Medication stopped working after 3.5 years?

[JessMiller]

Hi! I have a 14yo border collie who was diagnosed with cushings approx 3.5 years ago. She is about 35lbs and we started her on 5mg of vetoryl. After many ACTH Stim tests, we landed on 60mg. She’s been on that for 3 years and we still shake our heads in disbelief. She has been so happy and healthy, it’s like nothing was ever wrong. She was soooo sick while figuring out what was the issue, our vet talked to us about euthanasia. I’m so thankful for the years vetoryl has given us- I was pregnant with my first baby when she got sick and I love that she has been such a big part of his life.

I’m writing today to ask if anyone has experienced prolonged use of the vetoryl and whether or not their dog possibly got used to it or needed an adjusted dose? Barkly started having the same symptoms as before...constant pacing (especially at night), frantic, drinking TONS of water, inhaling her food and flipping food bowls over to get our attention to feed her, she started eating her own poop, has to be let out every couple of hours to urinate, and the newest symptom as of today- pooping all over the house 😟 it wasn’t runny or anything to indicate an upset stomach. the back door was open and she still went inside which she NEVER does.

I read through a few posts here and I read people often do the acth test to ensure proper dosage...our vet hasn’t had us do that. Would you recommend that? Has anyone else experienced this 3.5 years in? Should we be looking at a different drug?

Sorry this is so long - thanks in advance for your help!

[LauraA]

My girl was on the meds over 6 1/2 years and we had quite a few increases and decreases over the years :) The manufacture of the drug recommend testing every 3 months to check the cortisol level because of this. When was the last time you had an ACTH Stim test done? Do you know what the post number was from the last test? If you haven't had an ACTH done in the last 3 months then I would certainly schedule one as soon as possible with your vet. It does sound like a dosing adjustment is needed :)

[labblab]

I want to welcome you here, too! I’m so glad that Laura has had the chance to reply, because she’s exactly right. Really, the most important thing I can do is just to “second” what she’s already written. Dosage changes over time are common, and that’s why periodic monitoring of cortisol levels — and also blood chemistries — are so important. At any time that a dog being treated with Vetoryl appears to be unwell, an ACTH test is crucial.

Please do feel free to ask us any more questions that you may have about this, OK? I’m really glad you’ve found us and we want to help you and your dog in any way we can.

Marianne

[Jacksmythe]

If you are not monitoring the Vetoryl quarterly or at least every six months, you need to do so. Also, no matter what your test results show, you should ask your vet if she would recommend twice daily dosing (of course, this doubles your monthly Vetoryl cost). If she has not heard of that, then ask her if she could check with a vet school or specialist for their recommendation. Finally, many of the symptoms seem to be consistent with cognitive decline given her age, so that is something you should ask the vet about.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi,

How is Barkley doing?