Cushing's Syndrome in dogs.

[fredkins]

Good morning all, I have just had my dog to the vets yesterday and I have been told she probably has Cushing's Syndrome.Has anyone's dog got this and how are they coping with treatment.

[Anngel123]

Fred, sorry to here about your troubles. Is that your dog in the picture? If, as it looks, this is an elderly why oh why are you putting it through "treatment". I am a dog lover myself and it makes me angry that dog owners put their dogs through this kind of thing out of pure selfishness ie cannot bear to let the dog go out of their lives. If your dog has has a good and long life let them go gracefully. In my opinion vets have a lot to answer for. Oh wait! They are charging and thus want people to keep ill animals alive and suffering as long as possible. Never find a poor vet....I am sure this will result in a massive backlash from other animal lovers. But it is what I genuinely believe.

[lankeela]

How old is she and has she been on any other medication especially corticosteroids? Have they done tests to determine whether it is Cushings? My dog had hyperthyroidism diagnosed when he was 12, and lived till he was 15 on a daily course of levothyroxine, his hair improved and he had more energy and even though we did not know how long he would go on we went for a low dose and quality of life rather than trying to 'cure' anything. What symptoms has your dog got? Usual symptoms are excessive thirst, urination and loss of hair but these can all be symptoms of other conditions, so full tests are needed to confirm Cushings. There is lots of information if you google it, but really you need to trust your vet and take their advice.

[lankeela]

Anngel the reason we treat our animals is because we love them and unless there is no quality of life we are prepared to do whatever we can to help them. Most of us (me certainly) have a vet we trust to do the right thing, and if treatment is available then we are prepared to do whatever we can provided the dog is not suffering.

[wolf63]

Anngel

There are many animals that have on-going illnesses who never seem to be ill, my boy cat is asthmatic and is annoyingly healthy 80% of the time and only slightly ill the rest of the time.

I trust my vet and I am not, by nature, a trusting person. Don't generalise about such a situation.

fredkins - I hope that things work out for you and your dog.

[jules77]

Angel, would you treat your elderly parents the same way?

[NoMercy]

My parents' cocker had this condition and they made the tough decision to put him to sleep at the end of last year. If you can afford treatment and your little friend still has quality of life, there is no need to euthanise him just yet.

[fredkins]

HI,thankyou for your imput.My dog is 13,she has a great life,she is very active and still playful.Her symptoms are drinking lots,urination but no hair loss.She is going to have a test done next friday to determine for sure that she has this condition.The vet assured me that the medication she will be having (if this is what she has) will alleviate her symptoms (drinking and urination) within 2 weeks.Thankyou lankeela for your support.Thankyou all.Angel I'm sorry you feel the way you do.We love our dog very much and we actually took her to the vets because we thought she might have Diabetes,but we were very relieved when he said it was'nt.If she was really ill and showing no signs of having a good life then yes i would have done the decent thing as i had to do with my first dog.

[lankeela]

Found this which might be useful: http://www.k9cushings.com/
Hope the initial diagnosis is incorrect and it works out for you.

[fredkins]

Thankyou lankeela.I,ll have a look now.

[woofgang]

Anngel have you had bad experiences that make you feel this way? Every dog we have had has been loved and cared for. Health decisions are always made with the dogs' best interests at heart, if I didn't also trust the vet to do this then i would change my vet, simple as that.

[corylus]

Our border terrier cross was diagnosed with Cushing's last May age 11. He is on daily prednisolone tablets, has to have regular blood tests (£££££) but but has no symptoms and is as energetic and enthusiastic as he ever was.

If of course his condition deteriorates then euthanasia will be necessary but at present he's fine and enjoying himself.

[dianahoohar]

Our cocker spaniel is 14 this year. She has recently been diagnosed with Cushing's. She showed all the signs, ie. drinking lots, excessive panting, shivering (on occasions), begging for food (which she had never done previously) and stealing food from bags! At first we just put it down to general old age and being 'a bit naughty'. The symptoms were very gradual and she still was enjoying a good quality of life. After ruling out diabetes, further tests confirmed the Cushing's. The vet was not in favour of prescribing the usual treatment as it can have pretty bad side effects (one of them being sudden death!). However, the vet found, whilst carrying out kidney tests, that she also had a water infection. She was put on a course of antibiotics and since then she's like a new dog! She still has the Cushing's, but the symptoms have improved. She doesn't drink to excess and her panting is back to that of a normal dog. She could have another couple of good years in her! But if the symptoms return and they making her unhappy, we have decided not to give her the treatment and will do the selfless thing when the time comes. Post back on here to let us know how yours get on.

[kawakiri]

We have a 12 year old Mini Schnauzer who has Cushings. She is on 30mg Vetoryl a day. The first dose did aggravate her stomach and she did vomit blood, however this did stop with treatment and she is tolerating the Vetoryl OK now.
She still has a ravenous appetite but does not put weight on, she seems to be back to her old self and still having to put up with our other younger Mini Schnauzer and our 2 year old grandson, so all in all she copes very well.

[kawakiri]

As a post script she is currently trying to scam pizza, which she will not get no matter how big she makes her eyes look. She will get one of her own treats though.

[Anngel123]

Jules...newsflash. Dogs are not human. Parents are! I have a lot of experience with people who supposedly love their pets putting them through operations and injections which they will not understand what is going on. That is all I am saying. I have two dogs myself, which I love dearly, but would not with them to suffer just so I could have a bit longer with them.

[Rodge2]

I think you have hit the nail on the head there Angel. Fredkins says his dog is not suffering and that if that time comes he will do the right thing.

[fredkins]

Just an update my dog has been diagnosed with this condition.I would just like to Know if anyone has ordered Vetoryl off the internet.I have seen on the internet that vet,s are charging up to £98 a month for the treatment.But on the internet it can just be anywhere from 77p-1.20p per tablet =£22-£34 a month.

[kawakiri]

I bought 30 x 30mg vetoryl from petdrugsonline.co.uk for £27.81.
Fast deliver and very helpful on the phone, i scannedthe prescription and mailedit to them.

[Prudie]

Sorry to hear that fredkins, hope the pills help. May I ask kawakiri how to get a prescription without actually paying at the vet's counter and being given the drug? I only ask because I'm having a bad (and expensive time) with one of my cats but am not given the option to obtain medication other than at the surgery.

[kawakiri]

Your vet has to provide a prescription if you ask for it, I have seen on moneysavingexpert that some vets do not charge, however as I understood they can apply a charge for providing the prescription. Our vet charges £9. Even with this charge the drugs my dog needs are a lot cheeper.