Cushings Dog Advice

Calcgirl · ‎03-10-2010

My Chihuahua has been diagnosed with Cushings and her liver count is over 1000. Due to a conflict with other medications she must stay on I cannot give her Cushings medications. Has anyone here tried a natural means to relieve the symptoms such as herbs. My vet recommended I research this avenue. Their are no naturopathic vets in the area.

Foxxee · ‎10-03-2014

@Calcgirl

So sorry about your dog.

I had one with Cushing's; but he could take the meds. He responded very well.

Other than agreeing you look up natural meds, did your vet recommend a diet low in fat and higher in protein? It sounds like you are left hanging. "There's nothing I can do for your dog."

There are alternative meds suggested for this disease on the internet; however, I would get a second opinion from another vet.

Do you have a vet specializing in internal medicine in your area? Are you willing to drive outside of your town? Any university veterinary schools within driving distance?

You live in California? UC Davis and UC San Diego have veterinary schools. There are others, as well. All have out-patient clinics with specialists.

When I lived in Southern California and had a problem with three vets for what was turning out to be a life threatening situation for one of my dogs because of not knowing how to treat it. I called UC Davis for a vet asking if they could recommend someone who knew what he was doing. Yes, I did. I was given the name of a specialist in internal medicine. He treated another one of my dogs with Cushing's.

If interested, look up Newport Beach Veterinary Hospital in Newport Beach, CA.

I'm not saying your vet is wrong, but I have had vets who were wrong or didn't know how to properly treat my dogs' medical conditions.

Since you didn't say, I don't know what other critical meds your dog is taking. Maybe, there is another drug that she could take instead that wouldn't conflict with those for Cushing's. Sometimes vets use human drugs not specifically prescribed for dogs, but they are safe and work.

Depends on how far you want to go to find a solution.

m0rgan · ‎09-30-2012

I really think you need a specialist in your area to get the proper meds and to follow you through until you have your dog balanced and manageable. I had a dog with addisons and it takes someone who knows how to balance your dogs body and then it won't be hard to keep everything in control and easy for you. There are foods that can help also. I wish you luck.

CamilleP · ‎03-09-2010

@Calcgirl if it turns out your Chi cannot take any of the normally prescribed drugs for Cushing's Disease, you might want to try flaxseed lignans and melatonin, the supplements normally used to treat Atypical Cushing's. I don't know how much help they would be to help regulate cortisol overproduction, but they are probably better than nothing. Also, investigate liver protecting supplements such as milk thistle and SAM-e, as the excess cortisol in the bloodstream of a Cushing's dog is very, very hard on the liver. I hope you can find a veterinary endocrinologist who can evaluate your dog's overall condition and help you select the best medicines to treat her complex case.

Sweet Caroline 1 · ‎12-12-2017

@Calcgirl I have an elderly dog with Cushings. She takes no other medications. I read where Cushings meds for dogs could be harsh and some people opt to not to give them the meds. I order this from Chewy. They are drops I put in her meals.

My dogs symptoms are drinking a lot of water, peeing a lot, pp accidents and heavy panting and fur not growing well in certain spots. After giving her these drops, her water and pp's are back to normal, still heavy panting but a lot less, fur grew back, she eats mini meals instead of eating it all at once and has lost weight. I watch her food intake because she shouldn't loose anymore weight. She will eat all the people food I give her so she is just picky about her food.

On this Chewy website, there are tons of wonderful reveiws and input from dog owners. One thing for your dog is, he takes other medications and sometimes they don't work well with herbal remedies. Talk to your vet to see if this will work with your dogs medications. It has helped my dog very, very much. She's been on it for about 2 years now.

Take care, SC

wysteria · ‎04-09-2021

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. My Labrador had Cushing's, and after reading all the side effects of the medicines, I chose not to use them. My dog also had liver dysfunction after years of taking veterinary medicine for arthritis. I discovered the website Pet Wellbeing over 10 years ago, so they have an established history. The holistic formulas are designed by veterinarians, and most come in flavorless drops, including the product for Cushing's, which has nearly 1500 almost perfect reviews. My dog did just fine on the product, and it controlled her symptoms well.

Liver damage can occur in both animals and people for a lot of reasons. Milk thistle, a plant, is a well-known natural supplement for regenerating the liver, in both people and pets. Pet Wellbeing has milk thistle in the form of drops, but you could also open up a capsule of milk thistle powder to sprinkle on food. Do an online search for "milk thistle for dogs," and you'll find lots of resources.

Give your dog the best diet you can afford. That means avoiding high-carb, high-fat pet foods. Carbs (grains, potatoes, peas, etc.) are hard for dogs (and cats) to digest. Do a search for "healing diet for dogs." Also check the websites of veterinary schools, which often have lots of free information for pet guardians. Some also offer phone consultations with a specialist for a fee. Good luck. Here's a hug for you ( ).