Hi. I'm giving fair warning - this is LONG, but might be helpful for dog owners.

I mentioned my dog on another post and was asked to give an update. I feel it's important anyway because this is a relatively common disease that occurs in older dogs. It is often mistaken for aging (which is what we thought), but the symptoms would be easy to spot if you know what they are...

"Cushing's disease usually strikes older dogs with a bucket-full of symptoms that can mimic other diseases. Increased appetite, increased drinking and urination, panting, high blood pressure, bulging abdomen, skin lumps and discoloring, hair loss, muscle weakness, and nervous system disorders can occur with the disease."

This is what happened to my dog: about a year ago, he developed a small skin irritation on his tail which he continually bothered (this has happened before so we weren't overly concerned). We took him to the vet and started him on steroids and antibiotics. We also got some mild shampoo because our vet thought he was having some skin allergies. Around that time, he started drinking significantly more. We assumed it was the steroids. However, months after finishing the steroids, he was still drinking a lot and had begun to have some accidents in the house. I've had him for 9 years and he's never had an accident in the house (other than vomiting when ill). He had 4 or 5 over a week's time. Back to the vet we went because I just wasn't sure. His behavior was abnormal, but we thought it might be a result of aging and loss of bladder control. We talked to the vet and he suggested we watch him, but I also considered that it might be a result of Bear feeling "neglected". My husband plays with him a lot and he was working more at that time so he wasn't getting his "me" time. I play with him, too, but he knows the difference. We just didn't know what was going on. Thankfully, I work at home, so Bear and I were both able to adjust our expectations and he hasn't had an accident since Septemberish. Around that time, he started shedding. It was weird because it was fall, which is different than when he normally sheds. He acted pretty good- still has energy (but not as much - attributed to getting old), eating lots (stealing food for the first time, too), and no displays of illness. However, my husband told me he thought he was going downhill.

He went in for a check-up in October and they ran the typical blood tests. I was told everything was fine. Then, the vet's office was purchased by a new, young vet. When I took Bear in for his teeth cleaning in February, they ran lab tests (because they have to put him to sleep) and called to say they couldn't do the teeth cleaning. They noticed that the liver enzymes were elevated and, apparently, they were elevated in October, too. But they had increased even more. We picked him up and took him in last Friday for 8 hours of testing. Confirmation - Cushings. I spoke with the vet last night and they are ordering Trilostane for him. He'll start it on Monday (so that the vet will be there should he have any adverse side effects) and we'll see how he does. It is expensive - anticipating $100 per month for medication and $300-$400 for testing to make sure the dosage is right (for the first month or so), then quarterly. However, this drug doesn't just mask the symptoms - apparently it halts the progression and allows the dog to live normally. We hope. I wonder if our previous vet should have picked up on it - quite frankly, I think he should have. We're thankful that our office was purchased by someone who seems thorough and knowledgeable. If Cushings is left untreated, the dog's immune system will be compromised.

Anyway, I know this is long, but I hope that this can be helpful to someone.

Kim

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Kim

What type of dog is it???

My dog has dermatomyositis, and if I remember correctly, it is similar to cushings disease. I remember coming across cushings disease when trying to figure out what was wrong with my dog. The tail issue is involved with DM as well.

Did they do a Bx or just blood work?? They had to do a Bx of some of the skin lesions on my dog to Dx DM.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

He's a mutt - probably part lab and part chow. He weighs about 60 pounds.

This is the test that was done on my dog:

Another test commonly preformed is the Dexamethasone suppression test. In the normal dog dexamethasone will suppress the pituitary's secretion of ACTH, which will decrease cortisol within 2 - 3 hours and keep it decreased for 8 - 24 hours. There is a Low Dose Dexamethasone test and a High Dose Dexamethasone test. During this test your dog will need to be a the veterinary clinic for at least 8 hours, a baseline blood sample is taken, a dexamethasone injection is given, blood is then drawn at 4 hours post injection and 8 hours post injection. This test can be used to distinguish between the adrenal tumor type and the pituitary dependent forms of Cushing's disease.


What type of treatment does your dog receive?

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Kim

I am so sorry Kim I hope Bear recovers from this and has a long happy life! I always feel so sad when pets get sick. They don't understand it and they have to endure so much with going to the vet and going through treatment. My prayers are with your family and Bear.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

My dog takes daily Trental pills (blood circulator) and we are still juggling the steroids.

I found this web sight that may be helpful to you:

CanineCushings.net

and:

The Atypical Cushing Patient - Canine Cushing's Forums

This is a link to Dermatomyositis:
Canine Familial Dermatomyositis

When my dog was in the midst of being diagnosed, I spent countless hours on the internet. I switched vets and the new vet convinced me that a Bx would give us a definitive answer. She called me with the results and said "BINGO - you got it right.....she's got DM". She is dealing pretty well with it. Her symptoms began around 8-10 weeks. The first vet thought she had mange.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.