Shannon and RJ - I may have two Bostons w/ Cushing's

[Shannon]

Hi. I'm so glad to find this blog. I currently have a permanent 16 year old Boston Terrier Foster. RJ is the sweetest guy but he has Cushings. His rear legs have always been wobbly but now he can no longer jump on his own on the sofa. And, when he is on non rug floors, well, all 4 legs are sprawled. But, he's still a happy camper. He also wears diapers. Im up at least twice a night letting him outside.

I also have my dog Shannon, a 12 year old Boston that will be tested for Cushings next week. Im next to positive that is the outcome. Meanwhile, she is almost constantly whining or barking, sitting in the kitchen wanting any food she can get. When outside, she goes for flowers! And of course, drinking a lot of water and peeing. She is obsessed!

Me.......I am exhausted. I know I am in this for the long haul, however, I now know why people give their pets up......because of the cost of care, and effect on their own health and heartache.

The cost of medication is outrageous. The Rescue pays for RJ's meds but I will be responsible for Shannon's. My vet tells me that going the "holistic" way of treatment, has proven to be successful with some dogs. I may try that first.

Any thoughts on that from you?

[labblab]

Hello and welcome to you all! I have only a moment to type right now, but wanted to let you know that I've moved your post in order to create a thread that is your very own. This way, it will be easier for our members to reply to you directly. I will come back later on to add my own thoughts, but this way we'll at least get you started so that others can greet you as well.

Once again, I'm so glad you've found us.
Marianne

[labblab]

OK, I'm back again. :)

You know, it may turn out that we'll actually want to set up separate threads for Shannon and RJ in order to keep all their info and experiences clear in our own minds. But for the moment, here are a few questions that will apply to both. Are you able to get copies of all the test records associated with RJ's diagnosis and subsequent treatment monitoring? The fact that he is still exhibiting uncontrolled symptoms makes me wonder whether his dosage needs to be altered. Can you tell us what med he is taking, what dose he is taking, and how recently his cortisol level was evaluated via an ACTH stimulation test? Theoretically, that periodic monitoring is supposed to be done every three months, along with a check of basic blood chemistries. I realize that finances for testing may be tight for a rescue group, but since RJ remains symptomatic, those blood levels are a major concern to me. Of course, at his age, there may be other issues at play, as well. But evaluating the appropriateness of his dosage would be the first step.

With all that in mind, I encourage you to start keeping a file for Shannon that includes all her actual test results, as well. Do you know which test will be done next week? Has she had any other recent blood work or urine analysis performed, and if so, any abnormal values? There are certain lab abnormalities that are very common among Cushpups, so that's why we are always interested in any numbers that are out of range.

As far as holistic treatment, we'd need to know exactly what your vet is suggesting before commenting further. We have had some folks here who have reported seeing limited temporary improvement with certain supplements. However, in terms of longterm disease management and symptom control, we simply have not witnessed significant cortisol reductions in the absence of prescription meds. I wish it was otherwise, but there you have it. It is true that the meds are expensive. But if the cost of using brandname drugs (Vetoryl or Lysodren) is prohibitive, compounded versions are available at a much lower cost (trilostane or mitotane). We can talk about that later.

So first things first ;). Let's find out what we can about the testing and treatment specifics. And once again, welcome to you all!

Marianne

[Shannon]

Marianne, Thanks for replying . It took some time for me to find and understand "sorta of" how to reply.

Shannon is going in today to have the Dexamethasonhe Suppress (3 Sam)(275) test. I am very reluctant to have this done, BUT I am not sleeping because of her crying, barking a good part of the night , has promoted me to continue. I trust my vet, however, they are trying to make a living . So, anyhow here goes. I looked at the Blood Superchem result done on Shannon 10 days ago. The elevated levels are....

ALT (SGPT) 129 IU/L
Alk Phosphatase 305 IU/l
GGTP 14 IU/L

BUN/Creatinine Ratio 28

Wish I could say that I understand the results.

Thank You

[judymaggie]

Hi and welcome to you, Shannon and BJ! Marianne has covered the important areas to get you started. With regard to the superchem results you posted, can you look at the results and post the range for each result? You can edit your previous post and put the range after each result or post them in a separate post and we can edit it for you. The ranges will let us know how high above the norm each result is. Each lab has different ranges so it is important to know what is on Shannon's results. Going by the ranges on my dog's labs, the numbers are very slightly elevated. We have often seen Alk Phosphatase results in the thousands for Cushing's dogs. Has Shannon had a urinalysis recently? If so, is there any protein in her urine? Also, what is the specific gravity (again, post with the range)?

Looking forward to learning more about Shannon and BJ!

[molly muffin]

hello and welcome from me too. ALKP is often elevated with cushings and sometimes ALT will creep up to. ALT and GGT are very liver specific, and the liver is often affected with cushings. The symptons certainly do sound like that might be the culprit. That ravenous hunger and the needing to drink, then go potty so much because they are drinking to stay hydrated. It's a viscous circle for sure.

Trilostane is much cheaper than vetroyl, and a compounding pharmacy can do that for you with the vets prescription. There are several good ones online that many members use.

First lets see what todays test shows.