Is Homeopathic Treatment good for Cushings?

Hi  Life has been hard for Julie (my 10 yr old mini poodle).
She is on Trilostane, 34 mg.  It WAS working great till she had many Pancreatitis attacks..every month for 6 mos..& she had to go off & on Trilostane alot & that threw her body way off.  Reluctantly, my Vet upped her to 34 mg. & said she can not go any higher for her weight..13.5 lbs.. I read differently...that she can go to a higher dose. The Vets here in NY all go for Lisodren. I won't put Julie on it because of it's toxicidity...he said he can't promise that Julie will survive Lisodren. Oh no no no. She won't go on it.  Julie has bad arthiritis in one back leg & now she falls at times. I just ordered Cosequin & pray that helps her. If not, I will get her a sling & maybe a wheelchair/cart. She also has a enlarged liver & gallbladder & lung spots..& a heart murmur...all for a long time. Her poor belly is big & her hair is thinning with bald spots.
She eats like a pig & drinks alot. She is happy & her fun self most of the time. She is such a good dog thru all her problems.
My question is, has anyone put thier dog on Holistic meds for Cushings & if so, do u believe it will work?? What do/did you use?  Did anyone ever use "Huang Qi" ?? I hear it is so good. How about Formic Acid  for hair damage & regrowth & Arsenicum for excessive thirst, urination & most digestive problems?  Flaxseed oil taken with Melatonin  & Dandelion Root, both for the Cushings..adrenal gland.  Please don't say ask my vet...he doesn't do Holistic.
I don't want to go to a Holistic vet either. They charge a fortune & I have put out over $11,000 for Julie already, in 1 1/2 yrs..
I am willing to pay for natural meds...Yes I will treat her at her Vet for any emergency etc...but with a Vet..it's truly endless with Cushings. She has had every test going over & over...no more. Any Homeopathic help is greatly appreciated
Thank you so much.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

I am so sorry that your dog has so many problems but I will try to help.

There are many helpful Chinese herbal formula's for Cushing’s Syndrome but they are usually prescribed by the Chinese disease pattern, for instance:  a dog who has Cushing disease and a yin deficiency would benefit from the Chinese formula: Mai Men **** San;  a dog with Cushing’s syndrome and a Qi and Yin deficiency would use: Xia Xiao Fang;  and,  a very severe Cushinoid dog with yang deficiency may benefit from Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan.  It is impossible to determine what Chinese medical pattern your dog has without a full exam, and a tongue and pulse diagnosis and  a questionnaire.    The appropriate herbal formula would be a great adjunct to a Trilostane regimen and in some cases can also help to reduce the amount of Trilostane necessary to control the Cushing’s.

Acupuncture is also beneficial for the arthritis as a monotherapy, and there are also many Chinese herbal formula’s for arthritis that work in conjunction with acupuncture either alone or with Traditional therapies.  But again,  one size does not fit all.  The arthritis formula’s are also prescribed by pattern.

Huang Qi is the Chinese name for Astragulus root, which is found in many  Chinese herbal formula’s but is rarely used alone, and is not used alone for Cushing’s Syndrome or arthritis.

Formic acid?  Are you sure that you don’t mean Folic acid?  Formic acid is a preservative and mitacide.  Sorry, but I don’t have any information on it’s use to help hair loss.
Ground flax seed, (or flax seed oil), melatonin and dandelion can be are helpful, but flax seed in all forms becomes rancid quickly.  Please keep all flax seed products refrigerated (flax seed oil), or frozen (ground flax seed).  Flax in any form due to it’s high omega 3 fatty acid content is important for skin, joints and many other organs.  The lignin’s in ground flax seed are important in digestive and heart function as well as for cancer.

Milk Thistle, lecithin, Choline, Inositol, alpha lipoic acid, n-acetyl-l-cysteine, and turmeric would be helpful for your dog’s liver.

I know that you are opposed to any more veterinary visits but your dog’s case is quite complicated and it does not sound like you have gone to a holistic vet yet.  At my practice the first holistic visit costs under $200 dollars, includes an acupuncture treatment and would get your dog on the correct Chinese and Western herbal formula and set up a complete holistic protocol.  The only additional cost would be for the herbal formula’s, and these could be purchased by you personally online.  My practice is located in NJ but you can check online for a holistic vet in your area by performing a Google search.  

[Fredthehound9]

A related discussion, My 8 year old Hound Dog has Cushings was started.