Thoughts, please?!?!

[Misse281]

Our 10 year old female pit bull has been showing some odd behaviors. We believe it started in May when we found that she had been peeing in the house. She was treated at that time for a UTI. Everything seemed normal after that until a few weeks ago. It started with a decrease in appetite, lethargic (would sleep all day), would drink a lot more water than normal. We took her to the Vet this past Wednesday where they observed her, did x-rays and did blood work. The x-rays showed arthritis in her lower back. An ultrasound was performed, which showed which showed a mass near her bladder. They will be doing exploratory surgery to determine what this mass is and if it can be safely removed. Other than that her blood work was mostly normal except for the following...
Alk Phosphates 359
Glucose 37
Sodium 155
Cholesterol 372
PrecisionPSL 168
Platelet Count 485
The Vet said these could be markers pointing to Cushings. He had her Cortisol level checked, which was within the normal range. He gave us Duramax for her arthritis pain, she took a half a pill on Thursday evening. We brought her back home on Thursday evening when she had what we believed to be a seizure. After the actual seizure she was walking around aimlessly, running into walls, heavily panting/drooling and looked completely out of it. We were able to settle her down and Friday morning she seemed better but still not herself. We took her back to the Vet where they observed her for a full day and gave her fluids. We brought her back home last evening. Thankfully, she didn't have any signs of seizure. Where we stand with her today...is still eating very little, pacing around the house in what could be described as "loops", and just kind of mentally out of it. I wouldn't say she doesn't know where she is or is unaware...she's just not herself, mentally. Does anyone have any insight? Could this be Cushings? Does the story/symptoms/test results add up to what anyone else has experienced?

[Squirt's Mom]

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Leslie

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and your sweet girl!

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He gave us Duramax for her arthritis pain, she took a half a pill on Thursday evening. We brought her back home on Thursday evening when she had what we believed to be a seizure.

Sorry your precious girl is going through so much right now. :( Although increased drinking/urination are symptoms we typically see with Cushing's seizures are not.

Did you mean Deramaxx instead of Duramax? If so, I did a quick search on Deramaxx and did find that seizures and loss of appetite are listed as a common side effect. I would definitely mention to the vet about the Deramaxx being the possible culprit of the seizures.

I'll try to get back later on but until then, hopefully, the others will be by soon.

Hugs, Lori

[Carole Alexander]

Hi & welcome,
I'm sorry as it sounds as if you are having a real struggle with your girl. I don't think you have enough info yet to even try to figure out a diagnosis. You said that the vet checked hoer cortisol; how did he check it and what was the number? Seizures generally are not symptomatic of a growing pituitary tumor unless the tumor is very large. However, seizures can be due to many other conditions especially related to brain functioning. Her other symptoms do seem neurological but there is no way to know for certain. Perhaps she is not eating because of pain; pacing could be anxiety or pain as well. While some of her symptoms are typical of dogs with macro tumors, there is no basis to jump to that conclusion. I am sure that you will learn more after the exploratory surgery on the mass near her bladder. Please post more information as the vet continues to try to figure out a diagnosis. The folks here are extremely knowledgeable and I know they will be helpful. In the meantime, hang in and maybe try soothing your pup with massage or a mild tranquilizer from your vet or a holistic food store. Best to you.

[Misse281]

Yes, I did mean Deramaxx. She has had a loss of appetite for about a week or so, before the Deramaxx. But the seizure came on a few hours after taking it. We did not give her one last night and she didn't have any seizures. I am hesitant to give her anymore, especially after researching the info you shared. She had ACL surgery back in September and was on Deramaxx after that with no issues. Not sure of what changed? This is all so scary and frustrating.

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome from me too. Tramadol might work for pain relief.

I think until you know what this mass is, it is way too early to consider cushings. We had a dog with a spleen mass that was removed and cushing symptoms went away. I'm not sure that your girl is actually displaying cushing symptoms though and the labs don't really support it at this time, so i'd put that on the back burner for the moment. Concentrate on the mass, get a different pain reliever just in case. Even if she was fine before, something might have changed enough in her that it isn't the best option currently for her.