Cairn with potential Cushing's - any advice?

[3AMJuggernaut]

Hello! Wish I had found this forum a while ago - I love all things Cairn and my baby girl, Mandy. She is 12 years and 8 months. I love her more than I can say. A few weeks back I noticed she was drinking more water than usual. I feared kidney problems or diabetes, but my vet thinks it may be Cushing's disease. We are currently waiting on blood tests.

This devastates me, guys. I know at 12 she's technically 84, but as with most dog owners, I still think of her as my baby. She has always been very spry and active despite her age. LOVES to go to the park and on walks! Yet literally within the days leading up to and after our vet visit I have noticed she is retaining all that water she's been drinking and now appears to be getting that classic distended belly symptom of Cushing's and has become more tired.

I love her so much - this is heartbreaking because I know that the projected lifespan can indeed be shorter than expected. Thinking about the day that she won't have the energy to go to the park anymore just kills me. With all this in mind, I was wondering what if any experience and advice you guys could give me if you've gone through this. Here are some things I've learned reading up about this on the Internet:

1. The typical prescribed medications for Cushing's are very hard on dogs and owners often report that the side effects are worse than the disease itself. I really don't think I want to put her through them if that's the case.

2. Switching to a wet dog food can be beneficial. Unfortunately I'm unemployed at about the worst possible time at the moment, so I've been reading about homemade dog food. She currently eats a higher end brand called "Now". Has never had wet in her life. I chop up greenbeans and carrots for her as an in between snack and I brush her teeth 3-4 times per week.

3. A homeopathic product called "Cushex" gets rave reviews from the majority of dog owners who have tried it as an alternative to vet prescribed drugs. Has anyone used this?

Im sorry for this novel of a post -- I am really sad about this and while I know that she can't stay with me forever, I do want to give her a great quality of life while I can. Thank you for reading this and any advice or experience that any of you could share would be appreciated. Thanks! -Dave

Edited August 20, 2016 by 3AMJuggernaut

[Hillscreek]

Dave, your baby girl Mandy is so adorable. How we love our cairns! I have not had experience with Cushings but I'm sure others will be along soon to help. Welcome from Angus and me.

[sanford]

So sorry to read about Mandy. Wish I had something concrete to offer, but I have no experience with cushing's, although coincidentally, 2 senior dogs on my street have the diagnosis and during the past 2 years, their owners have given me updates that the dogs are "doing ok" with the meds and both dogs are in good spirits.

   It's additionally tough to face this when your finances are reduced and you want to do all you can to keep Mandy comfortable. All I can offer you is the hope that you will take heart and not let this get you down as you continue to give Mandy the precious gift of a wonderful life of love and security.

[3AMJuggernaut]

47 minutes ago, Hillscreek said:

Dave, your baby girl Mandy is so adorable. How we love our cairns! I have not had experience with Cushings but I'm sure others will be along soon to help. Welcome from Angus and me.

Thanks! 

17 minutes ago, sanford said:

All I can offer you is the hope that you will take heart and not let this get you down as you continue to give Mandy the precious gift of a wonderful life of love and security.

Thanks for the kind words. I have spent a lot of time crying and thinking about the inevitable, but I know that I have to make the most of my time with her and try to stay positive.

[Idaho Cairns]

Dave, our first Cairn was diagnosed with Cushing's (over fifteen years ago) when it was a hard disease to diagnose apparently) and she really did lead a rather long life after the initial determination.  As I recall she was about twelve (we "think" since she was a rescue)  when the symptoms started and we had at least four good years with her before she passed.  For the most part she able to enjoy normal activity almost to the end.
With her, later in the process, there were some manic episodes where she would, in her sleep, have these periods of behavior, much like the kind of "nightmares" that all dogs have regularly where they whine or bark/chirp in their sleep, that would cause her to go into frantic crawling, catatonic states where she stiffened and then tremored , and would often urinate.  They were difficult to see coming because they were so like the little normal night time dream states.  Our interaction at those times, by holding her and speaking to her softly, seemed to lessen the impact of the episodes as did the application of an ice pack to the back of her neck--we kept one handy in the freezer.  Eventually, to make sure we were close, we moved her up between us in the bed at night, on a pad so we could react quickly to sooth her--it really worked well.
We felt then, and I feel now, that given all the symptoms and negative impact of what we believed she had with Cushing's, we got quite a bit of quality time with her until she succumbed to whatever damage the disease had caused in her.  For the most part, the Cushing's let her down pretty easy--not a lot of obvious pain and suffering on her part and a fairly easy disease for us to live with--other, of course, than the worry we had for her.
We never did any special diet or medicine, other than a regular dosage of children's aspirin to ease her pain.
My best advice to you would be to keep the process simple, watch for any pain in your dog and try to alleviate that with basic medicine.  Try to  live with the Cushing's and enjoy the time you have--keep your routines normal as to outings and exercise, your dog will tell you when it gets to be too much for her, she'll let you know when she is tired and needs rest.  Keep both your lives as full as possible and, if my experience was typical of an owner who's dog is suffering from Cushing's), try not to worry yourself too much about outcomes--let yourself and your dog live fully until the inevitable arrives.  Good future to you both.  Chuck

Edited August 20, 2016 by Idaho Cairns

[pkcrossley]

i can understand why you are investigating holistic interventions. according to what i read, a combination of melatonin and lignins might be more effective and less expensive than cushex. a lot of vets are interested in holistic (as distinct from homeopathic) methods and your vet might be one. if not, you might have a holistic vet nearby, or be able to get a phone/skype consultation with one. your vet might make a recommendation as to whether this is a mild case --more likely to be helped by holistic meds-- or a more aggressive case that might need prednisone or vetoryl to make any difference. this can be a difficult disease to manage, but what matters is that your girl is enjoying life, and is still around. some cases progress very slowly and do not make a significant difference to the lifespan. working on your dog's general health and immunity might help to slow it down. hoping the best for both of you, be sure to enjoy all your time with her.  

[hheldorfer]

Welcome to you and Mandy!  I'm sorry to hear about Mandy's issues.  I don't have as much knowledge/experience in regard to Cushing's as some folks here but I'll share my thoughts.

According to our vet, our non-Cairn (Shih Tzu/Silky Terrier mix) Ziggy probably has Cushings.  I say 'probably' because we never had all the definitive tests performed for an official diagnosis; it wasn't going to matter (because Cushing's isn't curable) and we didn't want to put Ziggy through all that testing.  We talked to the vet at length about treatments for Cushing's, in addition to doing a lot of online research.  We decided against treating Ziggy with the drugs most commonly prescribed by vets, mainly because of the side effects and need for continued testing and dosage adjustments.  Ziggy is a happy little guy going on 10 years old and his quality of life is more important to us than quantity.  

With the vets blessing, we decided to try Adrenal Harmony, a liquid supplement added to his food once a day.  I can't say that it has turned him into a puppy again but it has definitely improved several of the symptoms.  He doesn't seem as thirsty, his appetite seems to be back to normal, his 'potbelly' has been reduced, he has more energy and he plays with Buffy (his Cairn sister) more often.  We also use Tramadol (prescribed by the vet) and occasionally baby aspirin for pain when he needs it.  

Try to stay positive about this.  Cushing's isn't a death sentence and (as some of the above posts have mentioned) it is quite possible for Mandy to live several more happy years.  Please keep in touch and let us know how things are going.

 

[_whits_]

My childhood Maltese had Cushing's. I don't have much expertise as I was in my teens when she was diagnosed, but she received treatment with daily prednisone and occasionally acupuncture for pain. I will say that the prednisone resulted in her losing most of her hair, but I don't recall her dealing with major side effects beyond that. She was never a particularly healthy dog (she was rescued from euthanasia a pet store tried to have my dad the veterinarian administer because she was 6 weeks old with really bad kennel cough), never really recovered fully from the puppyhood kennel cough, and dealt with a lot of minor health issues throughout her life, but even with the Cushing's added to her other ailments she lived for nearly 14 years, a good 4+ years after her initial Cushing's diagnosis. 14 years is far into the normal lifespan of a Maltese.

From my (albeit limited) recollections, the Cushing's diagnosis was more about managing the symptoms. It wasn't and shouldn't be a death sentence. As for diet, my dad decided once she made it to 10 years old despite a lifetime of terrible health, he was gonna let her eat whatever her little heart desired (within reason), especially considering one of her ailments resulted in her losing most of her teeth by then. Her last 4 years were lived on limited wet kibble and lots of hamburger patties, fresh turkey and chicken, and pretty much any meat without seasoning.

It doesn't make the diagnosis any less painful, but I do think your Mandy can have a lot of good, happy years left. 

Edited August 21, 2016 by _whits_

[3AMJuggernaut]

5 hours ago, hheldorfer said:

With the vets blessing, we decided to try Adrenal Harmony, a liquid supplement added to his food once a day.  I can't say that it has turned him into a puppy again but it has definitely improved several of the symptoms. Try to stay positive about this.  Cushing's isn't a death sentence and (as some of the above posts have mentioned) it is quite possible for Mandy to live several more happy years.  Please keep in touch and let us know how things are going.

I just purchased a bottle of Adrenal Harmony (Amazon is out of Cushex) to try to see if it helps. I'm glad it is helping Ziggy. Thanks for sharing your experience and your kind words of support. I appreciate it.

7 hours ago, pkcrossley said:

i can understand why you are investigating holistic interventions. according to what i read, a combination of melatonin and lignins might be more effective and less expensive than cushex. a lot of vets are interested in holistic (as distinct from homeopathic) methods and your vet might be one. hoping the best for both of you, be sure to enjoy all your time with her.  

Thanks -- I will look into those as well. Unfortunately all of the vets in my area are traditional, and many are extremely hungry for money. Upon my initial visit to get Mandy's issue addressed, I was bombarded with sales pitches for allergy meds, treats, flea and tick preventative and nail trimming. I totally understand that these places are a business like any other, but it's disheartening when money seems to be the only thing they care about.

9 hours ago, Idaho Cairns said:

My best advice to you would be to keep the process simple, watch for any pain in your dog and try to alleviate that with basic medicine.  Try to  live with the Cushing's and enjoy the time you have--keep your routines normal as to outings and exercise, your dog will tell you when it gets to be too much for her, she'll let you know when she is tired and needs rest.  Keep both your lives as full as possible and, if my experience was typical of an owner who's dog is suffering from Cushing's), try not to worry yourself too much about outcomes

Thanks Chuck - I will keep your advice in mind. Thanks for sharing your experience and I'm sorry you lost your pup to this -- even if it was 15 years ago. 

57 minutes ago, _whits_ said:

Her last 4 years were lived on limited wet kibble and lots of hamburger patties, fresh turkey and chicken, and pretty much any meat without seasoning.

It doesn't make the diagnosis any less painful, but I do think your Mandy can have a lot of good, happy years left. 

I bet your pup loved that diet plan, lol! Sounds like she deserved it after the traumatic life she had. Thanks for sharing and yes, I hope she has a lot more time left too.

[3AMJuggernaut]

Well the results came back and Mandy's blood work has three abnormalities in it:

ALP: 226

ALT: 150

BUN: 41

its to my understanding that ALP and ALT are liver enzymes. BUN is related to kidneys, yet Mandy's urinalysis indicates her urine is concentrated, suggesting normal kidney function. Glucose was in normal range at 109. WBC is normal at 5.7.

Vet says she kind of confused because usually the liver numbers are higher. Suggested the ACHT stimulation test and/or the ultrasound. For the time being I'm going to try the Adrenal Harmony supplement and seeing if that helps. If not I guess I will give in and have one of the tests performed.

Thank you guys for reading about my concerns -- I'll welcome any other input as well. It is really nice to hear the support for my little pup. I consider her my kid like a lot of dog owners :]

[kjwarnold]

The ACHT stim test is for Addison's Disease, has your vet mentioned that as a possibility?  Kirby was diagnosed with Addison's last Thanksgiving.  It was a very scary time but once diagnosed, he bounced back and is doing well with a monthly shot of Percorten-V and daily Prednisone.  With medication, A-dogs can live long and healthy lives.

Here's a link with some info:

Addison's Disease FAQs

[pkcrossley]

your vet is doing a good job. urine concentration is good. she likely wants to move on to ACHT test because she is on the verge of ruling out cushings, which would be good. keep exploring, sounds like you will get an answer without breaking the bank. once you get a firm diagnosis, you can explore holistic as well as conventional remedies.