Stella, my best bud, 11 yr old Boston diagnosed with Cushings...skin advice ~ CC

[aosborn]

Hello!

My Stella was diagnosed with Cushings at the beginning of March 2015. They initially tested her for diabetes because she had lost a few pounds as opposed to having the usual "pot belly". I should mention that Stella had surgery for a herniated cervical disc in December 2014. We started her on Trilostane 10 mg. twice a day. We tested her after two weeks and her numbers were absolutely perfect (which was surprising to the vets). We kept her at that dose for two more weeks, and then tested her again and her levels were a bit low, so the doctor started her 5 mg twice a day. She's definitely looking better. Her back legs are a bit weak. Possible symptom of Cushings? Lately I've been battling calcinotis on her lower back and a hardening on the outer edges of her ears. I've been washing her every other day with a prescribed vet shampoo (benzoyl peroxide). What else should I be doing? I give her coconut oil on her food in the morning and glycoflex. Should I try other supplements? Anything seem out of the ordinary here? Nice to have this forum!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Stella!

I've taken the liberty and added CC (calcinosis cutis) to the title of your thread that way it will make it easier for members that are dealing with this to see your thread and respond sooner. Sorry for the reasons that brought you here but so glad you found us and we will help in any way we can. In order for us to provide better feedback could you tell us more about Stella?

What symptoms was Stella displaying that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place? How much does your girl weigh? Is she taking any other herbs/supplements/medications? Does she have any other health issues? Was an urinalysis done, and if so, could you post those findings too? Could you get your hands on copies of all tests that were done on Stella and post any abnormalities that are listed...e.g....ALT 150U/L (5-50) Also we are especially interested in the results from any tests that were used to diagnose and monitor the Cushing's in your girl. Was the CC diagnosed via a skin biopsy?

Cushing's is probably the most difficult canine disease to diagnose. Physical symptoms associated with Cushing's are shared by many other diseases, blood and urine abnormalities are shared with other other diseases and the diagnostic tests to measure circulating cortisol are flawed and can yield false positive results in the face of non adrenal illness or even stress. All of these things make it very challenging to correctly diagnose Cushing's which makes it one of the most misdiagnosed canine diseases. Is Stella eating normally? Any diarrhea or vomiting?

I am sure our resident CC expert, Renee, will be along soon and can give advice for that CC. I will warn you though, the CC gets worse before it gets better. :(

Here are links to a few of our members threads that are dealing with CC: http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5908 (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5908&highlight=calcinosis+cutis)

www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5850

www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5679

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask them. ;)

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

You said her numbers were a bit low on the second acth test. Do you have the results of both of those tests. With CC, what we have seen in general is that a post below 5.ug helps to keep it better controlled but as Lori said it gets worse before better. All of those hard calcium deposits have to push out through the skin and you are waiting basically for those to all cycle through and no new ones to develop. It does take time but is quite doable.

The coconut oil is good, as is fish oil supplement. There is also a trichlor spray, which is a basic anitibiotic spray to keep the skin areas from getting infected.