Cushing's in Dogs - Everything You Need to Know

Lap of Love co-founder Dr. Mary Gardner and board-certified veterinary internist Dr. Tatjana Mirkovic discuss Cushing's syndrome in dogs. Dr. Mirkovic will also explain the signs, symptoms, and treatment options that veterinary internists provide. Here are some additional resources on Cushing's and veterinary specialty care:
• Dr. Mary Gardner Discu...
www.lapoflove....
www.dechra-us....
vetspecialists...

[@michellep5554]

My dog was just diagnosed with this and my head is spinning- this was so very helpful to me. Thank you !!!!

[@marleneflaherty4843]

My 14lb dog Buddy Love had it for years. I was unaware. He was a runaway stray and me and Molly girl took him into our home. He was a blessing for the both of us.

[@MissWoggy]

I really appreciate all the information on this disease but i disagree with her on no special diet. I believe a fresh food diet is important for helping the body fight against it whether you're treating it conventionally or holistically.

[@AnnieLozada]

Thanks so much for this insightful video. I complained to my vet about my dog panting & also rear end muscle weakness but she put it off to her age, then she started drinking alot of water. I insisted on getting her blood work done & it shows greatly elevated AST & ALKP. My vet has ordered the ACTH stim test. Now I know that she needs an ultrasound after if the test is positive. Thank you again

[@dmariewalker6880]

I have a new vet now, but I complained to my former vet about my chi panting & I thought she was in pain, that vet said it was bc my chi was overweight. I told her she acts like she is starving. My new vet has done some radiology tests and says her liver is enlarged, ect ect

[@crikeymos22]

Absolutely outstanding information here. Answered every single question I had. Thank you so much. God Bless you. ❤️

[@TheEviil1]

Thank you for this. I appreciate you both.

[@carolynduckworth4215]

Very helpful session. My Pom was just diagnosed with Cushings and I started her on a holistic supplement which seems to be working even though my vet prescribed Trilostane. It's been two weeks and she no longer drinks excessively, has less accidents in the house and sleeps all night. I'll probably switch to the Trilostane but I was very worried about the side effects and costs of this treatment

[@veronicaharrison2974]

This was very informative thank you

[@ddgoody]

Is that supplement working for you now. Can you share the name of it thanks?

[@Adeniumlovers1333]

Please update now 🙂

[@hollyguillory8122]

Can you tell us what holistic supplements you were giving your dog. And did you stay on them or did you switch to the prescription my dog just got diagnosed and they prescribed that medication for my dog that I'm very concerned about it

[@autumnwind2699]

What supplement are you giving your dog??

[@amandaslade9072]

Many dogs do very well on homeopathic medicine. Yes there are dietary recommendations for Cushing's.

[@cathybrown4102]

Can you please share what homeopathic medicine work as well as what dietary recommendations work

[@natal777]

It is a shame that the vets charge a crazy amount of money for all this ! The first visit cost me 335 and then they wanted to do another test for 300 the next week then 14 days and 28 days more blood work at like 200 a pop and then you need to do blood work every month and they do not tell you there is no cure your dog will have cushings untill the end.

[@strongspear1918]

It's a money making racket with many Vets. Sad to say this but it's true.

[@JuanitaClarkGarcia]

My vet told me that, it was very expensive, time consuming, and painful, and the dog wouldn't live one extra day by going through the treatment. So I'm going to take as good as care of her, that I can and not put her through it.

[@peterwill3699]

Thanks for this information ,your are very good careing people who are wonderful vets too.My 7 year Ollie has high blood pressure now with the systems of Cushings.We think he had a stroke because of that because he is almost blind too.Waiting for our appointment with a specialist next week. Thank you again.

[@thebecbark]

My dog has been sick since she was 4 yrs old. No fur, excessively drinking & peeing & hunger , elephant skin, skin nodules, claws grow super quick, She's now 8 & only just diagnosed correctly. Just started treatment. She was on cyclosporine for the last 2 years. She also has allergies. Can only eat chicken. Anything else including rice or duck or other meats cause her to secrete grey/brown slime through her skin, ear infections, excessive itching. 😢

[@marionbrown8559]

Thank you this is helpful. My dog has the “avocado” belly and has no signs and symptoms of Cushings at all. His Ultrasound showed a large liver and the vet wants him in for the day to do bloods and biopsy. I think he’s pointing towards a different diagnosis to Cushings.

[@marionbrown8559]

UPDATE: The vet told me that the ultrasound showed changes in the lymph nodes. Therefore he wouldn’t do a biopsy and said it was likely cancer. However, that was in November 2021 and when I got him home, he continued to improve and now appears fit as a flea! So unsure about the diagnosis. His urine appears yellow again. It was amber and brown red colour before (likely bilirubin). This has made me think he had a nasty infection rather than cancer. So important to gain a second opinion. Quite scary of how many dogs can be put to sleep from the wrong diagnosis. My dogs last vet said he had pancreatitis .. that was 5 years ago and suggested euthanasia!

[@sophiamirasol1229]

Have you experienced blindness with PDH Cushings? My Bichon is 8. What we noticed was the blindness because she was getting over a blod parasite issue and suddenly became blind. Then we kept pushing for screening.

[@dianneyoungblood689]

My 10 yr old Shih Tzu overnight like a different dog. Good breeder, we walk2 mi a day, excellent diet, never accidents, no panting, mellow guy. Now he is lethargic. No excessive drinking. No accidents. No hair loss. His test is high Neu and very high ATKP or whatever ….490. Was 392 last year so vet said not a big deal. Perfect health so ???

[@highheatrichie]

My dog has GME and Cushings from prednisone she’s in rough shape 😢 might be time to say good by she was doing so good but as the remission really worked out the drugs started killing her then taking her off the drugs tapering is making the GME worse. Her organs are taking a toll so sad to see my 3 year old Pomeranian not eating food all the time is her favorite 😢.. some days are good some not as good poor thing, been building a bucket list and have to consult with my neurologist for potential euthanasia instead of the regular chemo because she’s starting to slip and it’s so sad :(! 😭

[@craigeydmann]

Very informative thankx

[@shellicabrera4132]

I have a question. My dog has Cushing disease. But the problems with her. She has no appetite. Could that mean anything? Im getting really worried. I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

[@justtere]

Bone broth. There are recipes all over to explain.

[@ProdByKeys]

You sure your dog doesn’t have addisons ? Much like cushings, but the opposite spectrum, too little cortisol.

[@shannonparker1]

My mini Schnauzer is going through the same thing. She has absolutely no appetite and they think she has it too.She won't eat anything. They did find her triglycerides were extremely high.

[@stephenpowstinger733]

My vet thinks my 12 year old bichon has Cushing’s. She didn’t do any lab tests however so I am not sure what to do. The main symptom is thirst. Do they test for cortisol?

[@thebecbark]

In France the vetoryl is roughly 2€/10mg

[@vonniehall1686]

My pug has gained weight really fast, pants excessively to the point he gags, drinks plenty of water, went blind overnight, moves very slow, pooped normally but now it is like diarrhea, X-rays show large liver and stomach pushed to the side, lines towards his abdomen that they say his breathing is going into stomach and put him on Benadryl for allergies to relieve this! I have asked over and over again about Cushing and they all say no it’s not Cushing! He looks miserable and all they say is his test look really great for a dog of his age! I’m at a loss!

[@babybear4524]

Please see a different vet. Very much sounds like Cushings. Not all vets are educated on this disease.

[@timmccallum7336]

How much does all this cost? 300 initial visit. 300 Cushing test and then all the meds for my 10 yr old boxer. Hoping I can get a few more years with him

[@lisalmdean2112]

What if your dog is not showing physical symptoms but the labs are pointing to cushings

[@johnnyknight-rauch2814]

What are follow-up labs to monitor?

[@janetormerod3020]

can I get cushings treatments without going to vets

[@babybear4524]

No. You can not get a prescription for Vetoryl without doing to a vet.

[@mahmoudbj3924]

Is that painful for dogs 😢 ? Cause there is no medicines available in my country 😢

[@mcneil83]

Where are you From ?

[@janeillinois9631]

Comments on proteinuria? I’m seeing 1 vet, 1 internist and 2 integrative vets and one of them believes it always means he has fishing’s AND kidney failure. Glomerular nephritis so it’s possible to slow its progression with anti inflammatories. But the rest are just shrugging saying sometimes that happens with Cushing but let’s use low protein food. I’m trusting the integrative vet and giving him a wholesome normal protein diet and anti inflammatories which add to the expense but I am fairly certain they won’t hurt him so why not try it. What are any other medical opinions if the dog also has proteinuria and other kidney function values are ok BUT drifting - trending toward indicating kidney? I had an ULTRASOUND and no masses or anything except age related changes according to internist.

[@kmom9070]

So....what about a 12yr old Bugg that just all the sudden started drinking a lot a lot and peeing the bed at night. And wetting the house....zero other symptoms....urine test was fine no signs of issues other than dilute...blood work had elevated enzymes....diabetes and kidney disease ruled out. Vet [she doesn't have a regular vet due to retirement] says get an ultrasound of belly [they don't do them there so we are trying to get a vet that does]. . . She did have no shots until age 4 and was spade at age 4 [we got her at age 4] and was dx with false pregnancy. Bloodwork 2019 was normal. Is it possible it's something else? She does have a growth on her lip that needs removed. . . We didn't do bloodwork annually. They rx Denamarin.

[@cherigalbraith1891]

How expensive is the test and medication

[@redgraphicunicorn]

VERY expensive, and some of the medication's side effects are worse than the disease itself - and that came straight from a vet's mouth.

[@dmariewalker6880]

Do we really want to put this extra stress on our beloved pets? It’s a tough decision, to treat or not, to treat & then a year later or sooner your pet dies anyway. I would weigh their age into the picture also. I have 3 dogs, my chi is 12.5 years old, she stresses out just going for a car ride. Sometimes letting them go is the ultimate comfort of love.😢

[@strongspear1918]

@@dmariewalker6880 Having a beloved pet at an advanced age I choose to go with Supplements that support Liver and Kidney function - - and not put them under additional stress of Vet visits and so many tests. We have to face the sad fact of looking at the normal life expectancy as well.

[@nolavout3025]

I know my dog has it, 12 year old beagle but for some reason my vet wont confirm it, why? Think i ve worked it out, just want your opinion??

[@vonniehall1686]

Did you find out for sure your dog had Cushing? I think mind does but the vets say no after over $3000 in different X-rays!

[@sarahharper3222]

Hi Guys thank you so much for this informative video I have learned a lot. I have one important concern with my dog who is 13 years old and has had pituitary cushings for 1.5 years now, she has lost all of her muscle in her back end of her buttox and hind leg area like it's completely bone and she is quite weak. Is there anything you reccomend I give to her to gain the weight and muscle back on a bit? I am based in Australia. She only weighs 7.3kg and used to be 9.5kg so has lost heaps and it doesn't help she is on a low fat diet due to having pancreatitis 6months ago. At the moment I feed her build breat chicken with sweet potato and beans.... mixed with her royal canin low fat dry food and can food.....