Saying helllo and reaching out...our girl just diagnoised

[Neeter80]

Hello everyone just wanted to say hi and that I'm glad I found this forum. I just got the phone call about an hour ago about our lab cross being diagnosed with pituitary dependent Cushings Disease. Having a very hard time with it as she is 12 and a bigger dog as its not that common from what I've heard or read in larger k9's. I'm going to read through the forums, see who else has dealt with a bigger dog going through it and would love any help, advice, support! We are located in Canada and have been quoted $122.58 every two weeks for medication, so obviously am looking for a cheaper place then our veterinary. I already drive her almost an hour away just because of the vet fees and blood work being ridiculous where we live.

My heart goes out to those who have lost their beloved best friends. Unfortunately the hard part is telling the kids - the vet only gives her a year.

Anita

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome from a fellow Canadian. :)

I know Marianne will be by to say hello, she had a lab with cushings.

So a couple questions to start off with is what symptoms made you take your dog in for testing? Do you have the test results? If so you could post anything that is high or low for example ALKP 550ug (range 50 - 150ug)
Which test did they do for cushings? ACTH or LDDS? Do you have those results and could you post them if you do? If not can you get copies and then post them.

How much does your dog weigh? If using vertroyl (trilostane) don't start out at over 1mg/1lb. This is in line with the new guidelines from the manufacturer, but not all vets are aware.
One thing that will save money is using trilostane, the compounded version. That is usually cheaper than the vetroyl and if your vet will call the prescription in to a compounding pharmacy then it will be cheaper. I am just switching pharmacies in order to get better pricing. So, we can talk about that once you have told us a bit more.

Yes, some larger dogs do get cushings. Just we tend to see it more in small dogs..

Welcome to the forum.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Anita,

Welcome to you and your girl, we are sorry for the reasons that brought you here but so glad you found us.

Has your girl had a CBC/Chemistry blood panel done recently? If so could get copies of those test/s and post the abnormal values listed along with the reference ranges and the units of measurement, as an example....ALT 150 U/L (5-50) Could you also post the results of the test/s that were performed to diagnose your girl's Cushing's. What symptoms did she display that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place? Is she taking any other herbs/supplements/medications?

I've been a member of this forum for over 6 years, and I can tell you that it is not uncommon for large dogs to have Cushing's. And another thing, a diagnosis for Cushing's is not a death sentence for a dog. ;) Cushing's is a treatable disease, however, success in treatment does depend on a few things; keen owner observation, a pet parent willing to educate themselves about Cushing's, and a vet/IMS that has experience treating Cushing's and is knowledgeable about the protocols for this disease. An educated pet owner and an experienced vet are equally effective in facilitating safe and efficacious treatment with few to no side effects.

Cushing's is one of the most difficult disease to diagnose, and unfortunatey, it is often misdiagnosed. It is challenging to diagnose because there's not one test that is 100% accurate at identify it, and other non-adrenal illnesses can skew the test results for Cushing's. In order to validate a diagnosis for Cushing's multiple testing is generally required.

With Cushing's the initial expense is during the diagnostic phase, once a dog is on treatment and the dose is stabilized the cost does go down significantly. Having the medication for Cushing's compounded will also save some money, but you need to purchase through a trusted compounding pharmacy. Many of our members use Diamondback pharmacy, here's a link to their website: http://www.diamondbackdrugs.com/home-mobile/ One of the ways that helped me with the expense was applying for Care Credit. It's a revolving credit line that allows you to pay large bills same as cash for a year.

We are here to help in any way we can, and please feel free to ask all the questions you want.

Hugs, Lori