Hello and thank you for allowing us to join

[Rockylabrottymix]

My name is Ali and my big guy's name is Rocky ... he is a 7 year old lab rotty mix. We moved from New Jersey to Florida just last November 2015. My husband and I both worked from home allowing us to spend tons of time with our pups... we also have 2 puggles 1 female Tinkerbell 7 yrs old and 1 male Jordan 9 yrs old.
Rocky has always been an active dog but recently noticed his peeing behavior especially now that we both work out of the house and are not home... we were coming home to puddles all over the house. We at first thought it was the fact he was bored or rebelling from us being gone most of the day. We took him to the vet and coming to find out Dr. diagnosed him with Cushings Disease. :(

He was prescribed Vetoryl 60 mg. He has been on Vetoryl now for 1 month exactly today and in all honesty have not seen too much improvement. Rocky does get spurs of energy on occasions... but hes still drinking a lot... and having accidents in the house. He has also developed head tremors and uncontrollable muscle spasms. Vet said didnt think this was a side effect to meds or a symptom from his disease.
I did some research on the Medication and found that the side effects are Reduced appetite, Vomiting, Diarrhea or loose stool, Lethargy/dullness, Weakness. He was already showing all these signs before the meds because of the disease. he has lost 7 lbs within the last 2 months ... his coat is dried and flaky, has no energy.

I found a natural remedy called Adrenal Harmony Gold for Dog Cushings on http://www.petwellbeing.com/c/dog-products/condition/cushings-disease so i purchased a bottle. Now I am second guessing weather I am doing the wrong thing for him in not renewing his medication prescribed by his vet. He wants him on it for at least another month before he does another test... which he has had twice already.

Please help us!!!

[DoxieMama]

Hi Ali. Welcome to you and Rocky. Love your profile picture.. is that him? :)

Do you happen to have copies of any of the tests done on Rocky, both to diagnose Cushing's and to monitor treatment? We like to see the results of those tests, as the admins and other more experienced people can use the information from them to provide you with the best suggestions. For the blood tests, you only need to post those results that are indicated as out of range, as well as the ranges listed by the lab.

If Rocky is still displaying symptoms of Cushing's after a month of Vetoryl, he may need a higher dose than 60 mg. It's not unusual to have to raise the dosage for a bit, until you find just the right amount.

I hope your vet informed you about monitoring via ACTH tests. It's really important that be done, along with blood tests at regular intervals to make sure the medication is not causing harm by lowering his cortisol TOO much, or getting anything else out of whack. The tests are the only way to know for sure. I know it's expensive, but it really is that important. (I think I've spent more on my dog in the past few months than in the previous 12 years... but I'm not adding it up. I don't want to know. ;))

I'm sure others will be along to welcome you soon.

Shana

[judymaggie]

Hi and welcome to you and Rocky! With regard to the use of Adrenal Harmony, here are comments offered to another member by one of our administrators, Lori about Cushex and Adrenal Harmony drops:


Regarding the Cushex, unfortunately I have seen no truly effective alternatives to Rx medication when the goal is to lower cortisol levels significantly enough to eliminate/control the internal and external symptoms and damage caused by the disease. Cushex and Adrenal Harmony Gold have no controlled clinical testing whatsoever to back up their claims (we know this because we have contacted the manufacturers and we have been told that no testing has been done). However, we have had some members who told us that the drops worked very well in controlling symptoms but only for a short time period.

In addition to the frequent peeing/accidents in the house, what symptoms led you and/or your vet to suspect Cushing's? How much does Rocky weigh? Also, you mentioned that your vet has done a test twice already. What test was that? The ACTH? As Shana has said, the results are important to assess if cortisol is too low but they are also critical in determining whether a dose needs to be increased. If Rocky weighs more than 60 lbs., he may well need to be on a higher dose in order to control his symptoms. Please provide us with the results of any tests used to diagnose Cushing's as well as any follow-up tests. The ACTH would have two numbers, a "pre" and a "post". The LDDS would have three numbers.

Sorry for all the questions and requests for info but the more information we have, the better we can all help guide you. Looking forward to learning more about Rocky!

[Aunt Jana]

Hi:

I'm new here, been on this site about a month or two; my dog has had Cushing's for 8 months now and we've tried Veteroyl, Trilostane and the Adrenal Harmony drops. Some people say the Adrenal Harmony drops work but we didn't see it. My dog experienced the same side effects that your dog is experiencing on the Vetoryl -- probably too high of a dose but like I said I don't have any experience here except being a dog mom.

Best of luck to you and Rocky

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Are you giving the trilostane with a meal? It needs food for proper absorption. ACTH test should then be done 4-6 hours after having trilostane with a meal.
You are looking for a post ACTH result of 1.5 - 5 ug. Up to 9. Ug if symptoms are controlled. Your starting dose should be 1 mg/1lb.

There is nothing I can add about adrenal harmony gold beyond what Judy mentioned.

Was thyroid, kidney, diabetes issues all ruled out? What other values where out of range on testing to diagnose!?

I know it is a lot of questions. This is to help us give you better feedback.