Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
Thats what i was thinking Sharlene. Of course i could be wrong, but hanging her head makes me rethink the macro tumor being the cause of all of her problems.
Today was my husbands first day back to work since Charlotte has felt better and she was pretty upset when he left. He is a truck driver and she was his travel companion. She lived for going in that truck. When he left she went into her bed and started tearing it apart. I had to get her mind off of it by getting her to chase a fake lizard! She settled down but it was kind of nice to see that she still wanted to go. Maybe she will get well enough for some short trips soon. I just worry...
Laurie
Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
Awww, she didn't like being left behind. I think that is a good sign. She wants to go and has a snit because he left her. Poor girl. Hopefully she can make some short trips with him as it seems to be something she loves.
Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
Tonight Charlotte has been pacing a lot and so i decided to see if she would run around putside for a few minutes to get some of that nervous energy out. I opened fhe door and said "go get the squirrel!" and she and my other dog went running out the door. Instead of going around the 2 foot tall flower pot she jumped and cleared it! Then she came in and jumped up on the bed with me! She hasnt been able to jump in a long time! Love seeing this, it gives me hope. :)
Laurie
Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
That is terrific and it should give you hope after so many days and nights of so much misery and worry. I know you are on the one day at a time plan, as am I, but it is wonderful to have great moments and great days with them. I hope they continue for a very long time. Thanks also for the cost estimates from UC Davis; they are about what I expected. Skippy took himself off of Vetoryl yesterday; he is not eating and I suspect it is the diarrhea; he has been sleeping pretty much since yesterday afternoon and is still asleep this morning so I will figure out what to do next shortly. Best to you and Charlotte.
Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
Quote:
Originally Posted by
LaurieS
Instead of going around the 2 foot tall flower pot she jumped and cleared it! Then she came in and jumped up on the bed with me! She hasnt been able to jump in a long time! Love seeing this, it gives me hope. :)
Laurie
You go, Charlotte!!!!
Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
Woo hoo! Get that squirrel - and don't let any ol' flower pot stand in your way! :D
Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
Thanks Carole, yes it's so nice to have good days especially after wondering if she would still be with us at this point. The vet really thought she only had about 3-4 weeks to live and that was 7 1/2 weeks ago. I'm not sure what to expect at this point. She seems to be improving since we put her on the herbal supplement but she is also still on the pred. Her skin is looking horrible so it sure would be nice if we could get her off of the steroid, if that is indeed what's causing it.
So sorry to hear that Skippy isn't doing well, I hope his diarrhea clears up soon!
Laurie
Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
I'm so glad Charlotte is better, overall, but so sorry about her skin!! I've seen your pic, and it does indeed look like CC to me, too. I'm hoping your vet is aware that supplemental steroids can cause calcinosis cutis in exactly the same manner as does elevated natural cortisol. So when he/she says, "it's the steroids," I'm not sure what is meant. Steroids usually help most other inflammatory skin conditions, not cause them. :confused:
That being said, it would take an actual tissue biopsy to definitively diagnose CC -- a simple skin scraping won't do it. Since I know finances are a big consideration, I don't know whether it's worth an actual biopsy or not. To me, it seems very likely that CC is the culprit, and in that case the only real help will be continuing to decrease the prednisone. In the meantime, here's a copy of a post made by another member who battled CC for quite some time. Maybe it can give you some suggestions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Renee
Hi and welcome. I am so sorry that you are dealing with CC. My pug was first diagnosed with CC in Oct of 2013. Before it was all said and done, she had open lesions from the top of her head to the base of her tail. She is now what I would call in 'remission'.
First, I'll just put this right out there - there is NO cure for CC other than bring the cortisol into proper therapeutic range and keeping it there long term. The proper range is a post of below 5 ug/dl. And, when I say long-term, I mean staying in range for months or for life. My pug stopped her meds for about a month during a bout of pancreatitis. In just 3 weeks, I saw lesions recurring.
There are things you can and should do to help manage the CC, but none of these items will cure it. They can help, that is all.
CC lesions are very susceptible to secondary infection, so I do suggest you run a course of abx on occasion, especially if things are looking particularly bad. In combination with the abx, I also suggest you add a high quality probiotic.
I did use tramadol for pain, as needed. I think they are painful. Or, at least they were painful for my pug.
You may be told that DMSO is a treatment. My personal belief is that it does nothing and is an outdated treatment. But, that is only my opinion, and there are those that have reported good results using DMSO. It will not cure the CC though, so don't think it will. It smells horrific and you'll need to wear gloves when using it. I used it on my pug for about 2 weeks then stopped. I could see it was doing nothing but making her uncomfortable and making my other pugs treat her like she had leprosy.
What I did find helpful for topical treatment was using tea compresses. Not tea tree oil! Just tea bags, like lipton or chamomile tea. I did clip the hair around the areas as well, to keep them open and exposed to air, and I did peal away the scabs that were ready to come off, otherwise they just rotted over the skin. I never covered the lesions up, although I understand covering them may be necessary to prevent your dog from itching them.
Another CC mom, Dawn, had success using a spray she purchased on amazon. I cannot recall the name, something like cetochlor? I think this helped keep infection down.
Some people have used weekly medicated baths. I'm not opposed to this. My personal choice was not to bathe my pug until her lesions were in a significant stage of improvement. I didn't think the sores needed anymore moisture and I didn't want anything else topical on them to irritate the skin more.
I actually think some time in the ocean may not be a bad idea, especially if the sores are crusty right now. If they are open and oozing, then I would not recommend it.
The lesions will bleed, crack, ooze, peel away, look raw and angry, then eventually start to dry out. When they begin to flake and dry out, I believe they are on their way to getting better. Also, keep in mind, they will get worse before getting better, and even as you bring the cortisol down, the lesions that are below the surface will continue to bust through and break open. This went on for about 6 months for us. Hopefully they will not be as angry as the ones that you may be dealing with now though.
Sorry I've typed so much. I'm working a lot right now, so I am not on all the time, but I always watch the CC threads.
Re: Questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis
Hi Laurie,
Cushing's, the disease full of unwanted gifts that just keep on giving. Skippy has not been beset with CC, yet, so I can't offer anything meaningful. I do wonder how you can reduce or stop the pred without Charlotte's symptoms increasing. So maddening and I'm thinking of you.
