Hello all, looking for advice with our baby Minnie

[Minnie's Mom and Dad]

Again, thank all of you so much for the advice/suggestions!

Well today is only the 5th full day (of 14) of the antibiotics and she is slowly beginning to change.

The panting is gone. She's not had an accident in the house is 3 days. The last two nights she's gone about 5 hours without having to go out. Last night and today she's left food in her bowl and is not drinking any where near as much water as before.

She still is lethargic. One symptom that she has yet to show is the hair loss.

Its very good to see her making this slow progression back to her normal self!!

We'll see what this week brings. I plan on getting a referral to the local Internal Medicine Vet tomorrow, so i can have something set up for her when the antibiotics are complete.

I can't wait to get a definitive diagnosis. The scariest part of all of this is not knowing. Thank all of you again so much. We now know that if it truly is Cushing's, we can handle it.

[Minnie's Mom and Dad]

A little update:

Day 9 of the antibiotics - Some panting returned...mostly at night. The thirst and hunger are gone. She's barely touched either her food or water bowl today. She also seems to have just a little more energy.

The only internist i could find locally had terrible online reviews, so i managed to schedule consult with another about 90 minutes away...in 2 weeks.

We should be complete with the antibiotics on Tuesday. The plan is to get another urine test to ensure the UTI is completely gone and to run a UCC test too.

Am i correct that if the #'s come back in the normal range on the UCC test than Cushings is not likely?

[Squirt's Mom]

Yes you are correct. If the UC:CR is normal, it is highly unlikely Cushing's is in play. If the UC:CR is abnormal that still does not mean your baby has Cushing's. It simply means SOMETHING is off and further testing is needed.

I'm glad to hear Minnie is doing better and hope the trend continues!

[Minnie's Mom and Dad]

Another update:

Finished the 14 days of antibiotics. Minnie still seems lethargic but has more strength. She's been able to finish her walks and is jumping on the couch again. She was running in the yard today too for the first time in weeks. Only other symptom would be some mild panting at night.

We took in another urine sample and just heard from the Dr. She says the urine looks worse than the last test.

We have an appointment with the Internal Medicine Dr this next Wednesday thankfully.

[Squirt's Mom]

Are the vets running the new test called the SDMA? It is the only test to pick up kidney disease early. Previously we didn't know there was a problem with the kidneys until something like 75% of function had been lost - the BUN and creatinine would indicate problems. Now the SDMA picks up problems MUCH earlier giving us time to work with keeping them as healthy as possible for as long as possible. So if that has not been done, I would want that test just for my own peace of mind.

I'm glad she is showing some improvement and hope they can get to the bottom of her urinary issue soon!
Hugs,
Leslie

[Minnie's Mom and Dad]

Thank you! I will ask about that test.

Just talked with the vet and we're heading in Monday so they can get a clean urine sample for a culture.
I guess this will help them determine a better antibiotic.

They are also going to do the UC:CR test. The vet said this would "rule in" Cushing's. Everything I've read says it's a better indicator to "rule out".....and it wouldn't necessarily "rule in"

My only concern is that she still has this infection going on. Will that effect the results of the UC:CR test?

[Harley PoMMom]

You definitely do not want to have the UC:CR test done if an UTI is suspected. Also with this test, the urine must be collected at home because it is less stressful on the dog as stress will cause the cortisol to rise which will be reflected in the results of an UC:CR test.

Having an urine culture and sensitivity test performed is your best bet in identifying what is causing the UTI and it can than be known what the appropriate antibiotic should be prescribed.

Lori

[Squirt's Mom]

Again you are correct - the UC:CR cannot "rule in" Cushing's. It CAN rule it out if it is normal however if this test is abnormal that does not mean Cushing's. It simply means something is off and further testing is needed. It COULD mean Cushing's but it could ALSO mean other things.

[Minnie's Mom and Dad]

We're hoping to hear today from the vet with an antibiotic recommendation based on the culture.

We had our visit with the Internal Medicine Dr yesterday. They did an ultrasound that revealed enlarged adrenal glands. Normal is less than .5 cm and Minnies are between .6 and .65cm. It also revealed an enlarged liver. Everything else looked as it should. The Dr also noted her pulse rate was low at 72 bpm and that her blood pressure was normal.

Based on the ultrasound and bloodwork, and the fact that Minnies not been able to get rid of the UTI the Dr is highly certain that the cause is Cushing's.

Its her recommendation that we start the antibiotic and wait about a week and then begin the Vetoryl.

[Harley PoMMom]

What dose of Vetoryl is the IMS recommending?