Your Experience with Cushings?

[Allison]

I'm running a series on senior pets for a group that I blog for and would like to share a little about one's personal experiences with Cushings. If anyone is open to answering, here are my questions:

* Why did you first get your dog tested for Cushings?

* At what age was your dog diagnosed with Cushings?

* What are the regular medications you used?

* Are there other treatments in addition to medications?

* How did you monitor how your dog reacted to treatment?

* Did your dog develop other complications? (Ours developed pancreatisis, as well as being blind and deaf and having weak back legs.)

* What are the ups and downs of Cushings?

* Any final advice to/thoughts for owners of dogs with Cushings?

[Renee]

* Why did you first get your dog tested for Cushings? She developed lesions which were biopsied and confirmed as calcinosis cutis (CC). CC is generally presumptive for cushings. In addition, she had the more common symptoms of pu/pd, extreme hunger, muscle loss in the back legs, and chronic UTI

* At what age was your dog diagnosed with Cushings? 10

* What are the regular medications you used? brand name vetoryl

* Are there other treatments in addition to medications? none that effectively lower cortisol, which is the goal of treatment. I do not use any other treatments to specifically address cushings, other than vetoryl.

* How did you monitor how your dog reacted to treatment? Observation and proper ACTH testing protocols

* Did your dog develop other complications? (Ours developed pancreatisis, as well as being blind and deaf and having weak back legs.) Has had a few bouts of acute pancreatitis; enlarged heart & liver. She did develop a chronic inexplicable cough, which we have attributed to cushings on a basis of elimination. She is deaf and has nuclear sclerosis, but I would attribute those to age, not cushings

* What are the ups and downs of Cushings? Gosh, so many ups and downs, always. We have a good run every now and then, but something always seems to come up. I am definitely hyper aware of my girl and anything out of the ordinary.

* Any final advice to/thoughts for owners of dogs with Cushings? The disease is scary and life changing, but becoming an educated advocate for your dog is the best defense. Handled properly, most pets only experience mild or occasional set backs. An educated vet is the second most important aspect of caring for a cushings dog (the owner being educated is the first!). Treatment often scares many people away, due to an abundance of horror stories; however, treatment can literally be a life saver when done properly. From a practical standpoint, there is no way around it, this disease is expensive to manage.

[Allison]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[tank&kat]

* Why did you first get your dog tested for Cushings? Mostly for incontinence. He gained weight after I switched him to diet food and more activity/exercise.

* At what age was your dog diagnosed with Cushings? 14

* What are the regular medications you used? Vetoryl

* Are there other treatments in addition to medications? Not that lower cortisol or control symptoms.

* How did you monitor how your dog reacted to treatment? Close observation and appropriate timing of the necessary ACTH tests.

* Did your dog develop other complications? (Ours developed pancreatitis, as well as being blind and deaf and having weak back legs.) Weak back legs.

* What are the ups and downs of Cushings?
Watching my dog act 5 years younger after a month of treatment. It's sad to think so many dogs go undiagnosed because the symptoms mimic the ageing process. My dog is very lucky. He hasn't experienced too many bad days and his overall quality of life has significantly improved with treatment. I have educated myself and am fully aware of what this disease is capable of. I have to always be observant of any changes with him.

* Any final advice to/thoughts for owners of dogs with Cushings?
Do your own research regarding treatment. There are no holistic treatments proven to effectively lower cortisol. Don't waste (precious) time or money with this approach. Don't be afraid to question the vet or get a second opinion. The first few months are the most difficult. You will be overwhelmed most of that time. During that time, don't let the fear of the unknown prevent you from being in the moment as much as you can with your dog(s). They are most content when their owner is living life with them in the present. If a dog is controlled with medication for 6 months then that dog will most likely die from causes unrelated to Cushing's. The medications work. Patience is a must, it sometimes takes a few months.

~Katherine

[Barb]

* Why did you first get your dog tested for Cushings? Excessive drinking and getting pot belly. We vet to our vet and he wanted to test for Cushing's. I had never heard of it.

* At what age was your dog diagnosed with Cushings? 10

* What are the regular medications you used? Selegine

* Are there other treatments in addition to medications? Milk thistle for liver.

* How did you monitor how your dog reacted to treatment? Close observation and appropriate timing of the necessary ACTH tests.

* Did your dog develop other complications? None

* What are the ups and downs of Cushings? We had PDC and she did well on the medication. Some minor skin issues. Once you have a Cush pup you are always watching your other dogs for water intake.

* Any final advice to/thoughts for owners of dogs with Cushings?

Don't be afraid to question the vet or get a second opinion. I'd recommend a vet that has treated dogs with Cushings as most vets are not that knowledgeable.

Don't give up hope. Cush dogs with proper treatment can live a long time. It is not a death sentence.
My girl lived to be a little over 16 years old.

[spdd]

My experience was a long road, however I won't go into all the details. I do however want to emphasize this.
I had my dog to is regular vet of 12 years, who performed the tests improperly. I then went to another vet who had to bring a book out and had never done an ACTH test in his life and had been practicing for over 30 years. I then took the dog to the Ontario Veterinary College who concurred with the original vet that my dog had cushings.
In the end, the tests were all wrong, I even got all my money back and to this day, you will not convince me he was ever a cushings dog. He was not treated for the last almost 1 1/2 yrs of his life and lived to be over 15 even though his regular vet thought he should be put down as he became Addisonian due to their original error. The most important above all else - DO NOT take your vets word for it at all. Be an advocate at all times, do research and never, ever think that a veterinarian is the be all, end all. I am not against veterinarians per se, have one in the family, but will never again trust one until all research is done. Sorry this didn't answer all your questions, but it is so important to not believe or take the word of a veterinarian until you know for sure that it is cushings. Even with symptoms, it just may not be this horrible disease.

[tank&kat]

I can't agree enough with the comment above. Just a couple weeks ago, someone came to the fb Cushing's group wanting help interpreting her dog's lab results. This dog had been on vetoryl for almost 2 months and it turned out the vet in charge was using the LDDS test instead of the ACTH to monitor his treatment with vetoryl. At first, I didn't believe it and asked for the owner to send a picture of the results. It was confirmed. This vet not only diagnosed her dog with Cushing's 3 times with the LDDS but put her dog in danger by using the wrong test to monitor the cortisol levels.

Do your own research!

[glfprncs]

* Why did you first get your dog tested for Cushings? I noticed, over time, that T.C. drank a LOT of water and could pee for a very, very long time. We actually timed him once and he peed for 3 minutes straight. When he got up in the morning, he went straight to the water bowl and would drink about 16 oz. non-stop. His initial bloodwork only showed mildly elevated Alkaline phosphatase, so my vet wasn't pushing for LDDS testing. Someone, I really thought he was Cushingoid, so I pushed for testing. His LDDS confirmed, as did his abdominal ultrasound.

* At what age was your dog diagnosed with Cushings? 12. He was pituitary type.

* What are the regular medications you used? We started with trilostane for 18 months, but could never get rid of his excessive drinking and urinating symptoms although his lab results showed super tight cortisol control. I pushed my vet to send off blood for an adrenal panel at the U of Tenn, and all of his 2ndary hormones were off the charts, so we switched to lysodren. He was well managed on lysodren.

* Are there other treatments in addition to medications? Many say there are, but I cannot comment on the effectiveness of them.

* How did you monitor how your dog reacted to treatment? I measured water intake daily on my calendar. I also watched him like a hawk when he ate, purposely trying to say his name and see if we would stop eating while we were doing a lysodren loading phase. Regular ACTH stim testing during the start of medications and periodic stim tests (we did every 6-8 months) to make sure cortisol wasn't creeping in either wrong direction.

* Did your dog develop other complications? T.C. did great for 3 years and 10 months. He had an attack of acute pancreatitis at that time which required a total diet overhaul (Dec. of 2015). He did well again until the end of January of 2016. At that time, he became very, very ill while I was at work. We believe he had a stroke, and while at the ER vet staring at bloodwork, we made the decision to let him pass with grace.

When he was on trilostane, he did have an Addison's crisis which required a trip to the ER, but he bounced back really quickly.

* What are the ups and downs of Cushings? The diagnosis and the medication adjustments can become trying. However, once you find the right medication and the right dose, it can be pretty smooth sailing. The biggest worry which Cushing's meds is the fear of over control, destroying the adrenals completely, and having a very ill dog. The ups are that when properly managed, you get your dog back!

* Any final advice to/thoughts for owners of dogs with Cushings? Don't panic, it's certainly not a death sentence. Typically, it's "other" old dog issues that finally force us to say goodbye to our furry friends, not Cushing's disease. Also, properly treated, the dog you thought was just "getting older" actually may gain a few years.

Also, work with a vet that listens to you. I know that my vet had to have thought I was crazy a few times, but in the end, I turned out right. He even wrote in a note after TC passed that "TC always kept me on my toes and refused to follow the book. I learned a lot simply by having him as a patient...and he was a good one at that."

Also, many veterinarians are "trilostane" or "lysodren" vets. If one isn't eliminating symptoms, don't be afraid to try the other. I was TERRIFIED to switch to lysodren, but TC was still totally symptomatic on trilostane. After the scary switch and a totally easy lysodren loading phase, he acted 5 years younger. Scary as it was, it was the BEST thing for my dog.

[Oscarsmom]

* Why did you first get your dog tested for Cushings? Noticed that he was drinking a lot and he had bilateral hair loss

* At what age was your dog diagnosed with Cushings? 10

* What are the regular medications you used? Vetoryl

* Are there other treatments in addition to medications? We are still new to this so no

* How did you monitor how your dog reacted to treatment? I stared at him a lot, and we are doing acth stim tests

* Did your dog develop other complications? (Ours developed pancreatisis, as well as being blind and deaf and having weak back legs.) Weak back legs sometimes

* What are the ups and downs of Cushings? Too new to say, it is expensive but he is worth every penny

* Any final advice to/thoughts for owners of dogs with Cushings? Get a vet that is knowledgeable and that you trust. I'm blessed to have a vet that will talk to me for 30 minutes and address all my concerns, and he is also concerned about the costs for us!

[Haleth]

* Why did you first get your dog tested for Cushings?

June 2015, when an IM specialist spotted Haleth's adrenal glands were enlarged during a routine re-check (Haleth had liver cancer in 2014 and has a gall bladder mucocele so she needs to be monitored). He ordered an LDDS test.

* At what age was your dog diagnosed with Cushings?

14. This just happened last month after a few LDDS tests.

* What are the regular medications you used?

She was put on Trilostane 50mg, but that was too much for her system. We have just begun seeing how 30mg will do.


* Are there other treatments in addition to medications?

I have not heard of any that are effective in the long-term or verified by quality research.

* How did you monitor how your dog reacted to treatment?

By using ATCH tests. I also keep an eye on her day-to-day health.

* Did your dog develop other complications? (Ours developed pancreatisis, as well as being blind and deaf and having weak back legs.)

I'm a bit confused by this question, as it's not clear whether you want other conditions she has irrespective of whether they are related to Cushing's.

* What are the ups and downs of Cushings?

Well, I assume the ups will come when the medication starts showing a positive effect. The downs are the symptoms like PD/PU, weakness in the back legs, and the many skin infections she's had. Her reaction to 50mg Trilostane, increased lethargy and loss of appetite were additional downs.

* Any final advice to/thoughts for owners of dogs with Cushings?

I feel like I'm just a beginner, so I'll just say that educating yourself about the diagnosis and treatment process is crucial.

[Allison]

Sorry for my silence! I had a nightmare going on at work, where I wasn't sure if I would even have a job. That's all over now, and I still have my job, and I'm starting to read everyone's responses!

Is everyone okay with my quoting them? Also, does anyone have any photos you'd like to share? You can email me at ahunter_nf@yahoo.com

I'll be writing the article this week, with plans to post next week. Your stories are so very much appreciated!

[molly muffin]

So glad to hear the work situation is cleared up satisfactorily.

[Allison]

Hey everyone!

I ended up posting two articles about Canine Cushing's Disease. Hopefully, ones will like them. I know that in doing this research, I learned more about Cushing's than I had.

https://lincolnanimalambassadors.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/guest-post-canine-cushings-disease/

https://lincolnanimalambassadors.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/life-with-canine-cushings-disease/

I also posted one, which included some of our dog Gizmo's story:
https://lincolnanimalambassadors.wordpress.com/2016/03/14/ode-to-old-dogs/

If anyone else wants photos included, I'd be happy to add them. Just tell me where to find ones or PM to get my email address. Thanks again to everyone who answered my questions!

Allison