Roxy girl

[cocker love]

I am so happy to have found this forum as I come to terms with the recent diagnosis of Cushing's for the furry love of my life. On September 1st, my precious Roxy girl (10 year old Cocker) began excessively panting 24/7. Also drinking all the time, and wanting to eat constantly. Thankful, no peeing accidents or excessive urination! My vet did a chest Xray, bloodwork, and blood pressure test. Roxy's blood pressure was through the roof. My amazing vet suspected Cushing's ; however, I wasn't convinced that I wanted to do the tests right away, so we decided to try and control her blood pressure first. So for the past 2.5 months we have been treating the blood pressure, increasing and adding medications every two weeks. THe meds haven't helped, so I consented to the test for Cushings in the middle of November. Cushing's was confirmed, but I still wasn't sure I wanted to commit to the expensive medication, as Roxy was still , active, eating, pooping....just CRAZY thirst and panting. We started Ketaconozle, an anti-fungal medication that sometimes (20% effectiveness) can reduce levels of cortisol, in dogs, as a side effect. On Dec. 7th, Roxy had an ACTH stim test (I need to get the exact number of results) and saw that the med hadn't reduced her cortisol levels. So this morning we began Vetoryl 30 mg. I am so hopeful that it will be effective, and I also hope it doesn't take too long to regulate Roxy's dose. We go back on the 22nd to check her levels and adjust dosage as needed.
I'm grateful to have found others going through (or those that have gone through) the same issues.

[Squirt's Mom]

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[labblab]

Welcome to you and Roxy! Just wanted to let you know your membership has just been finalized, so you don't have to worry about replying to the email confirmation request. :)

Marianne

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi and welcome to you and your Roxy girl.

How much does Roxy weigh? You are giving her 30 mg of vetoryl every morning with food for better absorption into her system.

We have a few members that have or are dealing with high blood pressure, I am sure they will also stop by to welcome you and share their experiences.

[cocker love]

Roxy weighs 29 lbs.

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Cushings is very treatable and with proper treatment and testing, knowledgeable vet and owner, then they can live out their normal life spans. The hardest part is getting the right dosage and having them settle in at a good cortisol level with little to no symptoms showing. Sometimes it takes a bit of tweaking with the dosage to arrive at that point.

You should notice a decrease in symptoms after the first few days.

Did the vet mention what to watch out for? Lethargy? wobbling legs, not eating, diarrhea, as signs to keep an eye for, as you don't want the cortisol to go too low. Every dog can react differently, so it's hard to tell sometimes how fast they will drop, and what would be too much vs not enough dosage. So just be vigilent and if any doubts you can always withhold the vetoryl and call your vet.

Welcome again to the forum
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Freckles#3/Louise]

Hello and welcome.
It amazes me the different doses of vetoryl that are prescribed. My beagle Freckles, age 14.5, weighed 29 pounds when diagnosed with Cushings. Her post ACTH was 19 and her IMS started her on 10mg once a day. The post ACTH after 3 weeks of this does was down to 8.6. The IMS doubled it to 2 x 10 mg a day and it was too much. I had to stop it and give Freckles a rest, with the agreement of the IMS.
Sharlene's post lists the signs you need to be on the look out for. I found keeping a diary very helpful.
Good luck to Roxy!

Louise

[cocker love]

Yes, my vet did tell me what to watch for. I was able to monitor Roxy all day today. Just a few minutes ago she jumped off the couch and her back legs gave out a bit. Wobbly legs for about a minute. I Am hypersensitive to any little change. Would I see changed so quickly? Is this something to be alarmed about? She actually seems rather calm, which is a welcome change, from her behavior the last few months.
When Roxy was four, she had Intervertebral Disc Failure and lost control over her back legs. She had emergency spinal surgery and 16 weeks of rehab to learn to use her back legs. She awesomely fully recovered. I fear that the high levels of cortisol, caused by the Cushing's, may be masking problems that might be related to her discs. I'm wondering with reduced cortisol levels if I will see arthritis/trouble walking etc..., Does anyone have experience with this?

[molly muffin]

I wouldn't expect to see something so soon since today was the first day.

Yes, it is entirely possible that as the cortisol comes down the issues that it has been masking might show up. In that case, I think it comes to a more delicate balancing act. You might not Want to take Roxy's cortisol as low as normally you would, if she shows more rear leg problems with low cortisol. You might aim for a tad bit higher where the symptoms are controlled enough to be livable for you and her and she isn't in pain from other issues.

Sometimes it is a numbers issue, but it is Always a quality of life issue and every dog is different, so you will best be able to determine where you think is the right number for Roxy.

Of course you are hyper sensitive. So, when I say wobbly legs, when she stand us, watch for wobbly when she tries to walk.

you're doing great.
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[cocker love]

Thank you for your responses.

I will talk to my vet about the balancing act of the cortisol. I'm sure Roxy will be fine during the day, but I really didn't want to leave her today! Such is life.... I have to work so I can pay for all her blood work. :)