14 year-old Shih Tzu With Recent Cushing's Diagnosis

Oh Julie,

Did the Benadryl help Izzie? What a stressful weekend, two sick dogs to emergency is really hard. (((((((hugs))))))))))))))))
Sometimes no matter how hard we try to stay positive, we just need a quiet night to vegetate and go into that denial state, watch mindless TV or a movie.

I am dearly hoping that things have calmed down today and the three of you are feeling better.

I can always tell when Zoe eats bunny poo, her poos smell weird the next day.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: They sure do love it, dont they and if your house is like mine the bunnies are everywhere this winter.

I hope you did not have to cope with this frigid weather as well.

Feel better and let us know how you are all doing, okay?

love ya

Thanks for the support, everyone. Tues. night everything was normal, and last night too....until 3:00 a.m. this morning when we had another episode.

Hannah woke me up walking around the room, which isn't totally out of the norm. I got up and put her back in her bed, which usually leads to her falling asleep again. She got up again and continued to wander. I tried to give her the Denamarin pill (she thinks of it as a treat and I thought she might go back to sleep) and she wouldn't eat it. She spit it out twice. I knew something was wrong.

I took Hannah out into the living room and the weird stretching began again. I went to get my camera to video it so I could show a vet. Of course after about a min. it said the memory card was full. She did actually sit in the "prayer position" for about 5 seconds, which really made me think this was abdominal pain. She wanted to go outside and she peed and pooped (and she had already pooped about 7:00 p.m.). The poop was normal.

We went back in and she sat under the dining room table and shook a little. I picked her up when she came out and just held her. She had a couple of episodes where she would tense up, stretch her neck out, then relax. After about 10 min. total she was acting normal again. This was just like Mon. night.

She did take her pill about 6:00 this morning and I fed her rice and canned ID, which is what Izzy is eating. She did want to eat. The only thing I can think of is that I tried a new flavor (chicken) of the regular brand of canned food they eat (Natural Balance) last week. I don't remember if Izzy ever ate it though, and Hannah has had it a few times. I don't give her much, since she eats the Royal Canin SO Rx diet. I don't know if that is causing these issues???

Izzy no longer needs the Benadryl, so whatever that was also passed, and it makes me think it was related to her diarrhea. She pooped this morning for the first time since Sun. night before her trip to the emergency vet, and it was solid.

I don't know if Hannah is experiencing gas pains or how it passes so quickly. I have been up since 3:00 and wrote sub plans in case I couldn't come to work. Since she was acting fairly normal, I went to work. I asked my parents to pick up both of them and take them to their house to watch them. I left a message for my vet to call me to see if they have any ideas.

This is truly bizarre. Regardless, we are done with that food. I assume their issues are related, but I have no idea. I worry that Hannah's could be related to her liver or whatever else is going on in her abdomen, but I don't know why it would pass so quickly.

I'd love to hear any thoughts you have...

Thanks,

Julie & Hannah

Well, I dont have an answer either, I guess we will wait to see if it happens again without Hannah eating the other food. So her stool was normal, not greasy looking, not green or yellow or blackish, no funny smell, no mucus?

Let us know what the vet says. In the mean time I am sending

(((((((((((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))))) )))))

That must have been scary Julie. Poor little Hannah. :( Could it be her pancreas? Did they check for that at all? Sounds like pain. If you change the food and this stops then I wouldn't go with the chicken any longer. This never happened with the other flavor right?

Hope all is well and this stops.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly muffin

Hey Julie,

I was thinking about you and Hannah and wondered how she is doing. I was thinking about the possibilty of a side effect from the Atopia. Did you ever start it? It lists muscle cramps as a possible side effect and has quite a few drug interations as well. It also says to give it one hour before or two hours after food.

Just was wondering if that may have something to do with whatever is bothering poor little Hannah.

Stay warm!!!!!

aww julie i hope your hannah is feeling better today.will be watching you guys...patty(milo)meka xoxox..... my milo would do that stretching thing a few times a day also,not surew what that was either,he didn't appear to be in pain,but hard to say...

I hope it is food related and not neurological. It's promising that Izzy is over it.

On FB someone was warning that Nutro had changed their formula and that some dogs were having serious issues. So don't switch to that! hugs, Judi

Hi Julie,

I am sorry to read of Izzy's issues and I hope the little one feels better soon. Do they think it is a food allergy? Poor Izzy and when they act like Kujo it just makes it harder to help them sometimes. I have been taking my thumb and fingers and placing it on the top of Zoe's neck when she acts up, I lightly apply a tiny bit of pressure as if it was a mom dog mouth and she stops. :confused: Sounds weird but it works and it does not hurt so what they hey:D:D:D:D I need my fingers for my job:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Two sick pups at one time keeps a girl busy, for sure. Did you ever start Hannah on the Atopia? I just wondered if you had and if it was helping her. I hope she is out of her cone, I am looking for a new soft cone for Zoe for her surgery. It is the one thing I am unhappy about as she has no hair on her neck from her last surgery and her skin is thin, I really dont want her wearing one.:(:(:(

We are getting snow and then below zero again. I think last winter and the beginning of this winter had us all spoiled because we cant handle it:rolleyes: Hubby, the pups and I just want to hide in the house. I was going to write Sharlene and asklher cant she keep Alberta and her clipper in Canada please:D:D:D:D:D:D

hi Julie,
How are Hannah and Izzy doing now? How are You doing?! I hope you are getting plenty of sleep at night. Hard to face a class full of energy kids with no rest I imagine.

Addy, I wish they'd keep them in Alberta all together. I live in dread of the weatherman saying "we have an Alberta clipper heading our way, should be here XXX day". You know it's time to stock up the food supplies and tell the office you'll be working from home for a few days. :)

Check in when you get the chance Julie! Spring break has to be coming soon right!?!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Guys,

Thanks for checking on us. I think we're finally back on track here. We're not sure if Izzy had a food allergy, or a reaction to treats, or what. It seems like that is probably the case since she had the soft stools and intense itching together twice. It's hard because the girls often sneak a few bites from the other one's dish, plus there are treats, so I was doing my best to isolate things to try to pinpoint the issue, but it's tough to know for sure. I didn't want to try to go back to the food again right now because I didn't want to potentially cause another episode. We have parent/teacher conferences this week and next, so I need sleep and calm. :p

For now she Izzy on ID food, both canned and dry. My vet said I could try that even for a month, then try introducing another food and see how she does. Izzy is a pretty picky eater, but she likes it so far. I have a feeling that will wear off in a few days, but we'll see. I want to be really careful with keeping her off of other foods right now, so I told my hubby we have to be diligent about giving her the kibble for treats too. So far she's into it, so that's good! :D

I did start Hannah on the Atopica on 1/3. She's on week 4, but I did take her off of it for a few days after consulting with the derm vet during the stomach issues. (Addy, I was right there with you wondering about the Atopica, even though she had been on it with no issues for a few weeks). The vet felt it was unlikely because they usually have issues early on if they are going to have them, but she wanted to check into it anyway, and give Hannah's little tummy a rest. There was a definite increase in itching during those few days.

Unfortunately Hannah is still in the cone. :( I am really bummed about that, but I know it is usually around week 4 that there is marked improvement. It's hard to know when exactly that will be for us since she had to take a break. The itching on her sides and armpits and backs of her front legs has definitely decreased significantly. She still wants to bite/lick her feet and scratch her chin and neck though.

The thing is, if I were Hannah and had been wearing a cone for months, I'm sure I would bite/lick/scratch everything I could when the darn thing was off too!!! So, I've been trying to think about the fact that maybe she is just trained to think, "I've got about 2 min. to itch everything." Today I am trying to keep her out of the cone to see how she does. So far she has tried to bite her feet a few times, but I've gotten her to stop. She is sleeping peacefully right now.

We go back to the derm vet on 2/16 to reevaluate. I sure hope we will see more improvement. Hannah is on the cat formula of Atopica, which is a liquid, and it is cheaper than the quote I got from our primary vet, so that is nice. The derm vet is wonderful and wanted Hannah on the cat formula so she could adjust the dose easily because she didn't want to give Hannah too much. I think it is about $60 per month on an every day dose , which isn't cheap, but my vet quoted me about $100. Of course if it works, we get to reduce the dose to every other day or less....but I don't have my hopes up yet.

I did notice one interesting thing when Hannah was on the rice and canned ID for about 3-4 days. She hardly drank any water. It was just one more thing that made me question Cushing's. It made wonder if she was drinking less because she wasn't eating the Royal Canin Urinary SO food. She has been on it for at least 7 years, and I do know that her water consumption has increased in the last couple of years for sure, but it was weird to see that dramatic decrease. I was actually worried she wasn't getting ENOUGH water. :confused:

I think I'm going to take Hannah in to have her blood work done in the next week or two, just for my own knowledge. It sure is a mystery trying to figure out what is actually wrong with her. I'll be curious to see what the liver values look like.

On another note, I'm so glad to see Trish and Naomi have been added as forum hosts, as well as the "promotion" from forum host to moderator for Addy and Sharlene. Congratulations to all of you! You guys are doing an amazing job taking care of everyone, along with all of the moderators and people who run the site. You are all wonderful!

Thanks again for checking on us. Keep your fingers crossed that our tummy troubles are over, and that Hannah continues to improve on the Atopica. I'll definitely let you know how her blood work looks when I have it checked.

Sharlene, PLEASE keep the cold weather up in Canada! We've had enough! :D

Take care,

Julie & Hannah

Hi Julie,

I can say because Molly is on the SO food too that it does cause them to drink more. That is what it is designed to do to keep the crystals in control. Molly drink much less any time she doesn't have the SO food. I'd say at least a quarter to half less (which is actually less than they should drink normally). There are days when I don't give molly the SO, usually if I've noticed her starting to get some loose stools, then I mix something else in for a couple days and that seems to help. Then back to the SO because we've been lucky to be able to keep the crystal issue controlled using this food. I worry because then she doesn't drink enough. I don't like it, it's not what I would choose to feed her, but I worry about the crystals and stones if I don't. :(
So I right there with you on that. That too was one of the things that made us questions the cushings diagnosis. How can you have continuously high cortisol levels and Not drink a ton of water All the time and eat ravenously?
I hope that the Atopica really kicks in a lowers Hannah's itching in all areas. I do wonder since having been on the cone so much if part of it isn't what you suggested, that as soon as the cone comes off, it's opportunity time. She is after all a smart little whipper snapper. :)
Good luck with the parent-teacher conferences. Always a busy time in my teacher friends lives.

I swear I'm trying, but it seems that going outside and waving your arms around trying to shoo the darn thing northwards just isn't working all that well. :(

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Julie and Hannah and Izzy!

Boy, you have had things going on. I was wondering if Hannah perhaps had gall bladder issues, with the discomfort being so episodic? Does it come on after meals, any fatty treats or anything like that? Glad to hear her itching is somewhat better though, must be nice to see her out of the evil cone!!

Good luck for the parent/teacher interviews, that must be such a busy time for you.

Fingers crossed for no more tummy upsets or itchy episodes for your two!!

Trish xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Julie,

You have two WEEKS of parent interviews? :eek::eek::eek: OMG, don't know how you could do that! We have 4 hours of 5-10 minute appointments to talk to all of our parents. It's full on non stop talking during that time and we inevitably have to ring a few afterwards that we didn't get to see, but at least it is over in one night! Wow, 2 weeks I just couldn't do. You deserve a medal for that!

As for Hannah's allergies, I do so hope you manage to get a hold on them soon. My Oscar is an itchy scratchy boy too, and even going through the desensitisation program with the dermatologists, he is still really bad. Aside from being allergic to any and all preservatives in food, he is also allergic to ants and grass. So we have a never ending cycle of chewing of feet going on. I know what you mean about them waiting till you turn your back to have a good lick and chew. Ironic really, I medicate one to bring cortisol down, while the other I give pred to boost it up. You'd think they would just share wouldn't you? :p:p:p

Zoe ate the canned ID for a year, she could not tolerate the dry. She also drank very little water when she was on it but that usually happens when they are on wet food. She started chewing her paws though when I put her on it. I always thought it was the corn in it but when I finally weaned Zoe off of it she still chewed her paws:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I am going to stay positive that the Atopia will work and you can switch to every other day. I know how happy you will be if she can be cone free:):) That is what I am dreading for Zoe's surgery, they plan to leave her stitches in for 3 weeks:eek::eek::eek:


Hugs and love, stay warm!!!!!
Get well Izzy and Hannah!!!!!!

Hi Guys,

We had another visit to the vet today. Hannah had a normal stool, followed by some straining and a little diarrhea. She was also acting like she had an upset stomach or was in some pain after. I decided to take her in to check. She was acting normal again about 20 min. later, and I wondered if it was just from straining to go. She sometimes is weird if she doesn't have regular walks, and it's like she can't quite get it all out.

As long as we were going, I decided to have her blood work checked and I brought in a stool sample. The vet said her intestines had fluid in them and wanted to send out the stool sample. I agreed, even though I doubt there is anything because Izzy was clear a couple of weeks ago.

He thoroughly examine her while we were there and found a pea-sized growth on her upper right gum/jaw area. It doesn't look too good. He said it could be nothing or cancer. He recommended I watch it for a week or two to see if it grows. I also emailed the derm vet about it because I know cyclosporine (Atopica) can cause an overgrowth of gum tissue, but that isn't what this looked like to me. I don't have a good feeling about it. I also felt like the vet spent a lot of time feeling her neck, which made me wonder if he was thinking her lymph nodes felt strange, although he never said anything.

He wants to get the stomach thing figured out first and told me to try not to stress about her mouth. She's on metronidazole for a few days. She's been totally fine tonight. I don't even know if there was a real issue. She ate some of Izzy's dry ID and I wonder if that affected her. Vet said it was unlikely. He told me to skip the Atopica tonight because of her upset stomach. I did, but I'm frustrated about that too, because we may never get to the point where she is better if we keep having to stop!

As for the blood work, her hemoglobin and hematocrit were a touch low again, but not enough to worry him, her ALKP was about 700 (down from 900 in Dec.)...and the ALT....NORMAL at 53! :confused::confused::confused: I'm baffled. It was 186 in Dec. and over 200 in Nov. My vet really had no explanation for why this was, and said sometimes that just happens. I'm glad we didn't get an ultrasound.

So, if we didn't have the possible stomach issue and now the mouth growth, things would be looking pretty good. Ugh. I don't know what to think. I'm going to post the picture I took (it's not the best) in my photos. The growth is right by my thumb nail. It looks like a round bump sticking out from her gum and it's hard.

Julie & Hannah

Hi Julie

Well that's a bit of a mixed bag, I wonder if she got something stuck under her gum and it has got inflammed? Hopefully with watching it a couple of weeks as your vet suggested it will settle down again. Fingers crossed for that. Great to see her liver tests better though :D:D I guess you are back in limbo land with the stool test and seeing what is going on with her gut. :confused::confused: Tricky girls they are! Will keeping an eye to see what results come in. Sounds like she is a bit better overall as you say, so sometimes these little irregularities can settle on their own with a bit of time so that is what I will be hoping for Hannah.
Trish xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Julie,

Sorry about the snowstorm your way, tried to keep that Alberta Clipper over in western Canada, but no go, we'll get it bad tonight here.

Sounds like whatever the problem was with the liver values has now corrected. 53 is awesome number for her. I was told not to worry about the ALKP that those values are normally higher with dogs that have issues with crystals.
Hopefully the gum thing will turn out to be nothing. Don't let that bad feeling grab hold of you! Lets see how it does over the next couple weeks.
Got to run, work calls and I'm trying to get through some personal emails before the work ones bombard me this morning. :)
Stay warm and safe,
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hmmm,the canned ID should not really bother her, it is highly digestible unless she is allergic to an ingredient. When Zoe would have a bit of a colitis flare, her poos would sometimes start out normal and then end up getting softer and ickier. Do you see a shine to her stool or mucus looking stuff on it? Zoe would get gas pains. It was the only time she would pant. Or it could be the Atopia

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/atopica-side-effects.html

Is it possible for the vet to aspirate the growth? I would not worry about that one yet. It could be a number of things.

Oh Julie, I am so sorry you are having to deal with all these issues. I hope Izzy is better now so you dint have that worry as well.

((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Thought I'd stop by to update you on Hannah. Unfortunately, the Atopica did not fully resolve Hannah's itching, but it has improved somewhat. After discussing other options (giving her a super short cut and putting topical steroids on daily, trying allergy drops-which could take a year to work, etc.) we decided it was best to increase the Atopica a bit, and add Chlor Trimeton. She also gave me a shampoo with steroid in it to try. We will keep in touch to see how things go. We also discussed going to a steroid if/when Hannah seems miserable and to see if we can get her out of the cone for the remainder of her life. She will be 14 on 3/6, and I would love to make the end of her life pleasant. She still seems happy, but I feel okay about doing a steroid if I know her time is limited and I want to provide comfort. I really don't even know if she has Cushing's anyway.

One new thing she's been doing is a LOT of licking-the cone, the floor, the door, etc. I don't know if it's a replacement behavior because she can't lick her feet, or if there's something else going on. My mom said one of their dogs is also recently doing the same thing. Hmmmm....

Both Hannah and Izzy are on ID food for now. We had so many bouts of diarrhea that I decided to put them on this for a month or so and then try to transition them to something else. Hannah got diarrhea a few days after I started her back on her SO last time. I'm so puzzled about why they both had this same issue when they eat different foods! :eek:

I took Hannah back to the vet last week to have him look at the growth in her mouth. It had grown a little and turned a little more pink. (It was more gray like her gum tissue in that area before). He thought it might have a little fluid pocket on top of it. He told me he wasn't sure he could even remove it because he may not be able to close the wound. It's on the side of her upper right gum, so I understand there isn't a lot of tissue to work with. He couldn't really tell me what he thought might happen to it. I decided to take her to a dental specialist just to get her opinion. I would hate to have it get big and irritate her if there is any way to get the thing out of there. That appointment isn't until 3/6, but they said they'd squeeze me in if it gets bad. So we wait and see...

She's going to get a bath today and a haircut tomorrow. Hopefully that will make her a little more comfortable. She's getting pretty long, especially around her face.

That's about it for us. Still try to check in whenever I can...

Julie & Hannah

Hi Julie,

I just wanted to add that Molly too started getting diarrhea on the SO food, not always, but it was pretty bad last March, 2012, and I took her off that food and put her on the maturity food for a bit, but the water intake decreased so much that I started to gradually introduce the SO back into her mature food. Then finally got her back to the SO. I keep both kinds though and if she starts to get diarrhea I just add a bit of the maturity and usually the next poop is normal again. Then I start adding back in the SO. If she would just drink enough water then I wouldn't worry so much. (strange how the vet can insist on cushings when the water intake isn't nearly what one would see with a cushings dog)

Our little ones just keep us going around in circles don't they. I hope that the denistry vet can give you some idea of what might be going on with that bump. :( Is it painful to her?

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Julie,

Sorry to hear things are still a bit of a roller coaster ride. Just wondered if the dogs could have some kind of parasite like Giardia.
It does seem odd they both are having the same tummy problems. Zoe was on ID for about a year. The canned is a highly digestible food.

If the Atopia worked somewhat then perhaps the increase will help Hannah. I am sure hoping for that. I dont blame you for wanting to keep her comfortable and happy and out of the cone and we dont know if she has Cushings for sure. Her birthday is right around the corner. Time is flying by, isn't it? Seems like the year just started and here we are looking at March.

Does the Atopia bother her tummy? I wonder if the licking is from that? It is always hard to know. Sometimes I think they lick to soothe themselves and then it becomes OCD.

Have a great weekend, Julie. I hope you can take a break.

HI Julie, Hannah and Izzy!

Sorry to hear the tummy and skin itchies still a bother. Really hope the food change does the trick. Gosh it seems to go round in circles and with it being both of them having problems on occasion, I do wonder if it something bacterial or environmental. Such a puzzle and I really hope it settles soon.

Sounds like if there is fluid in that gum lump it could be infected?? I bet you are hanging out for the dentist appointment, hope it is not painful for her. Looking forward to next update and hopefully read of improvement for you all

Trish xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to stop by to let you know I'm taking Hannah to the dental specialist on Wed. morning to have the growth in her mouth evaluated. She will decide if she thinks it can be removed. My regular vet was not sure he'd be able to close the incision. Hannah will also turn 14 on Wednesday. Some birthday present, huh?! :eek: My poor little girl has to make yet another vet trip. I'm glad the appointment is finally here, but I'm nervous at the same time. If she does think she can perform surgery, then I'll have to decide if I want to move forward (depending on the cost) and have blood work done again to see how she's doing. Please keep us in your thoughts. I'll let you know how it goes.

Julie & Hannah

We'll be right there with you Julie. I hope it isn't anything serious. Does it seem to bother her at all?
Awww, poor Hannah, she'll need some special lovings on her birthday. Maybe the vet will give her a bunch of extra ear rubs so she'll be happier about the whole experience.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

We'll be right there with you Julie, praying for some good news for our birthday girl. Fourteen is a pretty special year for sure.:):)


((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))

Is it snowing yet at your house? I so hope the weatherman is wrong, we have no where to go with another 10 inches of snow:eek: I hope it misses you so Hannah does not have to cope with that too. We really need to go kidnap that dang groundhog and lock him up somewhere!!:p:p:p

Dear Julie,

I know I have not been writing very much but I have still been following all that's going on with you and sweetie Hannah. I am so sorry for the worry over this growth and I will be hoping SOOOO hard that the consultation goes well tomorrow. I will be thinking of both you and our Birthday Girl, that's for sure!!

Sending big warm hugs from across the miles,
Marianne

Thinking of you

Good Luck at the dentist today Julie and Hannah, hope your better at going to the dentist than me!!!!! Take all the drugs is my advice, but I am a wuss and I am sure Hannah will be much braver than me :eek: Looking forward to hear the update later today! xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

HAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPY 14TH BIRTHDAY TO BEAUTIFUL HANNAH ..... I HOPE YOU GET CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Happy 14th Birthday, Hannah!!

We hope you have a good day and get lots of goodies!

Hugs,
Leslie, Squirt, Trinket, Brick and Sophie

Thanks for thinking of us, everyone! And Leslie, thanks for the birthday wishes. Hannah started her 14th year at the dental specialist. She went over all of the possibilities of what the growth could be (and there are a lot of them) and then shared her thoughts. She seemed to have no concerns at all about the actual procedure (closing the wound, etc.) and basically said we need to know more before deciding what to do.

So I'm dropping Hannah off tomorrow morning at 8:00 and she is going to begin by sedating her, then doing a chest x-ray (to see if there are any tumors in her chest--if it is cancer, it could have metastasized already), then do a biopsy. If the sedation isn't enough then she would anesthetize her fully. If it seems like a cyst, then she will call me and could go ahead and remove it (it would cost about $2,000!!!), so I will have to figure out what to do. The procedure tomorrow will be about $800-$900.

I can tell my husband thinks this is crazy and thinks we should just leave it because it isn't bothering her. I don't know what I think. The procedure is scheduled, so she will get it biopsied at a minimum. I had her blood work checked at my vet today and the ALKP was 453 (very good!) and ALT was normal again. Her Hematocrit was low again at like 35.5% so she is still slightly anemic. That has been fluctuating for several months. Her BUN was also elevated, but he said that could be from dehydration. I'm hoping that is the case because she really hadn't had much water since last night. Her Creatinine was normal so he wasn't too concerned. At any rate, it was okay enough to do surgery if needed.

I'm very worried about my little sweets, but the doctor seemed so confident; she didn't mention even one concern or complication, so she must feel good about doing this procedure. I'll keep you posted and thank you for keeping is in your thoughts.

Julie & Hannah

peeking in from work, whew!!! It will be okay.:D:D

Happy Birthday Hannah!!!!!

Birthday ????? We like Birthday's :)

:D:D:D Happy Birthday Hanna :D:D:D

Happy Birthday Hanna!!

Happy 14th Birthday Hannah, hope you enjoy the rest of your day now your done with the doctors

Will be thinking of you both tomorrow, try to enjoy her special day today

Xxxxx

Happy Birthday Hannah!!

okay, time now, home from work.:D:D

well, so we will know what happens tomorrow and at a minimum she will have biposy. I think the chest xray for heart and lung must be standard for growth removal because they did the same thing to Zoe and her growth was the opposite direction;):D

You never know how fast they may grow and then when the growth gets bigger it may get more complicated to remove. I think you are doing the right thing.

The doggie dentist wanted over a grand I think to clean Zoe's teeth:eek::eek: So those doggie dentists have a good paying job!!! The other end is cheaper:):p

Trying to make you laugh.

I think it is great her labs are good. Great job Mom!!!!

I;ll be checking in tomorrow, we are at vets to get stiches out in the am and then I'll peek in from work. Mt boss has been great until now. I think all the work I keep missing is getting old for him. He was downright crabby about it today!!!

We;ll all hold your hand tomorrow. We are a bit hung over from going to Houston with Skye Sunday and Monday, the chcovino was flowing pretty good.

love ya and kisses to birthday pup

Julie, I hope it's OK but I just took the liberty of revising your thread title to reflect today's birthday milestone. :) :D :p :p :p :p

Happy Birthday to Sweet Hannah!!!! :) :)

Marianne

Thank you all so much!

Marianne, thanks for changing her age on the thread. It is a big day! I hate the fact that she's getting older, so it's hard to think about 14. She's like my baby, since I don't have human babies yet. :D

Thanks, Addy, for telling me you think I'm doing the right thing. I agonize over decisions, and of course worry that if something goes wrong I'll just beat myself up about it. I just have to remember that I am doing whatever I can to help her.

My hubby just got home from a couple days at camp with his 5th grade students (we had a snow day yesterday, which has only happened once in the 10 years I've worked there) and he was working! Anyway, he was very supportive of my decision and told me I can't worry about "what ifs" and I shouldn't worry about the money because we've already spent so much on dogs. I know it bothers him because I sacrifice other things, but in the end, he really is good about it. That helps too.

I am such a good saver, so we do have the money to pay for a full surgery if needed, but of course that's not how I want to spend it. And it's hard to think about how much to spend on a 14 year-old dog. I think my dad thinks I'm crazy, but they just spend a few thousand on their 12 year-old Shih Tzu, who had heart problems, but unfortunately they had to put him to sleep. You just never know. Maybe she'll live another year. Then I'll know it was the right thing.

There are so many things to worry about for tomorrow. My mind is swirling and I'm exhausted. My body aches from so much shoveling yesterday. We got 10 inches of snow. I want to just go to bed, but I want to spend time cuddling my girl before tomorrow.

Thanks again for keeping us in your thoughts. I asked my vet if it would help if I took Izzy's bottle of Xanax (she takes it for thunderstorms). He got a good laugh out of that. I sort of wish I did have some. :D Hopefully I'll be able to stay calm. I'll update you tomorrow.

Julie & Hannah

Happy Birthday Hannah!


What a good little girl you are for your momma. :) I hope you have had a lovely day and got some extra treats. Don't worry about tomorrow, you'll take a nap and not even think about anything except if their are bunnies hopping around on those clouds you are running around. Doggie dreams are the best ones you know. Then when your mom comes to pick you up after your nap, you'll be hugged and loved on and you'll know what a special little girl you are and how much everyone just wants to love on you.

Julie, I'm sure it will be okay. The vet would have mentioned if she had any concerns about doing this to Hannah.
We do spend a fortune on our babies don't we and even put off something for ourselves if it means that they can have some more precious days with us.
Will be thinking of you and Hannah tomorrow.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Jeez Louise... dentists are $$$$EXPENSIVE$$$$... I hate to say this but we are all in the wrong line of work!!

Julie, I would pay it too... to get more time with my baby. You are not putting her at too much risk as they are checking her out so thoroughly beforehand. It could end up being just a cyst so that is what I will be hoping for! I think Addy is right, if it does end up getting bigger you would kick yourself for not doing it earlier. So I say, go for it too and no regrets.....you have to firmly believe you are doing it for the right reasons, if anything did go wrong it is not your fault. :D:D I guess in the long run it won't effect her quantity of life, but if it grows bigger and starts bothering her then it could effect quality and as far as I am concerned that is the most important thing.

Hope it all goes well tomorrow, keep us updated when you can as I am sure we will be waiting for the news! I bet you got loads of good cuddles tonight, just enough to last you till you get her back in your arms tomorrow night!!

Good Luck Miss Hannah xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps I am sure Skye will send you some of her courage juice if you ask her nicely :D:D:D

pps Your hubby sounds like a keeper!! So glad you have his support in making these hard decisions :):):)