My dog has cushing's

[House Cat]

And I am losing it...

This all started about 8 months ago when she began drinking entire bowls of water and waking me up six to eight times per night to go outside to use the bathroom. I took her to one vet who did a whole battery of tests and said that her urine was dilute and her liver values were raised but he saw nothing wrong with her.

After another couple of months (and no sleep) I found another vet. This one said the same thing but said that when you see the intense drinking and raised liver values, that is Cushing's. He didn't recommend the medication for Cushing's because it is fraught with side effects and cost prohibitive for a dog her size. He recommended a medication that would help tighten her bladder sphincter. That didn't work. Then he recommended a sedative...which is where we are now.

The sedative works sometimes. Sometimes, it works too well and she urinates all over the floor while sleeping. Sometimes, like last night, it doesn't work at all and she wakes me up 8 times to go outside. The prescription is written that I can give her one or one and a half pills, but if I give her the stronger dose, she certainly urinates all over herself and the house.

I feel so bad for her.

Oh, and whenever my son dog sits, she never asks to go outside in the middle of the night. Which complicates things, because it makes it seem behavioral, but I'm not sure.

Do any of you have any advice for this situation?

 

[missy]

HouseCat I am sorry about your sweet dog's diagnosis of Cushing's Disease. I know nothing about this disease but just googling it now and reading about it seems treating might be the way to go even with side effects as not treating it ultimately leads to life threatening issues. But again no knowledge about this disease except for what I am reading right now. I am so sorry. Is there a teaching veterinarian hospital near you? They usually are the best for cutting edge research and treatment. Sending your dog lots of healing vibes and sending you both good thoughts and hugs.

Here's what I was reading about this disease.

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/cushings.html


and to make sure there is no treatable underlying cause.

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/endocrine/c_dg_hyperadrenocorticism

 

[ABKIS]

Hi HouseCat. I wish I had something useful to add but unfortunately I do not know anything about Cushing's Disease. I do however want to say that I'm so sorry about your pup, it must be so difficult for you both. I am sending loving and healing vibes to you and your pup. **hugs**

 

[telephone89]

What kind of dog is she? I'm assuming larger breed based on your cost comment?
My in laws' dog had cushings. She was a bichon shitzhu. They managed it fine with medication, and she lived a long and mostly healthy life. They used pee pads for her, so she could go whenever she wanted. It did take a few months to get the dosage right, but everything was covered under their pet insurance. She passed away last year in her teens, not sure her exact age (no one seemed to remember what year they got her lol).

 

[OoohShiny]

Oh, and whenever my son dog sits, she never asks to go outside in the middle of the night. Which complicates things, because it makes it seem behavioral, but I'm not sure.

I think you and your son need to write down everything you do with/for the dog prior to going to bed, so you determine if there is anything different that might be affecting things. If you are both doing the same thing then that would point to a behaviour thing in said doggie, but if you're both doing something different, perhaps you need to change to your son's routine!

 

[Arcadian]

I'm feeling for both you and the dog. I also think you should ask your son what he's doing differently.

Some of my questions : Are you allowing her to be outside long enough to tinkle during the day/ early evening? Do you restrict water past a certain hour? (I had to do that while my dog was on Prednisone, otherwise she peed everywhere and made me miserable though I did allow small amount of icechips) do you have a one time for the night peepee run? I do a "last call", so she can get her peepees out....usually about 10-11pm and she's out for 15 minutes or so.

You could certainly try pee pads or diapers if there's a real issue, but considering what you've said I think it may also call for some retraining if she doesn't do it with your son but always does it with you.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Housecat, I don't have any experience with Cushings but I had a dog that needed daily medication for diabetes insipidus which has symptoms that mimic cushings if not controlled with medication.

I don't have anything useful to add except to say that my thoughts are with you and your furry child.

 

[arkieb1]

We had a Scottish terrier that was diagnosed with Cushing's and she was on drugs and a strict diet. Turns out they either misdiagnosed or as a result of the Cushing's she had liver cancer. They gave her 6 months she lasted 18, and the irony was at the exact same time the vet's father was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was given 6 months too. He lasted 8. The little dog outlived the poor vet's Dad.

 

[Calliecake]

House Cat, I have no experience with Cushing's but I'm sending buckets of dust your furbabies way. I'm sorry and know how hard and helpless it feels when our furbabies are sick.

 

[azstonie]

Love to you and your sweet dog.

Whole Dog Journal's website, go to the search engine and input Cushing. You'll get the archives and their top -notch materials.

 

[rainwood]

My neighbor's Labradoodle (on the small size though) has Cushing's which they've been able to manage well for years. like at least 5 or 6, and she's now at least 12 years old. I know she's on medication, but I don't know the specifics. I'm pretty sure they aren't getting up multiple times at night to let her out. I can ask what treatment she is on if it would be helpful.

 

[sarahb]

House Cat, am so sorry you & fur baby are dealing with this, I hope you get it under control & you both return to sleeping at night. I don't know a thing about Cushings, but as a fellow fur-mom, I know how hard it is when they are sick--hang in there.

 

[Lookinagain]

Have they tested your dog for diabetes too? I had a dog who had both Cushing's and Diabetes. His excessive drinking of water seemed to be caused by the diabetes. I had to give him insulin twice a day but once I started doing that, he didn't drink more water than my other dog. His Cushing's caused his hair to fall out and he looked very "round". That was treated with medication and his hair grew back in and his body started looking more normal. All was fine for about two years and then one weekend I went away and put him in the Kennel (at an animal hospital) and it seems the person who came in over the long weekend misread his Cushing's prescription and overdosed him and he passed away. It broke my heart. So I guess I'm saying that there may be a few things going on here. I had my dog at the MSPCA (Angell Memorial Hospital) in Boston many times before all of these things were finally diagnosed and treated. And yes, the Cushing's medicine is expensive. My dog was a Boston Terrier, so not big (about 22 lbs) and it was still fairly expensive. But it was worth it to me.

 

[House Cat]

I have been in real deep though about this. This problem has actually been overwhelming my thoughts quite a bit while constantly trying to search for a solution.

She's been to three vets. The first vet said her liver values were a little raised and wanted to monitor them. The second vet said her liver values were raised and her urine was dilute but she was normal. (All after full urinalysis and blood panels.). This third vet said when the liver values are raised and the urine is dilute, they have Cushing's. Because of her size, the medication to treat the cushings would start at about $500 per month but would most likely land at $750 per month. I don't have this. I wish I did. This is why he's been giving us meds for incontinence.

My son dog sat for four days and this time, she kept him up all night long. She woke him up an average of 7 or 8 times. This is with the new med that "would work." When I came home, I gave it several more days to see if the medication neeeded time. It didn't work. The vet said we had exhausted all options.

So, now, I have her sleeping in the garage with pee pads. So far, after two nights, she hates it. She's barked for a long time. But I have to sleep. I am beginning to crack. I am hoping she will get used to it. i put all of the things she loves out there. But she loves to guard the house. She used to sleep in a centralized location to make sure that no one could do us any harm.

I feel I need another opinion. The reason I feel this is because she doesn't pee all day. As a matter of fact, she sleeps all day. Wouldn't she need to go all day too if this were due to adrenal gland issues?

I just don't' seem to be having any good luck with finding a good vet. I seem to be getting different stories and that is what I find most concerning because I don't know how to treat my dog.

Ok, thanks for listening.

 

[ecf8503]

I'm a vet.

Here's a good, brief article about Cushing's:
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cushings-disease-in-dogs

There are several different types of Cushing's, and it requires different tests to diagnose which type, because which treatment you choose depends on it. Have they done any ACTH stim or LDDS testing? You'd know, because she'd have to be at the vet most of the day for repeated blood draws.

Don't give up hope yet! What zip code do you live in? I can look around and see if there are any vets around that could help. If your vets so far haven't even suggested any of the testing yet, I'd be wary of going back to them.

 

[Gabbycat]

Could she be crate trained so that she could stay in the house at night but still be confined to the crate with pee pads? Age and size may make this too difficult to be a consideration, but just a thought.

 

[ecf8503]

The peeing isn't a matter of training - they have excessive urine production, and they really do have to go!

 

[Gabbycat]

Sorry, I didn't mean to stop her from peeing but just so that she could enjoy being in the house at night instead of the garage but without waking everyone or making a mess throughout the house. Should've been clearer.

 

[ecf8503]

Of course! I just wanted to make sure she does get out on a regular schedule. It is certainly difficult when they keep us up at night; for us and for them. She doesn't know why this is happening to her, and having led a life routine a certain way, and now having to suddenly go all the time... she likely feels somewhat confused, which can add to her stress. I just hope a diagnosis can be confirmed so appropriate treatment can be initiated.

 

[Gabbycat]

You vets have such a tough job having to play detective since our fur babies can't tell us what's wrong or how a medicine is helping or hurting. Wading through the different scenarios and treatments is as stressful as the illness sometimes! House cat, I hope you can find something to help your babe.

 

[LaylaR]

No advice here. Just lots of ((HUGS)).

 

[Queenie60]

Housecat - If I recall, you're in the Bay Area. Have you looked up vets from UC Davis? Maybe give it a try. ?? Thinking of you and your dog and will send good thoughts your way.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

The vet described to us when our dogs got Cushing's that "it is a disease of old age." We were able to add two more years to our one dog's life by adhering to a low protein prescription diet for him. That really turned things around for him and he lived until he was 16. One of our dogs now has an enlarged liver and the start of Cushing's. Once he gets symptomatic we will change his diet and hope for the best. (((((Hugs)))))).

 

[arkieb1]

We changed the diet of the Scotty and we went to a compounding chemist (and old fashioned one that mixed up an exact dose that the vet specified). The compounding chemist wasn't cheap but it was way less than what you have quoted in price and we sprinkled a crushed powder drug he made over food and also gave her tablets every day.

Can you put up a fence and install a dog door so the dog can go outside on it's own to pee?

 

[pinkjewel]

I feel for you. It is hard having a dog with a chronic illness. I also would recommend a teaching hospital or an Internal Medicine Specialist Vet to find out exactly what is going on. I have a dog with severe IBD, but it even took the teaching hospital 3 months to diagnosis because her initial symptoms were a bit different than many. I'm rarely on PS anymore because she takes up so much of my time. I know of several dogs on the IBD Facebook group I'm in that also have Cushings- I believe it's thought to be medication induced in their cases. Because my dog is on a steroid she also pees all the time. I'm lucky she is tiny (5 pounds) and I'm using wee wee pads. Many nights she'll also go on them 5 to 6 times. As it is I still have to get up with her for medications or if she isn't feeling well( which is frequently). I haven't slept a whole night for over a year and it takes a toll. I know you said the medication is expensive- is through your Vet or a regular pharmacy? Many of us with IBD dogs use Roadrunner Pharmacy in Arizona, so you might check with them. They are a compounding pharmacy (my dog needs her meds compounded as she is so small) and their prices are quite good. I know one girl was quoted $600.00 for a med at her local pharmacy (and this was not a compounded drug) and it was $80.00 at Roadrunner. I hope you can find something that works for you and your pup.

 

[House Cat]

I am so glad that I posted this problem here. I am only 20 minutes from Davis. I am going to call them tomorrow. I will also look into using the compounding pharmacy if they confirm the cushings with more testing and see if the medication is more affordable.
Thank you everyone.

 

[ecf8503]

Yay! Yes call UC Davis - they are the #1 rated Veterinary School in the US!

 

[arkieb1]

Ask the people at UC Davies they should be able to tell you the cheapest way to access the right medication.

 

[tyty333]

Sending lots of dust to you and your dog...hoping that you get a "real" diagnosis and that the meds are affordable.

I know lack of quality sleep can put you in a bad state. Keeping fingers crossed that things turn around very soon. Keep us posted.

 

[CJ2008]

HC I hope UC Davis can help you and your doggie.