# Cushings Disease in 4 year old



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

I just found out Rosie does have Cushings Disease and she is only 4. :shocked: We had a low dose dexom. test done to confirm and sure enough she does have it, the pituitary kind. If anyone can give me some information on what is going to happen to her and/or the pros and cons of trilostane, lisodrine, ketoconazole I would appreciate it. If anyone uses the Trilostane can you tell me where you get it and how much it costs. My vet doesn't think it's available yet. I am going to go on some websites to get more info. on cushings disease but I wanted to hear from my fellow maltese owners who have experienced this.
Thank you so much in advance for any information you might have.
Robin :smcry:


----------



## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

I don't know much about meds for it, but please get a second opinion or more testing as Cushing's is one of the most overdiagnosed and also one of the most misdiagnosed canine diseases. 

I can't vouch for the veracity of info on these sites, but you might want to read them: 
Alternative Pet Health
Cushing's Site
Holistic Pet

One thing you might keep in mind is to never use any type of corticosteroid on your dog if Cushing's is suspected.

I'm praying everything works out well for your furbaby.


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

> I don't know much about meds for it, but please get a second opinion or more testing as Cushing's is one of the most overdiagnosed and also one of the most misdiagnosed canine diseases.
> 
> I can't vouch for the veracity of info on these sites, but you might want to read them:
> Alternative Pet Health
> ...


Well, Rosie has had multiple different blood tests and an ultrasound before this last test so she must have it.
Thanks for the info. on the websites, I'll take a look.


----------



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

I agree, Cushing's is very hard to diagnose. My first Malt, Frosty, went through so many tests! Of course he was a senior when this happened which made it harder. They thought his was pituitary and gave him Anipryl. I thought it had less side effects and danger. I found lots of help on the internet. Just keep Googling and studying and you'll find lots of papers on Canine Cushing's.

I hope things work out for you and your little one. :wub:


----------



## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Here are some links from the pet diabetes website on Cushings, including a forum:

http://www.io.com/~lolawson/cushings/index.html

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/cushing_s_disease.html

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/confirming_cushing_s.html

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

Pocket Companion to the Fourth Edition of Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1995. Stephen J. Ettinger. 

U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Book of Dogs. 1995. Mordecai Siegal, editor.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

If your dog has not had an abdominal ultrasound yet, it would be ideal.

I prefer Trilostane. You can get it from Diamond Back Drugs or Wedgewood Pharmacy. 

You can always get a second opinion with a vet boarded in internal medicine. Your regular vet should be able to refer you.


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

> If your dog has not had an abdominal ultrasound yet, it would be ideal.
> 
> I prefer Trilostane. You can get it from Diamond Back Drugs or Wedgewood Pharmacy.
> 
> You can always get a second opinion with a vet boarded in internal medicine. Your regular vet should be able to refer you.[/B]


Do you know how much it costs? My vet said it would probably be a lot more expensive than Lysodren. Why do you prefer Trilostane?
Thanks.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Trilostane avoids the scarey lysodren induction. In my experience, it is better tolerated than lysodren. I've never heard of ketoconazole significantly reducing symptoms in my personal experience. You would have to get her dose and call for prices. 

If it were my dog, I personally would prefer to avoid lysodren.

I sincerely urge a 2nd opinion with an IMED specialist.


----------



## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

I don't know how recent this article is, but there's a price listed for the estimated YEARLY cost on this marvista link:


Pituitary Treatment


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

Thanks for this website. It looks like Lysodren might be the best choice. 
I haven't seen anywhere that a dog could die from cushings or shorten her life expectancy right? If I treat Rosie with Lysodren does the Cushings Disease go away or do I have to give her Lysodren forever? I just reread the treatment and it does say she has to stay on Lysodren forever.




> I don't know how recent this article is, but there's a price listed for the estimated YEARLY cost on this marvista link:
> 
> 
> Pituitary Treatment[/B]


----------



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

I believe it is quite unusual for a 4 yr. old to get Cushing's. It is normally a disease of seniors. For that reason it is harder to say how your dog will do with good treatment. I have 2 links for you. Read clear to the bottom about Prognosis. For the owner there is so much to learn about treating a dog with Cushing's. It can cause a lot of very serious things like diabetes, kidney failure, liver failure, etc. If controlled it does not have to shorten a life, but finding to right treatment and continuing to control will be for a lifetime. There are diets and supplements besides the drugs that will help keep the serious secondary diseases from happening.

Link #1
Link #2


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

Thank you for the information.



> I believe it is quite unusual for a 4 yr. old to get Cushing's. It is normally a disease of seniors. For that reason it is harder to say how your dog will do with good treatment. I have 2 links for you. Read clear to the bottom about Prognosis. For the owner there is so much to learn about treating a dog with Cushing's. It can cause a lot of very serious things like diabetes, kidney failure, liver failure, etc. If controlled it does not have to shorten a life, but finding to right treatment and continuing to control will be for a lifetime. There are diets and supplements besides the drugs that will help keep the serious secondary diseases from happening.
> 
> Link #1
> Link #2[/B]


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

You will always have to treat it. 

Again, I recommend you get a second opinion before deciding on anything. 

Please discuss all the risks of lysodren and induction with it carefully with your vet before starting.


----------



## dr.jaimie (Mar 23, 2004)

i have a patient who had been on lysodren for like 4 yrs and became immune to it...so i switched him to trilostane and it is an amazing difference. no bad side effects and worked real fast. they had to get it from an online pharmacy http://www.masters-uk.com/veterinary/home.php


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

So you think the trilostane doesn't have bad side effects but the lysodren does? Since Rosie is only four I want to make sure I choose the right medicine that won't cause additional problems for her. What's your thought on forcing her into Addison's? (Just wondering) Rosie has the pituitary cushing's so we just started giving her 1/4 tablet of baby aspirin every day to prevent blood clots. I thought I read somewhere that the meds could cause the tumor to grow faster because it isn't producing the extra cortisol. Any opinion? Once I get ink for my printer I can print out all of the information on Cushings so I can highlight the impo. info. Right now there are so many different websites my head is spinning.
Also, how do I know if my vet is an internal vet? I know others have posted about having Rosie see an internist. How do I find an internist?
Thank you.
Robin



> i have a patient who had been on lysodren for like 4 yrs and became immune to it...so i switched him to trilostane and it is an amazing difference. no bad side effects and worked real fast. they had to get it from an online pharmacy http://www.masters-uk.com/veterinary/home.php[/B]


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> So you think the trilostane doesn't have bad side effects but the lysodren does? Since Rosie is only four I want to make sure I choose the right medicine that won't cause additional problems for her. What's your thought on forcing her into Addison's? (Just wondering) Rosie has the pituitary cushing's so we just started giving her 1/4 tablet of baby aspirin every day to prevent blood clots. I thought I read somewhere that the meds could cause the tumor to grow faster because it isn't producing the extra cortisol. Any opinion? Once I get ink for my printer I can print out all of the information on Cushings so I can highlight the impo. info. Right now there are so many different websites my head is spinning.
> Also, how do I know if my vet is an internal vet? I know others have posted about having Rosie see an internist. How do I find an internist?
> Thank you.[/B]


Your vet can refer you to one. Here's a link to search for one in your area:

http://acvim.org/uploadedFiles/pdfs/Directory/SAIM_Geo.pdf (this is a pdf file and you need Adobe Acrobat to read it)


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

Does anyone else have suggestions?


----------



## DenaBear07 (Aug 7, 2007)

Hi, I am sorry to hear about Rosie. I am glad to say that at least your vet caught it early enough, as it is a painful disease. I am a tech assistant at a vet and the older vets prefer lysodren because thats what was the norm when they went to vet school. Newer vets, however, prefer trilostane. I personally prefer trilostane as well. From what I understand, lysodren basically removes layers of the pituitary gland in hopes of removign the tumor and reducing the cortisol output. The younger vets at my work convinced the 2 older ones to try trilostane instead of lysodren, and now thats all they use. You can get triolstane at a pharmacy (not like CVS or walgreens, but one that is a pharmacy only. It is expensive, and there is testing that needs to be done again after 3 months. Fortunately, your dog is small so it won't be nearly as expensive as it is for larger dogs. I'm glad you're so concerned about your dog's health and comfort, as cushings is painful. Good luck, let us know what you choose and how it works.


----------



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

> Hi, I am sorry to hear about Rosie. I am glad to say that at least your vet caught it early enough, as it is a painful disease. I am a tech assistant at a vet and the older vets prefer lysodren because thats what was the norm when they went to vet school. Newer vets, however, prefer trilostane. I personally prefer trilostane as well. From what I understand, lysodren basically removes layers of the pituitary gland in hopes of removign the tumor and reducing the cortisol output. The younger vets at my work convinced the 2 older ones to try trilostane instead of lysodren, and now thats all they use. You can get triolstane at a pharmacy (not like CVS or walgreens, but one that is a pharmacy only. It is expensive, and there is testing that needs to be done again after 3 months. Fortunately, your dog is small so it won't be nearly as expensive as it is for larger dogs. I'm glad you're so concerned about your dog's health and comfort, as cushings is painful. Good luck, let us know what you choose and how it works.[/B]


Very good info, I hope the OP reads it.


----------



## LoriJo (Jul 19, 2006)

> I just found out Rosie does have Cushings Disease and she is only 4. :shocked: We had a low dose dexom. test done to confirm and sure enough she does have it, the pituitary kind. If anyone can give me some information on what is going to happen to her and/or the pros and cons of trilostane, lisodrine, ketoconazole I would appreciate it.[/B]


My first malt, Allie, was diagnosed with Cushings at 6 years old and my vet gave her lysodren. She had horrible side effects from it. She wouldn't eat (and she was a very "healthy" eater before & on the chubby side) and lost a lot of weight. She also had a lot of vomiting. The vet was giving her prednisone along with the lysodren to try to minimize the side effects, but it wasn't very effective for her. Based on that experience, if I ever had to do it again, lysodren would be my last resort.


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

Well I chose Lysodren because my Vet hasn't used trilostane before and says it is still too new here. I also joined the Cushings Forum and most there said to stick with Lysodren if that is what my Vet is familiar with. Many on the website use the Lysodren. I was leaning towards the Trilostane but didn't want Rosie to be a test case. So far she has been taking the Lysodren for 7 days and I haven't seen any side effects so she is still loading. We'll take her for a ACTH test either Saturday or Monday to check her levels.
Lori, I'm sorry Allie had such problems. Did she pass away at 6 and was it due to Cushings?

Thanks for your input.

Robin


----------



## LoriJo (Jul 19, 2006)

> Lori, I'm sorry Allie had such problems. Did she pass away at 6 and was it due to Cushings?
> 
> Thanks for your input.
> 
> Robin[/B]


Robin,

Yes, Allie passed away about 4 months after her Cushings diagnosis. She actually passed away from a ruptured bowel, which my vet felt was indirectly due to the Cushings. She had evidently swallowed some hair & the vet felt that her little system (electrolytes, immune system, etc) just couldn't handle it due to the Cushings. He believes that had she not had Cushings, she most likely would have just vomited it up, like a cat, and it wouldn't have been a problem. 

I'm sorry that Rosie has to go through this and I hope that she does well on the lysodren.


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

I am so sorry for you, that is terrible.
So far Rosie doesn't really have any symptoms. We just caught it early because of the blood tests.

Robin




> > index.php?act=findpost&pid=572010
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------

