Cockermom
09-24-2010, 10:25 PM
Hello Everyone,
I am the proud Mom of two Cocker girls. Bailey is a blk/wht parti and is 10 yrs. old. Darby is a red/wht. parti and is 61/2. Both of my girls came from the same breeder. Bailey's sister is Darby's mother. Both dog's parents were certified clear of any eye or hip problems and they both have excellent pedigrees. Along with all that, they are just awsome dogs! Bailey is a sweet, laid back, loving little lady. Darby is just the opposite. I got her at 8 weeks and she became the alpha immediately. She is a very confident dog with a strong will and a loving personality. My girls are a very huge part of my life. My husband and I are both retired so we get to spend most of our day spoiling these two!
Our diagnosing journey started on June 18 when I took Darby for her annual physical and lab work. She hadn't really been acting sick but something just wasn't right. Her physical exam was normal, no problems with ears or skin. Urinalysis showed a 30+ protien, specific gravity of 1.040 and otherwise normal. Her labwork showed WBC was 40.0 10^3/ul norm 6-17: Lymph 0.40 10^3/ul norm 1-4.8:Gra
38.5 10^3/ml norm 3-12: GR% 96.3 norm 62-87: MCH 26.0 pg norm19.5-24.5:MCHC38.3g/dl, norm31-34:PLT670 10^3/ul,norm 200-500:MPV12.1 fl, norm 3.9-11.1: ALP 157,norm 20-150.
Her Vet put her on Cefpodoxime 100mg x 14 days. We were planning a family vacation for 3 weeks and Darby still wasn't acting right. I took her back to our vet on 6-23. Another physical exam showed nothing abnormal. Another urinalysis was done as well as a repeat CBC.
The urine showed protien 100+, few bacteria, few bilirubin crystals. Lab results WBC 40.3, mon 1.7 norm 0.2-1.5:GRA 36.7 norm 3-12:MO%4.2, norm 2.4:RBC 5.18 10^6/ul, norm5.5-8.5: HCT 35.8%, norm 37-55.:MCH26.4pg, norm 19.5-24.5:MCHC 38.2g/dl,norm31-34:PLT 646 10^3/ul, norm 200-500.
So the week that she had been on antibiotics, didn't affect the WBC's. We did an abdominal x-ray to see if there was an obivious cause for the infection. X-ray conclusions were: Mild hepatomegaly, rule outs should include metabolic/endocrine disease, extramedullary hematopoiesis, nodular regeneration and diffuse infiltrative inflammatory or neoplastic disease. By this time I am very concerned and am suppose to leave for the mountains for three weeks. The first thing I did was locate the nearest vet and emergency vet hospital, but all went well.
Returned from vacation, back to the vet for a repeat lab. Darby is drinking 3x what she normally does and urinating every 10 minutes. She is also panting a lot, but no other symptoms. This time labs were sent out to a lab in Illinois. I will just list the comments by the Dr. who read her speciman. Comment: ANISOCYTOSIS+2, POLYCHROMASIA +1, ROULEAUX Present: Platelet Count: Platelet clumps are present...Comment: Blood Smear, The moderate leukocytosis is confirmed. Please note the amended differential to reflect a regenerative left shift. Low numbers of neutrophils and band neutrophils contain Dohle bodies, indicating toxicity, which further supports the inflammatory leukon. There are occasional intermediate lymphocytes with one or two prominent nucleoli and increased amounts of lightly basophillic cytoplasm. Platelets appear to be mildly increased, indicating a reactive thrombocytosis. These could reflect reactive lymphocytes secondary to nonspefic antigen or underlying lymphoc liver disease. If atypical lymphocytes persist, bone marrow evaluation and evaluation of peripheral and internal lymphoid organs would be recommended. Clinical investigation for an inflammatory nidus is also suggested.
On 8-31 Darby had surgery to finally get her spayed, and for an abdominal exploratory. I know she should have been spayed much earlier but until now, I didn't have a vet who would let me bring her home on the same day. I refused to let her stay unsupervised all night, so I never had it done! Our vet had another vet from her practice join her for the surgery just to get another opinion. The abdomen was clean but her liver appeared swollen and rounded on the edges.
A liver biopsy was done and the report is: There is moderate to marked diffuse swelling of hepatocytes with pale amphophilic granular to highly vacucolated cytoplasm. This change is most prominent in hepatocytes around the central veins. Mutiple foci of extramedullary hematopoiesis are present near the central veins. No infectious agents or neoplastic cells are seen. Comments: The lesion is consistent with reactive hepatopathy. Reactive hepatopathy is non-spefic reaction by hepatocytes to a variety of mild metabolic dearangement such as hyperadrenocorticism, diabetes, anorexia,or cachexia. If there is no history of corticosteroid or anticonvulsant drug therapy, I would suggest screening for the possibility of pituitary and adrenal dependent hyperadrenocorticism. The extramedullary hematopoiesis( which means the body is making wbc's by means other than the bone marrow) could be associated with compensatory hematopoietic hyperplasia secondary to underlying anemia.
Last week Darby had a low dex test done. I don't have a copy of those results but our vet told me that she tested positive for Cushing's and that it indicated she was Pituitary dependent. Yesterday she started on Trilostane 30mg. daily . She is a little more sleepy than usual but I think that's normal.
Darby is also hypothyroid and takes levothyroxine. She has also been struggling with her weight. We tried several diets including the Hills Rx diet food, which I hated! She started smelling like the food.
Last december we started her on Selentrol, she lost weight but very slowly. Both my girls have been raised on Solid Gold or Wellness and are presently on Wellness Core. Darby has never been overly interested in food and is picky about what she does eat. When she was diagnosed with Cushing's, the Selentrol was stopped until she gets regulated on the Trilostane.
I am also a menber of the Zim Family Cocker Forum and several members suggested that I come here for expert help in dealing with this disease. I need to understand this disease from every angle, my baby's health is at stake. Her vet is amazing and I trust her 100%. I'm confident that we have the right diagnosis and that we just happened to catch it early. I know that we still have a bone marrow issue to solve but Darby has been through a lot in the last few weeks. I know her vet will solve this puzzle too, it's just the whole diagnosing process that tries my patience.
I welcome any opinions or comments especially for a proper diet for Cushing's . I would really like to feed home cooked organic food but so far, I can't find any info on what the proper ratio of protiens, carbs, and fats should be. Any ideas on where to look?
I apologize for the long post and I hope I haven't bored everyone with all the test results. I look at this disease like I do most other unplesant things. It's bad but it could be worse and I'll do what I have to do to deal with it.
Blessings to all of you and your furkids who are on this path.
Connie
I am the proud Mom of two Cocker girls. Bailey is a blk/wht parti and is 10 yrs. old. Darby is a red/wht. parti and is 61/2. Both of my girls came from the same breeder. Bailey's sister is Darby's mother. Both dog's parents were certified clear of any eye or hip problems and they both have excellent pedigrees. Along with all that, they are just awsome dogs! Bailey is a sweet, laid back, loving little lady. Darby is just the opposite. I got her at 8 weeks and she became the alpha immediately. She is a very confident dog with a strong will and a loving personality. My girls are a very huge part of my life. My husband and I are both retired so we get to spend most of our day spoiling these two!
Our diagnosing journey started on June 18 when I took Darby for her annual physical and lab work. She hadn't really been acting sick but something just wasn't right. Her physical exam was normal, no problems with ears or skin. Urinalysis showed a 30+ protien, specific gravity of 1.040 and otherwise normal. Her labwork showed WBC was 40.0 10^3/ul norm 6-17: Lymph 0.40 10^3/ul norm 1-4.8:Gra
38.5 10^3/ml norm 3-12: GR% 96.3 norm 62-87: MCH 26.0 pg norm19.5-24.5:MCHC38.3g/dl, norm31-34:PLT670 10^3/ul,norm 200-500:MPV12.1 fl, norm 3.9-11.1: ALP 157,norm 20-150.
Her Vet put her on Cefpodoxime 100mg x 14 days. We were planning a family vacation for 3 weeks and Darby still wasn't acting right. I took her back to our vet on 6-23. Another physical exam showed nothing abnormal. Another urinalysis was done as well as a repeat CBC.
The urine showed protien 100+, few bacteria, few bilirubin crystals. Lab results WBC 40.3, mon 1.7 norm 0.2-1.5:GRA 36.7 norm 3-12:MO%4.2, norm 2.4:RBC 5.18 10^6/ul, norm5.5-8.5: HCT 35.8%, norm 37-55.:MCH26.4pg, norm 19.5-24.5:MCHC 38.2g/dl,norm31-34:PLT 646 10^3/ul, norm 200-500.
So the week that she had been on antibiotics, didn't affect the WBC's. We did an abdominal x-ray to see if there was an obivious cause for the infection. X-ray conclusions were: Mild hepatomegaly, rule outs should include metabolic/endocrine disease, extramedullary hematopoiesis, nodular regeneration and diffuse infiltrative inflammatory or neoplastic disease. By this time I am very concerned and am suppose to leave for the mountains for three weeks. The first thing I did was locate the nearest vet and emergency vet hospital, but all went well.
Returned from vacation, back to the vet for a repeat lab. Darby is drinking 3x what she normally does and urinating every 10 minutes. She is also panting a lot, but no other symptoms. This time labs were sent out to a lab in Illinois. I will just list the comments by the Dr. who read her speciman. Comment: ANISOCYTOSIS+2, POLYCHROMASIA +1, ROULEAUX Present: Platelet Count: Platelet clumps are present...Comment: Blood Smear, The moderate leukocytosis is confirmed. Please note the amended differential to reflect a regenerative left shift. Low numbers of neutrophils and band neutrophils contain Dohle bodies, indicating toxicity, which further supports the inflammatory leukon. There are occasional intermediate lymphocytes with one or two prominent nucleoli and increased amounts of lightly basophillic cytoplasm. Platelets appear to be mildly increased, indicating a reactive thrombocytosis. These could reflect reactive lymphocytes secondary to nonspefic antigen or underlying lymphoc liver disease. If atypical lymphocytes persist, bone marrow evaluation and evaluation of peripheral and internal lymphoid organs would be recommended. Clinical investigation for an inflammatory nidus is also suggested.
On 8-31 Darby had surgery to finally get her spayed, and for an abdominal exploratory. I know she should have been spayed much earlier but until now, I didn't have a vet who would let me bring her home on the same day. I refused to let her stay unsupervised all night, so I never had it done! Our vet had another vet from her practice join her for the surgery just to get another opinion. The abdomen was clean but her liver appeared swollen and rounded on the edges.
A liver biopsy was done and the report is: There is moderate to marked diffuse swelling of hepatocytes with pale amphophilic granular to highly vacucolated cytoplasm. This change is most prominent in hepatocytes around the central veins. Mutiple foci of extramedullary hematopoiesis are present near the central veins. No infectious agents or neoplastic cells are seen. Comments: The lesion is consistent with reactive hepatopathy. Reactive hepatopathy is non-spefic reaction by hepatocytes to a variety of mild metabolic dearangement such as hyperadrenocorticism, diabetes, anorexia,or cachexia. If there is no history of corticosteroid or anticonvulsant drug therapy, I would suggest screening for the possibility of pituitary and adrenal dependent hyperadrenocorticism. The extramedullary hematopoiesis( which means the body is making wbc's by means other than the bone marrow) could be associated with compensatory hematopoietic hyperplasia secondary to underlying anemia.
Last week Darby had a low dex test done. I don't have a copy of those results but our vet told me that she tested positive for Cushing's and that it indicated she was Pituitary dependent. Yesterday she started on Trilostane 30mg. daily . She is a little more sleepy than usual but I think that's normal.
Darby is also hypothyroid and takes levothyroxine. She has also been struggling with her weight. We tried several diets including the Hills Rx diet food, which I hated! She started smelling like the food.
Last december we started her on Selentrol, she lost weight but very slowly. Both my girls have been raised on Solid Gold or Wellness and are presently on Wellness Core. Darby has never been overly interested in food and is picky about what she does eat. When she was diagnosed with Cushing's, the Selentrol was stopped until she gets regulated on the Trilostane.
I am also a menber of the Zim Family Cocker Forum and several members suggested that I come here for expert help in dealing with this disease. I need to understand this disease from every angle, my baby's health is at stake. Her vet is amazing and I trust her 100%. I'm confident that we have the right diagnosis and that we just happened to catch it early. I know that we still have a bone marrow issue to solve but Darby has been through a lot in the last few weeks. I know her vet will solve this puzzle too, it's just the whole diagnosing process that tries my patience.
I welcome any opinions or comments especially for a proper diet for Cushing's . I would really like to feed home cooked organic food but so far, I can't find any info on what the proper ratio of protiens, carbs, and fats should be. Any ideas on where to look?
I apologize for the long post and I hope I haven't bored everyone with all the test results. I look at this disease like I do most other unplesant things. It's bad but it could be worse and I'll do what I have to do to deal with it.
Blessings to all of you and your furkids who are on this path.
Connie