# Cushing's Syndrome in Maltese



## slowgo (Sep 13, 2006)

My 8 yr old PeeWee has been diagnosed with Cushing's. The breed is not one usually seen with this condition. Has anyone had this happen to their baby? Symptoms are potbelly, thirst, excessive hunger, etc. Treatment is lifelong medication and limited lifespan.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Dogs do not have to be treated for Cushing's unless the symptoms are bothersome. I would look into finding someone on your area (it may have to be a boarded internist) who is using Trilostane. It is a newer drug, not yet FDA approved in the U.S. (though used in Europe and approved there). I much, much, much prefer it to Lisodren. I've never seen a dog do well with selegiline (anipryl) if the symptoms were truly bothersome. 

Most dogs diagnosed with Cushing's do die within a few years, but NOT from the Cushing's. It probably has more to do with the dog being elderly and having multiple health problems than anything else.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

> My 8 yr old PeeWee has been diagnosed with Cushing's. The breed is not one usually seen with this condition. Has anyone had this happen to their baby? Symptoms are potbelly, thirst, excessive hunger, etc. Treatment is lifelong medication and limited lifespan.[/B]


We have several Cushings Maltese on SM and I know a lady with Maltese w/Cushings in "real life" so I wouldn't say its that unusual for this breed.

I believe Dede's Chloe has Cushings, but she may not be able to respond to this post as her dear little Chloe is in the hospital battling a serious chest infection.

You might want to pm IamMomtoMissy. She is a moderator on the Canine Daibetes Forum and since diabetes and Cushings go hand in hand, she will have a lot of links and information to share.


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## Maidto2Maltese (Oct 19, 2004)

Yes, we have a lot of members having to deal with both Cushings AND diabetes at out petdiabetes site. 
Here's a link to a very good canine cushings support message board. I think you'll find a lot od information, support and encouragement there.

http://www.caninecushings.net/forums/


here's a link to trilostane
http://www.wedgewoodpharmacy.com/monographs/trilostane.asp

Maybe it can be gotten here. This is a compounding pharmacy in NJ. We used this place to get Missy's meds for her bladder cancer..as the ready made dose was too large. The vet has to call the prescription in. our vet would call it in..I'd then call and place the order, out it on my charge card and I'd have it delivered to my dorr within a couple of days. I think if the order is called before early afternoon... it is usually made up that day and sent out the next.
Something you might want to discuss with your vet.
I think if i had a cushings dog...this is the med I'd want to go with if possible.


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

Frosty will be 15 in Feb. and his vet believes he has Cushing's, although we have not had a definitive diagnosis. Because of his age, as JMM said, the symptoms are so like so many problems of very senior dogs. He is on Anipryl which helps with some personality changes, but not the Cushing's symptoms of thirst and food begging. He doesn't have a noticeably big belly, but his liver/kidney blood tests results and thinning hair along with the thirst certainly points toward Cushing's. Even if you treat, as I understand it, it won't help the Cushing's--only some of the symptoms.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

My 10 year old Maltese has Cushings. So did another small dog I had, who was diagnosed at about age 14 and lived to be 17. I asked my vet, who has many decades of experience, about Trilostane. He had not used it but a new vet at the clinic had some experience with it while doing a residency, I think, at a vet school in another state. I decided to stick with the Lysodren since the younger vets come and go at that clinic, and everybody else knew what to expect from Lysodren. 

He's been doing okay, not quite so much a glutton, and his coat has improved a lot and I didn't even know that it had been affected!


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## LoriJo (Jul 19, 2006)

My Allie was diagnosed with Cushings last August at 6 years old. She had drastically increased her water intake so the vet was concerned that she might have Cushings and the tests confirmed it. We started her on Lysodren and we were seeing improvements in her cortisol levels. The lysodren pretty much killed her appetite though and she had some vomiting and diarhhea with it, so she was also taking Prednisone to help control the side effects. She was just a few days away from her next stim test and we were hoping the results would be good so that we could reduce her dosage of the lysodren, when she suddenly and unexpectedly passed away in December. This was an unusual circumstance; with treatment, my vet had expected her to have a fairly normal life expectancy. I know of quite a few dogs who have done very well with treatment and lived long lives after diagnosis. Sadly, my little Allie just wasn't one of them. Hugs and prayers to your little PeeWee that he does well on the Lysodren and that you have many many more years with him.


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## ddsumm (Jan 26, 2006)

> Frosty will be 15 in Feb. and his vet believes he has Cushing's, although we have not had a definitive diagnosis. Because of his age, as JMM said, the symptoms are so like so many problems of very senior dogs. He is on Anipryl which helps with some personality changes, but not the Cushing's symptoms of thirst and food begging. He doesn't have a noticeably big belly, but his liver/kidney blood tests results and thinning hair along with the thirst certainly points toward Cushing's. Even if you treat, as I understand it, it won't help the Cushing's--only some of the symptoms.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm so sorry to hear that your little one has been diagnosed with Cushing's









The tests for Cushing's is not nice at all. And Chloe got distressed something awful.

But the vet decided that treating Chloe would not do much good at this stage.

We have to watch her water intake. It increases in summer. Plus she does have the 'Cushing's tummy'.

Her hair is very thin and can be patchy at times.

As I said, we/the vet decided not to treat. You have got to get the medication correct, right down to the smallest dose. If she gets worse, I will see what to do. The meds don't fix Cushing's, they just 'ease'.

Chloe has the Cushing's that 'attacks' the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
















She is 10 years old so I'm hoping that she will not go down hill too much.

She has been very very sick these last few weeks with a chest infection that was bordering on pneumonia so that was a big concern for me.
















At this age, she doesnt really need anything else to contend with.

I wish you and your baby all the best.

Hugs and tail wags

dede and the little sausage from down under


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