Digby senior lurcher - panting, leg weakness :(

[AlexT]

Hey, My name is Alex and I have an elderly (about 11) year old collie x greyhound called Digby. We live on the Wales/England border in the UK. About March this year I took him to the vets as he was panting loads on walks. He tried heart pills as he has a heart murmur. Made no difference. A fellow dog walker asked me if he had Laryngeal Paralysis so we had the full gamut of tests, and back then he had what was described as mild paralysis of one side of the larynx. They also picked up thyroid problems in his bloodwork so we started treatment for that. Then his drinking increased LOTS. His first Cushings test was inconclusive so we had to wait and get it redone a month later. He is 25kg and started 4 days ago on 30mg am, then another pm of Vetoryl.

I am beginning to wonder if symptoms I attributed to LP are actually Cushings related? First, the panting. At the start of the year he could run about fine, but now he is panting once he gets out the door. he dosent run on his walks and we only really manage a few hundred metres. He is totally fine during the day, but at night, he pants LOTS. From about 7pm until 11pm, some night he just sits on his bed and pants.

Secondly, his hind legs. Digby has always had crappy back legs, a bit weak and stiff. LP can affect the hind legs as its a problem with the same nerve that controls the larynx so I originally put his deterioration down to that, but now Im not so sure. He's OK once hes walking, but sometimes he just sort of slumps in the back end, especially when hes eating. The past few weeks this has got way worse.

I'm at my wits end worrying about him. I don't know what to do for the best. I don't know if he's in pain or discomfort. I don't even know what symptoms are being caused by the LP, Thyroid, Heart Murmur or Cushings. Fingers crossed the Vetoryl makes a difference, but from reading others posts I perhaps shouldnt be hoping for a miraculous recovery. Just glad this resource is here so I can try and learn from others experiences and get through this best we can.

[Marshal]

Hi, I can't help you much with your question but just wanted you to know I' going through the whole leg weakness thing myself with Marshal! His muscles are really wasting right now!
Hope you find the answers you're looking for!

[Renee]

If most of the respiratory distress is happening in the evening, then I would be more inclined to think it's related to his heart. Congestive heart failure tends to cause distress more in the evening, from what I know. Has he had an EKG yet?

Also, if he has LP, was it not corrected surgically? They can do a flap tie back surgery to correct the LP. The vets thought my pug had LP, but then subsequently decided it was unlikely. We still have not figured out why she is coughing, but I am actively trying to find the answers.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Alex,

Welcome to you and Digby! So sorry for the reasons that brought you here but glad you found us.

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. There isn't one test that can accurately diagnose Cushing's so multiple testing is required to validate a diagnosis of Cushing's.

The goal of treatment is not to cure Cushing's but to help control the symptoms from Cushing's, that is why strong symptoms are a huge part of a diagnosis. I did see you mentioned that Digby's drinking increased, and that he is being treated for hypothyroidism. Although increases in drinking/urinating are some of the symptoms of Cushing's they also can be attributed to Hyperthyroidism, has Digby's thyroid levels been checked recently?

Could you get copies of all tests that were done on Digby and post those results here? With respect to the blood chemistry and complete blood count (CBC), you need only post the highs and lows and please include the normal reference ranges. We are especially interested in the results of the tests that were used to diagnose his Cushing's and the all monitoring ACTH stimulation tests.

Looking forward in hearing more about your sweet boy. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask them and know that we are here to help in any way we can.

Hugs, Lori

[AlexT]

Marshall's mum, I'm really sorry youre going through the same thing :( I will go check out your posts to see how youre coping with it.

Hi Renee, I was told his heart was OK, he has a gd 3/4 murmur, but thats it. As for the LP, the surgery is pretty serious and can have some horrible complications after. Hes a bit of a stressy dude at best, and HATES the vets, so surgery would only be a last resort. Thats part of the reason its so important for me to try and identify what symptom corresponds to which illness. I'd hate to go ahead and put him through surgery, only to find out the panting was due to Cushings :/ Coughing is one of those symptoms that can be caused by so many things, I hope you get some definitive answers soon.

Hey Lori, thanks for the comprehensive reply! I'll ask about his thyroid levels, he's going in for a ACTH next Saturday. I'll also ask for the test results. Hopefully you can see some positives in them!

Funnily enough yesterday was pretty good. We had a nice walk, he met some other dogs and got a bit excited an his back end went, but we picked him up and he carried on. He only did 2 bouts of panting last night, maybe 15 mins each. i don't understand why every day is so different!

[Squirt's Mom]

I hate to burst your bubble but a grade 3/4 heart murmur means the heart is NOT ok. Grade III is getting into danger range for heart failure. I have a baby with grade 4 and was told to be prepared for sudden death from this. He is on Lasix and Vetmedin for his heart. There is a type of murmur called "innocent" that apparently has no bearing on the dog's health but this is most common in puppies which they typically outgrow and is limited to grades 1-2. I think I would ask for a referral to a cardiologist or IMS with an emphasis in cardio-pulmonary and have them take a look at Digby before going any further with Cushing's testing or thinking about LP surgery. If his heart is truly compromised, that will have a bearing on everything from here on out - including treating Cushing's. ;)

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/heart-murmurs-in-dogs/3912

[Renee]

Agree with Leslie. Grade 3/4 is pretty serious. Please consider seeing a specialist for his heart.

[AlexT]

I've spoken to 2 vets about Digby's heart and neither of then thought he needed to be on meds for it yet. He's a sighthound and lots of them come with a grade II murmur as standard! He has regular check ups to keep an eye on it.

To be honest, at this point I'd prefer a sudden painless death through heart failure than having to make the decision myself as to when his quality of life isnt worth living.

[molly muffin]

The panting could be due to the heart or the cushings. Cushing dogs have trouble being too warm. If you notice him trying to lay in cool spots that could be a clue to which it is.

Have they done any xrays of the back (spine) as with older dogs it is possibly related to degenerative disease too affecting the discs in the back.

Cushing does affect tendons and ligaments, high cortisol causes those to weaken. Short walks to help strengthen them is about all we can do to help that.