greenroof
Active Member
My beloved terrier has just been diagnosed with Cushings. Has anyone any experience of this or advice? He has slowly gone from very agile, active and giddy to lethargic and weak, probably over a period of about 9 months.
Cushings in dogs
- Thread starter greenroof
- Start date
HappyHollyDays
Slave to 2 cats and 2 ponies
I have a friend with a 14 year old Cairn who was diagnosed with Cushings last Christmas. She was experiencing the same symptoms as your terrier, was very incontinent and almost died in January.
She is now on tablets daily and is a different dog. Goes for walks, eats without being sick, only drinks when thirsty and has stopped peeing everywhere.
The drugs are expensive through the vet and have gone up enormously in the last year so friend sources them on the net and gets a better deal.
Hope your boy gets his mojo back with the tablets.
She is now on tablets daily and is a different dog. Goes for walks, eats without being sick, only drinks when thirsty and has stopped peeing everywhere.
The drugs are expensive through the vet and have gone up enormously in the last year so friend sources them on the net and gets a better deal.
Hope your boy gets his mojo back with the tablets.
Umbongo
Well-Known Member
Has the vet determined whether it is due to a tumour in the pituitary gland or adrenal gland? Pituitary hyperadrenocortism is more common and is treated with drugs. Adrenal tumours may be treated with drugs or surgically removed, depending on their size/position. Some blood tests and/or an ultrasound scan can determine this.
Cushings medication is normally vetoryl tablets, which is unfortunately quite an expensive drug, however most dogs do very well on this, and pretty much return back to normal! Their energy returns, drinking and urintaing normally return to normal
You will need to go the vet for regular blood tests to ensure he is on the right dosage, the blood tests to monitor cushings normally require the dog to be in the vets for a few hours.
Sorry to hear about your poor dog, I hope he does well!
Cushings medication is normally vetoryl tablets, which is unfortunately quite an expensive drug, however most dogs do very well on this, and pretty much return back to normal! Their energy returns, drinking and urintaing normally return to normal
You will need to go the vet for regular blood tests to ensure he is on the right dosage, the blood tests to monitor cushings normally require the dog to be in the vets for a few hours.
Sorry to hear about your poor dog, I hope he does well!
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
Several years ago, I had a dog who developed Cushings, but the only sign of that she had the condition was that she began drinking more.
I don't know how it is now, but then it was an expensive commitment for an owner to decide to give their dog Cushings medication. Besides that the pills were expensive, we also had to take her to the veterinarian on a regular basis, for a somewhat expensive blood test, to check so that the level of medication was correct. In the beginning, the tests were only a week to a few weeks apart, but later it became months.
The test was also a little time consuming, because they first had to take one blood sample, and then wait, as I recall, about 1 ½ to 2 hours, before they took a second blood sample. So either you had to have the time to sit and wait with your dog, or you needed to leave the dog at the veterinarian clinic, for the whole day/a few hours.
Someone who reads this perhaps thinks "Why is she talking about the costs, if it was my beloved pet, I would pay whatever it costs". But it really isn't any small sums that I'm talking about. I don't know why, but I still remember how much her pills cost, 1 package of pills lasted 1 month = about 560£ per year, and to that came the costs of the blood tests.
I don't remember as clearly what the blood tests cost, but I think it was something between 120 to 210£ per occasion. So, even when we didn't need to test her that often any more, adding together the costs for only the minimum amount of tests per year, with the costs for 1 year of medication, resulted in that I could have bought myself 1 purebred puppy per year for that sum.
My veterinarian was also very clear about that she would only prescribe the medication to dogs whose owners realised that you couldn't give the medication, and then choose to not do the blood tests, because it is very important that the level of medication is the correct one for your dog.
For my bitch, it wasn't a quick fix type of medication. When I first began to give her the pills, it quickly turned out that the dosage was too high for her, and she developed Addison's symptoms. Which as I understand it, is the opposite of Cushings, but much more dangerous. So of course I stopped giving her the pills, and then we had to wait some time, before buying new pills with a lower strength, which had to be special ordered from the only company in Sweden, who had a license allowing them to import and sell those pills to Swedish pharmacies. And then came the blood tests, checking so that the new dosage was correct. (Have I mentioned that I have a blood and needle phobia? The things that I could do for my pets, which I'm not sure that I could do for myself.)
Anyhow, if it would happen that one of my current bitches (or future bitches, I hope to continue to be a dog owner for many years), developed Cushings, I would definitely, most likely choose to try and give them Cushings medication.
Good luck with your dog, whatever you choose to do.
I don't know how it is now, but then it was an expensive commitment for an owner to decide to give their dog Cushings medication. Besides that the pills were expensive, we also had to take her to the veterinarian on a regular basis, for a somewhat expensive blood test, to check so that the level of medication was correct. In the beginning, the tests were only a week to a few weeks apart, but later it became months.
The test was also a little time consuming, because they first had to take one blood sample, and then wait, as I recall, about 1 ½ to 2 hours, before they took a second blood sample. So either you had to have the time to sit and wait with your dog, or you needed to leave the dog at the veterinarian clinic, for the whole day/a few hours.
Someone who reads this perhaps thinks "Why is she talking about the costs, if it was my beloved pet, I would pay whatever it costs". But it really isn't any small sums that I'm talking about. I don't know why, but I still remember how much her pills cost, 1 package of pills lasted 1 month = about 560£ per year, and to that came the costs of the blood tests.
I don't remember as clearly what the blood tests cost, but I think it was something between 120 to 210£ per occasion. So, even when we didn't need to test her that often any more, adding together the costs for only the minimum amount of tests per year, with the costs for 1 year of medication, resulted in that I could have bought myself 1 purebred puppy per year for that sum.
My veterinarian was also very clear about that she would only prescribe the medication to dogs whose owners realised that you couldn't give the medication, and then choose to not do the blood tests, because it is very important that the level of medication is the correct one for your dog.
For my bitch, it wasn't a quick fix type of medication. When I first began to give her the pills, it quickly turned out that the dosage was too high for her, and she developed Addison's symptoms. Which as I understand it, is the opposite of Cushings, but much more dangerous. So of course I stopped giving her the pills, and then we had to wait some time, before buying new pills with a lower strength, which had to be special ordered from the only company in Sweden, who had a license allowing them to import and sell those pills to Swedish pharmacies. And then came the blood tests, checking so that the new dosage was correct. (Have I mentioned that I have a blood and needle phobia? The things that I could do for my pets, which I'm not sure that I could do for myself.)
Anyhow, if it would happen that one of my current bitches (or future bitches, I hope to continue to be a dog owner for many years), developed Cushings, I would definitely, most likely choose to try and give them Cushings medication.
Good luck with your dog, whatever you choose to do.
paulineh
Well-Known Member
Is you vet 100% sure it is Cushings. A few years ago one of my Springers had those signs and symptoms. It turned out to be an under active thyroid. He is now on medication ,which is a lot less in cost than those for Cushings. I would read up all about Cushings to be sure.
Is your dog insured for life because if so then the insurance company should pay for the drugs.
My insurance company NFU pay for all my lads drugs , he has an under active thyroid , Arthrits and A chest problem. As well as paying for the drugs they pay for anything that is relative to those conditions.
Is your dog insured for life because if so then the insurance company should pay for the drugs.
My insurance company NFU pay for all my lads drugs , he has an under active thyroid , Arthrits and A chest problem. As well as paying for the drugs they pay for anything that is relative to those conditions.
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greenroof
Active Member
Thanks for your replies. It is definitely Cushings, I have just had the results of the blood test to determine that it is the pituitary type. He will start the pills on Monday, with blood tests every 10 days to get the dosage right then every 3 months. He has gone pot-bellied, lost his voracious appetite, but is not sick, and the muscle weakness varies from hardly able to walk (which is why I took him to the vet in the first place) to slow cantering and looking quite happy. If he is having a bad day, he looks really poorly with his tail curled down. He isn't drinking any more than normal and isn't incontinent. Originally, I thought the symptoms were just because he is getting older, as this has come on slowly over about the past 9 months. I will have to see how the pills work, I have no idea how much they will cost and he isn't insured.
FinnishLapphund
There's no cow on the ice
It so easy to miss small symptoms due to home-blindness, which gradually makes you get used to the small differences. I hope that the medication works and that your dog's condition improves.
greenroof
Active Member
My dog has been on the tablets for a week now, he is definitely happier.
HappyHollyDays
Slave to 2 cats and 2 ponies
thanks for letting us know, glad he is feeling better.