My Milo has Cushing's ~ Milo is now an Angel

[Squirt's Mom]

I would be worried sick myself. Please keep us updated as you can.

Hugs and gentle belly rubs,
Leslie

[Sneji]

Hello,
I am happy to say that we now have an ACTH stimulation test.
Of course, I immediately gave my Milo the test and the results are as follows:
Pre 2.26 ug/dl
Post 5.44 ug/dl
I'd love to hear your opinion.
Hugs from us

[labblab]

Those results are excellent — right where we want them to be!!! This is very good news :-)))).

How is Milo doing, otherwise? How did things end up with his tooth?

Marianne

[Sneji]

The tooth infection went away after 10 days of antibiotics. Everything is OK for now.
In general, the only thing that worries him is that his muscle mass is increasingly disappearing.
Otherwise, my boy is a hero ))
Thanks for the support and strength you give me!

[Squirt's Mom]

I'm so glad you were able to find an ACTH test and get your sweet hero tested...and the results are wonderful! Losing muscle mass is common in Cushing's but it can be regained in some dogs. Water therapy (simply swimming or walking in water) can do wonders for muscle mass. Gentle walks are good, letting the dog tell us how much they want to walk then asking for a few more steps before stopping can also help rebuild muscles. The elevated cortisol makes the muscles weaker but as it is lowered they can function better. I hope Milo continues to do well and you are able to find ways to help him regain strength.
Hugs,
Leslie

[Sneji]

Thanks so much Leslie,
Yes, we do our best to walk more. Although he looks (as my son says) like a skin and bones dragon, he is quite energetic.
He is eating and so far he looks like an old dog.
I hope we have a lot more time with him
Hugs from us too!

[Sneji]

Hello again,
I'm just stopping by to write that my Milo continues to take his vetorila and the boy is generally feeling good.
It will soon be one year since the diagnosis.
The only problem is that it is very weak. When he was diagnosed it was 6.8 kg, a month ago it was 4.8 kg, and to date it is 4.4 kg.
Otherwise, he is energetic, cheerful, eats normally, walks...I can't figure out why he's losing weight so fast?
And actually the most important question, after losing so much weight is not 15 mg of vetoril too much?

[Harley PoMMom]

The only real way to tell if his dose is too high is to have an ACTH stimulation test done. Another option could be to skip his Vetoryl dose for a day or two and see if this helps, however since he is eating/drinking normally without any diarrhea or vomiting, I really do think an ACTH test would be more helpful.

[labblab]

Hello again! I just now saw your new photos of Milo, and I can see that he is indeed *very* thin. That much weight loss does seem like a worry to me. If he’s still eating the same amount of food, it’s very hard to know what would be causing him to lose so much weight. Has the vet seen him recently? I think a vet visit would be very important right now. Like you, I would worry that Milo’s dose of Vetoryl ought to be reduced. But additionally, it seems as though something must be going on to cause such a weight loss. The reason may have nothing to do with Cushing’s. But either way, I’d want the vet to have the chance to examine him to try to determine the cause, and also to perform any necessary testing as Lori has suggested.

Please do let us know if the vet is able to find out a reason for this. And best wishes to both you and Milo, as always.

Marianne

[Sneji]

Thank you very much for your support!
Next week we will be doing a lot of research to see what is going on with my boy.
I will keep you in touch.

Hugs from us!