Alivia was recently diagnosed with Cushing's - Alivia has passed

[MBK]

I am so very sad that I need this site, but since I do, I'm thankful that I found it. My 13 year old, 18 pound, Jack Russell Terrier, Alivia, was recently diagnosed with an Adrenal tumor causing Cushing's. She had dental surgery for 2 abscessed teeth and at a follow up appointment I told her dentist she did not seem to be herself, so she did blood work. Many of the values were outside of normal ranges so I took her to her internist for further testing.

Alivia had an ultrasound which showed an adrenal mass and that side was approx. 4x the size of the other one. She also had a Dexamethasone Sup. Test that day. A week later she had the full Adrenal Function testing (sent to U. of Tenn.). Post ACTH reslts were Cortisol-249.0, Androstenedione-7.84, Estradiol-65.4 (one in the normal range!), Progesterone-2.55, 17 OH Progesterone-3.25 and Aldosterone-414.5. I cried for two days and also started researching options. Her internist said she could attempt surgery or treat her with Lysodren. Because of Alivia's prior health issues and age, I am terrified to attempt the surgery. When Ali was 7 years old, she had IMHA and almost died. At the time there were no specialists in Pittsburgh, so I drove her back and forth to Ohio State University, where she was in intensive care several times. Long story short, she made a miraculous recovery but has some residual health issues, which she is still monitored for. She takes amlodopine for elevated blood pressure and a low dose compounded aspirin daily to help prevent any clotting issues. Lysodren therapy also seems impossible because Ali's tumor is apparently causing her levels to fluctuate - sometimes her appetite and thirst are increased, sometimes they are normal for days and every so often she has no appetite for several hours to a full day. There is no way I could accurately judge the loading dosage. Plus, I have read that dogs on Lysodren have an average survival time of only 16 months?

Ali still seems to have a good quality of life, but tires easily. My goal is to keep her as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. I adore this little dog! My regular vet suggested Trilostane, but my understanding is that although it does tend to lower the cortisol, it increases all the other hormone levels and may even cause the tumor to grow more rapidly. I have started her on melatonin (3mg 2x a day) and Flax Hull (SDG) lignans (about 20 mg per day) and am considering asking her vet to prescribe Ketoconazole. She took this before for a skin problem with no bad effects - in fact, in hindsight, she had no Cushing's symptoms while on Ketoconazole. For added measure, I started giving her The Missing Link Canine Food supplement. I'm desperate.

Sorry this post is so long, but I was trying to give some background info. My question is: Does anyone here have any experience using the combination of Melatonin, Flax Hulls (SDG) Lignans and Ketoconazole for symptom tratment in a dog with an adrenal tumor? Any insight into ANY of this would be greatly appreciated.

Moderator's Note: I have moved your thread to the main discussion forum where other members who are dealing with both forms of Cushing's will see your post, & drop by to respond to your questions.

[addy]

Hi,

Welcome to you and Alivia. I think we are all sad when we first come here but once we learn and become knowledgeable and have support from others walking in the same shoes, it somehow gets easier. I know you don't think that now. I am sorry to hear about your pup, it is so hard to hear the Cushings diagnosis but we have members that have had surgery and/or have treated with Lysodren. The moderators will all be along soon with questions for you. They will want to know what your test results were, if you can post them it helps. The more information you can give, the better; how much Alivia weighs, etc.

My Zoe is on melatonin and lignans and it has brought her estradiol down to normal and brought some of the other hormones down alot.

Hold tight and we'll get things sorted out with tons of good advice. Our administrators and moderators are pretty darn smart

Take a deep breath and if you feel like reading, our reference section has a lot of information.

Welcome again and I am so glad you found us.

Hugs,
Addy

[littleone1]

Corky and I want to welcome you and Alivia.

Corky has a right adrenal gland tumor and is being treated with Trilostane since he is not a good candidate for an adrenalectomy due to his age and other health issues. He's been on Trilo for 1 1/2years. Some of his intermediate hormones are slightly elevated, but they have not caused any problems for Corky. His tumor has increased in size, but the last ultrasound he had showed that the tumor was the same size as his previous U/S. Corky will soon be 14years old, and he still enjoys his walks every morning.

I know cushings is very frightening, but with treatment, our furbabies do live to their expected life span, and they do have a good quality of life.

Terri

[asgparrish]

I'm a newbie to the site so I can't really offer any advice (though I have read good things about melatonin and lignans).

I just wanted to let you know I'll be pulling for you and Alivia

Tammy

[MBK]

Thanks to each of you for your optimistic responses. I so needed to hear something good...or at least not so bad. Alivia is my first dog. I got her quite by accident when she was 8 weeks old. I wasn't looking for a dog; didn't even know I wanted one. I went to look at a house for sale and she was there with her mom and 2 littermates. I didn't buy that house, but I fell in love with her immediately and made arrangements to pick her up as soon as she was old enough to leave her mother! That was 13 years ago and Ali has been such a sweetheart and an important part of my family. I got a second JRT almost 11 years ago, too. His name is Maxwell and fortunately he has always been very healthy.

[Rene]

Welcome,

Addy is spot on. The knowledgeable folks here have a wealth of experience to pass on. They were right so many times when I questioned the information I was given by the professionals.

I don't have much to offer but I have a little experience with the Lysodren. Many pups here have gone on for several years on Lyso and my Snoop has only gotten better, when she probably would not be here without it. According to Dr. Oliver at UT it will also lower your hormones/intermediates.

I researched the Melatonin, Lignans and Ketoconazole at first also because my Snoopie got diagnoised with pituitary cushings, after her gall blatter and spleen were removed. Her elevated hormones reaked havoc on her organs! I was also concerned about the Lysodren being too hard on already delicate system. Her food and water habits were fluctuating also. (They must feel awful with elevated hormones. She is more constant now.) Unfortunately, her Estradiol was sky high along with everything else, so we had no choice. We tried the HMR lignans and melatonin but, she needed the Lysodren as well because she was so high.

I was told lysodren is a selective drug which only targets the outer cortex of the adrenal glands, blocking the the cortisol. That made me feel a little better...so we went ahead. When we got loaded it wasn't so much the water and other indicators but her attitude. I expected her to feel bad when I started loading her, as it is a chemotherapy drug. However, she actually started acting like her old self as her cortisol got into the normal range. As she got closer to the 1-5 ug/dl for loaded lysodren it was then I noticed that she became less active and was acting a little lethargic and less her old self. Thats how I knew she was loaded.

We had a few ups and downs as she had to be loaded twice as she didn't hold and we have had a hard time with her maintaince dosage. None of this was due to the Lyso...just learning experiences...and the sound advise of the group got us through. However, because of all of her other issues and in the long run not being able to judge her dosage the traditional way I have been able to tell easly by just her attitude and activity.

Sorry for the lengthy post but what I wanted convey was don't rule out the Lysodren just yet because you think you might not be able to judge if Alivia is loaded or you feel it may shorten her life. Lots of members have had great results with just a maintaince lysodren dose, lignans and melatonin for Adrenal Cushings.

The proper use of lysodren doesn't shorten or put an expiration date on our pups...Cortisol and Intermediates do!

Big Hugs to you and Ali,
Rene & Snoopie

[MBK]

Thanks, Rene. No need to apologize for a long post - I GREATLY appreciate everyone's insight and experience with this. I am fortunate to have good vets, but their opinions can vary and I really need to hear actual experiences from people who have been through this with their pets and which treatments worked and which ones not so much. I thought I had ruled out Lysodren, but you have given me reason to reconsider. What about Trilostane v. Lysodren for a dog with an adrenal tumor? Anyone have any opinions on this?

Thanks again, Rene. Happy Easter to you and Snoopie!

Grateful for advice,
Mary Beth and my sweet Alivia

[Maya]

I really do feel for you....Maya was diagnosed just a few days ago, so any advice from me would be like the blind leading the blind! I can offer hugs and moral support. Maya has been put on Vetoryl which is Trilostane. She has started off on a very low dose to see how she reacts to it. I suppose that it's a case of all dogs are different, so it's trial and error. We will just have to watch them like a hawk and have frequent follow up tests done to see if they are coping with the drugs ect.... Although it's very difficult, I am trying not to obsess about it cos it's not good for either of us.
Hugs from leah and Maya

[MBK]

Hi, Leah,

Sorry to hear you are also going through the same thing with Maya. What kind of dog is she? How old? Is her Cushing's pituitary or does she have an adrenal tumor, like Alivia?

We may not be able to offer any advice at this point, but since they were both diagnosed about the same time, we certainly can offer each other much need moral support!

Please keep in touch. I hope Maya's treatment goes well!

Warm thoughts,
Mary Beth and Alivia

[cairncrazy24]

Welcome from Jodi and Misty.. I cant offer much in knowledge. Misty just had her LDDS test last week. I will know results on Monday. Hoping for the best for all of our furbabies!