Cushings diagnosed today

[Nattysock]

Hi, my 5 yr old wire haired vizsla Ploppy has just been diagnosed with Cushings. The only symptom she's showing is hairloss although now I know about Cushings it makes more sense as it's been 2yrs since her last heat. No pot belly, extremely active and fit, no weight fluctuations. She is a very happy, friendly dog but has always been quite nervous, flighty and very submissive. I have always put that down to breed but now wonder if her " flightyness" has been because of too much cortisol as she does seem more bonkers than most WHVs.
My vet is suggesting chemo initially then vetoryl, is this the way to go? The side effects sound grim. Just so worried about her, she seems fine apart from the hair loss, do I need to treat her with such heavy drugs now, what would happen if I delayed treatment? We're about to move out of the area, new house, new routine, new vet, it's a lot for her stress levels to manage at the same time as trying to adjust meds to hit the right balance, I might miss crucial signs because of being too busy.
Help! Any advice warmly welcomed :confused:

[Squirt's Mom]

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[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Ploppy!

I am glad you found us and we will help in any way we can. It would help a lot if you could get copies of the tests that were done on Ploppy and post all abnormal values here along with the reference ranges and units of measurement...e.g..ALT 150 U/L (5-50)...Thanks! We are especially interested in the results from all tests that were performed to diagnose Ploppy's Cushing's.

Cushing's is one the most difficult diseases to get a confirmed diagnosis for, and unfortunately it is often misdiagnosed. Other non-adrenal illnesses, such as diabetes and thyroid problems, do share some of the same symptoms as Cushing's and should be ruled out.

Dogs with Cushing's generally have a ravenous appetite, drink buckets of water and pee rivers, have skin/hair issues, and a pot-bellied appearance. Does Ploppy display any of those symptom, and if not, other than the hair-loss, could you tell exactly what symptoms Ploppy has?

The two medications generally prescribed for canine Cushing's are Lysodren/Mitotane and Vetoryl/Trilostane. They are strong drugs and one drug is no safer than the other, adverse effects are usually not seen unless the proper treatment protocols are not followed.

The medications do not cure Cushing's, the goal of treatment is to help abate the symptoms from Cushing's and since Ploopy shows no Cushing's symptoms I would be very hesitate to start treatment.

Please know we are here for both you and Ploppy and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask them.

Hugs, Lori

[Squirt's Mom]

You will want to get clarification on that statement that your vet would start with "chemo" then go to Vetoryl. Cush pups don't need chemo so I'm a bit confused. :confused:

[Harley PoMMom]

Trilostane has been used as a breast cancer treatment, the human brand-name version of Trilostane is marketed as "Modrenal".

Lysodren/Mitotane is an oral chemotherapeutic agent and is also known as o,p′-DDD.

So I am thinking this is what the vet means by "chemo," however, a 30 day washout period is needed before switching from Trilostane (Vetoryl) to Lysodren/Mitotane, and vice versa.

Lori

[Squirt's Mom]

Yes, that is why I said clarification from the vet was needed. If the vet is saying they will start the dog on Lyso then switch to Vetoryl, that is huge red flag to me that the vet is not experienced. ;)