Any Experience With Cushings?

[Guest Dillymom]

My crew thought 4am was time to get up too- they missed the memo about the clocks changing

 

How was Misty today?

[CaliforniaGreys]

My crew thought 4am was time to get up too- they missed the memo about the clocks changing

 

How was Misty today?

Misty is having a bit of a rough time, and as much as I know she's not feeling right, Misty really knows how to work it! She's my little drama queen for sure. I'm watching her very closely and by all symptoms, she could have been made Addisionian already.But won't know that until the stimulation test is done. Hugs to Miss Lola

 

Don't feel bad, mine got me up early too. Come on Misty, feel better sweet girl. Your mommy and quite a few others are very worried about you.

Ya know what Judy, I am so grateful Misty is still here so I would not have cared if she got me up at 2am, I'm just happy she got through the crisis. Please don't tell her about the part that I'de get up at 2 and be happy about it because she's the type to take advantage of that too

 

Well, believe it or not, I was the first one up this morning.

 

Claudia, I am sorry that Misty was restless last night. Did you talk to the vet tech this am? Please give her extra :kiss2 from her fur ebber His is just over the fact that she is not feeling well and this is from me . You know how to get in touch if you need to talk.

Donna, thank you! There was really no need to call the tech this am as there's nothing she can do at this point. This is for Chance from his girl

[Guest vahoundlover]

We were up early too. Come on baby girl, hang in there, feel the prayers

[Guest mzmazzei]

I really want to thank everyone for caring so much about my little girl. She didn't want to eat this morning but as soon as I put the Nutritional Yeast all over her food, she ate every bit of it. She still is not drinking very much but hopefully that will change as the day goes on. If not, I will bring her in for fluids. I need to have a serious discussion with my vet about the "value" of treating this disease vs not treating it.If I notice a change during treatment, and I'm going to be blown off and cause her to crash again, I'm not doing this. It's not fair to her. So, I will wait and see what the vet feels about it.I will just ask for guidance to do the right thing.

 

This is the reason I chose Trilostane for treatment with Fiona. We are successfully treating her PDH Cushings Disease since July of this year. Her last ACTH test on 10/17 showed the pre/post numbers right where we want them and we've never had to use the prednisone.

 

I did extensive research on my own with only Board Certified vet sources. There is a lot of conflicting information on both medications. In fact, some of the expert endricrinologists (SP?) actually advocate a crisis and moving the dog to Addison's disease because "it's easier to manage". After reviewing all these opinions, my gut told me that a medication like Lysodren that was "loaded" in high doses initially, would be too harsh for my dog. Then I sat with my vet and asked her all my questions and told her my concerns. Since we were on the same page for a course of treatment with Trilostane, the next step was to find an ethical source (it's not FDA approved), which we did with the Apothecary Shop in Arizona.

 

The Yahoo group for Canine Cushings is highly moderated and quack treatment advocates are not represented. The owners there have developed the "start low-go slow" mantra for Trilostane treatment. Therefore, we started Fiona with 30mg once each morning (this is 1/2 the recommended dosage for her 58#) then tested ACTH at 2 weeks. The first week we took Fiona to work with us to monitor because I was still very nervous about the treatment. The post numbers showed improvement, but were still too high, so we added another 30mg in the evenings every other day and tested again at about 3 weeks. Again, the post numbers showed improvement, but were still high. She now takes 30mg twice daily and her numbers are great.

 

The other thing I learned is that some dogs do not show immediate visible signs of improvement - which has been attributed to them actually experiencing "withdrawal" from having the excess cortisol in their systems. So, we've dial down our expectations of instant results.

 

After just over 3 months of treatment, Fiona has normal water consumption and her energy level has improved. Fiona will be 10 in January. I would not elect no treatment unless the dog was significantly older or had other mitigating health issues - then I would try to maintain comfort with the many holistic approaches, I've read about but not fully researched. Fiona's only other health issue is hypothyroidism.

 

By the way, I didn't ever catch what type of Cushings disease Misty has? Was an adrenal ultrasound done? Is the tumor pituatary or adrenal?

 

Don't be shy about getting a second or third opinion and doing your own research. Good luck!

When Nevada was undergoing treatment for cushings, I was told that Trilostane was not available in the USA. Had that been an option, I may have given it a thought. It's available right here in Phoenix...who knew??!! Just out of curiosity....what it the cost? Glad to hear your pup is doing so well. It's an ugly disease to deal with.

Carol, my vet told me it wasn't available in the US and he said he doesn't do business with compounding pharmacies. No idea why. The Trilostane is much cheaper than the Lysodren which in my opinion is expensive. Mine was 187.00 for 10 days. I thought that was a bit ridiculous but what can ya do?

 

There are several compounding pharmacies that distribute Trilostane, however some are better at communicating their testing for quality assurance and FDA clearance policies. Fiona's medication runs about $90 per month and that includes the Fed-Ex shipping fee. My vet was very particular that our source follow the FDA rules and we rejected two sources before finding the Apothecary shop. If my vet blanketly refused to deal with a respected source of a better medication for my dog, I'd be interviewing for a new vet.

 

If you need any other information, feel free to email me...

 

[Guest greydogluvr]

Hi Claudia,

Will she stay Addisonian or will she return to the Cushings state following treatment? If not would this mean that the medication distroyed her adrenal glands? These Adrenal diseases are so crazy. Big hugs to your girl.

[NevadasMom]

I really want to thank everyone for caring so much about my little girl. She didn't want to eat this morning but as soon as I put the Nutritional Yeast all over her food, she ate every bit of it. She still is not drinking very much but hopefully that will change as the day goes on. If not, I will bring her in for fluids. I need to have a serious discussion with my vet about the "value" of treating this disease vs not treating it.If I notice a change during treatment, and I'm going to be blown off and cause her to crash again, I'm not doing this. It's not fair to her. So, I will wait and see what the vet feels about it.I will just ask for guidance to do the right thing.

 

This is the reason I chose Trilostane for treatment with Fiona. We are successfully treating her PDH Cushings Disease since July of this year. Her last ACTH test on 10/17 showed the pre/post numbers right where we want them and we've never had to use the prednisone.

 

I did extensive research on my own with only Board Certified vet sources. There is a lot of conflicting information on both medications. In fact, some of the expert endricrinologists (SP?) actually advocate a crisis and moving the dog to Addison's disease because "it's easier to manage". After reviewing all these opinions, my gut told me that a medication like Lysodren that was "loaded" in high doses initially, would be too harsh for my dog. Then I sat with my vet and asked her all my questions and told her my concerns. Since we were on the same page for a course of treatment with Trilostane, the next step was to find an ethical source (it's not FDA approved), which we did with the Apothecary Shop in Arizona.

 

The Yahoo group for Canine Cushings is highly moderated and quack treatment advocates are not represented. The owners there have developed the "start low-go slow" mantra for Trilostane treatment. Therefore, we started Fiona with 30mg once each morning (this is 1/2 the recommended dosage for her 58#) then tested ACTH at 2 weeks. The first week we took Fiona to work with us to monitor because I was still very nervous about the treatment. The post numbers showed improvement, but were still too high, so we added another 30mg in the evenings every other day and tested again at about 3 weeks. Again, the post numbers showed improvement, but were still high. She now takes 30mg twice daily and her numbers are great.

 

The other thing I learned is that some dogs do not show immediate visible signs of improvement - which has been attributed to them actually experiencing "withdrawal" from having the excess cortisol in their systems. So, we've dial down our expectations of instant results.

 

After just over 3 months of treatment, Fiona has normal water consumption and her energy level has improved. Fiona will be 10 in January. I would not elect no treatment unless the dog was significantly older or had other mitigating health issues - then I would try to maintain comfort with the many holistic approaches, I've read about but not fully researched. Fiona's only other health issue is hypothyroidism.

 

By the way, I didn't ever catch what type of Cushings disease Misty has? Was an adrenal ultrasound done? Is the tumor pituatary or adrenal?

 

Don't be shy about getting a second or third opinion and doing your own research. Good luck!

When Nevada was undergoing treatment for cushings, I was told that Trilostane was not available in the USA. Had that been an option, I may have given it a thought. It's available right here in Phoenix...who knew??!! Just out of curiosity....what it the cost? Glad to hear your pup is doing so well. It's an ugly disease to deal with.

Carol, my vet told me it wasn't available in the US and he said he doesn't do business with compounding pharmacies. No idea why. The Trilostane is much cheaper than the Lysodren which in my opinion is expensive. Mine was 187.00 for 10 days. I thought that was a bit ridiculous but what can ya do?

 

There are several compounding pharmacies that distribute Trilostane, however some are better at communicating their testing for quality assurance and FDA clearance policies. Fiona's medication runs about $90 per month and that includes the Fed-Ex shipping fee. My vet was very particular that our source follow the FDA rules and we rejected two sources before finding the Apothecary shop. If my vet blanketly refused to deal with a respected source of a better medication for my dog, I'd be interviewing for a new vet.

 

If you need any other information, feel free to email me...

The Apothocary Shop has a very good reputation here in the valley for their compounding pharmacy. Just out of curiosity, did you happen to hear about Pet Health Pharmacy in Youngtown, AZ? I've used them & never had a problem.

 

Hi Claudia,

Will she stay Addisonian or will she return to the Cushings state following treatment? If not would this mean that the medication distroyed her adrenal glands? These Adrenal diseases are so crazy. Big hugs to your girl.

From the way that my Vet explained it....you can accidentally or intentionally kill off too much of the adrenal cortex, thus making them Addisonian. Some Vets prefer to do this since it can be easier for owners to manage. Cushings can be a real rollercoaster ride.

[Guest greydogluvr]

I really want to thank everyone for caring so much about my little girl. She didn't want to eat this morning but as soon as I put the Nutritional Yeast all over her food, she ate every bit of it. She still is not drinking very much but hopefully that will change as the day goes on. If not, I will bring her in for fluids. I need to have a serious discussion with my vet about the "value" of treating this disease vs not treating it.If I notice a change during treatment, and I'm going to be blown off and cause her to crash again, I'm not doing this. It's not fair to her. So, I will wait and see what the vet feels about it.I will just ask for guidance to do the right thing.

 

This is the reason I chose Trilostane for treatment with Fiona. We are successfully treating her PDH Cushings Disease since July of this year. Her last ACTH test on 10/17 showed the pre/post numbers right where we want them and we've never had to use the prednisone.

 

I did extensive research on my own with only Board Certified vet sources. There is a lot of conflicting information on both medications. In fact, some of the expert endricrinologists (SP?) actually advocate a crisis and moving the dog to Addison's disease because "it's easier to manage". After reviewing all these opinions, my gut told me that a medication like Lysodren that was "loaded" in high doses initially, would be too harsh for my dog. Then I sat with my vet and asked her all my questions and told her my concerns. Since we were on the same page for a course of treatment with Trilostane, the next step was to find an ethical source (it's not FDA approved), which we did with the Apothecary Shop in Arizona.

 

The Yahoo group for Canine Cushings is highly moderated and quack treatment advocates are not represented. The owners there have developed the "start low-go slow" mantra for Trilostane treatment. Therefore, we started Fiona with 30mg once each morning (this is 1/2 the recommended dosage for her 58#) then tested ACTH at 2 weeks. The first week we took Fiona to work with us to monitor because I was still very nervous about the treatment. The post numbers showed improvement, but were still too high, so we added another 30mg in the evenings every other day and tested again at about 3 weeks. Again, the post numbers showed improvement, but were still high. She now takes 30mg twice daily and her numbers are great.

 

The other thing I learned is that some dogs do not show immediate visible signs of improvement - which has been attributed to them actually experiencing "withdrawal" from having the excess cortisol in their systems. So, we've dial down our expectations of instant results.

 

After just over 3 months of treatment, Fiona has normal water consumption and her energy level has improved. Fiona will be 10 in January. I would not elect no treatment unless the dog was significantly older or had other mitigating health issues - then I would try to maintain comfort with the many holistic approaches, I've read about but not fully researched. Fiona's only other health issue is hypothyroidism.

 

By the way, I didn't ever catch what type of Cushings disease Misty has? Was an adrenal ultrasound done? Is the tumor pituatary or adrenal?

 

Don't be shy about getting a second or third opinion and doing your own research. Good luck!

When Nevada was undergoing treatment for cushings, I was told that Trilostane was not available in the USA. Had that been an option, I may have given it a thought. It's available right here in Phoenix...who knew??!! Just out of curiosity....what it the cost? Glad to hear your pup is doing so well. It's an ugly disease to deal with.

Carol, my vet told me it wasn't available in the US and he said he doesn't do business with compounding pharmacies. No idea why. The Trilostane is much cheaper than the Lysodren which in my opinion is expensive. Mine was 187.00 for 10 days. I thought that was a bit ridiculous but what can ya do?

 

There are several compounding pharmacies that distribute Trilostane, however some are better at communicating their testing for quality assurance and FDA clearance policies. Fiona's medication runs about $90 per month and that includes the Fed-Ex shipping fee. My vet was very particular that our source follow the FDA rules and we rejected two sources before finding the Apothecary shop. If my vet blanketly refused to deal with a respected source of a better medication for my dog, I'd be interviewing for a new vet.

 

If you need any other information, feel free to email me...

The Apothocary Shop has a very good reputation here in the valley for their compounding pharmacy. Just out of curiosity, did you happen to hear about Pet Health Pharmacy in Youngtown, AZ? I've used them & never had a problem.

 

Hi Claudia,

Will she stay Addisonian or will she return to the Cushings state following treatment? If not would this mean that the medication distroyed her adrenal glands? These Adrenal diseases are so crazy. Big hugs to your girl.

From the way that my Vet explained it....you can accidentally or intentionally kill off too much of the adrenal cortex, thus making them Addisonian. Some Vets prefer to do this since it can be easier for owners to manage. Cushings can be a real rollercoaster ride.

 

I see that. My little non-grey was just diagnosed with Addison's (now controlled). I thought this was scary. It appears that Cushing's is a little more tricky. But if she is now Addisonian, at least there is an easy medical intervention.

[Guest ChancesMom]

Claudia, Just wanted you to know I was thinking about you and praying that your vet visit today brings answers and peace of mind for you today and that Misty had a good night last night. Hugs from Chance and I.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Misty is still not herself, but out of crisis. Just spoke with the vet and I need to drop Misty off in the am and they will do the stimulation test and she'll need to stay for 4-5 hours. That will tell us where she's at and we will know how to proceed. I know one thing, we WILL be proceeding slowly and carefully. And just as a side note on the compounding pharmacies. Jean Dodds, the founder of Hemopet send many clients to compounding pharmacies and I trust that woman more than I can explain. All of her Valley Fever dogs are using these pharmacies. My vet also has a great deal of respect for Jean so he can converse with her if he has a problem with it.

[seeh2o]

Come on Misty!

[TheFullHouse]

Misty will be in our thoughts and prayers. You're taking wonderful care of your girl Claudia.

[Jackandgrey]

Claudia, Misty and you are in my thoughts and prayers.

[GreyKarma]

Keeping Misty in my thoughts today. We use Wedgewood Pharmacy in NJ for our compounding. They list Trilostane in their inventory. Most drugs they can add flavor to. Let me know if you want anymore info.

[ShantisMom]

We are keeping the good thoughts going for Misty. Let us know how she is when you pick her up.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Keeping Misty in my thoughts today. We use Wedgewood Pharmacy in NJ for our compounding. They list Trilostane in their inventory. Most drugs they can add flavor to. Let me know if you want anymore info.

Thank you, Judy sent me the info on Wedgewood, and if she trusts them, I trust them. I mentioned the ones in Arizona only because they are closer to us. I don't think we'll be using the Trilostane. I didn't ask this am because when the vet called me, I knew he was in the middle of an emergency, and my questions can wait until tomorrow as long as I know Misty is comfortable and out of crisis. Those of you who warned me about this being a scary rollercoaster ride, boy you were not joking! I hope that should anyone have to deal with this disease, they know to come here for guidance

[queenwinniesmom]

Misty, you have an awesome Mom! You both continue to be in our prayers.

[nyGreys]

Claudia, you & Misty are in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there.

[MarcR]

Claudia, I'm thinking of you and Misty.

[CaliforniaGreys]

A very sincere thank you to you all. Will someone please leave room for Misty because before this is done, this little girl will be hating me for sure

[TheFullHouse]

I don't believe that for a second!

[patricia]

My thoughts and prayers.

[MarcR]

A very sincere thank you to you all. Will someone please leave room for Misty because before this is done, this little girl will be hating me for sure

Do you think she'd like New Jersey

[CaliforniaGreys]

A very sincere thank you to you all. Will someone please leave room for Misty because before this is done, this little girl will be hating me for sure

Do you think she'd like New Jersey

Sure she would, especially if I get some weight back on her for that cold weather!

[RobinM]

How is she this evening?

 

Edited November 3, 2008 by RobinM

[CaliforniaGreys]

How is she this evening?

She's having a hard time Robin. She's very restless and has that "fix it mom" look on her face all the time. I know you know that look. Hugs to Polli who remains in my prayers