Lena, Teacup Poodle w/ adrenal tumor - Lena is now an angel

There is a gate, but when we are home we keep it open for our cat, who won't come any further than 4 feet from the stairs. He's afraid of our two rescues who would leave him alone if he would just stop running away from them! With the gate open he can still feel like he's a part of the family and can get down quickly and hide if they chase him. Our older dog who died in 2011 loved him and he loved her, so it confuses him that these two rush at him. Lena used to taunt him when she was the queen bee and even though he is huge, he used to run away. Now that she is so different, they tolerate each other and sometimes share the space by the stairs. We will figure out something high enough to keep Lena from taking another header, and low enough that he can hop over it without getting hurt. His hips dislocate sometimes when he runs or jumps.

Tomorrow Lena will have her blood work done and I will sit with her for the two hours and we will see what it shows. I don't want to raise the Vetoryl any higher.

Has Molly changed the way she interacts with you? Lena used to be a part of me, attached to me all the time. Now she will only sit with me for a few minutes and then wants to get down. She used to stand up on my legs and ask to be picked up...I wish I remembered the last time she did that. I miss everything about the way it used to be. I miss hearing her nails on the floor, now she mostly slides; I miss hearing the way she used to eat her food in the bowl, now I make it special because she stopped eating the kibble by itself; I miss how she used to cuddle up next to me in bed, now she sleeps on the other side of the bed...I just miss so many things...

Molly was never a cuddle muffin. She has always preferred to do things her way and interact with us on her terms. Mind you I've had her since she was 11 months old and that is just her personality.
She hasn't actually changed much from that, other than maybe a bit more needy actually than she use to be, but that is mainly due to her sight issues I think. She doesn't play like she use to but still will have the odd day when she'll drag a toy out. She isn't going to play with her ball much though, since she can't actually see it.
So, yes there have been some changes, and I miss playful silly molly, of course I do, but she is 13 now, cute as a button and I just tell myself, that well, my grandmother didn't really want to get on the floor and scamper with the kids when she got older either. :)
As Renee said, you will find your new normal.

I am so nervous about her ACHT test today...dreading what the results will show. I am consumed by all of this! It's hard to concentrate on anything else. I'm a fixer, a problem solver, the one everyone goes to! And I can't fix this for the dog who has been my heart for almost 15 years.

The others keep trying to distract me and I feel bad that they are worried. My big boy Gable, a rescue from a Georgia shelter, is my number 2 love and he follows me around and sits close by my side and watches. He is my guardian...I know they are all safe while I am at work and he loves Lena.

Hi Joan,

I have taken the liberty of moving your post about Lena's ACTH today to her thread from where it was posted on Abby's thread. This way, members can respond to you about Lena here, and about Abby on her thread. ;) Thanks!

Let us know how it goes today and don't worry! Easy to say from where I sit, huh? :D But the ACTH is not that hard on most babies. Some will show some signs of elevated cortisol again after the test but this is not unusual so if you see that, don't panic.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Deep breaths. Whatever the results are, once you have them, then you can make decisions. It is all about knowledge when it comes to Cushing's. I don't know how anyone gets through it without learning a ton of stuff.
You will be fine. :)

Thank you, Sharlene and Leslie...she just took a long, and I mean long, walk around the backyard, navigating the snow like a real pro! And thinking clearly about where to step and working her way back. A few weeks ago, she would've been lost and I would have had to slide out there to get her! Some days are so good <3

Dear Joan
This is where you will get support, guidance and love. There will be good days,bad days, and so so days. I would do the same with my Apollo when he would get the Ach tests. I would sit with him, go for a walk, hold him while waiting for the test results. I fought to keep the dosage on trilostane low because he would not do good on higher dosages. I also realized every moment I still had with him was a blessing. Enjoy the moments,they are gifts.
Apollo and I adapted made adjustments as the disease progressed. But I treasured every moment I had with my baby boy.
Think,learn, pause,question before you make any decisions. Cushing so is a very complex disease.
Love Sonja, Angel Apollo

Thank you, Sonja...yesterday was a good day. She was quite calm at the vet's. We went out for a couple of pee pee walks and she sat in the window looking out over the parking lot and didn't even get agitated when other dogs came in. Her blood pressure is down to 120 (yay) so at least that is better. Met a lot of nice people while we waited. One man who dog sits and also takes in rescues and tries to find them homes. He also pays their vet bills, God love him! Another person in the waiting room gave me his contact information and told me the story.

My two grandsons spent the afternoon with us and she managed to take a nice nap. They can be exhausting, even though she can't hear anymore.

She was in such a deep sleep before bed last night that I hated to wake her up to go up to the bedroom, but I hate to change our routine...she is very regimented!

Love,
Joan

Good morning all!

Does anyone know if any of the following herbs would not be okay for Lena?

I have been putting a teaspoonful of this tea in her breakfast and dinner since December. It's supposed to be good for everything and my husband uses it religiously. It is also supposed to work for animals.

It's called Essiac Tea Formula, ingredients are: Blessed Thistle, Burdock Root, Kelp, Red Clover, Sheep Sorrel, Slippery Elm Bark, Turkish Rhubarb Root and Watercress.

Tastes like dirt, but is supposed to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, shrink tumors, cure cancer, etc.

My husband hasn't had any health issues since he's been on it, so he thinks it should help.

I have no knowledge re: the other ingredients, but I do have this caution to note about slippery elm. It has been used by several members here with success for its GI-soothing properties. However, we have read warnings that it should not be consumed within two hours before or after Rx medications due to the possibility that it will affect the absorption/effectiveness of the drugs. I believe this is true for humans as well as dogs. There may not be enough SEB in this tea to really have a major effect. But since you have been needing to increase Lena's trilostane dose due to an apparent lack of control, if it were me, I would not be giving her anything near the time of her medication dosing that might interfere with its effectiveness.

Marianne

Oh that's good to know, Marianne...from now on I will just give it to her before she goes to bed, maybe with some yogurt.

Thanks,
Joan

Dear Joan, I Can see how loving and caring you are to Lena. My self a senior, my nieces wear me out just skping.
I would give Apollo slippery elm for his stomach issues. You should always let the vet know what you are giving Lena, because as was said earlier you never know how they may interact with each other. The medications for cushing disease are very potent and caution must be taken with them. Apollo was only 10 lbs and could only handle 10 mlg of Trilostane. Stop being so hard on yourself. The signs of cushing showed up in Apollo 1-2 years before we did treatment, and even the blood tests didn't show it. When the time was right you knew.
Love Sonja and Angel Apollo

You're so sweet, Sonja...I'm not sure my vet believes in herbs. One of them does, but we haven't seen him since the ultrasound day (and he is so cute!)...that's how I always refer to him as "the cute one".

Looking back, Lena's started showing up about the same time frame and we also did blood work that came back fine. In fact, she had blood work done before she had dental work, which was fine, less than 2 weeks before the blood work that came back so bad. The cute one was looking for diabetes because of the drinking, and was shocked when he called me the next day. Even he couldn't believe how bad it was. He recommended an ultrasound the next day...and that is when this journey began for us.

Thank you for taking the time to "talk" me through this...it must be hard for you....I cry every time I read someone else's sad story...I feel so bad for all of us who love our babies and have to deal with this.

My grandson, Josh, who is 7 1/2 has a genetic disease called CGD or Chronic Granulomatous Disease. We found out when he was just a few weeks old. That was the beginning of my journey into googling and web surfing, so I've become quite good at it.

He is part of a study at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. They live here in Glen Cove right down the block from me and take 3 - 4 trips down there for colonoscopies and endoscopies each year. He has been on different medications to control his CGD related Colitis. The one he's on now seems to be helping (there are only 3 kids in this study). We won't know until they get in and look at his colon.

The only cure right now is a bone marrow transplant, and of course that is not foolproof, and we don't want to put him through it.

I don't know why I mentioned this...maybe because I'm overwhelmed and everything is hitting me.

Love,
Joan

My husband said our vet left a message at the house and Lena's blood work looks good and said to leave her on the 30mg for now. I asked them to fax me the results. I will post them after I receive them.

RELIEVED!! She has had a good weekend. Still drinking and peeing, but I can deal with that. She seems more comfortable and is thinking clearer...she even wanted to sit with me while I watched TV last night. I practically threw my computer to my husband to make room on my lap!

Here are the test results from Saturday:

Cortisol Sample 1: 8.5 (HIGH) Ref range: 1.0 - 5.0
Cortisol Sample 2: 9.3 Ref range: 8 - 17

What do you think? Does it matter that the first sample is high?

Those results are not quite low enough, especially if you are still seeing symptoms.

Remind me again - what is her dose? Are you dosing once or twice per day?

As for the baseline being so high, that is usually not a concern, as any kind of stress may elevate that number.

She is on 30mg once in the morning and has been since Jan. 21.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Joan2517

S eye drops Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Suspension USP (I only just started this again the other day) they were because her left eye started pussing up. I'm on the second bottle prescribed Oct. 6...don't remember the first date, maybe August or September.

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Can you do me a favor and double check her eye drops and make sure that it is dexamethasone that is listed as an ingredient? I see from googling that there is another type of eye medication that has neomycin and polymyxin b sulfates and hydrocortisone. ....thanks!

Hugs, Lori

It has the neomycin and polymyxin b sulfates listed but I don't see anything about Hydrocortisone. Dexamethasone is listed as 1 mg...I'm not giving it to her anymore anyway. I am just washing her eyes. They haven't really pussed up since we started the Vetroyl. I only used it that couple of times when her eyes were running.

Using artificial tears, like genteal, can make a world of difference, especially if she has dry eye.

She doesn't have dry eye. Her eyes get all that gooky, stainy look.

Actually, dry eye can cause more of the mucous to build up because it's not being flushed away. My pug Ichiro has dry eye. The eye itself never looks dry, it just builds up mucous or gunk in the eye and it may look red sometimes. This is caused by the underproduction of tears. It's odd because you expect a dry eye to look dry, but it doesn't.

Anyway, she may not have dry eye at all, I just wanted you to know that you can't rule it out simply because the eye itself doesn't look dry.

As for her stim results - I would not increase yet. If she's only been on 30mg since 1/21, it's too soon to increase. You'll want to test again in a few weeks and then reasses the dosage. She is right above the acceptable upper limit for vetoryl treatment, so I do believe she's getting close!

I wouldn't do anything right now either. I expect that number to come down some with your next test . Glad she is doing good and maybe the peeing will decrease with more time and the number coming down.

Thanks, Renee...how can you tell the difference?

Thanks, Sharlene....I had every intention of waiting until we reached 30 days, so I'm glad that's what our vet has suggested. We've had a couple of really good days and she seems to be engaging with me again, almost like she knows how hard I am trying to make her feel better...I know that's not it, but I can dream, can't I? :)

LOL My husband talks to molly when he comes home from work, explains he is going upstairs to change clothes and will come back down to have treat time with her, and she is to wait for him at the foot of the stairs. She does. He says it gives him the illusion that she listens to him. :) :) I'm sure molly does know that whatever he is saying, that if she waits for him (and she does know the word wait) that she'll share treat time with him. I'm sure that Lena knows that you are taking care of her and trying real hard to do what you can to make her better.
When anything is wrong with molly, I mean seriously wrong, she comes to me, because she knows, I'll try to make it better. They know. :)

Always go to mommy :)

Hello Joan! I'm very glad that your Lena feels better! I believe that even better days are surely coming and of course you can dream since you are too close to the suitable dosage for her!

Thanks! She is back to following me around and watching everything I do...didn't realize how much I missed that. Her tummy still does a lot of rumbling and I can hear how gassy she is, but she was like this before the Vetoryl, so I don't think it is that. Does anyone else have this issue? Is there anything that I can give her to help with the gas? My vet gave me Gasex, but that was before the Cushing's diagnosis.

Appreciate all of you!
Joan

When a dog eats something that doesn't quite agree with their tummy they sure can leave some smelly farts!! I don't know of any interactions with Gas-X and Vetoryl being used together, I do recall members using Gas-X while their dog is on Vetoryl.

I found this list of Over-The-Counter Medications (OTC) with dosages and that are supposed to be safe for dogs, although I would still talk to the vet before giving any OTC drugs: http://thedanedame.com/wp-content/up...-for-Dogs-.pdf

Hugs, Lori

Thanks, Lori!

The truth is, after being so afraid that she's going to die from this, I don't mind her farts at all! LOL!

Love,
Joan

For molly it is liver treats. Holy cow that dog can clear a room when she's had liver treats. At one point I'm not sure her vet believed me, and she was sitting on the floor with molly and had given her some liver treats, which I told her, be ware, do so at your own risk and not long afterwards, she was like Molly!!!! LOL I said, you where warned. LOL It didn't stop her from playing with her though. I like that my vets will get on the floor with her and play and hug on her and love her as they are also carefully feeling her tummy and checking her out.

I'm not sure what does it to Lee, but boy, oh boy, it's amazing what can come out of that little tush!

Hi All,

Lena was doing so well since Saturday, but when I got home from work last night she seemed confused (she went the wrong way when I was letting them out). She did eat her dinner and got her blood pressure medication; slept well; and got up at usual time. She is a little wobbly today, but ate her breakfast and took her Vetoryl and seems more with it.

Last night she sat on my lap for a nice long time, but then got too hot and wanted to get down. Is this how it will go? Good days, bad days....I just want to make sure, so I don't panic when she gets like she was last night. I hate to see her so confused. My once confident baby who ruled the household (over an 85lb boy, mind you), now seems so lost. She seems better when I am home and has begun to follow my lead like she used to, but I have to work.

I am so afraid all the time now.....

It is completely natural to be worried about your dear Lena. Our motto here is if doubt don't give the Vetoryl.

If she is eating well, drinking/urinating normally, and has no diarrhea than I think she is fine, however, only you know your sweet girl best and if you believe something is off than it wouldn't harm her to with hold the Vetoryl and see if she perks up.

We completely understand your fearfulness and we are here for you, just come here and talk to us, ok ;)

I'm pretty sure she was like this a couple of times before the Vetoryl, so I don't think it's that. That was one of those weird things that happened and then was gone. I guess it's just the Cushing's... :(

She still drinks and pees a lot, that hasn't changed. There might be one or two days a week where I come home to dry wee wee pads.

I am so afraid that she is going to die while I am at work one day. I have never let any of my babies die by themselves. I was always with them...and she is the dog of my heart. I don't think I would ever be able to get over that.

Hi, Joan! Your description of Lena going the wrong way when you let her out rang a bell with me. My Abbie, who is going to be 13, has had episodes of being distracted and/or disoriented. I considered trying Novofit which others have used for canine dementia but Abbie's episodes don't last long and are infrequent. Rather than being related to Cushing's, I think Abbie's are more related to getting older. I have learned that not everything that goes on with her is a result of having Cushing's.

Thank you, Judy...I guess that is true. Everyone keeps reminding me that she is almost 15. And I have certainly gone the wrong way lots of times!

I'm probably being hyper vigilant right now because I feel I should have noticed all of these changes earlier. I don't know if it would have changed the outcome or not...we are both seniors now.

Novofit has been used by some with success, others not as much to help with doggie dementia. So, if this continues, it is something to think about.

We all know about the constant worry and sympathize.

Thanks, that'something to think about...she seems better tonight, so maybe the other dogs startled her yesterday and she woke up too fast. She's pretty deaf and when they start barking and bump into her when she's asleep, it frightens her.

I really appreciate all the advice, suggestions and hand-holding that you are all giving me, and to everyone else. I felt so alone before I found you...even my kids, who are both animal lovers, don't seem to understand how hurt and afraid I am.

I've lost dogs and cats before. I don't think I have ever been without animals in my almost 60 years, but Lena is my baby, she is my heart. We have been so close since the first night she got here. She cried and wouldn't go to sleep in her carrier that she had arrived in from Montana. I took her out (all 1.5 lbs of her) and put her on my stomach and she went to sleep. I didn't move all night. She has slept with me every night since then except for the few times I have had to be away from her. She even came with us to Colonial Williamsburg shortly after we got her. They got her a babysitter and everything. She had her own badge and was allowed in the buildings, except for the restaurants...they called her Princess Lena. I'll have to post some pictures.

Anyway, I hope I can help others the way you are all helping me.

Love,
Joan