Tipper - adrenal tumor/breathing issues

Hi Everyone:
Tipper had another ok nite. She did have some episodes of real heavy breathing, but for the most part it was ok. When I got up this morning to take her potty she started to go into the circling behavior when I attempted to harness her. She would not stop this time, I could not call her out of it so,I picked her up and could feel her body wanting to continue moving as I held her. I put her on the bed, and she kept wagging her tail 100 miles an hour and moving about in a weird way. She knew she was not stable, so she did not attempt to jump onto the floor. I put her down on the floor and she still seemed to not be able to stand still. This is the longest this has ever lasted. It scares me when she does this. I watched a dog with this problem on YouTube and he did exactly the same thing Tipper does. I just hate when things happen to her that are out of my control. It is believed this has something to do with their inner ear? I am not quite sure what brings this on. They say some dogs never get rid of it and some cannot stop doing it repeatedly all day long. I pray we never get to that point. Dear God when I think of the totality of all Tipper's issues it scares me, she never had all this stuff going on. I am just thankful she doing as well as she is, and pray she continues on for many years. I will gladly deal with all this, just to have her with me. Blessings
Patti

Hi Mel:
Tipper the Ripper is sending you some hugs and kisses, and says don't work too hard. She is resting after her morning walk, as it is getting real hot and humid fast. Hope you have a good day, hugs to Boyce, and tell him to stay cool. Blessings
Patti

Patti,
Has Tipper's breathing, congestion type issues been better since you been cooking the SEB? You mentioned that you had been sprinkling it dry on the food before. The reason that I'm asking, is that Buddy's allergy symptoms seem to be a little bit better each day since I started the SEB. Buddy said to tell Tipper that there hasn't been any lizards around lately. There has been a lot of birds though!;) Other than that circling thing, things are going pretty well for you, so I'm glad.;):)
Hugs,
Kathy

Hi everyone:
Tipper had another ok nite. Something has changed this breathing and whatever it is I am so thankful. She had a few episodes last nite, but nothing like it was before. Kathy I stopped giving the SEB to Tipper in her food, and tried the soup. She appeared to have gas really bad that nite so I cut it out. She is still doing ok on that front. Tomorrow we go for blood pressure, and weight. I know her weight is up because I have been appeasing her with dried plain cheerios- only 3-5, so back to the carrots and green beans. I can feel she gained when I lift her. Because she gets bored so easily it is hard to keep her out of trouble since she has to stay in so much from the heat. She is not used to this, and it is making her naughty. We don't call her Tipper the Ripper for nothing! She is not due for an ACTH until August, and that makes me nervous to wait 3 months. She gets urine and a blood panel at the same time, and I am worried about her ALK Phos as it had increased some the last few times. You have to have eyes in the back of your head and be looking in every direction with this disease, as you never know what it will throw at you. I just pray her breathing continues to improve. We are supposed to have rain and storms for the next 8 days straight, so Tipper will be out of sorts. I am ordering some Comfort Zone Spray to spray on the spot in the closet where she goes in an effort to calm her down. God Bless Us All and all our babies.
Patti

Patti,
I am so sorry that more storms are on the way.:o Poor Tipper, they frighten her so. Have you thought of ordering a cool mat for Tipper. It would really help her stay cooler while in the closet. Naomi was talking about them. She has one for each of her boys. Just a thought.... I am glad to hear that Tipper's breathing is still kind of under control and she continues to have pretty good nights. That is awesome.
Hugs,
Kathy

Hi Patti,
I'm just popping in to see how Tipper did last night.:)
Hugs,
Kathy

I just read about Tipper's night on my thread. I am so sorry that she spent last night in the closet. Those dang storms!:) Give her a belly rub for Buddy and I and tell her that we're sorry. :(I hope tonight is better for both of you.
Big hugs,
Kathy

Poor Tipper with those storms.
I have no advice on this matter because Daisy could care less about the rain as long as she doesn't have to go out in it.

So happy that the breathing is better! Maybe it is the loss of fat in her neck?

Hi Everyone:
I wrote such a dissertation on Kathy's thread I was spent for the day yesterday. Ok so here we go again-mostly a nite of struggling to breathe again has returned. It was bad, but not to the point like it had been. I gave Tipper a Pepcid AC this morning as it is raining again, and that seems to give her stomach acid from being nervous. Ordered the Comfort Zone to calm her down when it gets here. I want to try the cool pads to lay on, but there are so many I don't know which ones work. Anybody with any experience? Tipper already had her walk before the rain started so she won't be too ansy this morning. Blessings
Patti

Hi Patti,
Naomi is "Soggy Doggy" on the forum. Her thread is called, "Introducing Fraser." She uses cool mats for her boys. I'm not sure what kind she uses. You might want to send her a PM or ask her on Frasier's thread. ;) So sorry that Tipper had such a difficult night. It could be tied into the storms, don't you think?
Big hugs to you both.
Kathy

Sending hugs and prayers for you and Tipper, hope those nites get better with breathing easier...

Patti,

we have storms here in CT too this week. Hope Tipper feels better soon!

He Everyone:
Not a good nite for Tipper. She really had struggles to breathe. On Wednesday I had called my vets office inquiring about him seeing the DVD I left for him. Nobody ever called back. He was in at 9:00 am and out at 3:30. He works like one day a week. Nice hours huh? I am so sick of this struggle to get someone to listen to me about this breathing. He has had over a week to view the DVD. He probably threw it in his car like I said before and never looked at it. We are supposed to get more rain again. The town close to where I live was flooded yesterday we got so much rain. Ohio is level and the ground is clay, it just lays on the grass in ponds. From living in Pennsylvania my whole life this is something I am unaccustomed to. They don't even put drainage in here! They dig big ditches. This state is back in the cave man era as far as being up on anything. I am waiting to see a dinosaur walking past my house! Pa was so different and up on everything. Well Tipper had her first walk of the day and we better get going again before rain sets in. Blessings
Patti

Hi Patti,
I am so sorry that Tipper had another bad night. It does seem like her breathing is worse when she is stressed. :confused:The storms definitely stress her, that's for sure. I hate that there's been so much rain that she has to hide in the closet.:( Why don't you send some of It here! We desperately need it!:p Yes, you should've heard something from your vet by now. Even if he doesn't know anything. At least he could tell you that.:rolleyes: Is there any way you could post part of Tipper's video for us to view? Maybe post it on YouTube and provide a link here? Maybe somebody on the forum might have some ideas. Just a thought....
Big hugs,
Kathy

It is weird it is so up and down like that, have to wonder if it is something enviromental or stress like Kathy suggested. Hope you get to the bottom of it soon :)

He everyone:
Before about 2 weeks ago the breathing thing was not up and down, it was constant every day. I don't know what happened to change the pattern. I am still suspicious of the fat gone from Tipper's neck, and think that is the reason. Last night was really bad. Very quick shallow breathing, but not as much wheezing. I kept trying to put things under her head and change her position to see if that would lessen it, but it didn't. She got tired of me doing it and growled in her sleep. The very rapid breathing was scaring me so that I kept nudging her to make her quit doing it. She would go right back into it unfortunately. She had an episode of light honking a bit ago, and I rubbed her throat. Any other time she will not let you touch under her neck. Then when she just got a drink, the whistling noise started again. She hasn't done this for a while. So something made this trachea start up again. I will see if I can post her DVD so everyone can see it, and understand what I am talking about. We woke up late this morning 6:30, and it was raining. Tipper is not happy as she wants to walk. Maybe it will clear up and she can still go. Blessings
Patti

Hi Mel:
Tipper is giving you a shout out, as she told me you must be working awfully hard, and need some kisses sent to you from her. God Bless you and Boyce
Patti

Hi Patti,
Poor Tipper can't seem to catch a break. I noticed that Naomi talked about the cool mats on Fraser's thread. You might want to check that out if you haven't already.;) Sending you both tons of hugs and healing energy.:)
Kathy

Oh shoot, sending hugs and prayers for you and for Tipper's breathing!

That is hard to have Tipper go back to the rough breathing. Maybe it will subside again. I wonder if all the rain hasn't stirred up something that has irritated the trachea

hugs,
sharlene and molly muffin

Hi, Patti.

Haven't been here for awhile and was trying to catch up on Tipper. Saw she had some procedures in Pittsburgh - was it Pittsburgh Specialty Veterinary on Camp Horn Road? They are great. Ali's dentist and dermatologist are there. Her IMS is at another hospital because she started seeing her before that place opened. Had I have know you were in our area, I would have tried to stop by for moral support!

Tipper sounds so much like my Alivia. Vets always comment on how well behaved she is. :) Sorry she has been having breathing issues. Is it only at night? I apologize if I missed something on your thread. I am sure you already thought of this, but any chance there is something she is allergic to?

I posted an Alivia update - she is doing well! Awhile back the vet was amazed at how well she was doing and wanted to do an ultrasound to look at her tumor. I didn't want to do it because I will not risk surgery on her at her age and there was no point in me knowing the size of it. But based on her lack of symptoms, it has been extremely slow growing...if it's grown at all. So, I get that you didn't want to know, but glad you got good news on that! :)

Mary Beth:
So glad to hear from you, I missed you. I wish I could have met you at the hospital! I was so envious when I read you met Shorty at the Pet Expo. I think he is hilarious, and a good advocate for his beloved Pit Bulls. Was he alone or were the other crew members there? I just can't get this breathing issue with Tipper cleared up, and am still working on it. At the hospital everyone though Tipper was a puppy. Even with what the Cushings has done to her she still looks good for her age too. Glad Alivia is doing well, and that makes your life a lot happier I know. It is a terrible thing to have your beloved dog all of a sudden get sucked into this horrible disease. So happy to hear from you,a nd I hope Alivia continues to do so well. Blessings
Patti

Hi Everyone:
Another rough nite of breathing for Tipper. Not as bad as the nite before, but none the less troubling. I spent a good portion of the nite nudging her to make her stop. Sometimes she will take a real deep breath and then won't breathe again for what seems to be a minute, but in fact is seconds. Like sleep apnea ion people. It's so scary when she does this, I always worry she is going to stop breathing altogether. So neither one of us got much sleep. We are supposed to have rain and storms until next Friday. Oh Yeah!!! I got a post card from the eye Dr. that saw her 6 months ago. I will make an appt. for August to see if the calcium deposits have gotten worse. He is in the animal hospital in Pittsburgh where Tipper's IMS is. I am going to have him look in her ear to make sure my vet did not injure her eardrum when getting that sample of gunk out of her ear- she yelped for the first time in her life. She has an ACTH, Blood Panel, and urine coming up in August. I am suspicious of her cortisol level at times. She has been panting off and on the last week, but it could be her anxiety from the weather. You just never know, and I am so paranoid of the smallest of symptoms returning. I do not want her losing any more muscle. If she could not go for walks that would be the end of her quality of life as I see it.The Comfort Zone spray should be coming tomorrow I hope. I am hopeful it will calm her down and give her some relief in the coming week of storms. She used to go hide in the kitty litter box, which is in an enclosed cabinet, when it stormed. I think the cat pheromones comforted her as strange as it sounds. So I have to make sure the doors are closed in litter box areas. I don't want her in the litter box with those germs, and get sick from that yet. My cats have an enclosed cat room that was an enclosed porch where they are all day so they have access to their boxes in that room. Tipper cannot get in there, as she hates my rescue cat Lucky, and would like to kill him if she could get at him. It's all a system of checks and balances, in this gated animal kingdom! Blessings
Patti

More storms Patti! Poor Tipper can't catch a break!:( I'm sorry that Tipper had another difficult night and neither of you got much sleep.:o Those middle of the nights are the worst!:( I have been thinking a lot about the quality of life lately. It's about them being able to do what they've always done without pain. I hope you guys are able to get some rest today before the storms hit. big hugs,
Kathy

Hello. Just popping in as I haven't posted for a bit, sorry to hear that Miss Tipper is having some issues again. I wish those blinking vets would do what you pay them for and figure it out for you. I know it must be scary

Sending you a tight hug and some big kisses for Tipper the Ripper

Mel
Xx

Mel:
It's a shame to say, but if I would be stupid enough to put my faith in these Vets, my Tipper would not be here today. I am sick at my stomach knowing that I have to take her to these uncaring, money hungry individuals that could care less about my precious girl. Thank God I have the fortitude to get into it with them and make them do what they need to do, or it wouldn't get done. It has just worn me out mentally checking their every move, and making sure they are not doing anything wrong to my girl. I will do anything for her though, so that is what makes me get thru it. I will never ever in my life trust a vet after all this. I know how they all operate now, and unfortunately it is to the sound of a cash register, not the desperate cries of a loving and caring pet owner. Thank you for checking in on my girl, I so appreciate you and the kindness you show us. Blessings
Patti

Patti,
I hope you are able to get the video clip sent and they're able to get it posted. Fingers toes and paws crossed;) I hope Tipper had a good night and you were able to get some rest. Is it still storming there? It makes me sad to think that Tipper is so scared that she ends up hiding out in a hot closet all night.:( Sending you strength, healing energy and courage for what lies ahead. big hugs,
Kathy

Hi Everyone:
Not a bad nite for Tipper. She had some episodes, but for the most part was breathing ok. She had another small honking episode this morning. I know it is her trachea, I am positive. What to do now I am not sure. I know I could keep her with me for quite a while and manage the Cushings, if I could just solve this darn breathing problem. This is making me nuts!! I am however thankful to God that she has some good nites, as before it was bad every nite. I am hoping against all odds that on Wednesday my Vet will say he watched the DVD. I am usually excellent at problem solving, and putting out fires, but this has me stumped. It is raining ever so lightly right now, and I am hoping it does not storm. Tipper is pretty good with the light rain, it is the heavy rain and especially the thunder that get her going. I guess the stuff I ordered will be here today and I will definitely use it. Blessings
Patti

I am glad you will be seeing him Wednesday less easy to dodge you! Take your copy along, that way if he hasn't seen it you can show him in your appointment!

I will be thinking of you both

Big hug, kisses to sweet Tipper

Mel
Xxxxxx

Hi Everyone:
Tipper had an ok nite some bad some good. After reading the forum this morning about poor Scoop I am just broken from all this. So I have to stay off for a few hours and get myself together. I always said to myself that I didn't want to sit down and read Scoop had passed, that that would put me in a bad place. For some reason clinging on to hope for him, and praying for a miracle for him kept me from facing the inevitable for Tipper. That has all been dashed now, and I am devastated for dear Vicki. She gave it her all to the end, and for that she can be proud. Blessings to all. Please everyone say a prayer for Vicki and Scoop this morning.
Patti

Hi Patti,

Did you ever talk to Tipper's vet about the Adequan shots? I could tell they did help Josie a bit - but hers was a different case than Tippers and the shots just couldn't help with that mass in her chest. The honking sounds you mention do sound like the trachea is collapsing and the Adequan is supposed to help strengthen those rings so that doesn't happen. It is sure worth talking about.

Don't lose hope, honey. I think the emotions you expressed are ones we all feel any time we lose one of our babies here. Cry for Vicki, cry for yourself, and know you do not cry alone. Tears are raining throughout this morning for us all.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

I think Leslie said it all, Sweetie. Sending hugs and hopes that someone will listen to you about Tipper.

Leslie and Addy:
You two always seem to be there to pick me up when I fall down, or stumble. Thank God for both of you, as you both help me tremendously. Blessings

Patti

Hi Pattie,

Stopping by here too, to make sure you are okay. I know it has been a hard day.

Me too. Sending you an extra squeeze and kisses to Tipper the Ripper.

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow I will be watching out for news.

Mel
Xxxxx

Sending you and Tipper lots of hugs Patti.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Patti,
checking in on you and Tipper.
Each cushpup responds so differently. We can't give up hope.

xo

Everyone:
I can't post too long as Tipper is having a really bad day, panting an awful lot, the vet was not there when I took her in for her blood pressure. They told me they were going to tell the vet as soon as he came in that her pressure is dangerously high. She is panting, and uneasy ,and I have been really controlling her food and she gained weight. I think she may be retaining fluid. After yesterdays events I am just sick to my stomach. Pray for my girl that this passes and she is ok. Blessings
Patti

Right here holding your hand. Praying for you both.

Still with you, hoping that vet gets in soon so you don't have to wait