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Canine Cushings Disease...Mini Schnauzer

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Grovelea
yvette.lara95@yahoo.com
MsBritmor
Madladybug
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Post  Madladybug Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:39 am

I am interested in visiting with others who may have a Schnauzer with Cushings Disease.
I would like to find out what treatment is being done, what symptoms the dog is having, how old the dog was at diagnosis, and any other information that you may be able to supply. I am wanting to know all I can to see if we are doing alright with our dog, Spencer. He is 6-years-old now and has been on medication for about two years. We have been told that it is unusual to receive a diagnosis of Cushings when the dog is so young...they are trying to assure us that he should have a relatively normal life span...but I can't help but worry.
Any information that someone has would be much appreciated.
Thanks! Margaret D
Boone, IA

margaretanndavis@gmail.com
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Post  MsBritmor Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:25 pm

I'm sorry that no one has responded to you yet, Margaret. Apparently no one here has had any experience with this disease.

I used to groom a Cushing's dog and he was probably 12 when we moved out to the country and away from the city. Another one belongs to an acquaintance of mine, and he was diagnosed last year at the age of 10. His hair has now grown back, but he has gone blind from SARDS. Otherwise, he is doing very well. I saw him recently socializing at an agility trial, and no one would ever know he was blind as he walked confidently on leash alongside his owner.
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Post  Madladybug Sat Sep 05, 2009 4:42 am

Thanks Karen, for answering. I don't get back on the computer very often anyway now that I am babysitting with my 3-year-old grandson.
Spencer seems to be the exception in everything that I am reading about canine Cushings...and I am not sure if that is good or not. He was diagnosed at about 5-years-old, and has the type of Cushings that is caused by a pituitary tumor. Not sure if I mentioned that before or not.
He is on Trilostane, which is having to be compounded for us at about $50 a month. I would love to find out if there is anything remotely possible to try, that we could afford, anyway.
I just read in the Country Woman Magazine tonight about a place in California that is doing stem cell treatments for a variety of horse and dog related illnesses. I have sent for information, and hope to hear more about that. Though I can't imagine being able to afford anything that new, I always keep hoping for something new.
Thanks for the information that you sent, it does help to know that there are others with this going on.
Spencer has not had any problem with bare patches so far, though I have heard of this symptom. When he was first diagnosed, he was extremely sick and was in intensive care at Iowa State University Vet Hospital for 4 days. He had pancreatitis, hepatitis and a couple of kidney stones.
He is currently on a nearly fat free, restricted calorie diet and is doing okay, but I would love to have him doing better. I know that his energy level is affected by this and he pants a lot, even in cool situations.
Since his original dx he had a kidney stone pass into his urethra and lodge there, we had a non-emergency, laproscopic surgery performed about a week later...poor little guy! I don't think he was very happy with me, the Cushings dx, the stone surgery, and nutered all within 6 months time!
Well, I better shut up for now, I will check back later.
It is good to see that there are Schnauzer breeders as close as MN!
Bye for now, Margaret
Madladybug
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Post  yvette.lara95@yahoo.com Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:45 pm

I have a mini schnauzer with cushings and diabetes. She take 50 mg of Trilostane once a day and 8 units of insulin 2x a day. She also have skin problems, joint problems and cataracts. She see a specialists for all her needs. I give her supplements and vitamins daily and only feed her Halo food or I cook for her. Theres a book called THE WHOLE PET DIET by ANDI BROWN that has good advice on how to get a healthy balanced diet naturally. I try to do all I can natural and see what works and what does not.
yvette.lara95@yahoo.com
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Post  Grovelea Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:26 pm

I have a Giant who has just had the first blood test to find out if she has Cushings, she's just been given 10 days worth of Vetoryl which she starts tommorrow and then back to vet in 10 days for another test.
Grovelea
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Post  SchnauzkyLVR Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:30 pm

Seems like cushings it common in schnauzers. I've been trying to read up on it just in case mine were to ever get it.
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Post  allaboutourdogs Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:48 am

Cushing's disease is a common not only on giant schnauzers but with other breeds as well.
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Post  Mollydog Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:04 am

My mini was diagnosed with cushings nearly two years ago. She started drinking lots and weeing in the house, something she had never ever done. She was 11 years old but up to then still looked like a 5 year old. She was put on Vetoryl, and after a few months started to show muscle wasting in her back legs, and constant shaking in her hind legs and the inability to climb stairs or jump on furniture. This has been the only symptom until just recently. She went into the vets for her regular blood test and had a seizure on the table. We then found that her cortisol levels had dropped too low and reduced the vetoryl but she has now started have small fits. She has also got lots of lipomas (fat lumps) growing all over, not sure this is a side effect of something else. She will be 13 in January and I am desperately trying to keep her quality of life good. The vet has now decided to take her off vetoryl all together for two weeks to raise her cortisol levels and then put her back on a low dose to reduce it to an acceptable level, we hope this might stop the fits which are quite distressing. He has also said that the fits might be because the pituitary tumour has increased and is now pressing on something. All in all a bit of a worry. She was quite a healthy dog who I enjoyed showing when she was young, and she has been a great animal to live with so it seems unfair that Cushings has robbed her of a gradual old age. between episodes she is quite happy and playful, but she is constantly hungry (no difference there then for a schnauzer Smile) I only know of one other schnauzer with cushings, and I groom and non of the ones I see have it (although they are all quite young). Its a good job I carried on my rather expensive kennel club pet insurance as it has come into its own these last two years although I pay more for the dog than I do for the car!

I was surprised to read the first post from some years ago about a 5 year old with cushings as I thought it was an illness that mainly manifested itself in older dogs. Has anyone else experienced seizures with their cushinoid dog. If so how did you control them. It has been difficult to watch her deteriorate, and the shaking and muscle wasting and the inability to get up and down steps is heartbreaking at times so we are acutely aware that we may not have our little friend with us for too much longer, but would really appreciate it if anyone has any advice about dealing with Cushings and its side effects.

Mollydog


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Post  MsBritmor Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:23 am

Many of the ills you mention, such as wasting muscles and lipomas, are due to your dog's age. The seizures, however, are something else again, and they can be caused by an underactive thyroid. Since your gal has a thyroid tumor, I am thinking there may be a relationship there.
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Post  Mollydog Sun Dec 11, 2011 9:22 pm

Hi, well things got pretty hairy here (not the furry type either!) Molly was having two episodes every couple of days, and on the Tuesday morning when I got up she was struggling to breath. We rushed her into the vets and she was diagnosed with heart failure. She spent 24 hours in an oxygen kennel and was put on heart pills and water tablets and she improved noend. She had a heart scan which showed that she has mitral valve disease (she has had a heart murmer for years) and I think this has got worse since the large seizure she had at the vets office when they were taking her bloods etc. The scan also showed two normal sized adrenal glands which is a bit of a surprise as she is cushinoid.

So at present she is now home, with heart medication but no cushings medication (one thing at a time!) and has not had a seizure since going into hospital. I on the other hand am a nervous wreck. Keep her quiet, let her potter around the garden they said..... have you seen a schnauzer move when it sees a cat on its own turf! I need to blindfold her. The only problem we have, is the wee, but as long as she is given regular opportunities to go we should be alright... and she is on water pills poor girl.

This has confused the cushings issue, I asked if it goes into remission and they said they didnt see it often but she might have slowed down in the production of cortisol for some reason and not need her medication until symptoms return. Has anyone else seen a dog recover from cushings. She is still rather shaky, but as I cannot exercise her properly her legs dont have the opportunity to get stronger.

Mollydog


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Post  Mollydog Sun Dec 11, 2011 9:24 pm

Oh yes and it would seem her seizures were not real seizures, they were syncopies. This means a type of fainting fit linked to her heart condition.

Mollydog


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Post  Grovelea Tue Dec 20, 2011 11:31 am

My girl, died in March 2010, her cushings masked the factthat she had bladder cancer too Sad
I was devasted.
Grovelea
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Post  Mollydog Fri Dec 30, 2011 4:46 pm

Hi sorry to hear your news, Cushings is not the nicest of illnesses and tends to take the blame for a lot of other symptoms once they have been diagnosed. My molly has a large bladder stone as well, something that was found when her heart and other bits were scanned recently. Due to her recently recovering from heart failure, it will not be possible to operate to get rid of this, we are just having to monitor it and deal with it when it becomes a problem for her. With all the separate things going on its difficult to predict which is going to cause the most problems next! I have a younger one as well and she is getting very bored as her friend is not very active anymore. Did your dog's hind legs get very weak, sometimes when she shakes she knocks herself off her feet and she cannot always get up the step from the garden. I think you would probably remember my molly from the show ring, she is a Hyrim dog out of Skansens Vasco de Garma at Jafrak. She is the blackest of schnauzers still even though she is nearly 13, and a right character who is still most definately the boss!

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Post  Grovelea Tue Aug 14, 2012 3:55 pm

Sorry, I have't been on here for such a long time, yes, I Think I do remember your girl was she Moll Flanders?
My girl didn't get the muscle wastage, but we did have a time when she only had coat on her head and neck,
the rest fell out. she was such a good girl, I still miss her Sad
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Post  Mollydog Sun Jan 06, 2013 8:45 pm

Hi all, sorry not been on here for a long while... things have been a bit busy. On the up side we still have our Molly, who has survived another year in heart failure much to the surprise of the vet who calls her a little miracle. Answering your question about her name yes, she is Hyrim Moll Flanders. She takes a lot of tablets now, two heart pills, a blood pressure pill, and water pills daily but is still maintaining her weight and her coat, although its gone a bit thin over her shoulders. The rest of her is still ok. I am very puzzled about the Cushings, and am worried that I treated her for something that she didnt have, but I think if that had been the case the Vetoryl would have caused her to go into an Addison crisis much sooner. She is quite stable at the moment but our dog sitter is not too happy at looking after her if we go abroad, which I understand. Before she was sick we had booked a trip to visit our daughter in Japan and it was quite stressful for her while we were away. She needs carrying down the garden, but makes her way back to the back door on her own. She cant get up the steps and looks a bit like a wooden puppet when walking. Now she has a leaky mammary, which the vets say has come back clear of anything nasty, but I have to express it and it is a bit bloody sometimes. It doesnt seem to worry her and there is nothing we can do as to give her more medication would upset her heart tablets and blood pressure and she can't survive surgery and we think it is more important that that is all stable. Obviously if she is in pain then I will have to rethink. The vet now thinks that her hind leg weakness is due to a disc problem in her back....... all I know is that she was fine until she started taking the vetoryl and I have made the decision that should the cushings symptoms return I will not put her back onto it. I think at 14 and will all her problems she has done very well and will just make her as comfortable as I can for as long as I can. Vets can be very frustrating, but at last I seem to have found one who is willing to allow me to decide some things and gives me the benefit that I will know if things change, they are like our children after all.

Cushings is not a pleasant illness, but it seems the side effects of the vetoryl are a trade off as well.

Hope all is well

Mollydog


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Post  Grovelea Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:42 am

Bless poor Molly, she's been through a lot hasn't she? big Hugs to her
we are fine thanks, I have a new import from a kennel in germany also imported a giant from France a couple of years ago
so keeping me busy x
Grovelea
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Post  chimmelfarb Wed May 01, 2013 8:31 am

My sweet Ziggy, a black miniature schnauzer who just turned 12, was diagnosed with Cushing's Disease about 6 months ago. He takes 10 mg of Vetoryl twice a day. He had cataracts and the Vetoryl has caused weakness in his hind legs and deafness. It is so sad that along with his blindness he can no longer hear. Does anyone know of an alternative to Vetoryl? If I stop the treatment he urinates excessively in the house and defecates inappropriately as well. He is a very sweet and affectionate dog and this is just so frustrating that we cannot improve the quality of his last years.

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