Introducing myself and my Cushings Dog Behr

[Teresa Shelton]

well here goes<<< My Labadoodle Behr he is 10 years old and has never had any type of illness and always a happy and healthy dog. then Behr was diagnosed back Sept of 2015 with cushings:mad:i noticed he was urinating alot unable to hold his urine and up all night having to go out to pee several x's thru out the night,which was never the case with him and very sticky,drinking lots of water 1gal to 2 gal a day,hungry and eating larger amounts than usual, and very bloated.when i took him in to get checked out at the vet,they did all the following tests ACTH/Dex Suppression Combination,Dexameth,CBC/Chem Panel 17 Comprehensive and Urinalysis x3(I think thats it) i do have lab results,Behr was perscribed the folowing medications..Denosyl 425mg 1xday,Desmopressrin Acetate 0.2mg tabs 1xday and Vetoryl 120mg 1xday. (very exspensive meds!!!!)and was perscribed food Science DietCanine L/D which he refused to eat. all symtoms stopped with in a a 2 week period,Needless to say We were very pleased!!! his weight went down from 120pds to 80pds now he is at 62pds eats 2xday,I started making his own food which consist of chicken and fresh vegetables/fruits( i researched reciepts)and make his dog treats the same.So he seems to be doing well. Unfortnetly I have not been able to do the 3rd series of test do to the fact that its sooo exspensive I cant afford it,along with the meds, the vet continues to refill the meds. I take Behr to a low cost non for profit clinic in my area. A friend turned me on to your sight and thats where i started reading about Cushings and found out there are different kinds of Cushings which i did not know so i do not know what type he has? I need help finding out funding so I can get the test that Behr needs to continue his care!! any help on information would be greatly appriciated!!!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Behr!

So that we can provide you with our best possible feedback could you post the results of all tests that were performed on Behr. With respect to the CBC/Chem Panel 17 Comprehensive we need to see only those levels that are abnormal and please include the normal reporting units. We are especially interested in those test's that were done that diagnosed his Cushing's. I see that an urinalysis was done, could you post those findings too?

We sure do understand the cost that comes with this dreaded disease, you can save money on the Trilostane (which is the active ingredient in Vetoryl) by purchasing the compounded form, many of our members use Diamondback as their compounding pharmacy.

Two of our members, Patti and Leslie, in honor of the memory of their pups have started The Tipper and Squirt Care for Cushing's Fund, Inc. Their post:
It is with great pride, and not a few tears, that Patti and I announce the Tipper and Squirt Care for Cushing’s Fund, Inc. Even though we have had a semi-public presence since Nov. ’14, we wanted our first official announcement to be to you, our family at K9Cushing’s.

Since late Oct. 2014, Patti and I have been watering the seed of a dream – a dream to aid families struggling to meet their cush baby’s needs. We both know first-hand how desperate that struggle can be at times, what it means to choose between eating meat this month or paying for our baby’s meds, between our own medications or an ACTH. And we wanted to help where and when we could.

To this end, we have established the Tipper and Squirt Care for Cushing’s Fund, Inc. We were incorporated in the state of Ohio, USA in Dec., 2014 and received notification of our 501(c)(3) tax exempt status from the IRS March 6, 2015, with the effective date of Jan. 1, 2015.

Another cush mom, Vicki (beaglemom3), is using her incredible talents on our behalf and has developed our beautiful website which is nearing completion. When it is launched we will be ready to start taking applications – and again you will be the first to know and the first to see our dream in full bloom.

If you are on Facebook, come “like” our page and learn more!
https://www.facebook.com/tipperandsquirtcare

And a link to it on the forum: http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7036&page=3

One of the ways that helped me with the expense was applying for Care Credit. It's a revolving credit line that allows you to pay large bills same as cash for a year. This information and other financial resources can be found here: http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212

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

[judymaggie]

Welcome to you and Behr! Another option to buying Vetoryl from your vet is to purchase it from a pet pharmacy. I get it from California Pet Pharmacy. They get their Vetoryl directly from the manufacturer (Dechra) so they offer the same doses (5 mg., 10 mg., 30 mgs., etc.). I also use Diamondback for compounded trilostane--they are only allowed to sell dosages that Dechra does not manufacture. In my case I get 4.5 mg. trilostane capsules from them. Both options are significantly less expensive than anything I can get locally. They both require a prescription from your vet--hopefully, yours would be willing to help in this regard.

If I understand your info about Behr's weight loss, he has gone from 120 lbs. down to 62 lbs. With this significant weight loss, it may well be that Behr would do just as good on a lower dose of Vetoryl (which would save you some money). Unfortunately, the only way to know would be to do the ACTH test. Lori has given you great suggestions with regard to funding to help with the costs.

[DoxieMama]

Welcome to you both! It sounds like you have done a wonderful job taking care of Behr and his illness. I hope you can find the answers and help you need. Lori and Judy have already provided great ideas and asked the questions I also have. Looking forward to getting to know you both.

Shana

[Teresa Shelton]

Thank you for all of the info!!! I went back looked at all receipts that i have and the only test that have been done are CBC/chem panel 17 comprehensive,urinalysis mutistix dip,the ACTH/Dex suppression combination,and Cortrysin (if the last one listed is a test?) i didnt finish yesterday with the med info on Behr, a few months back the clinic informed me that they were no longer able to get from the manufacture the Denosyl,and told me to give him 200mg of Sam-e 1xd and 250mg of Milk Thistle 1xd for replacement of the Denosyl. So Ive been doing that,I really hate having to shove 5 pills down his throat everyday but he wont take them any other way,,, Ive tried!!! Some results that i do have are... his ALT was 413 GGT 16,Cholesterol 320,WBC 23.01,Reticulocyte 125.4,Neutrophil 20.18. Im overwhelmed!!!!!Behr also has developed hip displasa and is going blind:(to top it all off. Thank you ! i do more research over the weekend!!! Have A Great Weekend!!!

[judymaggie]

Hi! Another option instead of giving Sam-e and milk thistle separately is to give Behr S-Adenosyl. This is available from Amazon.

Thank you for giving us some of Behr's test results. Can you ask the clinic to give you copies of all of the test results? This will be the best way that you can provide us with info that will help us guide you. We only need you to give us the results that are marked H (high) or L (low) along with the range. For example: ALT 443 (H)(range 6-100). The date of the test is helpful as well. The ACTH test would have two numbers, a "pre" and a "post". FYI, the Cortroysn is the substance used in the ACTH test -- it is not a separate test.

[Teresa Shelton]

Thank You!