Hello everyone, My 9 year old 14 lb havanese pup named snoopy has been diagnosed with cushings disease.
I had a blood test done for him and his ALP was 8877, through the roof as I was told, so they suspected cushings disease.
ALT 618
AST 67
ALP 8877
GGT 156
Creatine Kinase 358
Creatinine was low 29, so they said kidney function was likely good.
So we did the Low Dose Dexamethasone Suppression test and these are the results
Cortisol Baseline 102 nmol/L
Cortisol 4 hr Post 60 nmol/L
Cortisol 8 hr Post 109 nmol/L
He has the clinical signs of cushings, excess water drinking, voracious appetite, loss of hair, face skin darking, when I walk him he walks very slowly and then starts panting after just a few meters. I think his belly is a bit bigger but hard to tell. He's also lost some muscle mass cause I can feel his bones more.
Anyhow, My vet recommend I start him on trilostane 15 mg per day.
Here is my question, Is it normal to have cushings and yet have a baseline cortisol within normal range.
He is not on any kind of medication now and his baseline is 102 nmol/L, which is within normal range. Should I start him on the trilostane or should I get more test done.
My Vet said that the baseline is not what determines if he has cushings but the results of the 3 test is what determines it.
Also, if it is cushings, does the baseline reading give any indication as to the amount of trilostane i should start him on, since its not that high should I start him on a lower dose.
He's also loss a bit of weight, does cushings cause weight loss or is it all due muscle mass loss?
Thinking back, some of these conditions were appearing about 6 months ago, I just though he was aging, I hope I haven't done any damage to him by not getting this looked and earlier.
I'm new to this, trying to learn as much as I can so I can give him the best care as I can, so any input/advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
--Frank