Gem-skin tears, possible Cushings

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J

jkbank

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Hi there

Took Gem to the vet for a recheck. This visit was mainly to see how the meds were working on her heart and liver but also check the diabetes.

Her heart looks the same, which is good I guess in that it hasn't gotten worse. I asked for some clarification on the kidneys - they said it was more that they saw some changes in the architecture of the kidneys (their words) on the ultrasound, her blood levels were normal. They are running a full blood workup so I have to wait for those full results. While there, her BG was mid 100s so that's good, but she's still all over the place.

Here's what worries me - since this all started last summer, Gem lost all her fur on both sides, so she's left with just a wide strip down her back. This was not coming from over-grooming as she barely grooms herself at all. In my internet research I came across Cushing's, though I realize it's rare in cats. However, outwardly she fit all the criteria. I mentioned this to the vet, they looked at her adrenal glands and said they looked fine, as did whatever hormonal levels they look at for that. The thing is, Gem's skin is so thin, when she spent the week at the vet, her skin tore and they had to "glue" it up. Then again today, while examining her, it tore in another spot, and she has some sores under her fur that may tear. Has anyone dealt with this? Her skin and coat just look in such poor condition and they are not sure why, but are rethinking the Cushing's. They want me to go to a specialist to have her more fully checked out. I am in NYC, they recommend Fifth Ave and one other, the name escapes me at the moment. I am so confused, and I feel so bad for poor Gem - her case just seems so complicated.

Any thoughts, ideas?
 
Re: Update on Gem, I'm worried

Can you please change your Subject to add something like Vet suspect Cushings, skin tears
There are a couple people who are familiar with Cushings who can help you; Linda/Bearman could share some info with you and will see if there are others who have or had Cushings cats who can give you some support.

ETA:
Cushings Info
http://www.cat-lovers-only.com/cushings ... -cats.html Cushings
http://www.cat-health-guide.org/felinec ... sease.html Cushings further info


Cushings Test Info from Dr.Lisa
You may want to ask your vet to peruse VIN if she/he is a member. I am not faulting your vet for the test that was run because it seems like this has never been very clear-cut but here are some excerpts from the VIN consultants with the date of their comments noted:
5/18/10 VIN consultant #1:
The ACTH stim has much lower sensitivity than the LDDS in cats. 60% of cats with hyperadrenocorticism return normal ACTH stim results.
That is, most cats with Cushings will not be picked up by a stim.
(LDDS = low dose dexamethasone suppression test)
6/25/10 VIN consultant #1:
The ACTH stim test is not recommended; it has very low sensitivity for Cushings in cats. The test of choice is a dexamethasone suppression test using the canine high dose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other VIN consultants have recommended a UCCR...Urine Cortisol:Creatinine Ratio and while cushings can't be diagnosed simply by an elevation in the UCCR, it can be a useful tool.
The UCCR is a SENSITIVE test for Cushing's (e.g. very few animals with Cushing's would have a negative UCCR), but it is not a SPECIFIC test (e.g. many other diseases will make the UCCR elevate e.g. uncontrolled diabetes could).
So among the screening tests, we usually pick a LDDS to screen cats (using the 'high' dose for a dog DSP).
Adrenal ultrasound is also used since false positives and false negatives can be seen with the LDDS.
So, as you can see, the Dx of cushings is not straight-forward so you should probably keep going with your 'hunt' for answers....IF you and your vet are still concerned about cushings.


The above notes were from Dr. Lisa to another poster on FDMB awhile back, in case you were wondering to whom she referred.
 
Gayle Shadoe & Oliver said:
Can you please change your Subject to add something like Vet suspect Cushings, skin tears
There are a couple people who are familiar with Cushings who can help you; Linda/Bearman could share some info with you and will see if there are others who have or had Cushings cats who can give you some support.

ETA:
Cushings Info
http://www.cat-lovers-only.com/cushings ... -cats.html Cushings
http://www.cat-health-guide.org/felinec ... sease.html Cushings further info


Cushings Test Info from Dr.Lisa
You may want to ask your vet to peruse VIN if she/he is a member. I am not faulting your vet for the test that was run because it seems like this has never been very clear-cut but here are some excerpts from the VIN consultants with the date of their comments noted:
5/18/10 VIN consultant #1:
The ACTH stim has much lower sensitivity than the LDDS in cats. 60% of cats with hyperadrenocorticism return normal ACTH stim results.
That is, most cats with Cushings will not be picked up by a stim.
(LDDS = low dose dexamethasone suppression test)
6/25/10 VIN consultant #1:
The ACTH stim test is not recommended; it has very low sensitivity for Cushings in cats. The test of choice is a dexamethasone suppression test using the canine high dose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other VIN consultants have recommended a UCCR...Urine Cortisol:Creatinine Ratio and while cushings can't be diagnosed simply by an elevation in the UCCR, it can be a useful tool.
The UCCR is a SENSITIVE test for Cushing's (e.g. very few animals with Cushing's would have a negative UCCR), but it is not a SPECIFIC test (e.g. many other diseases will make the UCCR elevate e.g. uncontrolled diabetes could).
So among the screening tests, we usually pick a LDDS to screen cats (using the 'high' dose for a dog DSP).
Adrenal ultrasound is also used since false positives and false negatives can be seen with the LDDS.
So, as you can see, the Dx of cushings is not straight-forward so you should probably keep going with your 'hunt' for answers....IF you and your vet are still concerned about cushings.


The above notes were from Dr. Lisa to another poster on FDMB awhile back, in case you were wondering to whom she referred.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I will change subject. I'm not sure the vet is so convinced it's Cushing's, like I said, their first response was that it was not. But I guess they want to look further as they're not really sure.
 
Sorry, but the tests are not 100% conclusive when it comes to cushings, unlike other tests with ranges and cutoff points. I think in many cases, it's more like the symptoms, such as the skin tears that are most telling.

While cats with cushings is far from common, there are a few around who can help you sort out the signs you have and also other health issues which may, when combined, give you are fairly sound basis for cushings.

Your subj change is sure to catch the eyes of other cushings owners, and they can tell you how they treated their cats.
 
Gayle Shadoe & Oliver said:
Sorry, but the tests are not 100% conclusive when it comes to cushings, unlike other tests with ranges and cutoff points. I think in many cases, it's more like the symptoms, such as the skin tears that are most telling.

While cats with cushings is far from common, there are a few around who can help you sort out the signs you have and also other health issues which may, when combined, give you are fairly sound basis for cushings.

Your subj change is sure to catch the eyes of other cushings owners, and they can tell you how they treated their cats.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for helping in getting my post noticed. While I try not to be an arm-chair vet, and sometimes the internet can do more harm than good, I feel like in advocating for our pets we need to push the vets in a direction they may not think to go. Gem's symptoms read text book Cushings to me, based on what I've read, but I imagine there would be some underlying something that would show up in blood work or some other tests. But what do I know! The other thing I've read is that there isn't really a cure, so at a certain point I'd need to decide what's the best path for Gem, as she has so many medical complications going on.

Hopefully someone can give me some more insight.
Thanks again!
 
Hello,

You and Gem are dealing with a lot of issues. The symptoms you mention - hair loss and tearing skin - sound extremely suspicious for Cushing's. My cat had a form of Cushing's which was caused by long term high dose treatment of another disease with steroids. As a result, he was diagnosed solely on the basis of his clinical symptoms, and we did not pursue treatment (the treatment would have been to stop giving steroids). I mention this, so as to explain that I do not have a great deal of experience with either diagnosis or drug treatment of Cushing's. The clinical symptoms may also include a pot bellied appearance, and muscle wasting in the limbs.

I would suggest that you do consult with your vet and pursue further testing for Cushing's. There is more than one type of Cushing's, and the tests (mentioned in a post above), in addition to the ultrasound you have had, can give you more info about what type (if any) Gem has. There are a couple of medications which may be used. One is Trilostane, however I believe it may be strongly contraindicated with concurrent kidney and heart disease. Your vet would have to advise you on that. The presence of Cushing's disease would also lead to difficulty in regulating the blood glucose. You and your vet may wish to consider how aggressive you wish to be with insulin dosing until you have a full diagnosis.

Did you have a urine culture and sensitivity test done as part of the workup? Sometimes a kidney infection or other urinary tract infection can drive up both renal values and blood glucose levels, so that is a simple thing which can be tested for and ruled out.

There is another member on the board who recommended a vet she used in the New York area to another member. I don't know if they have specialists in this field or not, but I will post the link in case you wish to check it out:
http://www.vcahospitals.com/katonah-bedford

I would strongly urge you to follow up with the specialist that your vet is suggesting. Gem sounds like a very complicated kitty, but it also sounds like she has a very caring and committed caregiver in you.
 
Linda and Bear Man said:
Hello,

You and Gem are dealing with a lot of issues. The symptoms you mention - hair loss and tearing skin - sound extremely suspicious for Cushing's. My cat had a form of Cushing's which was caused by long term high dose treatment of another disease with steroids. As a result, he was diagnosed solely on the basis of his clinical symptoms, and we did not pursue treatment (the treatment would have been to stop giving steroids). I mention this, so as to explain that I do not have a great deal of experience with either diagnosis or drug treatment of Cushing's. The clinical symptoms may also include a pot bellied appearance, and muscle wasting in the limbs.

I would suggest that you do consult with your vet and pursue further testing for Cushing's. There is more than one type of Cushing's, and the tests (mentioned in a post above), in addition to the ultrasound you have had, can give you more info about what type (if any) Gem has. There are a couple of medications which may be used. One is Trilostane, however I believe it may be strongly contraindicated with concurrent kidney and heart disease. Your vet would have to advise you on that. The presence of Cushing's disease would also lead to difficulty in regulating the blood glucose. You and your vet may wish to consider how aggressive you wish to be with insulin dosing until you have a full diagnosis.

Did you have a urine culture and sensitivity test done as part of the workup? Sometimes a kidney infection or other urinary tract infection can drive up both renal values and blood glucose levels, so that is a simple thing which can be tested for and ruled out.

There is another member on the board who recommended a vet she used in the New York area to another member. I don't know if they have specialists in this field or not, but I will post the link in case you wish to check it out:
http://www.vcahospitals.com/katonah-bedford

I would strongly urge you to follow up with the specialist that your vet is suggesting. Gem sounds like a very complicated kitty, but it also sounds like she has a very caring and committed caregiver in you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response. Honestly, I feel like they are looking at Cushing's as a last resort and because I raised it. I am not sure specifically what they have looked at so far to rule it out. Gem has had numerous blood workups and urine tests, as well as X-rays and abdominal ultrasounds. I'm not sure if sometime along the way, something would have pointed them in this direction. Wouldn't a tumor have shown up on X-ray/ultrasound? Gem has never taken steroids so it's not coming from that. I know there are a lot of similar symptoms in Cushings and diabetes so diagnosis is complicated. As of now, she has no UTI or other infections, though she did get an antibiotic injection…since she has these open sores, they want to protect against infection. The place the vet wants me to go to is a specialty hospital, she said to start with an internist, but I guess they have all the specialists there under one roof for testing as indicated. I am a little concerned that they are going to pile on lots of tests, which will further stress Gem (and me!) out, as well as drain my bank account. I want to do what I can for her, but don't want to be unnecessarily invasive, kwim! It's so hard to know the right thing to do.

My immediate concern is this large open wound. It looks so terrible. They gave me a solution to clean it with once a day (the thought of which terrifies me) but it looks so raw, I hope she's not in pain. Did you have to deal with these tears? I don't even understand how this happens. My husband is questioning the vet's capabilities, but I don't know that it's their "fault".

Thanks for your kind words, I don't feel like the best caregiver right now. I feel like I let this happen under my watch. But either way, I have to plow forward. We are going to keep the insulin dose where it is right now, til we have further information. Thing is I really don't want to do the BG monitoring right now. Though Gem is pretty tolerant of all the poking and prodding, I don't see how I can hold her tight enough with this huge wound on her back. I think I will have to give that a rest for a bit.

Sorry for rambling, not too many people who will tolerate it IRL :)
 
I did not actually get to the stage of skin tears. It sounds like dealing with the skin wound is a priority right now for you. Now that you and your vet are both aware of how fragile the skin is, you are right to handle her very gently. Perhaps you should do the initial consultation with the specialist, and let them explain what they want to do in terms of testing or treatment, and also how the ultrasound result affects their thinking. Maybe the skin tearing alone will be considered diagnostic. I hope that the wound heals quickly, and that you are able to make some progress in finding out what is happening with Gem.
 
Actually, if you were a bad owner, you would not be here and posting about your Gem and asking for help, right?
I think that you are an amazing owner, and Gem is very lucky.

As Linda said, see about the specialist. Ask lots of questions from the vet and specialist. Get answers; write them down, and research what you get told.

Another cushings owner Cheryl and Whiskers mentioned she learned alot from Lisa n' Cole, so hope they will be able to help out as well.

ETA: to repost my links

I tested all 4 and I get to the sites OK
http://marvistavet.com/html/classifying_cushing_s.html
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/cushings/info.html
http://www.cat-lovers-only.com/cushings ... -cats.html
http://www.cat-health-guide.org/felinec ... sease.html
 
Gayle Shadoe & Oliver said:
Actually, if you were a bad owner, you would not be here and posting about your Gem and asking for help, right?
I think that you are an amazing owner, and Gem is very lucky.

As Linda said, see about the specialist. Ask lots of questions from the vet and specialist. Get answers; write them down, and research what you get told.

Another cushings owner Cheryl and Whiskers mentioned she learned alot from Lisa n' Cole, so hope they will be able to help out as well.

ETA: to repost my links

I tested all 4 and I get to the sites OK
http://marvistavet.com/html/classifying_cushing_s.html
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/cushings/info.html
http://www.cat-lovers-only.com/cushings ... -cats.html
http://www.cat-health-guide.org/felinec ... sease.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, trying to keep my head up. I am going to make an appt for Thursday as my vet thinks they will have the blood work back by then. And we'll take it from there.
Thanks for those links, I think I'd been to most of them in reading up on this over the past few months, but I will look through them again and see if anything new pops out on me.
 
Linda and Bear Man said:
I did not actually get to the stage of skin tears. It sounds like dealing with the skin wound is a priority right now for you. Now that you and your vet are both aware of how fragile the skin is, you are right to handle her very gently. Perhaps you should do the initial consultation with the specialist, and let them explain what they want to do in terms of testing or treatment, and also how the ultrasound result affects their thinking. Maybe the skin tearing alone will be considered diagnostic. I hope that the wound heals quickly, and that you are able to make some progress in finding out what is happening with Gem.
Click to expand...

Thanks Linda, I will take it day by day and see what the vet and specialist have to say.
 
Hi,

Although I don't have any info on Cushings, I would like to recommend a product for the skin wounds. It is called Vetericyn and it is for open wounds such as skin tears. I can tell you from experience that it is the most amazing product I have ever used. I used it on a chicken which was attacked by a dog and again on chickens who were cut by the spurs of a rooster. This next part is gory, just to forewarn anyone. One hen had a swatch of skin hanging off that was at least 4" x 4" and this stuff healed it over in less than a month. No oozing pus, no infection, no flies, no maggots, no smell. AMAZING. I thought the chicken would surely die. Nope, all of them healed completely and grew feathers back. You only need to spray it on 3 or 4 times per day.

The product is for all animals, not just farm animals. I bought it in a farm store 'cause that's where I first found it when the dog attack happened. You should now be able to find it in better pet stores, not necessarily Petsmart or Petco. It's at least $30 for 8 oz, but worth every penny and comes in a smaller bottle too but I only bought the 8oz. I have seen it in Pet Supplies Plus, which I think is a midwest company. Theirs had only a picture of a cat on the bottle, other bottles may have pictures of a cat, dog, horse and bird. It is a spray on and you would swear it's just water. Look it up online, Vetericyn.com Even if your precious kitty has Cushings, this stuff should help you help her with the open sores, but of course check with your vet first. They can lick it too, it won't hurt them.
 
Hi,

Sorry to hear about Gem's skin condition. I hope that the specialist will find some answers for you.

If you find the underlying condition is Cushing's and you can treat - you will get the skin condition under control.
My cat,Pedro, has Cushings and has been on trilostane for 2 years. Cushings' in cats is usually diagnosed (tested for) due to inability to regulate BG and also the body condition issues mentioned here by others. Pedro has been OTJ twice and never difficult to regulate so we are very fortunate.

He didn't get to the skin tear stage but went through about every test out there trying to figure out why his overall condition was slowly going down the tubes. Really poor coat, weight dropping, no muscle, pot belly, small sores that didn't heal or kept re-appearing. Finally my vet said he had exhausted all tests except for loooking at Cushings. Did the the LDDS which indicated Cushings -which surprized my vet - rare in cats... Next was an ultrasound that showed an adrenal tumor. So we considered surgery and decided we wanted to see an IM specialist. They did their own ultrasound (more powerful equip) and determined that it was pituitary dependant Cushings and not going to be a surgical fix. Love my regular vet - he has been really supportive with the diabetes but it showed me that sometimes the specialist is needed. (Of course the IM specialist doesn't believe in the home testing for diabetes so we don't even discuss that).
If we had chosen to not go to a specialist for the consult - the regular vet would have done the surgery.

In any case, after lots more bld work to be sure most things were in the "normal range" (esp. kidney) we started on Trilostane. It has really worked for him.
I hope that the speacialist will be able to help develop a plan for you and Gem. If there are any questions you have about Cushing's and/or Trilostane I would be happy to share my (Pedro's) experience with you.
 
Vicky & Gandalf (GA) said:
Hi,

Although I don't have any info on Cushings, I would like to recommend a product for the skin wounds. It is called Vetericyn and it is for open wounds such as skin tears. I can tell you from experience that it is the most amazing product I have ever used. I used it on a chicken which was attacked by a dog and again on chickens who were cut by the spurs of a rooster. This next part is gory, just to forewarn anyone. One hen had a swatch of skin hanging off that was at least 4" x 4" and this stuff healed it over in less than a month. No oozing pus, no infection, no flies, no maggots, no smell. AMAZING. I thought the chicken would surely die. Nope, all of them healed completely and grew feathers back. You only need to spray it on 3 or 4 times per day.

The product is for all animals, not just farm animals. I bought it in a farm store 'cause that's where I first found it when the dog attack happened. You should now be able to find it in better pet stores, not necessarily Petsmart or Petco. It's at least $30 for 8 oz, but worth every penny and comes in a smaller bottle too but I only bought the 8oz. I have seen it in Pet Supplies Plus, which I think is a midwest company. Theirs had only a picture of a cat on the bottle, other bottles may have pictures of a cat, dog, horse and bird. It is a spray on and you would swear it's just water. Look it up online, Vetericyn.com Even if your precious kitty has Cushings, this stuff should help you help her with the open sores, but of course check with your vet first. They can lick it too, it won't hurt them.
Click to expand...

Thanks Vicky
The vet gave me a solution to put on the wounds, I'm out and I can't remember the name of it now. I will ask about the one you mention though.
 
Amy and Pedro said:
Hi,

Sorry to hear about Gem's skin condition. I hope that the specialist will find some answers for you.

If you find the underlying condition is Cushing's and you can treat - you will get the skin condition under control.
My cat,Pedro, has Cushings and has been on trilostane for 2 years. Cushings' in cats is usually diagnosed (tested for) due to inability to regulate BG and also the body condition issues mentioned here by others. Pedro has been OTJ twice and never difficult to regulate so we are very fortunate.

He didn't get to the skin tear stage but went through about every test out there trying to figure out why his overall condition was slowly going down the tubes. Really poor coat, weight dropping, no muscle, pot belly, small sores that didn't heal or kept re-appearing. Finally my vet said he had exhausted all tests except for loooking at Cushings. Did the the LDDS which indicated Cushings -which surprized my vet - rare in cats... Next was an ultrasound that showed an adrenal tumor. So we considered surgery and decided we wanted to see an IM specialist. They did their own ultrasound (more powerful equip) and determined that it was pituitary dependant Cushings and not going to be a surgical fix. Love my regular vet - he has been really supportive with the diabetes but it showed me that sometimes the specialist is needed. (Of course the IM specialist doesn't believe in the home testing for diabetes so we don't even discuss that).
If we had chosen to not go to a specialist for the consult - the regular vet would have done the surgery.

In any case, after lots more bld work to be sure most things were in the "normal range" (esp. kidney) we started on Trilostane. It has really worked for him.
I hope that the speacialist will be able to help develop a plan for you and Gem. If there are any questions you have about Cushing's and/or Trilostane I would be happy to share my (Pedro's) experience with you.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for this info, it definitely helps.
The interesting thing is I have had Cushings on my mind since she started losing her fur - symmetrical, bilateral on her midsection down. I googled reasons for fur loss not from over-grooming and this came up. Though rare, Gem seemed to meet lots of the criteria. The vet sort of shrugged it off…I wish I'd pushed it more. But we've been so busy trying to get the diabetes under control, that's been the main focus. And of course diabetes and Cushings share many symptoms. Hopefully the specialist can get a definite diagnosis. Sorry, what is an IM specialist? I'm also wondering - Gem has had x-rays and ultrasounds of her abdomen…wouldn't they have seen a tumor? I know you don't have the answers, just musing here. I will have to wait and see what they say. I don't think surgery is a route we would take in Gem's case, she has so much stuff going on, but I will cross that bridge when and if I get there. I'm happy to hear that Pedro is doing well, I've read that the prognosis is not great.

I will post back after we see the specialist. Thanks again for your help.
 
Hi,

I'm sorry to here that you and Gem are going thru so much. When we first brought Witty home she had hair loss on each side of her belly. We switch from humilin N to lantus, started feeding a raw diet and her hair grew back. However even with the switch to lantus I was having trouble regulating her bg, she also developed the pot belly. We did not get to any significant open wounds (I know of people on the board who have used infant onsies to keep kitties from the open skin site), we did however have trouble checking the bg cause her skin was thin and poking the ear it would puncture all the way thru and bleed on the fury side of her ear and she would cry. I would get the bg test and wipe the blood away with a clean cloth and then apply an over the counter antibiotic to the sight on either side of the ear. We also went thru a lot of testing. Even tried an animal chiropractor. All to no avail. someone here suggested an internal medicine vet to try to get to the bottom of why she wasn't feeling well. They did an abdominal ultrasound and discovered adrenal tumor. Our vet did in acth stimulation test and diagnosed cushings. Witty was put on a low dose of trilostane and seemed to be doing well. We decided to switch to a compounded trilostane 3 weeks later and lost her a week after to complications of her diseases. I don't want to upset you and only mention that in hindsite we wish we would have stayed with the pharmacutical trilostane as opposed to the compounded (which was less expensive) should that be a route your vet may suggest if a diagnosis of cushings is made. I can say we had two more wonderful years with Miss Witty as a result of the support of FDMB and our caring vets. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers, and if there is anything I can do please do not hesitate to send me a pm.

Edit: as Linda indicated Trilostane may be strongly contraindicated with concurrent kidney and heart disease, so do work very closely with your vets (((hugs to you and Gem)))
 
Cheryl & Whiskers (GA) said:
Hi,

I'm sorry to here that you and Gem are going thru so much. When we first brought Witty home she had hair loss on each side of her belly. We switch from humilin N to lantus, started feeding a raw diet and her hair grew back. However even with the switch to lantus I was having trouble regulating her bg, she also developed the pot belly. We did not get to any significant open wounds (I know of people on the board who have used infant onsies to keep kitties from the open skin site), we did however have trouble checking the bg cause her skin was thin and poking the ear it would puncture all the way thru and bleed on the fury side of her ear and she would cry. I would get the bg test and wipe the blood away with a clean cloth and then apply an over the counter antibiotic to the sight on either side of the ear. We also went thru a lot of testing. Even tried an animal chiropractor. All to no avail. someone here suggested an internal medicine vet to try to get to the bottom of why she wasn't feeling well. They did an abdominal ultrasound and discovered adrenal tumor. Our vet did in acth stimulation test and diagnosed cushings. Witty was put on a low dose of trilostane and seemed to be doing well. We decided to switch to a compounded trilostane 3 weeks later and lost her a week after to complications of her diseases. I don't want to upset you and only mention that in hindsite we wish we would have stayed with the pharmacutical trilostane as opposed to the compounded (which was less expensive) should that be a route your vet may suggest if a diagnosis of cushings is made. I can say we had two more wonderful years with Miss Witty as a result of the support of FDMB and our caring vets. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers, and if there is anything I can do please do not hesitate to send me a pm.

Edit: as Linda indicated Trilostane may be strongly contraindicated with concurrent kidney and heart disease, so do work very closely with your vets (((hugs to you and Gem)))
Click to expand...

Thanks so much Cheryl, for the info and for your good wishes.

I guess we are lucky with the skin on 2 fronts - one is that Gem doesn't appear to be bothered by these wounds, she doesn't try to lick or paw at them, so that's one less thing to deal with! The other is that I've had no trouble with the ear pricks, other than the usual stuff!

I will definitely keep in mind your words about the medicine. But, I've a way to go before that because I don't even know if she really has Cushing's! At this point, I'm just hoping I can get some more solid information so we can make an informed decision about Gem's care.

Thanks again to you, and to everyone who's chimed in here and offered support. What a wonderful place this is!
 
I came across this website which has some easy to understand info about diagnosis and treatment. It is mostly about dogs, but there is a special section on cats at the bottom.

http://www.lbah.com/canine/cushings.htm

I am glad that Gem is not bothered by the wounds. If she did try to lick them you could try to cover them with a dog T shirt or even a baby T shirt.
 
Linda and Bear Man said:
I came across this website which has some easy to understand info about diagnosis and treatment. It is mostly about dogs, but there is a special section on cats at the bottom.

http://www.lbah.com/canine/cushings.htm

I am glad that Gem is not bothered by the wounds. If she did try to lick them you could try to cover them with a dog T shirt or even a baby T shirt.
Click to expand...

Thanks Linda, I will check it out.

I'm glad too! Dh asked "shouldn't it be covered up?" but the vet didn't say to, just treat it with this solution they gave me. It bothers us more than it bothers her, it is pretty nasty to look at :(
 
Hello!

I have read this thread of posts and know some of what you are going through as my cat Cole had Cushings and skin tears and open wounds were par for the course. It is heartbreaking to look and difficult to treat but there are some things you can do.

One of the easiest and cheapest is to put the little one in a tee shirt. You can get doggie shirts for a fairly low price and they cover the body wounds, help keep the medicine on and help keep it clean, plus it's cute! Cole hated his shirts but put up with it. I bought the softest shirts, with no decals or anything that may irritate his skin. Baby onesies are good although I found the neck opening too large for cats and he often walked right out of them which is why I went with dog tees. I also gave Cole a lot of supplements that are good for skin. I did this after consulting with the internist and I did take him to a Chinese medical vet for herbs, in fact they worked together ( the two vets) I live in San Francisco and have access to an awesome facility, as I am sure you do in NYC. We also addressed his diet and all these things helped.
When Cole's wounds were closing I would also keep him clean with baby wipes that are super gentle since he was in a shirt for 24/7. Again ask the vet you are working with to make sure they agree. It may have been unnecessary but he really enjoyed the grooming and attention.

Cole passed away in January of this year not from Cushings, he also had cancer. I do feel that all the care I gave him, from the goofy shirts to the supplements and diet helped him live a longer healthier life while dealing with a difficult disease.

About Trilostane. I believe this really helped him but it is a very powerful drug so working with my vet we slowly adjusted the amount. Cole's coat definitely improved but it never went back to that beautiful luxurious coat he once had so I do know it helped. It also help to regulate his diabetes so his numbers were not all over the place which was great. For meds he only had Trilostane and lantus plus the vitamins I gave him which were all manageable.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I may be easier to reach through private message as I don't monitor this board much.

Good luck! Sounds like you are doing a great job.

Lisa
 
Lisa n' Cole said:
Hello!

I have read this thread of posts and know some of what you are going through as my cat Cole had Cushings and skin tears and open wounds were par for the course. It is heartbreaking to look and difficult to treat but there are some things you can do.

One of the easiest and cheapest is to put the little one in a tee shirt. You can get doggie shirts for a fairly low price and they cover the body wounds, help keep the medicine on and help keep it clean, plus it's cute! Cole hated his shirts but put up with it. I bought the softest shirts, with no decals or anything that may irritate his skin. Baby onesies are good although I found the neck opening too large for cats and he often walked right out of them which is why I went with dog tees. I also gave Cole a lot of supplements that are good for skin. I did this after consulting with the internist and I did take him to a Chinese medical vet for herbs, in fact they worked together ( the two vets) I live in San Francisco and have access to an awesome facility, as I am sure you do in NYC. We also addressed his diet and all these things helped.
When Cole's wounds were closing I would also keep him clean with baby wipes that are super gentle since he was in a shirt for 24/7. Again ask the vet you are working with to make sure they agree. It may have been unnecessary but he really enjoyed the grooming and attention.

Cole passed away in January of this year not from Cushings, he also had cancer. I do feel that all the care I gave him, from the goofy shirts to the supplements and diet helped him live a longer healthier life while dealing with a difficult disease.

About Trilostane. I believe this really helped him but it is a very powerful drug so working with my vet we slowly adjusted the amount. Cole's coat definitely improved but it never went back to that beautiful luxurious coat he once had so I do know it helped. It also help to regulate his diabetes so his numbers were not all over the place which was great. For meds he only had Trilostane and lantus plus the vitamins I gave him which were all manageable.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I may be easier to reach through private message as I don't monitor this board much.

Good luck! Sounds like you are doing a great job.

Lisa
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Thanks Lisa, I am going to post an update in a new thread, but wanted to reply to you.
We started to give Gem some fish oil supplements to see if that helps with the coat, though she never had a beautiful shiny coat to begin with :) I am discussing the wound care further with the vet to see if it's better off being covered or uncovered.

Hopefully I will have more info by the end of the day today and we'll go from there.
 
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