Questions about Cushings - Charlotte has crossed the Bridge

[LaurieS]

My name is Laurie, I am new here and have some questions about Cushings symptoms and diagnosis. My Boxer Charlotte is approximately 7-8 years old (we don't know for sure since she was a rescue). We have had her for 2 1/2 years and she has always been healthy up until recently. Over the past few months her water intake has increased and for the past month it has been excessive. She is very lethargic and no longer acting like herself. She also trembles a lot and has a hard time staying warm even with her sweater on, which has always been enough when she is in the house. Her breathing is more labored but she isn't panting and she is ravenous all the time. She has always been a "chow hound" but lately it's been even worse. She has gotten into the trash and taken food off the counter when we aren't home. She also has eaten a roll of toilet paper. We have also noticed a little hair loss in areas where her hair has always been sparse. Other than that her hair coat looks pretty healthy.

A couple of weeks ago we had her blood work done along with a urine test and everything looked fairly normal. Urine was dilute but that was to be expected due to the large amounts of water she is drinking. We have seen 2 vets and both have said there are no indicators in the blood work that suggest Cushings (or diabetes which was another thought with her symptoms). She is getting worse and we have been made to feel like we are imagining it. The first vet took xrays of her abdomen and found some air/gas pockets and has put her on metoclopramide to clear it out. He thought maybe she was in pain due to gulping air when she eats. She has been on that drug for 2 days now and is about the same so far, except she seems to be trembling more.

My question to all of you is should we have her blood work and urine tests run again? Should we have a cortisol/creatinine test? How about an abdominal ultrasound? This is horrible timing for us as my husband is currently unemployed so money is tight. We will do what we have to do, Charlotte is a family member, but I hate to keep spending money and not figuring out what is wrong. I'm posting here only because her symptoms seem so much like cushings to me and I know Boxers are on the list of breeds that are higher risk for the disease. Any suggestions on how we should proceed will be greatly appreciated!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Charlotte!

I apologize, I'm at work and only have a moment to post It would help us if you could get copies of all the test that were done on Charlotte and post the results. I assume that an UTI or issue with the thyroid has been ruled out?

I have to run but I will try to make it back later, I am sure the others will be by to offer their support and advice.

Hugs, Lori

[LaurieS]

Hi and welcome to you and Charlotte!

I apologize, I'm at work and only have a moment to post It would help us if you could get copies of all the test that were done on Charlotte and post the results. I assume that an UTI or issue with the thyroid has been ruled out?

I have to run but I will try to make it back later, I am sure the others will be by to offer their support and advice.

Hugs, Lori

Thanks Lori! I'm not sure how to put a picture or document in this post as it asks for a URL rather than to browse an image already in my computer. When my husband come home I'll see if he knows how.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi and welcome to you and Charlotte!

On the test results, we only need to see the abnormal results from the test that shows things like BUN, CHOL, ALP, T4, and so on. Some call that a wellness check, some a Chem test, but you will know by the values reported like the ones I just mentioned. So the best way is to simply type in the abnormal values along with the little letters and ranges that follow. For example -

ALP 323 85 - 115 ug/dl (EXAMPLE)

While some of the signs you posted are typical of Cushing's some are not - like the inability to stay warm. Cush pups are generally just the opposite and have trouble dealing with heat, seeking cool places to lay year round. And Cushing's usually comes on very slowly, over years, not a few months time. BUT it is a disease with very few hard, set rules and we have seen many oddities thru the years. So those test results will help us a great deal in helping you sort this out.

So for right now, lets get those test results then we can start giving you some more meaningful feedback. Call and get the copies, post the results, and love on your sweet girl as much as you can. Ya'll are now part of our family here at K9C and we will be with you all the way regardless.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[LaurieS]

Thanks Leslie, I would love to post the results here but I have no idea how to post pics to this forum. My images are on my computer, not on a website. When I click to post a pic it asks for a URL rather than to browse for a photo. If someone can advise me I will post the image of the test results.

[labblab]

One way in which to do this is to set up a personal photo album, and then you can directly upload any images from your computer. Once you've logged in to the forum, click on the "User CP" tab at the upper left-hand side of any page. Once there, select "Pictures and Albums" from the left-hand menu bar, and off you'll go.

In honesty, though, we are really only interested in knowing about any abnormal lab values, along with the reference range. So if you want to just list them within the body of your reply here, that will be great and will save us from needing to search through multiple pages of labs in order to find the abnormals.

Marianne

[LaurieS]

One way in which to do this is to set up a personal photo album, and then you can directly upload any images from your computer. Once you've logged in to the forum, click on the "User CP" tab at the upper left-hand side of any page. Once there, select "Pictures and Albums" from the left-hand menu bar, and off you'll go.

In honesty, though, we are really only interested in knowing about any abnormal lab values, along with the reference range. So if you want to just list them within the body of your reply here, that will be great and will save us from needing to search through multiple pages of labs in order to find the abnormals.

Marianne

Thanks Marianne but I'm also unable to upload any pictures to the photo album either so I'm going to have my husband take a look at my computer because this must be a problem on my end. I'm going to attempt to post her report now from a photo on Photobucket...

[LaurieS]

Hopefully this works...Here is a photo of her blood and urine test results:

[molly muffin]

It looks like the only thing out of range at all on the blood work is EOS and LYS (?) is low. Everything else is perfect. Not what we normally see with cushings.

The urine concentration is 1.015, yellow clear and it does say WBC occ and cellular debris. Drinking water, etc, did they rule out Urinary Tract Infection?

I don't see anything about a thyroid test on this. So I would want that checked out next, as this can have many of the same symptoms as cushings. Diabetes is ruled out based on this, kidneys and liver are good, so over all she looks to be a healthy dog, just have to figure out what is causing these symptoms.
I'd do a thyroid panel.

and hello and welcome to the forum

[dsbailey]

Definitely doesn't look like a Cushpup's bloodwork.

Maybe this can help someone in the know:

LYM—immune cell highly responsive to “stress” and potentially increased during chronic infection.

EOS—inflammatory cell associated with parasitic disease, hypersensitivity and allergy

http://www.animalmedicalcenterofchic...ostic-test.pdf