Symptoms of Cushing's or Hypothyroid?

[Jenna AK]

Yeah, I think the vet was going to give her cephalosporin at first, and I'd asked for a liquid (Jenna's pretty good about those) but by the end of the visit she'd decided on clavamox and I'd forgotten how nasty that is. Ah well only 7 more days... 0_o
The distressing thing is that honeycomb-like wrinkly skin is spreading quickly. It's starting to show up on her belly around the edges and moving towards the center, and it's everywhere under the base of her tail. The fur is still thinning at an alarming rate and she's chewing her legs enough to put sores in the crooks of her forelegs. She hasn't left her feet alone yet.
I am not happy about how quickly this is progressing.

I wonder if I should bathe her more frequently or less often? Currently we try not to go longer than two weeks, weather notwithstanding. (Up here it's not wise to be wet or damp with temps going subzero in case you have to go outside quickly, plus I'm trying to keep blow drying to a minimum.)

[Jenna AK]

11-29 update...got thyroid rezults back, all normal. Vet didn't give me actual numbers but said she isn't leaning toward hypothyroud or Cushing's. However after almost 9 days of clavamox, there's no improvement in Jenna's symptoms.
I asked the vet if we could still do a urine sample just to be doubly sure. She said okay, so now I need to suss out how to get a clean catch from Jenna.
Vet would also like to try a topical fatty oil supplement for her skin. Didn't give me a name though.
She suggested the prednisone again, but also gave me a dosage for benadryl to try first if I'd like. Jenna is 7 lbs, so 2.5 ml of children's benadryl syrup every 12 hours as needed. Seems like a lot to me, my house rabbits are about 4 lbs and they only get 0.6 ml twice a day.

So...kind of stuck. No bad news, but no good news either.
To add to this worry, my husband's cousin passed away Thursday night and the whole family here is gutted. It's been a rough couple of months.

[Taryn0405]

Originally Posted by Jenna AK

11-29 update...got thyroid rezults back, all normal. Vet didn't give me actual numbers but said she isn't leaning toward hypothyroud or Cushing's. However after almost 9 days of clavamox, there's no improvement in Jenna's symptoms.
I asked the vet if we could still do a urine sample just to be doubly sure. She said okay, so now I need to suss out how to get a clean catch from Jenna.
Vet would also like to try a topical fatty oil supplement for her skin. Didn't give me a name though.
She suggested the prednisone again, but also gave me a dosage for benadryl to try first if I'd like. Jenna is 7 lbs, so 2.5 ml of children's benadryl syrup every 12 hours as needed. Seems like a lot to me, my house rabbits are about 4 lbs and they only get 0.6 ml twice a day.

So...kind of stuck. No bad news, but no good news either.
To add to this worry, my husband's cousin passed away Thursday night and the whole family here is gutted. It's been a rough couple of months.

"This too, shall pass..."

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Jenna AK

The fur is still thinning at an alarming rate and she's chewing her legs enough to put sores in the crooks of her forelegs. She hasn't left her feet alone yet.
I am not happy about how quickly this is progressing.

I wonder if I should bathe her more frequently or less often? Currently we try not to go longer than two weeks, weather notwithstanding. (Up here it's not wise to be wet or damp with temps going subzero in case you have to go outside quickly, plus I'm trying to keep blow drying to a minimum.)

Poor baby, w/ the legs. I seriously would get her to a Vet Derm ASAP, if you're not already w/ one. The more it progresses, the more the problems compound.

As far as bathing, it actually depends on finding a diagnosis. For seasonal allergies and/or bacterial skin infections - vets recommend bathing 2-3x a week. If that's recommended, using 1 or 2 prescription shampoos (alternating) is good. They're not cheap, but they def last a long time...so the expense is minimal.

However, there are some skin issues where you really do NOT want to bathe too often. And this is also why you need a diagnosis.

Originally Posted by Jenna AK

Vet would also like to try a topical fatty oil supplement for her skin. Didn't give me a name though.
She suggested the prednisone again, but also gave me a dosage for benadryl to try first if I'd like. Jenna is 7 lbs, so 2.5 ml of children's benadryl syrup every 12 hours as needed. Seems like a lot to me, my house rabbits are about 4 lbs and they only get 0.6 ml twice a day.

Not sure about that topical fatty oil...fatty oils are usually recommended by Vet Derms by oral supplementation for allergy/skin issues. A topical oil may help the skin stay more moist, but it would be a symptomatic treatment...not a true fix, as it can be when taken orally. A good oral oil is Royal Express by Ark Naturals...it already has the Vit E oil in it (which you need when giving dogs fish oils).

Benadryl is worth a try - but our Vet Derm likes the 24-hr allergy meds better, both bc of efficacy and bc of lasting power. Our derm also says to try the anti-hist for 10-14 days before analyzing if it works.

Having been where you're at...I sure wish I'd gone straight to a Vet Derm after my general vet couldn't diagnose. In the long term, it would've saved me a ton of money and heartache (for the doggies).

[Jenna AK]

My vet did say I could use an oral supplement, but didn't suggest any brand, and they continue to push the prednisone. They'll do a urine test to try to detect Cushings, but since Jenna's thyroid came up okay and the vet really doesn't think she has Cushings then I don't know if this would just be more wasted time....they really seem less interested in finding a cause and more determined in throwing symptomatic remedies around. >_<
I think I'm going to see about the closer practice where they have specialists.
Sadly I wound up with the topical tagged onto my bill after taking one of my other pets in today. So I'm stuck with it anyway. Oddly enough it's made by the same company that makes the dental chews that Jenna may have an allergy to. What a coincidence.

[ladyjane]

I really do not understand your resistance to prednisone. As I have posted previously, I have had many pups on short term prednisone without any ill effects. For acute issues prednisone is highly effective to relieve the suffering of an itchy pup. To say a vet is "pushing" the medicine bothers me...your vet sees your pup as suffering and is probably trying to get you to try what he/she knows is a highly effective treatment to relieve her discomfort. I also have a pup that has been on Temeril P for years now. He is a senior pup and he is healthy. His lab work is perfectly normal. No ill effects at all from that medicine. It is a very low dose of prednisone.

[107barney]

I agree with two points posted above:
1. I would go to a vet dermatologist
2. If I wasn't willing to do that, I'd listen to the regular vet's advice.

You keep rejecting the vet's advice, which is your choice, but unfortunately you keep doing it at the expense of a dog that isn't getting the help it needs. Time to listen to the vet or find another. I don't see why you keep chasing Cushing's if they are saying your dog doesn't have it. A urine cortisol creatinine ratio test is over $100. That money would be better spent on prednisone or on a specialist.

[Ellie May]

It sounds like you need a specialist to get to the bottom of this. If that isn't an option or it will be delayed, then I don't see anyway to not go the steroid route. The vets are pushing prednisone because they know it works very well.

Being so itchy has got to be very miserable for her. It's her quality of life in question. My vet doesn't like handing out steroids. But she does it anyway..because they work. They do carry risks like all drugs. Long-term use is more of a concern. But even for the pups that have to be on them life-long, isn't that better than them suffering? If they aren't getting relief, then how can they be happy?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

It sounds like you need a specialist to get to the bottom of this. If that isn't an option or it will be delayed, then I don't see anyway to not go the steroid route. The vets are pushing prednisone because they know it works very well.

Being so itchy has got to be very miserable for her. It's her quality of life in question. My vet doesn't like handing out steroids. But she does it anyway..because they work. They do carry risks like all drugs. Long-term use is more of a concern. But even for the pups that have to be on them life-long, isn't that better than them suffering? If they aren't getting relief, then how can they be happy?

Exactly. Quality of Life.

When itching gets this bad, you have to treat it -- even if it's with meds that aren't within your comfort zone. You can try Atopica, Temaril P, and steroid...like others have said.

[Mistymillar]

Hi there, I was tryin.g to read up on your posts about Jen as itching. Did you eventually find out what the problem was and is she ok now? I hope her little back is feeling much better soon too.

[caw]

Atopica works wonders.