Lancelot

[Kelevy]

My 13 year old mixed breed terrier has just been diagnosed with cushings. He is on his 2nd day of medication. His lab tests showed his liver enzymes were at 1280 when they should be at around 100. He does not have diabetes. I just wondered if anyone else's dog experience blood in their urine? He was tested for UTI, and bladder stones which all came up negative. Also, is it typical for Cushingspups to lose a lot of weight? Im just wondering if there's more going on with Lance or are these typical symptoms. Thanks!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Lance!

It is very common for dogs that have Cushing's to get UTI's often. Since their urine is usually diluted a regular urinalysis may not be sensitive enough to pick up the bacteria in their urine so a urine culture and sensitivity test is needed.

Generally dogs with Cushing's have a ravenous appetite, but there is a small percentage that may not. What symptoms does Lance display that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place? If you could get copies of all tests that were done on Lance and post any abnormalities that listed that would help us. Also we are especially interested in the results of all tests that were done to diagnose the Cushing's.

Has Lance started treatment for Cushing's? And if so, what medication is he taking, and how much does he weigh?

Strong obvious symptoms do play a huge part in the Cushing's diagnosis and although we don't know enough about your boy as of yet this just doesn't scream Cushing's to me. Hopefully when we learn more about your boy we will be able to get our heads together and figure out what is going on with Lance so hang in there ok?

Hugs, Lori

[Barb]

Hi. Sorry about your baby. I don't have a cush dog now but I do check in here occasionally.
I'm concerned with the weight loss. Can you get your vet to do an ultra sound of the bladder? I just have a feeling there is more going on here and it does not sound like Cushing's to me but I could be wrong.

[Kelevy]

The reason I brought Lance to the vet was because he was having accidents in the house. Normally, he would hang his head or hide knowing he did bad, but he wasn't! I said something is definitely wrong because that's not like him. The vet did regular blood work and urinalysis, the only thing that came up abnormal was his liver enzymes. He was thirsty a lot, and he used to be very hungry and pant a lot. I just didn't know those were signs of a disease. The vet's instincts said it was prob not cushings because he didn't have the pot belly and he started losing weight rapidly. We did the blood test that confirmed he had Cushings of the pituitary gland. He was 31lbs two weeks ago now 26 lbs and eats very little. He is on 10 mg of vetoryl 2x a day. So far he is tolerating the meds. Doctor wants to do an ultra sound but we felt we wanted to start him on the Cushings Meds asap. Hoping to see an improvement in his health. This is just killing me to see my boy so sick. :(

[Squirt's Mom]

Was diabetes ruled out? On the labwork with the liver enzymes you should see something like GLU or GLUC - is that value normal?

[labblab]

This rapid and significant weight loss is of great concern to me, too, because it is not typical of Cushing's. I would wonder whether, in this case, the abnormal liver enzymes might actually be signalling a genuine, primary liver problem. I have to agree with your vet that an ultrasound might provide important information as to what is fueling the inappetance and weight loss. If his appetite has been depressed even more since starting the trilostane, I honestly don't know that I would continue giving the drug in the absence of some additional diagnostics such as the ultrasound.

Marianne

[Barb]

I'd look for an internal medicine vet. One of my sister's dogs was scheduled for a dental and vet did not like the pre op blood work and tested for Addison's and sure enough that's what it was. It's like the opposite of Cushing's. He lost weight also. He almost was in crisis but vet gave him a shot ( don't know the name of it) but it was good for 25 days. Her vet also suggested a daily med that he has been taking twice a day and that seems to keep it under control.
I'd still get that ultrasound done.
Poor Lance. I hope you can get to the bottom of this. I hate it when they are ill.

Barb