Hi Carrie
,
Kristin is correct - I have a VERY happy, wild, joyous little guy who has Atypical Cushings. He was diagnosed only a couple years ago when he was about 4.5 yrs old (very unusual). He also has hypothyroid, and this is common for Cushings dogs.
Right off, I just want to say how smart it is of you and your vet to send the bloods to Dr. Jack Oliver at U of Tenn - Dr. Oliver is the preeminent canine Cushings vet; also, his lab is the only one that can test for Atypicals, so it's great that you'll be getting all of the results back from his lab. We also sent Wylie's blood to U of Tenn.
Dr. Jack Oliver
These are
treatment options for Atypical Cushings.
Here is a link to UofTenn's endocrinology.
This is
my fave Cushings overiew.
This is a yahoo group for Cushings; I don't post there, but I def recommend joining bc the archives are AMAZING, especially for Atypicals. There is a ton of info there, so try not to get too overwhelmed. I had a long learning curve in really understanding Cushings, and this is typical of other pet owners who are dealing w/ Cushings. It's a very complex disease (both diagnostically and in treatment), so it takes a while for things to move forward.
Once you get a diagnosis, it can take a good year (or even 2) to get the meds titrated correctly. This is bc the vet starts w/ a certain dose, pup is on it for about 6wks, then you do ACTH Stim to test efficacy. Often times, you'll go through 2-3 more adjustments and tests before finding out which dose brings the cortisol into line. So, just keep that in mind as it can feel a little frustrating.
There are a handful of different meds to treat Cushings, so it really depends on the specific diagnosis - and which hormone is causing the elevated cortisol. Wylie is on Lysodren MonWedFri - this is a chemo drug, but he has no side effects from it. He does just wonderfully! The only thing we have an ongoing prob with is skin issues...Cushings dogs have thinner, more papery skin, and are prone to skin infections even when cortisol is controlled. So, we do have to deal with that time to time. He is as energetic and crazy as ever. Even though Cushings is a very complicated and scary diagnosis, so many dogs do terrifically with this disease.
I will be keeping an eye on your thread. Know I'm thinking about you and Zowi and that I'm here for you! You will get her through all of this.