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Thread: Introduction- My new doggie has Cushing's :-(

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    rural central ARK
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    14,549

    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    I want to caution against keeping him on the Vetoryl. This is a VERY powerful drug and can cause permanent damage to the adrenal glands and even death. Since there are enough red flags to make that "borderline" diagnosis suspicious he needs to be off that drug. I would stop it now and not even think about restarting it until he's had plenty of time to get settled into his new home and the heartworms cleared. Then, and ONLY then, if he is displaying the signs I gave you above would I consider having the testing done. But please do stop giving the Vetoryl for now.
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
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    17

    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    Quote Originally Posted by Squirt's Mom View Post
    I want to caution against keeping him on the Vetoryl. This is a VERY powerful drug and can cause permanent damage to the adrenal glands and even death. Since there are enough red flags to make that "borderline" diagnosis suspicious he needs to be off that drug. I would stop it now and not even think about restarting it until he's had plenty of time to get settled into his new home and the heartworms cleared. Then, and ONLY then, if he is displaying the signs I gave you above would I consider having the testing done. But please do stop giving the Vetoryl for now.
    They did say that the heartworms were cleared up. But I do think I should stop giving him the Vetoryl, let him get settled, watch his diet, give him his regular walks, and observe over time his behavior and any symptoms. I scheduled a visit for him the second week of January. That will give me plenty of observations to take in to the doctor.

    Until then, I'll still be participating in the forums, if that's ok....

    Thanks so much to all of you for your advice! I feel a lot better having a plan in place.

    Koffee

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    rural central ARK
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    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    Participation encouraged!
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    6,593

    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    Koffee, I wanted to mention that treatment for heartworm a lot of times takes two months to resolve so if Rocky was at the shelter for only a few weeks, I would not assume he is cured. Your vet should confirm that for you.

    Glynda

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
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    17

    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    Well,

    It has been three days since I took my doggy off the Vetoryl. He seems.... better. Weird. He has been holding his pee in, and the only accident he had was in his diaper. It had been 5 hours since our walk, so I know that he can only go at most, 4 1/2 hours between walks. He's not shivering as much anymore. And he doesn't seem as thirsty, even though I leave the water and food bowls out all the time and let them both eat and drink at will. I haven't seen anything more, but I'm keeping notes on how he's reacting to everything.

    I'll keep you all in the loop. Happy New Year, everyone!

    Koffee

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    rural central ARK
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    14,549

    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    I'm glad to hear he is showing fewer signs but that's not really surprising. Addison's Disease, which is the opposite of Cushing's, has many of the same signs so if the Vetoryl was making his cortisol a bit too low he could easily have been showing a few signs similar to Cushing's but were really Addison's. LOADS of fun, huh? I am REALLY glad you stopped the Vetoryl and pray you continue to see improvements to the point Cushing's is no longer a possibility.
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    17

    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    I took some pictures of Rocky's medical files. Maybe this might help with teying to figure out what's going on with Rocky. Now that he's completely off his meds, the only thing I see is excessive panting from time to time, and that he pees a lot more than what I'm used to seeing. So now, I'm pretty concerned. I took pictures of the files. How do I attach pictures to posts?

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    rural central ARK
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    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    We can't attach files to posts so what we typically do is simply type in any abnormal results along with the normal ranges and little letters that follow. So it would look something like this -

    ALP 354 ug/dl 100-250
    BUN 21 mnol/l 9-31

    The ACTH would have 2 or 3 numbers depending on if it was done in the US (2) or Canada (3). We would want to see all those numbers.
    The LDDS would have 3 numbers - pre, one at around 4 hours, and one at around 8 hours. We would want to see all those numbers.
    An abdominal ultrasound will have comments and we would want to see any that mention anything other than "unremarkable" or "normal".
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
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    17

    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    Ok, I am so confused. Now that I've taken Rocky off the Vetoryl, I'm not sure what symptoms I should be looking for.

    He panted a little bit in the beginning, but he hardly ever does it at all. I notice he ONLY does it when he's in the car, and I think he's getting a bit excited. Then I pet him and say some quiet words to him. He settles down, and that's about it.

    He pees a lot- I don't know if boy dogs pee more than girl dogs, or if there's something wrong. I take him out 5 times a day for 30 minute walks. Some days, I cut it to 4 times per day. I'm trying to get him to last 6 hours at a stretch before going out. He's had 2 accidents since he arrived here, but I do put a belly bands on him when I want him to definitely not pee in the house. I'm slowly weaning him off those as well. Sometimes, he takes them off all by himself and will be chillin' around my apartment, just wandering around buck nekked. He hasn't had an accident during any of those times either.

    He has a flatulence thing. I have never heard a dog fart and thought it was one of those jokes people say when they try to blame it on others. But I've been in the car with him and I'll suddenly smell him. I thought he was poo'ing in the car, but each time I checked... nothing. Then last night, he was sitting in the bathroom with me while I was changing. I heard a distinctive set of long and slow farts... like a whoopee cushion slowly being let out, with two fast farts at the end. I about fell off the chair- I did not know he was doing that.

    His appetite is healthy, but I don't notice it to be ravenous. He begs for table scraps, but so does my other dog. I'd be more concerned if he wasn't begging for the table scraps (which I do not give).

    He doesn't seem to be thirsty all the time. I keep the water bowl out, and he gets some when he wants it. I don't see any excessive water drinking at all. He's about 12 pounds, and my other dog is about 11 pounds. Between the two of them, they drink (combined) 24- 30 ounces of water per day. They both drink from each other's bowls. I watch them closely. I don't see one drinking more than the other.

    I thought he was shaking a lot, but it's a lot colder here than in Texas, where he's from. When we had a warm snap, he wasn't shivering at all. I bought him a nice winter coat to wear, and he barely shivers at all. He loves the heat. I have a radiator heater at my desk, and he sometimes snuggles up close to that. I have another one in my bathroom and he loves to snuggle up in his soft bed in the warmth there too.

    I notice he smacks his lips a lot. I don't know if that means anything.

    I drag my dogs just about everywhere for hours at a time, so they're pretty much awake for long periods. When they sleep, they sleep soundly. He sleeps soundly, and I don't notice any issues there.

    His fur is fine, skin is fine, except it looks like his belly is covered with liver spots... but I don't know if he's always like that or if that's something that developed for some reason. I've studied them closely over the weeks, and I haven't noticed anything. What symptoms should I be looking for? Is there anything that should make me worried that I've typed up here? I'm not assuming by any means that my dog is totally normal, but I just don't know if this is the calm before the storm, or if there's something more I need to look for, or if I'm just fooling myself.

    Thanks,

    Koffee

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    17

    Default Re: Re-testing my new pup for Cushings and correct dosage of Vetoryl

    Oh, also... regarding his stools- I give him a mix of a little wet dog food 1-2 times per day (about 3 heaping tablespoons in total) mixed with his kibble. His stools are pretty normal. Sometimes, they are a little soft, but that's usually after he has the wet/dry food combo. By the time he gets to the dry food only mix left in the bowl at the end of the day, his stools are pretty solid. No lethargy either, or listless disposition or anything. In fact, he can balance and walk about 1 to 1/2 feet when he's begging for his post-walk treats. He doesn't like to jump up on furniture, but he will jump up on the bed when I'm going down for my nap and he wants to lay on the bed with me. Otherwise, he's a complete delight and extremely cute and lovable. How did someone throw this sweet dog away???!!!!

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