Griffin, Dashund/Maltese, 12yr old, on Vetoryl

[Grifdog01]

My dog griffin is a daschund Maltese mix 12 yrs old. He was diagnosed with cushings and put on 50mg vetoryl a few months ago. The vet upped the dose to 60 mg. He started to have reaction slowly with some vomiting and diarrhea. Very quickly he started to not eat was hiding in closet. Started to shake. We took him to a vet ER for fluids on a Sunday night back to his vet Monday. The vet thought his shaking was due to back pain. Sometimes things like arthritis start to show up that were being suppressed with the over production of cortisol. I thought maybe a reaction to vetoryl but vet thought this would have shown up sooner. We took him home and he progressed downhill to almost dying. Back to vet we asked if he could have gone other way to Addison's. The lab work was not supporting this but we were thinking possible. Thank goodness vet gave steroids. He came back from death! Two things, sometimes the lab results don't perfectly fit diagnosis and The sensitivity testing was not done right. I was supposed to give the vetoryl four to six hours before the testing. Now we are going to wean off steroids and SLOWLY go back on vetoryl. I do not blame my vet he was looking at lab work and griffin wasn't fitting into criteria. Also there was miscommunication about the sensitivity testing. We are working together but I almost lost my dog!!!!!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Griffin!

Sorry for the reasons that brought you here but sure glad you found us.

You were right in stopping the Vetroyl, it most definitely sounds like Griffin was having an Addison's crisis. Could you tell us exactly what lab work the vet did on Griffin when he was feeling ill? Was an ACTH stimulation test done on Griffin at that time, and if so, could you post those numbers? Were his electrolytes checked too? If you could get your hands on copies of all tests that were done on Griffin and post any abnormal values listed that would be great. I am assuming the vet gave Griffin prednisone, what dose did the vet prescribe, and how long is he to take it? Is Griffin eating/drinking normally now? Any more vomiting episodes?

How much does Griffin weigh? The initial starting dose is based on a dog's weight and with Griffin being a smaller dog I believe that starting him out at 60mg was just too high of a dose. We see less adverse effects when a dog is started out at a low dose of Vetoryl/Trilostane, initially a dose of 1mg per pound of a dog's weight is appropriate.

The timing of the monitoring ACTH stimulation test is very important, Vetoryl/Trilostane has to given 4-6 hours before the ACTH stimulation test is performed, also the Vetoryl/Trilostane needs to be given with food to be properly absorbed.

If this were me, for right now I would withhold the Vetoryl and only resume when Griffin show signs of his cortisol rising and having an ACTH stimulation test reflecting that.

We have a Resource Forum that has a wealth of inofrmation reagring Cushing's and treatment, here is a link: Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10)

Here is also a link with info about Vetoryl/Trilostane: Trilostane/Vetoryl Information and Resources (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185) Please do feel free to print anything out.

If you have any questions at all, please do ask them, ok? ;)

Hugs, Lori