My co-worker’s 8yo pit bull has recently been diagnosed with Cushings. Thing is, the dog is drinking so much she is peeing all over the place and eating like there’s no tomorrow.
Vet is prescribing a med that starts with ‘v’. I can’t remember the name of it.
Has anyone else dealt with these symptoms in a dog with Cushings? Is there any end in sight for these behaviors?
Vetoryl
I dealt with Cushings for a year before my dog died from lymphoma. The vetoryl worked well until it didn’t. About 8 months in I had to double her dose. Toward the end it was still working but not as well. Throughout it all I had to manage her water intake.
The constant drinking/peeing is the most obvious symptom. My dog was also ravenous and that was hard to watch. The immune system is also depressed which is likely why she had lymphoma. She didn’t tolerate heat well so I had to be careful in summer.
I had a cushings dog 15+ yrs ago and the meds and treatment have gotten better, but I have no words of advice. In my experience the excessive drinking/peeing was the last straw for my Kip. He was not ravenous, quite the opposite, he lost so much weight the last few months.
I had him on various Chinese herbs, we did electro acupuncture, changed his diet to a raw diet focusing on specific proteins.
I used various diapers, belly bands, nothing worked and he was so embarassed that he could not hold it, or get out side quick enough.
Managing the water intake for a dog who’s body is telling them they need more water is tough.
I hate cushings.
Vetoryl (trilostane) has worked well for both of my cushingoid dogs. They both lived about 2-3 more years on it. One of them got an immune condition and the other just dropped dead while playing; likely a ruptured splenic tumor or heart issue. But it did help the symptoms a LOT with one dog, and quite a bit for the other (but she was more advanced when we got her; she was a geriatric rescue). In both cases, I felt like the drug gave them a better quality of life; they were not as starving and didn’t seem as desperate for water, either.
We monitored both with the 4-hour blood test at least once a year (more if they seemed symptomatic) and had to raise the dose for both after a year, and then once more.
I had a Shih Tzu that was diagnosed with Cushings when she was 14. She was put on Vetoryl and that seemed to manage her until I finally had to put her down when she was 15. She was the opposite though and it was hard to get her to eat. No issues with her peeing in the house unless she had a UTI.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
