Joined Today (Orlando has passed)

Orlando is my 8 year old GSD/spitz/collie mix. My vet and I have been anticipating a possible dx of Cushings and at this point will do the low dose dex test in the near future. If Orlando has Cushings, he will be my second dog with this condition, the first being an aussie who passed on 13 years ago. Very glad to have found this site as I felt like the first experience with Cushings was like swimming in molasses.....I never felt as if I had a clear overview of the condition and consequences despite treating Franco for 2 years with Lysodren.

Hi and welcome to you and Orlando!

Sorry for the reasons that brought you here but sure glad you found us.

Could you share more information about dear Orlando such as: what symptoms she is displaying; is she taking any other herbs/supplements/medications; how much does she weigh,; could you get copies of all tests that were done on Orlando and post those values that are marked abnormal? Thanks!

Gosh I am really sorry that you are having to go through the Cushing's journey again, but remember we are here and will help in any way we can, ok?

Hugs, Lori

Welcome to you and Orlando. What a cute name! I'm glad you found us because it would be horrible to go thru having a pup with Cushing's alone like you did with Franco. My hat is off to you. This time you don't have to do it alone. We are here and will be here every step of the way.

The guru's on this site are amazing and have so much first hand experience. They stay up to date on current information and will be a great blessing for you.

I know they will ask you to please post the results of any of Orlando's recent blood work, urinalysis, ultrasound, ACTH, LDDS, etc. with the reference ranges. You only need to post the abnormal results, but they would like to see the actual values with ranges for any ACTH OR LDDS if Orlando has had any of those done. If you do not have a copy of these, can you request them from your vet?

Again, welcome and I look forward to getting to know you and Orlando. :D

Thanks so much for the welcoming words! I do not have a lot of info yet. Over the summer, Orlando had his usual bloodwork and the ALP reading was in the mid 200s. Last week, it has gone up to the mid 600s. He does take thyroid medication for hypothyroidism, weighs 75 lbs, has become more lethargic over the last few months, pot-bellied tummy, not necessarily hair loss, intermittent panting. He hates taking anything and so we are not on any supplements. He will not use pill pockets or eat anything in his food, and he takes his thyroid meds with a little bit of Nurtical. About 10 days ago he had to have a minor procedure on an anal gland that would not empty and while nothing went wrong, he completely stressed out, refused to eat, became greatly agitated and all this prompted the new blood test as the dr suspected that the procedure had caused stress which had affected his liver.At that time he was on tram**** ( I don't know if your boards allow for the accurate spelling of narcotic drugs as some don't), rimadyl, amoxicillin, and finally Flagyl. Now he is off of everything but the Flagyl. I have postponed the low dose test as he is just now relaxing a little bit and the 9 hours at the vet's will put him into another tailspin. My vet told me that there are better drugs now than Lysodren, and I assume that means Vetoryl. Is that the opinion of the boards? I will get the other results as they come in and post them.

When a dog has Cushing's their body is producing excessive amounts of cortisol. There are two forms of spontaneous Cushing’s, pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH) and adrenal-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADH).

The Cushing's is caused by a tumor that is located on the pituitary or the adrenal gland. Most dogs, 85% of them, have the pituitary type (PDH) while 15% have the adrenal form (ADH), and rarely some dogs do have both.

Now, Cushing's can also be caused by a overuse of a steroid, such as prednsione which is known as Iatrogenic Cushing's. With this type of Cushing's a dog can display the same symptoms as the naturally-occurring Cushing's while the only treatment for Iatrogenic that is needed is to slowly taper the steroid use.

The two medications generally prescribed for canine Cushing's are Lysodren/Mitotane and Vetoryl/Trilostane. They are strong drugs and one drug is no safer than the other, adverse effects are usually not seen unless the proper treatment protocols are not followed. Also, as you probably already know, the medications do not cure Cushing's they are given to help abate the symptoms from Cushing's and to lower that elevated cortisol to within the therapeutic ranges. Either drug can be used to treat the pituitary or adrenal type of Cushing's.

The clinical symptoms commonly seen in dogs with Cushing's are a ravenous appetite, drinking buckets of water and peeing rivers, skin/hair issues, and a pot-bellied appearance. Has Orlando's drinking and urinating increased? How about his appetite?

I hope my overview about Cushing's was helpful and didn't confuse you. I am providing some links from our Resource Forum where we have a wealth of information regarding Cushing's. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask them, ok? ;)

Oh, and yes, it is allowed to post all medications that one's dog is/was taking, whether they are narcotics or not. :)

Hugs, Lori

Trilostane/Vetoryl Information and Resources

Lysodren loading Instructions and related tips

Links to Cushings Websites (especially helpful for new members!)

Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs

Thank you for that very clear and concise overview and it did answer many of my questions, especially about the meds. I will study this community and read all the information you have recommended. Orlando does drink quite a bit of water, and does pee a lot, but his appetite is the one area on question. He loves Trader Joe's chicken jerky (for dogs, not made in China) for a treat, but usually eats his dinner several hours after it is put on the floor, sometimes in the middle of the night. After his recent procedure he stopped eating entirely for several days, necessitating another vet visit, but his appetite seems to be returning.

Hello and welcome from me too.

You mentioned his ALP, but was there any other abnormalities in his blood work?

There are a couple of compouding pharmacies who make trilostane into treat form, I think chicken flavor(?) which might be an option if this is cushings.

I don't have a copy of the bloodwork yet, the vet told me that there were no other abnormalities. I appreciate the info about the med as I am starting to research prices/options. The only "non-Cushings" symptom which is still troubling us is his disinterest in food. Thanks so much for the reply.

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Originally Posted by lalosmom

The only "non-Cushings" symptom which is still troubling us is his disinterest in food. Thanks so much for the reply.

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There is a small percentage of dogs with Cushing's that do lose their appetite instead of it becoming ravenous. I'm pretty sure one of our Administrators, Marianne (labbab), her sweet boy Barkis did lose his appetite when he had Cushing's.

I appreciate you mentioning that, and I had been reading some older posts by labbab, as it then might make Orlando consistent with a Cushing's dx. I am going to try to schedule the test in the near future; it will be stressful for him to stay at the vet for so long, but it has to be done.