New to This - Need Advice

Hello

My dog was just diagnosed with this disease. He is getting an ultra sound today to determine how severe and I will know more about next steps later today.

What can I expect? How can I comfort my baby?
Nervous mom looking for advice.

thanks

Hi and welcome to you and Rocco! :)

First thing you need to do is take a deep breath, shake your shoulders out, roll your neck, and try to relax because you have found the very best place to learn how to help your sweet boy, to find support, and to be educated on canine Cushing's. You and Rocco are now part of our little family here and we will be with you every step of the way from now on. So breath, mom, breath...you and Rocco are no longer alone.

I am going to give you some homework...yay, huh? :D When you go back to the vet ask for copies of all the test results to date used to diagnose the Cushing's - you want the results NOT an invoice. ;) We will want to see the ACTH, LDDS, general health screen (things like BUN, CHOL, ALP, etc) and any comments from the ultrasound on the organs they see. On the health screen we only need to see the results that are abnormal - too high or too low. Be sure to post the little letters and normal ranges for each value. Normal ranges and units of measurement vary from lab to lab. ;) It will look something like this -

EXAMPLE
ALP 546 ug/dl 110-230

On the ACTH you will have 2 numbers if you are in the US, 3 if in Canada - we will want to see all those numbers. We will want to see all 3 numbers on the LDDS as well as any comments under that tell how to interpret. Most labs are uniform on this but not all so that info helps us help you.

Rocco may not have had all three tests but please share what he has had.

As for helping him...you have made the best step in coming here to learn. We are the biggest factor in helping our babies do well so getting educated on this disease and its treatment options are key. Don't make any changes in feed, routines, etc. for now unless absolutely necessary for other reasons.

Would mind telling us about your sweet boy? Any health issues, meds, supplements, or herbs he is using, all his past health history and anything else you think may be important. The more we know the better feedback we can give.

I'm glad you found us and know others will be along soon to chat. I manually approved this post so we can start talking to you but please check your email for a message from us you will need to reply to in order to complete your registration. An Admin may come along and get you set but just in case check your email.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Hello and welcome from me, too! I have just a moment to stop in right now, but wanted to tell you that your membership has now been officially approved. Also, you'll see I've moved your thread here, to our main discussion forum, so that folks will be more likely to see your post and have a chance to reply to you. ;)

Marianne

Hi and welcome to you and Rocco! Leslie's homework assignments cover all the essentials for us to get started in helping to guide you down the Cushing's path. We would also love to know more about Rocco such as breed, how long he has been part of your family, did you adopt him, etc. Please also let us know how much he weighs -- this will be important if you get to the point of giving Rocco Cushing's meds.

Also, what symptoms led you or your vet to consider testing for Cushing's?

We do have an excellent Resources section -- here is the link:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10

The best possible scenario for successful treatment of Cushing's is an educated owner and a vet who is knowledgeable of the current recommended diagnostic and treatment methods or is willing to learn about them. The communication between you and your vet is critical and the ideal situation is one where your vet will appreciate your questions and input.

Looking forward to learning all about Rocco!

Well gosh the girls got you off to a really good start, so I'll just say welcome to the forum. Don't want to overwhelm you more than you probably already are. :)