What is Cushings?

[Stayswen]

Hello! I am new to this forum.

I am thinking about adopting a dog with "cushings disease" and am hoping to get a little more information about it, mostly the financial aspects of it, to make sure I'm not taking on more than I can handle.

Thanks!

[jxeno13]

Hello and welcome! You've come to the right place that's for sure. It's wonderful that you're thinking of adopting a new baby. We need more people to adopt the babies out there! My Eli is a rescue and he is a Cushpup. :D

I'd rather one of the more senior members on the forum to explain to you what Cushing's is and let you decide from there. Mostly where you live can make big difference on the financial aspects of it.

Here are 2 VERY good links to start with...

http://www.dechra.co.uk/files//dechra/Downloads/Pharma/ClientLiterature/Vetoryl_Client_Booklet_Final.pdf

http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html

I, personally, don't pay a lot for testing because I live in a small town. I don't know where you live, so I can't say. To start out on the medicine, Vetoryl usually, it can be expensive at first, if the dog hasn't had any previous testing,...but then it's not so bad for the maintenance after that. But, we'd need to know a little more about the dog. What testing they've done, and have they already started him on any medicine yet? Vetoryl or Lesodren? What kind of dog is he, etc?

Welcome! Jo Ann and Eli

[goldengirl88]

Cushings disease is an overproduction of the hormone Cortisol by the adrenal glands. You dog will either have a pituitary tumor, or an adrenal tumor causing this. Is some cases your dog can have both as mine does. By using ultra sound, ACTH & LDDS testing, urine testing, and blood panels they are able to determine what type your dog has and then it can be treated with Trilostane or Lysodren. What symptoms I s this dog exhibiting you are wanting to adopt? Has he had any of this testing? The most expense is at the beginning for all the diagnostic work I mentioned, then it becomes less expensive for just ACTH testing periodically, and the maintenance drugs. If you are wanting to adopt this dog and help him I think that is wonderful. I would inquire from the rescue since they have contacts with vets that do things cheaper thru them if they would be willing to line up at a discount what he needs with their vet?? The rescues operate on so little now they cannot afford to pay for it, but may get you a sizeable discount in order to get the dog adopted. Thank you for considering a Cushings dog for adoption, it makes my heart happy. Blessings
Patti

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome.

Since you say that the dog has cushing's, can I assume that the rescue has already had the dog tested and diagnosed? If so, you would be looking at recurring costs of medication and acth stimulations tests that would be necessary for the rest of the dog's life. Is the dog currently on treatment and if so, which treatment? How old is the dog, what is the breed and how much does s/he weigh? If it's a small breed, the costs can be considerably less. If you take all those things into consideration, you can pretty much arrive at your recurring costs, depending on your vet's cooperation. Once you provide us with all the information, we can coach you on where to call for prices on meds and what you need to know before asking a vet what they charge for an acth stimulation test.

I am a rescuer and pulled a dog I knew had cushing's from the shelter and ultimately adopted him. Most rescues operate on a shoestring budget and are not open to incurring the cost of running all the tests necessary to diagnose cushing's. The cost of saving one dog is weighed against the cost of saving ten or twenty other dogs so knowing he would probably be euthanized, I bit the bullet. I so appreciate the rescue you are dealing with because they invested a whole lot more than most would to save this dog and give him/her a loving forever home. Thank you so, so much for entertaining the idea of being that home. We're all here to help you figure things out.

Glynda

P.S. You need to know which form of cushing's the dog has. Most have a tiny lesion on the pituitary but a small percentage have an adrenal tumor. If the dog has an adrenal tumor, surgery is the first treatment of choice if the dog is an acceptable surgical candidate. With conventional treatment, adrenal tumors, especially if malignant can shorten lifespan considerably. My first cushdog was only three years old when diagnosed with pituitary dependent cushing's and was successfully treated for nine years.

[Stayswen]

I spose I should have added more information about the dog.

She is a 10 year old lab mix that weighs about 58 lbs (she is a little overweight). She is not spayed and came into the shelter as a stray.

I went to go see her today and get to know her better and the shelter printed off her health information for me. They mentioned that she is coughing/hacking a lot (which I noticed as well) and they had her on antibiotics for that. The vet said that she had some symptoms of cushings (thirsty and urinating more frequently). It doesn't say what other symptoms she has but says that her bloodwork didn't show strong evidence of cushings but there was enough evidence to concern him (not really sure what that means). He said she is probable for Cushings and a 2nd test would need to be done to confirm this. The paper also said that to follow through with testing it can run up to $2,000 within a year to get everything regulated (would that be yearly or just to figure out what's going on with her?)

I do plan to call some vets in my area to ask their pricing and opinion, but I honestly don't know where to go with this.

[lulusmom]

Well, that vet isn't very helpful in explaining anything. Bloodwork didn't show much evidence of cushing's but apparently showed enough for him to be concerned. Many other conditions can have blood abnormalities and symptoms that overlap with cushing's so with drinking and peeing being the only symptom, I'm not sure why the vet would immediately see a cushing's flag. Apparently she has kennel cough which is extremely common in shelter dogs. That should resolve within a week or so. I believe the $2k would be for testing and getting the dog regulated on an appropriate dose of medication. My first cushdog was diagnosed by a specialist who did every test there is so it cost me a lot more than $2k in the first year.

It would be very helpful if the vet would give you copies of all of the testing he did so you can share the abnormal blood values and the results of any urinalysis. A large number of dogs with cushing's have a urinary tract infection at the time of diagnosis so the urinalysis should have included a culture to determine the exact bacteria. It's possible that wsn't done as the dog is probably on doxycycline for the kennel cough and doxycycline can remedy a possible UTI.

If you want to get a quote from a vet for the necessary testing, ask for the price of a low dose dexamethasone suppression test and an abdominal ultrasound. For purposes of monitoring treatment, ask for the cost of an acth stimulation test. If, and that's a big if, the dog is ultimately diagnosed with cushing's, I personally would choose to treat with Trilostane. Vetoryl is an FDA approved drug and it's pricey. With her weight being 58 pounds, an appropriate dose of Vetoryl would be 60mg. A 30 day supply of 60mg runs about $70 plus shipping. The active ingredient in Vetoryl is Trilostane and you can get a compounded Trilostane for much cheaper. You can't get the same dose as is available from Dechra, the manufacturer of Vetoryl so you would go with 58mg once a day. That price from Diamondback Drugs is $36.77, plus shipping for a 30 day supply. A 60 day supply would be $73.53, plus shipping. Not all dogs are lucky enough to stabilize on the initial dose so it's very possible you may have to increase or decrease the dose at least once in the first 90 days.

As for the acth stimulation test, once you start treatment, you can plan on at least three tests in the first 90 days. The price can be all over the map so it depends on what the vet charges. If you use the link below, you can see a survey that shows ranges of cost so that you have a good idea of what I'm talking about.

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1148

I hope this helps for now. We can help more if you can get your hands on the tests the vet has done so far.

Glynda

[jxeno13]

Calling some Vets is a good idea to get an idea of the costs in your area. From what I'm getting then...she hasn't really been tested for anything then except for a blood test, which drinking and peeing excessively could be a lot of different things right now.

I'm hoping that you will also adopt this baby girl, despite her problems right now, otherwise, she would be on the next list probably to be euthanized. People just don't want to deal with a senior dog, let alone one with a possible health problem.

The two tests that are used to confirm a diagnosis of Cushing’s
are called the ACTH stimulation test (ACTH Stim), and the low-dose
dexamethasone suppression test (LDDS). It may be necessary to perform both tests.

These are some of the symptoms of Cushing's.

The most noticeable signs of
Cushing’s syndrome include:
• Large water intake
• Frequent urination and possible
incontinence
• Ravenous appetite
• Pot belly
• Thin skin
• Hair loss or recurrent skin diseases
• Muscle wastage
• Lethargy
• Excessive panting
Not all dogs will react to the disease in the same way and
your dog may not necessarily display all of these signs.

http://www.dechra.co.uk/files//dechra/Downloads/Pharma/ClientLiterature/Vetoryl_Client_Booklet_Final.pdf

Reading this link might help a bit. It's from the makers of the drug used to treat Cushing's. When treated corrected correctly it can help a pup immensely! :D

Good luck!! Jo Ann and Eli