Hi we are new here! - Chloe (12 y/o Australian Cattle Dog)

[Kelly_Louise]

Hi, my name is Kelly – and I have a best furry friend, named Chloe – who is a red Australian Cattle Dog, almost 12 years old, the apple of my eye, and diagnosed with (pituitary dependant) Cushings in March 2008. She is treated under the watchful eye of our wonderful specialist and his team, and they have been great. The first year of starting Trilostane treatment (60mg x 2 daily) was great and trouble free, breezed through all her tests. At this point, her levels became low and she was reduced down to 30mg – and then started showing symptoms of Addisons disease. She went into ‘remission’ for about a month before her Cushings symptoms started to return. After an ACTH stim test which came back negative – we had to start testing for other nasties, however a suppression test confirmed it was just a negative ‘negative’ – and it was just Cushings (better the devil you know I guess LOL!).

Since about August, she’s been a little erratic and has changed dosages a few times. She’s currently on 5mg once per day – a very low dose after a few close calls with Addisons. We thought she may have been in another remission, however off medication her levels started climbing quite quickly. She seems to be holding with the 5mg daily nicely at the moment. Since late last year when we were having problems with the dosages, she has been on the liquid form of Trilostane (makes it much cheaper when dosage needs to be adjusted).

So, close to 2 years after diagnosis – and apart from a few issues with getting dosages right, she is well. She’s just come off a course of antibiotics for a tummy upset (which had many Addisons symptoms so she was rushed to hospital). She had an ultrasound to check for any tumours on her organs (all clear – woohoo!), and all her blood work came back fine. So apart from the dreaded Cushings, and a bit of arthritis from 2 tibial wedge osteotomy surgeries on her knees, she is in top health (although her weight has been an ongoing issue for a few years now).

Anyway, with things being so up and down for us lately (hopefully will stay good for a while now) – I was recommended to come here and learn a bit more, and may even be able to contribute a little from the knowledge I’ve gained on our journey with a Cushinoid.

It will be nice to be amongst people who surely understand the roller coaster ride that Cushings can be and the financial strain it can bring. And it will be nice to actually chat amongst people who won’t ask… ‘what’s Cushings?... Never heard of it’ LOL.

I hope we make many new friends here. :)

If I can figure out how to post a picture, I would love to share my beautiful, brave girl with you all.

Have a great day all!

D:\Photos\Photos\IMG_3255

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Kelly and Chloe, :)

Welcome to k9cushings and am glad you found us. Looking forward to hearing more about Chloe and her diagnosis. Sounds like you are up to speed with this dreaded and diffuicult disease and happy Chloe is doing well at 12 years old. Good for you and good for her. :)


It will be nice to be amongst people who surely understand the roller coaster ride that Cushings can be and the financial strain it can bring. And it will be nice to actually chat amongst people who won’t ask… ‘what’s Cushings?... Never heard of it’ LOL.

Couldn't agree with you more. :):):)

[Kelly_Louise]

Thank you for the warm welcome John! My Chloe is a very brave trooper! Can't wait until I am at home and can read the threads more in depth to share others experiences too!!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Kelly,

Welcome to you and Chloe from me and my boy Harley! You have not only made many new friends here but now have aquired a new family!! :p;):) We are so very glad that you have found us but so sorry for the circumstances that have brought you here, and yes, we do understand.

Below I have pasted a post from one of our administrators, Marianne, that she posted to another members thread on how to post an avatar and album.

If you have any other questions, please do not hestitate to ask, ok.

Love and hugs,
Lori


Hi, my name is Kelly – and I have a best furry friend, named Chloe – who is a red Australian Cattle Dog, almost 12 years old, the apple of my eye, and diagnosed with (pituitary dependant) Cushings in March 2008.

I hope we make many new friends here. :)

If I can figure out how to post a picture, I would love to share my beautiful, brave girl with you all.

Have a great day all!



Welcome from me, too!

Here's a couple of hints to help you add some photos of MishMish so that we can all see his sweet face! :)

First of all, in order to add his photo as an "avatar" to accompany your username at the top of all of your replies, these are the steps to follow:


Go to your Public Profile Page (just click on your own username and you will be taken to your Profile page);

Click on the "User CP" option on the upper left-hand side of the page;

Find the "Your Control Panel" menu on the left;

Go down to the "Settings and Options" heading, and then click on "Edit Avatar." You'll then be able to upload a photo to serve as your avatar.
Additionally, in order to set up a complete album of photos, here's a link that will tell you how:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/faq.php?faq=vb3_user_profile#faq_vb3_albums


Marianne

[mypuppy]

Hi Kelly and Chloe,
I am so glad you have joined our team and as Lori stated a new family. If you stick around, you will grow to love everyone and their pups in no time. I joined nearly 5 months ago when my 7 year old lab was diagnosed with PDH Cushings. And I can assure you at this point, I will never ask "what is Cushings, never heard of it". 5 months ago, yes, that was exactly my reply when my IMS gave me the terrible news. Princess was started on 2 60mg of trilo once a day, however, at her 14 day stim, her levels came back extremely low, probably heading toward an Addison's crisis. Thank God for that stim, and thank God for the amazing, wonderful people here who held my hand during that period of time. Since then Princess has been off the trilo and in remission from her Cushings symptoms, i.e., thirst, appetite. She is doing great, is happy, energetic, and I am really enjoying her again. In a nutshell, all I wanted to say was, you couldn't have picked a better place to be than right here. Welcome, and I look forward to exchanging experiences, valuable information and emotions with you. Best regards to you and licks to Chloe...xo Jeanette

[littleone1]

Hi Kelly,

Corky and I would also like to welcome you and Chloe. You have found a very wonderful group of people. As others have said, we are a family, and you are now a member of our family.

It seems like you have been doing so good taking care of Chloe. I'm sure your experience with Cushings will also be helpful to others.

Terri and The Corkster

[Kelly_Louise]

Oh wow, what a fantastic welcome! And such a relief to be around people who truly understand. Very heartwarming! We already feel part of the family!

Thanks so much for the photo and avatar link... will make my attempts!

Again, really looking forward to getting to know all of our new family and thank you for allowing us to be a part of it!!!

We also have another furry family member - her name is Sasha, and she came to us from rescue just over 1 year ago now. She is almost 4 years old - and she is a beautiful Ridgeback x Mastiff (apparently) with very unusual markings. We love her very much, even with her quirks, and thankfully she is healthy and Cushings-free!!

Oh and by the way, we are from Sydney, Australia!!

Will try to get around to doing a photo album when I'm not at work!!

[frijole]

Welcome from me as well! My cush baby turned 16 in December. My other one has quirks too. :D Glad you found us, Kim

[Casey's Mom]

Hi Kelly and Chloe,

Welcome to you from me and my dog Casey. You have joined a wonderful group of people and yes it will be a new family for you. My girl was eventually diagnosed a year ago and will soon be 14. Thanks to the people here that guided me and my vet she is doing wonderfully and runs in the park with me every evening. I too have another dog Desi who is happy and healthy but also just still a young dog at 5 (she is Havanese so pretty small).

We have a few other members from Australia who will likely join in to welcome you - I love having them because they help me in the middle of the night when everyone here is usually asleep. Alison is great for that . . . I am in northern Ontario Canada. Very cold tonight -23 so Australia sounds good!

Hugs from us,

[Sabre's Mum]

Hi Kelly

You made it over here. Welcome to our "cushings family". As I told you elsewhere this group here has a lot of knowlegable people so if you do have problems with Chloe someone may have an answer or something you may be able to get your IMS to look into.

Once again WELCOME.

Angela, Sabre and Flynn
(Yes Red Dog on DOL forum - for those wondering an Australian dog forum)

[Kelly_Louise]

Hi Angela, I knew who it was straight away!!! Thanks for directing me over here, what a lovely bunch!! I've already learnt a couple of new things from reading other threads!

BTW, Sabre is just bewwwwwwwwdiful!!!

[Loraine]

Kelly I am so glad you found this group. It is the most supportive I have every come across and you will learn a lot more here about Cushing's and how best to help lovely Chloe :)

[StarDeb55]

Kelly, I, too, want to offer a big welcome from me & mine! I'm not a trilo parent, so can't help much there, but it's wonderful to hear how well Chloe has done with her treatment. I have successfully treated 2 pups with lysodren, now. My first boy was successfully treated for nearly 8 years, & Harley is rapidly approaching his 2 year anniversary of diagnosis.

Debbie

[BestBuddy]

Hi Kelly,

Gidday and welcome from another Aussie.

My Buddy is no longer here but the friendships formed here run pretty deep.

I am wondering if I should be telling people where I am from because today in the Herald Sun it says that Aussies rank the highest on the 7 deadly sins. The only saving grace is that at the end of the story was the comment-We started as a penal colony so what more would you expect?

Anyway, glad you have found us here.

Jenny

[Kelly_Louise]

Hi Loraine! I'm starting to see how wonderful and supportive this group is, it's fantastic! Just want to let everyone here know that Loraine has been a great support and friend every step of the journey that Chloe and I have been on, and has been invaluable to us - always with a reassuring word or advice.

Debbie - 8 years of treatment is a wonderful achievement! I pray we can keep Chloe well for that long - although her arthritis does not get better with the passing years. Still, she would barrel you over to go for a walk, and bounces like a puppy when she is happy - so there is plenty left in the tank of my old girl. She is a very brave trooper!

Jenny - hi! I did hear that on the news today too... but I figure, there's worse things in life LOL!!! Could be worse!!! One thing I love about Aussies, is their staunch and loyal support of the underdog to come good - it makes up for our other failings hehehe!

I should explain, Chloe does not live with me. She lives a couple of minutes away though. When Chloe got sick I made the hardest decision to leave her with my mum and dad (who adore Chloe) because there is always someone home 24/7, which is handy so she can always be monitored and have the company she deserves (I have to work full time to keep her alive LOL). Apart from that, I couldn't take her away from all she knew and loved - she fretted too much in a new environment. I look after her treatment (mum and dad try, but they don't really understand Cushings or what is happening) and spend every spare second I have with her, and my mum and dad do a marvellous job of keeping her well, loved and happy on a daily basi.s But, it tore me apart. She is my heart dog and best friend in the world. I couldnt live without her waggy tail waiting at the door everyday... but I couldn't 'replace' her either (not that Chloe could EVER be replaced). I thought about all Chloe has given me in our life together, and wondered how I could honour and give something back... so we adopted Sasha, a rescue dog in need of a forever home. Sasha needed alot of work... she was afraid of everything, the whole world was terrifying for her. But I could see she had a heart of gold. People told me she would never improve - but when they see her today they wonder if it's the same dog! Sasha will never be perfect, but she is happy, she is alive, and she gives us all so much pleasure and happiness! And all this was inspired by my lovely Chloe - who made me understand that a life without a doggy friend, is no life at all. Now I have two of them!! Chloe likes her fur sister - she doesn't like sharing attention, however she loves it that Sasha lets her be boss!! I love both my girls, would do anything for them... but Chloe will always be the one that will hold that extra special place in my heart forevermore. She is a very special girl, the glue for our family.

[haf549]

Hi Kelly:

Welcome to the group from Kira and me. Kira was diagnosed over a year ago and was stabalized on trilostane last January. She's been pretty much her old self since then. She too has arthritis, which is bothering her the last few days, since it got really cold. Other than the arthritis though, she's doing well and is her old self. She sleeps a lot, unless she has something exciting to do. But that's what huskies do; they are either very active, or resting.

Anyway, welcome and I look forward to seeing your posts.

Heidi

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Kelly and welcome to you and Chloe! :)

We are an Atypical family and don't treat with either Trilo or Lyso but wanted to say how wonderful that Chloe is doing so well. That says a lot about the loving, attentive care she has received from you and your family.

I am glad you decided to join our family and look forward to getting to know you and Chloe a bit better.

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls - always

PS. I knew there was something about Aussies I really liked! :p

[lulusmom]

Hi Kelly and welcome to you and Chloe from me and my two cushdogs, Lulu and Jojo.

It's nice to have an old hand join the group! It doesn't sound like you need any help from any of us that are familiar with Trilostane but you can rest assured that if the time ever comes, we're here for you. I was a Lyso mom then a Trilo mom and now I'm a Lyso mom again so I'm familiar with both drugs. With your experience, I suspect that a more likely scenario will be that you'll be chiming in and helping our members that are new to the disease and its treatment(s). Glad to have you both here and we'll all look forward to getting to know the latest additions to our wonderful family.

Glynda

P.S. I know it must be hard not living with your heart dog . Sometimes our tremendous love can cloud our judgment on what's best for our furbabies so I want you to know that I admire and respect you greatly for putting your sweet Chloe's interest first.

[Kelly_Louise]

Oh goodness what a warm and caring place to come! Thank you for the newest welcomes!

Heidi - I suspect that my Sasha is part husky due to her colouring and coat... and she is the same - either turbo charged, or crashed out LOL!! Actually, same for Chloe. She's usually at one extreme or the other (but seeing her hyper is a blessing at 12 after all she's been through!).

Leslie - may I please ask you how you treat Cushings (if not with Trilo or Lyso.)? Just wondering if it is a natural treatment or similar - I have read a bit about natural remedies that support Cushings sufferers, but do not feel convinced they are effective.

Glynda - Ohhh I still have ALOT to learn!! But I do hope that I will be able to contribute and help out - and in the meantime am enjoying learning bits and pieces. I have always said, the key to successfully managing this disease is to arm yourself with as much info as possible so you always know what to look for, what to expect, and when you need help. And I have no doubt that amongst so many experienced Cushings parents, I still have alot to learn!

I agree with your last statement... many people thought I was irresponsible allowing Chloe to stay with my parents - but it couldn't be further from the truth. It was always for her, because she has been such a good friend to me our whole life together, I just want for her to be happy. Luckily she lives very close, so I get to spend almost as much time with her as if she lived with me... but still, there are times I miss her lovely smile and cheeky ways, and her cuddles and kisses 24/7. Lucky, Sasha makes up for it!!

I'm going to try and create my album now so you can meet my lovely girls :)

Have a great day everyone!

[StarDeb55]

Kelly, Harley has both PDH & Atypical, so to treat the Atypical part of this, he is on melatonin & lignans. His lysodren will do a good job of controlling all of the adrenal produced associated hormones except for estrogen. Estrogen is the "booger" because it has non-adrenal sources of production such as fatty tissue, & the gonads. The 2 meds I mentioned are used to control the estrogen. Melatonin is simply over the counter, lignans are actually the active part from flaxseed. I use flaxseed hulls for Harley, but you also can buy a purified lignans capsule.

That's your quick lesson on Atypical Cushing's


Debbie

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Kelly,

There is a type of cushings known as Atypical Cushings. This is when a pup has elevations in one or more of the intermediate/sex hormones but not the cortisol. Usually the standard treatment is melatonin and flaxseed hulls with lignans.

The five intermediate/sex hormones involved with Atypical Cushing’s disease are androstenedione, estradiol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, progesterone and aldosterone.

If a pup has only elevated estradiol, it is called Hyperestrinism.

My boy Harley is PDH and has elevations in all of his intermediate/sex hormones. He is taking a maintenance dose of Lysodren and the melatonin plus the flaxseed hulls with lignans.

You can read more about Atypical Cushings in our Resource Thread here:

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia-like syndrome/ Hyperestrinism/ "atypical Cushing's"

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198

Love and hugs,
Lori

[Kelly_Louise]

Thanks for that - I had heard of Atypical before, and read a little about it - but sometimes it all gets a bit confusing... bit like information overload! At least that is plain english that I can comprehend!

I particularly read up on the many different and related Cushings diseases when Chloe came out of remission last year (but the ACTH stim test did not show Cushings recurrence). The biggest bet at the time was diabetes, but I did a little research on the other types of Cushings as well (but only a little). Thankfully the second test confirmed it was only Cushings again - and no additional complications.

I'm so glad that apart from Cushings and some arthritis (and weight issues), Chloe is healthy! As most will understand, Cushings can be so draining for everyone (especially as we went through a rough patch late last year with it)... so I'm thankful we only have Cushings to tackle.

[zoesmom]

Hey Kelly and Chloe -

And another warm elcome from Zoe and I. Some of the best friends you two will ever make will be from this forum. Sounds like you've already gotten your feet wet with the cushings.

Zoe's coming up on four years on trilostane, and believe me, it's been a constant roller coaster ride. Never a dull moment with any of these cush pups. Zoe will be 13 in early March and that will also be four years since her diagnosis. I knew nothing about cushings when I found this forum (well, the predecessor to this forum) and am still learning things to this day - not just about cushings but about the many things that can go along with it. The latest - infected elbows. She's had many an infection (mostly uti's), but the elbow thing is something new for us. And already I've gotten a good suggestion here for what to do (thanks, Alison!) Anyway, so glad you found us and welcome to our family. Sue and Zoe

[Kelly_Louise]

Hi Sue, and thanks! I must say, I'm a sucker for a grey face - and your Zoe certainly tugs at my heartstrings. She is just GORGEOUS! There is something extra special about a grey face isn't there?

I'm sorry to hear that you have also been on an up and down journey. Our first year was so easy, I just thought (after reading others experiences) that we were going to be lucky. The last year has certainly been a challenge, however, Chloe is still with us, still as healthy as possible, so really that's all i can ask.

I didn't know about the infected elbows! I will certainly read up on that! Chloe has managed to avoid UTI's as well... the worst side effect she has is very rashy, itchy skin. But we manage that most of the time, have the odd flair up, but get through it. It's very heartening to hear that you have successfully (albeit with drama) treated Zoe for 4 years! When we were first learning about Cushings, there was alot of scary info on the internet... so to meet so many people who have treated their pets for long periods of time is really great news!

Chloe also looks quite odd at the moment... due to her erratic Cushings over the last few months, there has been many a test. She has bits of fur shaved off and missing all over, she looks like a patchwork quilt (bless her). Nearly all legs have shaved spots, her neck has a couple of shaved spots, and now (due to the last ultrasound) her belly is hair-free too. I can't tell you how good she is though to go through all this. She hates it, absolutely hates it... but never makes a fuss. She lets people poke and prod her, she goes to the vet more than any dog I know, she's had major ops, had extended stays in hospital - and yet still does everything we ask of her. The last time I picked her up from the hospital, I was talking to her specialist in the consult room... and she was trying valiantly to nose the door open (COME ON MUM LET'S GO!), then she would run in front of me and wait for me to look at her, then rush to the door and try and nose it open again (HERE LET ME HELP YOU OUT MUM), then repeat the whole process, and then when that wouldn't work, I was getting my arm and hands flipped up (DO YOU NEED HELP TO THE DOOR MUM?). If she could talk, that's what she'd have been saying. Sometimes I feel very guilty putting her through all of this - but otherwise, she is such a happy girl and still has so much pleasure in her life... so I figure that as long as she is so happy, then all the effort is worth it.

[Franklin'sMum]

Hi Kelly and Chloe,

Welcome aboard from another Aussie! I am so glad to hear that Chloe has been doing really well (for the most part).
Look forward to learning more about you both,

Jane and Franklin xx
________
Buy vaporizers (http://twitter.com/vaporizer)

[haf549]

Hi Kelly:

I just took a look at the pictures that you posted of Chloe and Sasha. They are absolutley adorable. I loved every one of them

Heidi

[mypuppy]

Hi Kelly,
What great pics of Chloe and Sasha. You are either an awesome photographer or your pups are just way too photogenic. I can't believe how well they posed for those pics. So awesome! My little one's favorite pic (she's 5 years old), was with the Wiggles blankie. We are BIG Wiggles fan in this household. You gotta love the Wiggles! LoL. Thanks for sharing those beautiful pictures of your babies. I enjoyed looking at them very much. Hope all is well. Best regards to you and lots of lickies to the furry girlies...xo luv lots, Jeanette

[Kelly_Louise]

Aww thanks for checking out my album guys - as you can see, they are my pride and joy! I'm really pleased that you all enjoyed the pictures - plenty more where they came from, and will add to them over time to show their personalities!

I spent the day with Chloe yesterday - and she is really, really well. Actually, she is back to her old tricks and playing like she used to many years ago. She wanted to wrestle me on the floor... and when Dad was trying to guide her back onto her mat, the devilish look came and she wanted to play fight with him too! It's really heartening, that's the cheeky Chloe I know and love. I'm hoping that all means we are back on track for a while. I do need to contact her specialist so that we know when we are due for the next Stim test.

Again, very happy that you enjoyed the pictures of my girls... I'm certainly no great photographer, just lucky to be blessed with my beautiful girls :)

[littleone1]

Hi Kelly,

This is so wonderful to hear. It's so great when our furbabies are back to their normal selves.

The pictures were great.

I hope everything continues to go well.

[haf549]

Kelly:

Glad to hear that Chloe is back to her old self. It's wonderful when we get our babies back. It also reduces our stress levels.

Heidi