My Yorkie has Cushing's Disease. What natural treatments can help?

There are a couple of different treatments that can be used to treat Wexford's Cushing's Disease, such as Vetoryl (trilostane) and Anipryl (selegiline) which are both approved by the FDA for use in dogs. Another drug, Lysodren (mitotane), can be used off label to treat Cushing's. Off label means that it's a human drug that can be legally prescribed by vets for uses not listed on the label. Ultimately, however, it will be up to your vet to decide medication is best for Rexford. Cushing's Disease can be pituitary or adrenal-dependent, and the choice of medication will depend on which type he has. Speak with your vet to discuss the best medication for use in him. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Vetoryl (trilostane) is the best medication for managing Cushing's disease, but I'm sorry to hear that Lacy has not been tolerating it well. I have anecdotally heard of some vets using a variety of supplements for managing Cushing's disease signs, but these supplements will not ultimately decrease the cortisol production by the adrenal glands and generally seem ineffective. I don't know how long Lacy was receiving Vetoryl, but some dogs can initially become lethargic, vomit, have diarrhea, or a decreased appetite. Fortunately, these signs typically resolve after a few days to a few weeks on the medication. It may be worth discussing a temporary dose adjustment with Lacy's vet to see if she tolerates a lower dose better before gradually increasing to her 30mg dose. Some dogs also benefit from supportive measures (anti nausea medications, bland diets, etc.) in the first few days to weeks of treatment. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

There are no home remedies for a dog that has Cushing's disease so he really should be examined by a vet for a workup and treatment. I am not sure why you think he has Cushing's disease but your vet can easily diagnose by running some lab-work. You could give your parents a list all the abnormal signs that you are noticing along with the common signs of Cushing's disease and then maybe they will help you take him to a vet.

Hi Trudi, I wish I had a simple answer for you, but the answer depends on the cause of the weakness. If the muscle weakness is due to Cushing's disease, then the treatment should improve the muscle weakness if the disease is improving. You didn't mention what type of medicine the holistic vet is using, but I would consider adding acupuncture and/or Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine which often works well for both Cushing's disease and generalized weakness. I don't know if there is anyone near you that practices acupuncture, but you may be able to find someone here. http://www.tcvm.com/Resources/InternationalPractitioners.aspx Another thing to consider would be to find a rehabilitation therapist to create an exercise plan to strengthen Ashley's legs. You may be able to find someone near you here. http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/find_a_therapist.html Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I will strongly discourage you from giving Sophia Trilostan without knowing for sure that she has Cushing disease. She may have, for example ascites, diabetes or internal organ enlargement, which makes the belly look potted. In that case, giving Trilostan can lead to a life-threatening hypoadrenal crisis. Please, take your dog to your local vets to confirm the diagnosis and then start the treatment, if necessary.

I am very sorry that Yager is so ill. Unfortunately Cushing's disease is a progressive disease and cannot be healed. There are two possible causes for Cushing's: 1) a pituitary tumor (a tumor in the brain) that is telling the adrenal glands to make more cortisone that the body needs and 2) a possible adrenal tumor that is overproducing cortisone. Most of the time the cause is a pituitary tumor. Unfortunately the medicine your dog is taking is only affecting the adrenal glands, ie basically reducing cortisone production. In the meantime the tumor in the brain keeps growing slowly, Sometimes the medicine works too well and the body is not getting enough cortisone because the adrenal glands are not producing enough anymore (the medicine destroyed too much tissue). This can cause the signs you describe and therefore your vet recommends that you halve the dose. The other problem is that your dog's tumor is growing and may be pressing on vital structures in the brain now, which can cause seizures, wobbly gait, fainting spells. So I suggest that you trust your vet and follow his recommendations. Unfortunately the day will come that you need to say good bye to Yager when the tumor is causing too many problems. Listen to your dog: he will tell you when it is time.

Poor Harley, that's quite a weight gain. If he does have Cushing's, it can usually be managed quite successfully with medication. Trilostane is the latest therapy, and I've had great results using it. And yes, once the disease is controlled, usually the clinical symptoms resolve as well, and in the case of his enormous appetite, getting that under control should cause him to lose the weight. Best of luck in getting this figured out.