Possible cushing’s disease :(

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Ana & Frosty (GA)

Ana & Frosty (GA)

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went to the emergency vet to discuss Frosty’s vomiting today. Just before we left the house, I noticed another one of his skin “ulcers” on his side, this time it was large and bleeding. He had them twice before - it’s basically a hole in his skin and you can see the muscle inside through it! We tried to straighten out the fur around it for a better look, and noticed the skin just pulling right off with the fur. The vet here said we should have him checked for Cushing’s. In retrospect I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. In addition to the skin issues, he also has muscle wasting all over except his big belly. And he’s constantly hungry. And obviously the diabetes thing.

I know we have a few acro cats, but does anyone have or ever had a cat with Cushings? According to dr. Google (what we call it when patients google their symptoms/illness), there’s really no treatment :( . Please, if anyone has any experience with this it would be greatly appreciated. They are gonna give him some medicine for nausea and I’m gonna take him home and monitor his sugar overnight. Will try to feed him a tablespoon of fancy feast here and there. I don’t want him to throw up again so I can’t leave food out, and he can’t regulate himself. :(
 
I’m so sorry Ana. :bighug:

There’s not a ton of info for Cushings cats unfortunately. There is only one member who had a Cushing’s cat with skin tears, but she is no longer here. There is another that had a Cushings cat as well. @Tuxedo Mom

So some of this may seem weird being in other languages, but it’s better than nothing.

Vetoryl is the drug of choice. Are there any vet schools near you? Cat speciality clinics? They might be better options/have more info and experience than a general vet practice.

Much of this information is in German, but some is English and there are English speakers there. Google translate should allow you to translate the entire site. Here is group you have to fill out a questionaire to join:

https://groups.io/g/cushinghundevital

And another informational website:

http://www.hundekatzenvital.de/Katzen/CushingbeiKatzen/tabid/411/Default.aspx

The cream that is recommended for the tears is not sold here, there is a version of it you can get on amazon, but the strength may be different, I am not sure. The recommended one is Rivanol ointment 2mg/g, this one is .1% I have heard of 2 cats that this has worked well on.

https://www.amazon.com/RIVANOL-ethacridine-lactate-cutaneous-solution/dp/B00OXWM3U6

Here’s info for 2mg/g version. I don’t know if you can get it from overseas or not:

https://www.apotheken-umschau.de/Medikamente/Beipackzettel/RIVANOL-Salbe-6185615.html

Here is another cream this is made in the USA, I’m not sure if ingredients are safe to cats, maybe investigate further if either of the first two don’t work out:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0763VN7L8/ref=sspa_dk_center_detail_aax_0?th=1
 
Thanks for the info, I kind of don’t want to read through this right now bc it’s late and I’m tired and upset.

As for options for vets, there’s 2 good IM vets in the area, but they are both an hour away and Frosty doesn’t do well in the car. There’s one more local vet’s office that claims it specializes in endocrine, their owner is an IM vet but he no longer sees patients, the other vets working there are regular vets but i guess they were trained by him or worked with him and see many endocrine issues. cushing’s IS on their list. I’m not sure if they mean for dogs or cats, or both? I’ll give them a calls This vet is also MUCH cheaper for a consultation than the one at the big animal speciality clinics where the IM vets are, I’ve talked to them in the past when I first got frosty and wanted to get a second opinion about his diabetes because my vet suggested taking him off lantus right away. I was hoping I could start with them and then see if I need to escalate his care to the specialty hospital.

There is also various vets in NYC, I’m sure i could even bring him to an endocrinologist, but I was hoping to start with the local vet who works with some endocrine patients because money is a big issue. I just paid $500 at the emergency vet. Would you advise against that?

The “tear” was so large (about a cm) that they shaved the area carefully and glued it shut, and started him on antibiotics. I’m hoping he can keep the food and medicine down. I still don’t know why he was throwing up, and since he got the full dose of insulin at dinner time I’m gonna be up all night checking his sugars.

I’m reallyabout this diagnosis bc it’s rare in cats, i read that they often recommend to remove the adrenals? That is way too much for an older cat. And then the medication afterwards are poorly tolerated?

I’m so upset, i was really hoping I could give frosty a couple of happy years. :(
 
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The treatment for Cushings depends what caused it. It can be caused by a benign pituitary tumour (similar but not the same as acromegaly), a tumour on the adrenal glands, or overuse of steroids. I've listed them in order of likelihood. First step is to figure out the cause of the Cushings as the treatments are all different. I think the first step is the ACTH test. You can just collect pee at home for that one.

Cushings in dogs is much more common. If it's a pituitary tumour, the gold standard treatment is surgical removal of the pituitary gland, called hypophysectomy. That is only done at Washington State University, though also Royal Veterinary College in London might be closer for you. They have the most experience in this. Same treatment is for acromegaly. The medical treatment Stacy mentioned is more common as a treatment.

The other recent Cushings kitty here was called Summer. You can search the Lantus forum for her posts.
 
Yes I know, a lot of questions still but if it’s a pituitary tumor, the medication above sounds like it’s palliative. How long is his life expectancy on it?

Washington state university is of course on the other side of the country too. I’m in NJ btw.
 
I hope you are able to find a good diagnosis and treatment for your kitteh. I don't have experience with Cushings. Healing vines for your sweet kitteh.:bighug::bighug:
 
Sorry to hear that your Frosty may have Cushing's. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: I personally believe it is much more common with kitties than the literature suggests and is often under-diagnosed because most vets believe it is so rare.

The easiest, least invasive test is the UCCR (Urine cortisol creatinine ratio) This involves collecting a sample of urine at home...so there is no stress involved...and having your vet send it to an outside lab such as IDEXX. If the test is negative then no more testing is needed. If positive or borderline then more tests are needed to determine the type..pituitary or adrenal. An ultrasound is also useful. With PDH (pituitary) the pancreas, liver and both adrenals are enlarged. With ADH (adrenal) there is usually only enlargement of one adrenal and there is usually signs of irregularity suggesting a tumour. The best treatment for ADH is removal of one or both adrenals and supplementation with daily cortisol. With PDH vetoryl, also known as trilostane can be used. When using this drug regular bloodwork is necessary to get the dose correct. Over dosage can lead to Addison's, which is too low of levels of cortisol and can be deadly.

My Tuxie had PDH and lived almost 2 1/2 years without treatment. He had chronic pancreatitis, which is commo with FD kitties and especially with Cushing's kitties. Because he stresses so bad with vet visits and then would often initiate a pancreatic flare, I chose not to use the meds, since it would require numerous visits for retesting on a regular basis. He only had minor skin tears and passed from suspected cancer before the Cushing's reached the serious skin tearing point. There was another member on here a few years back that used the vetoryl and it seemed to be helping somewhat. Unfortunately her kitty went into a serious hypo and had to be PTS.

I can only speak from my own experiences, but Cushing's will shorten life expectancy, but you can get some good quality time. Sending prayers and ((HUGS)) for you and lots of scritches for your Frosty.


ETA The other gal, whose Zoey had bad skin tears used a modified baby onsie to cover the areas where the skin was tearing.


ETA. This article has a lot of good information on feline Cushings...starting at page 331 http://www.academia.edu/9267158/Hyp...radrenocorticism_and_Feline_Diabetes_Mellitus
 
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Thank you everyone. I’m bringing him to the vet clinic who has different specialities to be seen by an IM doc on Saturday. I’ll post updates once we are seen.

I would do meds if he does indeed have it but I wouldn’t put him through surgery or anything like that. If need be I’ll take a day off from work if the woekup needs to be done on a week day (ultrasound, etc) but no mri or anything that would involve anesthesia.

Last night was rough waking up every few hours. I’m on medication myself for autoimmune stuff that makes me very very sleepy and I forgot to take it before going to the ED, so had to double up this morning and I’m just in a total fog. I know it will probably shorten his lifespan and it breaks my heart. I knew t would be a possibility when I first got him since we knew nothing about him, but I was hoping he would have at least 5 years or so. , I just hope I did the right thing by taking him in. I don’t want him to suffer.

He tolerated 1/4 can of FF at a time Overnight for a total of 1 whole can by 5 am. BG held up in the 200s and this morning he wAs low 300. I gave him only 1 can this am split in 2 15 mins apart which he tolerated as far as i know, and only gave him 2 units of insulin bc he didn’t get his usual amount. I don’t know what could have caused the vomiting. They gave him antiemetic shot at the vet and I gave him hair ball medicine yesterday and this morning. The lower insulin dose makes me feel better in case he vomits while I’m at work, I don’t want him to go too low.

Thanks everyone again for the good info and resources.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Sorry to hear that your Frosty may have Cushing's. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: I personally believe it is much more common with kitties than the literature suggests and is often under-diagnosed because most vets believe it is so rare.

The easiest, least invasive test is the UCCR (Urine cortisol creatinine ratio) This involves collecting a sample of urine at home...so there is no stress involved...and having your vet send it to an outside lab such as IDEXX. If the test is negative then no more testing is needed. If positive or borderline then more tests are needed to determine the type..pituitary or adrenal. An ultrasound is also useful. With PDH (pituitary) the pancreas, liver and both adrenals are enlarged. With ADH (adrenal) there is usually only enlargement of one adrenal and there is usually signs of irregularity suggesting a tumour. The best treatment for ADH is removal of one or both adrenals and supplementation with daily cortisol. With PDH vetoryl, also known as trilostane can be used. When using this drug regular bloodwork is necessary to get the dose correct. Over dosage can lead to Addison's, which is too low of levels of cortisol and can be deadly.

My Tuxie had PDH and lived almost 2 1/2 years without treatment. He had chronic pancreatitis, which is commo with FD kitties and especially with Cushing's kitties. Because he stresses so bad with vet visits and then would often initiate a pancreatic flare, I chose not to use the meds, since it would require numerous visits for retesting on a regular basis. He only had minor skin tears and passed from suspected cancer before the Cushing's reached the serious skin tearing point. There was another member on here a few years back that used the vetoryl and it seemed to be helping somewhat. Unfortunately her kitty went into a serious hypo and had to be PTS.

I can only speak from my own experiences, but Cushing's will shorten life expectancy, but you can get some good quality time. Sending prayers and ((HUGS)) for you and lots of scritches for your Frosty.


ETA The other gal, whose Zoey had bad skin tears used a modified baby onsie to cover the areas where the skin was tearing.


ETA. This article has a lot of good information on feline Cushings...starting at page 331 http://www.academia.edu/9267158/Hyp...radrenocorticism_and_Feline_Diabetes_Mellitus
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Thank you so much for your reply. I was searching for Cushing’s in the forum, and kept coming across your name. I am really interested to hear more about your cat.

Thank you for the link to that textbook. I finally read it today, it was definitely really overwhelming on the first day when the possibility even came up. It’s obvious because of the skin issues Frosty’s condition is pretty serious. After reading more about it, I am kind of hoping that maybe it’s his ONE adrenal gland that’s the problem and can be taken out. I fully realize that’s a very unlikely scenario, and he would need meds anyway prior to any surgery because right now ofhe wouldn’t heal anyway. But I’m convinced that he does have the disease because he literally has every sign. I’m kind of annoyed that despite him seeing our regular vet multiple times and me expressing concerns about his strange appearance, coat, wounds, and ravenous hunger, it took an emergency vet to finally suggest this diagnosis. I think I’m switching vets for my other cats after this. I realize this is very rare, but as an experienced cat owner AND a medical professional myself, I just had a feeling something was off. I couldn’t put my finger on it (obviously humans present differently) but I just knew something else was going on.

Could you tell me more about what happened to the other Cushing’s kitty? Why did she become hypo? Was she still on insulin? That is really scary since I’m out of the house for work 12 hours a day 5 days a week.

I hope there is some kind of a solution for Frosty. I feel like he’s still too lively to give up on him. I know we haven’t had him long, but we love him so much. He’s so social with us and our guests and our dog. My other cats hate the dog and pretty much everyone but me lol, but this one loves the dog. Although with the cone of shame and the t shirt he has to wear right now he’s been a little depressed. Sleeping more and not as eager about the food (he’s still eating, but he takes his time. When I left today he still had half his bowl full ... that is not like him at all. But he is still eating and drinking, using the litter box. and was even meowing this morning for us to get up and feed him. I’m hoping it’s all the armour and not something else. I did take his cone off last night and this morning while i was supervising him, and he groomed a little (just his paws and face, which aren’t prone to the tears).

His blood work was fine except for the fructosamine of 1200... which I suppose is expected given how poorly his sugar has been controlled over the last 2 months. we are finally getting some control over the sugars now, and I even decreased his dose after his 78 nadir last week, but suddenly diabetes is the least of our worries...

Any information is greatly appreciated! I also ordered him a special cat onesie from a website I found. There were 2 reviews saying it helped the cats with overgrooming. Hopefully it will help him so I can take off his cone.

Ana
 
The one Cushing kitty that became hypo had just started Vetoryl. It started working right away and she was on a higher dose so the depot became a problem. :(
 
Feline Cushing's unfortunately is not well documented in studies since it was designated as 'rare" in kitties, but not too uncommon in dogs. There are three 'types' of Cushing's. One can develop from on-going use of steroids, one is from tumours on the pituitary gland (PDH) and one is from tumours on the adrenal gland(s) (ADH). A while back acromegaly was considered rare in kitties and now more recent studies have shown that as many as 25 % of diabetic kitties may have acro. Both Acro and Cushing's cause the endocrine system to malfunction in different ways. The endocrine system is SO VERY complex and affects so many different organs within the body. Why is such a big question...whether it is genetics, environmental factors or unknown reasons.


My Tuxie was such a lively happy, loving kitty, fed a good quality home made food for years and there was no real warning when he went south. The usual FD signs started showing...peeing more, drinking more and a "rounded" belly. When I had full blood work done it was obvious that he was diabetic, but he never lost weight which is very common with FD kitties. His belly got to the point that he looked like he was pregnant and he had hair loss over his whole body. I had the UCCR test done..because I insisted on it, but it was borderline. I next did the ultrasound test which showed the organomegaly (liver, pancreas, adrenals) but my vet still wouldn't push for Cushing's. I had the LDDS and HDDS test done and another U/S which all pointed to Cushing's. Finally my vet was on board with an early Cushing's diagnosis. As I said in my other post I chose not to do the vetoryl (trilostane) testing because the stress from repeated testing would have caused very negative reactions with my boy.

The other member I mentioned earlier used the vetoryl (trilostane) for her Zoey and it greatly improved the glucoes levels and overall energy, My own personal opinion is...as I mentioned earlier about constant testing when using this drug...that Zoey went in an Addison's crisis which caused the body cortisol top drop to critical levels. Addison's would be comparable to a severe hypo...it doesn't take long to become critical. High glucose can damage the organs over time...high cortisol can do the same. Extreme low levels of glucose or cortisol can create an emergency situation.

I loved (LOVE) my Tuxie and I weighed out all the best choices for what was right for him. As I said earlier he lived almost 2 1/2 years after my suspicions of Cushing's and his passing was due to suspected cancer...whether that was related to the Cushing's or just a part of it I really don't know. From what I have been able to read/understand...a Cushing's kitty suffers from FD BECAUSE of the Cushing's. There are treatments available, but my own research had shown that the surgical procedures have a high risk factor.

If I can possibly help or give more information PLEASE ask and I will try to help as much as I can. :bighug::bighug:
 
Ana and Frosty said:
Garden state vet or red bank? We are going to garden state on sat, they took good care of my other cat who may have had a spinal stroke (they talked me out of an expensive MRI, twice. 1.5 years later she’s doing fine with small deficits). What did your cat have? How did he do?
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Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. They have the latest machine for SRT, Bronx (acromegaly) was put on it the first day it went into service last May (5 treatments in 5 days). He went from 37u of juice to 11u currently. Doing pretty good considering I didn't catch the Acro symptoms right away :(

"RBVH in Tinton Falls is one of the only practices in the region to offer the Varian Trilogy® linear accelerator, and one of just a few in the U.S. set up specifically for veterinary use. This advanced technology allows us to deliver higher doses of stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) with remarkable accuracy, reducing the number of sessions required for treatment and anesthesia, and virtually eliminating all side effects. Our technology brings new hope to cancer treatment."

https://www.rbvh.net/medical-services/oncology.html

Dr Lewis learned from the best in the US (at that time) at CSU: https://www.rbvh.net/staff/staff.html/s/44
 
Bronx's dad said:
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. They have the latest machine for SRT, Bronx (acromegaly) was put on it the first day it went into service last May (5 treatments in 5 days). He went from 37u of juice to 11u currently. Doing pretty good considering I didn't catch the Acro symptoms right away :(

"RBVH in Tinton Falls is one of the only practices in the region to offer the Varian Trilogy® linear accelerator, and one of just a few in the U.S. set up specifically for veterinary use. This advanced technology allows us to deliver higher doses of stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) with remarkable accuracy, reducing the number of sessions required for treatment and anesthesia, and virtually eliminating all side effects. Our technology brings new hope to cancer treatment."

https://www.rbvh.net/medical-services/oncology.html

Dr Lewis learned from the best in the US (at that time) at CSU: https://www.rbvh.net/staff/staff.html/s/44
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Cool, thanks. I’m not sure that RT is a good option for treatment from what I’ve read. It’s surgery or medication, and the only place that does brain surgery on the cats for this is Washington state university. They published only 7 cases and 2 of the cats didn’t make it. Unfortunately it’s different from acromegaly. Thanks for the info though, glad your baby is doing well. Where in NJ are you? I’m in union county. I work right by red bank and Tinton Falls though. Too bad I can’t bring him to work with me so we could go after.
 
Bronx's dad said:
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. They have the latest machine for SRT, Bronx (acromegaly) was put on it the first day it went into service last May (5 treatments in 5 days). He went from 37u of juice to 11u currently. Doing pretty good considering I didn't catch the Acro symptoms right away :(

"RBVH in Tinton Falls is one of the only practices in the region to offer the Varian Trilogy® linear accelerator, and one of just a few in the U.S. set up specifically for veterinary use. This advanced technology allows us to deliver higher doses of stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) with remarkable accuracy, reducing the number of sessions required for treatment and anesthesia, and virtually eliminating all side effects. Our technology brings new hope to cancer treatment."

https://www.rbvh.net/medical-services/oncology.html

Dr Lewis learned from the best in the US (at that time) at CSU: https://www.rbvh.net/staff/staff.html/s/44
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And it’s not on you to catch the symptoms so don’t worry. I’m a PA and I didn’t think of Cushing’s at all... although of course humans don’t present with skin tears. In retrospect it’s so obvious that I’m mad at myself too, but from the articles I’ve read and case reports from people with cushing’s cats, even vets struggle to diagnose this. I’m lucky the ER doctor was so knowledgeable. Of course we don’t have the official diagnosis yet but I’m convinced it is because the symptoms match so well. He’s doing a little better today, more energetically asking for food this morning, but still not back to his old self. I think taking off the cone helped a little.

I can’t wait until Saturday to finally have the specialist look at him. Bye bye money though lol.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
The one Cushing kitty that became hypo had just started Vetoryl. It started working right away and she was on a higher dose so the depot became a problem. :(
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That is so sad. For some reason I can’t handle reading or thinking about kitties dying. I know it’s crazy considering I work with sick people for a living. But it’s just different in my mind. You just can’t comfort a kitty the same way you can comfort a person with words or by just being there. And they’re just so innocent... was this a long time ago? I read that at first since it’s a drug for dogs they started with a higher dose (same a dog dozing) and many cats had episodes of hypoglycemia and basically Addison’s. So now they dose them differently, much lower. Of course every cat is gonna react differently, especially if they are taking a high insulin dose. I can just take frosty off insulin or decrease him to 1 or 0.5 if he has it and starts on the meds. Ugh. This really sucks.

I really never wanted to know all these things about veterinary medicine. :(
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
I loved (LOVE) my Tuxie and I weighed out all the best choices for what was right for him. As I said earlier he lived almost 2 1/2 years after my suspicions of Cushing's and his passing was due to suspected cancer...whether that was related to the Cushing's or just a part of it I really don't know. From what I have been able to read/understand...a Cushing's kitty suffers from FD BECAUSE of the Cushing's. There are treatments available, but my own research had shown that the surgical procedures have a high risk factor.

If I can possibly help or give more information PLEASE ask and I will try to help as much as I can. :bighug::bighug:
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Oh absolutely! You did the right thing. Surgery is definitely scary given the lack of experience and also how small the cats are.(I did pediatric cardiac surgery for 6 months... it sucked). I would consider not treating as well if not for the skin tears. I’ve read case reports by owners of the wounds becoming so severe that the cats has to be put down and it was too late for treatment. I am definitely considering the medical treatment, unless like I said let’s say he’s lucky and just has 1 adrenal that’s the problem. But even then he’s gonna need meds to reverse the cortisol effects on wound healing before any type of surgery. But my guess is it’s not happening.

I hate endocrine. Just as muc as I hate oncology. That’s why I work in general surgery.

How often is the blood work on this medication? Our IM specialist is an hour away, and Frosty like most cats doesn’t like the car. It’s not so bad that we couldn’t do it, but I do believe it would decrease his life quality (as well as mine. Not sure who stresses more lol). I wonder if there’s a way for a regular vet to check levels once the med is started, or does it have to be done at the specialists clinic? Or Can I draw it myself? Lol I will lose my mind driving him back and forth all the time. But Frosty was more energetic today which to me is a sign that we have to treat him if treatment is available. I can’t let him suffer with the wounds and I can’t put him down. He’s also estimated to be much younger than some of the other cats affected, only 8-10 years old. I guess he could be older, but i wanted to give him a couple more happy yearsz Ugh. This is so stressful. Is it Saturday yet??

Thanks again for all of your help. I will definitely be in touch with more questions, but I guess the real questions are to the vet right now. :(
 
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Bronx's dad said:
Bergen Co. It was only an hour or so away and I left Bronx there for the week since I had to be away for work. Was good not to worry about a pet sitter and timed it that way, but so stressful being away from him while he went thru 5 days of radiation
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Wow, I can only imagine. I grew up in Bergen country, best place to live (but expensive). I’m in Union county now, but work down the shore. I really need to move down here, esp if Frosty is gonna need frequent visits to the animal hospital. Maybe this will give us the incentive we need to finally sell our house lol.
 
Ana and Frosty said:
How often is the blood work on this medication?
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When using the vetoryl (trilostane) you need to do ACTH stimulation testing which has to be done at the vet's office. A regular vet should be familiar with the ACTH stimulation testing as it is used on a regular basis for dogs on trilostane. The following link has a chart for test protocols, but it is for canines.


http://www.idexx.nl/pdf/en_ie/smallanimal/snap/cortisol/trilostane-dosing-monitoring.pdf

And this is the protocol for ACTH testing...again for dogs:

https://endocrinevet.blogspot.ca/2013/11/protocol-for-acth-stimulation-testing.html

This link has some case histories of kitties on trilostane...long read but good information:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2004.tb00156.x

I really can't say how often the ACTH testing needs to be done, but I would venture a guess that at least once a week for the first few weeks and then revised depending on how the response is. The main thing is to avoid a kitty going into an Addison's crisis which is a serious emergency.

The following article gives some more insight into testing requirements with kitties. The biggest problem is that there is spotty ...at best... research on Cushing's in felines . Trilostane is used very commonly in dogs and has good results, but kitties systems are not the same as a dog's system so good monitoring is necessary, especially when first starting to use this drug. I don't believe there is a hard and fast protocol for how often to monitor kitties.

From the article:

"We don't really know how exactly to monitor trilostane treatment in cats, but it does appear to be the medical treatment of choice for cats with hyperadrenocorticism (4,5). in general I do it the same way as we do in dogs. So in 2 weeks, I'd do the first recheck, getting a carefully history and performing a good physical examination. Additional rechecks should be done in 1 month and then every 3 months while on treatment with the drug."

https://endocrinevet.blogspot.ca/2011/07/q-trilostane-treatment-of-cat-with.html
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
This link has some case histories of kitties on trilostane...long read but good information:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2004.tb00156.x
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I can't believe that in 14 years they haven't done any further research! This article is 2004. surprising. I am SO HOPEFULL that the IM vet has at least SOME experience with cats with Cushing's... at least like 1 or 2, who underwent some sort of treatment.

In the protocols it looks like they follow the dog 2 weeks later and then monthly. That's better than every week. I don't know how I would do that, unless I go every Saturday. But I imagine that will get expensive and also stressful for the cat :( . I can at least monitor his sugars while at home, and if they start to go low I can alert the vet.

I really appreciate you guys doing all the research for me, by the way. I read the textbook chapter that @Tuxedo Mom posted, and I'm gonna try to print the above article. It really helps not to have to search for information and just read and soak it all in.

On the brighter note, Frosty is back to his old self! Very vocal and ravenous with food. His wound looks OK, it seems the shirt is protecting it enough without the cone. He may have had a small emesis yesterday that we found, but no way to tell for sure which cat it came from. I have been switching my other cats to wet food...so I no longer know who what comes from.

His sugars have for some reason hung out in the 300s lately. He didn't get his full dose of insulin a couple of times because of the vomiting and decreased appetite, so maybe that's why. At least it's not 400 and no blacks for the last few days. We are accepting any small victories at this point.

Just 1 more work day until the vet visit. My bf will be working but thankfully one of my best friends is coming with me. She's not a huge cat lady, but when she was pregnant with her son 3 years ago, her 1 or 2 year old cat suddenly started having seizures and was found to be severely anemic. Long story short, the poor girl (while 8 months pregnant) did the million dollar workup on her cat which included a bone marrow biopsy... @Bronx's dad she actually saw an IM doc in the Red Bank hospital in Tinton Falls... anyway, $6,000 later, the cat was found to have something similar to leukemia, but she responded to treatment and is doing great 3 years later! So.. I figured if anyone can understand what I'm going through, it's her. I also hope Frosty's workup will not be $6000 :arghh:

Again, thanks everyone.
 
Ana and Frosty said:
His wound looks OK, it seems the shirt is protecting it enough without the cone.
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I'm glad to hear Frosty's wound is healing. The cat shirts are really helpful. Little Dude hated it, but we had shirts on him in mid-2017 after a neighbor cat attacked him. His wound festered, and he wouldn't leave the staples and stitches alone.

I suspect that most medical and veterinary research is focused on higher probability medical issues that the industry can make money off of. Yes, we benefit in the long run from making cats healthier. But the edge cases like Cushings probably don't get properly funded for research because there is no reward in it to the industry.

I also hope Frosty's workup is not $6k. Glad to hear your friend's kitteh is doing well after 3 years.
 

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JeffJ said:
I'm glad to hear Frosty's wound is healing. The cat shirts are really helpful. Little Dude hated it, but we had shirts on him in mid-2017 after a neighbor cat attacked him. His wound festered, and he wouldn't leave the staples and stitches alone.

I suspect that most medical and veterinary research is focused on higher probability medical issues that the industry can make money off of. Yes, we benefit in the long run from making cats healthier. But the edge cases like Cushings probably don't get properly funded for research because there is no reward in it to the industry.

I also hope Frosty's workup is not $6k. Glad to hear your friend's kitteh is doing well after 3 years.
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OMG he is ADORABLE! Yes, the story of Kitty (her unofficial name) is definitely a happy one. Her IM vet even calls her her “miracle kitty.”

If this weekend’s vet visit goes well, I’ll take some pictures of Frosty in his stylish t shirt and post them on my IG Page. He does look adorable. I did order this ($25) cat onesie for him as well. Should be arriving Saturday. Big day for us! :nailbiting:
 
I really hope Frosty can get better. He just landed his best home ever with you guys. So now I hope it lasts him 5 or 8 more years.

Thanks about LD. Yes, he is so sweet. Summary story:
- total "no-touch" neighborhood stray in 2016
- I spent 2 months getting him tamed, then he became a lovebug
- Now if you walk up to the couch he instantly starts purring

All he needed was someone to love him. Just like Frosty. Leo absolutely loves Little Dude.
 

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Good luck with the vet visit. I hope you start getting answers and a direction for treatment.

I read one paper somewhere that said there were something like three known cases of kitty Cushings. What a joke! The seven year old list here names eight. Neko's acupuncture vet thought she was the first acro she's seen, but she already had experience with a Cushings cat.

Definitely want to see pictures with the onesies. :)

Mary Ann is a great resource.
 
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