Panting....and panting...and panting

[Thebestboy]

Hello everyone

Firstly, I am a newbie to the sit and am the proud "sister" to Ollie the westie x Maltese who is still a puppy at twelve years young.

Ollie was diagnosed with cushings about twelve months ago, however he's probably had it for just under two years.

He amazes me. Still has a v strong spirit. Still smiles. Plays etc
His symptoms are the big proud belly, thin coat and panting.

No meds at all.

It's the panting that I woild really appreciate guidance with. The panting is stimulated by either being excited or scared. Can continue on and off for a number of hours.

What can I do to help him?

Thank you in advance :)

[Squirt's Mom]

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[Thebestboy]

Hi everyone

I was wondering tonight when walking Ollie (12 years very young win cushings) if exercise helps or his body?


His muscle has defiantly thinned out, cushings plus his age and I wonder if a brisk 20 minute walk is good for his muscle tone or if it hinders because he has last some?

i would never push him. He keeps up just fine.

Just wondering for a physio point of view.
Thank you

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Ollie!

I have manually approved your membership so now all your posts will be seen right away. Also, please just disregard the validation email that was sent to you from k9cushings. I also have taken the liberty and merged your post regarding exercise into Ollie's original thread. We normally like to keep all posts about each pup in a single thread as it makes it easier for members to refer back to the pup's history when needed.

I was wondering if you could tell us more about your boy? We usually ask a lot of questions to our new members but that's only to gain information about the pup so we can provide better feedback, ok? So here it goes! Does Ollie have pituitary or the adrenal form of Cushing's? What were his symptoms that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place? When you say "no meds at all" are you referring to the medications that are used for the treatment of Cushing's? Is he taking any other herbs/supplements/medications? How much does Ollie weigh? Has he had a CBC/ Chemistry blood panel done recently, and if so, could you post any abnormalities that are listed with the reference ranges and units of measurement? What test/s for Cushing's were performed and could you post those results too?

As for the panting, that is a pretty common symptom with our cushdogs which is due to the increased fat deposition over the thorax, and also the fat distribution to the abdomen which increases pressure on the diaphragm. It also seems that our cushpups run at a higher temperature. My Harley panted a lot and I would spritz water on his belly and on his pads which seemed to help. With treatment the panting should lessen.

Regarding exercise, I believe this is fine, but only if he is allowed to go at his own pace, which I saw that you mentioned in your post. ;)

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

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

In addition to what Lori has already mentioned, have you had his blood pressure checked? Cushings that is not medicated, usually continues to increase, and this can over time effect things like blood pressure.

[Thebestboy]

I feel like a dreadful person for not knowing the answers to these questions because we adore him...

the diagnosis came about really out of accident. he went in for surgery at aged 11 to get some charming warts removed. the vet wanted to do bloods before a general at his older age and from memory, his liver count was lower. they sent him for an ultrasound and there was nothing sinister.

The vet effectively just said this looks like cushings and the treatment outweighs the benefits. as a result, we did not change anything to his lifestyle. mum being mum, has stuck her head in the sand about this really from a place of adoration and fear for what cushings could mean and has gone purely on what one vet has said. "don't worry" "no need to do anything"

he also is not really "bad" with symptons other than panting. I do worry about the effects of stress hormone in his little body.

I am looking after him for a few weeks so thought i'd dig a little deeper...

[Thebestboy]

no, we haven't had his blood pressure checked :eek:

feeling like a really negligent owner now.... :(

[Harley PoMMom]

Now, don't be so hard on yourself ;) Until I joined this forum I didn't know that BP should be checked in a dog. I was putting blind faith in my vet, but now I know better.

Knowledge is power, and we are here to help in any way we can. ;)

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

I didn't know either. That's why it is great to have a place like the forum so you pick up information from those who are walking or have walked the same path.

[LauraA]

My girl had severe panting for about 18 months before her diagnosis, now looking back on it I know it from the Cushings. Some days she would literally spend hours panting, and all her tests at that stage didn't show why. Once she was diagnosed and we started the meds the panting finally subsided even though it took about 3 months.

I am a bit surprised abou what your vet has said that the treatment is worse than living with Cushings, as used properly and with respect the meds are truly lifesavers. And I went from thinking we may have to say goodbye to my grump to some 18 months later having a happy and relatively healthy (she is old so she obvioulsy has some old age issues hehe) girl that runs around wanting to play all the time.

[Squirt's Mom]

From your vet's attitude toward this disease and its LIFE SAVING treatments, it seems to me he doesn't have a good success rate with managing cush dogs. HUGE red flag went up in my mind when I read what he said. A vet who has kept up with the developments in this disease and who has a good success rate treating it probably would not have told you that. There may be other things going on with your baby that we don't know which this vet does and that is why he made that horrible statement. IF that is NOT the case and there are no other issues that would complicate treating Cushing's, personally I would make an appt to discuss with the vet why he told you that and find out how well the dogs he has treated in the past worked out. Then if what I heard was anything less than - yes I have treated cush pups for many years and most lived out their normal lives - then my next step would be to find another vet asap. ;)

I'm glad you found us and look forward to learning more about your sweet boy!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang