5/18 Pedro -Cushing's diagnosis

I wanted to follow up on my post in Health in April about Pedro's tail cysts and possiblity of Cushings. So I did have Pedro tested last week for Cushings and it came back positive. Ironic that we are currently on day 6 of our OTJ trial. He has been on Levemir and we post in Lanus Land.
(My post on the tail cysts that started the testing for Cushings: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=12747)

I have been doing as much homework as possible on Cushings. There is very little out there on cats. Merivista has been my go-to source for many things and even there the info on Cushing cats is scanty.
I'm looking for any resources.

Here is what I have learned so far: Cushings is pretty rare in cats and is usually often only found when a cat has diabetes and isn't regulating and so further testing is done - and that's when they find the Cushing's dx. I think that in that instance it is often a pituitary tumor vs one on the adrenals. It just doesn't seem like there are good treatment options for cats. (Cushings in dogs is a different beast - maybe just because it has been so widely researched and treated. Last year my dog went through months of issues before finally getting her Cushing's diagnosed and under control and then two months later I lost her in surgery for a tumor on her spleen.)

History-
Pedro has had many of the Cushings symptoms but they also mimic diabetes. When he got his diabetes dx last June we took him in because of his weight loss, lack of muscle tone, hair not growing back, drinking lots of water and lots of peeing.... So here we are a year later with the possibilty of going OTJ but now a dx of Cushings - how strange is that?

My vet consulted on the Cushings dx and got kudos for the dx as they said it is so rare - they hadn't seen a Cushing's kitty in 5 years.
Pedro is going to have an ultrasound done to see if they can see a tumor on the adrenal(s) and a look at pancreas and liver to check for other tumors. If they don't find any there- probably pituitary tumor.

Between FDMB help for Pedro's diabetes and help for my Brandy's (GA) CRF - this board has been unbeatable. I'm at a loss for the Cushings.

Thanks-Amy and Pedro

 

Hi Amy,

I know almost nothing about Cushings. You might try to contact Diana & Casey over on High Dose (although you might want to give it a week - Casey just died). Also, I remember Dr. Lunn at CSU mentioning that stereotactic radiation surgery could be used in Cushings cats (especially if you find the tumor) - it might be worth sending her an e-mail or asking your vet to ask around VIN.

Heather

 

I'm in the process of scheduling his ultrasound.
Treatment, if possible, will depend on findings - adreanl vs pituitary, spread of tumors...

Here is a link to the only vet article I've found so far on Feline Cushing's from Oct 2008 - Many thanks to Linda and Bear
http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/av ... =&pageID=3

 

Amanda's Iris had Cushings many many years ago...

 

I don't know how useful this is to you, but there some fairly extensive articles here:

Feline Cushing's Disease

VetInfo Cushing's

VIN

NIH