what to do?

[rkbecker]

Our Shih Tzu, Django, will be 14 in July. The vet suspects Cushing's. Django is a bundle of problems: ravenous all the time, still alertly responsive to treats, with skin issues his whole life but much worse now - with growths that bleed when he's brushed, and he's seriously lame. He cries with pain. He's been treated for arthritis with little improvement. He has trouble standing up and can barely walk. He goes out and pees on the deck but will go no further. He's blind, partially deaf, and has lost his sense of smell. Until a few months ago, he loved his walks, managed his blindness, and used his nose effectively. The deterioration has been rapid and has been accompanied by disorientation for the past month or so. He was on Galliprant and Gabapentin, but he's been taken off to see whether they were responsible for his sensory confusion. He's miserable right now. Do we go full steam ahead with testing and medication for Cushing's? What are the chances of a meaningful improvement? Do we give up and end his suffering?

[molly muffin]

oh my goodness, poor little Django. He does have a lot going on.

Lets start with, has he had a full blood/urine testing? if so could you post the results of that are out of range.
For example:
ALKP 100 range 50 - 150

That will at least give us a place to start to give you feedback.

If you can make him more comfortable so that he can have a good quality of life, and can afford to, well, you know him best of all. So you can tell how his quality of life is. I am minded of what one member said just yesterday.

" make a list of 5 things that represent her or she loves to do and when she can no longer do 3 of them then it was time"

That is probably something to keep in mind. I know with my girl, a Shih Tzu/Llhaso mixed, we said, we'd do everything we could to give her a chance and when the point came that nothing was working, we would make the decision.

But before we even get to that point, lets see what his bloodwork and urine tests look like and what possible options we might come up with.

Also, CBD oil might help with pain? Some vets are using this for various issues now in dogs. Disorientation, restlessness, being a couple that come to mind right away.

[rkbecker]

I wrote a while back about Django, our Shih tzu. He is almost 14, blind, and very sick. Arthritis and possibly Cushing's are the diagnoses, but he has not been tested yet. He is having a hard time even standing and walking around the house. One leg is basically useless. He cries a lot. I am looking for success stories. Do any of you have elderly dogs that returned to a comfortable life after testing and medication? I need to hear some positive stories before I put him through any more. Thanks.

[kwhit]

My Golden, Chance, is 13.5 yrs. old. He was diagnosed a few weeks ago. He suffers from severe arthritis, (he was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia at a year old), demensia, back leg weakness and dental issues. I treated his Cushing’s but for him it made his muscle weakness much worse. He was actually just falling down at times. I could tell it scared him. He was getting a very low dose of trilostane, (30 mg. and he weighs 90 lbs), so I discontinued the med. But, I’m glad I gave it a shot. I’m glad I tested him for Cushing’s and tried the med. I still have to talk to his vet about other options, but not sure if I’ll even treat him at this point.

I see that CBD oil was mentioned in one of the previous posts. I can tell you that it has made a huge difference in Chance’s pain from his arthritis and anxiety from his dementia. He will continue to use it for the rest of his life. I would definitely encourage you to try it. I forgot to mention that he is also on Rimadyl and thyroid meds. He also gets milk thistle with turmeric daily for liver support. Because of the Rimadyl he has blood work done every three months. He also has to have a dental with extractions at the end of this month, (very nervous/scared about this).

So Chance, like Django, has a lot going on. But even with everything that we’re dealing with, I’m glad I had him tested for Cushing’s and tried the medication. Who knows, it might work for your little guy. But definitely try the CBD oil, it’s amazing.

[rkbecker]

Thank you for sharing. I have given him some CBD oil and am waiting to see whether he responds. Best of luck to Chance.

[JoieX4Ever]

But definitely try the CBD oil, it’s amazing.

Could you advise on the brand? I live in Australia and when I type in CBD oil, all I get is results for Hemp Oil. My understanding is that this is a different product.

[LeahCC]

I see that CBD oil was mentioned in one of the previous posts. I can tell you that it has made a huge difference in Chance’s pain from his arthritis and anxiety from his dementia. He will continue to use it for the rest of his life. I would definitely encourage you to try it.

What is the dose that you give Chance?

[molly muffin]

I found this website for cbd oil in australia. I think some places do call it hemp oil also. https://www.petcbdoilaustralia.com/home.html

I found this site for dosage recommendations for pets: https://cbdpettreats.us/cbd-pet-dosage/