7.5 yr Dobie recent Cushings dx

[sharig]

Have recent dx of cushings on my Maci girl. She is 7.5 yr old Dobie. I've worked with rescue dogs and dobies for over 10 years and truly have never heard of a case of cushings in a Dobie. She has been shedding a lot this summer, but considering it was 100+ degrees this summer, I really never thought anything of it. She's always been an anxious girl and terribly frightened of storms. Honestly, she hasn't responded to anything to help with the storms.

Last week we noticed she seemed rather boney, and belly distended. After several days of blood work, we have a positive dx. I know the first test was positive and then vet did an all day test one in the am, then gave her something, then tested at 4 hours, and then again at 8 hours. We live in a small town so all blood work was being taken to the state lab.

We had to overnight Trilostain in... Vet has her on 1ml (liquid) once a day of 150 mg. Maci hasn't really pooped in last 3 days and I'm starting to worry. She didn't really want to eat her kibble so we have been cooking chicken breasts for her. Her drinking has subsided substantially but she is still drinking and eating. I'm just worried that she is not having any bowel movements. Has anyone ever had any experience with this.

Honestly any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm learning so much and can get overwhelming. I just want Maci to feel better and be able to get comfortable. She will stand for as long as she can because laying down she is very uncomfortable and can only lay like a frog.

Thanks,
Shari

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Shari,

Welcome to you and Maci! It would help us a great deal if you could share more information about your girl, in this way we can provide you with our best possible feedback and we get this information through a ton of questions so here goes some of mine. :eek::) Could you get copies of all tests that were done on Maci and post those values that are abnormal. With respect to the blood chemistry and complete blood count (CBC), you need only post the highs and lows and please include the normal reference ranges. Looks like a LDDS (low dose dexamethasone suppression) test was performed, which includes 3 blood draws and is an all day test, could you post those results for us and also the results from the other diagnostic test that was performed on Maci? Does your girl have any underlying illness that she is taking medication for? And if so, what is it and what is the medication? Is she taking any supplements or herbs? Was she diagnosed with pituitary or adrenal Cushing's? How much does Maci weigh?

The 150 mg is a hefty dose, the recommended starting dose for Trilostane is 1 mg per pound of a dog's weight, so if Maci does not weigh 150 lbs I am quite concerned that her Trilostane dose is too high which will make her cortisol plummet. Signs of cortisol dropping too low are; lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting, inappetence, or Maci just not acting her usual self. How long has she been taking the 150 mg dose? Since Maci has lost her appetite for her usual kibble, this may mean her cortisol is too low and the Trilostane should be withheld and the vet should be notified.

Regarding her bowel movements, is she eating enough to eliminate? If she is than adding plain pumpkin (not the pumpkin for pies) may help her with the constipation, I would start off with a teaspoon of it and if nothing happens you can give her more.

My boy Harley was very fearful of any loud noises and thunderstorms were the worse. I found that melatonin really helped him and those Tstorms never bothered him again. I was giving him 3 mg twice a day and he weighed around 22 lbs. If this is an option you want to try, you want to purchase the plain melatonin not the fast acting or rapid releasing kind.

We have a wealth of information regarding Cushing's; the medications used, and treatment protocols, which can be found in our Resource thread and it also includes articles written by some of the most renown veterinarians that specialize in endocrinology such as David Bruyette, Mark Peterson, and Edward Feldman. So please utilize it to educate yourself and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask them. We all eventually figured out that safe and effective treatment is much easier facilitated if the vet is experienced and the pet owner is educated. Here's a link to our Resource thread: Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10)

I am sorry for the reasons that brought you here but so glad you found us and we will help in any way we can.

Hugs, Lori

[sharig]

Okay, so it was the low dex test that was done...her initial test the vet says was off the charts registering at 18; when apparently it should be no higher than 6. I can't remember what the middle test was; but the final 8 hour test was 1.8.

Maci is a 75 lb dobergirl. It appears my vet has dosed her with 2mg per pound. I have gradually reduced the dosage over the weekend to 1 mg per pound; I talked to my vet throughout the weekend and she said that would be fine, long as I did a little every night.

Also, she still has not had a bowel movement; and yes she is eating enough to have one. I am terribly concerned about her bloating at this point. We have an appt. tomorrow for her palpitation, to see if we can stimulate her to go the bathroom. She is drinking some, and is on 200 mg of Colace twice a day, and some gas-x to eliminate any chance of gas. She has only started these gastric issues since she has been on the Trilostane last Thursday, the 1st of Sept.

She hasn't had any of the typical side effects I'm seeing as described on the drug's website. She definitely doesn't have the loose stools, or vomiting. She has been acting weird though. She has been very clingy, (I know dobie's are typical Velcro dogs;) however, this is above and beyond her usual behavior. Also, I'm completely at a loss as to why she is not wanting to eat her regular food. She is also laying funny, and will only lay literally like a frog. However, this has been going for about 10 days; considering her lower abdomen has been distended from the cushings.

I am truly at a loss as to what to do next. I'm up every night with her, walking her, trying to get her to use the bathroom. She isn't even trying...basically like she's not interested.

Thank you for any advice anyone can give me.

Shari

[Harley PoMMom]

It does not cause any harm to withhold the Vetoryl and it does not have to be done gradually. When a dog is being treated with Vetoryl and their cortisol drops too low the Vetoryl is stopped immediately, there is no tapering down the medicine, it is abruptly stopped until those adrenal glands start producing enough cortisol.

Since the Vetoryl has been the only thing that was added, If this were me, I would withhold the Vetoryl and see if this makes her feel better, it could just be that the dose is too high, ya just never know. :confused:;)

Hugs, Lori

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Shari and welcome to you and Maci! :)

You mention bloating and that is what came to my mind when you added the clingyness (no such word! :p ) to the distended belly. Have you seen any drooling or increased breath rate? I had a dog who bloated but thankfully did not twist. She stuck to us like glue, stopped eating, drooled and slobbered pretty badly, would try to poop but nothing came out, would vomit before she stopped eating, and had a hard belly....but we also found that she had gotten into the pantry and eaten most of a large bag of dog food. :rolleyes: :D

I agree with Lori and would stop the Trilo for now. Each pup is different and tho this is not a typical side effect seen with Trilo ya just never know. This is one of the good things about this drug - it can be stopped and started without losing ground. ;)

I think if possible I would have her looked at just to be sure bloat is not a possibility if that hasn't already been done recently. That is very scary and if the pup twists is life-threatening so it's worth considering.

Let us know how she is doing!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

PS...nice to see you and Maci here! :)

[sharig]

Thank you so much! She is still eating, however, only eating table food, which I'm trying to keep to just chicken breast. She is not drooling at all, and we've not had any vomiting; and she's not even hunching (if that's even a word) to go to the bathroom. Basically, like she doesn't even have any interest in it. My husband and I had been home with her from Friday until Monday...no interest in going out the dog door to the fenced yard out back; only wants to go outside with my husband or I. And minus the very few hours of sleep we have gotten, we've been with her all day, every day, just to monitor her bowels. Is it possible she went out in the middle of the night, yes...however, I have searched the yard and not seen any evidence of it. I'm just at a loss...heartbroken and very frustrated :(

Thank you all for your kind responses and your help.

[Harley PoMMom]

Will she eat pumpkin? Canned plain pumpkin, not the kind for pies, can help with constipation.

Hugs, Lori

[Scoovale]

Hello!
Well my Scooter had a but of trouble the first two days of Vetoryl too. He managed his stool but with difficulty. After that it normalized. In his case it is always a bit soft, because of the food he gets. He gets flaxseeds mince (I buy it at the organic shop), which we eat too with our breakfast. one kitchen spoon a day (half evening, half in the morning), that helps a lot with the stool and also contains minerals, vitamins, omega 3 and lignans. He also gets a pumpkin pill in the morning that is good against urinary pressure too, and pumpkin seeds as a snack. The seeds will help you in many ways and with you problem too but careful not to give too many or you get the too much... I give scooter Ten ca a day, he loves it. And we eat them too. They are incredibly healthy.
Vegetables are very important and allow a regular digestion and contain vitamins but they must be creamy or the dog will not profit of their properties. With scooter zucchini work well against these kind of problems (constipation)
. Pumpkin yes but careful with pumpkin from the can. Better fresh. In the oven for a while and it gets easy too cut off.There are many herbs which we use to cook that are very healthy for our dogs too and help for little things like these, strength their immunsystem, clean the blood, and many other things. I have learn a lot myself and it really makes the difference!

Good luck!
Valentina

[molly muffin]

I'm inclined to think that the 150ml is too high of a dosage. Has her levels been rechecked since starting? How long has she been on this dose?
Does she have any abdominal tenderness?

You mentioned giving it at night. Are you giving one dose a day or twice a day?
I ask because tests to check levels need to be done 4 - 6 hours after the dose is given with food. So for once a day the recomendation is usually to give in mornings so the retesting can be done within the time frame needed.