Cushings Disease

I have a 10 yr old female who may have Cushing's Disease. I lost a 15 yr old male last March shortly after he was diagnosed with the same disease. I'm looking for any information or experiences with this disease in Maltese. My veterinarian says it is common in the breed. Thanks for the help.

• I have a 16 year old Maltese that has had Cushings for about 7 years now. Because my vet at the time did not know very much about Cushings (infact he gave a 2 year prognosis) I took her to the Colorado University Veterinary shool. After we found the right medication dosage, we then went to an internal veterinary specialist here in Denver, CO.

  Everyone has told me that while Cushings is not curable, it is controllable. From what I know, once you find the proper medication, and have the disease managed, something else, such as old age will be the culprit in taking your pet from you.

  As I said my Amanda has had Cushings for about 7 years. She takes Lysodrene and prednisone twice a week. She is 16, and while she is a real fighter, she does have her occasional bad days, but I think that is more from the fact that she is 16, than from the Cushings. Another problem I have now is my vet is looking to see what other medication he can put her on because the prednisone, (a steriod which she has been on for 7 years) is probably starting to be as much of a problem as the Cushings.

  Take heart. Your dog can live a long time with Cushings. The key is finding a good vet that understands the disease. In the beginning, it can be expensive with all the testing, but I don't know, I think they have probably made real advances in diagnosis and things since my Amanda's Cushing was first discovered. I also think maybe more vets know more about the disease.

  I'm not a vet, just a mother to all my animals: I don't know about the 15 year old you lost last year (I am sorry), I personally think while Cushings may have been a contributing factor, old age played a bigger part. But if you vet does not give you a good prognosis and hope on a 10 year old just diagnosed, find a new vet. Check for an internal specialist or veterinary school/university near year.
  Rebecca

• I have an 11 yr. old maltese that has recently been diagnosed with cushings. The vet put her on Lysodrene for about 9 days then the vet switched her too 1/4 pill once a week. She is due her 2nd weekly dosage this Sunday. She will be going back to the vet the following week for repeat blood work. So far she seems to be doing better. I have also heard from Rebecca concerning this. Her dog Amanda has had cushing for about 7 years. Rebecca has given me quite a bit of info concerning this. I am sure Rebecca would be available to help you. She really made me feel a lot better. Good luck.....
  tully

• My dog was diagnosed with Cushings Disease last March and died this week. He was 11 years old. We were treating him with Lysodren since his diagnosis. I would take him in regularly for an ACTH test and the vet would prescribe the medication following the test results. In retrospect, I do not feel the vet was familiar enough with the disease. I wish I had found another vet who had more experience with Cushings.
  Jacque

• I have seen many posts on this board about Cushings Disease and I am worried about it. I was never aware the disease even existed. Does it come with old age? What are the symptoms? Anybody who has any basic information....please inform me of it so I can take some worry off of mine and my maltese Chuckee's minds.
  Jessica

• Cushings Disease is caused by the adrenal gland producing too many hormones. Symptoms are increased thirst and appetite, along with increased urination. There can also be a loss of energy. It is not very common. My 11 yr. old maltese has just been diagnoised with it. It is diagnoised by a blood test. Unless you notice your dog all of a sudden drink much more water than normal you should not have to worry too much about it.
  Tully

• Cushing disease is an hormonal neoplastic disease that causes excess production of steroides. It can originate from the adrenal gland or from the hypophysis in the brain. The disease can cause a variety of clinical signs, the most commons ones are excess drinking and excess urinating,swolen- kind of abdomen, hair loss and more. Sometimes the disease can be accompanied by diabetes and other complications. Any how it is a disease that must be treated and can be treated to a certain extent, the treatment depends on the site of origin. Most Cushing disease originate from the brain and are treated medically. It can be a nasty disease with influence on all body system so I advice you to check your dog and if he has the disease start treating it after consulting you Vet.