Golden Retriever Dog Forums banner

cushing's disease

5K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Janik23 
#1 ·
Hi Goldie Lovers, I'm new here and have two Goldies. I'm in a panic. Sophia (4 y/o) may have Cushing's. I've researched for weeks and she seems to have all the symptoms. It started when she was spayed at a year & a half. She has blown up to 135 lbs. even though I've had her on strict diet...1000 cal. per day plus 1 - 2 cups of green beans or other low cal. veggie. She has episodes of HEAVY panting, usually while sleeping, excessive thirst, frequent urination (lately having accidents in the house if left too long). I have taken her to four different Vets and each one just says I'm feeding her too much. I am not. I'm a RN and used to teach nutrition, so I know how to count cal. Her hair is "weird"...long puppy hair around her neck (like a lion's main) but cotton like. She has a stripe down her back with normal hair. Pendulous abdomen and fat pads around her neck. I had the last Vet do a complete bloodwork-up and everything was within normal limits, except her thyroid was a bit low. I'm taking her to a new vet on Monday and I'm scared to death. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Hypothyroidism can cause all of the symptoms you have described. I have had several dogs who have been diagnosed with it over the years. Most recently my 11 year old girl, Gracie. After having had a dog who has had hypothryroidism in my home nearly every year of the last 30 years I recognized the symptoms in Gracie, called my vet and asked for bloodwork to be done. Two days later Gracie was put on medication. Her levels were not dramatically out of line but her symptoms were quiet obvious. She had gained a tremendous amount of weight in spite of not being over fed. Her coat was dull and felt, well, greasy is the best way to describe it. She was panting constantly and was lethargic. Within 3 weeks of being put on medication Gracie's coat improved, she began to lose weight, started playing with our golden puppy again. My point is that a thyroid test which shows the levels to be just slightly low can cause the symptoms you are seeing. I would encourage you to discuss this with your vet and inquire as to whether or not putting your dog on a low dose of thyroid medication would be worth trying. For a bit more info I have enclosed the following link for you: Hypothyroidism in Dogs
 
#3 ·
She may very well have Cushing's based on her symptoms. Has anyone done an ACTH stimulation test on her to see? Hypothyroidism can also cause many of the symptoms you are describing. If she has either of those, appropriate treatment should bring her weight down.

However, if she does not have an underlying cause, given her weight, I would say that you are, indeed, feeding her too much. Assuming an ideal weight of 60lbs (I don't know if she is petite and this is too much, but let's use 60 for the sake of the example), her resting energy requirement would be about 835 cal/day. This is using weight in kg to the 3/4 power, times 70 (see this website for detailed info Basic Calorie Calculator | Veterinary Medical Center). There are various factors by which to multiply this RER based on the patient's situation (puppy, adult, neutered or not, active, sedentary, etc.) but for weight loss, there is no factor -- you feed the RER until they reach a good weight and then can increase it by the appropriate factor to maintain. This is all a starting point, of course, and must be adjusted for the individual animal. It is also worth noting that if you have been feeding her 1000 calories a day since her spay, that was a reasonable amount and if she gained to her current weight on that amount, there certainly may be something hormonal at play.

One final note -- although green beans are low cal, they are not no cal, and should be added to your calorie calculations.

Best of luck on Monday. Try not to worry (pointless advice, I know, because of course you will) and please let us know what happens. BTW, have any of the vets you have taken her to been board certified internal medicine specialists? That would be my number one suggestion!
 
#4 ·
Our first golden was 4 when suddenly he "blew up", started sleeping all the time, didn't want to play with his full brother (later litter), his fur got thin and coarse, and also he developed a sudden dislike for the two little boys next door. Now to be honest, they were unruly, run-of-the-house boys and I suspected they were getting on the picnic table next to the fence and throwing stuff over at Scooter and Buck who liked to sleep on tht side of the house under a certain tree. I took him to the vet due to his sudden weight gain, etc and it was low thyroid and he was put on meds and also diet dog food. This was like in Aug. and by the time duck season opened the end of Oct, he had lost that weight, coat was nice and he was full of energy and ready to hunt. Oh, he also started liking the boys next door gain.

Several years when his full brother, later litter was close to 11, he needed to a tooth pulled and a small tumor removed from mouth, teeth cleaned. Had a full blood workup done and he was low thyroid. Took my vet by surprise and he ran test again, same result. Buck had not ONE SINGLE SYPTOM. He was put on the thyroid meds and next checkup, his thyroid level showed normal and he stayed on the meds til his death at 12 yrs. 3 months. Scooter showed all the classic symptoms and buck showed none--yet Bucks thyroid was lower than Scooters had ever been. He started out on 1 1/2 times the dosage that Scooter had been on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cher Gauvin
#5 ·
Cushing's

Hello All, I'm reporting back about Sophia's Vet visit today. First, let me say that I am so happy to have found this knowledgeable and friendly group...thank you for your replies and advice.


It was an all day stay for a ACTH stim test. I was really impressed with the new Vet. Her caring shows. She did a CBC T3 Free T4. Everything was WNL. My biggest worry that if it was Cushing's, the tumors would be cancerous. She reassured me that even if it is cushing's OR Addison's, her other values would be off if it was CA. She agrees with me that something is off with her hormones. She also want her diet to be half dog kibble and half veggies. Sophia (and my other two) love fresh and cooked veggies, so that's no problem.


So, I'll be on edge for the next couple days until the test results come back but I'm not in a panic. I'll report back when I find out.


I've been reading a lot of the posts...a wealth of information here! Is there information on how to post photos on this site? I'm old and a techno-peasant (says grandson) and can't figure out how to do it.


Thanks, Cher
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top