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Stories,Treatments, Articles, anything?

   
Tootsie - Forever In- My Heart

It's not easy- being cheesy!		 
 
Barked: Tue Apr 25, '06 5:46am PST 
I would love to hear everyone's stories and any information anyone may have to share. Please don't assume we already know all there is to know about this dreaded disease. I always am looking to learn more.
Thanks!
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Sara

Isn't it- dinnertime?!		 
 
Barked: Tue Apr 25, '06 7:07am PST 
I have now had two dogs in my life diagnosed with Cushing's. I was the one who asked my vet if Sara might possibly have it, since I recognized the behavioral symptoms, excessive eating, drinking and urination. Fortunately, Sara didn't have the physical symptoms, hair loss, pot belly, etc., so we hoped that it was still early days.

I also read as much as I could on Cushing's when my cocker was first diagnosed. I figured that I'd better educate myself, so I could make informed decisions, and my vet is really excellent in involving you in the process.

Because Cushing's is an older dog's disease, the dog is much more likely to eventually die of something else, hence the tough statistics cited in the Dog Health forum. My cocker, Sheena, developed cancer several months after being diagnosed with Cushing's.

The most likely med being given to treat Cushing's is Lysodren. Both of my vets recommended this for my cocker. But from what I'd read, it had been likened to chemo and, if not monitored carefully, and because it works directly on the adrenal gland, can cause the adrenal gland to shut down completely, resulting in Addison's Disease, the complete opposite of Cushing's, and much more serious and likely to be fatal.

What Cushing's (hyperadrenocorticism) is, is the excess production of cortisol by the adrenal glands. This results in a constant "flight or fight" kind of effect on the dog. There are also two types of Cushing's, pitituary dependent and adrenal dependent, though the result is the same. The vast majority of dogs (85-95%) are pitituary dependent. My cocker had an ultrasound to determine that this was what she had, while my vet said that Sara most likely had the same, based on her behavoral symptoms, and began treating her with medication immediately, though wanted to test her to be 100% sure, in the future.

Diagnosis is usually made by an ACTH stim test, which requires that the dog spend several hours at the vet. They first test the dog after a 10 hr. fast, then feed the dog and test again, and compare the results.

Pitituary dependent Cushing's is caused by a tiny growth in the brain, while adrenal dependent is caused by a growth in the adrenal gland itself. Adrenal dependent is much more serious, since those tumors can be malignant, and a delicate surgery is necessary to remove them. Pitituary dependent can be treated with medication.

The alternative to treating the dog with Lysodren is Anipryl, which is what I chose for my cocker. It works more slowly, but is much safer and easier on the dog. It's also the only drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of canine Cushing's. My vet told me that the only patients that he was treating with Anipryl were extremely elderly, and Lysodren could possibly kill them. I thought that this made my case for me. But my vet is flexible and respected my decision, so went along with what I wanted. So when Sara was diagnosed, he already knew what I wanted.

One supposed drawback to Anipryl is that it's much more expensive than Lysodren. However, with Anipryl, it's not necesary to do expensive tests to periodically measure its effect on the adrenal gland, so that Addison's doesn't result, and you can also avoid the trauma of having to leave your dog at the vet, yet again.

I share your worries, but feel calmer because this is at least something that I'm familiar with and my vet always has options and is both flexible and cutting edge. He also offers alternative treatments, herbs, supplements, acupuncture, etc. He prescribed an herb called True Yin for Sara, to "cool her down," as he put it, and restore her balance. And you always have the option of getting a second opinion.

Good luck with your vet visit and please let us know how it goes. I know how you feel, so I hoped that my sharing my experiences with this might give you some ideas about how you want to proceed with treating Tootsie.

Lisa and Sara smile
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Zedley

The Bolter		 
 
Barked: Wed Apr 26, '06 7:35pm PST 
My Coco had Cushing's disease and was initially treated with Lysodren. Anipryl is not shipped into Australia as the manufacturer has determined that it is not that successful, other than in the very early stages, and then the pooch needs to move onto either Lysodren or Trilostane. Lysodren is metabolised by the liver and Trilostane by the kidneys. Lysodren is a chemotherapy drug (used on humans). When given correctly it reducsed the amount of cortisol being pumped by the adrenal glands. In the event that a dog does become Addisionion, that situation may not be forever (can be a few months to a couple of years) and in any event is treated with a monthly shot of Percorten and cortisone tablets. Many folks think it is easier to treat an Addy dog rather than a Cushpup. My Coco lived to 15.5 and actually died from renal failure (he was a mini poodle).

This is a great link for information and support

http://caninecushings.net/
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Molly

Fence, what- fence?		 
 
Barked: Thu Apr 27, '06 10:13am PST 
My brother and I were abandoned at a vet clinic by our old owners and my forever mommy and daddy picked us up to give us our new family! When we got home, mommy noticed that I drank an awful lot of water all the time. I'm a little embarassed to admit, but it made me very difficult to housetrain, but mommy and daddy loved me anyway. I'm only 7 pounds, but I was drinking about 3 cups of water a day. Mommy took me to the doggie doctor thinking that I had a UTI and the doctor was pretty concerned. It took a couple of months of testing to find out that I actually have an atypical form of Cushings Disease. We found out in February, 2006. The really good news is that my doggie doctor knows some kind of expert in adrenal gland disease in small breed dogs and he is the one who ultimately helped with getting my diagnosis.

I'm actually on an 90 day trial for my medication right now. The expert said that melatonin at the right doses has been found to be about 50% effective for treating Cushings. We have completed the first 30 day water test and mommy is so excited because my water intake is already down about 50%. So I'm drinking a whole lot less. It is suppose to be a full 90 days before it is fully effective, but mommy is very hopeful that there is a natural remedy instead of some of the other medications.

I'm very excited to be here! I want to learn a lot more about the disease and meet lots of new people.

Yorkie kisses to everyone!
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Edina,- Princess of- Alfieshire

Be my- Beagletine		 
 
Barked: Fri Nov 10, '06 12:38pm PST 
Cushings disease, combined with HEAT can kill! It killed Edina. Cushings Disease makes dogs overheat even when it is cool. If it is HOT out, it can make dogs overheat to a level beyond belief. My town was extremely hot this summer, that's what killed precious Edina.
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In Memory of- APRIL

*Beloved*		 
 
Barked: Thu Jul 19, '07 9:07pm PST 
This is my story: I was adopted from a rescue center when I was about 8/ 9 years old. My exact age is not know because I was initially dumped at a kill pound, so there was not history on me. My rescue center had a vet remove most of my teeth because they were in such bad shape.

When my new mom adopted me in 2001, she took me straight to the vet for a check-up. I had a senior wellness profile done which included chemistries (including liver enzymes, BUN, creatinine, glucose), a CBC, urinalysis, and a heartworm test. All those tests were normal. Because I had a heart murmur, I had an ultrasound done on my heart. My heart was slightly enlarged, probably due to bacterial endocarditis from my neglected teeth. I was given heart medication to take for life.

Every year when I got my vaccinations, I got a senior wellness profile. They were always normal. In the summer of 1994, my hair started falling out on my belly, and it was red from inflammation. My mom took me to the vet and initially, I was thought to have allergies and was given prednisone. When that did not work, I went back to my vet. On further questioning, he found out that I had been drinking a lot of water, urinating a lot, and eating a lot. I was tested for diabetes and had a low dose dexamethisone test for Cushings. Both tests were negative. My vet was sure that I had Cushings, so I was retested and the results were still negative. He consulted a veterinary college. I was referred to a veterinary dermatologist and all the tests he did were negative. My veterinary dermatologist also thought that I also had Cushings. I was then referred to specialist in internal medicine. She thought I had Cushings, but all my tests were negative. Meanwhile, I started having seizures, more of my hair fell out and my skin became hyperpigmented. I had an abdominal ultrasound done that showed some abnormalities of the kidneys, but nothing around the adrenal gland. My vets were sure that I had Cushings, but were puzzled by the negative test results. My vets did not think that putting me on medications for Cushings would be in my best interest because of my heart problems.
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