Going through the process

[Ljclarke]

Hi,

I’m brand new to the world of cushings. My Westie Winston (who is disabled but living a full and happy life) started to get a swollen tummy. I took him to the vet several times who kept saying it was gas. All physical exams were good, no enlarged liver etc, no skin problems, no excessive drinking, panting, and so on. He has urine tests once a year and just had one which shows kidneys working just fine and he has absolutely no other symptoms. And although Winston is very gassy, always has been, you know your dog don’t you so I pushed for the urine test. Sure enough this week it came back showing probable cushings. I don’t really understand the results she said the ratio should be 25 but he was 36. Does this mean he’s only slightly out of the acceptable ratio? She literally just grabbed me between consults when I was calling to order some meds so I was caught off guard and didn’t get a chance to ask questions. I’m trying not to get too cross about her previous dismissal of my cushings suspicions. He’s having the ACTH test this Friday and I’m scared to death. One of the problems we may have is because he takes several other meds for his disability problem there may be an issue with the meds for cushings. I wondered if anyone else had only experienced just the pot belly? I’m hoping this means we’ve caught it early. I’m floundering a bit because all I’ve ever heard about cushings is that it’s bad news.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi and welcome to you and Winston! :)

First, Cushing's is not a death sentence for the vast majority of cush pups. In fact, with proper treatment and keen observation most live out their normal lifespan and beyond (due to the excellent care of parents like you ;) ). But it's hard to find anything on the web that says that, huh? I know. When I first heard that word, Cushing's, I started searching on the web for endless hours and everything I found said it was hopeless. After joining several other groups that left me in worse shape that when I got there, I found this group. By then I was a total basket case I assure you! :D But these kind folk took my hand and, once I could breath and speak coherently again, they began to teach me what I needed to know in order to give my Squirt the best life possible. She lived to be 16 and a few months, about 7 years after her diagnosis, passing from age related issues, not Cushing's. You are in the right place, the best place. Take a deep breath and know you are among family here. We will help you every way possible, even if that is simply to listen.

The urine test was probably the UC:CR. An abnormal result CAN mean Cushing's BUT it can also mean many other things. It simply means something is out of whack and further testing is needed. So we don't know yet that he has Cushing's based on this test. The ACTH is a good one to start with; the other tests available are the LDDS, HDDS (tho this one is seldom used these days), and an abdominal ultrasound. The ultrasound is one I would want for sure if the ACTH comes back high. One thing to understand right off the bat - there is no one test that can diagnose Cushing's and the signs are just as important as the numbers. So keep that in mind as the testing starts - other than a pot belly he has no signs of Cushing's.

Would you mind listing the meds he is taking? If any of them contain steroids, it/they could be causing the pot belly and could cause other signs in time...and also skew any of the Cushing's tests.

It would help us a great deal if you will get copies of all the testing done on Winston and post the abnormal results here. That way we can offer more meaningful feedback. None of us are vets but we have been reading lab results related to Cushing's for decades+ and can help you understand a little bit of what they could mean. Even the report from tests like the ultrasound are helpful.

I'm glad you found us and look forward to learning more as time passes.
Hugs,
Leslie

PS Check out our Helpful Resource section! http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?10-Helpful-Resources-for-Owners-of-Cushing-s-Dogs

[Ljclarke]

Hi Leslie, I’m Louise. Thank you for replying so quickly. I already feel a bit calmer just from your message �� you’re right everything on the web is scary and I’ve spent hours this last two days scouring it which is how I ended up finding this forum - thank goodness I did. I will get a copy of his test results. I’ll just give you a bit of Winston background to help explain his current meds. He had a cyst on his spinal cord, successfully removed but 3 years later problems came back because scar tissue had adhered to the cord. It was released but significant damage was done and I was advised he’d be paralysed within the year and euthanasia would probably be easier. That was 6 years ago. With an excellent Physio and research done by myself we’ve kept him mobile for 4 years and happy and healthy but he is on a lot of meds to help...
keppra to help with nerve damage
Gabapentin to help with nerve pain
Loxicom for joints
Diazepam to help with front end muscle relaxing at night (his front end does a lot of hard work)
Tramadol which I’m about to start weening him off
Urilin to help tighten his nerve damaged bladder
Amantadine syrup which helps everything else work at capacity. I’ve also got him on CBD oil.
He’s never been on steroids.

As you can see he contends with a lot as it is.

Again thank you for replying.

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I think due to the different drugs that he is taking that having your vet contact Dechra the maker of vetroyl and going over each drug for possible interaction risks would be advisable and is what I'd do in this situation. We know Gabapentin and tramadol is okay with vetroyl as several dogs on on those along with vetroyl. I think keppra would be okay as it is rather like phenobarbatrol used for seizures.

Still those are quite a few and I think Dechra is your best option.

What a great little guy.