Update on Buster (bad reaction to Vetoryl) -- diagnosed now with diabetes insipidus

[Nscott]

Hi everyone. My 9 year old boxer has been diagnosed with cushings and I'm struggling with getting his dose of vetoryl right. He weighs 72 lbs (33 kgs) and I've taken him down to 30mg once a day because if I give him any more he turns really lethargic. However, after a few days on 30mg he starts to struggle with keeping his urine in and he starts having accidents and drinking more. So when this happens I put him on 30 mgs twice a day which immediately controls his symptoms but then I have the 'zombie' dog effect. Besides his lethargy which is bad ever since he's been diagnosed. His loss of appetite is also a major concern. I'm down to having to cook him lots of different options cause he'll only eat a bit and isn't consistent with what he likes.
My vet says all these symptoms are a side effect of the meds but I don't want to take him off it forever ( I did that for a while and he perked up a bit but his symptoms got really bad and he gets distressed and 'sad' when he urinates inside) since I want to manage this and keep him with us for as long as possible.
I'm going to make an appt next week for another ACTH test so I'll share the results.
Has anyone else experienced these horrible side effects even on a low dose and what do I do? Can I swap and give him 30mg one day and 60mg the next?
Thanks a million for your help and advice.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Buster,

Glad you found us and we will help in any way we can. In order to provide the best possible feedback could you tell us more about Buster? Such as what symptoms he was displaying that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place? Does he take any other herbs/supplements/medications? Any other health issues?

Getting copies of all tests that were done on Buster and posting any abnormalities that are listed would be of great help. Also, we are especially interested in any monitoring or diagnostic test results for Cushing's.

Many members have the Trilostane compounded which comes in handy when Dechra, the manufacturers of Vetoryl, does not make the dosage their dog needs. Diamondback is a very reputable compounding pharmacy and one that a lot of our members use. Here's the link to their webpage: http://www.diamondbackdrugs.com/home-mobile/

Looking forward to hearing more about Buster, and please do not hesitate to ask any and all questions.

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Most important will be what the ACTH numbers have shown Busters levels to be at now. It's hard to make a good recommendation without knowing what those are.

My initial thought was if the numbers are good and we won't know till you post them, but if 30mg is good for a bit, but doens't stick, and 30mg twice a day is too much, then a lower number twice a day might work better.

Will be interested to see what the test results are showing.

Welcome again
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[littleone1]

Hi and welcome,

I'm not here very often anymore. I saw your post about the dosage. Corky was taking compounded Trilostane from Diamondback Drugs for several years. He started with 20mg a day and ended up taking 76mg a day with 3 times daily dosing. He was a little over 16 pounds, but he did really well with this dosage. The dosage depends on each individual furbaby and the cause of the Cushings, as well as other medical issues they have.

I hope you will be able to find the dosage that really works well.

[doxiesrock912]

Our dog Daisy Mae started having the same problems that you describe. What worked for her was starting at a lower than recommended dose and working up to the recommended 10mg twice a day. This took several months to accomplish. Vetoryl (Trilostane) is best taken every day with food because it does not stay in the system long. Twice a day works best for many for the same reason.

I've recently begun using Diamondback online pet pharmacy to compound and it is considerably less expensive than the commonly given dosages.

[Nscott]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies and help. I'm taking Buster for tests next week so I'll post the results once I get them.
Thanks again:)

[Nscott]

Hi everyone. I've posted a few threads before about my 9 year old boxer named Buster who was initially diagnosed with Cushings. He responded REALLY badly to vetoryl so it was decided to take him off it. After some more tests and a weekend in the clinic on a drip cause he wasn't eating and was dehydrated due to bad diarrhea, he's now been diagnosed with diabetes insipidus. The symptoms are very similar to cushings. He's like a different dog :)) he's eating again, a bit more lively but still a bit lethargic. I'm so grateful to all of you on this forum cause you kept persisting that something wasn't right and that buster's reaction to vetoryl was alarming. I'm slowly getting my dog back and am so happy to have him off vetoryl. To all of you out there- go with your guy and make sure you keep hassling your vet if u don't feel the diagnosis is right. I'll keep u all posted but for now its fingers crossed that we've got the diagnosis right and my boy is on the road of recovery 😄

[mypuppy]

Hi and welcome to you and Buster,

i can only echo what you said in getting second opinions if something does not seem right with your babies. I was told 4 years ago my girl was drinking excessively out of bad behavior after diabetes insipidus was ruled out when all along she had cushings. Almost 3 weeks ago her gp told me she had developed diabetes mellitus and wanted to start her on insulin injections. However he neglected to pick up on the fact that she had become very toxic. I ran out with her again for that second opinion and from a simple urinalysis they detected high levels of ketones in her system. We released her that day.

I am so happy you followed your heart with Buster and that he is on track again. regarding the DI dx are you giving him ddavp Injections and are they helping him? Also dumb question but was diabetes mellitus ruled out as well to include a urinalysis to check for ketones?

Wishing you and Buster a smooth and successful treatment and happy times again.

Xo Jeanette

[frijole]

Thank you for coming back to tell us the great news. Its good to know our hunches were correct. Glad Buster is feeling great now. You obviously are a great parent! Kim

[molly muffin]

Just checking in to see how Buster is doing now. Hope he is returning to his old self.

Sharlene and molly muffin