Canine Cushings disease

[mishellyshel]

My 13 year old collie/shepard mix was just diagnoed with cushings disease. i noticed symptoms about a month ago with excessive thirst, panting and then loss of bladder. not full bladder but trickling. i immediately took her for a urine test, which indicated high levels of something but ruled out UTI. they recommended a low dose suppression dexamethosone test. she had that wednesday and was tested positive for the non cancerous type, which is treatable with medication and does not require surgery.
they prescribed Vetoryl which is aka Trilostane. it was approved in 2008 in the USA to treat canine cushings. has some mild side effects but also in 1 or 2% can cause adrenal necrosis and the dog can die within a week.

i picked Misty out of a litter of 8. 7 more collie looking boys and her, the only beautiful shepard looking girl. she has truly been my best friend since 1999. i am so afraid of losing her to that 1% but than the thought of this med extending her life another year or so is so promising.

i have been researching some holistic and natural methods for treatment but i am looking to see if anyone has any feedback on the Vetoryl OR any if anyone has went the natural course of treatment and how that worked out.

The vet is great. she is prescribing it in a liquid form until we get the dosage correct. My other fear is that this med comes with a HUGE warning for women trying to or who are currently pregnant to NOT come in contact with the capsules, and in this case liquid form. I am almost 6 months pregnant and I am trying to figure out how I am going to administer a liquid form of a drug that i am not supposed to touch to a stubborn dog who has never had to be on any real medicine!!

could really use some encouraging words, advice, or whatever you got!!
i

 

[staceylwolf]

(((hugs)))

I have no good advice since I haven't dealt with this in dogs. My very first pony had cushings for the last 3-4 years of his life.

Can anyone else give her the medicine? Maybe ask for the capsules that could be hidden in cheese or soft food?

 

[Stackie]

I'm sorry to hear that, Michelle. We have diagnosed two cases of canine Cushing's at my clinic this week...pretty odd.

All of our Cushing's cases are prescribed the Trilostane (Vetoryl) and we have not had any major side effects presented. The great thing about Vetoryl is it can be prescribed for both forms of Cushing's. The most important thing is keeping up with their blood tests to make sure everything is going okay and hopefully catch anything early if the Vetoryl is affecting the adrenal glands.

I have limited experience with the natural treatments, but the two cases I have dealt with, didn't see very good results from the homeopathic treatments unfortunately.

As for the medication administration, it is tricky with liquids. You can dry mixing it with a wet food or with her kibble. Greenies pill pockets are awesome with capsules. Ask the vet if you can have some gloves or buy some for handling the meds.

 

[Riven]

My mom's yorkie was 14 years old before she passed and had Cushings, she was on the Vetryl for several years with regular lab work.

I would get some nitrile gloves or something like Stacie said to handle the meds. We always wrap our dogs pills in a bit of cheese, like a Kraft singles type, it sticks right to the pill. Once the dose is sorted out and you can get pills this may be easier for you. I too recommend mixing it with a couple bites of wet food to make it easier on both of you for the liquid.

I'm sorry I have no advice on any natural treatments. Whit did well on the Vetryl for quite a long time. Good luck

 

[Riven]

Do you still have this dog and is it on the meds? If so my mom has some she is looking to give away since she lost her dog after years of treatment and would like to give it to someone who's dealing with the disease as well. Let me know!

 

[mishellyshel]

Yes. What kind of med Was your moms dog on, liquid or pill & what is mg. Misty is still on the liquid trilostane until we get the dosage right. She is taking .07 two times a day. Thanks for thinking of me! Right now her meds are costing me about 90 a month! They flavored it with a meat flavor and I dispense it on a piece of bread. She actually loves it! Let me know. Will gladly pay for postage.

 

[Dreamlite]

There are cheeper ways to treat cushings. My vet uses a drug called lysodren. You only have to give it twice a week and for a large dog never costs more than 40 a month. I have seen dogs use it for years without side effects.

 

[Riven]

It's the Vetryl (sp?) capsules, and it is 60 mg. Is that .07 mg? or .07 G?

 

[mishellyshel]

i will ask my vet the dosage conversion to pills. she is supposed to be switching her over to the pills anyway. i am scheduled to call her this wednesday with an update on her symptoms.
the only reason the meds are 90/month is because it is a compounded liquid until we got the right dosage. it is .07 mg the little syringe, like the kind i use to dispense meds to my chins. she started her on .06 once a day for 2 weeks, than twice a day for 3 weeks. when i noticed her symptoms improved with the exception of the loss of bladder, she bumped it up to .07 twice a day. since then she has only had 1 day where she had an accident. and i notice that she is now sensing that she has to pee and if i catch her in time she goes out. i will have to take her in for a blood test to make sure everything is good before they switch to the pills. She is 13 1/2 and still pretty active once she gets goin. she is a bit slower on getting up and i am noticing that she is not hearing as well and even starting to lose some of her vision. I guess that is to be expected at this age. I just want her last bit of time with me to be comfortable and happy. will be a very sad day when i have to say goodbye. i get teared up just thinking bout it! thanks again.

 

[Mandy]

We just found out our 13YO has cushings today. She was drinking a ton, urinating frequently, eating tons, becoming bony with a potbelly, and so on.
She has an enlarged liver and adrenal glands.

Here's what I read to understand .. Maybe it can help you in some way: http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html
Our last Maltese died of cushings too. It was a week after she started medication, but this was 13 years ago and I'm sure the treatment has improved.

They're putting ours on a liver supporting food and we go in to get her put on medication (and more tests) tomorrow.
Sending healing thoughts to your pup. Best of luck.