New to forum and Cushings/10 year old Labrador Meg

[Sarah h]

Hi
My 10 year old Labrador Meg has been diagnosed with cushings since August 2014 I suspect she has had cushings since Dec 2013 as we thought her symptoms were due to her age ! She has been on 120 mg once a day since August she also has medication for under active thyroid. For awhile she would only only walk 1/2 a mile twice a day but these last few days she has been off the lead running a little for around a mile. Her appetite is not too good but we encourage her with chicken and meat. Meg has her ups and downs her back legs tremble now and then she still jumps on her chair a few times her legs have failed her,we have a car ramp for the car which helps a lot.
As we are new to this forum and to cushings any help or suggestions would be very welcome. thanks Sarah.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Sarah,

Welcome to you and Meg! I'm glad you found your way here and we will help in any way we can.

I was wondering if you could tell us more about Meg and her diagnosis for Cushing's? How much does she weigh? Could you get copies of all tests that were done on her and post those values here, we need to see only the abnormal numbers. Does Meg have the pituitary or adrenal form of Cushing's? What symptoms did Meg display that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place, and how are her symptoms now?

I gather Meg's treatment for Cushing's is Vetoryl/Trilostane, right? The lack of appetite, is that new or did it start while on the Vetoryl/Trilostane? Inappetence may also be a sign of a dog's cortisol going too low, has she had a recent ACTH stimulation test to see if her cortisol is within the therapeutic ranges and has not dropped too low? Is she experiencing any diarrhea or any vomiting?

Meg's 120 mg dose of Vetoryl/Trilostane does seem a bit high to me, was this her starting dose or has there been some upward tweaking based on symptoms along with monitoring ACTH stimulation tests?

With Vetoryl/Trilostane treatment it is very important that the capsule be given with food to be properly absorbed. Also the timing of the monitoring ACTH stimulation tests have to be performed 4-6 hours after the dose of Vetoryl/Trilostane is given. Are these protocols being followed?

Here's a handy link from our Resource thread with info regarding Vetoryl/Trilostane: Trilostane/Vetoryl Information and Resources (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185) Please feel free to print anything out, and do not hesitate to ask all the questions you want.

Hugs, Lori