A Holistic Approach to Cushing’s Disease

Hi Dr. Angie,
Thank you so much for all of the info regarding holistic treatments for Cushing’s Disease! My 8yo boxer was diagnosed this week and I decided to take the holistic approach so your article has been very helpful! 🙂 I’ve ordered Raw Ground Turkey, Farm Fresh Grass Fed Raw Goat Milk Kefir for probiotics, and beef broth for hydration to switch him off of kibble. I’ve also ordered the si miao san to add to his food. Is there anything else I’m missing or that you would suggest? Also, do you have any additional info on Farm Fresh Grass Fed Raw Goat Milk Kefir and beef broth when it comes to cushing’s disease?

Thanks so much for your time.
Kind Regards,
Brittany

My 12 year old Chi-Rat, Jack, was diagnosed with Pituitary type Cushing’s in February 2021.
We started him on Vetoryl & then added Selegeline as there was not any improvement.
I had to switch vets due to pandemic, so new vet took Jack off Selegeline immediately, then we retested ACTH stim test. This showed that his adrenals are no longer producing cortisol AT ALL! So recommended to take him off Vetoryl for a few weeks and start back at a lower dosage and then do another ACTH stim test.
Well, I’ve kept him off Vetoryl for a month now and frankly he seems to be a happier dog. His only Cushing’s symptoms are pot belly, panting , some back leg muscle atrophy & anxiety (that last may or may not be Cushing’s related as it is not as common a symptom). His symptoms listed do not seem any worse, and in fact his panting & anxiety seem to be LESS with no meds.
I cannot afford another ACTH stim test right now, so I’m leaning towards just leaving him be for awhile and if any symptoms worsen, or new ones crop up, to do another ACTH stim test at that time.
I do give him daily supplements: Milk Thistle for liver support and an Adrenal Balance tincture (licorice, ashwagandha, rhodiola rosea, passionflower, ginseng, and Schisandra). He eats a Natural Balance “Fat Dog” wet & dry food per his vet’s recommendation due to his last lab work.
I guess I’m just looking for reassurance that I’m not hurting him keeping him off prescription medication. His life-span should be another 3 years minimum and I want him to feel as good as possible.

Hello. I have a dog with Cushing’s Disease who is receiving Vetoryl (Trilostane) to surpress his cortisol.

What I am wondering is, when you write “I have seen many cases of Cushing’s Disease disappear with diet alone.” are you talking about the symptoms visible to us? Or do you mean that the liver values, that are often elevated for cushing’s patients, have gone down when tested? Or do you mean that they even “pass” the ACTH-stimulation-test and remain with a normal level of cortisol?

I would love to manage my dog naturally as much as possible, but not at the expense of having his liver take any more damage.
At the same time, Trilostane can cause further damage to the liver so it is a bit of a double edged sword.

Dear Dr. Angie,
Can you please clarify: The Supplement mention: Culturelle, is that the one we humans take?
Our 8 year old Yorkie-Poodle is heading down the path of Cushings, with all the signs & symptoms.
We are scheduled for one more Blood Test later this week. How much Culturelle would be safe to give a Yorkie-Poodle weighing 16lbs (he’s more poodle).
Thank you kindly.

Hi! My mom has a beagle named Henry who she rescued from a litter. He was considered the “runt” and they thought he was blind. She took him as a pup and loves him so much. He has cleft palate but can see perfectly. The joke has always been that sweet Henry was a chubby boy but my mom would always insist she feeds him properly. Turns out he has Cushings. I don’t know what to tell her to do but I want to help her (and Henry) so badly it hurts. Where could I get the best information to present to her? I apologize if all of this is already laid out in the above comments. Also does CBD help?

Hello!
My Shih Tzu was diagnosed with Cushings and for a year has been doing well on Vetoryl. Recently she has been getting drinks again during the night like she was when first diagnosed. Is she developing immunity? Other ideas for treating?
Thank You!

My dog was just diagnosed with pituitary Cushing’s. I am heart broken. Though I can afford the medicine, I can’t afford the tests and their frequency. I am at a loss. He’s all I have and I can’t help him.

We’ve had issues with our lab since we got him at age 4. Constant skin infection, hes overweight, lazy as heck (unless there’s a tennis ball in the area) that has only gotten much worse as hes gotten older. Currently almost 8. We’ve spent over 15k in vet bills, meds, testing, shampoos, topical and special foods. We’ve been told it’s allergies and that’s it. Even went to a dermatologist. Nothing helped other than some immunotherapy for staph. Recently, due to him being put on cyclosporine, we had blood work done. Tests with weird liver numbers made the vet suggest, with everything else, he may ha e Cushings. Once I read about it, we check almost every single box. We can’t currently afford the testing required he takes Trilostane. We will try herbal remedies first and I will make him food to ensure we know exactly what hes eating. Any suggestion for a supplement to ensure he gets the nutrients he needs? Hes currently about 130 pounds. :/

Hi there! My 12 year old Boston terrier has pretty officially been diagnosed with Cushings. His cortisol count in his blood testing came out with no drops in the three draws they did, but with the ultrasound the6 decided it was enough to diagnose him. He is on Vetoryl as of today, I’m curious if any herbal supplements are not good to take with Vetoryl from what you have seen? Are they benefiting him with Vetoryl and the supplements or shou,d we focus on one or the other? Thanks!

My dog has cushings and diabetes. She is 11 years old. She has been on Trilostane and Vetsulin for 6-7 weeks. Her ACTH stim test shows normal ranges. Her glucose is still high 300+. Low carb diet, lots of chicken. She is losing muscle still has panting spells, drinks and pees more than normal but better. I’m heartbroken. She was a wonderful dog and I want her to be comfortable. Not sure I am helping much however. Suggestions? Also using Adrenal Balance for the last week. Not really seeing a difference. She is starving all the time. Eats well.

My dog has lost weight over the last year. His skin is dry & scaly. He eats well but sometimes drinks a lot. He was on anabiotic’s for a while for skin infection and it seem to help a little bit but he has lost weight & list patches of fur. He doesn’t itch or scratch he did have a hotspot for a while that was really bad but that healed. So I’m wondering if it’s Cushing’s and I don’t want to put him on any more prescription medication

Our 8-3/4 year old dog Penny was diagnosed with Cushing’s a little over a year and a half ago. We have been giving her Trilostane which seemed to get everything under control. I actually suspected Cushing’s was her issue but we didn’t do the blood tests for a couple of months. First we ruled out diabetes. We give her a diet consisting of either a turkey, pork, chicken thigh meatloaf (before we did mostly chicken breast) or salmon as protein. After recent research on her need for certain amino acids, I added the meatloaf concoction to add Taurine and Arginine to her diet. We then add either pumpkin or sweet potato and green beans, broccoli or peas. We used to give her egg and also add yogurt but now she won’t eat them. Our concern now is that she has lost a lot of weight and we want find out how we can put some of it back on safely. We have been getting her blood tested on a regular basis. We have not had a scan. Also, her water intake has decreased. Some of her issues with the water I think are do to the fact that we recently got a kitten who wants to be with her for everything. We separate them when we feed them now because it appeared to disturb her. Her spirits are good and her energy level seems normal. She is always up for her 1.5 mile plus walks sometimes two times a day. Her coat has also changed drastically. It used to be sleek, shiny and short. Now, it is fluffy and dull, but still soft. Are there any suggestions that you may have for helping her gain weight and perhaps bringing a shine back to her coat?

my jack Russell Dodger is 12 going 13 and he was diagnosed with cushings back in march-april 2019. He has been taking the vets prescribed meds but I would like a more holistic/natural way to treat my fur baby. I see a lot of useful information and I will start making his food from scratch with lean meats and some of the natural herbs listed in this article. He is always famished and eats anything he can find. its depressing to watch him search for food all day every day. I just want to help him as much as I can. Thank you for any information that will help me help him.

My 11 year old Norfolk terrier or similarly cute terrier mix started begging for food 1.5 years ago and in the last month, is drinking a lot more water than normal (seems to be drinking about 1 cup – 1.25 cup/ a day). The begging is most concerning to me because it’s irritating to me and if I feed him as much kibble as he wants, he’ll have to poop in the middle of the night which means a 3 AM dog walk. As all of you are, I’m also concerned for my dogs comfort and health.

I intend to treat any old age diseases he may be developing with alternative therapies that I learn about. I’ve begun to supplement with a few pieces of cooked zucchini, few pieces of broccoli, canned pumpkin, egg yolk or whole egg, 1 mg melatonin per day, 1 tsp to 2 tsp ground flax (is that sufficient for lignans??), cookied turkey, chicken, or rarely beef, whole milk goat yogurt, 1/2 capsule of probotics. Along with these supplements, I’m feeding Wellness Healthy Weight -turkey/brown rice, at about 1/3 cup total per day (water mixed into the dry kibble). I’m feeding tiny portions about 4-6 little portions per day. He seems to beg less with the additional supplements, especially the vegetables. I’ll continue to add whatever supplements I find to manage what I suspect could be cushings or possibly diabetes?

My vet has not evaluated him for cushings yet, but if I knew a local vet experienced in alternative treatments for aging dogs- I’d consult with them. I’m likely to try the Chinese remedy Si Miao San along with the herbs burdock, milk thistle, gingko biloba (testing these out during the weekends when I can detect any digestive side effects). Can you recommend which single herbs may be most useful to address is current thirst, begging, and likely underlying issues? Also, if I don’t plan to treat him traditionally for cushings, is there a particularly good diagnostic test that’s cost effective to do, if knowing what he’s got helps my plan?

Apart from the recent thirst and begging issues, my dog was recently treated for an ulcer he developed from long term Carprofen/anti-inflamatory for arthritis (I’ve discontinued that medication now because of the ulcer). He also has seasonal fall allergies which I’ve managed with Benedryl and small doses of predisone when itching is severe. My dog has been on the chubby side, about 19 lbs. He lost 2 lbs several months ago when I switched him to mainly chicken and vegetables. (That was before the experimental diet I have going above).

I’m very open to any insights you may offer. I won’t buy CBD products at the moment- because of career issues/legalities now.

Hi I have a very sick girl at home whom I suspect may have cushings, my question is do the fur kids have to have all the symptoms to be diagnosed?

My cat (8 yo, male) just got diagnosed with adrenal dependent cushing’s. Both his adrenals are enlarged. The vet has started him on vetoryl.
The hospital here in CT have never done removal of both adrenals in cats. And are not really recommending surgery.

I have been researching but there isn’t a lot of info available for cats with cushing’s. Are there resources you would recommend for holistic remedies and any hospitals in northeast US that may have the experience in feline cushing’s.

Thanks!

My beautiful fur baby Nigel, the light of my life, went to a vet for advice and they told me most likely it is Cushing’s, I kind of knew doing my own research. He has every symptom unfortunately he is quite thirsty, he was restless especially at night he has a potbelly, the hair around his neck is rather thick, he hasn’t lost hair and doesn’t show any abnormal urination but pants very much!! Instantly I did major research and started him on a regimented CBD plan. Not everybody agrees with this but I have seen amazing results!!! Being torn on decisions for your fur baby is difficult. The description of the vet’s opinion on treatment sounded very painful and very very dark, I just can’t afford that crazy amount of money plus I just can’t put my boy thru that especially since the Vet said it might not even work. I’m looking to soften some of his other issues like the panting, so in another article I read that melatonin is good and flaxseed oil helps but I am reaching out to you… to give me the best advise or maybe a few pointers to help my boy and I thru… The sad party is he also lost his vision within this last year. Also I’ve heard about stuff like Cush-X or Cushex, if you have heard or if anybody has heard about this please give me some feedback. I cry myself to sleep singing my boy to sleep every night.. He is my life, the most important thing in the whole world! I tell him I wish I could trade some of my human years for his dog years but unfortunately that’s not how life works. I know I ramble but I love him so….
~ James ~

Hello,
Our 11 year old Mini Poodle got hungrier and hungrier until he was eating poop and always licking his bowl and the floor. Then he started peeing massive amounts in the house and then he started getting skin lesions and losing weight. He was diagnosed with a likely pituitary tumor caused Cushings. We have started using Trilostane as we didn’t know there were any alternative treatments. So far he has stopped peeing in the house and is gaining weight but he is still super hungry all the time. Can we add natural supplements on top of the Trilostane? We also want to start making their food as much as possible.
Thank you so much for making this information available!!!
Ananda

My 11 year old boxer male was recently diagnosed with Cushings. The local vet does not have any other dogs in treatment and not sure if experienced. She is calling a larger city (we are rural) to see about costs and experience. I started him on an adrenal supplement with minimal improvement but after reading comments, he may have needed to been on them for longer. I started giving him melatonin 2mg twice daily and what a difference. He is not panting, seems to feel better and is not drinking or peeing as much. His back legs seem to not bother him as much. He weighs 75#. I have ordered the flaxseed lignans and am waiting on delivery. At this point in time, I prefer to try a holistic approach to his treatment. Am curious about colloidal silver to help keep infection away.

Our dog was just diagnosed but she doesn’t have any symptoms. Is it worth trying the supplements and changing her diet? Her current vet just want to monitor her for any symptoms before putting on medication. Thoughts??