Another Mystery Illness - Stella *2/3 New Update*

[SarahsBlackPack]

I have no advice to offer. But I am sending good thoughts for Stella though.

[Guest LindsaySF]

They had to order the hormone for testing for diabetes insipidus...that, alone, is a couple hundred bucks. I guess it's the same thing you'd treat with and he said that's usually enough "for a week." At this point, even though I really want answers, I'm really that it's not DI. He said it's not exactly commmon...

 

So, not sure when that will get in and the rest of the bloodwork (lepto and thyroid) will probably be back on Monda]y.

Sorry I just found this thread. I saw your posts in another thread. My dog Cody has Diabetes Insipidus.

 

Hopefully you can get the hormone (desmopressin acetate) through Costco or a compounding pharmacy. Cody's meds were something crazy like $300 at CVS (human nasal drops), but around $110 at Costco. We switched to pill form and Costco has a new supplier so they are around $80 now. Cody is 50 lbs.

 

 

Symptoms:

Significant weight loss, muscle wasting. She's down to 54 lbs

Excessive drinking

Excessive peeing (can't go more than 3 hours)

Appetite waxes and wanes, generally OK

Coat looks like crap, rough, dull, dry, brittle, even the color has changed.

Hair loss along the limbs, butt, belly, ears

Lethargy, depression, general "doing poorly"

Skin seems very thin, fragile and almost transparent, esp on the legs

 

Other things - she also trembles a lot. Outside, inside...doesn't seem to be temperature related. She doesn't have the characteristic "barrel" look of a Cushing's dog.

Of these symptoms, Cody only had the excessive drinking/peeing, trembling, and some lethargy. The symptoms you describe regarding her skin and coat make me think a metabolic disorder like Cushings rather than DI.

 

Cody had the trembling, his muscles (especially in his legs) would twitch, but he also would get very faint full-body tremors. I think it was a potassium imbalance due to dehydration (potassium affects muscle contractions), which DI can cause because they pee out too much water and don't absorb enough, leads to an electrolyte imbalance. After going onto the desmopressin the twitching stopped.

 

 

Something of a side bar, but I thought glomerulonephritis was basically a name for the kidney symptoms you see, but not a "real" diagnosis in that it can be caused by many underlying diseases/issues, is that incorrect? I am honestly asking, I did a little reading when my friend's dog started having similar issues and they suspected Cushing's and that was what I got out of my reading. Like you can have glomerulonephritis from _______ (insert any number of things) or else if you can't figure out the "from" you just say the dog has glomerulonephritis. Am I way off base?

You are correct. Glomerulonephritis (aka glomerular nephritis) simply translates to "inflammation of the glomeruli". The glomeruli are blood vessels in the kidneys. They filter the blood and send waste products into the urine. You don't always find the cause of the glomerulonephritis.

 

 

If Stella has glomerulonephritis I don't think it's central DI (pituitary gland doesn't produce enough anti-diuretic hormone, ADH). It could still be nephrogenic DI (plenty of ADH but kidneys don't respond to it). But my guess is that it's not DI at all, but glomerulonephritis of unknown origin, especially with an elevated protein:creatinine ratio. I'd be curious to see the results of the Lepto test and any tick panels.

 

 

Fingers crossed for good news.

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest Katann]

I will keep her in my prayers, I hope that you find the cause very soon.

[fsugrad]

Poor, sweet Stella!

Hoping and praying that you guys can figure out this mystery soon.

[Guest KennelMom]

update post 1

[sabrina]

Stella hope soon there will be a dx for you & some idea on how ot help you

[RobinM]

Lots of new and improved treatments for cushings. Hoping that Stella does well now that she has a dx.

[Guest Energy11]

Sorry you had to wait so long for a diagnosis, BUT, at least you know what it is now, and can treat it!

 

Sending love, hugs, good thoughts and prayers your way!

[TheFullHouse]

Well finally a diagnosis. Hopefully you can come up with a treatment plan that Stella can adjust to.

[Batmom]

A long time coming but must be a huge relief to have some sort of answer you can work with. Hope very much that she responds well to treatment.

[Remolacha]

Glad you finally have an answer, and it is something you can treat. Don't really understand why your vet was reluctent to test for Cushings

[kickchick2000]

I too am glad you finally have an answer. Hopefully Stella will start to feel better soon.

[greyhead]

Whew, that was a long hard slog, wasn't it! Glad you finally have an answer and it's something you can work with. Hugs and scritches to you and Stella, respectively.

[brandimom]

I know that our local holistic vet treats Cushings. Perhaps consult with a holistic vet in your area? I am glad you finally have a DX. So frustrating not knowing what it is.

[Guest KennelMom]

Glad you finally have an answer, and it is something you can treat. Don't really understand why your vet was reluctent to test for Cushings

 

Well, her labs were pretty much normal except protein in the urine and we had an ultrasound done and her adrenals looked perfectly normal. The ultrasound should have showed us something if it were cushings...and it was done by a board certified specialist, not a general practitioner. There was no reason to test further for cushings from their point of view. Even with pretty much every classic symptom of cushings, the diagnostic results weren't backing up that diagnosis. I got frustrated as hell and we pretty much took a couple months to see what happened or if there was any movement in her labs to point us in a direction. She seemed to actually get a bit better...then a bit worse, which brought us back to the vet and me pretty much insisting they figure SOMETHING out. The new doc at the practice suggested we do the dex test (just in time to prevent me from bringing out the expletives).

 

In hindsight, I wish I'd insisted they done this months ago. --> at myself. But, here we are today and we finally have something to work with.

Edited December 23, 2010 by KennelMom

[RobinM]

Paula LaPorte, pres. of Forever homes Greyhounds posted this on FB some time ago. I just went back to her older posts.

 

http://www.cesarsway.com/news/dognews/New-Tumor-Research-Saves-Dogs-and-Humans

[Guest KennelMom]

Paula LaPorte, pres. of Forever homes Greyhounds posted this on FB some time ago. I just went back to her older posts.

 

http://www.cesarsway.com/news/dognews/New-Tumor-Research-Saves-Dogs-and-Humans

 

wow....that's really interesting...

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

Glad that you all finally have an answer.

Now good thoughts for improvements for Stella

[Guest Stripeyfan]

Sorry to hear about the Cushings and that your vet took so long to test for it! We had a similar experience when Kelly was really sick earlier this year, we had to change to a new practise before we got the tests he needed to diagnose his IBD, so I know how frustrating it is. Hugs to you and Stella.

[Guest vahoundlover]

I'm glad you finally have an answer! Buster (non grey) lived many years with cushings, I hope Stella will do the same.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Definitely frustrating, but I'm glad you have a diagnosis!

 

What test did you use? The stim test or the dex one?

[Guest KennelMom]

Definitely frustrating, but I'm glad you have a diagnosis!

 

What test did you use? The stim test or the dex one?

 

we did the dex test first and the stim test today. she'll also go for another ultrasound as soon as we can get her an appointment.

[Guest MZH]

12/22

 

I just wanted to update this thread that we finally have a diagnosis for Stella and it's Cushings. The vet finally agreed to do the dex test, which was positive. We'll do an ACTH stim test and another ultrasound before deciding on a course of treatment.

 

It's nice to finally have an answer, but frustrating we didn't get one sooner. I can't say that I'm thrilled with our vet right now, but that's another matter.

 

 

Our Cullen (the guy in my avatar) went through all this -- no diagnosis for months. We finally tested for Atypical Cushings and that came back positive -- too much estrogen. The testing was done at U of Tenn. It's hard to watch their bodies change right under your nose when test after test show nothing much.

[Guest Swifthounds]

[Guest KennelMom]

update in post 1...