect absorption.

[Jen729]

Thanks everyone for all your feedback ! Her name is Chloe ! Her diet has remained the same and her appetite is the same as well. The only difference was this eye issue, I looked up the side effects and I didn't see anything mentioning it contained any kind of steroid . The one drop did have a side effect of thirst but she hasn't been taking that one anymore it was only for a few days. She has about 3 more days left of the antibiotic drops. The only Cushing symptom that is showing is the thirst and peeing, none of her others are present and I just found it too conincidental that two days after this eye issue this all started happening.

[frijole]

Please type in the name of the eye drops. Thanks

[Jen729]

The eye drops are atropine sulfate ( Antibiotics ) and gentocin sulfate which was a dilator/ pain reliever she finished three days ago.

[molly muffin]

I looked both of these up and I see that atropine sulfate can cause excessive thirst and gentocin sulfate can cause excessive thirst and urination.

Once the eye drops are finished, then the symptoms of thirst and urination would probably go back to normal levels.

Since no other symptoms are showing, I would guess if it were me, that the drops have caused the drinking/peeing and not the cortisol levels.

Just my guess.

Oh and hello and welcome to the forum. Gosh I almost forgot that part! Just jump right in with both feet.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Roxee's Dad]

Has she been checked for a UTI (urinary tract infection) Our cush pups are prone to a lot of infections. I take it her appetite is still normal?

[Jen729]

Thanks so much everyone ! No UTI, she has a small bladder stone so she gets them quite often but this time no UTI happening. I appreciate everyone's comments, it's nice to found a place where I can read positive things about dogs with cushings instead of just negative scary stuff !

[Budsters Mom]

Hi Jen,
No UTI is great news!:) Our pups and parents are very special. We were brought together by this horrible disease, but we are family because we choose to be.:) Many of our pups manage very well and often pass on from something unrelated to Cushings. We really become attached to our family members, both two legged and four legged. We share each other's joys, sorrows and triumphs, while supporting each other. These angels are the real deal. I am honored to be part of his group. Big hugs,