Hope all goes well today for Jasper! Let us know what you learn!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang
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Hope all goes well today for Jasper! Let us know what you learn!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang
Crossing fingers and paws (molly is) for Jasper and you today and some awesome good results on all the tests.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly muffin
Keeping you and Jasper in my thoughts and prayers, and wishing you both the best of luck with the vet visit.
Love and hugs, Lori
Hey Tina,
I hope all goes well with the checkup and that it stays routine with no surprises (unless they are good ones - good ones are always welcome). Fingers crossed for you and please give Jasper an extra smooch from us too! :D
me too, Tina, Zoe and I are cheering for you and Jasper
Ohhh no news yet?? I am up early to check on you two! Hope it went well today xx
Thank you all so much for keeping Jasper in your thoughts today and for all the good wishes. I feel like the appt went pretty well. My vet thought Jasper looked good overall. His weight is holding steady at 25 lbs, I was a little worried about that with the lower protein food. When she examined his abdomen she said everything felt ok in there, and she said his liver margins were much more normal than the last check a few months ago. I was so worried then, his tummy was so big, and when she felt around she said it was because his liver was so enlarged from the steroids. Now that he is on a physiologic dose of the Dex, his liver size has decreased. That is great news, although it didn't sound like we could expect the ALP to improve because of the Dex.
He had blood drawn for a chem profile which includes a liver and kidney panel, and triglycerides. Also a baseline cortisol. The last cortisol check was done in November, and it was less than 0.4 ug/dL then, ref range 2-6 ug/dL. If it comes back still this low, my vet said he will be considered permanently Addison's. She also sent off urine for a UPC. We did not check the electrolytes since he just got the Percorten injection last Saturday, so they would likely be normal from that.
She didn't feel that having an abdominal ultrasound would be of great benefit now since he is finally showing some stability. I had forgotten that my vet had done a couple of what she called "targeted ultrasounds" back when Jasper was so sick and ended up in the hospital with the Addison's crisis. His pancreas and liver were looked at then, and a targeted ultrasound of his kidneys was done when his drinking and peeing had not shown any improvement and the protein showed up in his urine. She said the liver and pancreas looked ok, and there were no cysts or abnormalities of his kidneys. I don't have reports for any of these, and I now am remembering that I wasn't charged for them. I think they were done when he didn't seem to be responding normally to anything and she was struggling to figure out what was going on with him and wanted to cover all the bases. I didn't even think to ask about reports, maybe I should inquire about that?
The lab results will be back Monday or Tuesday and she said she will call when they are back. So the torture of waiting has started. I feel like there just has to be some improvement since he seems to be feeling better, but I won't feel secure until the numbers validate that. I am thinking positive but still feel scared, especially about the kidney profile and UPC. I have been telling him all day about what good results Flynn had this last time, and so he can do it too!! ;)
Shelby had her yearly check last weekend, I need to post an update on her thread in the everything else section. She has a couple of things going on also, never a dull moment around here!
Thanks again for thinking of my boy today, I knew you all were with us in that room. I had so many questions for my vet, I am sure she felt tag teamed. And she was, because you were all there with us! :D
Hugs,
Tina and Jasper
Hi Tina,
I know what you are talking about with work. I have been so slammed myself.
I will be keeping my fingers crossed waiting for the test results. Sounds like he is doing good! :D
Hi Tina
So pleased to hear the appointment went well today, with all those positive signs we surely have to get good news!! Will keep everything crossed just in case though.
I just caught the end of a show on tv, one of those crime programmes, and it was in Omaha!! So I was checking out the scenery of your city, it was about a whole lot of kids who murdered the father for sleeping with the son's girlfriend and the mother knew and gave the ok so she could collect the insurance money?!? :eek::eek: You live in a lovely place Tina :)
Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend now the appointment is over xx
waiting is hard, sweetie, so we will all wait with you:):):)
I am pleased that everything went well and it sounds like your vet is doing a great monitoring job:):):)
That, dear friend, is half the battle:):):):)
(((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))
Sounds like a good report to me so far, Tina! YAY, Jasper and Mom! :cool::):cool::)
Hoping for good news this week!!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Still got everything crossed for you Tina, I hope you hear tomorrow to put you out of the misery of waiting waiting waiting!! xx
Tina,
I hope your wait will be over very soon (waiting is the worst!) and that you get some great results from Jaspers tests!! Thinking positive thoughts for your little schnauzer! :)
Barbara
Soooo Tina. Any word today????
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Hi Everyone,
Well, all your prayers, positive thinking and good wishes worked. My vet called late today with Jasper's lab results and there has been a lot of improvement!! I was so pleasantly surprised I could hardly speak!! :D She emailed the reports so here is what we have:
GLUCOSE 81 (70-120) mg/dL
UREA NITROGEN SERUM L 8 (10-28) mg/dL
CREATININE SERUM 0.77 (0.50-1.50) mg/dL
BUN/CREAT 10 Ratio (no ref range given)
BILIRUBIN TOTAL 0.2 (<0.6) mg/dL
BILIRUBIN DIRECT 0.0 (<0.3) mg/dL
BILIRUBIN INDIRECT 0.2 mg/dL (no ref range given)
ALT (SGPT) H 145 (<100) IU/L
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE H 1562 (<95) IU/L
LACTIC DEHYDROGENASE(LD) H 323 (<175) IU/L
AST (SGOT) 24 (<65) IU/L
CHOLESTEROL H 306 (125-260) mg/dL
TRIGLYCERIDES H 198 (41-115) mg/dL
CALCIUM 11.3 (8.3-12.0) mg/dL
PHOSPHORUS 4.0 (2.8-5.7) mg/dL
SODIUM 143 (138-154) mmol/L
POTASSIUM 5.2 (3.7-5.8) mmol/L
CHLORIDE 104 (104-118) mmol/L
PROTEIN SERUM 7.2 (5.4-7.5) g/dL
ALBUMIN 3.7 (2.5-3.9) g/dL
GLOBULIN 3.5 g/dL (no ref range given)
OSMOLALITY CALCULATED 282 (280-310) mOsm/Kg
CORTISOL-RANDOM <0.4 (2.0-6.0) ug/dL
PROTEIN, RANDOM URINE 93.6 mg/dL
CREATININE, RANDOM URINE 63 mg/dL
PROTEIN/CREAT, URINE 1.49 Ratio
*END OF REPORT*
The UPC has improved significantly, (normal is < 0.5)
3.57 on 01/14/13
1.49 now :D :cool: :D :cool: :D
It is still not normal, but tons better. Going in the right direction!! I feel like I can breathe a bit now after seeing that, I was so afraid that it would be the same or even worse.
Also very relieved to see that the BUN and creatinine had not gone up, phosphorus was ok, and also that the serum protein and albumin were still WNL with the moderate protein diet and urine protein loss.
The cholesterol and triglycerides are still a bit high, but the triglycerides have come way down,
1735 on 02/07/13 :eek:
198 now
Alk Phos still elevated but better,
2170 on 02/07/13
1562 now
The LD and ALT are a bit elevated now where they were WNL on 2/7. She didn't mention any concern about that when she called, I will have to ask.
The baseline cortisol hasn't budged. I don't think the lab can register anything lower than <0.4 so that is what it always shows. She said that we can consider him permanently Addison's now, as enough time has lapsed with no adrenal regeneration that we can make the diagnosis. :( I have some mixed feelings about it, but am so thankful that my boy is feeling better, that I am not going to dwell on that now.
My vet was VERY pleased with all of the improvements, and for now we are going to keep the plan the same. Continue with the Renal MP diet, Enalapril, Welactin, Percorten injection every 26 days, and the Dex every other day. She didn't mention when we would follow up again, I think she was just so happy with things, and probably glad that she may get me out of her hair for a while!
I have nearly hugged Jasper to death since I got home, he keeps looking at me like "Mom, what is wrong with you, settle down". Thank you so much everyone for all the crossed fingers, toes, paws, tails and everything else. I am so grateful that the treatment appears to be working, and I pray that it continues.
Before I had received any results today, I was sitting at my office and thinking about everything that has happened since we started this journey. (My day was not very productive today). I didn't realize it but it has been almost exactly a year since everything started. And actually it has probably been a little more than a year since I first noticed that he was drinking and peeing too much, we just hadn't started looking into it yet. It was either 5/23 or 5/24 last year that he had an accident in the house during the night and we went in for an urgent vet visit the next day, and all the evaluating and testing started.
After his horrible cortisol crashes at the end of August/beginning of September, the subsequent hospitalizations and all that happened then, the unspeakable thoughts crept in about whether he was going to make it through or not. My boy is still with me now and words can't adequately express how grateful I am. I am bawling now just thinking about all of it, and also because if all of this wouldn't have happened, I wouldn't know any of you. It is because of you, my dear friends, that I was able to get out of bed every day when things were at their worst. It was you that were there with me during the middle of the night when I sat up crying and scared out of my mind. It is because of you that I gained the right knowledge and learned the right questions to ask of my vet in order to always, always do what is best for Jasper. And for that I thank you all so very much.
Love and huge hugs,
Tina and Jasper
Congratulations!!!!!!
OMG Tina I am just elated for you and Jasper, what a relief!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D
Now, it is kinda prophetic you said that! Did you realise both Jasper and Flynn's highest UPC were exactly 3.57 and now both their latest are 1.49!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Both exactly the same, what are the chances of that!! I went back and checked Flynn's because I thought, hang on here those numbers sound very familiar LOLOL! We should go buy a lotto ticket!! Now you gotta go find a real healthy dog and tell BOTH Flynn and Jasper they have to be just like him and we will all liver happily ever after :D:):D:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Tina
His liver tests are so much better too.... Wow I bet you sleep better tonight, about time we had a breather. Now if Flynny's tummy would settle down we would have a house of harmony for a while!
This has brought a tear to my eye Tina!! So, so happy!
Trish xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx :D
Oh, YAY! Jasper and Mom! What great news! :):):cool::cool: I am so glad to see these improvements!
Now, remember, in Europe it isn't uncommon to treat Cushing's by intentionally inducing Addison's because they believe Addison's is easier to treat and easier on the pup than Cushing's. So don't be sad or afraid - Jasper just decided to join the other side. ;) BUT you make it perfectly clear to our boy that he is just that - OUR boy so you have to keep coming here and letting us know how he is doing. :)
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang
Wonderful news, sweetie, now you can breathe:):):):):)
Hi Tina
Hope all going good in Jasperland! I always think of you when I am up here late watching tv and keeping half an eye on the boards and everyone else is sleeping! Least your late night pit stops will be a bit warmer now :) Still smiling with Jasper's good news :):D:):D xxx
Hey Tina,
Missed your post the other day but just seen it now and YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go Jasper! About time some things started to go right hey?
Awww, thanks so much you guys. I am still celebrating the results. :)
Trish, I knew that Flynn and Jasper both had the 3.57 UPC previously, and I thought that was bizarre enough to be exactly the same. Holy smokes, now they both have 1.49!!!! That is kind of unbelievable really, don't you think?!! Well, I said before that they are kindred spirits.... ;)
Yes, we should buy lottery tickets, I think I heard that our powerball here is way up there again.
And Leslie, thanks for the comments about Addison's. I had read that they do this in Europe. I am still a little afraid about it, and a little sad I guess. But it is easy to put it out of my mind because he seems to be feeling pretty good. And I will take that. I am just so glad that you all let us stay even though he doesn't have Cushings anymore. :D
I was wondering if maybe we shouldn't adjust the title of our thread now. Like maybe "Jasper (9 yr old Mini Schnauzer) - Cushing's, now Addison's". What do you guys think??
Hugs from me and Jasper
Tina, I think the thread title change makes perfect sense, and now 'tis done! ;)
This way, you two will stand out as a beacon of support to others who find themselves traveling a similar path. :)
Tons of hugs being sent your way!
Marianne
Tina, what a great idea for a thread title. :) Marianne is right. Your journey with Jasper will help so many others who are in this situation too and give them hope that they too will be able to adjust and go on with with a beloved companion who has joined the Addisons diagnosis.
Hugggggsssss
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
that is a catching new title............i remember several months ago that had come up when talking with her IMS, prior to some of her testing while reviewing some of her previous testing.
hope all is well..........and i agree.......i think many will learn from this thread. your a wonderful momma to your babies and the photos are awesome.
Yes, very nice new title!! I bet quite a few people will come here to find out about Addisons and they will find you, how lucky are they!! Jasper is a darling and is going to be around a long long time with you on his side!! xxx
Tina, what a fright you must have got with Jasper in the night!! Poor boy, must have fallen right off the bed!! Crikey you must have thought a tornado had arrived with that racket! Hope you got back to sleep and had a good night, although sounds like you were up early today getting your chores done! Catch up soon xx
Hope those storms missed you yesterday.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Hi Tina,
Wow! Tornado warnings! :eek: I am glad that you have a laundry room to go to with your babies.:D You all must have been terrified! :eek: Jasper's numbers are incredible! :D I am thrilled to hear that he's doing so well. Way to go Jasper!:D
Hugs,
Kathy and Buddy:cool:
1:30am Tornado warnings, Sheezz, that is not the time to have to be crawling out of bed and heading down to the laundry room. Dratted things. I hate when they come in the middle of the night like that. I once slept through one that hit about 5 miles from my house in Texas, because it was the middle of the night. I didn't realize anything was going on till the next morning.
Glad you, Jasper and Shelby are a-okay though and that you have a laundry room to go to.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Hi Guys,
I hope everyone and their babies are having a good weekend and holiday! Sharlene, having lived in Texas you know all about tornado warnings. I hate it when they come in the middle of the night too. :eek: But I can't complain this time, we were lucky and just had straight line winds, with only small tree branches down in my neighborhood. Went out and cleaned up the yard a bit ago. There was lots more damage in other parts of town. Looks like we are under a watch tonight already, sounds like a potential repeat of last night, oy! And there is work tomorrow. :rolleyes: Tis the season unfortunately.
Marianne, a very belated thank you for changing the title of our thread. Glad you guys like it. I had trouble finding my own thread earlier today, Lol!!
An update on Jasper: For the past couple of weeks he has seemed a little out of sorts. Quiet, low energy, very subdued, not wanting to play. I told my vet about it around a week ago or so, and told her I was keeping an eye on him. He is eating fine, drinking and peeing are about the same, and his poops have been ok. So nothing specific that I can identify. The vet agreed to just watch him. For the past 4 or 5 days he has seemed even more slowed down and subdued. On Saturday morning, he walked away from his food briefly while eating, but only once and he finished ok. He hadn't done this for months. Right away I thought "ok, here we go just in time for the holiday weekend".
Well, Shelby had an appt Sat morning to recheck her tooth after the surgery and to get her leptospirosis vaccine, so I had the opportunity to run everything by my vet. She sent me home with 4 doses of Cerenia to give daily, and said to give him his Dexamethasone daily for the next week instead of every other day. She is wondering if he isn't a bit nauseated, or having some type of pain. She doesn't think it is the Addison's, but will increase the Dex for a short period just in case, and that would help if he was having pain also.
I haven't noticed any big difference with the increased Dex or the Cerenia, his energy is still low, sleeping a lot, and not too interested in anything. He gets annoyed with any attempt that Shelby makes to play. But he has continued to eat and drink ok, no vomiting, and poops are still ok. So not sure what is going on exactly. He just seems to be in slow motion. I guess I will continue to watch him.
Hugs,
Tina and Jasper
Hi Tina, oh gee not another night in the laundry room. :( I really did hate that part of living in Texas.
Strange about Jasper, his last labs didn't show anything that would seem to cause lethargy. I guess they'll rerun labs if he doesn't perk up?
Hang in there Tina. Hoping for a peaceful night. Not fun to be up all night and then have work the next day. ugh
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Hi Tina
Maybe it is the change of season, is it getting much hotter there yet? Flynn always seems to slow down a little in the heat. Hopefully it is just a wee fluctuation in the status quo and he will perk up again soon. Poor Shelby must be wondering what is wrong!
Crikey, these storms worry me... when I hear of them on the news I look at my weather app to see if any of you are near! Hope you stay safe and no more midnight warnings, your sleep is disrupted enough as it is without having that to worry about. Hope we hear an update soon that Jasper is doing good!
Trish xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Tina,
Maybe it is all due to the weather and storms, funny how things can affect them. I can see now that Zoe's tummy and skin were bothering her to some degree, she feels so much better now.
I havent forgotten about the fish oil, it is just her poos were not good and I cant make all these dietary changes at one time with Zoe. Hoping we can try it out once I know her poos are good again on a regular basis and her diet change is ok. Thank you for reminding me:)
Hope there are no more late night laundry room visits. We dont get a lot of tornado warnings here in the city but sometimes we have to all go down in the basement and wait.
There you are... way down on page 4!!! Time for an update Tina! How is Jasper doing this week, has he perked back up and enjoying his doggy meals?? Be lovely to hear from you xxxx :D:D
Awww I am missing my Jasper updates!! How is the wee man? Hope life has settled down a little for you and your family is well Tina!! See you soon :D
Me too, Tina, I need a Jasper fix.:):):):):):)
Hi Guys,
I've been trying to get caught up on everyone, this forum is a busy place! Jasper seems to be feeling pretty well lately. He was out of sorts and kind of lethargic for about 2 1/2 weeks , and has gradually snapped out of it. His energy has improved, and he is almost back to his old self. He had his Percorten injection on 6/18. He continues on the Dex every other day, Enalapril twice a day, Welactin twice a day, and Royal Canin Renal MP prescription diet. He has been eating good, and his poops have been pretty good. (That last part was said in a whisper) ;)
As long as he continues to feel well, next month we are planning to try him without the Percorten to see if he can go without it. He is on a decreased dose now. We will check his electrolytes on the day the Percorten is due, and if they are normal, he won't get the injection. We would re-check the electrolytes in 10 days, and if ok, check again in another 10 days. If his electrolytes remain stable during that entire time period, then we can stop the injections. Of course I would be watching for any adverse symptoms such as vomiting or loss of appetite. Other than that potential plan, he does not have any labwork or testing scheduled. I need to touch bases with my vet to see when we will re-check the UPC.
I have noticed that Jasper's water intake has increased a bit over the past couple of weeks, especially noticeable over the past 3-4 days, so I am keeping an eye on that. He has never gotten back down to a normal water intake, pretty consistently stayed between 4 and 6 cups a day, and typically even under 5 cups a day. Well, lately I have had to add water to his bowl and some days he is now up to 7 cups. :eek: I am trying to not worry about that as I am thinking that some of the increase is heat related, although it hasn't been super hot consistently yet here. And I keep the house pretty cool. So I am monitoring and will let my vet know if it continues to trend up. I am hoping it is just related to the heat rather than related to his kidney issues. He is peeing more too, of course. I really noticed it this weekend, he was asking to go out quite often. While I am at work he uses pooch pads.
So overall he is hanging in there I think. I count my blessings for every day that he feels good. He is such a sweet and loving boy. It warms my heart to see him feeling good enough to play with his toys or wrestle with his sister.
Thanks so much for checking in on us.
Hugs,
Tina and Jasper
Awww Tina, I missed you! Dozed off on the couch watching telly. So pleased to hear Jasper continues to do well, I too am going to put down the extra drinking to the heat. That sounds very feasible reasoning to me especially as he is feeling well and playing with Shelby :) Hope you got back to sleep so your ready for work today! Talk soon xxxxxx