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  • #1

    Sweet Scoop has passed...

    Hi everyone,

    This is my first time on here. I joined a few weeks ago but have been spending my time on K9Cushings.com. My dog Scoop has had diabetes for 2 years but was recenty diagnosed with Cushing's. Scoop's diabetes have been well controlled but now with the Cushing's the vet tells me it will be hard to control both. I was wondering if there are others on here who are dealing with both. If anyone has any helpful information they could pass along, I would greatly appreciate it.
    Thank you in advance for any help.
    Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
    Vicki-Scoop, Raleigh, Archie and Gus' mom
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

    I wish I had advice for you on dealing with both but I'm only on the diabetes side of things. But I know there are folks who deal with both, and I'm sure they will join in.

    Just wanted to welcome you!
    Zoe: 12 yr old Black Lab/shepherd mix. Diagnosed 6/1/11. Currently on 15 units Novolin NPH 2x day, and hopefully as close to regulated as possible. Feeding merrick Grain Free Salmon and Sweet Potato. Weight 63lbs.

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    • #3
      Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

      Zoe-Thanks for the welcome. Much appreciated.
      Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
      Vicki-Scoop, Raleigh, Archie and Gus' mom

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

        a welcome to you from me and jesse no cushings here but jesse is epileptic and 2 diseases or more can be challenging for controlling blood sugar but not impossible many here do get creative to accomplish this

        do you test blood sugar at home that would be a big plus if regulation is affected
        Jesse-26 lbs - 16.5 years old ,11 years diabetic, one meal a day homemade and a vitabone snack . 3 shots of Novolin( under the Relion name ) a day . Total insulin for a 24 hour period is 6.5 units of NPH insulin .
        Jesse earned her wings on 6/21/2021

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        • #5
          Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

          Hi Vicki, my Jenny has/had both. I haven't been reading the cushings forum as much lately.

          Jenny did require a lot more insulin until we got her cushings under control. She was 8 pounds at the time and got up to 7 units of NPH twice a day.

          Once the cushings was under control she has been anywhere from 1.5 to 3 units

          We treated Jenny with Lysodren, screwed up, and her cortisol is actually too low these days so she is not on any cushings meds right now. Her cortisol is slowly slowly slowly coming up so we are just monitoring. it.

          It is doable. hang in there! Are you testing blood sugar at home?

          Judi
          Jenny: 6/6/2000 - 11/10/2014 She lived with diabetes and cushings for 3 1/2 years. She was one of a kind and we miss her.

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          • #6
            Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

            A big welcome to a fellow Pug!

            You'll find a lot of help in here.
            Otis Farrell dx'd 12/10, best friend to his dad, Bill, for over 14 years. Left this world while in his dad’s loving arms 10/04/13. Sonny Farrell dx'd 1/14, adopted 5/15/14. Left this world while in his dad's loving arms 9/06/16. Run pain free, you Pug guys, til we're together again.

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            • #7
              Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

              Hi and welcome from me too, Vicki

              Franklin was dx'd with cushing's when he was 4. We did trilostane for a while, took a break and got the adrenal panel done by UTK. At that point he was on the very edge of normal for cortisol, but his hormones were elevated. He's been on melatonin and lignans since. Earlier this year cortisol was rising (not crazy high, and no really overt symptoms) and was put onto mitotane. At the week follow up appt was when diabetes was dx'd.
              He's been off mitotane since that point while we concentrate on the diabetes.

              This is a great place for information and experience, and the members are very friendly and helpful. Again, welcome.
              Jane and Franklin, 8 years, maltese, currently 6.4kg, Australia. Cushing's with elevated hormones dx'd 2009/2010, proteinuria, epilepsy, diabetes dx'd July 2012. Phenobarb 30mg bid, 3mg melatonin bid, lignans sid, caninsulin 4.8u bid (a work in progress). Diet- home cooked. Blind from cataracts January 2013, sighted from surgery February 2013.

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              • #8
                Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

                Hi everyone-Thank you for all the warm welcomes. Sorry I haven't responded sooner. I have been spending my time on the Cushing's site. I've been more concerned and overwhelmed with the Cushing's since that is new to me. Scoop has had diabetes for 2 years and things were just fine till this past July. Then everything just started going wrong. Infection in both ears and both eyes. Then Vestibular disease(he still has the head tilt). Lost weight, not typical of Cushing's but he did lose a lot of muscle. Excessive drinking, urinating, hunger. Had an ulcerated ear. Had a curve done on Aug. 30 to make sure the thirst, etc. wasn't his diabetes. The vet was happy with the curve. So finally got tested for Cushing's Sept 20. Started on Vetoryl Sept 27. These last three months have been just one thing after another for Scoop. Saturday he got checked for a big sore in his "underarm". Now I am starting to be more concerned about his diabetes as well. Scoop's vet went to a conference last week in Atlantic City. She spoke to an endocrinologist from California who has worked with many diabetic dogs who are on Vetoryl. The specialist recommened to Scoop's vet to cut his insulin in half. He is currently on 10 units 2x a day and he suggested he be on 5 units 2x a day. He said he is afraid of Scoop's blood sugar going too low. Will be giving Scoop 5 units starting Monday and he will have a spot BG and urine check on Wed. I hope the specialist knows what he is talking about but I guess he is worried about low sugar which is worse than high sugar? Sorry this is so long. Wanted to tell Scoop's story. Thank you again for the warm welcome and the info.

                Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
                Last edited by scoora; 10-14-2012, 10:00 PM. Reason: Added something
                Vicki-Scoop, Raleigh, Archie and Gus' mom

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                • #9
                  Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

                  Hi Vicki...welcome to you and Scoop! (And Raleigh too!) I'm also not a double diagnosis person so can't help you out too much with that. I have heard that the reduction in insulin is quite normal with treatment of cushings however. And yes, you are right...low is more dangerous than high in bg. Although high will eventually result in either ketoacidosis (which can kill) or all the horrible side effects which can also evenutally kill your dog, the hypo is what will hurt your dog right away. So it's definitely ok for the vet to be more cautious as you treat the cushings. It's great your vet got the chance to talk to the endo doc! Hope they can maintain the contact so you can benefit.

                  Again, welcome! Hugs!
                  Shell and Hank (aka Mr. Pickypants) - now deceased (4/29/1999 - 12/4/2015) Cairn Terrier mix who was diagnosed 8/18/2011 and on .75 U Levemir 2Xday. Miss you little man!

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

                    Hi Vicki! Welcome to you and Scoop. As I read your list of things that Scoop has been experiencing, it rang a bell with me. My Decker was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in June and I've been doing a lot of reading about it since. Ear infections, eye issues, vestibular disease and re-occurant sores are all signs of hypothyroidism. I don't know enough about cushings to know if they may be the reason your vet has tested for cushings or not. A hypothyroid dog would experience either weight gain or steady weight with a reduction of calories - so the weight loss would not fit. Just wondering if your vet has run a full thyroid panel on Scoop to rule out hypothyroidism? Holli

                    http://dogs.about.com/od/caninedisea...id-In-Dogs.htm

                    http://siriusdog.com/hypothyroid-dog-signs.htm
                    Last edited by momofdecker; 10-15-2012, 03:40 AM.
                    Holli & Decker // diagnosed November 5th, 2011 // Journeyed to the bridge January 26th, 2013, surrounded by his family at home // 9 years old // Levemir insulin // Hypothyroid // C1-C5 cervical spinal lesion // weight 87 lbs // Run with the wind my sweet boy. Run pain free. Holding you close in my heart till we meet again!

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                    • #11
                      Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

                      I hope there was a curve done that suggested a need to cut the insulin dose so drastically?

                      Vetoryl treatment should indeed lower the amount of insulin needed, but I would let Scoop's body guide those decisions via the curve.

                      Were the Cushing's forum folks satisfied with the diagnostic process by which the conclusion was Cushing's disease?

                      It's a diagnosis that too often is jumped to when something like diabetes or hypothyroidism can skew the test results and also one that sometimes vets jump to treat even though the test results show only borderline.

                      Natalie

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                      • #12
                        Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

                        Hi -Thanks again for the warm welcomes. I came on here late tonight. There are some questions and concerns some of you brought up. I will address them hopefully tomorrow night when I have more time. This whole thing makes me so nervous. I will talk more about it tomorrow. It really helps to talk to others who have experience with dealing with these terrible diseases and a friendly ear to listen.
                        Thank you for being there.

                        Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
                        Vicki-Scoop, Raleigh, Archie and Gus' mom

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

                          Welcome Vicki.

                          I second Natalie's response, as my Abby was diagnosed as having Cushings AND Diabetes at the same time. She had a ACTH test, and an Ultrasound to confirm the Cushings.... however, at that time and even now, she was not insulin resistant. I questioned vets, with the help of the wise people on the K9 Cushings forum, and now have two vets that have confirm that Abby does NOT have Cushings.

                          It is a slow progression of a disease. You will know soon enough when attempting to regulate diabetes if Scoop has both.

                          Glad to have you here.

                          Barb
                          Barb & Abby 12/24/1999-12/31/2013 ~ dx 5/10/2011 ~ Forever in my heart ~

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                          • #14
                            Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

                            Hi everyone- It's late again, just can't seem to get going on here earlier. I just typed for about 20 minutes and lost it. I think it's my computer. Sometimes it's screwy. It's happened before and I have checked off the Remember Me box. Well let's start again.
                            I do not home test Scoop's BGs. Two years ago when Scoop was first diagnosed we tried and tried in several areas, several times. We were not successful. I took him to the vet and she even had a problem with it. So whenever he needed a curve done I would take him to the vet's and they usually used my meter to do a curve. They didn't charge as much for using my meter. Now with all this going on I wish we could test at home but since Scoop's been sick he won't let me go in his mouth so trying the lip prick would be out. We just couldn't get enough blood from his ear or his carpal pad.

                            Over the summer the vet wanted to make sure his excessive drinking, urinating, hunger wasn't from his diabetes so she did a curve on 8/30. The numbers were:
                            9AM-217
                            11AM-130
                            1PM-223
                            3PM-229
                            5PM-327
                            Scoop usually eats between 6:00-6:30 then gets his insulin right after eating.
                            The vet was happy with the numbers.

                            Natalie-The folks on the Cushing's site didn't question anything after I posted Scoop's diagnostic details so I guess they were satisfied with them. He had an LDDS test, ultasound, liver levels were high on blood work done in July, significant muscle loss, had surgery over a year ago to remove lumps and hair never grew back totally. So it might have been starting back then. He has the pot belly, now it looks like he started with that calinosis cutis.

                            Holli-Scoop's T4 was low and I talked to the vet about it. She thinks it's low because of the Cushing's. She said she could do a test for the hypothyroidism but she was thinking when the Cushing's gets controlled(I just hope it does) she would just have all his blood work done. She said too the weight loss doesn't fit but I guess he could have hypothyroidism on top of everything else. The poor guy. He just has so many problems. I said to the vet, why did the Cushing's hit him so hard. I heard to was a slow progressing disease. She said maybe his body is just worn down from the diabetes. It just makes me so, so sad. I cry so much for Scoop. I love Scoop and Raleigh so much.
                            Well, thanks for listening.
                            Hugs to all.

                            Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
                            Last edited by scoora; 10-16-2012, 10:23 PM. Reason: added something
                            Vicki-Scoop, Raleigh, Archie and Gus' mom

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: My Pug Scoop-diabetes and Cushing's

                              Originally posted by scoora View Post
                              The folks on the Cushing's site didn't question anything after I posted Scoop's diagnostic details so I guess they were satisfied with them. He had an LDDS test, ultasound, liver levels were high on blood work done in July, significant muscle loss, had surgery over a year ago to remove lumps and hair never grew back totally. So it might have been starting back then. He has the pot belly, now it looks like he started with that calinosis cutis.

                              Holli-Scoop's T4 was low and I talked to the vet about it. She thinks it's low because of the Cushing's. She said she could do a test for the hypothyroidism but she was thinking when the Cushing's gets controlled(I just hope it does) she would just have all his blood work done. She said too the weight loss doesn't fit but I guess he could have hypothyroidism on top of everything else. The poor guy. He just has so many problems. I said to the vet, why did the Cushing's hit him so hard. I heard to was a slow progressing disease. She said maybe his body is just worn down from the diabetes. It just makes me so, so sad. I cry so much for Scoop. I love Scoop and Raleigh so much.
                              Well, thanks for listening.
                              Hugs to all.

                              Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom

                              It sure does sound like you've had your hands full. I do believe both diabetes and cushings can cause a low T4. Funny diseases - because hypothyroidism can also cause excessive thirst, muscle weakness, lack of fur re-growth and a pot belly appearance. Knowing there are so many overlapping symptoms among the various endocrine diseases does give me a true appreciation for what vets must go through when trying to sort out what may be going on. Seems the cushings diagnosis is correct though and that your vet has a good handle on things. If you do have recent blood work I would recommend checking some of the values or asking your vet... high cholesterol would be caused only from diabetes or hypothyroidism. Low white blood cell count/low red blood cell count, anemia and low hemoglobin may also point to hypothyroidism. I'm not sure if cushings would effect those values or not. Wishing you the best in getting things back on track. Holli
                              Holli & Decker // diagnosed November 5th, 2011 // Journeyed to the bridge January 26th, 2013, surrounded by his family at home // 9 years old // Levemir insulin // Hypothyroid // C1-C5 cervical spinal lesion // weight 87 lbs // Run with the wind my sweet boy. Run pain free. Holding you close in my heart till we meet again!

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