I'm hoping someone can help me. My dog (Charlie, 12 yrs old) has been having leg tremors/shaking for almost a month. Charlie is lucid before, during, and after these episodes. The episodes happen about every 5 minutes or so and last only a few seconds. The longest one I have witnessed lasted 7 seconds. The tremors/shaking do not fit the "textbook" examples of what would be considered a seizure. Physical exam at vets office was normal. Blood tests were normal except thyroid levels were low. Urinalysis was not done because his bladder was empty at time of visit. Charlie was prescribed medication for his thyroid and referred to a neurologist. Charlie had an MRI ,spinal tap and chest x-ray on Monday. Results were normal. Glucose levels were checked twice on Monday because neurologist suspected shaking could be from low blood sugar, but those results were also normal. Physical neurological exam was normal. Neurologist prescribed an anticonvulsant (Levetiracetam 250mg three times a day) to see if it would stop the tremors. The medication made Charlie worse. When Charlie would have a tremor he could no longer keep his balance and would fall over. He also fell down a few stairs. Luckily I was there when it happened and he did not get hurt. I stopped giving him the medication after 2 doses. Within 24 hours he was back to where he was before the anticonvulsant medication. Both my vet and the neurologist casually mentioned Cushings could be the problem. The neurologist suggested the following tests: (1)Abdominal ultrasound (2)Urinalysis
(3)+/-ACTH Stimualtion test (4)Echocardiogram (5)More fasting blood glucose measurements
I started researching Cushings because I didn't know much about it. I saw that the UCCR urine test is part of the tests done to determine Cushings. Not wanting to put Charlie through another stressful vet visit this week I called my vet to see if I could bring in a urine sample for the UCCR test. The receptionist said she had never heard of the test and she only knew of the 8 hour blood test for Cushings. She said she would ask our vet and call me back. That was yesterday morning and as of 5pm today I haven't received a return call. Is this urine test not a "common" test done by veterinarians? Is it only done by specialists in internal medicine practices?
Here is some background on Charlie and what has been going on with him in addition to the tremors. Charlie has always been an inactive dog, even when he was younger. He mainly likes to lay in his bed and look out the window, or in the warmer months hang out on our screen porch. So it is hard to say if he is less active than normal. Charlie has never been food crazy. He gets fed twice a day. Sometimes, especially when the weather is hot, he might skip a meal. He has always been a slow eater. He will pick out a few pieces of food, carry them to a different spot, then eat them. He could take 10 minutes to finish a meal. For the past 6 weeks or so he has been begging for his breakfast and dinner. He puts his head in his dish and doesn't look up until he is finished. A few times last year he got into the garbage. It was surprising because he had never attempted this before. I read that one of the first signs of Cushings is consuming more water and it could start long before other symptoms show up. Charlie has not been drinking more water than usual, but he does drink more than our other dog. He is not going to the water dish frequently, but when he does he takes a big drink. So I am confused as to whether or not the amount he drinks is normal. Perhaps it hasn't seemed excessive because he has been drinking that way for a long time.? Charlie has had skin issues in the past and he has also had problems with yeast in his years. Currently, his skin and ears are ok. If not for the tremors/shaking we would not of suspected anything was wrong. Which leads me to ask, can tremors/shaking be a sign of Cushings? I did see a post on the forum about tremors, but it was related to medication. Has anyone had their dog experience the type of tremors/shaking that Charlie is having being diagnosed with Cushings? I have read muscle weakness is a sign of Cushings, but Charlie is still able to walk, run and jump up on furniture.
I don't know what my next step should be. Should he have an abdominal ultrasound first, or the ACTH test, or just start with the UCCR urine test? Does anyone on here even think Cushings is a possibility? A big thank you to anyone that is still reading this!
Courtney