Hello and before I begin, let me say "thanks" to the administrators and all that contribute to this site. While I assume many if not all are not doctors, the information and observations provided are extremely valuable as we, the mom's and dad's of our four legged friends are most in tune with them.
Macie, our soon to be 10 yr old female Shih Tzu has been remarkably healthy her entire life. Just recently, she had been showing signs of weakness in her back legs (not able to jump up on chairs, etc.) as well as a few other things such as thinning hair, panting, increased water intake and a more robust, aggressive appetite. These symptoms began about 2 months ago. Fast forward to February 24 when the vet did her annual senior blood work and suspected Cushings. After a STIM test was conducted, Cushings was confirmed. While not conclusive to be pituitary dependent, the vet was fairly confident it was in fact pituitary. I will be inquiring about having an ultrasound performed to rule out adrenal dependent. I immediately went into research mode and I found this site. In the last three weeks, I have learned a great deal from this site among many others. I ask a lot of questions and have no hesitation in questioning any diagnosis and treatment protocol. Fortunately, we have a vet that encourages this relationship and she has been wonderful in answering questions.
Macie was started on Vetoryl 7 days ago and will have her 2 week follow up on the 4th of April. She takes 15 mg in the morning. Her weight is just shy of 12 lbs. Just in these 7 days, we have noticed a decrease in water intake, less demonstrative about food and maybe slight improvement in hind leg strength/mobility. She still seems to be a bit lethargic, but I am not sure it is any more than pre-Cushings diagnosis. Her "normal" behavior (say 6 months ago) was very frisky, almost puppy like in many ways, although being a senior she does sleep a bit more. We are hoping for a return to that puppy-like condition and are fully committed to her treatment and follow up.
I am providing the results of her blood work and STIM test and would welcome anyone's insight and feedback.
Platelet - 591, 143-448
ALT - 185, 18-121
ALP - 501, 5-150
GGT - 17, 0-13
Cholesterol - 401, 131-345
Total T4 - .8, 1-4
STIM Test:
Baseline was >10, 1 hour post was >30. Vet is aiming for Baseline 2-5 and 1 hour post 4-7
Crazy thing is she had the senior blood panel done in Jan 2017 and all values were great, in the "normal" range. I guess things can change quickly.
From a diet perspective, on the recommendation of our vet, we have not changed anything except in the morning with the medication she is getting a very small amount of Freshpet Vital Grain Free Beef and Bison Adult Dog Food with her dry kibble (Nutro Small Bites Lamb and Rice). No signs of problems with food or Vetoryl tolerance. She has no diarrhea, vomiting or anything else, however we are hearing some burping or gas since all this started.
Thanks again for taking the time to read ad if you chose to comment, it is sincerely appreciated.