Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 48

Thread: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing (Chemo has passed)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    22

    Default Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing (Chemo has passed)

    Well the past 5 months have been a wild ride. My best friend chemo lab/Shepard 10yo just got diagnosed with Cushing. We went to the vet for a over dose on rymidyl he made it thru it. (he opened my nightstand for a quick snack) 2 months later we went for a tooth infection twice. Then about a month later
    He was super lethargic and walking like he was dizzy. He had a prostate infection we Figured it's because he wasn't fixed so it's enlarged. The vet gave us baytril cured his prostate infection. While I was there for the check up I asked about Cushings because he was drinking a lot, house breaking, not jumping on to bed and started to loose hair around his collar. Vet said it's because his prostate causing uti's and old age. So the vet said very unlikely I was dead set on him getting tested so we did a urine cortisol test it was (urine creatine 25.7) (urine cortisol 11.4) urine cortisol/created ratio 138. Results come back she suspected it was elevated because of his stress from all these vet visits. They did a blood Panel that day and said the past 6 months of the blood work we have done something was elevating (I forgot) that points to Cushing. So we did the low dose test. Got a call said he has Cushing. We are starting him on 60mg Lysodren. He is 80ibs. I'm freaking out because everything I read says 2 to 3 years life expectancy. He is my boy so I did a lot of research about radiation shrinking the tumor so I'm wondering if I should ask about it. Also the pituitary surgery but I've looked around the only place that does it is wsu.. The life expectancy really worries me. Any advice just diagnosed yesterday.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    15,292

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    Hello and welcome to you and your boy! We surely do understand how worried and upset you are feeling, and we will do our best to offer our support and suggestions. First of all, we have seen many dogs here who have proceeded to live out their normal lifespans after Cushing's treatment has successfully stabilized cortisol levels. I think one basis for the 2-3 year prediction is the fact that many dogs are older at the time they are diagnosed, as is actually the case with Chemo. So my personal thought is that we want to focus on immediate quality of life for a dog of Chemo's size and age -- controlling his symptoms and keeping him as comfortable as possible for however many more years he is graced to live.

    One of the first suggestions we make to new members is to ask their vets for actual copies of all the diagnostic tests, as well as the monitoring tests going forward. These numbers are very important for us when we consider your questions. For instance, depending upon the numbers for the Low Dose test, it may be possible to conclude that Chemo has the pituitary form of Cushing's as opposed to the adrenal form. Also, once treatment has begun, the monitoring ACTH blood tests will help us all gauge how well he is responding to the medication.

    I have one additional "big" question for you: are you sure it is Lysodren that is being prescribed? The 60 mg. dosage you've cited corresponds instead to Vetoryl (chemical name is trilostane). Given Chemo's weight, 60 mg. would be a very reasonable dose of Vetoryl, but it would not be a reasonable dose of Lysodren. So let's definitively double-check the medication, and then we can talk more specifically about what to expect in conjunction with his treatment regimen.

    I'll go ahead and close for now. But once again, we're so glad you've joined us, and we will be hoping for very positive treatment results for Chemo.

    Marianne

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    22

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    The meds are compounded. They will be in today I will double check the brand.. Will the meds help his rear leg muscles?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    15,292

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    That'll be great if you'll let us know when you find out about the medication. I'm betting it will be trilostane.

    And yes, the good news is that hind leg muscle strength can indeed rebound once cortisol levels have been stabilized. That is one of the symptoms that can take some time to resolve more gradually. But patience can be rewarded! Prior to diagnosis, my own Cushpup Lab had gotten to the point where he could barely climb stairs or get into the car. But after a couple months of treatment, he regained much of that lost strength.

    Marianne

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    22

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    Meds are trilostane. one in morning one at night. Gonna start Friday so I can watch him..
    Low dose dex results
    Pre dex 3.8
    Cort 4hr 2.7
    Cort 8hr 4.8
    Last edited by Chemo; 08-09-2017 at 02:32 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    15,292

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    Yes, I was guessing it was trilostane.

    However, since you say you are giving one capsule both morning and evening, does this mean you are giving two 60 mg. capsules daily? If so, this would mean that Chemo is getting a daily total of 120 mg. For a dog weighing 80 lbs., that is a bit higher starting dose than is currently recommended by most specialists. The most widely accepted starting dose now uses the formula of approx. 1 mg. per pound of a dog's weight.

    I am going to give you a link to a reply on our Resources forum that discusses this dosing formula. You may even want to print it out and show it to your vet. However, the bottom line is that experience has shown that dogs tend to experience less worrisome side effects if they are started on lower doses and then later increased, if need be, rather than vice versa. So in Chemo's case, I would talk with your vet about perhaps first starting out with one 60 mg. capsule in the morning, and then waiting to see how he responds to that (both behaviorally and via monitoring bloodwork) before increasing further. Another alternative would be to additionally order some 20 or 30 mg. trilostane capsules, to be given in the evening alongside the 60 mg. morning dose. However, I think giving 60 mg. both morning and evening is too large a dose. Take a look at this link, and you'll see why.

    http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/show...=1251#post1251

    Marianne

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    15,292

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    And I just saw that you added those Low Dose Dexamethasone results -- thanks so much. OK, so from these results, we really cannot know for certain whether Chemo suffers from a pituitary tumor vs. an adrenal tumor. A dog with either type of tumor could have these results.

    Has your vet talked with you about the possibility of an abdominal ultrasound? By actually viewing the adrenal glands, you can find out whether there is a tumor there. One reason why this might be important to you is if you'd consider surgery to remove the adrenal tumor. The surgery is risky and also expensive, but it can offer a complete cure. If surgery is not an option, then trilostane is indeed approved to medically treat the symptoms of both types of tumors.

    Marianne

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    22

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    They did a ultrasound for his prostate and checked his belly said everything was fine beside inlarged prostate but we didn't suspect cushings at that time. So they probably weren't looking for it. We had x-rays also of the chest and abdomen. Looked good besides the prostate being enlarged.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    15,292

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    The adrenal glands can be pretty hard to see unless special, high resolution imaging is performed. So I don't know whether your previous ultrasound would have shown the adrenals or not. You can ask your vet about that -- whether or not the adrenals were actually seen on the earlier images.

    Also, just want to make sure you also saw my earlier reply about the dosing. By the way, if Chemo's trilostane comes in a tablet form, you can probably just split the tablet in order to arrive at a 30 mg. dose. However, if the trilostane is in capsule form, you cannot open and split the contents. So you'd need to order additional capsules if you want a different strength.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    22

    Default Re: Scared! Dog just got diagnosed with Cushing.

    It's a chewable that's 60mg. Half in morning half at night. Also game me prednisone incase of emergency.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •