new from europe (arthritis and vetoryl?) - Ian, Flynn and Enya have passed

I am dead tired after last nite, but Tipper got one walk in so far. Real cold and dreary here and snow tonite. A clipper is a fast moving storm that will be bringing snow, but goes away quickly. Ian must be doing pretty darn good to go without some of those pills. Blessings.
Patti

hi patti, i read about your buzy day in tipper's thread. will it ever stop?
it is -1C tonight. cold, but nothing compared to your weather.
sleep well. and i hope you [and i] will have a lazy sunday.

Well it is snowing here this morning. Tipper had a good nite and was wanting to walk, but it is too cold. I am just not doing too much today as I have very low energy. It is officially spring here, but you would not believe it looking out the window. Hope you are able to get a good walk in with In. Blessings
Patti

i looked at your thread and i can understand why you are having low energy!
the weather was bad today; cold showers with hailstones. i am very tired so we only walked in the neighborhood. lazy sunday.
back upping my pc before upgrading to w 7.
fish oil is down with ian , next is vetoryl................

Hope everything goes ok with windows 7. I have a business computer with Vista on it. Tipper is bored. We woke up to snow on the ground. I am hoping it warms up for her to walk. I hope Ian takes his Vetoryl so he doesn't start with any problems. I just have no energy today again. I am just really down about my friend, and can't seem to shake it. Blessings
Patti

i think you all need a good dose of real spring time, one should really get depressed from all this snow and ice this time of the year.
last year we had the same weather overhere.
i am sorry about delora and your friend and the worries about the cat needing an other home.
i don't know how ian does it, but i found another vetoryl on the floor.
the wooden floor is light colored and his bed/comforter is white, so he can hide the pill anywhere.
i can not force it in to him, because he will freak out and never come near me again. it is down now with loads of peanutbutter [i think].
i hope this will not affect his health. all that stress!

Sorry to hear you are still finding Ian's pills. I hope the cat never picks one up. I think you may have to put a camera somewhere to see how he does this when you walk away. He is a tricky one isn't he? I put Tipper's in pieces of chicken and
she gulps them down whole so I am fortunate not to have that worry about that part at least. The sun is out real bright, but only 15 degrees. Tipper has laser therapy today, good thing I set a reminder on the computer. Did you get everything backed up on the computer? Have a good walk today. Blessings
Patti

I hide Daisy's in a spoonful of peanut butter. It's gone in milliseconds.
Might be worth a try. You could gently stroke his throat to induce swallowing.

Some dogs can be very difficult to pill, my Sampson is like that :eek: Do you think getting the Trilostane/Vetoryl in a liquid form would be easier to give to Ian?

Hugs, Lori

That sounds like a good solution if you can get the liquid. Is it available to you over there? We woke up to 2 inches of snow and it is frigid outside. We will not be walking today. Hope your weather is better than ours! Tipper did good at laser therapy yesterday and it was a nice ride as it was sunny and beautiful out. Hope you get an solution to the pill situation, Ian has become a pro at getting rid off the pills. Blessings
Patti

thanks for all the tips! i don't know if there is a liquid form in nl.
i can only do this when it is really without a taste and without a smell.
he is such a picky eater.
and for lori, is sampson getting the liquid one?
i still have a supply of vetoryl for about a year, so buying new stuff is not really an option.
we do have cold nights right now and sunny during daytime.
i wish your weather would be the same.
i have made all the back ups, but my pc does not have enough mb memory to make w 7 work properly i read on the internet.
i also ordered a vista dvd. they are only 10 euro each on nerd forums.
now i have to find out which one to use.
sleep well everybody.......

I know cost is really an issue as this stuff is all so expensive that I don't buy anything for myself, and it all goes to Tipper. I hope you are able to get your computer updated without a huge cost. I worry if I had a major expense with Tipper being sick, how I would handle it. This has exhausted all my saving and then some. Every once and a while my vet will let me pay later if I have had a lot of bills with her. I am hoping you can find out how Ian is getting theese pills out, and fix the problem without having to buy more Vetoryl. It is real dark and we are ready for rain, then snow on Sunday!! Blessings
Patti

ian is doing fine, so missing a pill every now and then does not affect him obviously.
i scan the floor every day around his bed for pills on hand and knees.............
i took "'the risk"' today to walk around a small lake which we had not done since last fall -as a sort of test- and he did fine!
he remains a bit stiff since being on vetoryl, but he is getting stronger everyday. we walked for an hour and a half.
not as fast as we used to, but i am happy with this results.
i hope tipper will be stable soon and you can save some money......

An hour and a half walk for a dog with cushings on medication is very good.
Glad you were able to get out and about around the lake and that Ian is still able to do that walk and enjoy it.

hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin

That's a very long walk! Congratulations!

ian was in great shape before "'the cushing collaps"'
that made him recover this quick i quess.
and the fact that he has no other illnesses or meds.
only a low dose of 30 mg vetoryl [2mg/kilo] and 1 [1500mg] omega 3 pill. so far, so good!

Tipper was in great shape before the Cushing's too, but it has taken it's toll on her muscles, and insides. I think she is as good as she is today from being in good shape before all this. Her breathing and tremors still continue to concern me. I have been able to put out many fires started by Cushing's, but these two have me stumped as to what will help. We have really bad wind today and are expecting snow Sunday. Sounds like you are getting some crazy weather over there too. I think that is good Ian can go without meds every once and a while, as I feel that the Vetoryl is causing Tipper's tremors, but I am just not sure how. Blessings
Patti

ian had tremors a few weeks long before he collapsed. i just thought he had some muscle weakness because of old age.
after the vetoryl they stopped immediately. the opposit of tipper.
ian's outlooks have changed also muscle wise.
hope the rain and storm have stopped so you can catch up with some sleep tonight.

Isn't that strange about the tremors?? I would like to unlock that mystery. It is still warm and Tipper will be able to walk. She has been sleeping more than usual the last two days and it has me thinking about why. It seems when you have a cush dog you question everything they do. I am glad Ian can do well missing some pills as I wish Tipper could. She needs this Vetoryl, but I know it is causing these tremors, and wish I could decrease it, but her cortisol shoots up too high. I have been taking it easy the last couple days, because I am gearing up for my spring cleaning. I don't know if I can do it this year but I'll give it a try. Blessings
Patti

ian does not like those high temperatures we already have. 22C today.
it does affect him. so into the forest or along the riverside it is.
next week it will be summer..........too soon for me.
i will send it your way! you could use it!
it is 5.25 am so i have to try to get some sleep.

Tipper can no longer tolerate the heat either. I am on a break between picking Toby up from his dental. Tipper has had the run of the whole place while he is gone, she wants him to stay gone!! Poor Toby cried all the way to the vets, he is the cry baby of the two. He was so upset not getting his food. He will be starved when I pick him up and really thirsty. I am getting his hair clipped next week for his summer cut. I did not want to do it before his dental. I did that last year and they ruined his new hair do it was all wet and yucky. Hope you and Ian get some walking in. Do you have any indigenous vipers that you have to watch out for in the forest?? We have copperheads here, that is all Tipper needs, as she would go after it sure as anything especially if it would strike at her that would really tick her off!! Blessings
Patti

googled for copperhead and i found out it was a snake.
we only do have one venomous snake; called adder in nl.
and an other one which is not poisonous.
the last one is pretty common, the adder is not.
i never met with one......i don't know what my dogs would do....
do you clip toby's hair yourself? did you manage to fix tipper's coat already?
i have to do my last round with the dogs and off to bed..

Yes about 2 years ago one of the neighbors killed a few baby copperheads. Ever since then I am always on high alert with the dogs. I am always looking down and only let them in very short grass where I can see. Adders are nasty and will come at you even if unprovoked like a copperhead. Toby is better today he had a good sleep, a good breakfast, and a good walk. He had a time going potty first thing though the anesthesia can do that sometimes. Tipper has walked twice and it is really damp and dreary as rain is coming. It's a shame as it is to go up to 66 today. I will have to put that uncomfortable dap collar on her. Hope you and Ian get a walk before it is too hot for him. How is he doing with the pills? Blessings
Patti

i hope we both will never meet with a venomous snake on our walks.
they do like high and dry grounds with sand. we are in a clay area near the river.
i only see grass snakes swimming sometimes in puddles.
and bats at night and hedgehogs which my dogs find very interesting.
o yes, and rabbits. their favorites!
i am glad the temperatures are rising in your area finally!
do you expect thunder?
last days i found no pills on the floor, so i hope he ate them all.

When I first found out Tipper had Cushing's, I called on all the really best, and most experienced vets I used through my years in Pittsburgh.. I asked them all about this disease, and what I need to do to ensure my dog will have a long life, and a good quality of life. They all told me the most important factor you need to keep in check is the blood pressure as Cushing's can really impact it. One of my very favorite caring, and brilliant Dr.s told me to make sure I get her blood pressure checked every week. I have done that without failure, with the exception of the period when they had a dog barking there and they could not do
it. So every week I drive 30 miles to get it done. She is having a ball walking in this beautiful weather. I dread the heat and humidity of summer, as she cannot go in it because of her heart murmur. Does Ian ever try to go after the grass snakes? Tipper would be on them immediately!!. The sun is out and yesterday we made it to 67 degrees!! Hope you and Ian have nice weather to walk. Blessings
Patti

i did not know that bp was so important with cush dogs.
ian's would be sky high because he hates the vet practice.
i am so glad that the weather has improved and you can finally walk 3 times a day! great!
it is humid today and 21C. ian was tired after his walk. so was i.
ian does not care about the grass snakes, his sister is more interested in them. they do swim at the surface of the water, but way to fast for enya to catch them.
in summer you can sometimes find a nest of baby grass snakes.
luckily they are harmless.
hope you and tipper will have a good night sleep.

A nest of baby grass snakes would be a find for Tipper. She would destroy every one of them though! Tipper walked three times today. We are getting ready for a storm with damaging winds and hail. I gave Tipper a melatonin and she has her dap collar on. I hope you and Ian got a nice walk in. How is it going at work? I am fortunate in that respect that I can stay home with Tipper, but that means a lot less money coming in. It is an double edged sword. Do the storms affect Ian at all? It seems when Tipper's cortisol is on the lower end she really can't deal with them. I am worried about her blood pressure if this storm gets her going. Blessings
Patti

hi, patti, we don't have storms in the spring or winter. only thunderstorms with lightning and lots of rain/hail in the summer and normal storms in the fall.
they don't affect my dogs. they even love fireworks!!
i am sorry for tipper though, hope the storm will skip your village.
can't you work a few hours/day at home to earn some extra money?
help people fill in their tax forms e.g.? or helping elderly people with their paperwork?
i need some new clients, but it is not easy to find them.
saturday i am going to visit a new one, hope they are nice people.
and an orther one got 3 extra hours to help her managing her life, so she can stay at home hopefully. she owns a 1,5 year old dachshund who ruins the place because she can't handle him. he is young and wants to play. i hope she will give him up for adoption. she sometimes feeds him tranquilizers of her own..............so sad!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by flynnandian

she sometimes feeds him tranquilizers of her own..............so sad!

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:eek::confused::eek::mad::(

yes iraklis, lots of people have pets they should not have because they can not take care for them properly.
this dog is young and full of energy and since his owner is borderline, she can not handle such a young dog.
so she tries to calm him down sometimes with her own pills....................

Oh my goodness that lady giving a dog her tranquilizers! Wow that is scary. Tipper knows the difference between fireworks and thunder so they do not scare
her. The storms did not come yesterday, we are expecting them today so have prepared Tipper with Melatonin again and the collar? She is on high alert going around listening to every sound, so she can already feel the change in the barometric pressure going on. Good thing your animals are not bothered by this, it is stressful for both of us and hard to cope with. I will in time find something to do for a few hours from home, I just do not want to take time from Tipper right now. I just want to enjoy her for as long as possible and not have other worries. The extra money would be nice though. Hope you are having a good day over there with Ian. He has done remarkably well on Vetoryl. I have been researching on Tipper's tremors, and found some interesting facts I will post. Blessings
Patti

yes, i am lucky that ian is doing so well on vetoryl. no side effects.
starting low at 10 mg, up to 30 mg right now.
i have mentioned it before, so strange that vetoryl is the cause of tipper's tremors and it ended ian's??????
and the forever question; why do our dogs get the disease? i know it can be genetically transmitted in certain breeds.
i have noticed it on this forum too, but i think it needs a lot more research. every cush-dog reacts different.
flynn went downhill very fast in a few months time, and ian is 13 and doing very well.

Ι am very interested in finding the causes too...but i do think it is a combination of reasons that result to cushings (especially the pituitary one)

some probabilities i've found...
Separation anxiety (the results presented in this documentary are very interesting to say the least)
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6248
Lack of melatonin production (caused by lights http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsle...s-a-dark-side/ or genetically pre-desposed ex.blue eyed dogs like Husko)
Lack of vit D production (lack of sunlight - ex.i mainly walked my dogs at night ,especially last year...)

I do believe this runs in certain breeds especially terriers. I have read of people having dogs related to one another and they each developed Cushing's. Also my vet told me the vets have known for years that steroids are a cause of Cushing's,and when Tipper was a puppy she had prednisone a lot for allergies. That is where I believe she got it. I cannot believe no one is having any in depth sstudies to find the cause as people get this too. All I know is there is thousands of dogs with this disease, and many that are never known because of going undiagnosed. I wish someone would head a major study on this, but it takes a lot of money. Blessings
Patti

yes, the lack of research is definitely a money issue. and the fact that it is rare in humans. but it affects e.g. dogs, horses and ferrets.
iraklis, although my ian is blue merle, he has 2 brown eyes.
his bm sister is odd eyed though. i hope she will stay cush-free!
they don't mind at all being home alone [i always have had more than one dog]
and i like walking in the dark too, but i always walk them during my lunch break for an hour. and in the morning too.
so all this could not be the cause for my 2 cush-dogs i believe.
tipper's steroid use as a young dog may be a cause of her cushing's.
but it is a very complicated disease for sure!

Cushings (as all tumors/cancer) sometimes seem to be a result of many things adding up...ex.I don't think a blue eyed dog will develop cushings just because of that...
ex.Husko was a stray eating paper for many years, he had been shot (the vets said back then not to worry...but i can't believe them anymore) ,had heartworm injections/therapy (very dangerous drug) , eating dry food (even though the best brands) and...I sometimes even think Lemmys' behavior played a part...

By the way...concerning separation anxiety...watch the video i posted...
You'll be amazed at the resting cortisol levels and the percentage number of dogs their owners didn't think they had separation anxiety because they were probably not showing it...

being a stray, your husko had a very stressful live, and was in a bad shape for this reason. no proper food or health care, that at least influenced his immune system.
but they still do not know what causes cushing in a dog.
so there is still a lot of guessing on that part.
most dogs on this forum are well taken care of for their whole lives and get it too.
i once borrowed a camera to film my dogs when i am away and they do only sleep.
they do get a lot of exercise outdoors so they are very quiet indoors.
they are used to being alone [with the other dogs].
i do leave them for 4 hours max at a time. no problem.
i am alone and i have to work!

I just wish this disease had more research to develop a cure, as it affects not only the dog, but the whole family dynamic. I carry such guilt because I gave Tipper the prednisone from the vet for her allergies. I have so much guilt over this. She would get so bad and swollen up, with her throat closing up and had to have it to save her life. If this never happened I feel she would be fine and never gotten Cushing's. That is a good idea watching the dogs with a camera. We have frost real thick on the ground this morning. Blessings
Patti

frost on the ground, but hopefully no more snow.
it is still "hot and humid " overhere and ian does not like it. [neither do i]
still on w-xp, and it is april 8 overhere already, so i have to fix it.
early start tomorrow, so off to bed and try to sleep.

Well it has rained all day yesterday and today so there are ponds in the yard. Tipper cannot walk. Tomorrow is the ACTH test it will be number 17 or 18, I lost count. She seems rather bloated the last two days, don't know what that is from. Too bad for Ian with the hot weather. Tipper was always able to stand it until she got the heart murmur, now she is not allowed in heat and humidity. She must walk only early in the morning, or late when the sun goes down. Tipper got a little rattled last nite with the heavy rain and went in the closet! Blessings
Patti