# Cushing's Disease and Addison's Disease



## fleurtess (Feb 3, 2010)

If your dog has been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease or Addison's Disease please please do not go looking for alternative treatments for these diseases. The alternative treatments do not work with these diseases and your dog will die.

Cushing's Disease is not a syndrome it is a Cancer and as such needs to be treated with respect. The one and only treatment for Cushings is Veteryl, it is a form of Chemo. With Cushing's Disease the dog has too much stroid in its blood stream, and yes, without the proper treatment your dog will die a horrible slow death from Cushing's Disease. The symptoms are clear, the dog will steal food even though it has just been fed, will drink vast quantities of water emptying water bowl after water bowl. The stomach muscles will sag and the dog will pant a great deal.

Addison's Disease is at the opposite end of the scale. The dog's Adrenaline glands do not work and do not give the dog the steriods it needs to survive. So the treatment for this horrible disease is steroids. Florinef and sometimes a tiny dose of Prednesilone is also required to stablise the disease. This disease kills quickly. The symptoms are often not clear, but eventually the dog will vomit and collapse then death will come a couple of hours later if the dog is not put onto a drip and steroids given.

I know both these diseases as I have two dogs one with Cushings and one with Addisons, both stable and doing well.


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## Dr.Marie (Jun 21, 2009)

Good post. It really bugs me how people try to capitalize on pet owner's desperation by offering "natural cures" to diseases like this.

Just wanted to point out a few things. There are a few dogs with Cushing's that do well with a medication called Anipryl which is less expensive than Vetoryl and doesn't require as much monitoring. However, it only works in <10% of dogs.

Next, in some areas Vetoryl (Trilostane) is not available and so we use a medication called lysodren. 

And, for dogs with Addison's while I have several on florinef, there is also an injection that the dogs can get about once a month that works well. However, it tends to be a lot more expensive and the dogs usually still need to be given prednisone along with it.


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## canuckjill (Jun 25, 2008)

Thank you for this. I lost a dog to Cushings we treated with lysodren as we are not in the UK. We always kept prednisone on hand as sometimes lysodren can make the Cushings in to Addisons. Its a balancing act, but wonderful that vets are trying to help us keep our dogs alive with a quality of life....Jill


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## smskar (Apr 7, 2009)

Hi folks

I was talking to a friend whose 11 JRT was diagnosed with Cushings just as he cancelled the insurance! I believe it took the vet a while to diagnose the disease and in the mean time he experimented with prescription foods. I've seen the dog, it looks very happy BUT she is pot belliled. She is very greedy apparently and there are times that she stares at the fridge. Once they woke up at night because of the noise in the kitchen. It was Skye eating from the rubbish bin...

I don't know what medication the vet prescribed but I believe they tried 2 different types and the owner hasn't noticed any difference. Does the medication take a while to kick in. He has stopped giving the medication and there is still no change in Skye's condition. He is happy to pay as long as there is some sort of improvement... 

I will print out your posts and show them to him - I am not familiar with the disease like I said I don't know what medications his dog has been prescribed so far.

Thanks,

Maria


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## Road_Hog (Dec 8, 2008)

The OP is spot on for Cushing's, medication is expensive and seems to work well to begin with but then becomes less effective. The best thing to note/do is that your dog has not become bad, just sick and you need to give him/her all the love and attention/understanding that you can, for the time that they have left.


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## Aly12 (Oct 19, 2008)

My little westie was diagnosed with Addisons when she was only 9 months old. She is on florinef and prednisolone every day. She is now 3 years and 5 months old. She had a crisis just before Christmas and had to go into the emergency vet overnight to have steroids. The only way we knew it was a crisis was by a blood test. She had been sick that night but by the time we got to the vet she was a bit brighter so we thought it was just a virus. The vet offered to do a blood test which we agreed to and that it when it showed her potassium to be 6.9 ( the high side of average is 5.8). When she was diagnosed her potassium was 11.2. Hopefully she will continue to be well.


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## fleurtess (Feb 3, 2010)

Road_Hog said:


> The OP is spot on for Cushing's, medication is expensive and seems to work well to begin with but then becomes less effective. The best thing to note/do is that your dog has not become bad, just sick and you need to give him/her all the love and attention/understanding that you can, for the time that they have left.


I agree that your dog has not become bad but sick. But please do medicate with one of the Chemo medications. A Cushings dog on medication can live to old age with comfort. Without medication things are totally different. Firstly the airways become blocked with a build up of calcium. Then your dog develops an unusual gait and struggles to walk. Blood tests must be done every 6 months unless significant changes have taken place then a blood test must be done to see where the steroid levels are. Food is also very important. I studied this field for a Cushings dog and found that raw tripe or tripe and beef were the best food to give as no other chemicals were entering the body. The feeding guide should be:

Small dog 200grms a day
Medium dog 300grms a day
large dog 400 grms a day and giant size dog 500grms a day

It is imperative to keep the weight under control with a Cushings dog. My girl is now 7 years old and doing well. She has lost her pot belly but her stomach muscles have been destroyed by the disease and her tummy sags beneath her. However she still runs around the garden and still loves a walk.


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## perki888 (May 17, 2009)

My 6 year old schnauzer has just been diagnosed with cushings syndrome.

How long after drug intervention should I see an improvement. She is still panting heavily, drinking loads, stealing and peeing in the house.

She dose not want to go outside and does not want to play ... will thsi get better as I feel her quality of life at moment is very poor!

She has become aggressive towards the other dog in the house and if any of the children go near her she growls... this is a worry for me. 

thanks x


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## Emmastace (Feb 11, 2011)

Thank you for this thread.....I was not aware of either of these conditions but I now know what to look out for.
Thinking of those of you that have pets with one of these conditions already and of course wishing your pets well x


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## Road_Hog (Dec 8, 2008)

perki888 said:


> My 6 year old schnauzer has just been diagnosed with cushings syndrome.
> 
> How long after drug intervention should I see an improvement. She is still panting heavily, drinking loads, stealing and peeing in the house.
> 
> ...


For my dog, it was noticeable within a few days, the water drinking had dropped greatly (which obviously helps with the peeing problem). I suppose it depends on the condition of the dog and which medication they've been given. My dog was about 11 at the time and medication was almost £100 in 2007 for a medium sized dog.

The panting will probably be the dog trying to aleviate the pain from the pressure on her chest from the full stomach. As for being aggressive if approached, it's quite natuaral. She is very ill, inconstant pain, constantly hungry and constanty thirsty. Imagine if you drank a gallon of water in a minute or so, to the extent that it was very uncomfortable but you were still thirsty.

How long has your dog been on the medication and what is it?


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## perki888 (May 17, 2009)

Hi 

She has been on Vetoryl for about 14 days now. Think I might be seeing a reduction in her panting.

We were back at vet yesterday and he says that it could be the drugs that are making her grumpy and bad tempered... he hopes this will get better.  On a positive note he is happy with her progress - suppose I just want my wee bubbly dog back and it saddens me to see her this way. She used to be such a character!


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## Tilly O (Oct 10, 2010)

My Old English Sheepdog (11) was diagnosed with Cushings just over a month ago. She had been panting for quite a while and I had mentioned it to the vet, who put her on Zylene relaxant for anxiety. It didn't make much difference and it wasn't until she started drinking bowls of water and having accidents that we contacted our new vet and he conducted some tests. 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and when I read through the list of symptoms I can see that the thinning coat, hunger and food focus, as well as the slowing down, etc were all signs that could have been picked up on. But without the prompting of an expert it can be difficult to realise that one's dog is very ill. Her slowing down in walking, and reluctance to jump into the back of the car seemed attributable to her arthritis, while her hunger for food has always been part of her character and I wondered if it had become worse because she never felt satiated due to her diet for inflamatory bowel disease. Nevertheless I feel both guilty and disappointed that I hadn't realised that something was seriously wrong with her and I wonder if the symptoms had been identified earlier how much difference this would have made.


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## greyloz (Jan 17, 2011)

My miniature poodle was diagnosed with Cushings last summer (Aug 2010). We noticed he was drinking alot and pantine every evening about same time then would settle down and no more till next evening, when we were on hols in north wales and weather was cold and wet, so when we came back went to vets done all usual tests and liver scan then acth blood test which I looked up on web and found out about cushings which vet confirmed later that day. He has been on 60mg Vetoryl since and drinking went back to normal within 2 weeks and eating (which we did not know at time he was eating our greyhounds left over dinners as well) calmed down within the month. His character has gradually come back but he is still losing some hair but not bald and has pot belly and have noticed that his muscles are weak especially in his legs that if he rushes up stairs he stumbles and often stumbles to get in car now, but he is happy. I get perscription from vets and get his tablets off internet.


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## haye23 (Apr 10, 2012)

fleurtess said:


> If your dog has been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease or Addison's Disease please please do not go looking for alternative treatments for these diseases. The alternative treatments do not work with these diseases and your dog will die.
> 
> Cushing's Disease is not a syndrome it is a Cancer and as such needs to be treated with respect. The one and only treatment for Cushings is Veteryl, it is a form of Chemo. With Cushing's Disease the dog has too much stroid in its blood stream, and yes, without the proper treatment your dog will die a horrible slow death from Cushing's Disease. The symptoms are clear, the dog will steal food even though it has just been fed, will drink vast quantities of water emptying water bowl after water bowl. The stomach muscles will sag and the dog will pant a great deal.
> 
> ...


hi i have an english bull terrier with addisons disease,around a year ago we noticed something was wrong she had no interest in anything wasnt eating,and her skin looked very red,the vets put her on a drip and gave her 0.4mg of florenef a day and 2.5 of prednesilone.shes been fine with that,but yesterday she was sick 3times and was just laying down,then she went to get up and her head looked as if it was tilted and she couldnt stand up,i thought shed had a stroke,i took her straight to the vets and he gave her a steroid injection,and she perked up,hes changed her medication to 0.5mg florinef a day now,and 5mg of predenisole and said to take her for a blood test in 2 weeks one the higher dose of medication is in her system.


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## Sanddancer (Apr 15, 2012)

Hi, my cocker spaniel has just been diagnosed with Addison's - I'd not heard of it before and can't find any links between cockers and Addisons so it was a massive shock to us all, especially as 70% affected are usually female, the rest mainly castrated males (Odie is male and entire).

He started his meds on Thursday 12th April - Florinef 0.1mg and Prednicare 5mg but is constantly weeing (every 5-10 mins or so). Am hoping there are member on here who I can speak to for reassurance/support.


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Our little Britches has the opposite, she was diagnosed with Cushings disease mid March and is still being tested to find right dosage of Vetoryl. The main symptom with her was her bloatedness, her pot belly is huge and she's tight as a drum. Her appetite has increased and she breathes much faster than she used to and also has a heart murmur.

I think its very early days yet for both of our dogs and we have to wait til the vet finds the right dosage of medication before we start to see improvements. Both of these diseases are very complicated and take time to show improvement but hopefully we'll get there in a short while and begin to see a change.

Good luck with your lad and remember, patience is a virtue - that's what I keep telling myself!


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## Sanddancer (Apr 15, 2012)

Hi, thanks for reassurance. I'm sure you're right. It's just tricky to manage it when I've got 2 young daughters and school runs etc which requires me to leave him for an hour at a time We are also selling our house and we've got all new cream carpets so the weeing is especially difficult to handle.

Will see what the vet says tomorrow


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Good luck for tomorrow 

I have just been offered a new job which is shift work at the hospital. My three daughters also work hospital shifts and I was very excited about my new job but am worried if Britches is ever alone. With us all working shift work there should always be someone at home but I expected her to be more stable by now. If she doesn't stabalise soon I may cancel this job, I have training days for CPR, manual handling etc. which means I won't start til next month but that's not far away now is it? Just don't know what to do and would never forgive myself if anything happened to her while we weren't here! 

ETA - let's know how you get on if you don't mind.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Malmum said:


> Good luck for tomorrow
> 
> I have just been offered a new job which is shift work at the hospital. My three daughters also work hospital shifts and I was very excited about my new job but am worried if Britches is ever alone. With us all working shift work there should always be someone at home but I expected her to be more stable by now. If she doesn't stabalise soon I may cancel this job, I have training days for CPR, manual handling etc. which means I won't start til next month but that's not far away now is it? Just don't know what to do and would never forgive myself if anything happened to her while we weren't here!
> 
> ETA - let's know how you get on if you don't mind.


Hows Britches in herself? Is her appetite good, eating well but not excessively as before and always hungry? Is she also jumping about OK and agile. Ive found with Daisy she loses her appetite a bit and leaves food (Daisy never leaves food even Pre Cushings) Ive also noticed she stubles where normally shes sure footed and agile even for her age, Its happened twice and if it goes on for a 2nd day Ive stopped the Meds for 4/5 days 
when I see the drinking going up again and the urination and she Leaks, I know the levels have come up and then I put her back on the meds. Ive discussed it with the vet because I asked if I can bring the dose down slightly
and have a test in 4 weeks when the nest is due anyway, but he says keep on the same dose if she gets the symptoms again sooner bring her in for a test sooner. Im pretty sure when ever she has the test theres going to be too much supression.


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Britches goes back for a stimulation test again on Thursday and has been on the 10mg dose for the past two weeks. She is still extremely pot bellied but her appetite is good, she will try to finish the others food if they leave it but she doesn't scrounge for our food at all, not like the Mals, lol!
She never has been a heavy drinker or pee-er and her tight body and panting was the main reason we took her for tests in the first place. She doesn't pant as much and is quite happy in herself. She won't try to jump on the furniture and also waits for us to lift her down rather than jump. She does have the occasional stumble up the door step but all in all she seems pretty okay. I don't leave her at the vets now, I take her for her first test then take her back an hour later, she's much less stressed that way and as Emma has been at work on all three occasions so far I always get the job, which I think is good for Britches cos she is so close to Emma that she seems to be more stressed with her around.

I really thought that her tight body would have loosened a bit, if you know what I mean as she looks so uncomfortable. I am just worried about what happens if for some reason she doesn't respond to treatment, think I will have a word with the vet on Thurs - because like I said I am no way going to be at work if she needs me here, not after all the time I have been hardly working. I said to Emma if she shows any sign of not being well that's my job up the shoot cos she comes first. Just thought she would be a bit better by now but as I said I have to be patient don't I?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Malmum said:


> Britches goes back for a stimulation test again on Thursday and has been on the 10mg dose for the past two weeks. She is still extremely pot bellied but her appetite is good, she will try to finish the others food if they leave it but she doesn't scrounge for our food at all, not like the Mals, lol!
> She never has been a heavy drinker or pee-er and her tight body and panting was the main reason we took her for tests in the first place. She doesn't pant as much and is quite happy in herself. She won't try to jump on the furniture and also waits for us to lift her down rather than jump. She does have the occasional stumble up the door step but all in all she seems pretty okay. I don't leave her at the vets now, I take her for her first test then take her back an hour later, she's much less stressed that way and as Emma has been at work on all three occasions so far I always get the job, which I think is good for Britches cos she is so close to Emma that she seems to be more stressed with her around.
> 
> I really thought that her tight body would have loosened a bit, if you know what I mean as she looks so uncomfortable. I am just worried about what happens if for some reason she doesn't respond to treatment, think I will have a word with the vet on Thurs - because like I said I am no way going to be at work if she needs me here, not after all the time I have been hardly working. I said to Emma if she shows any sign of not being well that's my job up the shoot cos she comes first. Just thought she would be a bit better by now but as I said I have to be patient don't I?


It does take time Daisys took a bit of fiddling with and as I said Im not convienced the 30 are too high for her and supressing it too much I wanted to try a lower dose but I got vetoed what do I know. Im willing to eat my hat if she doesnt need lower in a few weeks when she has the test.


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## Sanddancer (Apr 15, 2012)

Hi there. Just a little update. I don't think my vet was too pleased when I went armed with lots of info about AD! She couldn't explain why Odie was still shaking and suggested it was because his system was still adjusting to his meds. 

I said I couldn't have him weeing every 5-10 mins and could we lower his Florinef dose. She reluctantly agreed and he's now on 2 tabs daily not 4. Will monitor him until his next blood test check in 2 weeks.


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## gaismith (Jun 4, 2014)

fleurtess said:


> Cushing's Disease is not a syndrome it is a Cancer
> 
> 
> > Apologies but this incorrect. Cushings IS a syndrome. Not all causes of Cushings are due to cancer. Some are a problem in the endocrine system and actually a very small number of instances are due to neoplasia
> ...


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

gaismith said:


> There are two types of Cushing's disease that are treated differently. The most common form of Cushing's disease is caused by the overproduction of a hormone by the pituitary gland in the brain that in turn controls the amount of cortisol produced by the adrenal glands. This is called pituitary-dependent Cushing's.


Which is caused by neoplasia, no? Usually microscopic, sometimes macroscopic. I agree 'cancer' is an inaccurate and unecessarily harsh word in this case but I understand where the poster got the idea from.


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## gaismith (Jun 4, 2014)

yeh

I agree and I was prob a little critical. My apologies. neoplasia is prob a good description in small animals and the poster is actually correct it's caused by tumours in either gland. 

My horse brain kicked in when I read it

My experience of Cushings is horses which is a whole different ballgame to cats and dogs

In horses it is PPID and is is actually a disorder. In horses it's caused by enlargement of the pars intermedia which is part of the pituatary gland. That causes the over-production ACTH

Once again, sincere apologies


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

gaismith said:


> yeh
> 
> I agree and I was prob a little critical. My apologies. neoplasia is prob a good description in small animals and the poster is actually correct it's caused by tumours in either gland.
> 
> ...


Yeah, quite different conditions.


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