Tipper - adrenal tumor/breathing issues

Hi Everyone:
Just a brief update. Tipper has started to pant and drink a little more water so she will be back on the Vetoryl tomorrow morning at 20MG. They said to wait until Sunday, but she is starting to get real ansy and pant so I know her signs well enough to know she needs it. I will just have to be vigilant in watching her so she does not go back down too low. That is why I want to start in the morning. I hope the 20mg will be her dose for a while and that suppresses enough for her to be symptom free. I guess we will soon see if the UK study is correct in what they say. Blessings
Patti

Patti,
Yes, Scoop had an ultra sound done when he was first diagnosed with Cushings, end of last summer. Nothing was said about sludge then. He had an US done in Nov, March, in NY at the end of May for his Cyberknife consult and then again the morning of the day he passed away. Sludge was seen Nov, March and July 1 and each time it seemed like the sludge got worse. Not sure about the time in NY. That didn't have anything to do with the treatment. I'll have to check it out. The last time the IMS said he had ALOT. I'm wondering if the sludge could have been the cause of his picky eating. Was you cat picky or did he just stop eating all of a sudden?

Why Scoop's GP vet never had him continue with the Ursodiol I'll never know. If it would have helped the sludge and possibly his eating why wouldn't she have kept him on it? I'll never understand. No wonder I'm such a mess about what went on with Scoop. I miss him so much and then to think about all this. UGH! Scoop's IMS told me she didn't know if she would have ever been able to figure out why he wasn't eating. You'd think she would have thought about the gall bladder sludge. I am really starting to wonder what kind of vets I was dealing with. So frustrating and upsetting that maybe my Scoop wouldn't have had to have all these problems. I am really beginning to not like vets at all.

Does your cat still take Ursidiol?
Do you know what causes the fluid to thicken?
I wonder what causes cush dogs get this?
Thanks

So glad you spoke to Dechra and got positive feedback and facts about the adrenals. Sounds good for Tipper...poor girl had quite a day! Glad she's home getting your TLC. Meanwhile how's Chance doing today?

Hoping the returning symptoms fade again once you start the vetoryl back up. The drinking and the panting...those are Trixie's most prevalent symptoms too. Today we are having a pretty good day of drinking...not as bad as some. Guess these nice cool mornings we have had are very good for Cushings! Hate that it's supposed to be hot again next week. :mad:
Hope you, Tipper and the rest of your babies have a great weekend.

Barbara

Hi Patti,
All in all, a good ultrasound report.:) I hope Chance's news is good also. Xxxx

It sounds like the ultrasound appointment went very well. It doesn't make sense for one adrenal to balloon up unless the other one is completely shriveled and not working and Tipper was still producing a large amount of cortisol, which we know from her ATCH test is not happening. That makes Leslie's scenerio the most plausible one, which is that it is a shadow and the other, adrenal is in hiding. (Very normal on an ultrasound).
Glad you got the gallbladder medicine, that will take care of that issue and best to know about it now.
All in all, I'd say a decent day.
Hope Chance is holding his own over the weekend.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Everyone:
Tipper was restless last nite and got up again at 4:30am with a stomach ache. Second day in a row. This morning I gave her the Ursodiol and 20mg of Vetoryl. I am watching her closely to make sure she has no signs of going low. They wanted me to wait until tomorrow to start her, but with the drinking, panting, and stomach aches I know she needs it now. Chance is hiding again behind the sofa and does not want to come out and eat. I am wanting Monday to hurry up and come as his appointment is then. I am guessing he will get some sort of steroid which I am not going to be happy about. Vicki my cat started out being picky with his food and as his ALT numbers climbed he stopped eating altogether. I have the hives from being so nervous about Tipper's ultra sound. I pray the other vets realize that the adrenal could not be seen, and that it was a shadow seen. I do not want to make her go thru this again, as I said yesterday she has had enough and is at her limit I can tell. The cost of all this has been staggering! Next week we have Laser treatment and the eye Dr. also blood pressure on Wednesday. So there we go with 3 visits again. Then we will be down to only once a week for blood pressure and weight. My vet actually gave me a compliment and said I was doing an excellent job with her. I thought to myself he sure isn't! Between the Ursodiol for the cat and Tipper and the Vetoryl I will be eating the jelly and applesauce I made. I need a windfall of some money some how. Don't we all though? As long as my babies are ok I don't care about anything else. Blessings
Patti

Patti,

maybe the vet complimenting you is a sign that he's coming around a bit? I hope so! Sometimes they need to eat a little crow before coming back down to earth.

Hives. Oh NO! I've had those before. What do you do to treat them?

Valerie:
You can just use anything that stops itching. I just basically leave them alone and they go away. It was nice here today not too bad with the heat. The humidity is probably hanging around waiting to come back though. That makes it tuff for Tipper to breathe. Even in the house if the air is not coming on she gets heated up. I have had to turn down my air conditioning this year because she needs it to be cooler. Got my electric bill- wow everything is so expensive. Hope you and Miss Daisy Mae have a good weekend, with no cat food now Daisy!
Blessings
Patti

Patti,
Benadryl helps itching from hives, but I'm not sure what other medications you are taking. It is generally considered safe but you might want to check with your doctor or pharmacist before trying it.
It does cause drowsiness, but in your case that might be good, at least you would get some rest. Xxxxx

We use a Benadryl cream on Stanley and that really helps. We have pills too, but don't use the pills with the cream since the cream seems to work. We have a Benadryl gel the gal gave us that brought Stanley, but we have not used that, it is a bit cooler.