New to site

[joeybella]

Hi I am new to the site and very grateful to be able to communicate with other people who have a dog with cushings.
I brought my 15 pound Yorkie mix to the vet last July because she was panting, drinking a lot and being slow on our walks. The vet found she had an enlarged heart and liver and ruled out cushings.
After several more blood tests , pees tests and an ultrasound she was finally diagnosed with adrenal cushings. I do not know her numbers I will have to go get them. She was diagnosed in November.
She is on Lysodren. He started her on 1/4 tablet twice on Sat and twice Wednesday. She was improving but her numbers were still a little high so he increased to 1/2 plus 1/4 on Sat. Ever since the increase she is drinking more. I brought her for another blood test and her numbers did not get better so next Sat I will be increasing her meds to 1/2 plus 1/2 on Sat and 1/4 and 1/4 Weds. But now she is peeing in her bed at night. Something she has never done.
I would so much appreciate any advice.
Thank you!!!!!!

[Bonnie0420]

Welcome to the site, this is a GREAT group of people that will help you along the way, they are EXTREMLY knowledgeable.
I'm not good with all the blood test and things like that but they are great and I'm sure someone will be along shortly to ask you questions and give support and advice.
They will ask you for,test results etc so if you gather those it will help!!
Best of luck to you and your furbaby I hope she feels better soon

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome.

So the ultrasound showed a tumor on the adrenal gland?
What are her cortisol numbers from the ACTH test now?
Did you do a load and then go to maintenance or did you go to a maintenance dose straight away?
With an adrenal tumor it can be very difficult to get control of the Cushing's symptoms. It's the nature of the beast so to speak.
There are doggie diapers that you can also try for night time perhaps.
I know it is so frustrating when they have leakage for them and you. The laundry is just constant.
How are her kidneys doing?

[joeybella]

Hello Thank you for the responses. I have so much to learn.
Bella's ultrasound showed 1 swollen adrenal gland and an enlarged liver. Her kidney tests so far have shown she has a small amount of crystals.
I do not have her numbers yet but the vet said 2 of the numbers from her last test were over 200 and he wanted them under 100. He never did the loading dose. He said because of her size he was starting with a low dose. She gets her blood and urine tests done every 3 or 4 weeks. He said if her numbers do not come down in one month we will do another ultrasound. She will start her increased dose tomorrow. Since I talked to him 1 week ago though she is drinking and peeing more. Her pee is really dilute.
I will get her blood work results this weekend. Thank you. I am so thankful for this site and all the wisdom and knowledge I see from reading the other posts.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and your girl!

Getting copies of all tests that were done on your girl and posting those values that are abnormal with the reference ranges and units of measurement would be great.

With Lysodren treatment, there is usually a loading period in which a dog receives Lysodren 50mg/kg of a dog's weight being split and given twice a day. So for your girl's weight of 15lbs, in kg that would be 15/2.2 = 6.81kg, than multiplying that number by 50mg = 341mg, so for her loading dose she should be getting 170.25mg twice a day.

With respect to adrenal-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADH), adrenal tumors are highly resistant to Lysodren, requiring massive doses to achieve loading. Side effects at these large doses are almost guaranteed. With her vet's current Lysodren regimen the possibility of her achieving a load is unlikely. A better option would be to treat her with Vetoryl. To do this she would need a wash-out period, around 4 weeks, from the Lysodren and than the Vetoryl can be started.

One important factor with either Lysodren or Vetoryl is that they are fat-soluble drugs and must be given with food. Also they both can cause some gastric upset so giving Pepcid AC 20-30 minutes before dosing can help.

You can find some great reference material in our Helpful Resources sub-forum to help you understand the steps in diagnosing a dog, the treatments used, and adverse reactions to those drugs. We all eventually figured out that safe and effective treatment is much easier facilitated if the vet is experienced and the pet owner is educated. That's a winning combination for your dear girl.

Here are two links to get you started: Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10)

Lysodren loading Instructions and related tips (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181)

I'm very sorry for the circumstances that brought you here but I'm glad you found us. We'll do whatever we can to help you help your pup.

Hugs, Lori

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi and welcome to you and Bella! :)

I second everything Lori said and will go a step further and recommend you find another vet asap for Bella. It is clear this one doesn't understand the disease nor the drug he has given her. ;) So for her sake, find another vet today if possible.

Ask questions any time - we will do all we can to help. This is not an easy disease to understand but you have found the very best place to be when faced with Cushing's.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[joeybella]

Thank you so much for the great advice. Can you tell me if vetoryl is available in Canada?

[molly muffin]

Yes vetroyl and the compounded version trilostane are available in canada.

I am in Ontario and have no problem getting medications for Cushing's or having testing done

[joeybella]

I am wondering if a raw food diet or increasing protein will help with weak hind legs and loosing muscle? What kind of diet is good for cushings? My girl is on a liver diet because her liver is enlarged from the cushings.

[Harley PoMMom]

I've merged your new post into your original thread about Bella. This way, we will be able to keep track of her entire health and treatment history all in one place.

When was Bella diagnosed with a liver problem? An enlarged liver does not necessary mean a diseased liver. 80% or 90% of dogs have a steroid induced isoenzyme of ALKP so if one of those dogs has Cushing's, you are gonna see anywhere from a mild to severe increase in ALKP. These increases are not because the excess steroids are killing liver cells, it's because the steroids are causing an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver and it is having to work a bit harder.

There really is no "set" diet, a diet needs to be tailored to that individual dog's needs and health issues. However, dogs with Cushing's do lose muscle mass so their feed should have a high quality protein, also Cushing's can make a dog prone to pancreatits so a low fat diet with moderate fiber is suggested. Eventually they do gain back their muscle mass loss but this will take a long while.

Hugs, Lori

[joeybella]

Thank you. Bella does not have liver disease the vet told me it was from the cushings. Thank you for explaining. Do you know of a good brand of dog food to give her?

[molly muffin]

This is a good site that gives you food reviews:

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

I use Fromms along with a vet perscription due to molly's multiple issues. I stay away from grocery store brands or anything like that.

yes many cushings dogs have enlarged livers. Mine does and her liver numbers continue to go up unfortunately. A lot of the cushings dogs will have their liver numbers come down once they are on treatment too and they will lose that pot belly look.

[Harley PoMMom]

Fromm is an excellent choice, I used that along with Primal, which is a raw frozen dog food. Link to their website: http://www.chewy.com/dog/food-treats-332/primal?gclid=CPnri5bY08UCFZA8gQod62kAeA

And Primal's rating from the dogfoodadvisor website: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/primal-dog-food-raw-frozen-formulas/

Hugs, Lori