Hi all,
I am new here and just wanted to introduce myself and my furbaby Roxy.
Roxy went blind from SARDS in August.2008.
There is some evidence of a connection between SARDS and Cushing's. In the Resources section you will find some info on that. Glynda has more to share on this connection, too, I'm sure. It is something she has done some research on in the past.
In March 2009 she started drinking alot and messing in the house, also losing weight (3 lbs. from January). She was diagnosed with diabetes on March 25, 2009 started Vetsulin.
We don't deal with diabetes at our house but several here do and I'm sure they will be along to share their experiences soon. Our sister site, K9diabetes.com is a great place to learn and find support for dealing with diabetes. The link to this site is: http://k9diabetes.com/forum. Another link for you about both conditions is:
Canine Hyperadrenocorticism, Diabetes Mellitus, or Both?
http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/Zwicker/
In April I had her tested for Cushings. The test was positive.
If you don't mind, it would really help if you could tell us what test(s) Roxy has had and the actual results along with the units of measurement (ug/dl, mnol/L, etc) and normal ranges. We aren't vets, but we have seen literally 100's if not 1000's of these results and we can help you understand what they mean for Roxy.
She was started on 30mg Trilostane once a day. On May 11, she was changed to Humilin N insulin. Her bg have been high..her lowest reading has been 362. Tuesday I took her back to the vet and requested another stim test for her.
Good girl!!
He wanted to up the Trilostane, which he admited to me he knows nothing about without doing another Stim test. He felt ithe stim was not necessary.
I take it from the info below that the Trilo was not increased at this time? What did he base the need for an increase on? Were her signs not controlled?
The vet also increased her insulin from 5u to 7u bid. This has helped bring her bg's to the 100 range.
I took Roxy to a different vet on Friday, I had a gut feeling and needed a second opinion.
Those gut feelings can be lifesavers! No one knows Roxy as well as you!
The new vet did a ACTH test on Roxy and her levels were not near where they should have been after 37 days on Trilostane.
Ok...so Roxy was on Trilo for 37 days as of 5/30/09, right? Then the same day she started 500mg/day of Lyso? Did she have both meds on the same day?
Sorry I forgot to ask for the results.
Many of us never thought to get copies prior to our babies being diagnosed with Cushing's. But there are several good reasons to keep a file at home... if you ever had to see a different vet, like on vacation, you will have all her info in hand. Some of us also keep a daily journal on our babies...food and water intake, pee and poop history, sleep patterns, moods, behaviors, etc. That way you don't have to try to remember when she pooped that strange purple stuff! 
A lot of vets find these diaries helpful, too.
Anyway it was either up the Trilostane from 30mg and have it compounded to the right dose ($$$) or switch Roxy to Lysodren and start loading her at 250mg twice a day and do another Acth test on Wednesday or Thursday.
~~ shiver~~
The new vet has NO experience with Trilostane, as did Roxy's normal vet. Didn't find this out till he admitted it to me on Tuesday.
So neither of these vets have experience with Trilo? Do they have any experience in treating Cushing's? A Cushing's savvy vet is a great thing to have, but more important is having a vet that will talk to you, listen to you, and work with you as a team. If this doc is willing to do that, then don't give up on him just yet. Squirt's vet is young but had treated several cush pups, however, Squirt is not the typical cush pup, so Dr C and I have learned together. THAT makes her priceless IMHO.
After weighing my options I decided to start loading Roxy with Lysodren. We started loading on Saturday and I am happy to report .......no ill effects so far.
Man! That is such good news! But please, please do keep an eye on her today and tomorrow. Trilo has a relatively short life in the body, but Lyso stays and works for about 48 hrs. For this reason, it may be more critical to have a wash-out when switching from Lyso to Trilo, I'm not sure about that. But after 37 days on Trilo, I cannot imagine going immediately to Lyso. This is definitely a red flag on the new vets experience to me. But, like I said, don't give up just yet...see if he will work with you first.
During the course of Roxy's examine the new vet found bladder stones along with Roxy's bad teeth. I knew about her teeth but BLADDER STONES!!! The old vet totally missed those. Once we get Roxy healthy enough she will need surgery to get rid of the bladder stones and clean and pull her bad teeth.
The new dose of 7u Humilan N BID is doing a great job in keeping her bg in the 100 range. I am suppose to do a curve before I take Roxy for her repeat ACTH test. We may have to drop the dose once we get the cushings under control.
This is not unusual when dealing with both conditions. I hope this holds true for Roxy, or better yet, that when the Cushing's is under control, the BG will level out on its own! One can hope, right?! 
The new vet wants Roxy on the science diet W/D food. I just don't like this food and have decided to switch Roxy to Canidae Platinum or something like W/D but better quality. Lower protein for the bladder stones, but still a quaility food.
Oh, good move on the SD!!! Do you know what kind of stones? I think struvite stones are the most common in dogs. Has she had frequent urinary infections? I'm not sure that lower protein is important in treating bladder stones, but I will have to do some research to be sure. I do know that getting the PH balance correct is the goal for preventing them, as well as getting rid of any infection in the urinary tract. It seems that for struvite stones the diet needs to be based on higher animals sources than plant sources...again will have to double check.
Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Judy and Roxy (PA, USA)
Roxy, canine, Miniature Schnauzer,Birth date 11-14-99, 9 y/o, F (spayed),
weight 14.4, Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome (SARDS dx 8/08),
Diabetes Mellitus dx
3/25/09, Humilin N 7 U twice a day
Cushing's syndrome (dx with ACTH stim test on 4/21/09,
Trilostane 30 mg started 4-23-09 once a day, Started loading Lysodren 250 mg Bid
on 5-30-09
diet/nutrition: Canidae Platnium
The other girls that rule the house:
Misty, Beagle, 8-18-95 13 y/o F (spayed)
Jenna, Miniature Schnauzer, 10-23-02, 6 y/o F (spayed)
Baylee, Miniature Schnauzer, 5-9-05 4 y/o F (spayed)
Roxy, Miniature Schnauzer (SARDS, Diabetes, Cushings) (Trilostane to Lysodren)
Reply With Quote
. And from one fur parent of four pups to another, 
AND it's Sunday, of course! geez.... But enough about a feeble-minded, loud-mouthed old broad. 
It's just that like Kim said, we are real worry warts and we immediately love every baby we meet here. As a result, we try to treat each one as if it were our own....panic attacks and all! 
Originally Posted by jk9cuts
