Minnie has just been diagnosed and started on 30 mg Trilo

[Minnie's mom]

My little doxie Minnie has just been diagnosed and started on 30 mg Trilostane. This helped her thirst greatly, but she is still waking me up at night and is hungry a lot. She started the Trilostate about 2 wks ago. She has snored a lot but not as much as she does now and it is louder and she sounds "nasally" a lot. Vet said it might be allergies, although she has never suffered with them before. It is daytime right now and she is in her bed but not snoring. She sleeps well when she sleeps, just wish she would sleep all night.
She just turned 11 and vet says typically they live 2 to 3 yrs after being diagnosed. I am praying she will live much longer than that. Might be selfish, I know, but she is the only dog that sleeps with us and we are so very close to her. This is just heartbreaking. Vet says it takes a while for appetite to decrease, even though the thirst is now normal. Appreciate any and all tips any of you might have out there. This is so disheartening. Thank you.

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi and Welcome to you and Minnie,

I have taken the liberty to start Minnie's very own thread so that our many members will be able to check in with you and share their knowledge and experiences. I have also PM'd you a link to your thread for ease of access.

Please tell us more about the reasons Minnie was tested for cushings and what test were performed to diagnose cushings. If you have the cushings test results, please do post them here along with the normal values.

Moderator’s note: In order to complete your registration, you need to check your emailbox (or spam folder) for a communication from us. Once you respond to that email, your membership will be finalized, and anything that you post will become visible on the forum immediately. Until that time, your replies must be manually "approved" by a staff member before they are visible to the public -- so there may be a bit of delay between the time that you write your replies and the time that you actually see them.

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[Minnie's mom]

Thank you so much. The vet did several blood and urine tests followed by an 8-hour low dose suppression test. He said that this last test confirmed Cushing. Appreciate all help and comments.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Minnie from me as well!

As John mentioned, getting copies of all tests that were done on Minnie and posting any abnormal values would be a great help to us. We are especially interested in the results of all tests for Cushing's. And of course I have some more questions :eek::) Is Minnie taking any other herbs/supplements/medications? How much does she weigh? Does she have any other health issues?

One thing I want you to know is that Cushing's is NOT a death sentence for a dog, Cushing’s is a treatable disease. With proper medical management, close monitoring and owner observation, most Cushingoid pets can live to their full life expectancy, with complete or partial resolution of clinical signs, and good quality of life!

I'm providing a link from our Resource thread that has a wealth of information regarding Trilostane/Vetoryl: Trilostane/Vetoryl Information and Resources. (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185
) Please feel free to print anything out. ;)

We are here for you both and will help in any way we can.

Hugs, Lori

[goldengirl88]

Hi:
Just wanted to welcome you to the group. I read about your Minnie and could you tell me how much she weighs? I am concerned that her dosage was started so high. Is you vet experienced with Cushings? Usually the dogs do much better starting on a lower dose. Were you given prednisone and told what to watch for in case her cortisol drops too low? If you have no prednisone please get some asap. You will be looking for diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, not wanting to eat, can't get up. You would then give the prednisone and go to the vets right away to have electrolytes etc. checked. If you are vigilant in watching you dog will do well. We are all scared to death when we come here, just know we are all here for you. Blessings
Patti

[FemaleK9]

Seconding the concern over the 30mg dosage.

A few thoughts while we wait for more specific information on Minnie:

It is so much safer to start too low than too high. The only downside to starting too low is that it might take additional ACTH tests and dosage adjustments until symptom control is reached (and it might not, my Rosie stayed right where she was started) but the risk of overdose is Addisonian crisis (cortisol too low), the opposite of Cushing's, but unlike Cushing's it is very dangerous and can result in rapid, serious illness and even death if not recognized and treated immediately.

So, too low dose = no risk to your dog (only to your pocketbook, possibly), and too high dose = potentially serious risk to your dog.

[molly muffin]

Hi, checking in to see how things are going with Minnie.

Hope all is well.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin