fieldsy63 Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Hi.....I am new on this forum, and would like to say hi My precious little man Milo may have Cushings and I'm not sure how I will cope. He has just turned 10 (Feb) and we can feel all the bones of his spine when we stroke his back, well we don't do that any more because of that. His coat along his back is all wirey, and his skin is starting to go black there too. He has a pot belly and drinks alot of water. The vet has taken blood to see how his system is, and if it points to Cushings, says Milo will need more investigative blood test called a LDDST (cost $300 roughly). Also, because Milo has a heart murmur, the vet wants to do a Cardiac Ultrasound, to check whats going on with Milo's heart, which will include sedation $104, Dexason Injection $26, catheter $29 & Ultrasound $248. The vet went through the costs of treating the Cushings, if Milo has it, but I didnt take much of it in. He did say that he prefers to use Trylostane. My point is, I want to know if anyone thinks that this vet is a little too expensive, going on the charges above. I have read about the treatments, but cant find much about the costs. Can anyone please help me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauzer Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Hi.....I am new on this forum, and would like to say hi My precious little man Milo may have Cushings and I'm not sure how I will cope. He has just turned 10 (Feb) and we can feel all the bones of his spine when we stroke his back, well we don't do that any more because of that. His coat along his back is all wirey, and his skin is starting to go black there too. He has a pot belly and drinks alot of water. The vet has taken blood to see how his system is, and if it points to Cushings, says Milo will need more investigative blood test called a LDDST (cost $300 roughly). Also, because Milo has a heart murmur, the vet wants to do a Cardiac Ultrasound, to check whats going on with Milo's heart, which will include sedation $104, Dexason Injection $26, catheter $29 & Ultrasound $248. The vet went through the costs of treating the Cushings, if Milo has it, but I didnt take much of it in. He did say that he prefers to use Trylostane. My point is, I want to know if anyone thinks that this vet is a little too expensive, going on the charges above. I have read about the treatments, but cant find much about the costs. Can anyone please help me out. Hi and welcome. I have not had a dog with Cushings but you could send a pm to Dogmad, as she has had a dog on Trylostane. The costs quoted seem very reasonable to me, but if you have doubts ring a few local vets for costing. I hope the outcome for Milo is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I think those costs sound pretty normal. Good luck with your boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 The charges you've listed are quite reasonable. The LDDST is the initial test of choice of many specialists and if positive it can sometimes be used to discriminate between pituitary and adrenal tumours. If the results are equivocal an additional test called an ACTH stimulation test may be required for diagnosis. If the testing indicates Cushing's and you do start trilostane, the ACTH stim is used to monitor the treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldsy63 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 Thanks all for your replies.... Milo is at the vets today for his LDDST blood works. We will know in a day or two whether he has Cushings or not. I'm just waiting on the call to go and pick him up as he has been at the vets since 8.30 this morning. He will be soooo glad to see me and I hope he isn't too sore from the blood tests. I will let you all know the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily123 Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 My 12 year old Jack Russell, Lily, was diagnosed with Cushings a few months ago (and is doing well). We finally have the right dose of medication (Trilostane) and now her next test is in three months (have been monthly). I think I pay about $312 for the ACTH test. I can't remember the cost of the Trilostane (?? a couple of hundred dollars) but they do last for some time. Lily had no symptoms but her blood tests were rising and then she went on to have USS and some blood tests to confirm the diagnosis. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. Good luck with Milo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldsy63 Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 My 12 year old Jack Russell, Lily, was diagnosed with Cushings a few months ago (and is doing well). We finally have the right dose of medication (Trilostane) and now her next test is in three months (have been monthly). I think I pay about $312 for the ACTH test. I can't remember the cost of the Trilostane (?? a couple of hundred dollars) but they do last for some time. Lily had no symptoms but her blood tests were rising and then she went on to have USS and some blood tests to confirm the diagnosis. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. Good luck with Milo. Does the Trilostane get administered going on the weight of the dog? If so, how heavy was Lily and how much did she have? Also, is it a tablet form? Thank you for all the information, and if there is anything else I should know, please let me know :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily123 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Yes, the Trilostane is administered by weight. Lily started off on 1/2 tablet daily and is now stable on a dose of 1 tablet daily (she's around 7 kg). They are very small tablets. I had to watch her for symptoms of being off colour, off her food and vomiting but she has been fine all along. I was worried about the treatment but so far, for us, it's all been smooth sailing. Do you have Milo's results back yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldsy63 Posted September 9, 2013 Author Share Posted September 9, 2013 Milo's LDDST has confirmed he has Cushings so we are seeing the vet tomorrow to work out a time plan and get his treatment started. We are currently travelling around Australia in our caravan, so we will need to stop here in Adelaide for a while to get him started on the Trilostane and get to the maintenance stage. We are hoping it will be a stress free time for Milo, and hopefully all goes well for him :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldsy63 Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 We went to the vet today to discuss what we will do re Milo's Cushings. The vet wants us to monitor Milo's water intake over the next 48 hours, as he said he needs to know that. He also told us about the drug L-Deprenyl (Anipryl). Has anyone used this drug or know any info of its affectivness? The vet also told us he is not sure how easy it is to get. Milo's LDDS test points to him having Pituitary Cushings Syndrome, so while they are doing the Ultrasound on Milo's heart, I asked them to check out his Adrenals just to make sure it is Pituitary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily123 Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 How is Milo getting on? I'm afraid I don't know anything about Anipryl. I hope he's doing okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldsy63 Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Hi Lily123, Milo currently is on 10mg Trilostane, once a day and has had his ACTH test, which shows him in normal dog range. We have noticed a slight change in amount of water he drinks, he isn't always ravenous, and he has a bit more energy. As he has only been on the meds for 2 weeks, the vet told us it should improve over time. We have opted to wait a month then re ACTH test him and see what the results are then. He definitely has pituitary Cushings, as an Ultrasound of his Adrenal Glands showed them both enlarged. Whilst looking around, the vet noticed Milo's Gallbladder has a thickened wall, plus some kind of 'sludge' in it that moved around when he moved Milo. The vet told us it could be Gallbladder Disease, or just an infection.....we are now treating him for both, for now. My poor darling now is on medications for Heart Murmur, Dry Eye, Cushings, Gallbladder Disease & infection, plus 2 antacids. We know our boy isn't going to be with us for a long time, now he has been diagnosed with Cushings, but I want him to have the best, most comfortable life that I can possibly give him. My gorgeous boy, I just love him to bits and I wish I could take some of this away from him its just not fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilypily Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Hi and welcome. I'm so glad Milo (and Lily) are doing well. Lily do you get your Trilostane compounded? My Lily has had a horrible week. She started Trilostane on Tuesday. She only had two capsules, so one Tues and one Wed 30mg. I rushed her to the vets Thursday morning, she had a sever reaction to the Trilostane. I was so scared I was losing her. Long story short she ended up staying at the vets overnight on a drip and had cortisone injections. The vet wanted her to stay there over the weekend, but I said no. She is slowly getting better and we go back to the vet tomorrow morning. I'm really worried about her abdomen. She has had the classic 'pot belly' symptom of Cushings, but her tummy is getting bigger by the day. Tomorrow morning i'm asking for a ultrasound. Poor Milo, it's hard enough when your baby has one illness, but when there is multiple health issues it's really hard to cope with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dore Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Hello, sorry to hear about Milo. My bishon frise is only 3 years old and 9 months ago was diagnosed with cushings. She was initially put on 30mg of trilostane and was being tested every 2-3weeks before her medication was being reduced to 5mg of trilostane. I am told medication is for lifetime and the costs for her tests is about $300 each time. Her tablets costs about $1 per tablet/per day. We were previously testing her every 2/3 weeks to ensure the dosage is correct. According to my vet, the initial stage is difficult as they need to ensure that the dosage is correct. Finally after half a year, her dosage seems to be correct and we can stop testing her so regularly. She is now being tested on a 3 months basis. Thankfully she is not losing her hair and her pot belly now looks reduced and she has stopped having "accidents" in the middle of the night. Her appetite seems to be better controlled. She used to be so very hungry all the time. It is shocking as she is so very young. All the best in the treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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