Cinnamons battle with Cushings Disease

18/06/2022

It’s almost two years since our girl was first diagnosed with Cushins. So far she’s still doing great ! She’s off all meds !

25/05/2022

Well after being taken off Vetoryl she’s starting to have symptoms again at night. She has been panting really heavy again. So calling to make her an appt to get her numbers checked again !

24/02/2022

Our beautiful girl had her levels checked today. Her vet was crazy busy & didn’t call with her results so we will call first thing tomorrow. Poor girl was scared to death. But she is having a good night all cuddled up with us ❤️

23/02/2022

Our precious girl gets her levels tested tomorrow with Dr Ruth. She’s been having some heavy panting and shakes again. Please pray her levels are ok ❤️ we will update you all tomorrow ❤️

22/04/2021

Well our girl has been on Vetoryl 10 mg for about 7-8 weeks. She’s been doing great. Every 4-5 nights she may have some heavy panting. But for the most part things have been going well . In 3 weeks they will re check her numbers. We pray things continue to go well . So far no side effects from her meds ! 🙏💜💗💕

10/03/2021

My girl actually slept the whole night with us ! Since she’s been sick she would only sleep on the floor 😞

09/03/2021

It’s been a rough few nights ! Soon as late evening comes she starts to pant heavy , wanders around confused. When this is happening and won’t let me pick her up or console her she becomes afraid of everyone ! Praying the Atlantic bubble opens so we can save her 💔😭💔

05/03/2021

Someone was sleepy today but she had a great day 💜. Today marks 31 days on meds , so far so good

04/03/2021

We had to leave our precious girl for two days ! Her doggy sitter said she had no symptoms ! She’s having a symptom free week ! We are home now and she’s got lots of smiles 💜💜💜

01/03/2021

My girl is having a much better day today

26/02/2021

Last night was awful 😢 it was by far the worst night ever . My poor girl twitched and tremors all night. Now this morning she’s blinking rapidly & we are praying she hasn’t had a seizure . She will be seen today at the vet for an emergency appointment 😭 also her test results come back today as well 🙏😭 please pray that NS has its Atlantic bubble back soon so my sweet girl can get an mri 😭💔🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😢🙏😢

26/02/2021

26/02/2021

Cinnamons Battle with Cushings began Dec 2020

Christmas 2020 we noticed Cinnamon was drinking extra water ! She went from drinking two bowls a day to eight bowls a day ! In the nights she would have periods of heavy panting , tremors & constantly hungry .

January 2021 we took her to see her vet Dr Parker . They ran tests and told us she’s positive for Cushins disease.

What is Cushings Disease ?

Cushing's syndrome happens when your dog’s body makes too much of a hormone called cortisol. This chemical help them respond to stress, control their weight, fight infections, and keep their blood sugar levels in check. But too much or too little of it can cause problems.

The condition mostly affects middle-aged and older dogs, and the warning signs may be harder to spot in the beginning.

You might notice your dog:

Is thirstier than usual
Seems hungrier
Pees more often; housebroken dogs may have indoor accidents.
Loses hair or it seems slow to grow
Gets a pot belly
Has thinning skin
Seems very tired and inactive
Pants a lot
Gets skin infections

There are two major types that affect dogs:

Pituitary dependent. This form is the most common, affecting about 80% to 90% of the animals who have Cushing's. It happens when there’s a tumor in a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain, called the pituitary.
Adrenal dependent. This type comes from a tumor in one of the glands that sit on top of the kidneys, called adrenal glands. About 15% of diagnosed dogs will have this type.
Another kind, called iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome, happens after a dog has taken steroids for a long time.

ACTH stimulation test. It measures how well the adrenal glands work in response to a hormone called ACTH that usually prompts them to make cortisol. The vet will take blood samples before and after your dog gets a shot of ACTH to see how the hormone affected them.
Low dose dexamethasone suppression (LDDS) test looks at how your dog’s body works with a man-made version of cortisol, called dexamethasone. Blood samples before and after they gets a shot of the hormone help the vet see what’s going on.

Treatments
If Cushing’s syndrome comes from a tumor on your pet’s adrenal glands, the vet might be able to remove it with surgery, which will cure him of the problem. But if the tumor has spread to other parts of their body or they have other health problems, surgery may not be an option.

Usually, a dog can live an active, normal life with medication to treat the condition, though they’ll need it for the rest of their life. Drugs are best for dogs with Cushing’s syndrome caused by the pituitary gland or for those with a tumor on their adrenal gland that can't be removed with surgery.

The most common drug is trilostane (Vetoryl). Mitotane (Lysodren) is an older drug that vets don’t prescribe much anymore. It causes many side effects, but it may cost less. Your pup will need regular check-ups and blood tests to make sure their treatment is working.

Tomorrow we will get Cinnamons results back , it will tell us if the meds are working for her ! 🙏💜