Monitoring your dog through treatment
Your dog should be closely monitored in the early stages of therapy so that the dose of medication can be adjusted to meet their specific needs. This also helps to minimise the risk of side-effects or complications that could be harmful to your dog.
At each monitoring check-up, your vet is making sure your dog is having the right dose to manage their symptoms as well as ensuring they are not showing any signs of receiving too much medication. When your veterinarian is happy with your dog’s progress, it is necessary that you visit your veterinarian every three months for regular monitoring so that any dose adjustments can be made as required.
Your veterinarian will assess your dog’s response to medical treatment by:
Looking for improvement in clinical signs
In most cases, you can expect to see a decrease in your dog’s appetite and the amount they drink within the first couple of weeks on treatment as well as an improvement in their level of energy. Other symptoms may take 3 to 6 months to improve.
You can help your veterinarian to monitor your dog by recording their symptoms. You can download the Cushing’s Clinical Score sheet to help monitor your dog’s progress here.
If your dog develops any signs of illness while on treatment including lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite, stop treatment immediately and contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
The CushQoL-pet questionnaire measures the quality-of-life of you and your dog and can help to identify areas of potential improvement. It can show the improvement in quality-of-life over time with treatment and it is recommended to complete this every three months and to share this information with your vet. Click here to download the CushQoL-pet questionnaire.
Blood tests
Whilst your dog’s symptoms are critically important in a monitoring consultation, blood tests are is also required to confirm the correct trilostane dose. Routine blood tests should be performed at 10-14 days, 1 month, 3 months and every 3 months after starting treatment.
Ensure you continue giving your dog the prescribed dose of medication even after you notice improvements in your dog’s symptoms. Medication will curb the excesses associated with the overproduction of cortisol but it will not cure your dog.
Monitoring is important and regular checks performed by your veterinarian will ensure your dog continues to get the best possible care.
