Quote:
Originally Posted by judyabc  Thank you so much for replying. I hope I'm doing this right. We go back to the vet tomorrow for all the numbers, so I'm jumping the gun. But I'm a researcher. I'm so afraid of the medicines. Can this have been triggered by our daughter moving back in with us and bringing her very energetic wire haired terrier? Because Lulu's symptoms started about 7 mos. ago, soon after they moved in with us. Lulu has the pot belly, extreme thirst, constant peeing(luckily she asked us to go out), begging for food all the time. I'm looking for a recipe for food that's good for treating cushings. Anyway, yesterday she has weakness in her back legs. That scared us the most. Also,she has these ulcerated bumps on her skin. They dry up eventually. She is just the sweetest little thing ever and this is confusing her, because she has always been so playful and now she is tired all the time. What about the Cushex drops I read about. Have you heard about that. I wouldn't do anything I didn't talk to the vet about first, but I was wondering. |
I don't believe it was triggered by your daughters dog. Cushings is genetic or, can be "caused" if the dog has recently been on steroids - the steroid-mediated type is called Iatrogenic Cushings, and this type usually resolved once the med is D/C'd, if it can be, that is. Sadly, for us yorkie owners, Yorkies are now one of *the* most genetically vulnerable breeds for Cushings - and this is really awful, bc Cushings is a
tough disease.
The symptoms you're describing are spot-on for Cushings - the hunger is miserable for dogs, bc it seems to put them in a state of almost panic about food, at all times, bc they *feel* so terribly starving. You can try adding some fiber to her diet, but you don't want to throw her nutrition too out of balance either. Does she like green beans? Try feeding those during and btwn meals. Confirm this w/ vet, of course. Giving her chews may help keep her mind busy too.
The increased hunger, drinking, peeing is all bc of the excess cortisol raging thru her system. All that cortisol is very hard on the body, joints etc - it is also muscle-wasting - which is why you're seeing weakness in her back legs (she should be very careful jumping on/off furniture, at this point). If the cortisol gets under control, she can get all of these things controlled, and get her muscle back.
As for the skin -- did the vet do a quick smear and look at it under the scope? That's really all it takes to confirm a
bacterial overgrowth is occurring. For Cushings dogs (
untreated Cushings, that is) - skin infections are
very common. It's usually staph intermedius and a good treatment is Simplicef x 3-4 weeks (a nice antibiotic bc it's given once per day). Ear infections are also very common. All of that will change once cortisol levels are brought down.
As for the Cushex....hmmm....I looked at the ingredients and saw herbal ingredients, with which I'm familiar. I don't see anything measurable. Bc of the effect that excess cortisol has on the system, I'd really want to know from them "what kinds of decreases in Cortisol has actually been reported?" -- and without that info, I'm just not sure that the Cushex would be okay for me. That said, it could certainly be worth a try and I can absolutely understand the reason for wanting to treat with Cushex vs. the options we have for Cushings meds.
I will say though...given how bad the symptoms can be in Cushings (and what it does to the body), treating w/ the medications, as awful as they sound, can turn a dog's quality of life around. They can go from a pot-bellied, old-faced looking, tired, thin-furred, symptomatic dog - back to looking/acting like the dog the year before the Cushings started.
Have you seen the transformations on the various Cushings forums/groups/sites? It can be pretty miraculous.
I would add this too: probably THE most important factor in properly treating Cushings is having a Vet who truly is clinically competent in this disease, bc honestly, my experience is that many are not -- bc Cushings is just not that common. Cushings is rampantly underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed, and that's important for pet owners to know, bc it tells us that it's a disease that is not commonly managed by the average vet. Often times during the diagnostic stage, many Cushings pet-owners will see an Internist (who specialized in Cushings), get things diagnosed properly -- then migrate back their Vet generalist once everything is on track w/ the diagnosis and treatment plan.