Anything happening with Cooper these days?
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Anything happening with Cooper these days?
Cooper is doing well. He's currently getting 50 units of insulin twice a day and that's the only medicine he's on. I've switched him to a new food. He was eating royal canin diabetic, but our other dog has some serious stomach problems and we tried him on grain free food (Zignature lamb). It's a low glycemic index food so I switched Cooper onto it too and he's doing well on it.
He is drinking and peeing a lot and is possibly getting another bladder infection or cushings again. But he hasn't gotten too bad yet and we're in the middle of a big move and I'm not ready to find a new vet yet. We just drove from Texas to NY over the last 4 days. We're staying with family while our house in Texas sells then we're moving to Connecticut. I know if I take him somewhere now they're going to want to do a bunch of tests so I'd rather wait until we're settled in Connecticut.
3 nights in hotel and now staying at a house with a deck with no railing around it has been difficult with a blind dog, but he's really adjusting better than I thought. We have the dogs gated into the den cause I'm afraid of Cooper being near the stairs or walking head first into my parents glass curio cabinet. I think that's helping him stay calm. He figured his way around the room pretty quickly.
Cooper is a smart boy obviously to find his way around so well.
Wow, that is a big move. Hope you can find a good vet in your new area. Hope he isn't getting another infection. He sure is prone to them. Course an infection is easier to deal with than cushings, so ....
Gosh you are showing up just in time for winter months to hit. Big change after Texas I bet. I moved from Texas to Pennsylvania in the fall months too once and it was a definite hit to my goose prone body. Course now being in Canada, LOL, I'm adapted back to cold weather again.
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Julie,
Where in CT?
I'm born and raised here so I might have some useful input. Fire away.
Thankfully we were only in Texas for 2 years and Ohio before that for 4 years. I should adjust pretty well but my son is constantly shivering. He was 6 months when we moved to Texas so he doesn't know cold! The dogs are loving the cool weather!!
My husband's job is in Windsor, we're looking around granby, suffield, and hebron area. Hoping to find a cute rural town!
I just wanted to let everyone know that Cooper passed away earlier this month. I feel like I need to tell the end of his story for people who are doing all the research that goes along with a diabetes/cushing diagnosis.
Cooper was doing real well on 50 units insulin and didn't have any cushinngs signs. Then he started drinking and peeing again, which turned out to be another bladder infection. We treated it for a long time. Then he was infection free for a few weeks. The infection came back yet again and we were at the point that we were just going to leave him on antibiotics long term.
Even after his urine cultures started coming back clear, he was drinking and peeing a lot. The vet and I thought he was getting cushings again. At that point we didn't want to put him through anymore. He was completely blind and we had moved to Connecticut. We were going to a new vet and I didn't want to leave him there for the testing and the possible repeat visits if he overdosed on the cushings meds again. We figured he'd been through enough and it was time to let him live out his days with us.
His blood sugar levels were high. The vet said we could try to keep up with the diabetes as best we can but eventually we wouldn't be able to control it anymore. We bumped him up to 52 units of insulin twice a day and his blood sugar levels were in the 100s all day, which is the lowest they'd ever been. He was still drinking and peeing a lot though.
Everything seemed fine for a couple of weeks (I think, I lost track of time in there somewhere!) Then Cooper started eating only half his meals and his levels were up in the 300s. I called the vet right away. The vet tech said to try some very watered down bacon fat poured on his food to get him to eat. It worked.
2 days later I had been out with my daughter all morning going from teeball to girl scouts. We came home and my husband said in passing that Cooper kept falling down. He would take 2 or 3 steps and his back legs would collapse. I immediately ran inside and did a glucose test. The reading was 300 but his lips and gums were white and cold. While we were trying to find the closest emergency vet, the kids discovered throw up. We put him in the passenger seat of the car and I took him to the emergency vet. He leaned against me and I pet him the whole drive. He passed away in the car about a mile from the vet. I didn't ask to speak with a vet, but I'm guessing it was kidney failure.
We miss him terribly. I don't think there's a thing we would have changed about his treatment (aside from seeing a specialist sooner). And I'm so glad I was with him when he passed.
Run free old man! We love you!
Oh Julie I am so sorry that Cooper has passed on.
What a time he had with those infections :(
I'm very happy that he spent his remaining days just being Cooper and that you were with him when his time came. I know he felt very safe in your arms.
I have changed your thread title to reflect Coopers passing and he will be added to our In Loving Memory thread.
My sincerest condolences
Sharlene and molly muffin
So sorry to hear of Cooper's passing. I know how you must be feeling and hope you and your family are able to get thru this. Run free Cooper and play with all the other cush babies.Blessings
Patti
Rest in peace Cooper. Thank you for coming back and sharing your story.
So very sorry for your loss. Praying for you and cooper on his journey .
Cooper is now in some very good canine company