Tipper - adrenal tumor/breathing issues

Hope you feel better, Patti. Big smooches to Miss Tipper.
As for the BP, please remember about the white collar- high blood pressure. All patients, humans and pets we get nervous when we go to the doctor, but our cush pups get even more anxious and that affects the measurement of their BP.

Hopefully Tipper's BP would be perfect.

When we went with Truffa to see the vet, I asked them to let me stay in the room for quite some time, I took a pillow for my baby so she could cuddle and relax , and be less anxious about being at the vet. If it weren't for that strategy they would have kept upping the dose of both the amlodipine and the benazepryl. I used L'Arginine to help naturally lowering the BP, and with that addition the dosage of both medications was very low and my baby's BP was always OK.

But for now l'll keep you and Tipper in my thoughts

HI Patti
I agree with the others that white coat syndrome does play a big part in getting accurate BP measurements. Flynn has hypertension and has regular BP checks monthly. We have had real trouble getting it under control but now he is on amlodipine and benzapril it is finally good. I know you mentioned you were concerned about the effects of meds on Tipper's organs, but uncontrolled BP can be very dangerous and I am way more worried about that than medication side effects. In Flynn's case renal problems with protein in his urine and also eye problems, the vet could actually see congested veins at the back of his eyes when his BP was way up, both of these problems have settled significantly with medication.

I used to worry about how stress could alter his BP recordings and had words with the vet as I was unhappy with their suggestion of leaving him for a few hours (without me there). But apparently the vet protocols for checking BP do recommend this. My vet takes his BP at three different times over the period of a few hours and each time he does it.. he takes a set of 7 readings one after the other and then discard the highest and lowest and average the rest. Flynn has had his done today, when I picked him up the vet showed me how big the variance is between readings despite them being taken close together. The lowest was 100 and the highest up to 175, it is all to do with small changes like the dog moving etc so with his reasoning I have come to accept this is the best way to do it so we get an accurate reading. Imagine if the only one he took was the 175 one, when actually the rest of the time he is sitting at a quite satisfactory 130!! I hope your vet is doing something similar to rule out the risk of white coat syndrome to get an accurate reading. I think this is especially important in dogs with known BP problems to have reliable results.

The other thing I wanted to comment on was your renal stones, they are terribly painful as you have said. So I was glad to read you are feeling better. I work in Urology and was very surprised to read the recommendation to drink beer :eek::eek: We would never recommend that, or have I ever read that or heard it at conference as a treatment. Sometimes we are careful about how much water to advise people to drink, if the stone is too big the extra fluid can just force it down and it will get stuck even firmer causing more pain. Of course if it is small enough to flush through then drinking may help. I read you had a scan so I would have to think they were hoping you would pass it without intervention. But I cannot let that beer advice go unchallenged, especially as you would most likely be needing strong pain killers to help deal with the discomfort. Pain killers and alcohol do not mix and should be avoided!!! If you can tolerate them non steroidal anti inflammatories work well to help with pain and also to settle the inflammation the stone is causing in the kidney/ureters. I am pleased to see you will see a urologist soon for further advice. Sorry to hear the lithotripsy was painful for you, the stones are basically broken up (not dissolved) with that that treatment and you still have to pass the "gravel" which can be very uncomfortable and irritating to the urinary tract. Hope it does not flare up again before you get seen. :) Also, make sure you drink enough to stop more forming, especially important in the hot weather of your summer. :)

Hi Everyone:
I have a urinary tract infection form this stone, I am on antibiotics, and woke this morning sweating like crazy, my pillow was wet. Tipper kept hovering around me as she can sense I am not well. I can feel the stone starting up again. I had to get up and pee every 3 minutes last night. That on top of the stone is not my idea of fun. As I type this Tipper is watching over me, I did manage to walk her once and then rain started. She has to go to the Laser Therapy today at 10:30. This is not going to be fun for me, as I am in pain and needing the bathroom often. It is about 25 miles away. I will get her there if it kills me. Then I will come home and take my first pain pill if this does not let up. Trish this is only the 3rd time Tipper has had high blood pressure out of 12 months, taking her pressure every week. I am assuming that is not bad??? I usually take her, and put the window in the car down and let her sit in the car on her pillow until they are ready to take it. Then I take her in. I am praying this one is low. I keep a graph of them and they have for the most part been 120-130. Let me know what you think. I know that high blood pressure destroys the kidneys, but if it is down this time I do not want to put her on another medicine. I will see what the vet says also. Anyone else have any experience with this? Tipper had an ok nite until the thunder started. It was the loudest crack of thunder I have ever heard. She was in a panic and just trembling and running in and out of the closet. She will not let you hold her. I am signing off as I so not feel well. I will post later. Cute to see Tipper being the mother hen watching over her mommy. Blessings
Patti

Oh Patti, I do hope this stone passes quickly. Can't get rid of it soon enough and get you back on your feet.

Yes we had a doozy of storms here yesterday too. I think some of it came up from Ohio, while another part came over from Michigan area and they all met up right over the top of us and just let loose. We set records for rainfall and the thunder that accompanied it was horrendous!! The whole house would shake. Molly was terrified too. :(

Hope today goes okay. And take care of yourself!!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

120-130 is absolutely fine, if they were considering starting meds I would want a longer period of monitoring like I suggested before they started them as they might just get one of the high outlier BPs if it is just a one-off. As they can fluctuate a lot.

UTI is not good combined with stones, get back to your Dr if it does not settle fast. If you are sweating with fever that is more serious and just having a UTI that makes you run back and forwards to the loo. It shows it is more systemic and is especially worrisome if you have a stone stuck anywhere. Just like our babies I hope the have cultured your urine to make sure you are on the right antibiotic, if not you need to insist on getting that done. If you are not feeling better I really would go back to get checked out. Hope you are feeling better by now. :)

Patti,
I hope you are feeling a better this afternoon. I hate that you are suffering so much. Please take care of yourself.
hugs
Amy

Patti,

Sorry to hear you are suffering from a kidney stone - been there and they are awful. My poor daughter got them once or twice a year for a long time. Fortunately, she is not having them as frequently, but she found something that she swears helps to dissolve and pass them - Apple Cider Vinegar.

As for Tipper's blood pressure, do you know what the number was when it was high? Alivia has been on a low dose of Amlodopine for high blood pressure for years - long before Cushing's. Her BP is always elevated at the vet's but they allow for that, because she gets so nervous there, and don't get too concerned.

Hope you feel better soon! Try to relax...breathe.

Oh Patti :(
This sounds so painful! I'm glad that Tipper is watching over you. They absolutely sense everything about us and know when something isn't right whether it's physical or emotional. I treasure that connection with Daisy, Gracie, and Annabelle Lee.

Feel better soon sweetie!

Hey Patti, sorry to hear that you are down with a kidney stone, praying you pass it soon....so glad to hear that Tipper is keeping a watchful eye over you, what a sweetie, sending hugs and prayers...

also sending you some healing energy patti,those stones are the worst ever,my husband has had them a few times in the past....you know the deal drink drink drink ... sure hope today is kind to you !!! patty (milo)meka xoxox

Hi Everyone:
Thanks for thinking of me. I drank a lot of fluid yesterday. This time I got a UTI with the stone as an added bonus, so I am in the bathroom every few minutes. Tipper has been right beside me watching everything I do. I could not take her this morning for her blood pressure because we had a storm as soon as we got up with lots of thunder and she is very upset. Her blood pressure would be thru the roof and I want a true reading, so I will go tomorrow morning instead. I really was anxious to find out if it went down too as it is making me nervous. She did ok last nite, but has developed a habit of going in the closet after we go to bed. I think she doesn't want to worry about if a storm catches her by surprise, so she just stays in there all nite. I feel really bad as I have tried the thundershirt, the pheromone spray, and the Comfort chews, none of which worked. The blanket she lays on in the corner behind my clothes was soaked this morning from her panting. She has to calm down now and get hydrated. If the darn closet was just not so hot, I tried a fan and she goes nuts if I turn it on in there. Tried putting it outside the closet door and aiming it in the closet, she won't tolerate that either. I am going to get her a cooling mat once Naomi lets me know if hers worked or not, and what kind it is. That is why I prefer winter for Tipper. She is at peace then, she can walk anytime as she loves the snow, and I don't have to worry about her overheating. Plus all the nosy neighbors are inside so that is a bonus! So for my girls sake I hope we have an early winter. Blessings
Patti

Patti---I feel the same way!! Between the crazy heat and storms every afternoon I am wishing for the Fall and Winter to come already! I feel like it's been hot, humid and stormy for about a month now. Seems to drag everyone down, especially the dogs!! Not one cool morning in weeks....Hoping Tipper is doing okay though. Dogs do so much better in the cold- don't they?? Ugh we still have to get through the rest of July and August. Seems like Sept. is always hot too! Let's hear it for the wind chill factor!! :D
Barbara

Oh I am going to hate that wind chill factor come winter time for sure!

I watch for when the wind here shifts to the N or any combination with the north. That seems to break the humidity and the storms. We're expecting it to shift this afternoon from South to North, so YAY. Hopefully it shifts before the Ohio storm gets here. :)
Do you notice that too in Ohio Patti? That the north wind breaks the humidity? I'm not sure if it would work the same or not, since you have Erie and Huron lakes that could bring moisture too. :(

I hope you are feeling better today Patti

Hugs Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Sharlene:
So much fun right now as we are under a tornado warning! Tipper is having a nervous breakdown. I have tried everything to calm her. This started out this morning like this and now this. We can't catch a break. I think we do get cooler temps with the north wind. Have to go sit with Tipper. Blessings
PATTI

I just saw the radar down your way. It looks like some pretty rough storms over towards the Penn side of Ohio. :( Stay safe!!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hello Everyone:
We are being deluged with rain and hail as I type this. Rolling thunder is the highlight added to just make my Tipper a nervous wreck. It has rained for 20 days straight, and the ground is so saturated it is ponding everywhere. This stuff needs to stop for the safety of my Tipper, she can't take another day of this. Blessings
Patti

Hi, Patti. Hope you are feeling a little better. We are having a lot of the same weather here - lots of flooding in my area today. Alivia, thankfully, is not bothered by thunder but Maxwell (also a JRT) is terrified. It breaks my heart. He will physically tremble uncontrollably, not eat ANYTHING, and refuses to go outside no matter what. So, I feel your pain. I have tried the Thundershirt - seems to help a bit if I get it on him BEFORE the storm starts, but also the added heat for a Cush dog isn't good. Also tried The Comfort Zone pheromones (both the spray and plug in) with no noticeable benefit. I think we have had so many storms the past few weeks that he is becoming a little desensitized to them. He still won't go out but he isn't shaking as much.

I bought two cooling mats for Alivia when she was panting and having Cush symptoms. One had beads in it and you had to soak it in water before using it, then do it again every time it dried out. Very messy. She wanted nothing to do with it. The second was more pricey and was like a water bed mat. It definitely feels cool to the touch and seems like it would be comfortable and work...if only I could get her to lay on it! I've even put it on my bed thinking when it's hot one of them would lay on it. Neither of them will try it. :o

Alivia's BP has been as high as 180 and her specialist didn't seem worried. She gets so stressed at the vet's so they expect it to be higher. Hopefully, that was what Tipper's was from. It seems the more they are at the vet's the more it stresses them out because they probably remember more about it (and not much of it good!).

Hang in there. I hope the storms end soon and you are feeling better, too.

Here we need rain desperately in Southern California, and they flood you out there!:o It doesn't seem to be quite fair! I hope that you are feeling better. Poor Tipper, she has probably been living in that closet! Did Tipper's chicken arrive yet! Big hugs,

Patty,
I'd take some of your rain if I could! We've had a few showers today and last night after 2 weeks of straight heat and humidity.

I hope that things calm down there soon!

Hi Everyone:
I just called to check on the chicken and it is still not in. They said it should be there by Saturday. I will be out of fish today so I need to scramble and think of what to do. I am ready to go find Noah and help him gather the animals to put on the Ark. My goodness it was nothing but rain and storms all day from morning on. I thought my poor girl was going to have a heart attack yesterday. She just had puddles of water where she had panted so much. I made sure after it was over she got hydrated. This has been truly awful for her. My vet called me last nite and said we are going forth with the Adequan shots for her, after speaking to the vet Leslie referred him to. I need something to work for her, she can't keep struggling for air every nite and not have this weaken her heart. I was actually surprised he made the call without me having to push him for several weeks to do it. He is now on vacation until the 22nd and he said we will start that day when he gets back. I hate to put her thru this pain as these hurt being that have to go into the muscle, but by some slim chance if it helps her like the other dogs this Dr. used it on, that is all I want for her is some relief. I pray I am doing the right thing here. After the storms stopped last night, she went on the floor beside my bed and passed out, didn't even move when I called her to go potty for the last time at night. She was physically and mentally worn out. The rolling thunder was the worst and it would get louder and louder each time. Thank God it is over, and our forecast is clear for a few days. She has had 2 walks already this morning, and is resting now, in peace and quiet for once. Any suggestions of what to give her for protein with no salt in would be appreciated, with the exception of eggs. The heat index is supposed to be really bad today so I am sure we will be in all day again. Sharlene I hope your weather has gotten better too. You have been having a time of it also. The vet told me not to take Tipper for her blood pressure today, to wait until tomorrow. He doesn't want any false readings, and wants to be sure she is calmed down from all this. So we will go tomorrow morning, and I will be glad as I am wanting to know if it is high, and if so get something for it. I was so worried if her blood pressure was up already, and that the storms would make it even worse , and possible push it over 200. I worry about strokes with her when these storms come. Also I want every ones opinion on the safest blood pressure drug to use in case Tipper needs to be put on one, the least side effects possible?? Hope we all have a good weekend. Blessings
Patti

Glad to hear things will be calm for you and Tipper today. I hope she has a good blood pressure reading tomorrow.
Hugs

Vicki:
Know that every time you post I look at sweet Scoops avatar and pray for him. What a sweet face. Blessings
Patti

Thank you Patti.
It's been a rough morning already.

Yep, our weather has gotten better and no rain expected for a couple days. Humidity is even better!
Hope yours stays clear too.

Did you find alternative food for Tipper?

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Sharlene:
No alternative food found yet. I looking for some ideas from anybody. Great weather today and no humidity, just the way Tipper likes it! Blessings
Patti

Chicken gizzards, beef liver, hamburger, turkey/chicken (dark meat has more fat than white meat) and cheese are some good sources of protein

Hi Patti,
I'm not sure of the extent of Tipper's allergies. Please bear those in mind when you think of adding a different source of protein. ;) I hope that you're feeling better. I have been praying for you. Thank goodness the rain has stopped!:D Tipper can finally come out of the closet!:D Big hugs,

Sending hugs and prayers for you and Tipper, sorry all the problems you are having with trying the foods etc....take care hon...

Patti,
great news for a break in the rain!
We're getting it now and more expected for the weekend.
Then another heat wave. Poo! I want Fall!

Hoping that you find suitable food for Tipper soon.
Are you feeling any better?

Hello Everyone:
This is a four star morning. Tipper got to walk, no rain, her blood pressure is back to normal, and she lost weight since I cut out the chicken injected with saline. Tipper and I are doing the happy dance. On another note I received a bill owing 1074.00 from a medical lab. had my name , social, and address. Never heard of the Dr., and never had this lab work done. What a mess, I called and told them this is not mine, they are sending it to collections. They will investigate it they said. Someone better get back to me with an explanation real fast as I don't need charged for some ones medical bills. Tipper did ok last nite breathing off and on struggles as usual. I tried to make an appointment with my vet for when he comes back from vacation for Tipper's adequan shots. The girl insisted I let the vet tech do it. I told her no way the Dr. said he will personally do it and I want the Dr. She gave me a really hard time. Just wait till he gets back, as I am fuming. This is what he told me to do and I relayed that to this girl. This is intramuscular and if you hit a blood vessel, or nerve she could have even bigger issues. Absolutely no vet tech, if he wants my money this is how it will be. To boot this receptionist knows I do not let anyone handle Tipper but the Dr. so I think she is being really unreasonable. When I am paying him as much as I have and still do, it's my way where my dog is concerned and I don't care who likes it. This girl is in for a rude awakening when I come in to see the Dr. Thru the years I probably put one of his kids thru college paying for all my babies. Hope the chicken comes in tomorrow. Gave her some chicken gizzards like suggested. Oh well I will handle that on the 22nd, today we celebrate as Tipper is doing better on the pressure and weight. I would give her some small piece of steak, but they are starting to pump sodium solution into it too. It's all about weight, and greed. Salt makes the chicken hold more water, more water means the more money for the chicken they will get. Have a good day all. Blessings
Patti

happy to read that your tipper is having a good day !!! enjoy !!! patty(milo)meka xoxox

yay for a good day!!! That is what we all live for. ;)

Awesome news Patti! I am thrilled for both of you!:D:):D xxxxx

So glad getting rid of the saline chicken was a postive change.

We live for good days, keep them coming Tipper, you mom needs a few more;)

Glad to hear Tipper's weight and BP are better.
Keep up the good work.

Great news Patti!
As for the $1074 doctor bill, I would call the lab and the doctor.

Hi Everyone:
Just got a call from the store and the chicken is in. Yahoooo!!! Well at least I was excited until the price almost knocked me over. 4.50 a lb. Wow that is some steep chicken!! She needs it so what can I do. The vet would take 68.00 from me in the blink of an eye so it all becomes relative. I am excited for my Tipper that I don't have to worry about this salt and her heart. Going to get it now. Blessings
Patti

Wow Tipper, you are going to eat great tonight!:D I'm so glad the chicken is finally in. Big hugs,

Hi Everyone:
Well Tipper the Ripper got her chicken and ate good. I told her on the way home she was going to have to get a job, as her tastes are really running into some serious money. I told her we could tie her to a store front in this one horse town, and give her a little cup to sell pencils. or a lemonade stand maybe. She better get a job as a doggie actor or something! I want to call the place where this chicken comes from and ask how much it is if I buy it there. I am curious how much this IGA is gouging me. With all the vet bills the last thing I want to do is pay almost 5.00 a lb for chicken. It should cook itself for that much! It is dark outside and they said 20% chance of rain. Storms for Tues, Wed, Thurs. tipper will just lose it if this starts again I swear I am putting her in the car and driving away some where for a few days. Have a good weekend everybody. Blessings
Patti

That's funny about you telling Tipper she needs to get a job. I saw a Jack Russell Terrier on a television show awhile back that painted and his paintings actually sold for a lot of money!! I told my two JRTs they were slackers and needed to learn how to paint or something! :D

I am getting tired of all these storms, too! Crazy weather!!