Question about Cushing's disease

[Mary Plummer]

But first, let me apologize for being away for so long! No good excuse; I think I was just feeling sorry for myself - this MS is no fun! Anyway, now I'm worried about Mr. Blue. He'd had a couple accidents in the house, and was drinking water non-stop. So it was off to the vets, who prescribed antibiotics for him. They seemed to work, but then he started having accidents the same day he took his last pill. So it was back to the vets again. That's when the possibility of Cushings was mentioned. He spent all day yesterday at the vets, having a a low dose "something" test. The results will be back tomorrow, leaving me today to try to learn just what the heck this thing is, what it means for Mr. Blue, and whether or not I should be terrified right now. Actually, I'm pretty terrified, whether I should be or not.
Any help will be greatly appreciated, and it feels so good to be back!

Mary

[Marty]

I don't have advice, but I sure do want to welcome you back!!! Don't be gone so long this time!

[Mary Plummer]

Thanks Marty! I plan to stick around, now that I'm back. How's Biscotti doing? It's hard for me to believe, but Mr. Blue is 9 now. How can that be? He's my puppy!

[Marty]

Biscotti is fine at 10 yrs, but Winnie at 12 is having kidney issues and Java at 9 has gone blind, but coping well. Wish they didn't have to get old! If you get a chance, we'd love to see pics of Mr. Blue and his gorgeous eyes. I had to look into Cushing's a while back, and it did scare me...I'm sure Traci and Davet can help you more.

[Mary Plummer]

http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL210/135 ... 401101.jpg
Here's my all-time favorite of him; thanks for asking! I take so much pride in this old hound you'd almost think I had something to do with it!

[Traci]

Welcome back, Mary

Before the low-dose-dexamethazone-suppression test, did your vet include a full chem profile and CBC and urinalysis? Was diabetes ruled out first?

Here's a couple links to help explain the condition and how to treat cushings. The first one is a bit more technical...both are good information:

http://www.lbah.com/canine/cushings.htm

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=416

If the suppression test doesn't reveal anything significant, you may need consider another test, and rule out diabetes and/or other organ disfunction.

Hopefully it's not cushings, hang in there and let us know....

[Mary Plummer]

Thanks, Traci! Those links were just what I needed, although I still don't really understand that disease. I especially don't understand how/why Mr. Blue might have gotten it. Is it something that just happens to some dogs as they age, or does his genetics come into it, or the fact that he wasn't well-cared for as a pup? Worst of all, is it something I did? The vets are supposed to call me tomorrow with his test results, so I'll be sure to post them.

[momPaws]

Glad to see you back, Mary. Hope the test shows something that can be treated.

[Mary Plummer]

Thanks momPaws! It feelas really good to vbe back here. Of course, I'll probably have to start being mean to davet again, won't I? I'm sure he's missed that So how are you doing, and how is Honey?

[k9Karen]

Welcome back Mary - it has been way too long!

Sorry to hear this about your gorgeous blue-eyed pupper. To set your mind at rest, I can't think of a thing you could have done to cause this. Genetics can always be a factor with metabolic conditions, so, that certainly can't be ruled-out. Sometimes, it's just bad luck.

Please let us know the test results. I hope it's good news.