I am greatful for your reply.
Ruby's mom
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I am greatful for your reply.
Ruby's mom
I read on another post you are having trouble navigating here. On the home page you will find a helpful resources section. It is full of information that is good to read. You can ask a million questions on your own thread, someone will be around to answer them. Each pup has their own thread, which is where they like all the information to go. If you can't find your thread because many people have been posting, just put your user name in the search box, and it will be easy to find. I hope this helps.
I am really stunned at the time & effort you have given me. My spirits are lifted a little and I am beyond greatful to folks I will likely never meet. I have a call into our vet now. God knows how broken I am. I have tossed all the things I was so hopeful for. She loves the pumpkin & yogurt and so it is just a treat when she runs and gets her dish and tosses it at me. Not too many calories. ( oh yes not pie filling, that can sits for me until thanksgiving!
Bless you & thank you I am learning as I go here.
Going to send a real time picture. Sleepy Ruby.
Hello and welcome. :)
As Leslie said the first thing is to get the cortisol level lowered enough to help with the cc. Now, not to be discouraging but it is one of the hardest and sometimes last thing to clear up with cushings. The eating, panting, peeing excessively will probably all clear up first. Do not be discouraged though, it can just take time and we are talking months, not weeks usually.
Have your vet do a skin scrapping to make sure that the cc hasn't gotten any infection, such as yeast in it. (that would require an antibiotic). Next we have had UDavis prescribe medicated wipes, a medicated shampoo, to help with another member dogs cc. This is again something to talk to your vet about.
Now, the vet themselves. We've had some vets who have said they are experienced in cushings and who turn out not to be. So, first, how many dogs with cushings have they treated, success rate, what drug to they use, do they know, understand and have used testing protocols for each drug. Depending on what drug your vet might prescribe to bring down the cortisol will depend on what you need to know specifically for your dog. Don't worry, we are here to help you with that as we have members who have used both.
Now, chin up :) You can do this and hopefully we'll get Ruby feeling better sooner rather than later and you too. It's a bit of a journey and we'll be right here every step of the way. Any questions, ask, someone will be around to answer. We have members all over the world, so people pop in and out at all hours.
Not a death sentence, okay. We've had members treat for many many years. So, lets not even go down that dark and dreary road. :)
Welcome to k9cushings!
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
My vet has said Ruby is in not a good candidate for drug treatments. The watching is so painful, the calsinosis is worse. We live in a town of 6000, not much help for me. In and out of tears.
The vet says the calsnosis will continue to spread. Has anyone seen it stop ..from spreading.
Ruby's mom
Honestly, please consider getting a second opinion. Especially being that your vet is baffled by the test results.
Thanks to this forum and the information provided here, I learned that the vets whom we were seeing were not knowledgeable enough with Cushings and we did seek the help of an IMS doc. Daisy Mae is now being treated successfully with Vetoryl (Trilostane).
IMS (small animal internal medicine specialists) vets have more experience with treating Cushings and most are willing to work with your local vet to educate them.
Please don't rely on one vet's opinion with this. Cushings is as difficult to treat as it is to diagnose and the fact that each dog responds differently makes it more complicated but it is not a death sentence.
Since you live in a small area, if you can't locate an IMS vet, I urge you to call Dechra (the manufacturer of Vetoryl) and arranging for them to confer with your vet in regard to the test results, how they were performed, and treatment options.
They have vets on staff that are experienced and many members of this forum have spoken with them.
Can you tell us why your vet doesn't think Ruby can handle Cushing's treatment? If her cortisol level is not lowered, it is sadly true that the calcinosis is likely to continue to worsen. But your best chance of getting it under control is to begin effective Cushing's treatment.Quote:
Originally Posted by alfred
How soon will you be heading to Arizona? Even if you have no other vet options in Alberta, we have several very active members and staffers who live in Arizona who can perhaps help you with a referral down there. The suggestion about calling Dechra (manufacturer of brandname Vetoryl) would normally be an excellent one, but unfortunately we've just learned that their U.S. office will not consult with Canadians.
But please don't despair. Unless there is a specific reason why Ruby cannot handle conventional treatment, I still have hopes that you can find her some competent help.
Marianne
Well that is an oddity to hear a vet say that a dog isn't a candidate for treatment, as we have dogs with all kinds of other issues that are also on cushings treatment. Usually you hear that they are not a candidate for surgery to remove an adrenal tumor.
Do you know if this is being caused by a pituitary or adrenal tumor? This would most likely have been verified via an ultrasound. Does Ruby displace any signs of confusion, not wanting to put her head down, falling? (neurological signs)
I'm not sure where you are at in Alberta, but you would probably need to see a vet Or a specialist in one of the larger town centers for a second opinion. This could be Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, etc, depending on where in Alberta you are located and if that is a possibility.
We often see vets in smaller towns that do not have enough experience (they just don't get that many cushings patients) with cushings and unfortunately the answer has usually been to seek help in a larger city.
Has your vet prescribed any medicated shampoo or wipes for the cc?
I assume you aren't heading to Arizona till the fall? But if Ruby can hang on till you get there, then yes you will likely be able to find a vet experienced in cushings, or one of our members might be able to point you in a direction and Dechra will help you if you just say you are in Arizona and your vet is in Arizona. Unfortunately everyone is right, here in Canada, Dechra will not have any communication with the owners, only with other vets and specialist.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Hi and welcome,
I am so sorry you are going through this and I don't understand your vet's position but maybe there is more to the puzzle than we know. Calcinosis cutis can also be cause by overuse of steroids- even eye drops with steroids, which is hard to believe but I just read a study about it.
When it is caused by Cushings, the only way to control it is to treat the Cushings. Is it a tough road, yes, but it can be done.
Here is a link for you to read about a pup with a severe case of it. It has a good outcome.
http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com....jsp?id=659278
Often times the pup has a secondary bacteria infection which needs to be treated with antibiotics. An antifungal, anti bacteria shampoo may also be needed.
I know it may seem hopeless right now and maybe your monetary resources are limited but please don't let the drugs scare you from treating your pup unless there are other health issues at play here that we have not been made aware of.
My Zoe was diagnosed with Cushings in April 2010. WE started Vetoryl /Trilostane In June of 2011. We have had many, many bumps in the road but she has had a good quality life, nonetheless.
And we are all here to help and support you.
My little Pia had calcinosis cutis and it was pretty itchy. I gave her Benedryl, which was fine with the vet, and I also shampooed her with Neutrogena T/Gel shampoo (it's an OTC human shampoo for psoriasis and itchy scalp) and that helped a lot. Her CC looked better and it dried up.