Cushing's diagnosis - Sweet Iris has passed

[molly muffin]

You said she didn't take the dose last night. Are you doing twice a day dosing? Or giving once a day? (if only doing once a day, then give in the morning with food. Tests need to be done 4 - 6 hours after the medication is given, and if you give once a day at night, then you don't get accurate test results the next day)

Either way. 30mg is too much to start her off at. Should have been 17mg optimally, but 20 would have been better than 30 if going with vetroyl. The symptoms are all the common symptoms of over dosing. Many dogs need to at the very least have the medication introduced into their systems gradually.

Typically after an over dose, you wait till symptoms return and then start at a lower dosage. It might be she would also need what they call resuce dose of prednisone. The IV is usually to get the potassium and sodium (electrolytes) regulated to normal, but if cortisol is too low, they might still need the prednisone) Did your vet discuss this with you?

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Sweet Iris]

Hi, thanks everyone for your thoughts and input. Well Iris went to the vet and received IV fluids, he also put her on Furosemide. She is still having rapid breathing, and loss of appetite. She also has been sounding congested and you can feel it when you put your hand on her. CHF? I don't know but I did get her to eat a few bites tonight. She is drinking little water and I believe it's because she starts gagging every time she drinks. Just giving her lots of love and support right now and praying she starts feeling better. If she starts doing well enough the plan would be to start at a lower dose of the Vetoryl or Ketoconazole. I am really not sure at this point. They did more blood work today to check electrolyte's and her potassium was low so he gave me a gel to give her once a day. The dose on the Furosemide is 12.5 mg once in the morning. He is hoping this will help her breathing. I did get a copy of the blood work. They did not do a ACTH test on her. Thanks everyone for your support.

[Sweet Iris]

She was on once a day Vetroyl. She was given it at night with food. The fact that she may have had a cortisol crash was never mentioned, (Molly Muffin). Will she be ok if her the levels did fall to low? How long do the side effects typically last?

[doxiesrock912]

Every dog is different. Please watch for lethargy, vomiting - if these happen call your closest emergency vet right away. Do not give her anymore Vetoryl until she is back to normal and exhibiting Cushings symptoms again. Then insist that they do an ACTH test and start on the lowest possible dose twice a day. Don't be discouraged if it takes several rounds of dosing changes and ACTH tests to find the right dose. This is not uncommon.

Please read through the links under the helpful resources section, they are invaluable and have helped many people recognize when their vets are off tract with treatment.

I have read that Ketoconazole is only affective in a small percentage of cases.

[Sweet Iris]

Thank you so much!

[doxiesrock912]

No problem,
We all started out where you are now :-)

Educating yourself is a must with this disease and the information that you'll learn here is invaluable.

[Sweet Iris]

One thing I have been forgetting to mention is that her blood has been really thick. They are having a hard time running it through their machine? Anyone know why? This scares me.

[Harley PoMMom]

Since her potassium was low her cortisol could of dropped too low also. If they are not giving her any steroid substitute, like prednisone, I would ask them to at least perform a resting/baseline test, which is the "pre" of an ACTH stimulation test. If the pre number is low than she will need some sort of steroid which could perk up her appetite.

Hugs, Lori

[Sweet Iris]

Yes, I have learned a lot about this disease in a very short time. I will continue to read. I really like this forum because you get input from other peoples experiences which is more helpful then a one size fits all information site. Thankful I found this site!

[Harley PoMMom]

One thing I have been forgetting to mention is that her blood has been really thick. They are having a hard time running it through their machine? Anyone know why? This scares me.

I would say that she is dehydrated, she needs more hydration and if she is not drinking water on her own than she needs to get fluids through an IV.