Cushings disease

[cjac]

Hi,

I just got the diagnosis from the vet that my lab has Cushings disease, and in her case it's due to a tumor on the adrenal gland. This entails surgery as the treatment, and it's more in the major vs. minor category of surgeries. She's only 6 1/2 years old, so that's the kicker, I guess usually its in older dogs.

Has anyone had a dog with this and done the surgery? Looking for a little more info, as right now the sick feeling is settling in my stomach.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks, Chris

[Hooked On a Feeling]

Sorry to here that, I just picked my dog up yesterday from the vet. She was diagnosed with Addison's disease, which is similar to Cushing's disease, both deal with the adrenal gland. My Choc. lab was hours from dying (only 2.5 yrs old), but the vet saved her life thankfully. I understand you're dilemma here, the vet gave me two options, try to save her or put her down, I coud'nt come to terms putting her down, so I ponied up the money to save her life. I guess you need to weight the options, my dog will take a shot once a month to help regulate her adrenal gland to keep her alive. She's doing great, and I don't regret saving her, she's a great dog. There's a great web site my vet recommended to educate myself about this disease and others like what your dealing with, (petplace.com). I wish you well with your decision.

Just a heads up for any dog owners out there, be vigilant about your dogs demeanor, if, like my lab, stops eating, seems depressed, vomits, problem urination, tremors or shakes, don't think she may be just sick, I would get them checked out ASAP.

Hooked

[cjac]

Hooked,

Hope all works out well for you and pooch. Just to clarify, my decision is a "no brainer" for me, I'm going to do whatever it takes. Made that committment the day I brought her home. I was just looking for a bit more info into the process, as it was not the news I wanted.

85% of Cushings dogs it's the pitutiary gland and can be treated via medication. Of course, my dog has to be special and require the surgery.

Can't agree more, if something seems "not right" that is probably the case. Excess water drinking was the trigger for me.

Labs..........Gotta love 'em!

[CodyDawg]

My buddy of 15.5, yes 15.5 years has Cushings disease. Excessive water drinking and weight loss were the triggers for me. My vet says she can live with it if it doesnt cause other problems. At that age, I cant justify putting a bunch of money into fixing it. But that doesnt make it any fun to deal with.

[cjac]

Well, here's the scoop. Sharing more as an FYI than anything else......as we all care about our 4 legged field/duck blind/fishing partners.

She has a tumor on her adrenal gland, which robs her of potassium (energy) and secretes too much potassium (hence the excessive water drinking). So, surgery on Friday AM to remove the growth. Hopefully all will go well.

Signs: water consumption (she would hit every toilet in the house!)

Loss of energy

Dehydration

Weight loss

If this helps one hunter/dog I'll be happy that I passed this along. I did the Spring blod screening, which doesn't necessarily call this out, although now that it's more advanced you can see it. Bottom line, listen to the pooch, he/she will tell you what's up thru their actions. I'm gald I listened and hopefully all will be good at the end of the day on Friday.

Happy Holidays to all,

Chris

[LABS4ME]

Good Luck CJAC, hope all goes well on Friday! Let us know of her progress. Give her a little tussle on her ears Friday morning from all the FM guys... we're all pulling for her.

Good Luck!

Ken

[cjac]

Ken, thanks for the words of encouragement, I appreciate it!

Surgery was a success, all went as well as possible. Tumor removed, no other signs of growths or spread. She's a little sore, with some bruising around the incision, which is about 8 inches long! I feel bad looking at her, but the up side is I can already see that she feels better, despite the recovery stages. She seems happy and knows her body is functioning properly. She showed me what a strong dog she really is!

So, after all this, I just need to keep her "low key" for a couple weeks and I'll essentially have my healthy dog back! Oh yeah, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a while, it wasn't cheap, but worth every penny.

Happy New Year to all,

Chris

[cjac]

Final Update:

2 1/2 weeks after and it's like having a new dog compared to when she was sick! She's 100% back to normal, which means I have two labs wrestling in the living room and dog toys all over! Best part, I can leave bathroom doors open and not worry about the toilet being sucked dry!

Couldn't be happier,

Chris