Hello,
Our 9.5 year old pit bull was recently diagnosed with Cushing's. We suspected that she might have Cushing's in the fall of 2016 however at that time we were seeing a dermatologist and treating a skin infection that she had. After multiple rounds of antibiotics her skin got better but she still had patches of missing fur. I started researching Canine Cushing's and I learned that the medications used to treat the disease come with some pretty terrible side effects. Some say that the medications can do more harm to the dog than the disease can. I am not a veterinarian so I am not sure that is true but I really didn't want to start medicating our dog with dangerous drugs. I found a holistic vet in our area and made an appointment with him. He wasn't convinced that she had Cushing's however he did say she had something going on metabolically and suggested started her on some supplements which would help her liver, kidney's and adrenal's. We started these supplements but within two weeks of starting them she started to have bloody diarrhea and was vomitting. We rushed her to the emergency hospital and it was determined that she had pancreatitis along with ulcers. After a stay in the ICU, fluids and intravenous GI protectants she was feeling much better. She came home and was on medications for her GI for about a week along with a bland diet. While we were in the emergency room with her the vet brought up Cushing's and suggested having her tested after she feels better. I mentioned my concern with the medications used to treat Cushing's and she said that not treating Cushing's can lead to blood clots, reoccurring infections, etc. So now I was scared and at a loss because I did not want our dog to die from a blood clot because we chose not to treat the disease however I also did not want to put her on a medication that could cause her harm. I was beside myself, running out of options and at this point I made an appointment with our regular vet for an ACTH test. Our dog went in for an ACTH test on Friday June 2nd and the results showed that she does have Cushing's. Her pre-ACTH cortisol level was 4.6 dg/ul and her post-ACTH cortisol level was 25.9 ug/dl. Our vet suggested Vetoryl and after researching it I agreed to give it a try. I truly feel like there is not that many options, which is sad. Our vet prescribed 60mg Vetoryl capsules once in the AM and once in the PM (total dosage 120mg a day). Our dog weighs 88 lbs so I have been only giving her one 60mg capsule in the AM with her breakfast. I researched the medication and read that larger dogs can be more sensitive to it thus the reason I am giving her one 60mg capsule a day. So far she is responding well on the medication and she is not having any issues but we are still in the early stages since we just started the medication on Sunday. I am sorry that this post is long but I would love to hear from other members about their experiences with Cushing's and Vetoryl. Any other advice or suggestions you have are welcomed as well! I want to try and do the best thing for our dog so she can live the rest of her life as comfortable as possible. Thank you!