I'm glad Squirt is doing ok. Too cute that the Queen is making sure everyone knows it!
Judi
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I'm glad Squirt is doing ok. Too cute that the Queen is making sure everyone knows it!
Judi
Leslie,
Im so glad both you and Squirt are doing better. Sorry I missed all the hub bub. I guess you, "Aunt Bee'ed" her away! That is what my husband calls it when I hover over him. I love Andy and Gomer.
Hoping for an even better tomorrow.
Huggs,
Rene & Angel Snoop
Leslie - so glad Squirt is fine - I know it was a long day watching over him - I hope you both get a good nites sleep - you need it and deserve it - your a great mom and a fantastic Cush Angel who is always there for us !!!:D Now its rest time for you!!! Post in the AM how the two of you are doing -:)Nite
Hi Leslie,
I hope you and the babies had a restful night and a good sleep. I also wish for you a day filled on sunshine and no worries.
Love ya,
Addy
Hi Ya'll,
It was a long nite for Squirt and me both....as well as Trinket who sleeps with us. I slept with the lights and TV on so I could see Squirt all during the nite. I constantly woke her up to be sure she was ok, that she was simply sleeping and not becoming lethargic. By 5am she wanted DOWN! :o So we all went outside for a potty break. Her stool was soft formed. I resisted the strong temptation to give the pred and instead put her back in bed; we slept for 4 hours uninterrupted by a crazy mom. :o We went back out and she had another soft formed poop. Ok....but that is the only thing out of the norm for her.
She is energetic, playful, and still has her typical piggy appetite. So, no pred. As long as she remains herself, there will be no pred. Of course, I am still "Aunt Beeing" her (LOVE that, Rene! :D) and will for the remainder of the day. She headed out to her favorite bathroom area back near the end of the property but I told her "far enough" - one of her commands. She turned and looked at me like, "You gotta be kidding me!" But she complied both times. She's a good girl! If today bring no changes, I will be able to relax and let her breath again. :p
I cannot tell you all how much it means to me to have you here. No matter what happens, you are here to hold me up, tell me to breath, and remind me of what I know when my feeble brain short circuits with panic. I love my cush family more than words can express.
Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt
well, you are almost there, it is 12:30 my time:D
I think she will be just fine, Leslie, but I know you are just like me and you won't feel safe until the clock strikes the "witching hour"
what a week, is there a full moon or something? I thought that was last week:):):)
YIKES!!!!!
Leslie, you are always there for me and everyone else. There is not a soul on this forum who would not be there for you:):)
Why, you taught me about twitching, laughing and crying countless times. I will forever remember and I love you.
Love,
Addy
Hi Leslie I think Squirt made it thru this situation - I think now Mom needs a nice drink and some well needed R & R!!!!!!!! :D You are a wonderful Mom and watch over your little ones with much love and care!!!! You are a wonderful Cush friend and you were there for me from day 1 in January and for my CRISIS in June - I will always be grateful to you and here for you anytime you need to yell:eek: scream:eek: cry:(curse:mad: share good news:):cool: sad news:mad: whatever you need :confused::mad::p;):D:o:):(:rolleyes::cool::eek: You and Squirt are always in our thoughts and prayers
Awwwwww Leslie,
We love you too:).
Been a while but Im on and off here still. Sorry you had to go through this scary experience with our Squirty girl, but knew she would be just fine in your care.
You do deserve a break and some very tight hugs...
Xo Jeanette and the Princess:):p
Leslie... Sorry I just read about your 'fun' last night.... sounds like all is well... how the heck did you end up with 20 mg prednisone pills? :D:confused::D... oh well... you figured it out and they will sure last a long time huh? Glad it turned out ok... remember.. pumpkin is your friend. ;):) Hugs to you both - Kim
Leslie,
You are a very special person. I can not put into words how I have though many times about your dedication to helping the folks here. It is only proper that Squirt will be all right and everything you touch.
I hope and pray that you and your Squirt are resting and making up for all your Aunt Beeing!
Rest well my friend.
Love,
Rene & Angel Snoopser
Thanks, ya'll!
Squirt seems fine, Mom is exhausted. :p I did turn the lights and TV off last nite, but was still popping up to touch her, listen to her breathing, and stare for a moment. ;) Twitchers are hard to turn off sometimes! :D:o
Squirt will be glad to be able to spend time under the camper again in one of the many holes she and Moe have dug. They have dug so many, I expect one of these days this thing is gonna tilt! :p:D:p I have threatened to wrap the base, but they love it under there so much. Maybe it will tilt only a little bit. :D
Other than her feeble minded mom, Squirt has been doing well. I remember when I took her to the vet for the first time, and on the form I filled out they asked for her coloring. I went into great detail of all her beautiful colors and where they were - a cream undercoat, a reddish second coat, the long blond hairs, the ears and eyes rimmed in black with an eyeliner look on the eyes, ect. When I saw the official chart, it said she was "tri-colored". TRI-colored!!! I was floored they could reduce her gorgeousness to tri-colored! ;)
Well, she has been losing those lovely blond long hairs for some time now, most of them from her Elizabethan collar, or lion's mane, and her upper torso. So now she looks like she is wearing a reddish blouse with a blond grass skirt! :D And she still abounds in gorgeousness to me! Her coat isn't thinning, she's just losing those Cairn long-hairs as she ages.
One of my many small pleasures with her is to hold her in my arms and walk with her, watching her reactions to the new perspective she has from my height advantage. Watching her ears perk and twitch, her head tensing and raising to see, the way her body will freeze when she sees something really interesting, and the occasions she will turn to look at me like, "Do you see that?!?!" Yesterday, I was carrying her back to the camper when a squirrel jumped from one tree to another right across our path. Squirt's whole body went stiff, legs and all, and she looked at me with huge eyes as if to say, "They fly??? That thing flew!! Did you know they could fly???" I got so tickled I had to stop walking and catch my breath...she was so funny! :p:D:p:D
Again, thank you all for being here while I went temporarily insane....ok, wildly insane! :D
Hugs,
Leslie and The Queen
Leslie-
I just had time to catch up on reading about your chaotic day/night. I am so glad to hear Squirt is okay, and I can totally relate to the constant checking to be sure she is okay. When I am worried about one of my girls, that is ALL I can think about! I'm glad she is happy and didn't need the prednisone either.
Julie & Hannah
Leslie I just love reading your post!!! I love the way you describe things - you really make me laugh!:D:D Especially the flying squirrel!!:) :D Glad Squirt is feeling good - :) Yes we all get insane over our babies - some days more than others for sure!!:)
Thanks, Ya'll!
Rene, the gif is cute!!! :D
Squirt is doing just fine and so is mom, now. ;) I am going to hold her Sun. dose until tomorrow then back on schedule with Weds' dose.
Thanks again for being here - you are all the absolute BEST!
Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt
Hi Leslie -
I just read about Squirt's little overdose! Glad it all worked out and they didn't keep you in the loony bin for long!
The ONLY way I can EVER keep track of Alivia's medications (and mine) is a weekly pill box. I put all of her meds and supplements in there once every week (Max and me have one, too!). Otherwise I am sure I would over and under dose her on a regular basis since there are times I can't remember what I did 5 minutes ago. :p This is also the only way I would remember to give both of them their monthly heartworm medication. too!
Anyway, glad your excitment has passed!
Hi Ya'll,
FYI - I found a pharmacy that has the lowest price on Lyso while I was searching the last day or so but they don't sell in ARK. However, some of you will be able to take advantage of this lower cost so here is the link -
http://www.californiapetpharmacy.com...hannelid=FROOG
They say it is on sale at $6.75/pill - a dollar+ per pill savings over most of the others! Maybe some of you can use this info while the sale is ongoing.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang
If you are a member of Costco, you can get Lysodren much cheaper. If you buy 30 pills, the cost is $5.33 per pill; 50 count is $5.20 per pill and 100 count is $4.99 per pill.
http://www.costco.com/Pharmacy/DrugI...&Drug=LYSODREN
Wish I was! Those are good prices!!! $7.99/pill was the best I could do because 1) I don't use credit cards and 2) where I live. But she's worth it....I'm also having to order nearly all her daily supplements and the supplements/vitamins/minerals I add to her food. Gonna be a tough month at our house! :p
Wow....glad to hear that Squirt has made it through without any real adverse effects! I'd be terrified as well, but logically, a single extra dose of lyso followed by some corrective prednisone should not be problematic, particularly if Squirt didn't have low cortisol to start out with.
It can get crazy when you are trying to manage multiple medicines for your pup, and in some cases, your own medicines! I know there were days when I forgot my own stuff because I was so worried about Mandy's meds!
My newbie has come down with an intestinal bug, so here I am, once again worrying about dog meds...it's a never ending process :-)
Jeff, Angel Mandy & girls
Leslie -
It's been awhile since I've checked in and I was just wondering how you and our buddy Squirt are doing? Hope you enjoyed a good holiday and that winter isn't being too hard on you! :)
Tammy, Crash, and Darby
Hi Tammy,
Thanks so much for checking on Squirt and I! It is past time for an update so I will get to that later on today. Over all, she is doing well.
Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt
Leslie
Was just checking in to see how Squirt was doing - glad to hear still doing well:):)
hugssssss xoxo
Hi all,
Squirt is doing well. She is a tough old broad like her mom. :p
I have been telling myself she was going to be 15 years old soon but with my feeble mind, I have given her an extra year somewhere along the line. She was born in Feb. of '98 so she will be 14 soon, not 15. I am quite pleased by this revelation! :) When she was first diagnosed with Cushing's, she was 10 and someone said she wouldn't be around much longer. I told them then that I prayed every day for 6 more years - that's all I asked for, 6 more years. Not much to ask; she's a small breed, she's been well cared for, and she is tough so 6 sounded fair. In realizing she is 14, not 15, I feel as if we have more time together. May sound silly, but it is what it is.
She is slowing down, showing signs of her age. She is seeking to be warm again on these cold nites and days instead of laying by the door to catch the cool air coming through. She has started crawling under the covers to sleep curled up against me at nite sometimes again, which she hasn't done in years. She wants to be with me more often than not now, and she has always been very independent. She doesn't always want to take a walk and some days, she only wants a short one. When we do walk, her pace is slower than it was last year - but so is mine. She has continued to lose her Cairn long hairs so the ones she does have left make her look rather ethereal when the sun shines through them just so. Her other two coats are thick still, tho. The lipomas on her chest have grown some but not a lot; they don't cause her any problem walking or laying tho I do try to take care when I pick her up not to press on them. No others have shown up anywhere else and her boobs have remained the same size. :p
Squirt is coming around where Trink is concerned but Brick is another story. Squirt is still the Queen and has no problem reminding either of them of that fact. :D But she and Trink will team up outside and go exploring side by side and Squirt doesn't always cuss her out when Trink sniff at her bowl now. All little Brick has to do is stir the air around Squirt and she tells him off! :rolleyes: But Brick is tough, too, and he just comes right back at her, yapping and growling, teeth bared, bouncing up off the ground with every sound. It's quite fierce to see. :p Of course, Squirt's reaction is - ":rolleyes: Yeah, I'm scared, you little pipsqueak." :D
I'm hoping we have a home soon and have been spending quite a bit of time driving around the area here looking at places. I take Squirt riding with me when I go and she is really enjoying the excursions. It's just her and me, and she truly enjoys the times it's just us. She has seemed to like every place we have seen...even the ones that are falling down! :) So many new smells to check out, she is in hog heaven at every stop. We went to look at one house this weekend and when we stopped, a huge black German Shepherd came charging at the truck. Squirt's window was down and she flew right back at him - from the safety of her seat. ;) But she was convincing enough, that fellow tucked his tail and went home. When we got out, she gave a few more growls his direction just to drive the point home. Turned out, he was actually a nice boy but he gave Squirt a wide berth the whole time we were there. :p
Based on her signs, her Cushing's is doing well with the current treatment. I haven't been able to get a UTK panel done but hope to do that soon. In the grand scheme of things in my little world, there will be many dollars dropped off at the vet's office before we have a home. ;)
I am enjoying every minute I have with my Sweet Bebe. Anytime she wants to play Piggys, we do; Cover Monsters, we do; snuggle, we do. I try to make extra times for just the two of us to do things together. I treasure every hour spent cooking her food and find a strange comfort in the pain it causes me to do so. She is worth this and so much more to me. I am such a lucky mom to have been graced not only with Squirt in my life but two other special babies!
Hugs,
Leslie and the still reigning Queen of Dogdom, Squirt
An early Happy Birthday to the Squirtie! :D
That's really great; I can identify with what you are saying; the years go by too fast and suddenly our babies are aged. But, I find that I really enjoy the "elder" years w/my terriers. They really mellow out....given that they spend their youth being absolutely crazy :p
I really bonded w/my Mandy during her last 3 years...she just went from being an unpredictable nut to a real sweetheart.
Gotta love the pups...I am sitting here with Pebs (the chi-chi) asleep on my chest and Pepper (the aussie terrier) asleep alongside me. I always try to set aside some personal play time with them each day...the joys of youth...
Jeff, Angel Mandy and the Girls
So glad Squirt is doing well, you are an absolute angel Leslie and have helped me so much. Squirt, Trink and Brick are all lucky pups. :)
I did the same thing with Rebel on his birthday I had aged him a year and was thrilled when I looked at the calendar (I always write what age they will be on it) and he was a year younger than I thought!! He must have thought I was nuts dancing around and whooping at him..lol
Leslie - that was a beautiful post:) As I have said many times I love to read your post! Ditto to what Melissa said - you have helped me out so many times also - so glad Squirt is doing well:) Yes she is a tough girl for sure - I have that image in my head of the shepard running away:D:D Your furbabies are so lucky to have a mom like you!!
Hugssss xoxo
Oh Leslie I hope you have many more years with Squirt. I remeber how I loved watching her swim in the pool
AND OMG you are right!!!! Novalsan cleaner- i just made a call to the old vet and the tech gave me that name too!!!! AND I can buy 8 ounces on Amazon.
Now I just have to talk IMS in to the chlorpheniramine antihistamine. Mine expired 3/2011. They probably are not good any more. Almost a year old.
Anyway
THANK YOU!!!!!!! you are so smart!!!!!!!
love ya,
addy and zoe and koko
i have tears streaming down my face and i holding my dear girls close kissing and kissing and kissing and saying over and over yes that is right, lol they are like uhmmmmm okay mom.......probably thinking its MY hormones. LOL. I treasure every single hour and moment with them, and shysie has been through so much and still trying to have things all settled, that every second counts and i dont want to do anything but be with her and touch her, smell her, kiss her, play, cook, whatever she wants. i simply am most content giving her my all......just as she does me. beautiful beautiful beautiful post. beautiful
There is always such joy and silliness in your stories Leslie. Thank you so much for bringing us into your life. And here's to that glorious miss calculated year you found! I think I did the same with my own age a time or too. =:-0
Hi Leslie-
That was such a wonderful post and was so well written. I can very much relate. Every day that Hannah is doing well is like a gift, and I purposely take (and make) time to just love her and enjoy our time together. She is such a sweet girl who loves her "mom" more than anyone or anything else. She has provided me with so much happiness and many, many laughs. Your thought about just having 6 more years is exactly what I did at the Cushing's diagnosis at age 12, but mine was can I just have a couple more years with her? Then it will feel okay. The truth is, it will never be okay to lose my Hannah, but it will be easier if I feel she has lived a long life to the fullest. I am so happy to hear you have had so much time with Squirt. She sounds like quite the character, and I can tell she has brought you loads of joy, love, and laughter.
Julie & Hannah
Hi ya'll,
Squirt got to go see Dr. B today, tho I'm quite sure that is not how she saw it - "got to"...in her mind it's more like "HAD to". :p
She has been panting a bit more than usual and I was concerned about the heart-worm situation. Good news and could-be-better news. She is heart-worm negative! :D Heart and lungs sound good! :D But some of her labs could be better. Here are the abnormal results -
Squirt - Hematology results 2/1/12 (abnormals only)
WBC = 18.0 x10(9)/L Normal = 6.0 – 16.9
GRANS = 15.5 x10(9)L Normal = 3.3 – 12.0
%GRANS = 86%
NEUT ~ 11.1 x10(9)/L Normal = 2.8 – 10.5
EOS ~ 4.4 x10(9)/L Normal = 0.5 – 1.5
PLT = 800 x10(9)/L Normal = 175 – 500
Retics ~ 0.2%
NOTES – General Hematologic Reminders:
Thrombocytosis
Moderate Granulocytosis
Some Diagnostic Possibilities:
Possible stress
Inflammation with little stress
************************************************** **********
Comprehensive Diagnostic (abnormals only)
ALP – 1012 U/L Normal = 20 – 150 U/L :eek:
ALT – 205 U/L Normal = 10 – 118 U/L
AMY – 1519 U/L Normal = 200 – 1200 U/L (Lypase normal)
Dr B. thinks this is all related to the cortisol levels and, bless his heart, feels he has reached his limit with Cushing's skill and wants us to see an IMS in Little Rock. He has recommended a Dr. Nafe (?sp?). Dr. B sent off a resting cortisol today so when we get those results in, I will make the appt. with Dr. Nafe.
Everything else looks fine to Dr. B and it was one relieved mama that came back home. I was so sure the heart-worm would be positive since it has taken so long to get them tested since learning about the HeartGard I used for decades. :rolleyes: Starting today, she is on Advantage Multi, which is supposed to take care of heart-worm, fleas, and intestinal worms...and can be used in conjunction with the Preventix collar for ticks.
I was also worried to pieces about the panting. Squirt has lived with a smoker for nearly 14 years now and the thought of lung cancer (of course! :o:rolleyes:) was at the forefront of my mind. Hopefully, the panting is just the first sign to show up indicating her cortisol is on the rise. THAT I can deal with! :p
Monday, it is little Brick's turn to get to visit with Dr. B. :D
Hugs,
Leslie and Squirty
Thank god no heartworm! Was there something wrong with your Heartguard? Expired? I often keep it in the closet from year to year (I usually stop giving in the fall, resume in spring)
Jeff
Yeah no heart worm. Prob right. Cortisol raising. Glad you were one happy mama today!:D.
Hugsssss xo
What was wrong with heart guard??
Hi Leslie,
No heartworm is a good thing. I worry about that as well.
I hope Brick has a good check up since he is next.
What are your thoughts on the high ALP? Does that relate back t.o Squirt panting more? I just wondered.
Super mama Lesie will get it all worked out I know.:D:D So hard to have to wait for test results, then ponder them when they finally arrive.
love you,
addy
Jeff - back in August Dr B told me that the HeartGard had been found to be ineffective against heart-worm as were many other such products. There is a thread in Everything Else about it - here's the link -
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3579
I noticed yesterday that Dr. B's office carried nothing for heart-worm now but the Advantage Multi and a new who's name I can't remember but it starts with a "T"....I think. :o:rolleyes: He still recommended the Advantage Multi for my babies so that is what we went with...and it was a bit cheaper than the other one.
Since learning about the HeartGard, I have been a nervous wreck waiting 'til I could get them all tested. When he came in with that little white test contraption, my heart just stopped and when he said "negative", my head dropped in gratitude. Squirt is clear so I expect the others to be as well, tho Brick is at a bit more risk with his short coat.
Unless it has recently started reproduction, the medicine used to treat heart-worms is still not available. But the doxy treatment can be affective it just takes so much longer.
Addy, yes Dr B feels it is connected to rising cortisol. This morning wondered if one the supplements I started her back on a few months ago could be playing a part so I will be researching and asking some questions about that once again as soon as I can. She took the last one this morning...before the thought hit :rolleyes: ...so I will check it out before reordering. She can't take milk thistle so I will also be seeing what else is out there that might help. And there is always the Denamarin/Denosyl. OH! I just remembered SAMe! I have some of that! geez...this old brain...:rolleyes:
I have started convincing myself that her panting is the result of her liver. ;)
I went ahead and made the appt with Dr Nafe yesterday for next Tues. morning. I suggested they call Dr B and have Squirt's novel sent over so they could read it beforehand. :p The girl just giggled so that made me feel good about things there - a bit any way.
I also found out that Dr. Nafe was the 2007 Veterinary of the Year in Arkansas. His specialties are small animal IMS and neurology.
Now for the part I'm sure most of you have been expecting - the GUILT IS EATING ME UP! I was literally sick last nite, puking, thinking that I have made her worse by starting the maintenance instead of loading her. I let my arrogance and finances stop me from doing this the right way. There wasn't any money for an ACTH then but I am telling myself I could have found a way. That's why I couldn't wait for the resting cortisol to come in to make the appt. with Dr Nafe - I have to know and get this going the right direction. I console myself that she is showing only one possible sign - the panting. Her thirst, appetite and urination is all normal, hair and coat normal, belly normal - but her labs could be better. So the Queen of Guilt is firmly ensconced on her thorny Throne this morning.
Hugs,
The Queen of Guilt and the Queen of Dogdom
Leslie
Thanks for the info on the HeartGuard:eek: Got to look into that and check which one Penny is on - cant think right now but will look
Leslie please dont feel quilty - I know how it is - there are so many tests and treatments for Penny and I have to pick and chose - financially it is so difficult - id we hit the lottery right now we wouldnt hesitate - but we didnt- yet:D - so we have decisions to make - just dont feel quilty - you are a WONDERFUL MOM!!!!!! :)
love and hugsss xoxo
Dear Queen of Guilt,
You have always done what was right for your pups and did the best you could. Always.:):)
We all try things. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. We can't feel guilty when they dont turn out right. How is that any different from me trying Trilostane rather than Lysodren? You tried a maintenance dose and it worked for a while so why do you feel guilty?
So it was not exactly by the book. Our dogs dont read the dang book anyway so what the hey?;);)
Now no more guilt. You are the best mom to your babies and they love you and they could not ask for a better home.
And
we love you to:D
addy
Hi there Leslie,
It's been a while, but I'm glad Squirty tested negative for that yucky heartworm...ugh...As you know, I can't offer anything on the lab work, (Debbie, where are you? lol), and hope there is nothing to be concerned with.
Thinking of you and the gang with love.
We love you...xo Jeanette and Princess
Sweet Leslie,
You have nothing to feel guilty about, you do everything possible for your furbabies.
Your deep love, commitment, and devotion to them all is very, very evident. No more guilt, hear me!
Sending tons of love and hugs, Lori