New to Cushings

[labblab]

Karen, thanks so much for your update about Annie. I was thinking about you guys heading in to the vet, and am relieved to hear that there doesn’t seem to be an acute issue going on with her throat. I hope everything remained calm and peaceful for you girls after you posted your note yesterday. “Calm and peaceful” is such a blessing for us all!

Hugs all the way around,
Marianne

[Katy1]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions on stuff for her nose. I finally found a nose/paw butter that is totally non-toxic and has no sugar in it. It’s called “4 Legger”. So far I ‘m pleased with the results. I also figured out a trick I’d like to share. Right after I apply it to her nose and she starts to lick it off, I put a little dab on each paw. This seems to refocus her and she starts licking it off her paws. By the time she’s done with her paws, the stuff has had time to absorb into her nose.

I’ve seen a big change in her nose. It’s still a bit rough, but the cracks are gone and we’ve had no more facials in the mud. I honestly think that was her way of taking care of a sore nose. Blessings, Karen

[Katy1]

Marianne,

I copied the following portion over here when I realized I had rambled on in the wrong thread. Sorry, I'm a bit scattered today.

I do have a concern regarding Annie—the past several days, her appetite has increased but so has her energy level. She has turned into this little creature that her dad and I don’t even recognize! I don’t know whether to be excited, scared, prepare for another panic attack or something else.

Do Cush pups return to a better version of their former selves once the meds are working? She’s on Lysodren 250mg twice a week and I can actually see what appears to be her waist. Should I ask to have her ACTH run earlier rather than wait until June? She just seems so “normal” and I’m almost afraid to breath. She even grabbed her favorite toy this morning after her Lysodren-laden breakfast and bounded up on the bed wanting her dad to play with her.

As always, Blessings to all and your pups. Karen

[labblab]

Hey Karen, good girl for copying your questions about Annie over here to her thread!

First off, I think it sounds great that Annie is rebounding with so much energy. Cushing’s can be such an insidious disease. The ill effects can accumulate slowly and incrementally, such that we almost forget what was once “normal,” or how our pups were behaving months and even years beforehand. So hopefully this will be a new, happily energetic normal for your little girl!

As far as the monitoring tests, I have never used Lysodren myself. However, in looking back through your thread, it’s not clear to me exactly when previous ACTH testing was done. One test was done to mark the end of the loading phase and the transition to the weekly maintenance dosing. But has any additional testing ever been done? If not, I think I’d rather test at least once again before June in order to have more peace of mind that this maintenance dose is really optimal. From the sound of things, Annie is doing great now with little worry that she’s dropping too low. But you also don’t want to let the cortisol start creeping steadily higher, either, such that you’d have to reload again.

Again, I am no expert on this. Leslie has had tons of Lysodren experience, so hopefully she’ll soon be stopping back by. But in the meantime, those are my two cents worth ;-),

Marianne

[Katy1]

Annie has never been tested since she hit her loading/maintenance dose back in February. At that time, Doc said he would want to test her again in three months which would put us in May. She is having cataract surgery on May 17th so when I talked to him before she was boarded last week, he suggested waiting until after her surgery and do it in June. I really don’t want to wait that long, especially in light of her newly found zest and zeal for food.

I’m just afraid to get too excited about anything that even remotely appears normal. I don’t want to jinx anything!

[labblab]

Again, I don’t have personal experience with Lysodren. But I think the general recommendation is that at least one monitoring ACTH test should performed within the first month or so of maintenance dosing. Here’s a quote from a classic textbook reference:

The recommended target range for good control of the cortisol production is a result of 1-5 ug/dl for both the pre and post ACTH stimulation test numbers. An ACTH stimulation test is done as soon as it is suspected that the dog is loaded, to confirm if a successful loading has been achieved. An ACTH stim test is done again after a month of giving the weekly maintenance dose and another ACTH stim test is performed after three months of maintenance therapy, to be sure that the weekly maintenance dose of Lysodren is correct for the individual dog. An ACTH stim test should then be performed every 4 to 6 months to monitor the cortisol production and to determine if any dose changes may be needed along the way. Any changes in the dog's eating or drinking habits or behavior should be reported to the Vet immediately and an ACTH stim test will likely be needed to check the dog's cortisol levels and to see if the dose needs adjusting.

https://www.k9cushings.com/forum/sho...d-related-tips

If it was me, I’d actually want to have her cortisol level checked prior to the cataract surgery so that I’d have enough time to make any needed dosing changes beforehand. Regardless of the surgery, waiting a full four months prior to doing any retesting at all would make me very uncomfortable.

Marianne

[Katy1]

Yea—I’m pretty uncomfortable myself so I made a management decision to call the vet office tomorrow and ask for an appointment for a stim test. I appreciate your time in looking up that information for me!

[Katy1]

I knew this past weekend was too good to be true. I had just finished making the appointment for Annie to have a stim test tomorrow when no more than five seconds later, she pukes up a bucket os bile. Jerry had just started to prepare some ribs to go on the grill later and with Annie’s newly acquired increase in appetite, she was in the kitchen when she got sick. I told Jerry he needed too take her to the vet. She had her Lysodren yesterday and I remember watching her pawing at the snow ( we had about 5 inches of snow yesterday) and trying to nibble at some grass.

She was panting this morning and also wolfed down her breakfast. I’m in the middle of a semi-meltdown. I was told she has also lost a pound over the past week and a half. I really don’t know what to think. I now have the phone—actually both the cell and our land line as I keep an eye on hubby’s ribs. Will post any news later.

[labblab]

Aww gosh, Karen, I’m sure sorry about this setback. Of course, it’s always possible that Annie’s episode was unrelated to the Lysodren or her cortisol. My nonCush Lab has had a couple of massive vomiting episodes within the last month, for reasons that are a mystery. But I know you’re feeling worried and we’ll be anxious to get an update as soon as you know more yourself.

Hugs!
Marianne

[Katy1]

Well, doc did blood work which came back better than even normal She told me over a "three way phone call"--me hubby and doc that her sodium phosphorus or sodium something indicated that her cortisol was not too low----not what I'm worrying about right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for yelling. She puked again in the doc's office and they decided to keep her overnight not only to monitor her, but they can keep tabs on her glucose then run her stim test first thing in the morning. It's been years since Annie puked. She hasn't been in the trash, not been anywhere unusual---like out of my sight.

I knew this weekend was too good to be true. Well, my baby is in good hands now and believe it or not, I have calmed down. When Jerry came home he told me that the entire staff was asking how I was doing. They all know how I fall apart at a hangnail...let alone my little cushpup. I feel very pathetic at times. I love those people dearly.

I have no numbers to post yet but will do so when they become available to me. Blessing to you all and your pups. Karen