cushing and renal failure-- HELP NEED INFO FAST!

[fmtoreador]

Hi
Please can someone help me.. my dog has cushing disease. Very high her ACTH test was ..over 1000 and she has renal failure.
What can I do for her? any holistic treatment? what her diet should be?

PLEAS PLEASE HELP>. ANY INFORMATION WELCOME

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi and welcome!

Ok, first thing to do is take a deep breath and slowly let it out. Do this several times until you can relax just a bit. Just keep breathing - that's real important to us humans, ya know. ;):D

Now for something to keep your mind busy for a bit - get in touch with your vet and get copies of the testing that was done to arrive at these diagnoses - the Cushing's and the renal failure. Post the results here - just the highs and lows on the blood work where you will see things like ALP, BUN, cholesterol, etc. Be sure to include the normal ranges for each value and the units of measurement which are things like ug/dl, mnol/L and so on. Post all the info from the Cushing's test, including any comment following the results.

Tell us more about your baby - how old? how much does he/she weigh? what breed? any other health issues? on any meds, supplement, herbs, etc? The more you can tell us the better feedback we can offer.

Are you breathing?

You have found a great place to land...a safe, knowledgeable, caring place. You will not be alone. We will be with you all the way. Keep your chin up and BREATH.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[labblab]

Hello and welcome from me, too!

Leslie has already gotten things off to a great start. From the number you have posted for your dog's ACTH results, I am guessing you are writing from a country that reports the results in units of nmol/l. If so, your baby's result would translate into approx. 36 ug/dl, which is the unit used most often in the U.S. That result is indeed consistent with Cushing's. But it truly will help us a great deal if we can find out more about your baby's health history, symptoms, and testing.

Thanks so much in advance for any additional info you care to share.

Marianne

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry that your dog has some troubling issues and we'll try to help in any way we can but we are going to need more information from you.

Here in the state the acth stimulation test results are in unit of measurement called ug/dl and because your dog's result was 1,000, I am assuming that you live in the UK or Canada and the unit of measurement is the nmol/L, right? If so, that converts to 36 ug/dl which is quite high. Can you round up copies of all testing that was done to diagnose both cushing's and renal failure and post the abnormal values here?

As for diet, dogs with cushing's should be on a moderate good quality protein, low fat diet. However, if a dog is in end stage renal failure, protein is usually restricted as well as any other food that is high in phosphorus. Dogs in end stage renal failure will have abnormally high elevations in BUN, creatinine and phosphorus. If you can get a copy of the bloodwork and post the results it will help us understand your dog's issues.

There really aren't any holistic treatments that effectively reduce cortisol levels; however, they may be able to improve the symptoms. What symptoms does your dog have?

Glynda

P.S. I was called into a meeting while typing this post and see that both Leslie and Marianne posted while I was gone. Please excuse any duplication.

[mytil]

I wanted to add to what the others mentioned...if your dog is experiencing renal failure, Cushing's medication should not really be given.

Have you started any medication at this point and if so what type of medicine are you giving? And how much?

If your dog is in distress, IMO I would get your dog to an emergency vet to start fluids.

Regarding diet, it should be low protein. I fed my girl a low protein diet.

Please keep us posted
Terry

[Tundra's Mom]

Hi, and welcome, fmtoreador :)

I am new here too. My name is Annie (Tundra's Mom).

You have come to the right place, I have already found this to be a very caring and informative site.

I'm sorry about your baby. I just want to welcome you, and to let you know that you are not alone.

Hugs,
annie (Tundra's Mom)