Cushings Disease

My Cavalier Spot has been diagnosed with haveing cushings Disease does anyone know anything about this illness i have to take him to the vets in the morning to see what drugs he will have to go on would love to hear from anyone one who knows about this

I don't have any info to offer jean its something i have had no dealings with but if you need to talk I am always here for you xxxxxxxx

cavalier kisses to spot xxxxxx

I don't have any info to share but just wanted to say I am thinking of you and Spot.

Good luck at the vets xxxxxx

found this it looks good info x
http://www.1fleacontrol.co.uk/acatal...e-in-dogs.html

Does this help..............more to come

been diagnosed with Canine Cushings Disease ('Hyperadrenocorticism'), a variation on the human form of the disease, which causes excess cortisol production. It was first described in humans by Dr Harvey Cushing in 1932, and is called a 'syndrome' in the 15% of cases which are linked to the adrenal gland, and a 'disease' in the 85% of cases that are linked to the pituitary gland. Either way the effects amount to the same thing. A tumour on either of these glands, even a benign one i.e. non-cancerous, causes the gland to secrete excessive amounts of cortisol.

In humans, it is a relatively rare condition, but in dogs (and other animals like horses and ferrets) it is much more common. It mainly affects older animals, with the clinical average reckoned to be about ten years (over 90% of cases are older than 9 years) and affects both male and females (with slightly more females - about 55/45 percentage wise). Typical behavioural symptoms in dogs are lethargy and decreased activity, increased panting, seeking out of cooler surfaces like hallways or bathroom tiles, increased sleeping during the day and restlessness at night, and decreased interaction with owners. This is accompanied by the physical symptoms of increased or excessive eating, drinking and urination; a distended abdomen which looks rather like a pot-belly (we have never given Jack Beer, so that cannot possibly be the cause), muscle weakness, thinning hair and skin and chronic or frequent infections. The ones that owners (horrible term - we don't 'own' him anymore than my parents 'owned' me when I was dependent on them as a child) tend to notice, is the water consumption and the urination. A rigorous appetite is seen as a good thing; leaving wet puddles on the living room carpet after downing twelve gallons of water, is not.

In our case it was more the pot belly and the lethargy that caused concern. Jack is fun to his very core, and like a sixty year old man that still places whoopee cushions in strategic positions at parties, it is unlike Jack to get puffed quite so easily, and ignore more often the main chance to exert his own brand of life force. He still has the inclination to fun, but the edge had come off it, and it is happening too quickly, in a matter of a couple of months, to only put down to old age. My dad got him tested as a preventative measure to see if anything clinical was up. The test has just come back positive that he has Canine Cushing's Disease, with the likelyhood that it is the pituitary form; and we are left considering what to do.

i hope some one comes along soon with some info for you Jean x

Some of the drugs used

There are a number of drugs that can be used to treat Cushing's, and your vet is the best judge of which are most viable; but looking at the fairly extensive literature that is available on the internet there seem to be three main options:

1/ Lysodren - Otherwise known as Mitotane or op-DDD - This is the most commonly prescribed drug for treating Cushing's. It works by destroying the outer layer of the adrenal glands, thus limiting their ability to produce cortisol in response to the signals of the hyperactive pituitary gland. It is effectively a chemotherapy treatment, and as such is toxic, and should only be administered with extreme care; as it is possible to overdose the dog and possibly kill them. The vet who diagnosed Jack thought that the figure was 5% (off the top of his head); of dogs are overdosed. Figures from studies on the internet put the figure at 5% of dogs being mildly overdosed during the loading phase of therapy, and 32% being overdosed at sometime during the therapy; with overall death from over dosage being seen in less than 2% of dogs. These figures are significant, and treatment cannot be entered into lightly, or carelessly. Constant and effective monitoring has to be the byword if a course of treatment is undertaken. It does have the benefit of being probably the most effective treatment available for Cushing's (good to excellent response in 80% of the dogs treated with mitotane according to several studies); but the toxicity, possible side effects, and the fact that it's use results in the partial or complete destruction of the adrenal glands (which could then give the dog Addison's Disease) are real issues.

2/ Ketoconazole - The literature seems to indicate that it is less effective than Lysodren, also has side affects, and needs to be administered twice daily for life. It is also more expensive. It does however seem to have the advantage that because its effects are obtained as the result of enzyme blockage (rather than at last partially destroying the adrenal glands), its effects are reversible.

The last part...................sorry it was in three pages and it's about a dog called jack who has it.........

3/ Selegline - Otherwise known as l-deprenyl, levodeprenyl, deprenyl, anipril, anipryl or eldepryl - This is licensed for use in dogs for cognitive disorder. It doesn't actually affect the adrenal gland (where the cortisol is produced), but rather suppresses the pituitary gland directly. It does this by allowing more dopamine to build up which then inhibits a hormone called ACTH (which leads to the overproduction of cortisone). However, its clinical affects are hard to monitor, because responses to the main test for Cushing's Disease are unaffected. Hence the monitoring comes in on more subjective criteria such as the dog seems brighter, drinks less, urinates less etc. The studies seem inconclusive as to how effective the treatment is, and how much is due to pituitary pathology, and how much to the increase of amphetamine concentrations. The figures for effectiveness range from 20% in one study to 83% in another. One vet who used to answer detailed questions on the internet put the effectiveness at about 70-80% on one part of his site:

"Personally, I like Anipryl. Our success rate roughly matches that found in
the literature --- about 70 to 80% of the time there is enough improvement
in clinical signs that the owner is happy and we are happy. It takes a
month or two to know if it is going to work, which I think of as a big
disadvantage, because it sets the whole treatment back that long if it
doesn't work. In cases in which we really need to see a quick effect we
will continue to use mitotane, for that reason. In cases in which we can
afford to wait and see what happens, we prefer Anipryl, because we have had
some really bad reactions to Lysodren. They are not common, but they are
common enough we were relieved when another option became available for
treatment of HAC." 8th March 2000

Whilst another site here puts it at nearer the 20% mark. At least one study also suggested that it might increase life span in animals, although this is highly speculative.

There are no easy options with people, pets or anything that you love and ultimately feel responsible for; and it is that total responsibility that weighs heavily. At the moment Jack has problems going up the stairs and jumping into the car, he tires more easily, goes to the toilet more frequently and seems a little more distant then he did a year ago. I could put it down to only the onset of old age. But now I know that its not just his age. He has Cushing's and if left untreated he will only get worse.

[QUOTE=Inca;1480702]found this it looks good info x
http://www.1fleacontrol.co.uk/acatal...e-in-dogs.html[/QUOT

Thanks for that link i will have a look

[QUOTE=youngstevie;1480721]The last part...................sorry it was in three pages and it's about a dog called jack who has it.........

3/ Selegline - Otherwise known as l-deprenyl, levodeprenyl, deprenyl, anipril, anipryl or eldepryl - This is licensed for use in dogs for cognitive disorder. It doesn't actually affect the adrenal gland (where the cortisol is produced), but rather suppresses the pituitary gland directly. It does this by allowing more dopamine to build up which then inhibits a hormone called ACTH (which leads to the overproduction of cortisone). However, its clinical affects are hard to monitor, because responses to the main test for Cushing's Disease are unaffected. Hence the monitoring comes in on more subjective criteria such as the dog seems brighter, drinks less, urinates less etc. The studies seem
inconclusive as to how effective the treatment is, and how much is due to pituitary pathology, and how much to the increase of amphetamine concentrations. The figures for effectiveness range from 20% in one study to 83% in another. One vet who used to answer detailed questions on the internet put the effectiveness at about 70-80% on one part of his site:

"Personally, I like Anipryl. Our success rate roughly matches that found in
the literature --- about 70 to 80% of the time there is enough improvement
in clinical signs that the owner is happy and we are happy. It takes a
month or two to know if it is going to work, which I think of as a big
disadvantage, because it sets the whole treatment back that long if it
doesn't work. In cases in which we really need to see a quick effect we
will continue to use mitotane, for that reason. In cases in which we can
afford to wait and see what happens, we prefer Anipryl, because we have had
some really bad reactions to Lysodren. They are not common, but they are
common enough we were relieved when another option became available for
treatment of HAC." 8th March 2000

Whilst another site here puts it at nearer the 20% mark. At least one study also suggested that it might increase life span in animals, although this is highly speculative.

There are no easy options with people, pets or anything that you love and ultimately feel responsible for; and it is that total responsibility that weighs heavily. At the moment Jack has problems going up the stairs and jumping into the car, he tires more easily, goes to the toilet more frequently and seems a little more distant then he did a year ago. I could put it down to only the onset of old age. But now I know that its not just his age. He has Cushing's and if left untreated he will only get worse.[/QUO





Thank you for that awww bless poor jack spot does seem a bit like jack he does drink a lot but hes has a bad heart and they drink more then hes also lost some hair on hes back he dos,nt wee that much i dont think infact he can hold on for a long time