Gracie, 14 y/o mini-poodle - Dehydration with Cushing's?

[IsabelleGracie]

Hello, my 14 year old mini-poodle Gracie was tentatively diagnosed with Cushing's a couple of months ago. We haven't done the test yet because the vet is fairly certain that is the case and she is considerate of the costs involved with the test and also Gracie's age. My vet has suggested that most of her patients with Cushing's choose not to treat it because of the cost and also because it doesn't cure the disease but manages the symptoms. I feel Gracie is comfortable right now, we are managing the extra accidents in the house and I feel her quality of life is still very good. She is a happy little girl and is still full of playfulness and life. Right now, I am not treating her but that may change. I have her levels based on the last blood test and I will post them for any comments or information that you could pass on.
The current issue I have with her (over the last week) is that she is smacking her lips quite a bit. We had a Standard Poodle (we lost her in 2013) that also used to do that towards the end of her life because she had liver issues and was prone to dehydration - we would take her to the vet every week or two for an infusion of fluid to help her in her last months. I have been reading the comments in this forum and I haven't seen anything that indicates dehydration in a Cushing's dog.
Gracie has not been drinking as much as she was in the past and did lose a bit of weight when we were on vacation a few weeks ago (she wasn't with us) but her appetite is still really good. She just finished some antibiotics because she had an upper respiratory infection and I'm wondering if the antibiotics could be the culprit in the lip smacking?
The question I have is: Does dehydration occur in Cushing's dogs? From everything I have read, it doesn't appear to. Any comments or information would be appreciated!! Thank you so much :)

[labblab]

Hello, Isabelle, and welcome to you and little Gracie! You'll see I've taken the liberty of moving your post so as to create a thread that's your very own. This way, it'll be easier for our members to reply to you directly.

Given Gracie's age, I cannot disagree with a decision to leave Cushing's untreated in the event that she does not seem overtly uncomfortable or ill. As far as dehydration, we do warn members to not limit a Cushpup's access to water because otherwise, there is indeed a risk of dehydration occurring. For Cushing's dogs, excessive thirst is usually triggered, at least partially, by excessive urination, and not vice versa. So free access to available water is important at all times.

In Gracie's case, though, I'm wondering whether the lip-smacking may instead be a sign of nausea. I just lost a beloved non-Cushpup last summer who suffered from recurrent GI issues, and for her, vomiting episodes were often preceded by lip-smacking :o. I would think the antibiotic might indeed have caused some tummy upset for Gracie. If so, hopefully she'll soon straighten out again now that you're finished with the med.

Has Gracie had any general bloodwork or urine analysis done recently, however? At her age, underlying kidney or liver issues might also be at play in terms of abdominal/digestive discomfort. It might be a good idea to get some basic lab panels done, just to check the general status of her cell counts and blood chemistries.

Marianne

[IsabelleGracie]

Hello Marianne,
Thanks for your help with the forum. It wasn't clear to me where/how to post the question. Gracie has unlimited access to water at all times. I have heard that some people trying to control the urination by limiting by water but that never made sense to me. I never considered an upset tummy because her appetite and poop have been normal. Her last bloodwork was done in March and her liver levels were elevated off the chart, I'll post the results tomorrow.
I'll contact the vet on Monday to ask about the lip smacking. It is new behaviour and I'm concerned. I don't think she is drinking nearly as much as she was. She would head to the water bowl first thing in the morning and make several trips during the day and she isn't urinating as much either. It is hard to measure how much water she is drinking because we have two standard poodle puppies at home and they drink from her dish too.
If anyone observed similar behaviour with their dog, I would love to hear from them. I'm worried it is another issue related to Cushing's.

Thanks for your support. It is tough to figure it all out with a senior dog.

Isabelle

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome from me too.

Lip smacking isn't a cushings symptom that I have noticed or see on the forum, but I wonder if could be associated with as marianne mentioned the antibiotics or maybe the liver? Bile can cause a naseous feeling but it is strange if she has an upset tummy that she would still be eating well.

Yes senior dogs are quite difficult as you are trying to balance multiple things at the same time. Usually what we say with a senior dog is that it is all about the quality of life, and Gracie seems to have a very good quality of life going on. So that is really good.