New to cushings lots of questions (Ralph) 11 y/o Bishon-poodle

[Ralph's mama]

so confused by all of the news from the vet... my 11 year old Bishon-poodle ~ Ralph ~ was diagnosed with cushings 2 weeks ago after the blood draw test at the vet. He has been slowing down for a bit, his belly getting fuller, he had surgery last year to removed a cancer growth from his back leg ~ the vet thinks this may have been the point in time when the cushings may have started. We thought he had stopped jumping due to the leg. His hair, usually like dredlocks began to thin and stop regrowing in places & he began to have growths on his body that wouldn't heal... next started the panting and drinking constantly ~ and the way he would rest would be to lay his belly out to the side ~ this was new and brought attention to all that was happening. The vet said after xrays that his spleen is 3x the size it should be and his liver about 2x the size it should be ~ pressing his stomach and making less room for breathing comfort with his lungs. Our only advice from the vet was to be put on a medication, followed up with blood tests after 14 days, 2 months, 3 months and inbetween if levels weren't correct... Ralph is my buddy ~ my guy ~ my "bubba"... I read about the meds the vet suggested and all the feedback is that most puppies are worse off after being on it. I went online to research and the best plan of action i could find was a holistic alternative called SUPRAGLAN. He has been on this for about 5 days. He seems to be panting much less & seems to be a bit more himself. He seemed to be going in to a depression before we went to the vet. The vet said that his life expectancy would be less then a year ~ and she didn't expect more then a few months.... Anyone who would care to share ~ I would greatly appreciate it... I did have a chance to speak with a friend who is a vet tech who said to prepare to say goodbye and that some vets will come to your home to allow your pup to be in their home to say goodbye. I am so sad and am just at a loss ~ is this pending doom or is there truly hope for more time? Ralph and I appreciate any thoughts you may have. He is the bestest bubba ever! i tried to add his picture ~ but i haven't been able to figure it out yet :( he is adorable <3

[frijole]

Boy am I glad you found us! :D I'm going to make your day.

Cushings is NOT a death sentence! My dog Haley was treated for 4 1/2 yrs and she died of old age at 16 1/2 so don't give up on your Bubba!

Trust me, if those drops you are giving or any other holistic approach would work we all would have used them and this site wouldn't exist.. but unfortunately there are two drugs that seem to work equally (though they work differently) and they are trilostane and lysodren. Anywhere that you read that those dogs are worse off is NOT true!

IT doesn't sound like your vet has much experience treating cushings - no way do dogs die after a year. Most dogs die of OTHER causes and when that happens varies.... We have seen dogs live a very very very long time so quit worrying about that and start focusing on learning about this disease! :p IT isn't as bad as you think, trust me.

So... from the sounds of it the symptoms are there... can you please share what tests were done to diagnose and the results? If you don't have them, either get a copy or phone them. ITs best to have copies in a file folder because you'll refer to them up the road and if your memory is like mine... you need the help. ;)

Don't worry, we'll help you and Bubba through this. Hang in there! Kim

[EskiLvr]

First off - welcome. I'm fairly new to this site myself, but the amount of information (and support) I've found here is invaluable.

Yes, the drugs (Lysodren and Trilostane) do have some scary potential side effects - but I can tell you from recent experience that you don't necessarily have to encounter any of them. Our Princess Penny just finished 10 days of high dosage Lysodren treatment, and she's a different dog in many ways. She can sleep through the night without needing to wake us up to potty (repeatedly), she's got a lot more pep in her step - even her eyes are brighter. And she definitely doesn't have a death sentence due to this - this is just one more issue we're having to manage, that's all.

Do you have any of the numbers from your baby's bloodwork? Sometimes having the numbers gives you a much more concrete idea of what you're dealing with - and sharing the numbers with this forum also helps the other members here give you more accurate feedback.

Hope this helps...

Kris
Mom to Princess Penny, Holly, Luke, and Murray

[addy]

Hi and Welcome,

I cried for , I don't know, months I think when I first heard the news that my beloved Zoe might have Cushings. This forum saved my sanity and my dog. I still cry but it is usually joyful or grateful tears.:)

It take awhile to go away, the overwhelming fear, but you will be fine. Start to learn all you can, read all you can.

We are always here for you for whatever you need.

Hugs,
Addy

[StarDeb55]

Welcome to you & Ralph! Ignore anything your vet has told you or that you have read on the web about a 2 year life expectancy. It's hogwash!!! My first boy, Barkley, was successfully treated with lysodren for nearly 8 years crossing the bridge at 15.

Lysodren & trilostane are both very serious medications, but they are lifesaving medications for our pups. Yes, they are serious meds, but when used by a vet experienced in treating Cushing's & a parent who has studied up & become knowledgable on either medication, there should be no problems. We see problems when a vet doesn't have the experience or knowledge to treat Cushing's, including how to use either drug, they start "flying by the seat of their pants", & the pup pays the price. When it comes to these "natural remedies" you see on the net, such as Supraglan, I'm sorry to have to tell you, they are simply snake oil & not effective. One of our administrators even contacted one of these companies asking them to provide documentation that their product was effective in lowering cortisol, they could provide nothing to demonstrate that their product is effective. As Kim said, if they were any effective natural treatments, all of us would have our pups using them in a split second.

In order to help you with the most appropriate feedback possible, & if you're comfortable providing the information, we would like to see the actual numbers for all test that were done to make the Cushing's diagnosis, including reporting units, & normal ranges. If Ralph had any routine labwork done, such as a super chemistry panel, please post only the abnormal values, along with reporting units, & normal ranges. Was diabetes & thyroid ruled out? I ask about these 2 as their symptoms overlap with Cushing's.

Does Ralph have any other health issues? Is he taking any medication or supplements, besides the Supraglan?

Sorry for all the questions, but we love information, & it just helps us to help you. We are here to help in any way we can.

Debbie

[apollo6]

Dear Ralph's Mom
Welcome to the forum. You have come to a loving , supporting and very knowledgeable place. We are hear to help. Like Addy, when I found out my Apollo had cushing January 2009, I was devastated. Will Apollo is still hear and is 12.75 years old. There is always hope.
Hugs Sonja and Apollo

[Tibetan-Mom]

Welcome! I know just how you feel. My Annie has just been diagnosed. She's 9. I was terrified until I found this wonderful site. I have gained so much knowledge in the past several days and feel so much better about what the future holds. Take some time to post your dog's symptoms and test results. You will be absolutely amazed by how much knowledge is here.

Cathy

[bev]

Welcome

I was also told Cushings was a death sentence by people who were uneducated on the subject. It is not. I lost my baby Max 2 weeks ago but it was not from Cushings, his Cushings was well controlled by trilostane.

The best thing that I did for my Max was to educate myself on the disease. Members at this site gave me the answers I needed but also gave me links to read for myself. I did not realize all the symptoms he had until he began trilostane and things got better.

I wish you the best of luck. Like many others have told you, you found the right site.

Bev

[Ralph's mama]

THANK YOU so much to everyone for being so supportive and kind in responding to my post about Ralph ~ you will never know how much it meant & how relieved i was to hear so many of you say that this isn't a death sentence! He is just struggling so much these days ~ not himself ~ the weight of the enlarged liver and spleen just seem to make it more difficult for him to move about. He also seems to have a lot of mucus form over his eyes ~ I clean it off at least 4 or 5 times a day ~ i don't see that as a symptom of cushings so i am not sure what to think of it. As far as numbers ~ what i do have from Ralph's testing is the print out of the billing ~ it tells me what was done, but as far as the numbers ~ they are in the vets records ~ i will be calling for them tomorrow to see if I can get them to post. He did have a ACTH Stimulation Test on June 30th and the vet said on the first blood draw they already knew that he was a cushings pup. She also said that his liver results were higher then could be calculated in the computer. He is not diabetic and does not have any other health issues. He did have cancer on a back leg last year that the specialist wanted to remove ~ we had the cancer removed ~ but I wouldn't allow his leg to be taken ~ he has not had a regrowth of the cancer at this time. The only supplement that i give him is the holistic one for the cushings. I am so sad that you all say that this won't help him. I had done alot of looking on line and that was one thing that seemed to be hopeful. His Cholesterol is very high ~ but I was told that this was due to the cushings. I am giving him fresh fruit and veggies ~ lean chicken breast and he loves yogurt. i have been just holding him and i can feel that his body is changing ~ he feels bony on his back and head, not the stocky guy he usually is. His coat is so much thinner ~ makes me cry ~ his personality fit the dreadlocks that he usually sports. I am so torn ~ I know that he is not improving, and i never want to have him hurt ~ how do you know? Our vet said that he is a "stoic" breed and he won't show much if he is suffering... :(
I am going to take the advice of so many who have said to find out all i can about the disease ~ i thought i had learned so much ~ but there is so much more and so many differentials between dogs:confused:
I will post the numbers as soon as i get them from the vet. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU for answering my post ~ i read everyone of them to Ralph as he sits here on my lap ~ we are both hopeful:)

[StarDeb55]

Your comments about Ralph having runny eyes makes me wonder about dry eye. Has he ever had a tear test? If not, I would suggest ask your vet to get his done ASAP. It's a very simply test where they place a small strip of paper in the corner of each eye to measure how far the tears travel in 1 minute. If Ralph is below normal, he does have dry eye, & will need to be placed on either cyclosporin or tacrolimus eye drops. Dry eye is just what it sounds like, the eye is not making enough tears to keep it lubricated. If left untreated for an extended period, corneal damage may occur that could lead to blindness.

Debbie