Cushings or bad skin?
by Linda
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Hope someone can help....my vet thinks it is possible that my 6 year old "Baby" has Cushings Disease as she has such bad hair and skin. (her skin shows through her hair everywhere except her head and legs and her skin is a little wrinkly and seems to have whiteheads!?!) The vet ran the test and Baby came back in the normal range but vet is saying she may still have Cushings anyway????? I have read archives and she doesnt have any of the other traditional symptoms ie pot belly, excessive thirst/urination. I am hoping I can get some recommendations here for the very best skin/hair treatment (she has absolutely no fleas). I cant bear the thought of further testing/treatment as she just had knee surgery a few months ago and I want to pamper her a bit longer before taking her back to the vet-it breaks my heart to feel her tremble as we walk in that door. We sure would appreciate any information you may have either on the skin/hair problem or any experience with Cushings. Thank you!
DISCUSSION:
Hi Linda. So sorry to hear about your baby's problems. I went through the same thing. My first Malt ended up with a rat tail! He lost all hair on his tail, and his coat became very thin as well. He did eventually develop Cushing's. (He also regrew his hair, with the proper medications). But I am wondering, since your pup's test came back in the normal range for now, has your vet considered testing for thyroid disease or skin allergies? Low thyroid function can cause great damage to hair and skin (I know, I have it!) Just a thought . . . keep us posted, and I hope everything works out for you. 6 is pretty young for Cushing's, I would think.
Cindy & Kashi
Linda, I sure do know how frustrating it can be when your are looking for a solution to a skin problem. It makes you feel helpless when no one can seem to help or what they tell you just doesn't make sense. Please see my posting on, "Breeders please help". I have been to three vets for the problems with my little girl. What I have learned is that the skin in dogs is the place where allergies are going to exhibit their symptoms. Food, airborne, environmental irritants etc. One thing that has helped our situation so far are dermcaps. They are omega 6 & 3 fatty acids, I have to prick the capsule and squeeze out half and daily put it on her food, I think they are fairly innocuous, and the vet said this natural treatment has helped in many different situations where they would have had to prescribe drugs. They also changed her diet to a single protein source (fish and potato) I also know that some people experience some thinning of the hair after a surgery with general anesthetic or a traumatic experience. Good luck in your search for the right answer, don't hesitate to get a second opinion. Also, some of the vet universities have an online library with some of the most common problems as topics. You could check the one in your area.---KathyD
KathyD
My terrier mix, Penny, has Cushings and is responding to treatment. I was skeptical when they suggested it based on her initial symptoms, a rat tail and other areas of hair loss and dry, scaly skin. I think they tested her thyroid level first, and it was normal. I was skeptical about Cushings because my late Miss Susie Dog had been diagnosed as just possibly having Cushings because of "iffy," ambiguous test results, and we flapped around doing more tests and trying treatment with Lysodren. The treatment made Susie sicker and we delayed getting real care for her liver failure. I finally took Susie to the veterinary school where they did not think she had Cushings even though her coat was thin.
Anyway, I thought that the blood test was quite a reliable indicator as to whether the symptoms are Cushings (although the next question would be which gland is causing it). I don't understand why the vet would still think it might be Cushings if her test results are normal. For Penny, the diagnosis seems to have been correct. She was fat and potbellied, and after I initially declined to have the blood test done she started drinking too much and eliminating too much. Then I had her tested and her test results were abnormal. Your description of whiteheads is not like what I saw on Penny. She had more of a scaliness and dryness. I recently saw a book on skin diseases in dogs and it's amazing how many different types there are. It would be helpful if you could see someone who is a specialist in determatology, or if you live near a veterinary school.
I wonder why the vet wants to do the same test again, but in any case I would hesitate to start treatment for Cushings unless the standard Cushings test results are abnormal. Lysodren acts by destoying part of the adrenal gland and if the dog does not have Cushings you don't want to do that. There is supposedly another medication for Cushings but my vet told me the top endocrine expert at the local veterinary school does not think it is effective.
Margy S
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