Ben - May have Cushings

[Jat]

A previous dog of mine had Cushing's Disease about 5 years ago. Now Ben, who's 8, has started drinking a lot of water, so I'm wondering if he has come down with Cushing's Disease too. He has a doctor's appointment on Monday.

Ben is part Wired Haired Terrier and part Schnauzer. Oh, and part torpedo. :-) To be around him, you'd think he was a puppy. He's very active and he loves playing ball. But I've noticed this increased thirst in him for at least 3 weeks. He's only gone to the bathroom on the floor once, and that was while we had company here over the holidays, so maybe he just got confused or something. Or maybe we are catching this sooner than we did with our previous dog. Or maybe he doesn't have Cushing's Disease at all!

He seems to go out a lot, but in addition, he is doing something that my previous dog did too after being diagnosed. He'll go to the door and ask to go out but then change his mind once I open the door. He's doing this several times a day. Maybe it's just the cold! However, I just reread a post I made about our previous dog, and I said the exact same thing about him asking to go out and then changing his mind over and over again. Could this be related to Cushing's?

Since it's been five years since we went through this with our other dog, I'm seeking info about what the current treatments are...and how much of them, per weight, my dog should be taking, so that when I take Ben to the vet on Monday, I'll go somewhat educated. With our previous dog, the vet rxed too much of the drug Trilostane, and our dog stopped eating. Luckily, I realized that was a side effect of the drug and took him off of it and then we restarted it at a much lower dosage.

[labblab]

Hello and welcome to you and Ben — we’re really glad you’ve joined us! It’s true that Cushing’s is often thought of as an older dog’s disease, but over our years here, we’ve seen many dogs who have been diagnosed during their middle years, and even a few rather young dogs. My own Cushpup, a Labrador retriever, was not officially diagnosed until he was eight. But in retrospect, I realize that he was beginning to exhibit symptoms 1-2 years before that time. I knew nothing about the disease, and the symptoms were vague enough that initially I didn’t even really think to report them to the vet. So from the standpoint of age, I do think it’s possible that Ben could have Cushing’s. But there are other possibilities as well, including something as simple as a urinary tract infection. That can definitely increase the level of thirst and the frequncy of urination. The discomfort from a UTI might be prompting Ben to go to the door even when he doesn’t actually have any urine to pass right at that moment. When my girl had a bad UTI, she would wander around the yard and squat repeatedly, even when she had no more pee left to pass. So that’s just a thought.

Anyway, we’ll be anxious to hear your report after Ben has seen the vet. In the meantime, here’s a link to an informational thread about trilostane on our “Resources” forum. I think you’ll find answers to several of your questions there, including current dosing recommendations (most clinicians agree that starting doses should not exceed 1 mg. per pound). Trilostane is the most widely prescribed medication worldwide. Here in the U.S., Lysodren (mitotane) is also used and preferred by some vets. There are some other experimental drugs being researched, and we are all holding our breath awaiting a grand breakthrough! We are grateful for both trilostane and Lysodren, but it will be wonderful if and when a new generation of treatment with even less side effects can be unveiled.

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?185-Trilostane-Vetoryl-Information-and-Resources

So take a look at that resource thread, and then get back to us with any more questions prior to your appointment, OK? Once again, welcome!

Marianne

[Jat]

Thank you, Marianne! That was very helpful! Hopefully it won't turn out to be something serious, but if it's Cushing's, now I'll know to request that his Trilostane be only 1 mg / pound....adding more gradually, if necessary. Thanks so much for the info!

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome from me too.
As you know it can be difficult to disgnose cushings and you will want to rule out things like UTI, glucose, kidney, thyroid of course first. Do let us know what the vet says. The door thing could be just a do i or do i not want to go out. Might be that feeling of having to go potty too and makes me wonder about a uti

[Squirt's Mom]

Just popping in to say HOWDY to you and Ben and give you a big ole welcome to our little family here at K9C! I'm really glad you found us and look forward to learning more as time passes.

Hugs,
Leslie

[Jat]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!

Our vet took some blood (as part of a senior wellness panel) and got a urine sample. She's going to call us tomorrow. If the blood indicates that it might be Cushings, she's going to run additional tests. She said his weight had stayed the same, and that dogs with kidney disease or diabetes usually lose weight...so she thinks it's not likely either of those, however the blood and urine will tell us more. Apparently I was mistaken about Ben's age. She says he's 8.5, not 6.5.

Janiece

[DoxieMama]

Hi Janiece and welcome to you and Ben. Do let us know when you find out about those results. I can't wait to learn more about your little torpedo. :)

Shana

[Jat]

Our vet called this evening. She said Ben's liver values were fine and that she doesn't think it's Cushings. She said his urine was dilute though and she thinks he has some kidney disease. She asked us to give him a senior diet, keep an eye on him to see if any new symptoms develop, and then bring him in for a followup appointment in a couple of months.

[Squirt's Mom]

That is good that his liver values are within normal range but you can't base a Cushing's diagnosis on liver values -either to confirm or rule out. ;) Diagnosing Cushing's involves both signs and test results - and those tests are as much to rule out other conditions as they are for diagnosing Cushing's. Fun, huh? :D If the only sign you are seeing is the change in urination AND the only abnormal result of all the testing was the dilute urine then I would be prone to agree with the vet BUT the most important question in my mind right now is was a SDMA performed. If not, have that done asap. It is a new test that can detect kidney problems LONG before what we have relied on in the past, ie the BUN and creatinine. By the time those values are showing kidney problems the kidneys have already lost 75% of their function and the SDMA catches it much, much sooner giving the pup a better chance for longer survival. Have you seen the actual results yourself to know what the BUN and creatinine are? If not, ask for a copy of all the test results so you can see and keep track of any changes over time. These can be invaluable not only to us parents but to any different vet he may need to see in the future.

Keep in touch and let us know how things are going!
Hugs,
Leslie

[Jat]

Thanks, Leslie! The only sign we are seeing is increased drinking and the only abnormal test was dilute urine. He's active. He's not going to the bathroom in the house. He doesn't appear to be losing muscle. He's not panting. If a friend were to stop by, she wouldn't think anything was the matter at all. Even his increased thirst is mild enough that it took my husband and I a couple of weeks to decide if we actually were seeing increased thirst in him.

I'll ask for a copy of his test results. I doubt that an SDMA was performed, but I'll ask. I'm busy researching what to do to help support his kidneys and overall health. I've learned that dry food isn't good for kidneys.