Wayne has crossed The Bridge / Wayne-Newly diagnosed 10-year-old pit mix

[labblab]

At this point, I’d try calling Lambert/Pet’s Choice directly and ask them to intervene. Since they’re the ones filling the prescription for KV, they need to know what’s going on and all the hassle you’ve experienced. In reality, they ought to send you the meds by overnight express delivery, at no added expense to you. If it helps, here’s their contact page:

http://www.lambertvetsupply.com/abou...-pharmacy.html

And I’m glad Lori posted that reply of mine. If your vet is willing to shift to a compounded version of trilostane, then Diamondback is a very reputable provider. If not, let’s see how Lambert responds to your inquiry, as you may want to just shift to dealing directly with them in the future.

Marianne

[molly muffin]

Oh my gosh. KV's response is absolutely NOT acceptable! I'm onboard with marianne's thought to contact lambert directly let them know what is going on and see if they can/will intervene.

[pibblesandbits]

I think that basically having a breakdown on the phone with their customer service (during what must have been my 25th call) is what caused them to actually take action. I agree, it's totally unacceptable. I didn't even mean to get upset, but I was in tears and I said that my dog is suffering and their inaction was causing prolonged suffering. The only person who followed up with me was the woman who was on the receiving end of that. I finally have a tracking number - they sent the package by overnight shipping yesterday, and we should get it today. Hopefully, I will have a happy update to share by this evening.

I will note that Wayne's symptoms do seem to be creeping back a bit. He tore a dog food bag (luckily empty) to shreds out of hunger yesterday, after not exhibiting behavior like that in several weeks. And we've been getting hints again of the PU/PD, though it has not been in full force. I am so glad that he'll be back on the medication as of today. Poor thing. I will certainly never use KV Supply again. I had chosen them because they had the best price according to goodrx.com, and they said the medication was in stock for the past month, but I guess it just goes to show that I was an uninformed customer. If it had been one little hiccup, I would have forgiven it - after all, when we order online, we need to assume there could be hiccups, but this was beyond anything I've ever experienced. Anyway, we're going to be all set for medication for the next 30 days, thank goodness, so I presumably have plenty of time to get set up with a new pharmacy, starting today. I am going to ask my vet how she feels about compounded medications. I *so* appreciate everyone's advice here and their recommendation of another pharmacy that can do that. I'm surprised the Vetoryl doesn't come in a wider range of doses, but it's awesome that there are options for those dogs like Wayne whose weight falls in between dosages.

By the way, I am definitely going to let Lambert know what's going on. Based on the customer service reps' responses, they are used to dropping the ball - very good at apologizing, even acknowledging that nobody should have to put up with this, but unable to actually push anything forward. They explained to me that they didn't work for the pharmacy - they work for the company that owns the pharmacy, and they're not even in the same state. The whole thing is a mess. Anyway, I am so relieved that I won't have to deal with this mess too much longer.

Thank you all again! I don't know anyone in real life who has gone through a canine Cushing's diagnosis, and finding this community has been a godsend.

[DoxieMama]

Did you get the Vetoryl on Friday? How's Wayne doing now?

[pibblesandbits]

We finally got the medication! He's been back on it for 5.5 days now. His symptoms (PU/PD/polyphagia) had definitely started to return by the 2nd or 3rd day off the medication, and now they're starting to subside again, thank goodness. (I'll add that I almost hugged the delivery guy when the medication arrived. He was actually really sympathetic because he has lost a dog to cancer, and he still loves and misses her, so he knew what I was going through.)

But I've noticed that his skin issues are not really getting better - maybe because they need more time to heal? I would upload a picture if I could figure out how... It looks like really bad, big dandruff on his back. I don't think it's bothering him, but I don't know. Did you guys treat your dogs' skin with any special soothing preparations to help this kind of thing? I don't think it's worth a trip to the vet - it doesn't appear infected, it's not bleeding - it just looks uncomfortable to *me*!

[pibblesandbits]

Oh, and in other news, my vet is looking into whether or not compounded medication might be a good option for Wayne since he's at an unusual dose, so I'm waiting to get her opinion on that. I am hoping she's okay with that so that I can use the pharmacy that several of you here have recommended. Thanks again for that tip!

[labblab]

Thank goodness the Vetoryl arrived!!!! I’m so glad to hear that many of Wayne’s symptoms are lessening again. As far as the skin issues, unfortunately it can take a LONG time for them to resolve — like weeks instead of days. But the single most important piece of that is keeping the cortisol level under control. So now that he’s back on the medication, you’re heading in the right direction once again.

Marianne

[molly muffin]

This is really great news that the medication arrived and you can tell a difference already. yay! it would definitely make a difference cost wise and probably also reliability of delivery if you could use Diamondback.

But if you don't go to compounded then try Lamberts or another online pharmacy for delivery of vetroyl. This KV is not a good option I'm thinking. It's already enough worry dealing with cushings, you don't need to be worrying about getting the medication in time too.

[Junebugs]

We finally got the medication! He's been back on it for 5.5 days now. His symptoms (PU/PD/polyphagia) had definitely started to return by the 2nd or 3rd day off the medication, and now they're starting to subside again, thank goodness. (I'll add that I almost hugged the delivery guy when the medication arrived. He was actually really sympathetic because he has lost a dog to cancer, and he still loves and misses her, so he knew what I was going through.)

But I've noticed that his skin issues are not really getting better - maybe because they need more time to heal? I would upload a picture if I could figure out how... It looks like really bad, big dandruff on his back. I don't think it's bothering him, but I don't know. Did you guys treat your dogs' skin with any special soothing preparations to help this kind of thing? I don't think it's worth a trip to the vet - it doesn't appear infected, it's not bleeding - it just looks uncomfortable to *me*!

Hello! I just wanted to chime in regarding Wayne's skin issues, and share my experience with Kaiser. Kaiser had the same, really bad dandruff that looked like very large flakes. I bought a flea comb, and would sit for long periods painstakingly combing through his fur to remove as much as I could. He has a very long double coat, so it truly was painstaking! Like Wayne, it did not seem to bother him, although it looked uncomfortable. Then the crusty bumps started... Down his spine, then down the flank. I started spraying daily with an itch soothing spray (Burt's Bees). His chiropractor recommended bathing him frequently with moisturizing shampoo (I bought HyLyt shampoo with essential fatty acids). She also recommended a special spray called Douxo Micro-emulsion spray. It did get worse before it got better, requiring a couple rounds of oral antibiotics, but I had read somewhere to expect that. After 2 months on Trilostane it had improved by probably 70%. Progress seemed slow at first, but I just kept on track with the protocol and combing. Also, in regard to online Pharmacies, I have been buying Trilostane from valleyvet.com without any issues at all.
Hope Wayne feels better soon!!
Theresa

[pibblesandbits]

Well, it seems like it's two steps forward one step back with this poor dog. Over the last few days, starting Saturday night, he developed a slight limp. It was at first just in his rear right leg, and now it seems like it's also in his front left. He seems so sore and weak, I had to lift him onto the bed with me. He was given tramadol by the previous vet for arthritis, so we have restarted that but it does not seem to be helping. I feel guilty bringing him out on walks, and he pulls backwards to try to get out of going, even when he knows he needs to pee. I don't know what to do. The new (good) vet said that maybe it's a small injury or something and to give it 5 days and then call her. It definitely doesn't seem to be getting better though - if anything, it's getting worse. What is happening to the poor guy? Is this a sign of serious decline? What would come on so suddenly? He was doing so much better mobility-wise until this most recent thing. He still has his appetite and is interested in drinking, so it doesn't seem Addisonian - I am just wondering if this is another Cushing's symptom, and if so, why would the timing be the way it is? He's been back on the Trilostane for 2 weeks now. Could his dose still be too high? If this is a sign of joint degeneration from the months of high cortisol, why would he suddenly be limping severely? I am really scared that this is the beginning of the end for him, and it is so upsetting.