Cushing's Disease

[NextJen]

Update on Autumn - April 9:

Very thankful that the hair has filled in on her back where she had lost it and had lesions. It's a little thinner, but at least it is covered and no big scab to look at. She still has some skin issues, very dry and lots of dander, but overall, not too bad.

I had a scare with her last week. Thursday morning I woke up to her being very lethargic and having a hard time breathing. Got her in for an emergency appointment. Long story short, we believe she was having an allergic reaction to something which irritated the back of her throat and caused it to swell. Put her on medication for that and finally saw her acting more like herself 2 days ago. I'd say she's back to about 95% now.

As far as the Cushings, she is still having accidents in the house, but the skin, thirst, appetite, bloated belly are all much better. The Vet said that she is still at the low end of the dosage for a dog her size so we will up her dosage from 20mg of Trilostane a day to 30mg. This actually works out to be cheaper for me, so that's a good thing (The 30 qty 10mg box was $70 - they undercharged me for the first box - so I was spending $140 a month for 2 boxes. The 30 qty 30mg box is $86 a month).

 

[NextJen]

Was just taking a couple pics of Autumn

and am so thankful that her meds are working so well. She is still maintaining on her 30mg dose and doing awesome. I moved full-time into my RV in late May and was really concerned about her having accidents in here. She has not had any since moving in!

 

[NextJen]

Update - December 12

Took Autumn for regular bloodwork to check her cortisol levels this past week (ACTH stimulation test). It appears her levels have now dropped lower than they should be. She has been on 30mg of Trilostane for several months now. The vet recommends dropping her back to 10mg a day. I’m afraid that may be too low and I’m concerned she may get back to having accidents. I’m hoping the Vet knows best.
I have noticed her having some bouts of shaking (like shivering) recently. This could be from the lower cortisol levels and is one sign of Addison’s disease (caused by the Trilostane reducing the cortisol levels too much). So, it’s a balancing act.
Otherwise, she is happy, playful, and loving. Still very spritely for her age. We’ll continue on our path.

 

[NextJen]

Autumns Progress - May 12, 2023

The bad, the ugly, and the good:

Autumn is still on the lower dose (10mg) of Trilostane. Her hair and skin issues are holding ok with just one tiny little spot on her back toward her tail that has no hair and is just like a callous. I can still feel hard patches in her skin but at least the hair is still there. She is still doing the tremors/quivering when she lays down and is relaxing. I have taken video and I showed the Vet yesterday when I was there. She and another Vet were stumped as to what is happening. Autumn even did it a little in the exam room. It’s not full blown seizing and they don’t think related to Cushings. She is alert or will immediately stop doing it if you call or pet her. (She isn’t on any flea/tick prevention, so it’s not anything to do with that)
She has had some accidents recently. I have to let her out very frequently to avoid them. Usually it happens if I’m out for a little while. I’ve put down pee pads, but she seems to like going right next to them. I’d crate her, but because she can’t control the urge to pee, I’d be giving her a bath from having to lay in it in the crate - I’d rather mop the floor.

The visit to the Vet yesterday was because of a large lump that has come up in her neck/throat. I’ve noticed swelling before a few times in the same area, but it always went away. This is bigger than ever before and doesn’t feel as soft (stop thinking, ‘That’s what she said’). I did some Google research, the Vet examined her and aspirated a fluid sample and looked at it and agreed that it is an issue with a salivary gland. Here is what she called it: https://www.thesprucepets.com/sialocele-salivary-mucocele-3384320#toc-what-is-a-sialocele
If the swelling does not go down it has a good chance of becoming infected. She will need to have surgery to remove the fluid and gland/duct if that happens. Right now I watch and monitor her. Also, her poor little nose has become very chapped, dry and cracked. Almost looks like it’s going to fall off of her face. I got some gel medicine yesterday to put on it once a day - she’s not overly thrilled about me touching her nose.

Finally, the good, she is still a happy girl. I could tell she grieved for her brother after I had him put down in February. She lost her appetite and moped around for a few weeks, but she has come back around. She still has quite a bit of energy for her age (10 yrs 8 mo) but thinks twice about trying to jump on furniture now. She is a sweetheart and keeps plugging away even with each new issue.
The battle continues.

 

[spr1975wshs]

 

[NextJen]

Update - June 15, 2023

Autumn has been slowing down over the last couple weeks. Moving slower, sleeping more. Appetite still seems to be good.
I spend most nights getting up about 2 or 3 times to let her out to go pee.

Today she seems to be doing worse. The few times she has gotten up she seems to be limping, almost like all of her legs hurt. Maybe from laying around so much she is getting stiff? I went to pick her up earlier to get her down the steps outside to relieve herself and she let out a little yelp as I went to pick her up. I don't know what hurt her.

I called the vet a little while ago and asked if I could get her in tomorrow. I need to call back in the morning to see if they have any cancelations, or if I can get her in as an 'emergency' visit.

The lump has stayed in her throat area. It hasn't gotten any larger.
Also, the name for the condition of her cracked nose is hyperkeratosis. Here is a link with info about that:

Hyperkeratosis in Dogs: Causes, Symptoms, & Prevention Methods - Furchild

Learn about hyperkeratosis in dogs and its prevention methods. Discover why dogs get dry, crusty noses. Get information on hyperkeratosis, its causes, symptoms, and treatment in the Furchild blog.

furchildpets.com

She is still having the seizing/spasm thing going on.

Her issues are really starting to pile up. I'm getting to the point of questioning her comfort.

 

[RoseRed]

Update - June 15, 2023

Autumn has been slowing down over the last couple weeks. Moving slower, sleeping more. Appetite still seems to be good.
I spend most nights getting up about 2 or 3 times to let her out to go pee.

Today she seems to be doing worse. The few times she has gotten up she seems to be limping, almost like all of her legs hurt. Maybe from laying around so much she is getting stiff? I went to pick her up earlier to get her down the steps outside to relieve herself and she let out a little yelp as I went to pick her up. I don't know what hurt her.

I called the vet a little while ago and asked if I could get her in tomorrow. I need to call back in the morning to see if they have any cancelations, or if I can get her in as an 'emergency' visit.

The lump has stayed in her throat area. It hasn't gotten any larger.
Also, the name for the condition of her cracked nose is hyperkeratosis. Here is a link with info about that:

Hyperkeratosis in Dogs: Causes, Symptoms, & Prevention Methods - Furchild

Learn about hyperkeratosis in dogs and its prevention methods. Discover why dogs get dry, crusty noses. Get information on hyperkeratosis, its causes, symptoms, and treatment in the Furchild blog.

furchildpets.com

She is still having the seizing/spasm thing going on.

Her issues are really starting to pile up. I'm getting to the point of questioning her comfort.

Sorry about your furbaby.

 

[NextJen]

July 16, 2023

Autumn is hanging in there. Her sprained front leg healed up pretty quickly.

I believe she has some sort of yeast or bacterial infection with her skin issues. (smelly, greasy feeling fur, lots of itching, a couple little pink, pimple spots around her muzzle). I’ll get her in to the vet as soon as I’m back in town. In the meantime I’ll see if I can find some medicated shampoo at a PetSmart or somewhere.

I recently purchased a home in Murrells Inlet, SC. I brought Autumn down with me this past Thursday. She did fantastic on the long drive.

Here she is on her first trip to the beach.
She continues to amaze me with her awesome disposition and happy spirit even with all of her issues.

 

[NextJen]

October 8, 2023 update.

With all the bad news in the world, here is some good news.
I am amazed and very happy at how well Autumn has been doing. She turned 11 in September. I believe a lot of how well she is doing can be attributed to the food I am giving her.
A little background - I had been feeding both of my dogs Rachel Ray Nutrish. As they both were aging and my MinPin’s appetite had slowed, I thought a senior type dog food may be better for both of them. So I switched them to Blue Buffalo senior formula. Well, my minpin, Jaeger, steadily went downhill healthwise. His appetite really went away after that switch. Autumn’s remained good.
After I had my MinPin put down I noticed Autumns appetite waned. I thought it was because she missed her brother, or maybe this was the first time in her life she was the only dog and figured she didn’t need to rush to eat.
After her appetite got really bad, I switched her back to the Nutrish. Her appetite picked up some but was still not good. She was also rather listless. I attributed a lot of this to the progression of the Cushings disease.
Then, when my friends helped me with my move, they brought their dog with them and stayed for a few days. While feeding their dog one morning, Autumn got to the bowl first and started gobbling up the food. I asked what they fed their dog because Autumn hadn’t eaten like that for a long time. They said they fed their dog Purina One chicken with rice.
So, I started switching Autumn over to Purina One. Let me tell you, I have seen a world of difference in her! For the last month of feeding her the Purina she has more appetite, runs circles around me when I go to fill her food bowl, has more energy and is even spunky and playful at times. Within a week or so of changing her over I even noticed the couple little pink pimple spots on her face went away.
For being 11 now and coming up on 2 years since her Cushings diagnosis, I am absolutely amazed at how well she is doing.

Here she is this afternoon in the backyard at my new place.

 

[spr1975wshs]

I read a story earlier today about another dog named Autumn, she was a Golden Retriever.
Autumn was 20 in April 2020, and made it another 11 months.

 

[NextJen]

Quick update. 10/21/23
Took Autumn for routine bloodwork (stem) to check how she is doing with her current dosage of meds. Vet is concerned that some of the markers they look at have dropped very low. So now we are going to back her down from 10mg of Trilostane a day to 5mg.
Have started giving her Benadryl for her itchy skin (as recommended by the Vet).
All in all, she’s doing well!

 

[NextJen]

Autumn update March 10, 2024

I said goodbye to my brave girl this morning.
I took her to the emergency vet a little after 7 am to have her put down. The last two weeks or so let me know it was time.

Such a good girl and the best dog.
I will miss you, Autumn.

 

[spr1975wshs]

Autumn update March 10, 2024

I said goodbye to my brave girl this morning.
I took her to the emergency vet a little after 7 am to have her put down. The last two weeks or so let me know it was time.

Such a good girl and the best dog.
I will miss you, Autumn.

It is the hardest, loving decision we have to make for them, and never gets any easier to go through.
My condolences.

 

[stgislander]

Autumn update March 10, 2024

I said goodbye to my brave girl this morning.
I took her to the emergency vet a little after 7 am to have her put down. The last two weeks or so let me know it was time.

Such a good girl and the best dog.
I will miss you, Autumn.

My wife and I send our condolences. We know your pain. It's been a little over a year that we put our lovely girl down. My wife takes her ashes and favorite toy to keep her company when she goes to Cumberland.

 

[DoWhat]

Autumn update March 10, 2024

I said goodbye to my brave girl this morning.
I took her to the emergency vet a little after 7 am to have her put down. The last two weeks or so let me know it was time.

Such a good girl and the best dog.
I will miss you, Autumn.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Grumpy]

Autumn update March 10, 2024

I said goodbye to my brave girl this morning.
I took her to the emergency vet a little after 7 am to have her put down. The last two weeks or so let me know it was time.

Such a good girl and the best dog.
I will miss you, Autumn.

Frankly, thats the hardest thing to endure. I grieve for all my pups that have reached the end of their life.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

Quick update. 10/21/23
Took Autumn for routine bloodwork (stem) to check how she is doing with her current dosage of meds. Vet is concerned that some of the markers they look at have dropped very low. So now we are going to back her down from 10mg of Trilostane a day to 5mg.
Have started giving her Benadryl for her itchy skin (as recommended by the Vet).
All in all, she’s doing well!

So Sorry for your loss of Autumn. Its the toughest job as a pet owner, that we go through. They give so much love and ask so little in return. Truly sorry.

 

[mitzi]

I'm so sorry.

 

[RareBreed]

Sorry for the loss of your Autumn.

 

[NextJen]

Thank you, everyone.
The house is a lot quieter without her. Not that she made hardly any noise, but I talked to her a lot.