Think my pup has cushing's

[lobootomy]

Good morning all, looking for some input and support.
My pup is gsd who is a rescue of an unknown age, safe ti say he's fairly old. We think he's 10-11. We have had him for 4 years. He's a healthy and active dog who still gets walks 2-3 times a day. I've noticed the pot belly for a few months even though we have had him on a diet to help his joints and he's been weak in the back end for a while, although that's a common gsd thing. For the last 2 weeks he's had a lot of new issues. He suddenly is aprehensive of stairs, wont climb on the couch or bed both are low to the ground .He is always panting, he is drinking like crazy. He has had accidents in the house, first time ever and it's happend 4-5 times now, once while I was standing there. He's been very whiney and restless and at night wonders the house crying during the day he's better but not right. He is on rymadol and was on tramafol as well for his joint issues. Vet pulled the tramafol last week and put him on Prozac to see if his issues are anxiety induced due to aging/sundowner The Prozac knocks him out for about 3 hours but then he's back to wondering and crying. And lastly never noticed before but I spent and hour petting him yesterday and my hands were covered in dry dandruff like skin. Headed back to vet today, going to talk with him about cushing's, my vet is a awesome guy who isn't the run 100 tests just to drain your wallet kind, hope fully we can figure out what we need to do to give this old guy back some quality of life.

[DoxieMama]

Welcome to you and your pup! The symptoms you describe sound familiar, though Cushing's can be difficult to diagnose as those symptoms can also indicate other issues. Have you had any tests done yet? If not, the first one my vet did was called a UCC, a screening test of sorts. You are supposed to collect the first urine of the day, at home and not under stress. This test can tell you if they do NOT have Cushing's, though it doesn't show a definite yes. It's relatively inexpensive though.

If you have had any tests done, could you post the abnormal results of those, along with the ranges indicated?

Others will be along later today to provide more information, and probably more questions, too. ;)

Shana

[lobootomy]

We didn't do any tests last visit, today we ran the works, waiting on blood and urine results in the morning. 2 vet practice, we had the privilege of having them both today. Neither feels Cushings is what we are dealing with but they are testing just In case. Will have results tomorrow..

[DoxieMama]

Sounds good. Please let us know about those results (I'd recommend getting copies of the actual tests so you have them - always nice to have on hand).

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and your boy! I am sorry for the reasons that brought you here but sure glad you found us.

As Shana mentioned, getting copies of those tests and posting anything that is abnormal along with the reference ranges would be great. I take that diabetes and any thyroid issue is being checked as to rule them out because both of these diseases can cause a dog to drink/urinate more. An UTI can also cause increases in drinking and urinating has your boy been checked for an UTI?

Bless you for giving him a forever and loving home, he sure is a lucky boy to have you as his pet parent.

Hugs, Lori

[tank&kat]

I would be very interested in seeing the test results also. The symptoms you described are all classic signs of Cushing's. PU/PD (excessive urination/drinking) are the primary symptoms in a cushingoid dog but this can be a result of other illnesses as well. It is such a difficult disease to diagnose. Lori mentioned diabetes and thyroid issues should be ruled out and these are fairly simple blood tests. A full thyroid panel is the most accurate way to rule out hypothyroidism. Relying on T4 alone is the main reason so many dogs are misdiagnosed.

Thank you for playing a role in saving a dog's life. I will check back tomorrow and see if there is any news. Hoping for the best case scenario.

~Katherine

[lobootomy]

So the results are in and they show a almost perfectly health dog except. He has a high white blood count and crystals in his urine. They are leaning towards a uti, combined with his bad joints for his symptoms.
The vet said she really doesn't think it's cushings, but there were other tests we can do.
His cortisol was 1.78. Ug/dl. On a range of 1.0-5.10 thyroid t4 was 1.0 on a range of .8-4.9
Leukocyte s were 19 on a 6-13.5
E ythrocytes. 5.27 on a 5.5-8.5

Unfortunately he's deteriorating fast,not eating like him self, doesn't want to walk. A week ago he would jump on the counter and grab a carrot today he wouldn't eat steak or walk down stairs. I'm preparing for the worst at this point. It sucks making decisions like this, worst thing about a rescue. We were told he was 10 when we got him, that would make him 14 now, gsds don't live to 14.My buddies wife is a emergency vet in another state, very far from me. She's recommending X-rays before anything else.

[DoxieMama]

I'm sorry he's not doing well. Are they testing for a UTI, or are you going to have X-rays done?

Lots of hugs your way...
Shana

[Harley PoMMom]

An UTI can be quite painful and if those crystals are trying to pass, that really hurts too, so the lack of appetite could be due to pain, did the vet prescribe any pain meds? Also, is he on an antibiotic for the UTI? I believe once that UTI calms down your boy will be acting more like his ole-self. Having Xrays done would be my next step as they can pick up crystals/stones that are in the urine tract/bladder/kidney.

[molly muffin]

Yes I think a good antibiotic, a culture to find out what kind of infection he might have that is causing the white blood cell increase would be handy to have. He sounds perfectly healthy otherwise.
I know when my girl had crystals she wouldn't eat much either, it's painful to pass those and they can scratch the lining inside, so I wouldn't count him out yet.
If he is 14 and doing so well, then I think that is awesome and he obviously has a wonderful home environment that he thrives in. All good.

Lets see how he reacts to the medication and go from there. :)

[lobootomy]

See if i answer all the questions.
Yes he's on a antibiotic and the vet shot him with some penicillin to get it started. Also gave him a cortisteriod to get him moving today. We put him on dexamesolne to keep him eating. So he's off the rymadol and only on tramadol for pain, so they said being a 90 lb dog he can eat enough of that to keep his pain under control. The vet is really confident that he's gonna bounce back at least for a while. He's peeing tons tonight due to the steroid and he's been super active. Next step is x-rays if he starts sliding again. Thanks for the support guys I'll let you know

[DoxieMama]

Sounds like you've got a good plan in place! Please do keep us updated on how he's doing. Hopeful you'll get that infection taken care of and having your happy old guy back. :)

[lobootomy]

Lobo is doing well today, acting more like himself, eating, wanting to walk, no accidents, sleeping more less crying less wandering and seeming lost. Don't know if that's because the antibiotics are working or the steroids are pushing him. I'm still convinced he has cushings, he has a pot belly, that started a few months ago. He is panting alot, this has been worse for the last month. The peeing in the house and the increased drinking. And really the kicker for me is he has always had a beautiful healthy coat, like the kind that makes you want a jacket made of it. The last few weeks he had a smell, that was new the thing that really seals it is when I pet him for a while my hands get covered in this waxy greasy substance, I pet this dog ever day for years and that's never happened before ever. My Googling tells me it's call sebhorra. And common cause is cushings or thyroid issue. I guess I don't understand how his t4 shows good and his cortisol shows good but he could still have cushings... I'm thinking it may be an underlying issue to something else right now but if you check off 6 out of 7 symptoms of a diease you have to think...

[DoxieMama]

Glad he seems to be feeling better. As for the sebhorrea, it could be primary and inherited, or secondary to another illness as you mentioned. If it is secondary, I've read that it could be from allergies or parasites as well. So not necessarily Cushing's (though that is possible, too). Maybe once you have the UTI under control and he is off the antibiotics and steroids you can find out, though that probably means more testing.

[labblab]

Hello from me, and I sure hope Lobo is continuing to do better. I really don't know whether or not he might have Cushing's, but I do want to tell you that the disease cannot be ruled either in or out based on a resting cortisol alone. Resting (or baseline) cortisol levels can vary considerably for all dogs, even from hour to hour. In order to diagnose Cushing's based upon cortisol levels, you have to advance to one of the diagnostic blood tests -- either a full ACTH stimulation test or a Low Dose Dexamethasone Suppression test (LDDS). Or, as Shana has suggested, an alternative place to start is a urine test called a UC:CR.

Once again, I don't know whether Cushing's is present for Lobo, but the cortisol testing done thus far has not ruled it out with certainty.

Marianne