Story Of Christmas

[Story Of Christmas]

Hello, my name is Peggy. I just found this site and wish I would have found it a lot sooner. Christmas is 12 years old, weighs 15 pounds and has cushings for 3 years. He is on trilostane. Over the 3 years he has continues to decline. To the point where he no longer seems to enjoy life. Sleeps a lot. Will not walk much. Could be weakness in hindlegs. My vet said that cushings is a slow disease but will continue to progress. How long does a cushings dog live. Thank you for your answers.

[labblab]

Hello Peggy, and welcome to you and Christmas. I'm very sorry he's doing so poorly right now, though. From what you are describing, one major worry/question I have right now is whether the dose of trilostane that he's taking is right for him -- is it keeping his cortisol well controlled but not dropping his cortisol too low?

Has Christmas had monitoring ACTH blood tests performed during this time that he's been taking the drug? If so, can you get us the exact numbers for as many of these tests as you can? Also, if you can tell us more about his overall health history, the symptoms that led you to test for Cushing's in the first place, and also those first diagnostic tests, it will help us a great deal. It is true that uncontrolled Cushing's causes chronic changes and can shorten the lifespan. But trilostane treatment can slow or halt those changes if the cortisol remains in the desired range. So that's why your additional info will be helpful to us.

Thanks so much in advance!
Marianne

[Story Of Christmas]

Thank you Marianne for such a quick reply. Just a little history on Christmas. We found him when he was around 5 - 6 months old on a busy road on Christmas Day. We could not find his owners so we decided to keep him. My daughter named him Christmas. He has always been a healthy dog, never any issues until 3 years ago when he began to wet in the house, drink a lot and wanted to eat constantly. After an acth test and an ultrasound , we were told he had Cushings. After a couple of dosage changes, he did very well for two years. Few urinary infections was about all the issues he had. Than about a year ago, I guess the changes were slow ,he appeared to sleep a lot more ,hindlegs seemed worse and skin now appears thin and I guess what I would call bruising in areas. His last acth test was done 4 months ago . Acth ( Pre- 3.4 ) ( Post-- 6.1 ) Our vet said it was a good range for him. She mentioned that it might be the disease itself. His bloodwork is good for a dog his age and also having Cushings. The liver test numbers were the only ones somewhat high.Like everyone one this site we love him so much and want to keep him around as long as possible. Again, thank you. Wanted to add, he has lost 1 1/2 pounds within this year.

[molly muffin]

Your vet is right, those are good ACTH numbers for Christmas. What a lovely story, he is a Christmas miracle. How lucky he was to have you find him.

My dog has lost about a pound with cushings, but also has kidney losing protein disease which is probably why she has lost weight. Have you had his urine checked to see if he is losing any protein?

I have found that with my dog she has leg issues and does better if the post cortisol is a bit higher than normal advised. Otherwise, she just has problems walking and isn't as comfortable. It is a balancing act to keep it all together and everything working thats for sure but in the end, it is about quality of life and whatever it is that they feel best at is what I go for. (along with monitoring of course)

[Story Of Christmas]

Hi Sharlene, I agree he is a Christmas miracle. We are the luckly ones. I can not believe how time has passed. My daughter loves him so much. . I know we have done testing of the urine but I will ask for a recheck. I guess what the vet is telling us that even though his numbers are in the acceptable range, the disease continues to slowly progress. Plus , he is getting older and some of his hindleg weakness could be normal aging issues. He just sleeps and sleeps. Should I be preparing my daughter for his loss. What usually takes a Cushing dog ?

[molly muffin]

The same thing gets cushing dogs as gets other dogs when they become seniors. Kidneys, heart, liver, etc
The way to monitor those things are with CBC's to check values and urinalysis. You just want to keep an eye on things like you would with any senior dog. I tend to do those tests and the ACTH test about every 3 months or so.