chiquito

We had a reaction. Our dog was very itchy,very nervous and wouldn't stay still right after application. I could see he was very uncomfortable so I decided to washed it off with dish detergent and called the manufacturer to see what was their opinion and we were advised not to use it anymore on this dog.

Good on Chloe! Now you can all relax a bit... She is a special girl because I thought cushings remissions are not that common.

Avoid Petfood 24/7. I paid for an order in June and I still haven't received it and by now I'm sure it's lost money because they don't answer emails and don't pick up the phone.

You wrote a beautiful tribute. RIP Paddy

Rest in peace Miko You wrote a beautiful tribute inspired by a beatiful soul

We went through the same scenario last year with our little dog Chiquito: adrenal tumour, elevated liver enzymes and ACTH positive for cushings. We scheduled the adrenalectomy five weeks after the diagnose. During that period I saw that he was in good health so one week before the operation I asked for another ultrasound, another ACTH test - this time the one that is done with three samples taken over a period of 8 hours, X rays, urine and blood tests. Cushings came back negative this time and the tumour did not grow so we cancelled the operation. He was 13.5 yo at that time and we didn't want to operate as it was very risky. Please ask for the ACTH test that is done with three samples of blood taken over a period of 8 hours as it is more reliable than the ACTH test done with one sample of blood. And also seek the advise of a specialist. Our boy lived without problems after that for a few months without any treatment whatsoever. Sadly he died three weeks ago due to heart failure totally unrelated, as I understand, to the adrenal tumour. There is a group in yahoo about cushings where you can find some information about adrenal based cushings. I wish you and your boy all the best.

There is a shop in Drummoyne called Mondo Cane. I always drive past but I've never been inside. They do have a website www.mondocane.com.au No mention about selling animals - need to check

Thanks everyone for your words and for reading this. He was such a personality and we are so fortunate to have had him for all these years. And fortunate also to have all the memories he left with us before going for the ultimate ride.

My sweet boy we knew the day of saying our goodbyes was approaching but nothing could’ve prepared us to face the reality of your absence in our home. We try to find comfort thinking that you lived a long beautiful life, that you didn’t suffer for long before going, that you couldn’t have been more spoiled. But for now nothing gives us consolation and tears flow like rivers. One day when your name is spoken we will smile and remember your ears opening wide and high to the word “vamos”, your races to the kitchen after a “galletita”, your devotion following us around the house like a little shadow. We will remember your naughty young years when you made us run up the street every time the door would open or biting to pieces James’ art homework. I’ll always remember how you waited for us sitting in the front porch that day we moved houses and the gate was left open. You could’ve left, you could’ve run to the park as you used to do, but you stayed. We will always remember our walks, our nights in front of the TV, your barking at thunderstorms or the doorbell, your happiness when going for a ride in the car with your face smiling against the wind taking the world in. But what we will never forget is that you taught us to love each other, with patience and devotion, will and loyalty. Good night sweet boy. Chiquito 2.3.96 – 11.4.10

Good to hear that things went the right way and also hoping everything runs smoothly for a while.

Thank you for the advise. That's our plan if we get a positive result next round of tests we'll definitely go to the specialist as we will need to decide how we're going to treat it - and also look after all the other related issues.

We don't know how Cushinoid is our little boy. He had a ACTH stim in September after having a blood test showing high liver enzymes and urinanalysis showing diluted urine. The ACTH stim came back positive. We did an ultrasound and there it was, a tumour in the left adrenal gland. By now it was October so we scheduled an adrenalectomy for the 11th of November - we couldn't do it earlier, even though we knew it was somehow urgent-. A couple of weeks before the surgery I requested the vet to go to a specialist and re do all the tests plus x-rays. I just didn't want to do the surgery unless he's life was at stake and no other options were available. So we did blood, urinanalysis, x rays, ultrasound and ACTH supression (which is done with three samples of blood every four hours - first sample before the hormone is injected and the other two four and eight hours after the hormome has been injected). This test seems to be a bit more specific that the stimulation test and I think it can also give an idea of where is the source of the disease. To our surprise all results came back negative. No signs of Cushings. The vet said it is possible that the tumour in the adrenal gland is not a "working" tumour and that the source could be in the pituitary - and that it is in remission. So we cancelled the operation, got to speak with the specialist on the phone - but never went for a consultation. We are due back for follow up tests in February. If tests show then positive we'll be going to the specialist. I'm hoping the first batch of tests were false positives or were misread. Or that it was a reaction developed from dietary issues or vaccination issues. In the meantime we are trying to enjoy the time together - however, I can't help checking how much he's drinking, how much pee, is he eating too much? is he still hungry? is that hair falling off? But overall he looks very good. He's not a puppy and in March will be 14 yo (the oldest dog I've ever had). But again he's a maltese so for his breed is not that old. And that's why I sort of know something about Mr Cushings

That's good news! To me it's always somehow a relief to have a course of action, like the one set out by your specialist. I wish we didn't have to worry, but because of the worrying they're as good as they can be. All the best and keep up your good job!

I hope everything turns out fine and tests show nothing that can be fixed with changes in the dosages. We also worry and worry about worrying too much. Sometimes I find myself going from cuddles to examination mode without noticing. I wish I had something helpful to add other than our prayers and best thoughts for Chloe and also for you.

When our little one was diagnosed with cushings and I started researching about it I came across your thread. Since then I've followed Diesel's story and many many times I wondered if we would be brave enough to take this in our hands and fight for our guy the way you did. Like Kelly Louise said many people that read about Diesel admired in silence your courage, determination and above all, the love you shared with Diesel. Our hearts are with you and brave Diesel who now must be running free in the beaches across the bridge. RIP Diesel

There is group in yahoo with heaps of information on cushing's disease: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CanineC...AutoimmuneCare/ One thing I may add to all the information given above is that the standard testing to diagnose starts with blood test and urinanalysis. Then a ACTH test will be done followed by an ultrasound. The ultrasound will determine if the tumour is in the adrenal glands or in the pituitary gland. If the tumour is in the pituitary, the adrenal glands (located above the kidneys) will be both of normal size or enlarged. If the tumour is in the adrenal glands, then one of them will be enlarged and showing the tumour and the other gland would have shrinked. But most importantly and as advised above is that your client seeks advise from a specialist.

Hi again! Just wanted to update and share the experience as it may help someone in a similar situation. We decided to do some more tests and consult an specialist before the operation. We did a new ultrasound (first one was done mid september) and new blood tests, urinanalysis, x rays and a ACTH supression test which is done with three blood samples four hours apart. The idea was to assess our Chiquito's general health (ie liver, lungs, if tumour had grown, etc) before putting him through the procedure. Luckily (a miracle i would add here) everything came back clear: there is no growth of the tumour, even more, it appears to have shrinked. The ACTH came back negative, that is his cortisol levels are within normal range. His lungs are fine (we were concerned that if it was cancer it would've spread to his lungs). The liver seemed OK however enzymes were high but as high as before, not worse. All this meant that for the time being there is no need to do the adrenalectomy and not even for medication. All these tests were done before going to the specialist so when we called her she said that we should re do tests in 3 months and see where we are at then. Because as it went away it also may come back. For now, however, we couldn't be happier because we thought there was a real chance of losing him right after the operation. I'm not sure what happened. Perhaps the first tests were false positives or perhaps this disease can enter in remission. Our vet is also very surprised with the outcome. The only thing that changed during the six weeks between the first ACTH and the second was his diet from commercial dry and meat rolls to home cooked and raw, plus some hills i/d dry and RC sensitivity control. The change in diet came along because he wasn't tolerating his food any more and was having explosive diarrhoea. Our vet thinks that diet may play a powerful role in some cases of cushing's disease. Now we have the next three months to forget about tests and the waiting game and hope the disease doesn't come back.

Thank you so much for your replies. As Cavalier pointed out and as we've been told by the vets the drug treatment for adrenal based cushing's needs to be much more aggresive than the pituitary based cushing's. That makes it a lot riskier and does not necessarily improves the quality of life. That's why the vets we saw thought that the best alternative was the surgery. Our vet actually said that they have never treated with drugs an adrenal based cushing's. But I've read in other forums that many people has done this and successfully treated the symptoms for a few months, even over a year. The tumour is in the left gland which is more accessible than the right gland. And the statistics are not that bad either with an approx 70% post operative survival. However, most of the accounts we have read in other forums are very very dim. It also seems to be a procedure that is not perfomed often. That's why we wanted to know about experiences here in Australia. We will get a second opinion, most likely we will try to go to the ARH in Strathfield as Kelly Louise advised - as it's also close to home. But still we'd like to hear about others that have gone through this procedure. Thank you again for your advise and care.

Hi I would like to know if anyone in the forum has gone through an adrenalectomy and how was the experience. Our little guy is 13.5 yo maltese cross and was diagnosed with a functional adrenal tumour / nodule which causes cushings after blood and urine tests, ACTH and ultrasound. Then we went to a specialist in North Ryde that check him up and explained details of the surgery. We scheduled the surgery for the 11th of Nov. Now after reading some experiences in other forums we've been having second thoughts if going with the procedure is the right thing to do. He has mild clinical signs: doesn't drink more water than normal but he eats a bit more than before. He urinates a bit more. Doesn't have a round belly but lost a small area of hair on his side that quickly recovered after using malaseb (at that point we didn't know he could have cushings) and now has full normal coat. There is some weakness in the muscles as I notice he takes stairs with care - one step at a time - instead of running up and down as he used to. Some days he's a bit lethargic but normally he's active and enjoys his walks. We'll be grateful if we could read experiences in Australia about this procedure (most of the ones we had read are in USA). Thank you

Obviously you need to be guided by the specialist and his/her assessment of the risks but for a Maltese 13 isn't that old so if everything else is fine with your dog I would be thinking about having the surgery IF there was a good chance it would solve the problem. Realistically he could live for another 4 or 5 years. Good luck with whatever you decide. Thank you, after meeting the specialist we decided to go ahead with the operation. It will be done in November and the surgeon was very optimistic which gave us confidence in the decision.

Has he also lost coat(ie balding/sparse coat)?? Yes just one small area on his side, but recovered the hair very quickly after shampooing with malaseb.

Thanks you everyone for the advise. He seemed better today but we'll keep him with the chicken diet and look into some of your advise like the probiotics or the slippery elm powder. As silly as it sounds I thought because of his age he would need the vaccines more than when he was younger. The vet used canvac puppy 4. Now after this episode and our talks with the vet she told us that he probably doesn't need to get vaccinated for another three years, more so if he's not going to kennels. And I'll be so happy if he can stay in good health with us for 3 more years. We normally feed him hills and rolls of meat (say VIP) and chicken necks and lamb briskets - but we are changing over to dry food and home cooked meals low in fat. By the way he's a maltese. We didn't know about cushings until after the vaccination otherwise we wouldn't have gone for the vacs. And I wouldn't have guessed he had cushings as I thought the extra kilo he gained, the panting and the peeing was part of his old age. It has been a rollercoaster since then with all the tests and the waiting for the the results. Today we are meeting a specialist to discuss the possibility of an adrenalectomy. Which probably takes me to the most painful question, what would be better for him? an operation with the chance of recovery that is full of risks or let him be and treat as far as we can the symptons? I've been reading many of the stories in this forum trying to learn from your experiences and it has helped me so much but I still can't see clearly. I hope the meeting with the specialist will give us another perspective. Thank you everyone again

Hi! I just wanted to ask if anyone has had experience with bad reactions to vaccines. 10 days ago we took our little one for his annual vaccination and heartworm protection and since then he has had diarrhoea with a clear jelly like matter that i've never saw before. We've been giving him chicken and rice and has improved but as soon as we've started to introduce dry food (hills mature) the clear jelly like matter has appeared again. Before the vaccines he was OK. I asked the vet and she said they changed the vaccines this year and he may have had a reaction. It's been over a week now and I'm starting to worry. On top of that shortly after we did some tests and he was diagnosed with adrenal based cushings disease. And now we are looking into having the operation or not as he's 13.5 yo. But before thinking about the op we want to seem a bit healthier. We would appreaciate any comments re the vaccines... Thank you