My dog has had Cushings for over a year...high dosage...would love information!

Thank you Marianne!

In terms of symptom control his skin looks the best it's been in a long time and even some fur is growing back which is nice. He still drinks and pees a lot but not uncontrollably. My main issues with him now would be that his bones sometimes give a crack when he gets up after laying down for a while but he is still able to jump on the bed and do all of those things. Continuing with 1 Dasuquin soft chew each day. Also, he does have some fatty deposits/lumps showing up but the vet said they are fine??

Also they just got back to me on the tests...Jet's numbers continue to look good so no changes to his meds.

PRE - 2.7
POST - 5.7 (LOW) - but she didnt seem to think this was a problem, so no meds change

Urine -
Protein - 42.1
Creatinine - 35.3
Ratio - 1.2 (High)

URINE P:C RATIO INTERPRETATION ---------------------The urine P:C ratio must be evaluated in conjunction with urine sediment findings as gross hematuria or inflammation can cause elevated ratios.
Urine P:C ratios >/= 0.5 in dogs & cats indicate overt
proteinuria and are evidence of persistent renal proteinuria when found repeatedly (3 or more samples obtained 2 or more weeks apart) and are unable to be attributed to a pre-renal or post-renal cause. The urine microalbumin test is a more sensitive test and will be positive before overt proteinuria is detected.
In dogs, persistent renal proteinuria with urine P:C ratios >/= 2.0 is usually due to glomerular disease.

Let me know your thoughts, if any :)

Best,
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer! Yep, those ACTH results look good so I wouldn’t be changing the medication, either ;-). Good job.

As far as the fatty lumps, or “lipomas,” all my Labs have developed them as they aged. They truly are generally nothing to worry about. We had to have a large one removed from our Cushdog, Barkis, because it was right behind one of his front legs and was interfering with his gait. But both of our girls have had large fatty lumps, too, that we just left alone. My Luna now has a big one on her flank that hubby affectionately refers to as her “hockey puck” — it’s that big now! But it doesn’t bother her at all, so we just leave it alone.

As for the urine results, this test did indicate some protein loss. Protein ought not to be showing up in the urine under normal conditions. However, “proteinuria” can be caused by several different issues, including primary kidney problems. As it turns out, though, Cushing’s is a disease that can secondarily cause protein to leak from the kidneys into the urine. If the level of protein is high and continues for a lengthy time, some degree of kidney damage can result. For this reason, it’s good that your vet is keeping an eye on this. If Jet continues to exhibit proteinuria in subsequent tests, then your vet may very well add some more oral medication to his regimen. If she’s said nothing about this yet, I’m guessing it’s because she wants to wait and see whether or not the protein loss persists or worsens.

So overall, I think this is a good report, though. Continuing best wishes to you and Jet, and please continue to update us as time goes on.

Marianne

Thank you so much, Marianne, your reply is so appreciated. I am so thankful I am here. I will definitely keep everyone updated!

Has Jet's blood pressure been checked lately? Elevated blood pressure can weaken the blood vessels in the kidneys. This decreases their ability to reabsorb to protein, which flows into the urine.

Lori

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Harley PoMMom

Has Jet's blood pressure been checked lately? Elevated blood pressure can weaken the blood vessels in the kidneys. This decreases their ability to reabsorb to protein, which flows into the urine.

Lori

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Hi Lori! You know what, I am not sure actually...when is that normally checked? Is it normally done during a Stim test? I can call to ask...

If it wasn't, I guess I will need to make sure it is at his next exam?

Thanks for the tip.
Jennifer

For optimal results, blood pressure checks are done when no other tests are going to be performed, one wants their dog to be as calm as possible. When I had my Harley's BP checked, the tech would put us in a room and no one would come in for 10 minutes, I would try to calm him down as much as possible, he didn't like going to the vets, can't say I blame him. They would take at least 3 readings and average them, we found that one of his paws was more favorable to him than the others so they always took the readings from that particular paw.

Hugs, Lori

Good to know. That seems almost impossible since Jet gets so freaked out every time he has to go. I will inquire with my vet though. Thanks for the tip!

Hi all,
Jet will be going for his next stim test next week. It will be a little bit of a different type of visit because they want me to drop him off for the day. I believe the specialist is not doing regular appointments that day but they are making a exception for him?

Anyway...I really need them to do this urinalyses. Jet seems to be whining a bit at night to go out, and sometimes he just pees and pees even after not having much water. The last 2 times he would not let them do it. I am wondering if i will need to sedate him to get this test done. I am worried something else may be going on!

I also will check in again regarding his BP because that's another good tip.

Wondering if there is anything else I should be checking. I will report back with results.

Thanks!
Jennifer

Hi All,
Jet had his stem check up last week. The results came back great at Pre 2.3 and Post 2.8. The vet is going to check him in 3 months and thinks we're getting close to lowering his dose, which would be great.

I brought in some urine samples that I had kept in the fridge (eww) and this is what she said on the results on email:

His urine showed no protein!!! So we can put that to rest for now. ​It does show he is drinking in excess despite very good control of his Cushing's disease. In his case it could be anxiety driven OR it could still be related to the Cushing's disease as there is a small number of cases that despite adequate control remain apt to drinking and urinating in excess. There is something we can try for this (DDAVP injections) if you think this is still an issue affecting your and his quality of life. If so we can discuss if further when I return to the office.

Is anyone familiar with the DDAVP injections and do you recommend it?

Jet urinates a lot when he does go out, no matter the timing. He doesn't really beg to go out unless its in the evenings (like right now), and I always think he has a UTI but I guess not! It's just strange.

Thanks for all of your help.

Oh and I forgot to have his blood pressure checked, ugh! Unless they did that with the exam...sort of wish they did because the visit was $660 :( :( :(