New to this Site - Marley (with Cushing's) Will Not Sleep at Night

[Sulreich]

Our 7 year old shih tzu, Marley, was diagnosed in January with Cushing's disease - the pituitary dependent type. We started Marley on 20 mg of Vetoryl (10 in the am and 10 in the pm) and have been waiting for his ravenous appetite, constant thirst and lethargy to stop. About the same time as starting him on Vetoryl, Marley went totally blind. We also upped his meds to 30 mg each day after several ACTH Tests, blood work and Dex tests. He has gained 10 pounds and although his appetite is not as ravenous as it was, Marley is up ALL night long -- wandering and whimpering, either wanting to eat or needing to go out to urinate. The strange thing is, he seems to sleep 4 or 5 hours at a time during the day but once night time hits, he is up. We've been taking turns sleeping on the couch -- getting only 3 hours of sleep per night. We have tried giving him doggie Prozac, tranquilizers (both prescription) and melatonin but nothing seems to help. We've been to 3 different vets and today I took him to a 24-hour emergency care center where they have specialists on staff. We have an appointment for a consultation on Monday with the Cushing's specialist. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to get him to sleep?????

[doxiesrock912]

Please have Marley checked for SARDS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_acquired_retinal_degeneration

[goldengirl88]

Welcome to the forum. I am so sorry your dear Marley is having these troubles, but you came to the right place for help. I too would have him looked at for sards. I have heard that sometimes their sight does come back. It could be a combination of him losing his sight, and uncontrolled cortisol making him restless at night. His cortisol may be climbing at nite. Please get copies of all testing done on him from now on. If you could get his testing for Cushing's and post the abnormal numbers with the reference range given by the lab as all are different, that will help us to see what is going on. Has he been checked for diabetes, and thyroid problems? They have similar symptoms to Cushing's. Weight gain is common with Cushing's, but also with thyroid problems too. There are some other dogs on here with Sards and Cushing's also please give us a brief history of tour dog and it's weight. Did your dog have any other health issues going on when it was tested for Cushing's? What were the symptoms that made you get the tested for Cushing's? Do you know how experienced your vet is with Cushing's? Sorry for all the questions, but they are important to help you and your Marley. I hope you will be able to get Marley to a place where he is resting at nite, and so are you. Blessings
Patti

[Squirt's Mom]

Yes, SARDS came to mind immediately with the "sudden" blindness. Here is a link to our Helpful Resource Section with info on SARDS. Many pups show cush signs and will test positive yet do NOT have Cushing's. So get him in to see someone about this asap.

Another thought came to mind - doggy Alzheimer's, called Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. The night time anxiety and roaming is very common in CCD. I am dealing with that in my own pup now. She was 16 in Feb so she has the right to get a bit bonkers. ;) 7 is probably too young but it did cross my mind.

A third thought, and the hardest one to talk about, is that the pituitary tumor may be growing causing neurological issues. In most pups with the pituitary form of Cushing's the tumor remains small, microscopic, causing nothing more than the cushing's signs. But some of the tumors do grow into what are called macroadenomas, or macro tumors. Other than observation, the only way to determine is this is going on is a CT or MRI, both expensive so not something everyone is able to do.

But I think my first step would be to see an eye doc and have your baby boy checked for SARDS asap. If this is what happened, he will not regain his sight but he can learn to live with it...and so can you. I am the proud mom to 2 completely blind babies and one who is blind in one eye. It is amazing how well they manage their world!

Would you mind telling us more about how the Cushing's diagnosis came about? What prompted the vet to test in the first place? Also, would you get copies of all the tests done to diagnose him and post the results here? That would help us a great deal.

How much does Marley weigh? Is he on any other meds, herbs, supplements? If so, what and what for?

You can try melatonin - just plain melatonin. Not the time release, extended release, mixed with other things - just plain melatonin. Start with 1mg and go up as needed. I wouldn't exceed 6mg at a time during a 12 hour period, tho. But do talk to the vet about this before you start it to make sure it won't interfere with anything else he in on or will be on.

I'm glad you found us and want you to know we will be with you all the way. Never hesitate to ask questions - there are no "dumb" questions here. ;) You've entered a brand new world, new language, new customs...but you will learn and we are here to help.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang