Poorly Jack-Liver Disease

Tulip

*hugs* to you and to Jack,Poor little man,at least hes in the right place to make him get better again.

pulliptears

Thanks guys, on the plus side his skin has cleared wonderfully with the shampoo, just hope we can get to the bottom of this now and make him waggier again.

pulliptears

After observing him over the last 24 hours we were a bit concerned about the amount he is drinking vs the amount he is weeing, so back to the vet this morning. His bloods were back and his liver enzymes which should be in the low 100's were in the high 2000's. This is now pointing towards a diagnosis of Cushings Disease.

Jack is now booked in for monday morning for a series of tests and hopefully we will be on the right side of a firm diagnosis by midweek next week.

pulliptears

Just out of interest, does anyone have any experience in this disease? Having spent an afternoon reading up on it I have to say its been a bit of a lightbulb moment in terms of identifying different problems.

His skull has gone bony, and his legs seem skinnier although he's as pot bellied as he ever was, his skin is poor with the small spots, he is now drinking excessively, he is lying in the hall on the wooden floor where it's cooler, he won't jump up on the sofa and seems to struggle up the stairs etc.

The vet today was a different one and he seemed to immediately link all the symptoms with the blood results, our original vet was treating them all as separate. Todays Vet reaction was "Ahh Scottie, cushings disease fits perfectly".

I'm quite relieved by this in a way, I was starting to think Bladder Cancer or such like so this was the better option, but I'm also quite fearful as to what this will mean for Jack. It would seem a good portion of cushings dogs live healthy lives on drugs for a couple of years, but having never met anyone who's dog has this I'd be interested to here an owners side, as well as ideas on costs etc.

robocop

My Irish Setter has had it for a few years now (she's 11 1/2). She's in fantastic shape for her age. The regular tests she needs done to ensure the meds are controlling the condition are a pain and the tablets are expensive (get a prescription and buy it online) but other than that you would never know she has anything wrong with her. Hope this helps.

pulliptears

robocop wrote: »

My Irish Setter has had it for a few years now (she's 11 1/2). She's in fantastic shape for her age. The regular tests she needs done to ensure the meds are controlling the condition are a pain and the tablets are expensive (get a prescription and buy it online) but other than that you would never know she has anything wrong with her. Hope this helps.

Can I be cheeky and ask how much her meds cost?

It's good to hear that they can be happy and healthy so yes, that helps enormously thank you!

pulliptears

Jack has been admitted for ACTH Tests this morning, hopefully we should have some results by the end of the week now.

jumpedtheshark

One of my dogs has Addison's disease (which Cushing's can transition to over time due to the effect of the medication), and has been living with it for 3 years so far. My biggest difficulty has been dealing with vets that have a 'good enough' approach to medication and blood tests, and that BS you that they're expert when they're really not, rather than striving to get the absolute best balance of meds, etc. for my dog. As this will be a long-term condition, I would advise you to look around for a vet that has been treating a number of Cushing's dogs for a number of years (ie. that hasn't just treated a number in the past, but currently has a few on their books, and has been seeing those same dogs for several years), and that seems happy to collaborate with you on what's best for your dog.

There's an excellent Yahoo discussion group for AD dogs. This is one my group tend to recommend for Cushing's: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CanineCushings-AutoimmuneCare/ BUT, unlike the AD discussion group, the Cushing's one ISN'T moderated.

robocop

I get Molly's Vetoryl from Vetmedsplus (£32 for a months supply of 30mg plus postage) and have had no problems with them. But just did a quick search and there are other sites where it is cheaper. Masters Direct has it for £23 plus free delivery over £28 which is very cheap. Have no idea how reputable this site is though. Her meds have been reduced from 120mg to 60 and then to 30mg so I don't get too many boxes as her next ACHT Stim test result may change it again. (She went into Addisons temporarily last year and had to come off the vetoryl totally for a couple of months but is now back on 30mg. Just shows the importance of the regular tests.)

pulliptears

robocop wrote: »

I get Molly's Vetoryl from Vetmedsplus (£32 for a months supply of 30mg plus postage) and have had no problems with them. But just did a quick search and there are other sites where it is cheaper. Masters Direct has it for £23 plus free delivery over £28 which is very cheap. Have no idea how reputable this site is though. Her meds have been reduced from 120mg to 60 and then to 30mg so I don't get too many boxes as her next ACHT Stim test result may change it again. (She went into Addisons temporarily last year and had to come off the vetoryl totally for a couple of months but is now back on 30mg. Just shows the importance of the regular tests.)

Thats brilliant, thank you for that!

He's home now from the ACHT Stim test, feeling a bit sorry for himself with a rather girly looking bandage and we now have to wait until Friday for the results.