honey, 9 year old miniature yorkie

[jfrancey]

Hi everyone. I am new to this forum and looking for some help. My 9 year old miniature Yorkshire terrier was diagnosed with Cushing's disease today. Over the past few months she had become very grumpy and snappy and was vomiting and had diarrhoea a lot. She was also urinating in places she normally wouldnt. Last week we took her to the vets for the first time since she was a puppy. She was given antibiotics for her upset stomach. Since then she was barely eating or drinking at all. We took her to the vets today where blood tests showed she either had Cushing's or liver failure. Although she had no symptoms of Cushing's she was diagnosed with it after further tests. She weighs 1.6kg and is to be given 10mg of vetoryl a day. Although the vet said this medication could kill her. Any advice or experience would be appreciated.

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome to you and Honey.

Cushing's is difficult to diagnose and based on what little information you have given us, I definitely would question the diagnosis. Cushing's progresses at a snail's pace so you have plenty of time to make sure the diagnosis is correct. I will tell you that vomiting and diarrhea are not symptoms of cushing's. They are however symptoms of pancreatitis and many other non adrenal illnesses that, unless addressed and resolved with appropriate treatment, can skew the diagnostic tests for cushing's. Both the LDDS and ACTH stimulation test can yield a false positive result if there is anything else going on that's adding stress. It would help us greatly if you could please round up copies of all testing that was done and post the results here. With respect to the blood chemistry and complete blood count, we only need to see the highs and lows and the normal reference ranges.

Honey is extremely tiny and I would be hesitant to start her on 10mg of Vetoryl. Unfortunately that is the lowest dose available and as I recall, the manufacturer didn't recommend giving Vetoryl to tiny dogs but can't remember the minimum weight. If Honey were my dog, I would make absolulely certain she has cushing's and if she does, I would see if there was any way to have the 10mg repackaged by a compounding pharmacy or I would ask for compounded Trilostane at a more appropriate dose for a 1.6kg dog.

I'm sorry for the reasons that brought you here but I'm really glad you found us.

Glynda

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Honey!

Sorry for the reasons that brought you here but glad you found us. It would help us a great deal if you could get your hands on copies of all test results and post any abnormalities that are listed (low/high), as an example: ALT 150 U/L (5-50)...Thanks! We are especially interested in the results of any diagnostic tests for Cushing's.

Cushing's is one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose and unfortunately, it is also one of the most misdiagnosed. There isn't just one test that is conclusive, so a vet has to rely on more than one diagnostic and validation test.

Non-adrenal illnesses such as diabetes, any thyroid issue, liver problems should be ruled out before running any Cushing tests. Diabetes, thyroid and liver problems do share some of the same symptoms as Cushing's and non-adrenal illnesses can create false positive results on all Cushing tests.

Strong symptoms play a huge part in the diagnosis of Cushing's and since Honey is not showing any obvious clinical signs of Cushing's, if this were me, I would not start treatment as of yet.

If a dog is suspected of liver issues a bile acid test can be performed to see how the liver is functioning. Has the vet mentioned having an ultrasound performed on Honey? Was an urinalysis done, and if so, could you post those results?

Please know we are here to help in any way we can so do not hesitate to ask all the questions you want.

Hugs, Lori

[Trixie]

Welcome to the board,
You would not want to give this dog Vetoryl if she's got any signs of tummy trouble. You would also not ever give it if your dog does not need it. It doesn't sound like the diagnosis for Cushings was made in the correct way. The two posts before mine explain how hard it is to make the diagnosis of Cushings and all the other things your dog could have.
You don't want to make your dog worse by starting a very powerful medication that she may not need. It could be a very bad scenario.

One of the very prevalent symptoms of Cushings Disease is massive amounts of drinking , way more than usual, and you mentioned your dog is barely drinking at all. Most dogs with Cushings are also super hungry...again way more than usual and your dog is not eating. Those two reasons alone would have to make you pause and re-evaluate whats going on.
You can't go by this blood test alone. You must test further before coming to this conclusion, even if the vet believes it's so. At least one of the more definitive tests should be performed before you take any steps with medications.

Barbara

[gatorgirl_bama]

Good morning. I wanted to see if there was any news on Honey. I'm keeping her in my prayers.

Donna