Olde English Bulldogge with Calcinosis Cutis (Vetoryl)

[BulldogAnnie]

Checking in.....

My Olde English Bulldogge was diagnosed about a month ago when our vet did a biopsy on her skin and the biopsy lead to a diagnosis of calcinosis cutis. The week following (almost three weeks ago) was her first STIM test. She came in at 49.6.

I am waiting to hear back from my vet to make sure she can do her follow up stim test this Sunday.

She is on Vetoryl, 30 mg in the AM. I am beside myself thinking that they are going to have to increase her medication after this weekend.

Why is everyone so scared of Cushing's medication???? Well, heck, I read the pamphlet which totally sucked as far as statics, but in general it just scares me something awful

[doxiesrock912]

Ask the vet about splitting the dose in half. Many dogs do better with an am and pm dose. This may help enough so that they won't have to increase by alot.

[goldengirl88]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry your baby is having troubles. You are right to be concerned about changing the dosage this soon. There are tests that need done in order to diagnose Cushings, not just one. I am concerned you have had only one test at this point and already treating the dog. I think if it were me I would back up and get the testing completed. Your dog will get an LDDS, ACTH, Urine, Blood, and ULtra Sound. Not only do you need to find out if your dog has Cushings, as many other diseases mimic Cushings symptoms, but you need to find out what type of Cushings your dog has so you can use the proper treatment for it. There is Pituitary, Adrenal, and Atypical. This is a difficult disease to diagnose and must be treated carefully. These are powerful drugs you do not want to give unless necessary. Please tell us the weight of your dog, the symptoms your dog is presenting with, and all abnormal results from the tests you have had done along with the guide the lab gave for normal as all labs are different. After we see all the numbers it is easier to help you and guide you on what needs done. You are at the right place for help, so others will be on to greet you and help you also. We are here to help and support you thru this so please ask questions of the forums. You need to educate yourself as much as possible as you are the only advocate your dog has, and you need to understand what is going on. Never put blind faith in anyone, even your vet. Very few vets understand, can even diagnose correctly, and treat correctly so you must be up on all things about Cushings. This panel has the experience to guide you correctly, we have all lived thru this so we all started where you are too. Blessings
Patti

[labblab]

Hello and welcome from me, too! Normally I also urge people to proceed with a battery of testing before commencing with treatment. But with such a highly elevated ACTH result and also calcinosis cutis confirmed by biopsy, I think there is little doubt but that Annie suffers from Cushing's and I would want to jump on treatment just as quickly as possible so as to try to get a handle on the skin problems.

Can you tell us how much she weighs? Given her breed, I am guessing the 30 mg. dose was indeed a reasonable place to start, and this ACTH test near the 30-day mark will be a prime factor in determining whether or not a dosage change is in order. So at this point, it sounds to me as though your vet is proceeding as recommended.

I do understand that this whole process is very scary. But if the ACTH results indicate that an increase is warranted, I hope you won't feel too worried. Dosage changes are very common and mean nothing other than the fact that, given the way in which your dog metabolizes the drug, a different dose will be optimal. Weight is really only used as a guideline for the initial dose. Since every dog metabolizes the drug in his/her own way, all future dosing is based on lab results and symptom resolution as opposed to weight. Two dogs weighing the exact same amount may end up requiring very different doses. But this is not anything that is surprising nor worrisome in and of itself.

So please feel free to continue to ask us questions, and we will be anxious to hear how Annie continues to proceed.

Marianne

[BulldogAnnie]

Sorry for not answering promptly....haha....I didn't know how to use this site so I am still trying to find my way around.

Zoey is actually on 60 mg of Vetoryl, not 30 mg. She had her 2nd STIM test (while there the vet did comment that her calcinosis is healing....to me, no, cause it was one little spot when the biopsy was done but now it is from her neck to her tail) and her results of her post-ACTH serum cortisol test were 10.8. To stay at 60 mg, it would have to be no more than 9.

Zoey turned 8 on 12/20 and she weighs 60 pounds.