New to site - don't know what to do!

[mabrice]

Hi everyone! My almost 14 year old Pomeranian, Holly was recently diagnosed with Cushings Disease, but don't know if I want to put her through a battery of tests. They put her to sleep a few months back to see if she had it, and initially, the result was negative. But now they say because of her appearance, say she does have it. She's so small - I don't want her to go through a bunch of stuff for nothing! I don't know how long she will be able to take it!

[goldengirl88]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry you baby is having troubles. Could you please tell us how the vet determined your dog had Cushing's? When they put her under was she having an Ultra Sound?. Cushing's is one of the hardest diseases to diagnose, as it has symptoms similar to other diseases. Has she been tested for thyroid disease, or diabetes? There are many tests used to diagnose Cushing's:
LDDS, ACTH, Urine Creatinine, blood panel, ultra sound. Has your dog had any of these? If so please get copies and post the abnormal values along with the scale provided by the lab for normal values as all labs are different. Just know this disease can be managed on either Lysodren, or Trilostane. This is not a cure, but controls the cortisol production. You did not mention any symptoms your dog was presenting with. Cushing's dogs drink enormous amounts of water and pee a lot. They are ravenous all the time. Is your dog doing any of that? Is the vet you are going to experienced in Cushings? That is very important. If it were me I would be getting then diagnostic testing done, if my dog was showing clinical signs of Cushing's, or had indicators from a blood panel or urine test showing this is a possibility. Then if in fact it is Cushing's you would want to determine what type, pituitary or adrenal. You do not want to put a dog on the drugs mentioned without a firm Cushing's diagnosis. We are here to help and support you, so you are not alone in this. Please let us know the test numbers so we can better help you understand what is happening with your baby. Blessings
Patti

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope the vet didn't decide that your baby had cushings just from an ultrasound and looking at her!!! Oh my. That would be very unprofessional and not at all a diagnostic tool.

As Patti asked, what symptoms does she have and what test have been run to check so far?

So glad you found us. Anything you can tell us will help us to provide you with better feedback.

welcome
Sharlene and molly muffin