I have checked the archives but could not find anything recent.
My senior mother has an 8 year old male chocolate lab that I took in as a rescue 4 years ago.
he was dropped off at animal control for allergies, elephant looking skin.
after 4 years on raw diet which he was doing great on. Last month his skin went wild again, they did biopsy of an area and the vet is saying it is cushings.
Any new meds out there to look at? The vet has to do research before he can tell her what is good, I figured you guys might have some good avenues to look into.
Actually there are some newer treatments available for Cushing's Disease (Hyperadrenocorticism). I'm guessing that some labwork was also obtained? It is a little unusual to diagnose Cushing's by skin biopsy. Had you mom been noticing anything other than the skin changes (increase in drinking/urinating, panting, restlessness, "pot bell")? Her veterinarian will likely recommend a follow up test to confirm the diagnosis (typically a low dose dexamethasone suppression test, but sometimes an ACTH stim test), and maybe a urinalysis.
There are 2 underlying causes of Cushing's disease- Pituitary dependent(PDH) and Adrenal tumor(AT). PDH occurs when the pituitary gland overproduces a hormone that stimulates the adrenal gland to release cortisol. AT occurs when there is an actual tumor on one of the adrenal glands and the tumor causes the adrenal to secrete more cortisol.
Treatment options may depend on which type of Cushing's is suspected in your mom's dog. The newest option is called Trilostane- we've been using it for a few years but it's only recently actually approved and available here in the US.
Has he been on prednisone for the allergies? My chocolate boy developed Cushings as a reaction to pred (which he needed to treat duodenal ulcers). Main symptom was the horrible elephant skin and calcium deposits...like white rocks...erupting from his skin. Very gradual withdrawal of the pred, along with ketoconazole to treat the skin lesions, and he recovered from the Cushings nicely.
Definitely there is Iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome- usually a case where the dog has been on steroids long term for another reason (such as jdr mentioned with a chronic allergy case). It would be most appropriate to sort through all the possibilities and continue with labwork if not already done, before considering the treatment options.
about 6 months ago when he started with some skin issues again I believe they were giving him a monthly steroid shot, so yes it is possible that this is what brought it on.
in the last 6 months he has put quite a bit of weight on and yes drinking and urinating frequently.
she explains the sores as welts with sores on top of the welts.
They have had him shaved down so she could keep the skin cleaner, but I wonder if that made it worse.
they did a couple other test that led them to believe it is cushings.
The 8 hour stimulation test is the best way to determine if it is Pituitary based Cushings, or Adrenal based. Also, please contact Dr. Oliver at the University of Tennessee Veterinary School - he has some wonderful adrenal tests, and can help you with this. I had a Dalmatian dx'd with Pit-based Cushings a number of years ago; she was one of the first group who began treatment with Trilostane, after some other drugs stopped working. She lived to be 15, and died of old age, not from Cushings.
I discovered Dr. Oliver when one of my Labs appeared to have Cushings symptoms. She did not have typical Cushings, nor did she have atypical Cushings, but a condition called hyprestrinism, and it was dx'd by Dr. Oliver's test. She was treated with melatonin.
There is also a great Cushings Yahoo Group that is a wealth of info. I no longer have it saved, but I am sure you can find it.
