Woody Warne / Cushings

Steve Warne writes:

We were worried about Woody as he has started peeing in the house, is hungry all the time and has other symptoms so we took him to the vet for a blood test and the initial results point to him having Cushings :(. Back to vets on Monday for further blood and pee tests and an ultrasound of his liver.

As you can imagine we are devastated especially as we had four years of nursing Archie through this horrible condition..

Vetoryl is still only available from a single source so the price is still very high.

Are you aware of this being a particular problem for Welsh Terriers or have we just been unlucky? Archie had a lot of Alokin genes but Woody being Penparc is more Saredon.

Woody is 14 years old. He is the most wonderful dog and it's very hard to believe this is happening again.

Obviously Woody is the most important thing and we will pay whatever it takes but the costs are going to be high. Vetoryl is still an expensive drug (£30-£100 a month depending on dose) and £100 blood tests every three months. I'm pretty convinced that Cushings has, as it can, given him diabetes (cataracts and the excessive peeing point to this) which may possibly mean daily injections as well. He also needs to have a couple of back teeth out so that won't come cheap and extra worry with him having the anaesthetic at his age.

Our previous dog Archie must have been one of the first to have Vetoryl as he started on it in 2006 and it wasn't approved in the USA until 2009. It was a major improvement compared to other treatments and Archie soldiered on for another four years which was remarkable. Just read a piece where someone said that their dog was diagnosed with Cushings at 12 years old and taking Vetoryl is now 18.5 years old, extraordinary!

Best Wishes

Steve

Editors Note:

My previous dog Jack, also had Cushings. I remember Steve and I used to compare notes. My Jack also took Vetoryl and went on for another nearly four years. Steve took on Woody as a rescue dog and was delighted with him. My heart goes out to him to have to deal with this illness yet again. I really think he's been very unlucky indeed. I'm sure you would all like to join me in sending Steve and Woody all our love and best wishes and just to let him know we're all here for him.

Sue Webster writes:

Steve, sorry to hear Woody has Cushings and Diabetes. We have never had a dog with Cushings but we had a Wire Fox Terrier with Diabetes. They will wee, but as soon as you start them on the insulin injections, it should clear up the weeing straight away You can have an operation for Cushings depending on what type it is but with Woody being 14 years old, medication would be a better option.

We have been very lucky with all our Welsh, health wise, but I know there are a few problems in the breed.

Sue

Judith Berg writes:

We are really sorry to hear about Woody Warne and our hearts go out to al the family. To have two dogs develop the same condition is really bad luck but we know Woody will get the best treatment and care.

Judith

Paula Pearce writes:

Teddy has been recently diagnosed with Cushings and is on Vetoryl. He is doing really well but the blood tests cost us £350 each time plus £130 every two months for tablets. At the moment he is on three monthly bloods and 10mg twice a day.

Please pass on my best wishes to Steve and if he wants to contact me , please give him my e-mail address.

Paula

Steve replies:

I would like to thank all those who have commented and/or sent Woody good wishes. So sorry to hear that Teddy has Cushings. Our WT's are tough and stubborn little numbers which certainly helps them keep going so hopefully Teddy will match or exceed our Archie's four year survival with Cushings (from 10-14).

On a happier note, here is a photo of Margaret and Archie waiting for a piece of chicken to come their way.