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Originally Posted by aweitzm1  Just to give everyone an update I dropped Thumper off at the Vet last night for the Cushings Testing today. Vet recommended the 8 hour test over the 2 hour test as it is more comprehensive.
I did ask about sending the blood work to the University of Tennessee but he never heard of the test they perform. He sends it to his regular lab and said he has never had an issue with it.
I called this morning and he did fine over night. He was resting and ate his breakfast. I will pick him up the evening. I was told the Vet will call me with the results tomorrow.
If he does have Cushing's the Vet said we can only treat the symptoms to give him the best quality of life. He only likes on drug called Vetoryl. My concern is that the pamphlet he gave me said do not give to dogs with Kidney Disease.
He said he does not like the other 2 drugs used to treat the condition as it has more harmful side effects. He did not give me the name of the drugs.
Additionally, when I called the Vet Help Line I use they explained a lot to me and said Vetoryl is the best drug on the market. My only concern she said was that the average life span is 3-4 years with Cushings but the Vet said they can live a long life on daily medication.
I am nervous and confused at the moment I don't know what to think. The vet also suggested possibly doing an ultrasound to look at the adrenal glands and kidneys. I was planning on getting Thumper one in August but may push it up.
Will post once I have the results and I know a game plan. |
I hate to be so blunt, my friend, but if your Vet
hasn't heard of the U of TENN for its
world-renowned Veterinary Endocrine Testing Lab -- then I really cannot express how seriously I believe you should *not* be letting this Vet treat your dog any further for Cushings. Cushings is an *extremely* complex, systemic disease that -- as I said in my post further above -- very, very few generalist Vets are equipped properly at treating.
The U of Tenn doesn't do just "one test" - they do several specialized Cushings-specific tests that your Vet cannot do locally at any available lab.
There are not just 2 other drugs to treat Cushings. The meds to treat are: Lignans, Melatonin, Vetoryl/Trilostane, Lysodren, Ketoconazole, and Selegiline. When someone tells you something is "the best med on the market" -- I would be extremely hesitant to ever believe that type of generalized, blanket statement -- that's my opinion as a nurse. I would *never* have said that to a patient. The best med is the one that works properly for the patient.
My Wylie was 4.5yrs old when diagnosed w/ Atypical Cushings -
and lived to be 12. He was on Lysodren (this is a 'chemo' med, also used in Cushingoid dogs) - never had a single side effect from it. He took a loading dose for a while - then his maintenance dose was MWF only. He lived an awesome life!!!
An ultrasound is not a bad idea - but I would not do it w/ that Vet. I would definitely find an Internist who is experienced with managing Cushings -- get properly titrated on Cushings meds (can take several months, btw!!) -- and then find a generalist Vet for maintenance. That's my best advice, having been through inexperienced Vets with a Cushings dog myself - and wasting a ton of money there first.
