New member. 2 Cushing doggies

[TexSandra]

Just joined today. I have 10 doggies in my house. They range in age 2 yrs to 11 yrs. 2 of them were diagnosed last week with Cushing. One is 9yrs (JR/cocker mix, Buffy) and the other 6 1/2 yrs (chi mix, Pippi). Trying to learn everything!

[Joan2517]

Hi and welcome! 10 dogs! Wow...I've got four and what a handful they are!

Could you post the blood work for Buffy and Pippi, with just the highs and lows and include reference ranges. Also any testing done to confirm Cushing's, please...that will be very helpful in helping you through this.

[TexSandra]

I'm so new at this that I must be in denial. I don't know that I trust the blood work. Then again each of them shows some signs. Buffy shows the pot belly, ravenous appetite and the high 586 alk test. Buffy is 6 1/2 yrs and has had seizures since she was 4 mo old. Pippi has the heavy panting, drinking a lot and ravenous appetite and high 516 alk. I'm not sure what lab test results I should post. I have not done any further testing like the ones talked about. As soon as I can get the funds together I will seek a second opinion before starting any of those.

[labblab]

Hello and welcome from me, too! Gosh, with ten furkids, your house must be a very full and happy home. Thanks for giving us those ALKP numbers. Those enzymes are indeed characteristically elevated in Cushpups, and actually they often can run even much higher than the levels given for your girls. Other lab abnormalities that we typically see with Cushing’s can include elevations in other liver enzymes (ALT and GGT) high cholesterol, elevated platelet counts, abnormal white cell counts, and very dilute urine with low specific gravity. So if you see any other abnormally high or low values on the blood or urine panels for your girls, you can list those abnormal values here for us to see.

You do tell us that both girls exhibit some of the classic outwardly observable symptoms of Cushing’s. Is this specifically why the initial bloodwork was done? Given the symptoms and the high ALKP, advancing to a blood test that is specific to Cushing’s does seem reasonable, especially if these symptoms are making your dogs uncomfortable. But sadly, launching into diagnostics and treatment for not one, but two, dogs can be an expensive undertaking. So I don’t disagree with your desire to seek out a second opinion. In this situation, you may well want to consult with an internal medicine specialist. This is a vet who has received additional training in complicated medical problems such as Cushing’s. Vets such as these can be found in private veterinary specialty practices and also at veterinary school outpatient clinics. If it would be helpful, we can give you some tips in that regard.

In the meantime, though, it’ll be great if you can give us any more specifics about your dogs’ test results so far. Once again, we’re very glad you’ve found us.

Marianne