14 year old Daschund with Cushing

[Maggie'sMama]

Hello!

I am new to the forum and want to see how I can help others and others can possible help me.

My baby was diagnosed with Cushing's Disease 8 years ago after undergoing a pretty serious back surgery. Those doxie's and their poor backs :(

She has been the happiest same ol' dog pretty much the whole time...with some minor up's and down's. She has been taking Trilostane and although expensive I feel it has helped provide her a very happy life.

As she gets older, I get more and more worried about her. She just lost her 16 year old brother (we had to put him down after fighting dementia, arthritis and kidney failure for > 2 years) that has been with her since the day we picked her up from the breeder. I know it is new and that she is grieving (we are trying to keep from showing too many emotions around her) and will take some time but I am worried since she is older if she will be able to bounce back. With Cushing's dogs I know they are hesitant to give medications but has anyone given Cushing's dogs anything for anxiety? She has always been a little nervous but I feel bad and don't want her to suffer. I especially worry as we are leaving in a week out of town for 10 days and I am worried she is going to be lonely. I have a house/pet sitter that comes and is here in the morning and sleeps here at night but she is used to having someone all the time (we work at home).

Does anyone have any suggestions for good food for senior dogs with Cushing? She is used to getting homemade food (special diet was needed for her brother) but I want to get a diet more specialized for her now.

We will be going for our 6 month checkup and ACTH stim test (before we leave town) next week so I guess we will see how it all goes.

Thanks for any suggestions or help anyone can offer.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and your girl!

Wow, that is wonderful that for 8 years your girl is doing so well on her Trilostane treatment for Cushing's, your story will bring a lot of relief and happiness to our members that are treating their furbabies for Cushing's.

My boy, Harley, was terrified of thunderstorms. He knew one was coming way before it hit and he would shake and follow me all around the house. When he started taking Melatonin all that fear went away, he could relax and fall asleep even while it was thundering. He took 3mg of Melatonin twice a day, if you and your vet decide to try this you want to get just the regular Melatonin, not the fast-acting or rapid releasing kind.

I am so sorry to hear of her brother's passing, and yes you are correct that they do grieve just like we do. I do believe with some time that she will bounce back and start acting like her ole self.

There really isn't a diet that is "set in stone" for a cush dog, this is generally tailored to that individual dog's needs. My boy, Harley, had pancreatitis so his diet required that it had to be low fat. The one important factor is a feed that has a high quality protein listed first in the ingredients because dog's with Cushing's do lose some of their muscle mass. The dogfood analysis is a good site to look for a high quality dog-food: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ Three good feeds off the top of my head are Primal, Fromm, and My Perfect Pet.

I was wondering if you would share some history on your girl's Cushing's journey, such as what her symptoms were and are they controlled now? What dose of Trilostane is she on? Is her Trilostane compounded or is it brand-name Vetoryl? Would you post her ACTH stimulation results when you get them? Is her urine diluted? And has a CBC/Chemistry blood panel been done recently and if so was there anything marked abnormal?

You have been doing an amazing job with your girl and I am so glad you found your way here.

Looking forward to hearing more about your sweet girl.

Hugs, Lori

[Dixie'sMom]

Welcome to the family! I also have a doxie with Cushing's and am so encouraged by your experience! Dixie is "classic" Cushing's and has been on Trilostane since September. I see Maggie was diagnosed at age 5? Dixie was diagnosed at 6, so they were both young to develop this disease. You already have so much more experience than I so I can't offer up any advice to you except to say that you are in the right place to get great information from folks who have first hand experinece with a Cushpup.

Dixie's potbelly is horrible and just doesn't seem to be going down much since starting treatment. Did Maggie have this problem and if so, how long did it take to see improvement?

I am so sorry for the loss of her brother. I'm sure all of you are still grieving and sweet little Maggie is depressed. Some extra cuddles are in order, but I'm sure you have been doing that. Poor baby.

I also have seen melotonin used a lot in this forum. I ordered some for Dixie and Button's for those high anxiety days (storms, fireworks, a house full of company, etc.) but haven't had to use it yet. Most folks here have had good results with it.

Again, welcome to you and your sweet girl. I look forward to getting to know you both.

[Maggie'sMama]

Thanks for the warm welcome Cush family :) Your information and insights are great! I wish I would have found this forum earlier. I am definitely going to look into Melatonin.

When she was diagnosed, I was devastated and assumed she wasn't going to make it long...this after just putting her through a $7,000 back surgery. We were at the point of either surgery or put her down as she was nearly paralyzed from a slipped disc/pinched nerve. Anyway, that would be a whole other forum. Haha. Doctors thought that the trauma from this is what brought on her Cushing's (I just realized, I never actually researched that). 8 years later, my point is, IT'S NOT THE END :) They can definitely still live a very happy and pretty normal life.

Unfortunately, the potbelly never goes away :( At least hers hasn't. The potbelly, huge appetite and excessive thirst were the initial indicators. The other thing I remember was her skin was extremely itchy and she was rubbing her neck on anything she could find. It was so bad that I took her back to the surgeon thinking it was from how they stitched her skin back together.

She has been on the compounded Trilostane (liquid with added chicken flavor) since day one. We tested several different doses taken once a day. After many attempts to get her levels "just right", 0.4 mL worked with 2 doses per day (morning and night). When she was taking one dose a day it seemed to wear off and she would be very thirsty and wake up wanting to drink in the middle of the night.

Her skin/coat probably was my biggest struggle. We tried everything until finally coming across Atopica. MIRACLE...and safe for Cushing pups! I tell everyone that has dogs with allergies, etc to use it. At first it made her a little upset to her stomach (in the beginning I gave her Famitodine also to help) but their bodies get used to it after while. Make sure they don't give you too high a dose. That was one of the reasons that she got pretty sick initially.

Her urine is a pretty diluted. She does get a urinary tract infection every few years which is pretty typical for Cushing dogs.

Watch for skin and ear infections which they can also be prone to. I try and keep her ears clean. I used to take her to the doctor anytime she would get a skin infection (she would usually get them on her paws). Finally, my doctor told me to just have Genotine spray (it is a steriod) handy and spray on any skin infections. Note: NOT a spray for the ears. That stuff works awesome! (this also after many trial and errors).

All her symptoms have pretty much been under control as long as she gets her Trilostane 2x's daily and Atopica at night :) Medicine for the rest of their lives and checkups every six months is key.

I will definitely post her results for ACTH Stim test and bloodwork. I am starting to see some changes in thirst so I'm crossing my fingers...especially since she is getting up there in age.

Sending lots of happiness and health to you and your doggies!!

Tracy and Maggie

[Dixie'sMom]

Great information Tracy! And your post explained some things to me. We have a new member on the forum who has a pup just diagnosed with Cushing's who is highly allergic to everything, and also has an autoimmune disease. Earlier in this pups life he was put on Cyclosporine (Atopica) which is a chemotherapy medicine (immunosupressant) and neither of us could figure out why they chose a medicine with such side effects for allergies. I also have an autoimmune disease and know there are meds that have lesser side effects. His vets are recommending Cyclosporine for his autoimmune disease because he has allergies too. So it makes more sense now that I see it is commonly used for, I'm assuming, severe skin problems. (I hope all of that made sense. haha)

Luckily Dixie has not had any issues other than dry, flaky skin and a few blackheads. I'm not sure what is the best solution for that either. It's also a comfort to know that the potbelly may not go away. It doesn't bother me except it makes me wonder why it doesn't go away since she is now on treatment. I guess their long body shape, poor muscle mass and short little legs just help keep that belly low and puffy.

I hope the melatonin helps Maggie with her depression and anxiety and I pray for good results on her ACTH stim test. It sounds like you are a great Mom. :)

If you would like to post pictures of her, go to User CP (Control Panel) near the top of the page and select it. You will see there the option to create a photo album. You can upload pictures there and choose one for your avatar if you like. I love to see the pictures of the Pups on this forum. They make me happy :D

[Maggie'sMama]

Yes, the Atopica was the last resort option but for her ended up being the only. It is pretty amazing the difference with less skin infections, overall comfort, licking of paws, etc. She still does have a bad coat...flaky and dry but it's definitely better.

The skin is difficult. I tried every single kind of shampoo (including ones from the vet) with no success. The one I found to be the best is Veterinary Formula Clinical Care - Antiseptic & Antifungal Shampoo and Hot Spot Conditioner. Leave the conditioner on as long as your dog will let you :) They say it is bad to bath them often but I have to give her a bath once every 1-2 weeks. It always makes her more comfortable. Hope you find something that works for Dixie the Doxie :)

I have been meaning to update my profile...One day I will get a picture up here :)

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I couldn't be more thrilled to hear that Maggie has been doing so well for 8 years of treatment on trilostane.