Calcinosis Cutis and Cushings (Peety has passed)

We had a good visit with Dr. Morgan. She loved Peety but she is stumped by his skin condition. She said she had never seen it. Calcium yes, but what he has now is not typical Calcinosis Cutis. She does not think he has cushings. 2nd Dr. to say that. Even seeing the report. She said yes, values elevated some but no symptoms of a Cush pup. She hasn't ruled it out. She is going to make some calls tomorrow and do some research. She said she would call me when she has something. She said everything I was doing was all good. She was surprised at how happy he was. He doesn't show any signs of distress even with his skin being so bad. It doesn't itch him. So all of this is atypical. But I am confident she will get to the bottom of this. Told her about the IM Dr and the Derm Dr. And that I was sorry that I had not come to her in the beginning. I know now, I will never go anywhere else. She's a real gem. So we will see. For now he is doing good and he is happy, so guess what?, that makes me real happy.:D:D:D

When our babies are happy we are happy!;):) I'm glad you found a vet for Peety that you really like. It is interesting that the vet doesn't think Peety has Cushing's. What does she think it is, or is that why she's doing research? There has to be something that can be done about that rash, but I guess they have to determine what it is first. Could it be a severe allergic reaction to something?:confused:
Hugs to you both,
Kathy

Hi Pat, so glad you had a good meeting with Dr. Morgan. Did you mention the black skin disease that we found on the net?

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Find a veterinarian who is familiar with black skin disease, and has experience with diagnosis and treatment. It takes an experienced veterinarian to diagnose this disease, as black skin disease can masquerade as Cushing's Syndrome

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Black skin disease, also called alopecia X and pseudo-Cushing's Syndrome, usually appears when a dog is between one and five years old, and causes severe hair loss, hyperpigmentation or darkening of the skin, and occasionally a foul odor.

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It's easy to see how some doctors might automatically go to cushings if this is what it is. I think it is something for Dr. Morgan to research at least.

That Peety is happy is the most important part of all of this. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

We talked about black skin disease. She will look into that as well. She wants to find out if there is something going on internally that is causing this. It may not be Cushing's. But it may be something else. She said her Cushing pups, did present Cushing symptoms. He does not have any symptoms associated with Cushing's. I refuse to believe that Peety has something that no one has ever seen or treated. It's baffling for sure, but there is an answer and I am determined to find it. And I know Dr. Morgan will help me do that. So for now, my lil guy is happy and when I see how excited he gets when we play ball in the backyard, I know he isn't pretending to feel good. He does and I love that. He makes my day and I am determined to make all of his happy and healthy.

Peety's#1 fan

Hey Pat, you go girl, I'm sure you will find out about Peety's condition, I love your determination, its inspiring....so glad to hear that Peety is happy!!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I wish it were simple. But it's not. My lil guy has a problem that so far is a mystery at best, but it is not a deal breaker. We don't stop looking just because we haven't found an answer yet. Hey, we're just getting started. :D:D:D

Peety's #1 fan

HI Pat and Peety! Your Dr Mogan sounds the bomb!! Yay I like how she is off researching what is best for your boy! Hoping she gets the answers real soon! Sounds like he is quite comfy though, that is all due to his Mom's diligence, your the bomb as well :) :)

Hi Pat,

I'm just curious as to whether Dr. Morgan has discussed Peety's abnormal kidney values with you in any detail yet? If they are being caused by Cushing's, then we could expect to see improvement once the Cushing's itself was treated. But if Cushing's ends up being taken off the table, then I would think you'd want to pursue some additional diagnostics regarding those kidney abnormalities. Just wanted to mention it again so that it doesn't fall by the wayside.

Also, I am again wondering why another vet seems to be dismissing the derm vet's actual biopsy result confirming the Calcinosis Cutis. Does Dr. Morgan think the biopsy was improperly analyzed? Or does she agree that it may be CC, but just not caused by Cushing's (although uncommon, there can be causes other than Cushing's/steroids)? Overall, I am confused about Dr. Morgan saying that it is "calcium," but not necessarily CC...

Marianne

Thanks for all the comments. The skin has changed since the biopsy was done. At that time it was definitely calcium pushed through the skin. It looked like lil warts and he was itchy all the time. Now it is black and very hard. Cannot penetrate it. He has 2 places, one on his side and the other on his back, by his tail. And the bald spots are also going away. His hair is coming back and it is even popping through the hard black skin. Which I still believe if it is not somewhat healthy underneath it would not have hair follicles that are growing. It's hard to explain. Dr Morgan hasn't seen this, in her experience CC is just calcium deposits on the outside of the skin.

I'm not sure what is going on with the kidneys. I have seen 3 Dr's and not one has reacted to that. Maybe because the Cushing's has always managed to be the topic of concern. But I will address this with her and see if she wants to do her own blood work to see where we are right now. I certainly don't want his health jeopardized because we didn't address all the issues presented with the blood work. I've learned to ask a lot of questions of these Dr's. Somehow I think they would rather you just nod your head in agreement to anything they say. But I can't do that. And Dr. Morgan's approach is to get the answers and I believe she will.

Thanks so much for this additional info. Now I understand much better why so many questions remain about Peety's skin. I've got my fingers crossed that you'll soon get some answers!

Marianne