You're a great mom, Carrie. Thoughts of you always bring such warm feelings to my heart and mind. I think of you and your babies so often, and I always wish you and your family the best of health and happiness, a great deal of love, and beautiful memories always.

thank you so much for sharing your story of kelsie, it does offer some hope. i am very happy that her addisons has been under control for so long! from my understanding, addisons is more critical than cushing's, so it is truly amazing that she has done so well for 6 years! great job! you must be a very good mom to her, she's lucky to have you! i will also send up prayers for you & your kelsie to continue to do so well with her treatment!

thank you steve, i am doing my best to hang tough for my girl!

hi there! sorry it's taken me a few days to get back on here. no, the woman in your neighborhood is not my daughter... would've been a real coincidence if it was though! i'm sure she was referring to u of tenn though. it's the only place in the country that does the complete acth panel for cushing's dogs that includes not just cortisol, but several other sex steroids that are elevated with the atypical form of cushing's. i have never actually taken zowi to tenn, our vet sends her blood samples there for evaluation and they consult with zowi's dr and recommend treatment based on the results. they're expert engocrinologists and considered #1 in the country, especially for atypicals.

thank you linda, it means a lot, especially coming from an angel of yorkies like yourself! :)

thank you lisa. having met you here means so much to me because you're so thoughtful and sincere. i am so proud to have you as a friend. thanks for all the well wishes and positive thoughts, i know they work more than we will ever know. you always have a way of comforting with your words. sending you a hug and hoping all is well!!! thinking of you often!!!

update
 

still waiting on results from u of tenn to see if trilostane is helping to control zowi's cushing's..... will continue same dose until results are in. all clinical signs are still present, but her energy level has improved somewhat.

zowi had her cholesterol and triglycerides rechecked as both were very high (especially cholesterol) during her hospitalization. her cholesterol was at 450 (normal is 324 or lower) and triglycerides were in the 500's (normal is 291 or lower.) we changed her to a very low fat (6% maximum) diet a little over a month ago. her cholesterol has lowered to 330 which is almost back to normal range, but her triglycerides have raised to 673. we are instructed to continue same food she is on and no treats, and recheck in a couple weeks to see if there's any improvement. this is a concern i will be discussing with her dr when i get u of tenn results. it is a possibility the trilostane is increasing triglycerides and it is not diet related. does anyone have any experience with high triglycerides?

zowi's thyroid panel showed a great deal of improvement (3.4 normal is 1-4) from when she was hospitalized, so we will continue the same dose of thyroxine twice a day for her hypothyroid condition. dr recommends rechecking every 6 months to be sure that the dosage is still correct, but knowing how i worry about giving her meds, we will probably recheck in 3 months and her dr said that would be fine.

her dr said the blood pressure test is probably unnecessary because usually there would be some changes in vision or with the eyes occurring with a blood pressure problem, but agreed to do it for my own peace of mind and that came back normal with no blood pressure problems. she said that she is sure the panting is a clinical sign of elevated steroids from cushing's.

will continue to update as i find out more info. zowi and i really appreciate everyone sharing their stories and sending positive thoughts our way. maybe this info can help someone with their own baby someday too. cushing's is very often overlooked as normal aging process by owners and veterinarians alike. zowi started having some symptoms a year before her diagnosis and every test run on her came back normal then. we also were unable to see our regular dr for those tests over a year ago. zowi got a uti and was seen by our regular doc and that was the first cushing's was ever even mentioned. sending ((hugs)) and well wishes to all of you and your babies!

Thanks for the update! Keeping you and Zowi in my thoughts and prayers.

update
 

zowi's u of tenn results 11/3 came back a little lower than we wanted so her trilostane dose was decreased to 10mg once daily from 12mg once daily. she is due for another endocrine panel to tennessee in a couple weeks to see how everything looks on the new dose. she's a little more energetic and panting a little bit less but she continues to have symptoms of cushing's even though her numbers are pretty close to where they should be. this makes me and her dr agree that some adjustments still need to be made in the future, but we must give things time to work and see what we have for an outcome. i have noticed her shaking/shivering during times of excitement over the last week and her dr says that is a side effect of the trilostane and to watch her closely. so i am waiting and hoping for more improvements and watching her very closely....
cushing's is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland 85-90% of the time or from a tumor in one (or both) of the adrenal glands 10-15% of the time. (a very small percentage can have tumors in both though.) the adrenal tumor type is usually operable but very risky (25-30% mortality rate within first 24 hours) and expensive ($6,000-$8,000), the pituitary is not operable because it is located at the base of the brain. we decided to opt for surgery if possible because it's the only way cushing's can possibly be cured, the rest of the time it is not curable and can only be controlled. zowi had an ultrasound 11/10 to determine which it is and unfortunately she has the pituitary dependant type, so medical management is our only option. good news is that everything looked great with the exception of an enlarged liver and both adrenal glands. her dr took the time to let me see the ultrasound images myself and explain everything to me which was great.

i am so grateful that even with all this going on, zowi is in great spirits and overall doing great! she's such a little trooper and such a good little patient. she still keeps her happy healthy 18 month old little sister pixie in check and knows she will always be the queen!!! we will stop at nothing to keep zowi happy and healthy as long as we can!!!

thank you to all of our wonderful yorkie talk friends and family for your well wishes and positive thoughts and keep them coming - they really do work!!!

That is real good news, and hopefully fine tuning the dosage will yeild positive results. Glad she is more active and feeling better. You are doing everything you can for her! She will be the Belle of the next Chicago River Boat Ride.

The Meet-up group will most likely have an Easter Time meeting and hopring you are all there.