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Thread: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    16,150

    Default Re: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

    Denamarin is a good supplement to give for liver support, since it has both in it.
    How is he doing now as far as vomiting? bathroom accidents, restlessness?
    Sharlene and the late great diva - Molly muffin (always missed and never forgotten)

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    44

    Default Re: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

    Over the last few days, Phoebe has been pacing and panting and started whining like she's in pain. She's been doing this at various times, often in the middle of the night. I talked to my vet about it and he prescribed her some allergy medicine (Apoquel) and another antibiotic to address the UTI in case that was the source of the pain. She seems better shortly after starting the allergy medicine. Also, she had a recent eruption of CC on her lower back, which is normally sensitive and has become much more sensitive lately. I think that the whining and general discomfort she was feeling over several days was the CC working its way out of her back and has finally finished. Maybe Chulo is going through something similar and could benefit from allergy medicine. Pitts are so good at masking the source of pain so it's sometimes hard to know where it's coming from.

    The minocycline that you mentioned helping the CC... did you use it to treat while the CC was still forming? Phoebe's cortisol levels are normal now so (hopefully) the CC shouldn't be forming; what we're dealing with is the aftermath and the healing of the skin that was damaged. The study indicates that it helps reduce the size of the calcium deposits, so if her body isn't forming the deposits, I'm not sure how much it would benefit her. Also since she's on an antibiotic currently and just finished a previous cycle; I'd like to let her system rest a little before starting another.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Salem, Virginia
    Posts
    14

    Default Re: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

    Leah - Chulo did use the minocycline while the CC was still forming and then for a month or so after so that may not help your baby since her levels are now under control.

    We started Chulo on the Denamarin and he has been doing well for the last week or so - no vomiting, no stomach issues. He has been sleeping through the night but still drinks and urinates a lot. As a precaution, I had an ultrasound of his liver done and they didn't see anything concerning there. They did find a tumor on his Thyroid in the process and just confirmed that it is thyroid carcinoma. I went from being so relieved over the news of a healthy liver to being devastated within a few seconds.

    There is a clinical trial that I'm hoping to get him into, as surgery to remove the tumor is around $6000 and radiation is over $10000. Hopefully we'll get some good news from the clinical trials coordinator next week.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Salem, Virginia
    Posts
    14

    Default Re: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

    So Chulo had his CT Scan at Virginia Tech yesterday and we didn't get the news we were hoping for. The tumor is very invasive and has become tangled with all the blood vessels in his neck, which the oncologist said would exclude him from being a candidate for surgery. Unfortunately it has metastasized into his lungs so she doesn't feel that radiation or traditional chemo will work for him. We started him on Palladia this morning in hopes that it may either shrink his tumors or at least prevent them from growing. He's also taking a curcumin supplement, fish oil, and melatonin at night, along with an anti-cancer/low carb homemade diet. We're hoping to keep him happy and comfy as long as possible.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Glen Cove, NY
    Posts
    1,941

    Default Re: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

    That's so sad, I'm sorry.
    Joan, mom to my Angel Lena, Angel Gable, Angel Phoenix, Angel Doree, Cooper, Sibble, and now Raina.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    rural central ARK
    Posts
    14,549

    Default Re: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

    I am so sorry to hear this. Since your previous post about trying to get him into a trial I have been holding my breath hoping for good news. This is not what any of us wanted to learn. You are doing a good job with the circumstances you have been dealt and I am sure Chulo is going to love the extra TLC he will get. Please know we are here anytime you need to talk, vent, cry, anything. You and Chulo are family and we will be here for you all the way.

    Hugs,
    Leslie
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    6,593

    Default Re: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

    Hi Kari and a belated welcome to you and Chulo

    You have already gotten some excellent guidance from Lori and Marianne so there is no need to echo them. The reason for my post is to let you know that if you are interested, there is a facebook group that was established for the sole purpose of pet owners who are dealing with one of the worst and most heartbreaking symptom of cushing's. This is not a support group for cushing's. It is a place where members can find comfort from others who are dealing with CC as well as a place to share their experience with various treatments that are prescribed. The woman who started this group had an Old English Bulldog, Burt, who had a horrific case of CC. I have followed a lot of dogs with CC and in my experience, some of the worst and chronic cases have been Old English Bulldogs. You will definitely see pictures of pitties there as they are also a breed that seems to be genetically predisposed. In case you are interested in joining that group, I have provided a link below.

    Now that I have that out of the way, I would like to commend you on being an excellent advocate for Chulo. Getting him seen by specialists was the absolute best thing you could do for him as was reaching out to us. You've landed in the best support group you could possibly hope for. I also moderate a fb support group and always refer members with complicated cases here as the knowledge and resource library in this group are unparallelled. I look forward to hearing a lot more about your precious Chulo.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/988564191285009/

    Hugs,
    Glynda

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Salem, Virginia
    Posts
    14

    Default Re: Cushings & CC in 12 year old pittie

    Thank you all so much for the kind words and for the recommendation of the Facebook group! Chulo is a tough little old guy so he's definitely fighting the cancer as best as he can. So far, he's tolerating the palladia and isn't experiencing any side effects. He's eating and has gained a couple of pounds since I switched him to the homemade low carb anti-cancer diet. He had developed Horner's Syndrome because the tumor was pressing on his sympathetic nerve but that seems to have gone away (hopefully because the tumor is shrinking a little). He sleeps pretty much all day and sleeps through the night (thanks to melatonin) so he's definitely well-rested - hopefully that will help a little. He seems to be happy and comfortable so I'm just going to keep him that way until he decides it's time. He's been my baby for 13 years so life without him is going to be very hard but I'm just trying to stay positive and be happy with whatever time I have left with him.

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