Cushing's Disease Follow Up

Shadowfax had her two week vet checkup today to see how she is tolerating her new medication for Cushing's Disease. We will get the test results in a couple of days, but our experience thus far has been positive. 

After a few days of getting acclimated to the medication, she's back to normal. She has been participating in her normal walks every day, is drinking less (she drank a lot every day!) and has noticeably curbed her mulch and dirt consumption. She's probably going to always have the rounded midsection that is common with Cushing's Disease dogs. But unlike her male caretaker, she at least has a documented medical condition to attribute her husky figure to.

The tests are mostly to see how her liver and kidneys are tolerating the current dose of medication. If everything is OK with that, we're just going to stay the course until our next check up in a couple of months. We won't scare you with the gory details of how much this new medication costs, but we'll just say that it's a good thing we are both gainfully employed.

Shadowfax came back from a morning at the vet and crashed hard. She has three dog beds and one large fluffy pillow available (even more are out of frame), yet somehow she managed to sleep-squirm out of all of them and nap on the floor in front of the fireplace. To answer your questions: Yes, she has legs under her blanket. Yes, this is what a manatees' tummy looks like. No, she doesn't care what you have to say about all this.

Shadowfax and Cushing's Disease

Shadowfax has been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. We thought her tummy was getting a little larger over the past year or so, but it turns out this is a symptom of the disease. Dogs with Cushing's can often have a "look", a midsection that looks slightly bloated. What we thought was her large torso build and a few too many treats was in fact something else.

This is somewhat of a relief as it explains a lot of her recently developed tendencies; she's been drinking and urinating a lot more, seems to have an insatiable appetite (to the point of eating dirt and mulch in the back yard), and is generally a bit restless, unable to get comfortable. 

We are still in the process of learning more about the disease and are easing her into some new medication, but the prognosis is very positive. There is a chance of some side effects from the medication, but this should be a condition that we are able to manage for the remainder of her years.