Burden is my 9 year old, EPI, German Shepherd

[karen Thompson]

Hello,
I am new to the group, my boy, Burden, was just diagnosed today after his ACTH test yesterday. I haven't seen the billing statement yet, but the vet told me it would be around $600+ and will need to be repeated every month. I have ordered Trilostane 120 ML capsules via valleyvet.com. Their price is $108.95 for a 30 day supply.

Burden is my 9 year old, EPI, German Shepherd best friendm weighs in at 125.
I have many questions, but will first spend some time looking through your posts and files. Thank you so much for allowing us to join

After extensive searching on Google, I found your site. I am eager to learn as much as I can to help my boy, Burden, an EPI German Shepherd, 9 years old, diagnosed this week. Trilostane has been ordered and will arrive next week. The regular vet that ordered the Dex test and ACTH test has not been available to provide levels, but the associate vet did say he is positive for Cushings. Are there any side effects I should look for when he starts the meds? Again, our vet will be gone until later in the week.
Thank you.

Karen & Burden

[mytil]

Hi Karen,
Welcome to you and your boy! I have taken the liberty of starting a new thread for you and Burden.
Feel free to post more here.
Terry

[DoxieMama]

Karen, welcome to you and Burden! There are definitely side effects to watch for while using Trilostane. These include lethargy, diarrhea, and lack of appetite. If you notice any of those (or anything else untoward) you'll want to stop the medication and have Burden tested to make sure his cortisol levels are not too low via an ACTH test, as well as verify his electrolyte levels are not "off". Be sure to give the medication with a full meal, at generally the same time every day such that it will be easy to schedule the recommended (and necessary) follow-up ACTH tests 4-6 hours after dosing.

I'm sure others will be by to welcome you and provide their own insight, and perhaps have other questions for you. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any more questions or concerns.

Shana

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Karen,

Welcome to you and Burden from me as well! I am sorry for the reasons that brought you here but so glad you found us.

If you could share some specifics about Burden's overall health history, his symptoms, and his actual test results, that would be great. With our new members we ask a lot of questions, this is not because we are nosy, instead, it allows us to provide you with our best possible feedback. So here are some questions that I have:

Could you get copies of all tests that were done on your boy and post any abnormalities that are listed? 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. We are very interested in all the tests that were performed that diagnosed his Cushing's, could you post those results for us? Besides the EPI, does Burden have any underlying illness that he is taking medication for? And if so, what is it and what is the medication? Is he taking any supplements or herbs? Is his urine diluted? Was he diagnosed with the adrenal or pituitary type of Cushing's?

I see that the vet is starting Burden on 120 mg Vetoryl capsules, right? And although that is an appropriate dose for his weight of 125 lbs, if this were me, I would feel more comfortable with a starting dose that is half that much which would be 60mg, especially since he has EPI.

We have a wealth of information regarding Cushing's; the medications used and the treatment protocols, which can be found in our Helpful 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 Helpful Resource thread: Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10)

Please know you are not alone of this journey as we are walking right beside you and will help in any way we can. ;)

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

I just want to say hello and welcome to the forum.
It would be very helpful if you can answer any of Lori's questions as that would help us give you better feed back.

Being able to have the ACTH is key in monitoring how the drug is dong in the treatment of cushings. Are they expecting to get the agent in to do the testing soon?

We're looking forward to hearing more about Burden.
Welcome again