Dogs with Cushing's - Any of you experience this?

15 years ago

Our 16 year old Bichon was diagnosed last summer with Cushing's. We've been treating it with Trilostane and have seen a noticeable improvement. We test his cortisone levels every three months. But I have a question about something a little odd that I think might be related to the Cushings.

We've noticed that the leftover water in his bowl after he's drunk is cloudy, almost milky. Never noticed it before, but then a while back we switched from a porcelain bowl with a design in the glazing to a stainless one and now we see it. Another thing I've noticed are the water spots on the laminate floors where he dribbles. If I don't catch them when wet and the spots have a chance to dry, I can't simply take a damp cloth and wipe them off. I have to use A LOT of pressure and rub back and forth over each driblet to get the "ring" to disappear. They do not come out with a mop -- gotta get on my hands and knees. I use microfiber cloths with a mix of vinegar/water. And I'm here to tell ya that there can be a kazillion dried water spots on my floors! That's waaaay more "industrious" cleaning than I've ever done before.

At first I wondered if it was the floors themselves. We have new laminate floors in a rich and textured cherry, installed last year when we remodeled the first floor. But there was laminate down prior to that, different brand, different color, and we never noticed the spotting. Then again, it was all around the time of his diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Perhaps it's the Trilostane that's affecting his saliva? Or the Cushing's itself?

Have any of you experienced this with your pet's saliva?

Another question related to Cushing's: We've had the BEST results with Trilostane and don't want to switch to another drug, but the cost is getting prohibitive. His dosage was just increased, thereby upping the cost of the meds. A thirty day supply costs $90 plus shipping from the compound pharmacy out of state (AZ). Are your costs that high? Where are you getting your Trilostane?

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Comments (10)

cindyxeus
15 years ago
yahoo has support groups for all kinds of dogs with different health issues. I can't put the link here as it won't accept it, but if you type in Cushings disease support groups for dogs it should get you where you need to go. The group can answer just about anything you need to know.
GammyT
15 years ago
oofasis, I don't know Cushing but I know old dogs.

Cloudy water is backwash, it happens with dogs no matter the age. You just didn't notice it before because of the bowls you used.

As for your laminate floors. It isn't Cushings or the medication, it is the quality of your floors. You could drip water and not notice and have the same result.
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oofasis
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks to you both for your responses. Since our vet wasn't aware of a connection to Cushings or the meds, I called the pharmacy where we get the Trilostane. The pharmacist looked it up and couldn't find anything either.

Cindy, I want to thank you so much for your suggestion about the support groups. I joined one of them right away, and spent a good hour already this morning reading other peoples' experiences.
cindyxeus
15 years ago
offasis,
you are very welcome. I'm so glad you contacted the group.Yahoo has groups for just about every canine disease out there and it helps so much to have others to talk to that can help us deal. Best of luck to you and your little fur kid.
mrs_tlc
15 years ago
oofasis, I'm so glad that you found the Yahoo groups too! When my Maggie was diagnosed with Addison's disease (the opposite of Cushings) I joined the Addison Dog group and learned soooo much! Then when she injured her leg they directed me to the other groups and our final group was the bone cancer dogs and they were the most wonderful supportive people during our sad realization that Maggie had cancer. Maggie's saliva was very very slimy (sp?) with the Addisons and I do know that too much or too little cortisol can affect the saliva. I have low cortisol and am tested via saliva testing.
lahofmann_mweb_co_za
15 years ago
I have exactly the same problem as you re the dog saliva. I found the following tip on GardenWeb: I just cleaned my hardwood floors with a rough old towel dipped in a solution of Woolite (leftover from cleaning up a spot on the rug) and it was magic. The dog saliva drips around the dog dishes and all the other floor dirt just dissolved. I usually have a hard time with that dog saliva! Anyone else try this? It really does seem to work better than vinegar and water and PLENTY of elbow grease!
todancewithwolves
15 years ago
My 15 year old Cocker passed away 4 months ago. He was diagnosed with Cushing's at the age of 6. Med's are soooo expensive. My vet suggested I get them at Costco. I paid $63.00 for a bottle of 15 at Costco. The pharmacy's charged $92.00. I saved quite a bit. He was on Lysodren and did very well. He took 1/2 a pill on Thursdays and a whole pill on Sundays.

Cloudy saliva shouldn't be affiliated with Cushing's. Some of the things you may see is anxiety, frequent urination, thirst, growths (skin tags) on the body that don't heal and eating like there's no tomorrow.

Best wishes for you and your dog. If you have any questions please feel free to email me. It's my user name with yahoo.com at the end.
tigertamie_yahoo_com
13 years ago
My 101 lb dog has cushing's also, is there anywhere I can get the lowest price, he needs 60 Mg three times a day. What is Lysodren?
lzrddr
13 years ago
60mg of what? Three times a day seems like an unusual dose for any Cushings meds. Huge dog? Lysodren, also known as OPDDD or mitotane, is a medication that targets the adrenal gland and is actually toxic for it, slowly killing certain portions of it. If the balance is right, the idea is to kill the cells producing too much cortisone slowly, but not to wipe out then entire adrenal gland (resulting in a somewhat 'opposite' condition known as Addisons). It is a pretty effective drug, and is usually given far less often (not daily long term) than Trilostane is, but should be taken carefully and with close monitoring. However, for huge dogs, it can pretty costly, too, perhaps even more than Trilostane. TRilostane can be compounded and sometimes the compounded forms (depending on which pharmacy one chooses) can be far less costly than Vetaryl (the drug name for this product in the US).
Meghane
13 years ago
tigertamie, does your dog have an adrenal tumor? Most large breed dogs do and you could get the disease *cured* by having the tumor removed. Would probably be cheaper in the long run than a lifetime of medication. Plus those adrenal tumors can grow into major blood vessels and actually block them (very bad) or rupture them (worse).