Ugga-7yr old french bulldog (calcinosis cutis)(Ugga crossed the bridge)

Good morning, Sharlene :) I'm glad Miss Molly is doing well, it's so nice when they're moving forward with no major incidents. This morning I woke up to Ugga scratching like crazy so I popped out of bed, ran to see the wreckage and... nothing :) No bloody spots whatsoever, thank goodness. As I'm typing this, he's barking at my newfie because Lou has a ball that Ugga MUST have (he has a million toys and only ever wants the one that's being played with). Ahh, mornings in the Vogel household :) Big hugs to you and Molly, Jackie and Ugga

I love the spunk of a frenchie.. Of course Ugga wants the ball that someone else is already playing with. :D

Boriss is doing great. I always feel like I need to hold my breath when I say that. Trying to enjoy all the good times while they are here. ;)

Haha, tell me about it, Amy...don't want to jinx anything. So glad Boriss is doing well :) :)

You have a newfie too? Why did I forget that or did I not know?
My neighbors newfie that has a thing for molly now seems to terrify her. He sees her and he's the horse galloping forward and she is the midget back pedaling. He is sucha sweetie and wouldn't hurt a fly but she can't decide if she is intrigued or scared witless. She gave up trying to intimidate him, he could care less. LOL
Awww, Ugga!!! You got momma out of bed. Smart boy! :) Who got breakfast early uh. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Yep, we have a newfie too. He pretty much just ignores Ugga's antics haha. I can just imagine the look on poor Molly's face when the neighbor's bear comes running over to greet her :)

Hi all! I know it's been awhile but I wanted to check in with an Ugga update. I still take him for acupuncture, we go every 3 weeks to a month now. His skin has improved dramatically (I uploaded some new pics...his hair is even growing back!!). He still has the bilateral hair loss, but he's just bald...no CC :). He has some small bumps around his armpits, inside his back legs, and on his tummy/private area. They don't seem to bother him at all, they're just kinda there. His head tilt is still gone. He has some mild droopiness on his left side but we can only tell after he gets a drink (long goobers on the left side). He is blinking BOTH EYES! He still takes his Vetoryl twice a day, along with his anti-seizure meds but his liver is still in good shape. All in all things are going well for this frenchie boy :) Big hugs to everyone and their cushpups!

~Jackie and Ugga

Jackie! That is wonderful news. Way to go momma. :)
Yay.

Hugs
Sharlene and Molly muffin

What a substantial improvement in Ugga's skin and hair!!! Wow!!! Great job, Jackie!!!

Hi Jackie, Peety's fur mom. We are dealing with calcinosis cutis also, or that is what was originally diagnoised. Now I think it could be black skin disease. We just tested for cushing's. We are not on meds yet, long story. We have an appt with a new vet this Fri and I hope we can finally make some progress into some sort of treatment for him. He doesn't really scratch so much. Of course he wears a t-shirt and a cone all the time. I am using some home remedies right now. He has black elephant skin down the middle of his back and the rest is pretty much like Ugga's, pink, bald sports on his legs, no sores, just bald. I am afraid those spots may never regrow hair. But the black elephant skin has lil fuzzies in the middle of it. I have not given up on him having a full coat again, but right now I just want to keep him healthy. And so far he feels great. Not the typical signs of Cushing's either.
Can you tell me a little about the accupunture? How often and is that expensive. What kind of Dr does it? I really want natural remedies for his skin if possible. Right now I have him on Manuka honey. I slather it on the really black spots and wrap him up and bathe every other day in Hibiclens. Orally he gets a daily Vit, Brewers Yeast, Omega3 and honey in his food. He has a good appitite, not overly so and he feels great all the time. Runs and plays and he is so sweet. I love him so much and I want to find some real answers for him. I have some pictures of his skin I posted. We have been dealing with this since January 3rd 2013. Derm Dr did biopsy and tried to put him on DMSO. But I would not do it, too toxic. So I have kinda been doing my own research into treatments. I am sorry you are dealing with this too, but maybe we can continue to compare notes. Not all Cushings pups have CC or any skin problems. There is so much encouragement from this community. I love it here, I never feel like I am facing anything alone.

Big hugs to you and Ugga

Pat Peety's #1 fan

Aww, thanks guys! We couldn't be happier with the way things are going for Ugga :)

Pat- I looked at Petey's album, he's such a little cutie pie! It sounds like you're doing a great job keeping him happy and comfortable with the natural remedies right now. It's great that he's not too itchy. Ugga was constantly scratching himself open and shirts only made him more uncomfortable. It was awful. The CC was compromising his quality of life and the Vetoryl alone just wasn't working. He was also showing signs of a macrotumor (which we don't believe to be the case anymore, it was most likely just vestibular syndrome). We were pretty close to having him put to sleep and decided to try the acupuncture as a last resort. Our regular vet recently became certified in acupuncture so we just take him there. As far as the cost, I don't know, our vet doesn't charge us. She says it's good practice for her and as long as it's helping, she's more than willing to help us out. I think we were all doubtful that it would have worked this well :) I'm kidding, she's just a great person who truly loves helping animals. When we first started going (Jan 2013), we went every other week. We stayed on that schedule for about 2 months, then moved it out to every 3 weeks. I think we're going to do one more 3 week session and then bump it back to once a month for maintenance and see how it goes. My husband doesn't believe the acupuncture is the sole cause for Ugga doing so well but I don't know if I agree with him. He started the Vetoryl in Mar 2012. There was a drastic improvement after a few months and he was ok until Sept. The CC came back with a vengeance and did not let up even after an increase in Vetoryl. When we started the acupuncture in Jan Ugga had a severe head tilt, he would fall a lot and could not be trusted on the stairs, he was drooling and coughing almost constantly, the CC was covering close to 80% of his body and he barely had any hair. All of those symptoms are gone after 4 months of treatment and we noticed improvements after his first session. The neurological symptoms went away before we saw improvement in his skin. The CC is a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure! I believe you can search for a certified acupuncturist online but I don't know how you'd choose one without a recommendation. I go to Warren Animal Hospital in Phillipsburg, NJ. If you're anywhere near there, I highly recommend Dr. Nicole. Having said all of this, I have to mention that I'm a firm believer that every dog is different and what works for one may not work for another. A lot of members here have had success using Lysodren to treat CC. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option for us because of Ugga's other medications. We couldn't risk losing control of his epilepsy to treat the Cushings but we had to treat the Cushings because of the CC. It was a delicate situation and we had to pick the lesser of 2 evils. Our vet just felt the Vetoryl was safer for Ugga. Yikes, I've really rambled on and on here, I'm sorry. I hope I answered some of your questions about acupuncture. I know people think I'm crazy for doing this but I don't care, I have my dog back :). Let me know how you made out at the vet and if there's anything else you want to know. Hugs,

Jackie and Ugga