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Two weeks ago, my 120-lb., 8-year-old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog suddenly developed episodes of panting. The first lasted about an hour, starting while we were on a walk; she continued panting while we were in the car and didn't stop until we got home (whereupon she took a nap). She has 2 to 3 a day now, though they're much shorter - just about five minutes or so. They don't necessarily develop after physical exertion; usually, they'll come on just while she's sitting down. They don't seem to dampen her desire for physical activity; she was panting a bit before arriving at the park for a walk yesterday, and she walked for about 45 minutes with no seeming impairment. Now, in the past year, my dog has been diagnosed with mild arthritis and had a spate of urinary tract infections. (Note: Cultures were done that identified bacteria; they weren't just urine leakage.) In connection with the infections, my dog was tested for Cushing's using a urinary cortisol-creatinine test; it came back negative. When I discussed the panting episodes with the vet, though, he suggested that this still might signal early Cushing's, since (as I'd been informed) the UCC test isn't failsafe. He didn't direct any immediate action but suggested I monitor the panting to see if it worsened. A second-opinion vet agreed with the possibility of early Cushing's but was leaning more toward the panting being a sign of arthritis pain. She suggested giving my dog Rimadyl on a regular basis instead of prn for her arthritis. I'm doing so, but the panting's still continuing. Now, I note that many of her symptoms/medical problems are consistent with Cushing's: the panting, the UTIs. She's always had a high alkaline phosphatase reading in bloodwork (around 200, 225), but it's creeped up to the 350 range over the past year. She also over the past summer/fall has been itching and getting hot spots before where she never got them/did previously. She's had an issue with idiopathic seizures and a bit of a recurring vomiting problem (vomits like once every three weeks), but those have predated this past year. (The seizures got more frequent this year, though - one episode about every month - which led to her being put on potassium bromide.) Like I said, she's not showing any other signs of discomfort but the panting. She's not coughing; she's eating & excreting regularly; she wants to walk and perform regular physical activity. Neither vet identified any oddities with heart/lungs on a regular exam. The panting isn't stopping, though. 1) Would anyone have any other ideas on what the panting could be? 2) Should I push to pursue the Cushing's route? My dog seems, to me, to have a number of symptoms that point to that, but I'm (obviously) not a vet, and while each vet I saw about this thinks it a background possibility, neither thinks it a pressing possibility, let's say. Meds my dog is on, for reference: - K-Bro Vet (for seizures), 750 mg 2x day - Proin, 25 mg 2x day (in brief: vet thinks that dog might be leaking urine minorly, creating an environment hospitable to UTIs; my house isn't really a place where urine leakage would go unnoticed, so I'm not sure I buy this theory, but we're trying Proin for now) - Rimadyl, 100 mg once a day Thanks for any assistance.
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Nov 15, 2015 02:04
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 20:41 |
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That UCC test your dog had is an extremely sensitive test, so it's highly unlikely that a dog with Cushing's would have a normal test. When was this test done? What tests have been done since the panting actually started? There are a whole lot of things that can cause panting other than Cushing's and pain.
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Nov 15, 2015 04:50
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A) A month ago, and b) none; if there had been, I would have mentioned them in the OP. Never mind; I'll ask elsewhere.
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Nov 16, 2015 21:25
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Don't close your thread, it makes your post come off as rude. Did you expect people to read your OP and immediately give you answers rather than asking follow-up questions?
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Nov 16, 2015 21:42
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In a large breed dog, sudden onset panting/discomfort would make me check for arrhythmias and cardiomegaly. I would do an ECG to check for atrial fibrillation or others, and a thoracic radiograph to check the size of the heart. I would also measure your dog's sleeping respiratory rate - how many breaths per minute while he is super asleep, not just resting. If their sleeping respiratory rate is higher than 30 then that would increase my suspicion or heart/pulmonary disease. Keep us updated.
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Dec 5, 2015 14:41
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I definitely agree with chest rads, and not to single you out or anything YourCreation but because it's a cardio pet peeve, I hope someone would've been able to auscult atrial fibrillation during one of that dog's numerous physical exams and not rely on ECG as a crutch. An indication for an ECG is if you auscult an arrhythmia.
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Dec 6, 2015 07:27
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Braki posted:I definitely agree with chest rads, and not to single you out or anything YourCreation but because it's a cardio pet peeve, I hope someone would've been able to auscult atrial fibrillation during one of that dog's numerous physical exams and not rely on ECG as a crutch. An indication for an ECG is if you auscult an arrhythmia. You hope too much 8) A classmate of mine was treating a DKA over the weekend. She told me it had been referred over to her clinic with bloodwork from a few weeks ago. The BG was 38 mmol/L, which is about 680 in American money. Totally ignored and treated for something else. YourCreation fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Dec 6, 2015 |
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Dec 6, 2015 17:43
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 20:41 |
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So what's the deal OP?
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Dec 27, 2015 18:14
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