Canine Cushings

[VaticanAssassin]

Anyone have any experience with this or any luck with the treatments?

 

[MNGuy]

Our dog Willow had it. She was prescribed a drug, I can't remember the name, but she had to have her kidney and liver functions checked every year. She developed cancer about five years later and we had to put her down.

The biggest thing we noticed is she was always thirsty, and we had to limit her water intake, and consequently, she had to pee a lot. She would also have spells were she just panted like crazy. As she got older and less active, she started getting a pot belly and losing hair.

She did really well for the first four years, then the fifth year her health declined rapidly and she was diagnosed with cancer.

 

[MaryanneB]

My first dog came up with Cushings. The think that got her was the fact that the vet was stupid enough to do a needle stick to the bladder for a sterile urine sample and the intestine was hit. Normally this isn't a problem but the tissue in Cushings is so weak that she got an infection and we had to put her down. Just make sure that whoever takes care of her/him knows what their doing and it should be fine. If it's a pituitary thing the medication can deal with it just fine.
Hope all goes well.
More info......Merck Veterinary Medicine site.

 

[VaticanAssassin]

Yep, My best buddy of 14 years has it. Hair lose, thirst, pot belly, an a insane amount in vet bills.

I will gladly spend more but he is old and I do not want him to be miserable.

It is a tough call. Some days he is fine some he is not.

 

[dolf]

Yep, My best buddy of 14 years has it. Hair lose, thirst, pot belly, an a insane amount in vet bills.

I will gladly spend more but he is old and I do not want him to be miserable.

It is a tough call. Some days he is fine some he is not.

I say don't wait until he loses life quality and is in pain.
dogs are suffering a lot before it starts to show.
he's an old man and he's had a good life.

 

[VaticanAssassin]

I say don't wait until he loses life quality and is in pain.
dogs are suffering a lot before it starts to show.
he's an old man and he's had a good life.

I know you are right but hard not to let hope creep in...

I prefer this to be something I handle myself. Up in the mountains letting him explore one last time. My wife thinks I am crazy. But he hates the vet. From what I was told they shave the leg administer a IV, sedative, then the poison.

To me this would be the easy way out. A way that would make his last minutes miserable.....

 

[dolf]

I know you are right but hard not to let hope creep in...

I prefer this to be something I handle myself. Up in the mountains letting him explore one last time. My wife thinks I am crazy. But he hates the vet. From what I was told they shave the leg administer a IV, sedative, then the poison.

To me this would be the easy way out. A way that would make his last minutes miserable.....

there are ways to reduce the stress he might feel. you can request an oral sedative to give him before he sees the vet, you could shave the patch of leg yourself, and a decent vet will make house calls. licking peanut butter off your hand would distract him from a needle, and once it's in he slips away fast. it takes seconds.

shooting him... dog skulls are pretty thick, and their brains pretty resilient. they've been known to survive more than one head shot, sometimes waking up days later. unless you have something that would literally obliterate his head, which would be traumatic to you, I don't think it's a good plan.