Cairo, 8 year old staffordshire bull terrier just diagnosed

[Alison]

Hi all,

Our staffy has just been diagnosed with Cushing's - just got told yesterday so he's not been started on treatment yet as his vet will discuss it with us tomorrow when she's back in.

I don't know if this is something that's been steadily brewing for a long time or not but we've always joked about him liking to eat - he'd eat till he burst if he was allowed.

We lost his "brother from another mother" two years ago and after Neo's death was when we really noticed a change in Cairo. He seemed to be very anxious out on walks, stressing, panting and would only go as far as it took for him to toilet then he wanted to go home again. We just thought he was grieving for losing his buddy.

In the last few months, he gained a lot of weight - he went up to 28kg which is heavy for a stafford. He's a big boy and his ideal weight would be about 23 - 24kg so I guess it's not a huge weight gain. Despite cutting his food and treats down, he didn't lose any weight.

Then we noticed he started developing some bald spots and the skin round his bum looked dark and just not right. Then the tip of his tail when bald - that rang alarm bells for me and I initially thought that it was his thyroid - which would explain his weight gain, lethargy and anxiety.

The vet ran some bloodwork (I don't have any results for this) and said that his thyroid hormone was low but his TSH was normal which basically ruled out his thyroid, so he had a low dose dex suppression test on Friday. We just got the results yesterday that he has pituitary hyperplasia.

I'd have taken a thyroid problem over this any day but now I need to make sure he's getting the best care and treatment possible.

We'll be speaking to his vet tomorrow to see what the next step is regarding medication, etc but I really wanted to know if there is anything I should be asking her?

What's the best medication for him (Lysodren isn't licenced here in the UK). Are there any alternative therapies that can be tried? Should there be any dietary changes to help him?

Is there anything else I should be asking the vet?

I'm really devastated about this. It's bad at any time but it's exactly a month short of the two year anniversary of Neo's death and it just feels like we're away to go through another devastating time (Neo's illness came suddenly and was very upsetting).

So glad I found this forum and hope that I can find out as much as possible to help my boy.

Alison

[Squirt's Mom]

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[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Alison,

Your membership approval has now been finalized so your posts will now be publicly visible just as soon as you write them.

Cushing's is one the most difficult endocrine diseases to get a confirmed diagnosis for because not one test is 100% accurate at diagnosing it and other non-adrenal illnesses can create false positive results on all tests for Cushing's.

If you could round up copies of all tests that were done on Cairo and post any abnormalities that are listed, that would be great. We would also be interested in all results from any Cushing's tests...Thanks!

Having a vet/IMS that is Cushing's savvy is a real plus, so if this were me I would ask the vet if they are knowledgeable about Cushing's, the treatment protocols for Cushing's, and ask how many Cushingoid dogs they have treated. I would also want to know if when they treat with Trilostane/Vetoryl do they go by Dechra's or UC Davis treatment recommendations. These are just some of my own thoughts and I am sure others will be along to share theirs.

Does Cairo take any other herbs/supplements/medicines? Any other health issues?

Please know we will help in any way we can so do not hesitate to ask all the questions you want.

Love and hugs, Lori

[Alison]

Thank you for the welcome.

I'll ask them for copies of his tests tomorrow - he's not had loads of tests done - just for his thyroid and then the low dose dex suppression test.

The vet we normally see is really good with him and she's been patient at explaining things as well - I do trust her (which is more than I can say for my own doctor!!). I'll ask all the relevant questions. I believe they'll be using Vetoryl but I'll ask which treatment protocol they'll be using. Will she or should she be familiar with the two protocols with being in the UK?

Cairo isn't on any other meds - apart from a short course of Noriclav two weeks ago for an ear infection. He's always been so healthy (or I thought he was) which is why this has come as such a shock.

I have Addison's myself and I'm fairly up on that but Cushing's is freaking me out because all I can think of is "tumour".

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Alison and welcome to you and your Staffy

I am so glad you found your way over here. Their is an abundance of information here and many members to help and share experiences.

[Harley PoMMom]

I believe they'll be using Vetoryl but I'll ask which treatment protocol they'll be using. Will she or should she be familiar with the two protocols with being in the UK?

Yes, I think that she would of read about both of these two treatment protocols. The biggest difference between Dechra and UC Davis is the initial starting dose: UC Davis -

The UC-Davis current recommendation is to initiate trilostane therapy at 1 mg/kg once daily. That dose is continued for about one week until a veterinary re-check can be completed.

This article can be found: Comparing therapies for canine hyperadrenocorticism

Dechra's -

The starting dose for the
treatment of hyperadrenocorticism in dogs is 1.0-3.0 mg/lb (2.2-6.7 mg/kg) once a day based on body weight and capsule size.

Link to Dechra info: http://www.dechra-us.com/files/dechr...ts/Vetoryl.pdf

I have Addison's myself and I'm fairly up on that but Cushing's is freaking me out because all I can think of is "tumour".

So sorry to hear that you have Addison's, then you know Cushing's is the exact opposite of Addison's. Most dogs (85%) have PDH (pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism) in which there is a small and usually small growing tumor of the pituitary gland; the other 15% have ADH (adrenal dependent hyperadrenocorticism) and have a tumor of the adrenal gland/s.

If a dog has ADH, then a cure is possible with surgery.

One thing I want you to know is that Cushing’s is a treatable disease. With proper medical management, close monitoring and owner observation, most Cushingoid pets can live to their full life expectancy, with complete or partial resolution of clinical signs, and good quality of life!

Love and hugs, Lori

[Alison]

I'm not sure if the vet will phone me or my mum so I've given her the list of questions to ask as well. I said to her it might be better to phone first thing and just ask if we can pop in and speak to her and that way we can pick up any meds he needs at the same time (and ask for his lab results.)

The vet did say that Cushings wasn't life threatening the way Addison's is and that we didn't use Lysodren here as it wasn't licenced here plus the Vetoryl was reversible if the dose was too high where as the Lysodren isn't. We'll get more info tomorrow though and I'm doing a mountain of reading - I need to know as much as possible because Cairo can't speak for himself so he needs me (even though he's in the huff with me for all the poking and prodding he's had over the past few days).

[LtlBtyRam]

Way to go with the mountain of reading. Good luck and the people here are wonderful. I will be on the lookout for more details from your journey.
Angela

[molly muffin]

Hi Alison, glad you found your way over to the forum.

Welcome.

I replied over on the Facebook page, but I'll say it here too. Knowledge is key. The more you know about cushings and treatment and testing protocols, the better things will go. You are one step ahead just because you know about the opposite. So, that is the biggest risk, you don't want the cortisol to go too low that you get into an Addison crisi, which is not actually get Addison, but falling into that low zone. It is one reason that when you start the vetoryl, you want to have a pred rescue does on hand, just in case. You'll probably never need it, which is great, most don't.
It is why we always recommend starting at the low end and working up as needed. The body seems better able to tolerate it too, when the dose is started at the low end of the scale.

Welcome to the forum
Sharlene and molly muffin

[Alison]

Just a quickie.

The vet's just phoned. She says he's definitely got Cushing's but he's not had it long. I'm getting to pick up a copy of his lab results so I can post them later.

He's to be started on 120mg Vetoryl (he's 28kg).