Jed (9 y/o Male Vizsla) - Cyberknife for pituitary macrotumor (Jed has passed)

[Jed's Mom]

I have an 8 year old Male Vizsla named Jed. Since Jed turned 5, I take him for annual blood work to check his levels. Jed's blood work was always normal until September 2013. Results showed elevated Liver levels. His ALT(SGPT) level was 134 and his Alk Phosphatase was elevated at 280. His Cholesterol was also elevated at 328 and Triglycerides were 643. Also his Lyphocytes were somewhat low at 660. My Dr recommended taking Jed for an ultrasound. The Ultrasound didn't show anything on the liver but showed a nodule on his spleen and both Adrenal Glands were enlarged. I was sent home with milk thistle and was told that it could be early Cushings.

6 months later, April 2014, I had Jed's blood work done again. He was now showing signs of Cushings..excessive thirst, urination and ravenous appetite, especially at night time. Now his ALT(SGPT) level was 220 and his Alk Phosphatase was elevated at 1532! His Cholesterol also went up to 486 a Triglycerides were normal but other levels were elevated and his Lyphocytes were much lower at 384.

My vet believes that Jed is going down the road to being diagnosed with Cushings but says that the next step would be the low dose dex test. We talked about Cushings diagnoses and what that meant and medication and other options. The way she described treatment and side effects and how if we treated him for cushings and he did not have cushings or if we treated him with the wrong levels we could make things worse scared me enough to look into other options...

I have been taking Jed to a Holistic vet for the past 3 yrs or so. I started when he pulled a muscle and I didn't want to put him on pain meds/muscle relaxers...They have upset his stomach in the past. Jed responds well to Chinese treatment and herbs so I felt like I wanted to investigate this avenue for treating his Cushings..if it is Cushings. Has anyone else decided to go this route? At the advice of my Holistic Vet I have changed Jed's' diet. He no longer gets kibble and eats mainly wet,rolled and home cooked. In two months of changing his diet, Jed went from 63lbs to down to 54 but he is now back up to 57lbs. I thought Cushings dogs were suppose to gain weight? In addition to the excessive thirst, Jed has started to shake or Tremor. He has always done this when afraid but now I see him doing it when he is just sitting or laying down. My Holistic Vet says this is a sign of liver deficiency. And his appetite has gone way down. He no longer wants to eat everything but just a few specific things.

I took Jed back to the vet again yesterday for more blood work and I am awaiting the results. I joined this site for some advice and guidance. This is my 1st dog and my 1st experience with Cushings. I don't even know for 100% if it is Cushings but the test results are surely pointing to it. And if not Cushings , what else can it be?

Thanks!
Lisa Z

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Lisa,

Welcome to you and Jed, I am glad you found us and we will help in anyway we can.

Those values you listed (ALT, ALP...etc) could you edit your post and add the reference ranges along with the units of measurement...as an example; ALT 150 U/L (5-50)...thanks! I take it that diabetes has been ruled out, right? Was an urinalysis done, and if so, could you post those findings?

Dogs with Cushing's generally have a ravenous appetite, they're like hoover vacuums hovering to get any crumb they can, they also pee rivers and drink buckets and buckets of water, Since Jed has lost his appetite I am questioning whether he has Cushing's. Liver issues can cause an increase in a dog's drinking/urinating and can cause inappetence. Has the vet mentioned getting a bile acid test done to see how the liver is functioning? Any chronic illness can cause the adrenals to become enlarged so a Cushing's diagnosis should not be made because of enlarged adrenal glands and elevated liver enzymes.

When a dog has Cushing's their body is producing excessive amounts of cortisol. The two most prescribed medications for Cushing's are Trilostane/Vetoryl and Mitotane/Lysodren. These medications lower the amount of cortisol a dog's system can make. I know of no other holistic herbs that can lower cortisol to the therapeutic ranges that are needed.

After you receive the results of the most recent test/s that were done could you post them for us...thanks! Is Jed taking any other herbs/medications/supplements?

Please know we are here for you both and if you have any questions, do ask them, ok?

Hugs, Lori

[Jed's Mom]

Lori, Thanks for replying! I am looking for experienced help/advice and I know I will find it here.

We did a urinalysis back in April and hey said the results also pointed towards Cushings. I don't know the right questions to ask.

I brought Jed back to the vet again yesterday because he used to have a ravenous appetite but that has changed in the past couple of weeks along with the tremors I mentioned. His liver levels have gone down but they are still high. But my vet is more concerned about his white blood cell count, it is low. She asked if Jed has had a tick recently and he did about two weeks ago. We are going to do a Lyme test in a next few weeks..the one we did two weeks ago was negative. But I think that would explain his sluggish mood and lack of hunger/energy.

I dropped off another urine sample so when I get those results I will post here. Jed's thyroid is also low. I think normal is between 2-4 and Jed's is .6.

Jed is on a few herbs, Rehmannia and Da Bu Yin are the main ones. Also probiotics and vitamins .

No one has ever mentioned diabetes to me...

Thanks again! I should have his blood work and urine results back on Monday.

-Lisa

[Harley PoMMom]

When my vet does a wellness blood panel on my furbabies they also have an urinalysis done. On the urinalysis report the urine specific gravity (USG), PH, color, and other various levels are looked at. Most dogs with Cushing's have diluted urine, which means that their USG is low.

Another urine test that can be used as a screening test for Cushing's is the UC:CR (urine cortisol to creatinine ratio). If the UC:CR result is negative, more than likely the dog does not have Cushing's disease and other illnesses need to be looked into.

We are interested in any test results that were done on Jed, the more recent the better, and as I mentioned we need only the abnormal values, usually these values are marked high (H) or low (L).

Please do ask all the questions you want, and here's a link to our Resource thread as it has a wealth of information regarding Cushing's: Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs

Hugs, Lori

[goldengirl88]

Welcome to you and Jed. I am wondering what the herbs are given for?

[Jed's Mom]

The supplements Jed takes is holistic approach to treating Cushings. Although Jed has not been diagnosed 100%, both Vets feel that it is Cushings. I know there is no one test to diagnose so I am continuing down the road to diagnose and treat. My vet is not against using western medicine drugs but we are seeing if we can control symptoms in a natural way.

Jed is not from good breeding and he has had his share of issues. I did not want a Vizsla. I didn't even know anything about the breed... but I found Jed in a puppy mill type place and at 11 weeks he was afraid of everyone and everything. He screamed when I picked him up and ran away..what pup does that at 11 weeks old?! I was not going to leave him there so I call Jed my $1300 rescue

I am just trying to do what is best for Jed to have the best quality of life. I know there is no cure for Cushings but if I can control his symptoms and he is happy that is all I care about.

Thanks for any comments and support. This website is wonderful!
♥♥♥

[Jed's Mom]

Is there a way I can attach or cut and paste in this thread?

Thanks
Lisa

[lulusmom]

Is there a way I can attach or cut and paste in this thread?

Yes, you can do both. You can cut or copy text from any document and paste it into your post. To attach a document or photo, at the top of the dialogue box you will see a paper clip icon. Click on that and it will open a "Manage Attachment" box. At the top, the first option is to upload from your computer and directly below that you can choose to upload from a URL. Under those boxes, you will see a list of the types and sizes of files that can be attached. Once you choose the file, click on upload. If successful, another box will appear that says current attachments and shows the file that was attached.

Glynda

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Lisa,

Oh my poor sweet Jed, I am thankful that he has found such a loving Mom, Bless you for giving Jed a forever home.

The medications that are used for canine Cushing's are not a cure, they are used to control the symptoms that are attributed to Cushing's. However; the excessive amounts of cortisol that a cushdog produces will eventually harm the internal organs.

Your love and devotion for Jed is obvious and I believe he is getting the best of care from his wonderful Mom.

hugs, Lori

[Jed's Mom]

Thanks Glynda. I must be missing the paperclip somehow..lol. I will figure it out. Its easier for me to attach Jed's results then try and type them all out.