Treating arthritis when your dog has Cushings

[Ladybee'sMommy]

Hi everyone,
This is my first post here though I've been a member for a couple of months. My beagle, Lady, was diagnosed a couple of months ago with Cushings and is being successfully treated with 10 mg Vetoryl. She has arthritis that seems to flare up and get worse once in awhile, and that's happening currently. Her hind legs are pretty stiff, though she can still trot around outside and walk around the house, and even jump on the couch (though I try to pick her up and put her there first because I don't want her to hurt herself), she is having difficulty getting up after laying down for a long time.

Anyway, I was wondering what you have successfully given your Cushings dogs that also have arthritis to treat the joint stiffness/discomfort (supplements and medicines). My vet had given us Deramaxx before she was diagnosed to use as needed but I am nervous considering it's an NSAID and can affect liver/kidney. I am already giving her a glucosamine/chondroiten/MSM supplement but I want a better quality one (been using GNC for Pets.. I've seen Cosequin recommended as a good one?).. Also giving her fish oil currently. I have also seen supplements with turmeric, boswelia, and collagin, amongst other things, are supposed to be beneficial..

I am waiting for my vet to call me back to discuss, but I would love to know about your personal experiences/recommendations! Thanks!

[judymaggie]

Welcome to you and Lady! Some of our in-house experts will be along to ask you lots of questions about Lady's diagnosis and treatment but I wanted to respond to your inquiry about arthritis. My first beagle, Maggie, was diagnosed with Cushing's when she was 12 and developed severe arthritis in her back legs. My vet treated her with a series of Adequan injections and I saw a very positive response after the second injection.

My current beagle, Abbie (also a Cush pup), has arthritis in one of her back knees and also has inflammation in the discs in her back. She was in pretty severe pain in her back so our first step was to try a week on Metacam but there was no improvement. We then tried a series of three Adequan injections but, again, there was no change. I also took Abbie for four acupuncture treatments but, unfortunately, there was no improvement and Abbie strongly objected to every needle insertion during the last visit. The acupunturist then suggested we try having her seen by a chiropractic vet. We did and ... success! Abbie is now almost pain-free and is back to being her cheerful self. :D To help prevent any aggravation, Abbie does use steps to get on and off the bed and in and out of the car.

I am telling you about all these different options as it is important for you and your vet to determine if issue is with arthritis in her joints or inflammation in the discs. If arthritis, I would definitely suggest you talk to your vet about the Adequan injections.

[Wrighton]

We used Cosequin with our 15 year old collie, Mandi, and it did help, but our vet suggested we try Dasequin. It may be that it was just her body, but she gained a lot of the ease of mobility she had lost after using it only a few weeks. May I stress that Mandi was not a Cushings pup, just a wonderful senior. It would be important to make sure it would be compatible with the meds.

Our internist has allowed me to give it to all the collies, including Icy, our "maybe" Cushings pup.

Best wishes,
Gail and Icy

[flynnandian]

i am using norocarp/carprodyl for my 14 year old arthritic cush dog ian.
dosage 2 mg/kilo. this is the lowest maintenance dosage.
he is less stiff on it, so worth the try.
edit; he gets omega 3 capsules [fish oil] too. 1000mg/10 kg.

[Ladybee'sMommy]

Thank you for the info thus far!
I wanted to update ... I just spoke with my vet on the phone.. I expressed my concern about the Deramaxx considering Lady has since been diagnosed with Cushings. He said it isn't "ideal" to give the med to a cushings dog but her liver tests in January (which he reviewed while he was on the phone with me) were fine. (Is this sufficient to base this off of tests that were done in January?)

He said if I am concerned about the side effects we could try tramadol but that's mostly for pain and with arthritis there is inflammation also.

After I wrote my initial post I remembered about a year ago Lady was specifically diagnosed with spondylosis, or osteoarthritis of the spine. Which I talked to the vet again about over the phone tonight.

I asked if he recommended any supplements, and he said Adequan injections. Which, judymaggie I know you mentioned really helped your pup. I'm trying to decide if we should just go straight to the Adequan at this point or try a better quality hip/joint supplement such as Dasequin for awhile first.

[Harley PoMMom]

Welcome to you and Lady! Sorry for the reasons that brought you here but sure glad you came out of the shadows and started a thread for dear Lady!

And yep, Judy is right, we do ask a lot of questions from our new members because the more we know the better our feedback can be, ok? So here goes some of those questions: What symptoms did Lady display that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place? How much does Lady weigh? Is she taking any other herbs/supplements/medications? Could you get your hands on copies of all tests that were done on Lady and post any abnormalities that are listed...e.g....ALT 150U/L (5-50). Was an urinalysis done, and if so, could you post those findings too? Also, could you tell us what diagnostic tests were performed to diagnose her Cushing's and post those results here? How many ACTH stimulation tests have been done since Lady started her Vetoryl treatment and could you post those results for us? Does she have the pituitary or the adrenal form of Cushing's?

And yes, NSAIDs are not the preferred medication for our arthritic cushdogs, however, we don't want them to be in pain either, so sometimes the NSAIDs need to be given. When they are required, monitoring those liver enzymes is recommended.

Duralactin is another supplement that can be used for arthritis, here's a link to a thread where this medication is discussed: http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?p=58306&highlight=duralactin#post58306

Hugs, Lori

[judymaggie]

Hi! In trying to decide between an oral supplement and Adequan injections, keep in mind that, if the injections are going to help, you would probably see positive changes in four weeks. The distributor, Novartis, recommends two shots per week for four weeks and then periodically as needed. Oral supplements usually take a couple of months to effect any changes. Lady's level of discomfort and how it affects her can help you decide. I would suggest that you only try one thing at a time so there is a clear picture of what is helping (or not helping).

Lady looks like a very petite cutie--I love her freckles. Abbie sends a big "a-roo-oo"!

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome. Dasequan is a good oral supplement and can be used with the adequan shots. I think I would give a supplement in addition to any other treatment as it really helps them no matter what other treatments you might use. My dog has luxating patella and one vet said it really helps to give the supplements to help keep them mobile longer.

[Barb]

I've been using egg shell membrane on my senior boys and it seems to be helping. They get a good dose of omega oil twice daily.
I cook eggs as a topper and peel out the membrane and add it to their food.
It is also sold as a supplement.
My sister used the injections on one of her pugs and that worked well also.

[Ladybee'sMommy]

Hi everyone. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to respond. I wanted to update and also answer some of the questions that were asked.
Also thank you so much for the support and advice!!!

First, Lady seems to be doing a lot better. She is not as stiff.. the stiffness improved about four days after I posted this originally. We ended up getting Cosequin to start with. It really seems to be helping. She's been bouncing and trotting around. The other day she was running around the apartment with her younger sister! I would also like to try Duralactin, but haven't started it yet because I wanted to just try to Cosequin first and see how it affects her.
If she seems to be in pain, which she doesnt currently, I would really like to try Dog Gone Pain (I think! There's so many options out there to choose from). Not to say she isn't still stiff. But it is back to the "normal" stiffness, not the pronounced level she seemed to have. I am hoping the Cosequin will improve this even moreso over time.

Now.. the questions... I will answer as best I can. I am planning a visit to the vet in the near future and have made myself a note to make sure I get all her test result records.

What symptoms did Lady display that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place? Drinking A LOT of water, often. Needing to urinate often, and not being able to hold it (urinating in the house, whereas before she had been perfectly house trained besides just a few random accidents.) Potbelly. Hair stopped growing; no shedding of hair. Ravenous appetite. Searching the house for food. She even learned how to open the pantry!

How much does Lady weigh? 21 lbs.

Is she taking any other herbs/supplements/medications? Fish oil; she was on GNC glucosamine chondroiten for older dogs but now on Cosequin; Vetoryl 10 mg.; benedryl 1 tablet once a day as needed for allergies.

Could you get your hands on copies of all tests that were done on Lady and post any abnormalities that are listed...e.g....ALT 150U/L (5-50). Will asap.

Was an urinalysis done, and if so, could you post those findings too? It was but I don't know the results ..will get paperwork.

Also, could you tell us what diagnostic tests were performed to diagnose her Cushing's and post those results here? Will get asap.

How many ACTH stimulation tests have been done since Lady started her Vetoryl treatment and could you post those results for us? Three.. will get results and post asap.

Does she have the pituitary or the adrenal form of Cushing's? I'm 95% sure she has pituitary cushings. But the vet did not straight out say which one it was. (Ugh, I was so overwhelmed when we were going through the initial diagnosis, I didn't even know what questions to ask :( )

I hope my answers are somewhat helpful and will get the rest of the info as soon as I can.

Thank you again!!!

[Harley PoMMom]

Yes, those answers were important for us to know, so thank you for coming back and posting them.

When you get all those test results posted here we will be able to give you more meaning feedback ;) I'll keep checking back ;)

Hugs, Lori

[SuperCupcake64]

I second the Duralactin rec. My Cush pup has arthritis, especially as his trilo dose increased (I think the cortisol acts as a natural steroid). Dasequin didn't really do much, but Duralactin seems to help him for some reason. An added bonus is that it smells like vanilla ice cream. :)

[Budsters Mom]

Benadryl is generally very safely dosed in dogs at 1mg. per pound of body weight. The dosage can be upped to 2mg. per pound if needed (particularly in the event of possible allergic reaction), but best to kept as close to 1 mg. as possible for general allergy use. It can be dosed up to three times per day, every eight hours. You mentioned that Lady weighed 21 pounds. Are you giving her regular Benadryl tablets, 25 mg. strength? If so, that dosage would be about right, although I would probably shave a little bit off of the end.;) If you are not buying the generic, Diphenhydramine HCI 25mg., I would recommend you do so. The generic is much cheaper. I purchase it at Costco at 600 count for under $5. Be sure to check your expiration date to give yourself ample time to use it.;)


benedryl 1 tablet once a day as needed for allergies.