Cushings Phobic? Am I Looking For Signs?

[Guest gomiesmom]

O.K. GT'ers - need some honesty here. (please pardon my mis-spellings too)

Background - right before we got our 1st hound ( 5 yrs ago) we lost a beloved Sheltie to Cushings. I did not recoginze an symptoms of eating like a vaccuum ( although he always did -he lived w/ 9 other shelties prior to us adopting), excessive drinking & peeing & breaking his house training, but only a short time for the breaking training. He ended up in kidney failure & diagnosed w/ cushings. He passed, due to the kidney failure.

 

Fast forward.. we have GH # 1 ; also have a little girl GH whos is 5& 1/2. She too, has always eaten like a vaccuum, compared to our male, and INTERMITTNLY drinks excessively . I stress intermittenly, because I have watched this, due to the above experience. I talked w/ the vet and we decided it was behavioral, & went along with the weather and the possible lack of humidity in winter, etc. Mind you , I say excessive, but we're not talking about gallons upon gallons, just a marked increase from her "normal" thirst, but only every so often.

O.k fast fwd to her annual vet vist ( Sept.); her secondary liver enzymes were slightly elevated & had coccidia from eating rabbit poop. We took her back in two weeks & liver enzymes were down. All elese checked out as " greyhound normal".

 

O.K. 1st of Dec; she was left alone at home(unusual) when our other hound, Gomer went for his annual vet vist & she peed in the floor.

O/.K. I thought - well she was mad b/c she could not go- she gets like that - she has separation of sorts when he has to go to the vet - she whines like you would not beleive. I's really hard for me (95 lbs) to handle both of them at the vet. She knew we were going & knowing her, I though she was just upset.

O.K. - today - both dogs were here and I was volunteering w/ our GH Adoption group and I got hme 30 mins ago & she had peed in the floor.

Well I had only been gone for 5 hrs. this is not a long time for her - both our guys are home for about 7 hrs a day, as we work. They are fine normally.

The two incidents of peeing inside are it. Today - she peed outside not 10 minutes before I left.

Thoughts- am I making a mountain out of nothing? The cushings test ( indicator) is so hard on them,if I remember correctly from 5yrs ago & it's an all day event, but I'm tempted to do it. Do you all think I am over reacting ?????? She has not weight gain or loss, no hair loss, jsut the above. Do you think I am over reacting - please be honest.

[TheFullHouse]

I think she's had a couple of pee accidents. She's fine otherwise so I wouldn't worry. I know the tendency to worry as I lost a girl to cushings. If the accidents concern you I'd have her checked for a UTI.

[kudzu]

As someone who has seen the damage reaped by a missed Cushing's diagnosis I can understand your concern. I think though that I would not be reaching for Cushing's with the situation you have described. Excitement, good or bad, can cause a dog to need to urinate.

 

It may not be a bad idea to have a urinalysis run. If you are really concerned or it would ease your mind a bit then have some blood work run again. It would hopefully prove to be an unnecessary expense but the combo could help in evaluating whether there is a medical cause.

 

The concern & perhaps even paranoia we feel after having a dog with delayed Cushing's diagnosis takes a long time to dissipate. Keep notes and copies of her blood work. Hope this is just a mild thing. Cushing's does seem unlikely.

[GeorgeofNE]

Yes, you're over reacting.

 

I can't imagine the odds of someone owning two dogs of totally different breeds both developing Cushings!

 

Obviously it's not impossible--but a couple of accidents is not enough to leap to Cushings!

[Guest gomiesmom]

Thank you ( I'd bow if you could see it - ) JILLYSFULLHOUS & KUSZU -

I appreciate both of you sharing your knowledge. Even though I have had a GH for newly 6 yrs; I am & will be for a long while, still a nervous novice.

thank you for validating my freaking out - - & God be w/ me, hopefully maybe misplaced.

I'll definately do the UTI screen & some more blood work. If you cannot tell- I am a helicopter mom---- was before the Sheltie w/ Cushings, but just missed it.

Thanks again for understanding . Now, I'd say not week goes by that I don't kick myself for not seeing his symptoms sooner - used to be daily.

Really - thier schedule was altered today, usually I try to spend all day Sat & Sun with my hounds, since we work during the week days.

Plus, even though she went out & peed 10 mins b/f I left; it was raining & she may not have gotten it all out ........

I don't know - just scared. Thank you for " TALKING ME DOWN".

- Lynn

[MaryJane]

I would probably drop off a urine for a urinalysis if you are concerned as she could have a UTI. IMO going for any Cushing tests are probably not warranted at this time.

[KF_in_Georgia]

My girl is more prone to peeing accidents on rainy days. She doesn't stay out any longer than absolutely necessary if her little self is in danger of melting in the rain. Which means she thinks she's made of sugar...

 

 

or she thinks she's the Wicked Witch of the West.

 

 

If it's any consolation, I've cross-diagnosed my own dogs. The boy has lung cancer: he coughs, we did x-rays, we know what we've got. The girl coughed...and I hit the panic button. A little doxycycline, and the cough is gone. (Finally. It did take nearly four weeks to clear up...)

[Guest summernights]

I'd agree that you're overreacting. One pee accident a month and a half ago, and two today, does not scream "CUSHING'S!!!" to me...more like gently whispers "urinary tract infection?". Hugs to you and your little girl