New to Forum-questions

[agilk9]

Hi:
My dog (almost 12 yo sheltie) was diagnosed with Cushings (I think the adrenal type) through, I believe, an ultrasound and bloodwork. He is now on 10 mgs of Trilsostane twice daily. It has helped his hunger and thirst and brought back some of his animation.

Prior to this, he had no health problems. He lived a very active life as a competitive agility dog and we have many adventures together.

I have two questions. One, is it okay to try to get him to lose weight? He has the barrel body, but also has gained weight because, prior to the medication, I couldn't bear to put him on a diet. I don't want to cut back his food, but will just take him for walks each day. His hearing and his eyesight are not good, so he prefers to be on a leash. I notice his rear legs are getting a little weak, so I hope this will strengthen them.

Also, he has very dry and flaky skin. I have only noticed it since the medication. Is this a common side effect? I plan to give him fish oil, but was wondering if I can expect any results.
Thanks in advance.
Kathy

[Trixie]

Hi Kathy and welcome..
Since your dog is doing well so far on Trilostane you may start to see some improvement with his weight after awhile without trying to put him on a diet. He won't be so hungry--hopefully, so after a little bit of time you can give him slightly less food and that could also help him lose some weight. Also if he is feeling better perhaps you will be able to give him more exercise which will also help, especially if he was a pretty active dog before Cushings.
The barrel shape, dry skin, and the leg weakness are all symptoms of Cushings and if the treatment works well you should see all these things improve, it just takes a little time. Some symptoms go away more quickly than others.
You mentioned you think your dog has adrenal Cushings? Did they see an adrenal tumor when your dog had the ultrasound?

Barbara

[goldengirl88]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry you baby is having troubles. The barrel shape you are speaking about is because Cushings weakens the muscles and ligaments in the chest area and the dog just spreads out on the sides. My dog is looking like that too. The hind leg weakness can be from muscle wasting, and maybe some arthritis too. Cortisol masks the arthritis and when controlled the arthritis flares up. I am glad your dog is on a conservative dose of Vetoryl. That is the best way to go as far as I am concerned. Please get copies of all the testing done to confirm Cushings and post the abnormal numbers for us along with the lab reference guide as all are different. We would like to see what is going on with your dog. Have you had ultra sound, LDDS, ACTH, and blood panels? Has your dog been tested for diabetes and thyroid problems? They share many of the same symptoms as Cushings. I hope your baby continues to do well. Exercise is the best way to keep the back legs strong from what I have witnessed with my Tipper. Blessings
Patti

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Kathy,

Welcome to you and your sweet boy! That pot-bellied appearance in dogs with Cushing's is usually a result from hormonal redistribution of body fat, a breakdown of abdominal muscles, and an enlarged liver due to the changes made from the excess cortisol.

I was wondering if you could tell us a bit more about your boy? How much does your boy weigh? What test/s were performed to diagnose the Cushing's? Could you get copies of all those tests and post any abnormal values here? We are especially interested in the results of any diagnostic and/or monitoring tests done for the Cushing's...thanks!

Please know we are here to help in any way we can so do not hesiate to ask all the questions you want. ;)

Hugs, Lori

[jxeno13]

Hi Kathy, So, sorry to hear your baby is not feeling well. My Eli was also newly diagnosed for Cushing's. He's also loved to run and was always just "full of it"...and now showing all the signs you mentioned. He also feels insecure without his leash lately. His back legs also weak..and sometimes he falters, but keeps on going. :)

With the medication I'm sure your baby will be getting back to his old self, before long. It's best with the medication to go low and slow. jmo also. Trust me.

I'm still REALLY new at this....being a Cush Mom....but learning fast.....the hard way. :o

Jo Ann and Eli

[flynnandian]

welcome from us too.
i own 2 sheltie-mix dogs.
their father was a pedigree shetland sheepdog.
i did a lot of competitive agility myself too.
my dogs are bi-blue, siblings, 12 and 13 years old.
my 13 year old male is doing very well on the vetoryl right now.
hope your sheltie will do too soon!

[agilk9]

Thanks everyone.

I will try to get the lab test results, but his Cushings was confirmed with an ultra sound. I did not know the dry skin and leg weakness were from Cushings, I thought maybe it was the medication and his leg weakness was due to being overweight and out of shape.
I took him on another walk today, but he didn't really want to go and he stumbled a couple of times, so I think we will hold off on that. I have some easy senior citizen exercises I can do with him to help strengthen him.
Tonight he put himself to bed early in our bedroom. He has never, not once in all his life, gone into another room without me. He has been my shadow for all these years. I hope he was just tired and not getting sicker.

Flynnandian, you were lucky to get two sheltie mixes. I've always wanted a sheltie mix, but there were never any available when I was looking for a dog!

Anyway, I'm glad to have found this group. It has taken me a long time to accept that my proud, loud, bossy sheltie is not aging the way he deserves, but I am sort of at peace with it now. The medication has given him back his personality and I am grateful for that. All along I have been grateful that he did not know he was sick.

[goldengirl88]

Welcome to you and I am so sorry your baby is having troubles. Cushings dogs can and do often become exercise intolerant. There is a lot of fat mobilizing in their systems from the disease and it often settles in the abdomen. Also the muscles and ligaments in the chest and abdomen are weakened by the disease and can no longer support their insides like they once did. This makes them uncomfortable, even when laying down you will see them move around a lot. As far as going in another room to sleep, that do very unusual things with this disease that they normally did not do before. My dog does many things she never did before like cry if I leave her in a room alone for a few minutes. This does change their personalities somewhat, and I was told by several vets it would. My dog is less patient and can get angry and snip at me, which she never ever would do before. She will no longer stand still for a haircut either. I have to do a few minutes at a time, so it is a perpetual haircut! I hope all goes well and treatment helps your baby get back to some state of normalcy. Blessings
patti