Wrigley's mom
07-10-2018, 02:14 AM
Hello everyone, I’ve spent countless hours poring over this forum, reading all the heart-warming and heart-breaking posts, looking for hope for my pup. I finally thought I’d post my situation to get all your helpful feedback. It’s long, so thank you in advance for reading!
My Wrigley was diagnosed in January of this year with Cushing's Disease. He is a 10 year old male Yorkie with no past health issues. He has been on Trilostane (7.5mg) twice a day, as he weighs 15lbs. He is also taking some herbal supplements – just finished up Gracious Power and switching to Four Marvels (more on why later).
In Aug 2013, Wrigley was scheduled for his first professional dental cleaning, which required blood work and an exam to ensure he was fit for general anesthesia. His ALP value came back at 1108 (extremely elevated), but everything else was normal. We proceeded with the dental work, but pursued the investigation into his high ALP. His liver was fine, a urinalysis showed no Cushing’s at the time, his lab work was good, and he was clinically good. We also had an ultrasound done, and everything was normal. His vet recommended monitoring the ALP value and checking it every 6 months.
In Apr 2014, his ALP was 477 (significantly lower, but still on the higher end) with no modifications whatsoever to his lifestyle. In Oct 2014, his ALP was 900 (back up), but again no changes. We continued to check every 6 months, and his ALP consistently hovered at the elevated level (1100, 800, etc.), but he showed no signs or other reasons to be concerned. Fast forward to Jan 2018, and I noticed a few days that he drank a ton of water. This combined with the high ALP prompted my vet to run another test for Cushing’s, and it came back positive.
At the same time, she did a urinalysis and found Wrigley also has protein losing nephropathy (PLN). We did an ultrasound, which came back normal, so we started on Trilostane, and his follow-on ACTH stim test put his values all in the normal range. Other than the elevated ALP, those few days of high water intake, and the PLN, Wrigley has zero other signs of disease (normal appetite, normal water intake, no pot belly). We have not yet started treatment for the PLN, as I first wanted to see a holistic vet. He first put us on Gracious Power herbs, but I did not see any difference, although, without other symptoms, I wasn’t sure how to judge their effectiveness. For me, the real test would be his next blood panel/ACTH stim.
Two weeks ago, Wrigley had his first accident in the house. At first, it was just pee and every few days, but now, he has pooped three times in the house, and there are accidents daily. In addition, about a week ago, he fell off a bed while sleeping, which he has never done before. He appeared to be dreaming, letting out little yelps and “running” while lying on his side. So I am not sure if his dreaming caused his fall or what. (I asked the vet about a possible seizure, but she didn’t think so.) Since then, his right hind leg is weak. He walks crooked now (favoring his left hind leg), and he has trouble going up and down things, and he is pacing a lot. So was his leg always weak and the fall injured it more, or did the fall cause the weakness? The vet said his knees and back seem fine, but she senses perhaps some arthritis. She prescribed a light painkiller for 5 days to see if it was just some soreness, but we are on day 2, and if anything, the leg seems worse, and I still don’t understand the pacing.
We go back tomorrow for a follow-on ACTH stim, urinanlysis, and blood panel to see if that will tell us anything more. The holistic vet switched us to Four Marvels herbs based on the recent developments, which we start tomorrow. The regular vet wants to start us on Benazepril, I think, to treat the PLN, but it seems like a lot to me. The recent onset of the accidents and hind leg weakness came on so quickly, which seems strange to me. I thought Cushing’s was a slow developing disease, and he has been on the Trilostane for a few months now, so I don’t think it’s that. Part of me wonders if there is a neurological issue because he just doesn’t seem like himself on top of it all. He's only 10, and prior to all of this, he didn't seem old at all.
My Wrigley was diagnosed in January of this year with Cushing's Disease. He is a 10 year old male Yorkie with no past health issues. He has been on Trilostane (7.5mg) twice a day, as he weighs 15lbs. He is also taking some herbal supplements – just finished up Gracious Power and switching to Four Marvels (more on why later).
In Aug 2013, Wrigley was scheduled for his first professional dental cleaning, which required blood work and an exam to ensure he was fit for general anesthesia. His ALP value came back at 1108 (extremely elevated), but everything else was normal. We proceeded with the dental work, but pursued the investigation into his high ALP. His liver was fine, a urinalysis showed no Cushing’s at the time, his lab work was good, and he was clinically good. We also had an ultrasound done, and everything was normal. His vet recommended monitoring the ALP value and checking it every 6 months.
In Apr 2014, his ALP was 477 (significantly lower, but still on the higher end) with no modifications whatsoever to his lifestyle. In Oct 2014, his ALP was 900 (back up), but again no changes. We continued to check every 6 months, and his ALP consistently hovered at the elevated level (1100, 800, etc.), but he showed no signs or other reasons to be concerned. Fast forward to Jan 2018, and I noticed a few days that he drank a ton of water. This combined with the high ALP prompted my vet to run another test for Cushing’s, and it came back positive.
At the same time, she did a urinalysis and found Wrigley also has protein losing nephropathy (PLN). We did an ultrasound, which came back normal, so we started on Trilostane, and his follow-on ACTH stim test put his values all in the normal range. Other than the elevated ALP, those few days of high water intake, and the PLN, Wrigley has zero other signs of disease (normal appetite, normal water intake, no pot belly). We have not yet started treatment for the PLN, as I first wanted to see a holistic vet. He first put us on Gracious Power herbs, but I did not see any difference, although, without other symptoms, I wasn’t sure how to judge their effectiveness. For me, the real test would be his next blood panel/ACTH stim.
Two weeks ago, Wrigley had his first accident in the house. At first, it was just pee and every few days, but now, he has pooped three times in the house, and there are accidents daily. In addition, about a week ago, he fell off a bed while sleeping, which he has never done before. He appeared to be dreaming, letting out little yelps and “running” while lying on his side. So I am not sure if his dreaming caused his fall or what. (I asked the vet about a possible seizure, but she didn’t think so.) Since then, his right hind leg is weak. He walks crooked now (favoring his left hind leg), and he has trouble going up and down things, and he is pacing a lot. So was his leg always weak and the fall injured it more, or did the fall cause the weakness? The vet said his knees and back seem fine, but she senses perhaps some arthritis. She prescribed a light painkiller for 5 days to see if it was just some soreness, but we are on day 2, and if anything, the leg seems worse, and I still don’t understand the pacing.
We go back tomorrow for a follow-on ACTH stim, urinanlysis, and blood panel to see if that will tell us anything more. The holistic vet switched us to Four Marvels herbs based on the recent developments, which we start tomorrow. The regular vet wants to start us on Benazepril, I think, to treat the PLN, but it seems like a lot to me. The recent onset of the accidents and hind leg weakness came on so quickly, which seems strange to me. I thought Cushing’s was a slow developing disease, and he has been on the Trilostane for a few months now, so I don’t think it’s that. Part of me wonders if there is a neurological issue because he just doesn’t seem like himself on top of it all. He's only 10, and prior to all of this, he didn't seem old at all.