Newly diagnosed 6yr old SHih Tzu

[Lili’s Mom]

I am new here and making sure I know how to use these posts before I write a long note. Is anyone able to read this? I really appreciate everyone's patience. I am anxious to be able to share and give/get support.
thanks!
Lili's Mom

[labblab]

Yes indeed!!!! Your post has come through loud and clear, so go right ahead and start writing away ;-)))))))).

Marianne

[Lili’s Mom]

Thanks. I’ll try not to bother you too much!

[Lili’s Mom]

Hi! This is Lili’s Mom. She is a 6yr old sweet Shih Tzu just definitely diagnosed last Friday with Cushing’s disease, pituitary driven. We have been following an elevated Alkaline Phosphatase for over a yr now and just last week did the creatinine/cortisol urine ratio and then the LDDS test. Everything was wildly positive. She herself has had some positive signs such as a small pot belly, serious skin infections Three times that should have been easy to control, and a serious case of gum disease that took a few weeks to resolve. She however doesn’t seem to have any problems with fatigue, wt gain (she weighs 17 lbs, down from 19 two yrs ago), or loss of appetite.
We started her on 10mg Vetoryl today. First dose went well, but you can imagine we feel we are dealing with a time bomb.
I would appreciate any input as to what we might expect. Is there a chance she can live a normal life now that we have it Diagnosed? I understand there is no cure.
I am so appreciative of this group. I am sure I will have more questions soon. Thanks ahead of time!

[Harley PoMMom]

Thanks. I’ll try not to bother you too much!

Please do feel free to ask all the questions you want ;) we are here to help and support you in any way we can. Now, in order for us to provide you with our best possible feedback we need to know a bit more about your sweet girl. So, if you would get copies of all the tests that were done on Lili and post those results here that would be great. With respect to a CBC/chemistry blood panel you need only post those values that are abnormal and please include the normal reference ranges. We are especially interested in all tests that were done that diagnosed the Cushing's and would really like to see those results too. Increased drinking/urinating is found in a good majority of dogs with Cushing's, has this happened with Lili?

The 10 mg of Vetoryl is consistent with the recommended starting dose of 1 mg per pound of a dog's weight. The two important rules with Vetoryl is that it be given with a meal so that it is properly absorbed and those monitoring ACTH stimulation tests used to check cortisol levels should be performed 4-6 hours after the Vetory is administered. It is also recommended to have an ACTH stimulation test performed within 10-14 days after starting treatment, has this been scheduled?

With treatment dogs with Cushing's can have a good quality of life and there is every reason to believe that they can live out their normal life span. However for the treatment to work safely and successfully it requires an educated pet owner along with an experienced vet as adverse side effects are mostly seen when the proper protocols are not followed.

I am sorry for the circumstances that brought you here but I am glad you found us and we will walk this journey with you and Lili. I'm going to direct you to our Helpful Resource Forum where we have a wealth of information regarding Cushing's, the medications used and the treatment protocols. 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. An educated dog owner is a very important factor in treating this disease so please utilize it and if you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to ask them. ;)

Here's that link to our Helpful Resource Forum Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10)

Hugs, Lori