JulieDavis
09-24-2018, 08:27 PM
Hi everyone,
I'm new to this group. My dog Bowie was diagnosed with Cushing's last Wednesday but there seems to be more to the story. My primary vet has advised we hold off on traditional medicines for now and I was interested in find out more on holistic protocols for Cushings. I'm also interested to know about treatment options for hind-leg stiffening/lameness (although we're not entirely sure that Cushing's is the culprit). Any insight in general would be appreciated as there seems to be a lot going on with my poor boy. Any advice from personal experience (especially regarding holistic care) would be amazing. I will be making a consult with a Holistic clinic next week.
From what I've read so far in this group I understand that it helps to share as much info as possible, so here goes. Test results at bottom.
Basics on Bowie
10 years old (approx....rescue dog)
17 lbs
Rat Terrier Mix
A little about our story:
The entire time we've had Bowie up until a year ago he refused to drink water from a bowl. We'd always have to mix it in with his food to get him to drink enough. We also fed him a home-cooked diet (organic oats/chicken base....Dr Pitcairn's recipe from the Guide to Natural Pet Health). He was on this diet for 8 years and always had rockstar bloodwork.
Early Summer 2017
We noticed our dog started getting tired during walks. He was always super active and could go with us for a few miles. Where we live it gets super hot during the summer so we kept it to evening walks but he'd end up out of breath and panting heavily. We stopped his long walks but even on short ones he'd take a while to recover afterwards (excessive panting). We chalked it up to old age. He also became thirsty as well and started to drink from a bowl. His nose looked dry and he was shedding more.
Late August 2017
While we were out at work (we believe) he jumped off the couch onto the coffee table and fell off (there were papers everywhere that were on the table before we left). When my husband came home he was limping (back left leg). We took him to our vet and while he noticed inflammation he didn't see anything broken or torn on the xray and prescribed Carprofen/Rimadyl for 14 days (rechecked after 7). I live in the US near the tropics and the week we were supposed to return for a checkup was when Hurricane Irma was coming so there was a lot of chaos in preparation and power outages after it passed. Long story short, he went back to the vet about 10 days later. Not seeing a difference and not knowing the cause he was sent to an orthopedic specialist who didn't know and referred us to a Neurologist. The neurologist believed it to be both orthopedic and neurological and prescribed Gabapentin. He was also put back on Rimadyl for the pain. After he finished his course of Gabapentin and still hadn't improved they recommended an MRI but suggested we see a second orthopedic specialist first in case something else was the cause.
Mid October
The second orthopedic diagnosed the ankle as having a torn ligament and put a cast on him (8 weeks) and kept him on Rimadyl. During this time Bowie presented with diarrhea which lasted for months. We did the bland diet and made changes and our vet prescribed Metronidazole. Liver or pancreas problems were suspected but the vet advised diet changes first.
November 2017
He was still having dietary issues so we were advised to change to Prescription Diet i/d canned food and white rice.
December 2017
The cast was on for about 2 months and once removed he was walking better but very stiff. He remained on the inflammatory until January. During this whole time he still had an increased amount of thirst/panting but we thought it might be the drugs. After the cast was removed the specialist recommend he stay on anti-inflammatories until January (2018) as well as the Metronidazole (was still having diarrhea). Early January we stopped the NSAID.
February 2018
It was time for his annual. We had a senior profile. It showed his ALK (SGPT and Alk Phostaphase) were elevated/out of range as well as his magnesium. I expressed concern to my vet about Cushings due to his behaviour (excessive thirst/panting/hair lost/dry skin/dry nose). We were also concerned about there being something internal/gastro as well...liver disease/pancreas problems as his diarrhea was still present. My vet said he did not have Cushing's. Possibly there could be liver disease, but most likely it's that he's just getting old (based on the bloodwork). We were referred to an Internal medicine specialist
March 2018
The specialist thought it might be a developed allergy. We were told to switch his food to a different protein carb source and were recommended tilapia/sweet potato. He did ok on this but still had soft stools. We also began him on Denamarin (liver support) a vitamin supplement, and a probiotic/d
April 2018
With all symptoms still present our vet advised we switch to Ultamino kibble (highly digestible) and continue the metronidazole.
June 2018
Bowie went to stay with my Dad for the evening and he accidentally gave him Parkinson's medication mistaking it for his Denamarin (it was a giant misunderstanding and a very expensive ER visit). They treated him and he was thankfully fine. We were scheduled to have more bloodwork done 2 weeks after this episode but it's hard to trust the results as his liver was still processing things from the ER incident. His ALT/Phostaphase were still elevated. His WBC was under as was his absolute lymphocytes. His Neutrophils were elevated and there was trace protein in his urine. At this time he had great stools for a few weeks so I gradually decreased the metronidazole (without vet's permission)
August 2018
His stools remained solid so we kept him off the Metronidazole. Over the summer I gave Bowie massages on his left leg and did some pool therapy. I went out of town for a week and upon return I noticed he had lost some range of motion with his right leg now as well which made us rethink what inititally caused all of this. I wasn't aware of this but the neurologist originally believed he might have damage to his spine based on the way he was carrying his legs.
Early September 2018
I ordered more bloodwork and the results returned with his ALT SGPT, ALK Phostaphase, and GGTP even more elevated. His ALT SGOT was also elevated, and his Cholesterol had jumped out of range as well. Out of his CBC his monocytes were elevated. We received the results the following week. The vet finally agreed that it may be Cushing's and recommended a low dose Dex test.
September 18th, 2018
Bowie went in for his Dex Suppression test. Based on the results my vet confirmed it was Cushing's. He recommended an Ultrasound to diagnose the type of Cushing's.
September 24th, 2018
He had his ultrasound today. I'm still waiting on the official report but my vet followed up and said the ultrasound showed enlarged adrenal glands (equally enlarged/ and no tumours present), a tumour on his liver (based on size/shape he believes it to be benign), and thickening of the bile in his gall bladder. I might be quoting that last one wrong. He also said, based off the ultrasound he is diagnosing the Cushing's as Pituitary based.
He recommended we continue Denamarin, and he has prescribed Ursodiol for the gall bladder, and hold off on treating the Cushing's with any drugs for now. I spoke to him about the dex test returning a false positive, but he said it wasn't likely due to his enlarged adrenal glands. Since this whole adventure started we have discontinued his use of Heartworm Preventative/Flea medicines as he's mainly indoors and never had problems)
Below are his test results. Only including things outside of range. Please let me know if other numbers are needed
Feb 2018 Blood work
ALT (SGPT) 147 (Range 12-118)
Alk PHostaphase 254 (Range 5-131)
GGTP 23 (Range 1-12)
Magnesium 2.7 (Range 1.5-2.5)
Urinalysis: Specific Gravity 1.004 (Range 1.015-1.05)
Sept 2018 Blood work
AST (SGOT) 79 (Range: 15-66)
ALT (SGPT) 208 (Range 5-131)
GGTP 43 (Range 1-12
Cholesterol 529 (Range 92-324)
Dex Suppression test
Cortisol Sample 1 2.5 (1 - 5 ug/dL)
Cortisol Sample 2 Dex 1.7 (0 - 1.4 ug/dL)
Cortisol Sample 3 Dex 2.7 (0 - 1.4 ug/dL)
Please let me know if I can provide other information, and thank you for any help or support.
I'm new to this group. My dog Bowie was diagnosed with Cushing's last Wednesday but there seems to be more to the story. My primary vet has advised we hold off on traditional medicines for now and I was interested in find out more on holistic protocols for Cushings. I'm also interested to know about treatment options for hind-leg stiffening/lameness (although we're not entirely sure that Cushing's is the culprit). Any insight in general would be appreciated as there seems to be a lot going on with my poor boy. Any advice from personal experience (especially regarding holistic care) would be amazing. I will be making a consult with a Holistic clinic next week.
From what I've read so far in this group I understand that it helps to share as much info as possible, so here goes. Test results at bottom.
Basics on Bowie
10 years old (approx....rescue dog)
17 lbs
Rat Terrier Mix
A little about our story:
The entire time we've had Bowie up until a year ago he refused to drink water from a bowl. We'd always have to mix it in with his food to get him to drink enough. We also fed him a home-cooked diet (organic oats/chicken base....Dr Pitcairn's recipe from the Guide to Natural Pet Health). He was on this diet for 8 years and always had rockstar bloodwork.
Early Summer 2017
We noticed our dog started getting tired during walks. He was always super active and could go with us for a few miles. Where we live it gets super hot during the summer so we kept it to evening walks but he'd end up out of breath and panting heavily. We stopped his long walks but even on short ones he'd take a while to recover afterwards (excessive panting). We chalked it up to old age. He also became thirsty as well and started to drink from a bowl. His nose looked dry and he was shedding more.
Late August 2017
While we were out at work (we believe) he jumped off the couch onto the coffee table and fell off (there were papers everywhere that were on the table before we left). When my husband came home he was limping (back left leg). We took him to our vet and while he noticed inflammation he didn't see anything broken or torn on the xray and prescribed Carprofen/Rimadyl for 14 days (rechecked after 7). I live in the US near the tropics and the week we were supposed to return for a checkup was when Hurricane Irma was coming so there was a lot of chaos in preparation and power outages after it passed. Long story short, he went back to the vet about 10 days later. Not seeing a difference and not knowing the cause he was sent to an orthopedic specialist who didn't know and referred us to a Neurologist. The neurologist believed it to be both orthopedic and neurological and prescribed Gabapentin. He was also put back on Rimadyl for the pain. After he finished his course of Gabapentin and still hadn't improved they recommended an MRI but suggested we see a second orthopedic specialist first in case something else was the cause.
Mid October
The second orthopedic diagnosed the ankle as having a torn ligament and put a cast on him (8 weeks) and kept him on Rimadyl. During this time Bowie presented with diarrhea which lasted for months. We did the bland diet and made changes and our vet prescribed Metronidazole. Liver or pancreas problems were suspected but the vet advised diet changes first.
November 2017
He was still having dietary issues so we were advised to change to Prescription Diet i/d canned food and white rice.
December 2017
The cast was on for about 2 months and once removed he was walking better but very stiff. He remained on the inflammatory until January. During this whole time he still had an increased amount of thirst/panting but we thought it might be the drugs. After the cast was removed the specialist recommend he stay on anti-inflammatories until January (2018) as well as the Metronidazole (was still having diarrhea). Early January we stopped the NSAID.
February 2018
It was time for his annual. We had a senior profile. It showed his ALK (SGPT and Alk Phostaphase) were elevated/out of range as well as his magnesium. I expressed concern to my vet about Cushings due to his behaviour (excessive thirst/panting/hair lost/dry skin/dry nose). We were also concerned about there being something internal/gastro as well...liver disease/pancreas problems as his diarrhea was still present. My vet said he did not have Cushing's. Possibly there could be liver disease, but most likely it's that he's just getting old (based on the bloodwork). We were referred to an Internal medicine specialist
March 2018
The specialist thought it might be a developed allergy. We were told to switch his food to a different protein carb source and were recommended tilapia/sweet potato. He did ok on this but still had soft stools. We also began him on Denamarin (liver support) a vitamin supplement, and a probiotic/d
April 2018
With all symptoms still present our vet advised we switch to Ultamino kibble (highly digestible) and continue the metronidazole.
June 2018
Bowie went to stay with my Dad for the evening and he accidentally gave him Parkinson's medication mistaking it for his Denamarin (it was a giant misunderstanding and a very expensive ER visit). They treated him and he was thankfully fine. We were scheduled to have more bloodwork done 2 weeks after this episode but it's hard to trust the results as his liver was still processing things from the ER incident. His ALT/Phostaphase were still elevated. His WBC was under as was his absolute lymphocytes. His Neutrophils were elevated and there was trace protein in his urine. At this time he had great stools for a few weeks so I gradually decreased the metronidazole (without vet's permission)
August 2018
His stools remained solid so we kept him off the Metronidazole. Over the summer I gave Bowie massages on his left leg and did some pool therapy. I went out of town for a week and upon return I noticed he had lost some range of motion with his right leg now as well which made us rethink what inititally caused all of this. I wasn't aware of this but the neurologist originally believed he might have damage to his spine based on the way he was carrying his legs.
Early September 2018
I ordered more bloodwork and the results returned with his ALT SGPT, ALK Phostaphase, and GGTP even more elevated. His ALT SGOT was also elevated, and his Cholesterol had jumped out of range as well. Out of his CBC his monocytes were elevated. We received the results the following week. The vet finally agreed that it may be Cushing's and recommended a low dose Dex test.
September 18th, 2018
Bowie went in for his Dex Suppression test. Based on the results my vet confirmed it was Cushing's. He recommended an Ultrasound to diagnose the type of Cushing's.
September 24th, 2018
He had his ultrasound today. I'm still waiting on the official report but my vet followed up and said the ultrasound showed enlarged adrenal glands (equally enlarged/ and no tumours present), a tumour on his liver (based on size/shape he believes it to be benign), and thickening of the bile in his gall bladder. I might be quoting that last one wrong. He also said, based off the ultrasound he is diagnosing the Cushing's as Pituitary based.
He recommended we continue Denamarin, and he has prescribed Ursodiol for the gall bladder, and hold off on treating the Cushing's with any drugs for now. I spoke to him about the dex test returning a false positive, but he said it wasn't likely due to his enlarged adrenal glands. Since this whole adventure started we have discontinued his use of Heartworm Preventative/Flea medicines as he's mainly indoors and never had problems)
Below are his test results. Only including things outside of range. Please let me know if other numbers are needed
Feb 2018 Blood work
ALT (SGPT) 147 (Range 12-118)
Alk PHostaphase 254 (Range 5-131)
GGTP 23 (Range 1-12)
Magnesium 2.7 (Range 1.5-2.5)
Urinalysis: Specific Gravity 1.004 (Range 1.015-1.05)
Sept 2018 Blood work
AST (SGOT) 79 (Range: 15-66)
ALT (SGPT) 208 (Range 5-131)
GGTP 43 (Range 1-12
Cholesterol 529 (Range 92-324)
Dex Suppression test
Cortisol Sample 1 2.5 (1 - 5 ug/dL)
Cortisol Sample 2 Dex 1.7 (0 - 1.4 ug/dL)
Cortisol Sample 3 Dex 2.7 (0 - 1.4 ug/dL)
Please let me know if I can provide other information, and thank you for any help or support.