Spring Shedding in July/August

[Karin]

My dog Jezebelle's coat usually blows out in the spring. This year, she didn't start shedding until mid-July, and I am still plucking tufts of fur from her coat and grooming daily.

I have had two horses with equine Cushings and one of the classic symptoms of the disease in horses is delayed shedding, or no shedding at all. That is what happened with my horses. I tested them when shedding issues arose and bingo, both had Cushings. In horses it's a simple blood test for ACTH, no stimulation.

My vet is chalking up the delayed shedding to the dog getting older (she's a 12 year old mixed breed, guessing some golden retriever). We ran blood tests and nothing came back abnormal except kidney function decreasing, which I can see that being a function of age.

In 2016, when Jezebelle was having problems drinking water (she had swallowed a stylus) and was dehydrated, the vet ran a blood panel on her. That came back as maybe Addison's. But after hydrating the dog and re-doing the test, the values came back normal.

She may be panting more than my other dog, and her back looks a little swayed to me.

Should I be concerned that she may have canine Cushings despite the blood tests not showing anything to indicate that? Again, my main concern stems from the delayed shedding.

Thank you for whatever insights you can provide.

Karin

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Karin,

Welcome to you and Jezebelle! The most common symptoms of Cushing's in a dog are increased drinking/urination, ravenous appetite, intolerance to exercise, seeking cool places, reluctance to jump up on furniture or go up steps, hair and skin thinning, and pot-bellied appearance. Does Jezebelle have any of those symptoms? Cush dogs normally have elevations in the ALP, cholesterol, glucose, and triglycerides. Are any of those levels high with your girl?

If the shedding is the only issue that is leaning you towards a Cushing's diagnosis than I would say that it is highly unlikely that Jezebelle has it.

I'm sorry this is so short as I'm on my way out but I wanted to say "hi" and add a few comments, I'll try to get back later on. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask them, and know we are here to help in any way we can. :)

Lori

[Karin]

Lori,

Thank you for your response, especially since you were on your way out the door!

I think Jezebelle has a slight pot belly, and her hair is definitely thinner now after shedding for a month but she still loves to walk even in the heat and humidity. The values you mentioned were all in the normal range. She does love to eat but I can't say she's more ravenous than before. She inhales her food and to my chagrin scoops up any poop she may find along our walks. She urinates a lot but again I wasn't observant enough before to say that she urinates more. We did go through a month of her waking me up every hour throughout the night to go out. I ultimately opted to close my bedroom door and as far as I know there wasn't any urination in the house as a result. My bedroom door is open again and Jezebelle wakes me up only at 6:30 a.m. to go out.

Sounds like Cushings in dogs and horses present differently when it comes to shedding. Horses tho also have the pot belly, increased thirst and urination, and lethargy symptoms with Cushings.

I think the shedding issue means something ,just don't know what. If you have any other comments please add when you have time. Thanks again!

Karin & Jezebelle

[Harley PoMMom]

Was an urinalysis done? Also, was a thyroid issue ruled out?

[Karin]

There was no urinalysis suggested by the vet, and I did not request one. What would such a test possibly point to besides infection? What would I request be analyzed from the sample?

According to the vet, the blood panel did not indicate a thyroid issue. I can request a copy of the test results so I could be more specific. Might take a day or two for the office staff to find the time to send the copy. Should I post results when received, or just certain values?

Karin & Jezebelle

[Harley PoMMom]

Dog's with Cushing's have a low urine specific gravity (USG) and the urinalysis will show what the USG is. Also, an urinalysis may reveal stones, casts, protein-loss, bilirubin...although even if any of those are found I'm not sure if that would help in figuring out the delayed shedding.

As for the test results, if you would post those values that are abnormal with the reference ranges and units of measurement that would be great!

Lori

[Karin]

Having trouble attaching the May test results. The FAQ said to hit the Post Reply button and I would see below the text box a button labeled Manage Attachments.

But this is what I saw instead:

Posting Permissions
You may post new threads
You may post replies
You may not post attachments
You may edit your posts

Are there just a few of the many results you wish that I could type in manually, or can you offer guidance on how posting attachments?

Thanks as always!

Karin

[labblab]

Hi Karin! Unfortunately, for site security reasons, members are not able to upload attachments unless they are in photo form. However, the only test results we need to see are any that are abnormally high or low. So you can just type them in the body of a reply, along with the normal reference range.

Marianne

[Karin]

Here are the values that may be iffy:

May 2018
BUN/UREA, 23 mg/dL 7-27

Chloride 120 mmol/L 109-122
CREA 1.7 mg/dL .5-1.8
GGT 0 U/L 0-11
TBIL .1 mg/dL 0.0-.9
SDMA 15 ug/dL H 0-14 (kidney function, apparently a better indicator than CREA according to printout)

TT4: 1.5 ug/dL

Diagnostic interpretation for TT4,1.0 Low is 1.0-2.0; low normal is 1.0-4.0; Normal >4.0


When the vet presented the lab results to me she said everything was fine but that Jezebelle was showing signs of kidney disease. She wasn't concerned at all that in May Jezebelle hadn't begun spring shedding. When I emailed the vet in mid-July to say that Jezebelle had started shedding, she said it may be a function of age.

Jezebelle also has a bony spine, no fat or muscle for cushioning. Vet said the dog's weight was fine.

Any thoughts? Dog seem okay from what those values show?

Karin & Jezebelle

[labblab]

Hi again, Karin. In terms of the coat issues, I would think that more comprehensive testing of Jezebelle’s thyroid function might be helpful. According to the range that you’ve listed, her TT4 level is near the bottom of the low normal range, and skin and coat issues are definitely associated with hypothyroidism. I don’t have an explanation for the delayed shedding, but abnormal continued hair loss could be caused by low thyroid levels. Here’s a list of possible symptoms caused by hypothyroidism:


Lethargy
Generalized weakness
Inactivity
Mental dullness
Unexplained weight gain
Hair loss (alopecia)
Excessive hair shedding
Poor hair growth
Dry or lusterless haircoat
Excessive scaling
Recurring skin infections
Intolerance to cold
Tilting of head to one side (uncommon)
Seizures (uncommon)
Infertility (uncommon)

Here’s a thyroid-related testing guide published by IDEXX labs:

https://idexxcom-live-b02da1e51e754c9cb292133b-9c56c33.aldryn-media.com/filer_public/cc/6d/cc6d655f-5792-4c3b-96e1-ce89c4a9a435/catalyst-one-total-t4-testing-guide-en.pdf

You’ll see the following comment included in that guide: “In dogs with low or low normal T4 results and with consistent clinical signs, consider one or more of the following to aid in confirming hypothyroidism...”

Cushing’s is a disease that can result in lowered thyroid levels as a secondary result, but given the absence of other Cushing’s symptoms in Jezebelle, I’d wonder whether she may suffer from primary hypothyroidism. Per the listed recommendations of IDEXX, I’d think it might easily be worth it to pursue an additional specialized thyroid blood panel just to thoroughly evaluate the status of Jezebelle’s thyroid function.

Marianne

[Karin]

Marianne,

Jezebelle tilts her head to one side but I was told that was because she has had two incidents of vestibular disease (I refer to it as vertigo). She might be dull mentally. For instance last night, she did something that she hadn't done in a few months. She woke me at midnight to say she needed to go out. I let her out into the yard and watched as she urinated. We did this three times during the night. The third time she went out, looked around as though confused, saw me on the deck and ran back in without urinating. I am not sure she knows what she's doing.

Thank you very much for taking the time and sharing your expertise. I always do wonder if something is going wrong if values come back in low or high normal!

Karin & Jezebelle