Attila-Calcinosis cutis, starting treatment w/ Lysodren..(Attila has passed on)

I am very, very new to this forum, but wanted to let you know that for years I have fed my boxers a raw diet. I stopped for the last few years because I got lazy. Working full time and being the taxi cab for my boys , was making it difficult to make the pick up times from my meat supplier. So I went to high quality grain free kibble. Since Barkley has been drinking and peeing so much( couldnt leave him alone for more than 2-3 hrs) I thought going back to a raw diet would be the best. I have to say that I am amazed at the decrease in his water consumption. It's almost back to normal, which means he doesnt have to go out side so often!

I know people have mixed feelings about a raw diet, but I have really found it helpful with my dogs. Either way, good luck with the lysodren. I will hopefully be starting on the same thing soon.

Raw, wet (canned) and home cooked diets have a much higher moisture content than kibble (dry feed) so it is to be expected to see a rise in water consumption when going to kibble from any of those three type feeds. ;)

Hi - I know this thread is old, but hopefully someone will get this. My French Bulldog, Attila has Cushings, has been on Vetoryl for a little over a month (under Dr. Bruyette's care) and has had the calcinosis for about a month. 2 days ago his hair started coming out in chunks on the back of his neck (w/ some blood from the skin attached). I have been cleaning the area daily, putting antibiotic ointment and have bandages and a t-shirt if we go out (as it looks pretty scary). It seems from the posts from Sabre's mom that it gets worse at first when meds are started but naturally clears up? Is there anything else I should be doing for him to help this heal? Can we expect the hair to ever grow back? I will consult with the vet, but I've found everyone on this forum to be the best consultants on the day to day issues in dealing with Cushings. Thanks for any input. Laura

Hi Laura,

There has been no activity on Bruiser' thread for over 2 years so I moved you post to Attila's original thread in order to keep all responses and history concerning your baby's journey in one place. I will also change the title of this thread to reflect the CC so those who deal with this will know and be more apt to chat about it. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Thank you so much Leslie - I couldn't figure out how to start a new thread with a new subject, so you have taken care of it all! Much appreciated.

Hi Laura,
My Boston has the dreaded CC. We tried a lot of things to help it, including over the counter ( human) antifungals and antibiotics, and various medicated shampoos.
I think what helped the most was an product called Dermarest, which is a (human) product for psoriasis that is 3% Salicylic acid that I got at the drugstore. It dries up the outer crusty shell part and just leaves a smoother bump.

I am following your thread because we are getting ready to start Lucy on Lysodren. Vetoryl did not work for her. She too has had issues with loose and or bloody stools in the past, so we are planning to give Pepcid before each dose.

Shelly and Lucy

Thanks Shelly - I will look into Dermarest. I have looked at many of the posts on CC, but can't find too much advice on how to best care for it. I imagine antibiotics are good to keep on it to avoid infection? It would figure that Attila's American cousin (a Boston) would have similar GI issues. For us, Flagyl always seemed to work and we have only been feeding Attila sweet potatoes, oatmeal and white fish- very bland. Good luck with the Lysodren - Unfortunately, Attila's body rejected it, but there's good information on here about dosing and administration.

Hello my fellow Cushings parents! Attila (9yr old Frenchie) has been on 30 mg. daily Vetoryl for over a year now. The results of his ACTH stimulation test last week were very good, however he has been drinking water excessively over the past month. He can hold his pee through the night, but he does pee more often in the day. His urine is sometimes yellow and sometimes clear. Has anyone had this happen?
Our vet (Dr Bruyette at VCA West LA) said that he could take an MRI to see if their is pressure on the "pituitary mass"(?). I said that before we go through that big procedure Id like to check his blood and organ function. He recommended a "plan panel" and urinalysis. As you can all probably understand, Id like to be proactive about this symptom in case it is linked to something more serious. Thank You for any input on this.

It's been a while since we heard from you, welcome back! Over a year that Attila's been in treatment for Cushing's! Wow time goes by so fast!

I see that an urinalysis has been done, what were those findings? Did the results come back for the plan panel, and if so, could you post them? Diabetes can come on suddenly, has this been ruled out? Also, would you post those recent ACTH stimulation test results for us?

Hopefully the reason for Attila's increased water/urinating will be figured out soon, you're doing such a great job with dear Attila!

Hugs, Lori

Welcome back to you and Attila! I, too, am glad to hear that you have had a very good year, but sorry to read about this new issue. I know you are in very good hands with Dr. Bruyette, and I hope that you will soon get to the bottom of things. I do not know what a "plan panel" is, however. Is it some type of special blood panel?

Marianne