My Ava has Cushings! New & Scared

[AviesMom]

Hi Everyone,

I have been trying to read through this website and it has been helpful. It is hard to collect all the thoughts on here and make sure I am not missing. As I am seeing, it seems like these questions have probably already been answered, but I am looking for help and support.

Ava - my baby. She is an 8 year old, 75 pound Shiba Inu/Shepherd/Husky/Rescus Mix.This diagnosis has rocked my world. I am pretty sure Ava has had this disease for a while. She has ALWAYS drank a lot, peed a lot, eaten a lot, had a lot of skin problems, etc. I would say the symptoms have been really bad for the last year. I took Ava to the vet for what I was sure was ANOTHER UTI. She has had more than I can count. Of course, she had one. Treated with antibiotics and this time, it wasn't clearing. A lot of protein in the urine. Also during that visit they did her yearly blood draw and found her alkaline phosphatase levels were off. I have been treating that with meds for the last year while we have been trying, with no success, to get rid of the protein in her urine. Finally, on Thursday 10/8, we had the 8 hour low dose dexamethasone suppression test and by Friday 10/9 we had the results that she has pituitary dependent Cushing's. SO, I begin to scour the Internet for treatment. My vet is recommending either Lysodren or Trilostane.

To be honest I am terrified to treat her. I understand how Lysodren works and I am not sure I actually want to destroy her adrenal gland. I am willing to investigate Trilostane but there is too much conflicting statements on the Internet. This is where I need help.

1. I ABSOLUTELY want to give my dog the best chance she has and I am open to any and all comments.

2. One thing I read about Trilostane is that is only a treatment to help the human manage the disease (meaning the human doesn't have to take the dog out as often, fill the water dish, etc.) but Trilostane actually doesn't help the dog. Reading here, I am seeing that may not be the case.

3. Will treating her with Trilostane increase her life expectancy? I have also read that treating the dog OR not treating result in the same life expectancy.

4. Trilostane can be stopped at any time if I begin to feel uncomfortable?

5. Any other resources besides this website that people go to?

6. What am I going to do?! :(

Any help is appreciated! Thanks! :)

[Squirt's Mom]

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[Harley PoMMom]

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Hi and welcome to you and Ava!

Oh Bless you for giving Ava a forever home which is obvious that she is loved and adored. Now, first lets take some deep breaths....in...out...in...out ;) First off, Cushing's is not a death sentence for a dog it is a treatable disease, however for the treatment to work safely and successfully it requires an educated pet owner along with an experienced vet. Adverse side effects are mostly seen when the proper protocols are not followed. We do have many members that are experiencing success with their dog's treatment for Cushing's. And, yes, with treatment dogs with Cushing's can have a good quality of life and there is every reason to believe that they can live out their normal life span.

Ok, now with new members we ask a lot of questions so here goes some of mine :eek::D Since Ava has had many UTI episodes has the vet mentioned about performing an urine culture and sensitivity test which would show exactly what bacteria is growing so the correct antibiotic can be prescribed? Was the low dose dexamethasone suppression (LDDS) test performed when Ava was experiencing an UTI? The reason I ask is that the LDDS test has a higher chance of resulting in a false positive when any underlying illness is present. Is your girl taking any other herbs/supplements/medications? Could you get copies of all tests that were done on Ava and post any abnormalities that are listed? 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. And we are especially interested in the results of that LDDS test.

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 identify it so multiple tests are needed to validate a diagnosis for Cushing's.

Cushing's is when a dog's system is producing excessive amounts of cortisol. Cushing's does move at a snail's pace but eventually if that elevated cortisol is not controlled it can cause substantial systemic internal damage. The goal of treatment is not to cure the disease but rather to help control those bothersome symptoms and get that superabundant supply of cortisol down within the therapeutic ranges.

Both Vetoryl and Lysodren have some pretty scarey side effects but adverse side effects can be mitigated and even eliminated as long as the proper protocols are being followed. The key to facilitating safe and effective treatment is an experienced vet and an educated pet owner, so the best advice I can give you is to do your research on Cushing's, the treatment protocols, and how it is diagnosed. I am providing a link to our Resource forum which has a wealth of information regarding Cushing's and also includes articles written by some of the most renown veterinarians that specialize in endocrinology http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10

Please know we are here to help in any way we can, and do not hesitate to ask all the questions you want.

Hugs, Lori