Thinking of you and the doggies.
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Thinking of you and the doggies.
Hi ya'll,
My niece came home from college and said, "WOW! Squirt looks funny!" When asked what she meant, she said, "Her body looks fluffy and her tail looks skinny!"
:confused::eek::confused::mad::(:(:(:mad::eek::eek :
<mama without blinders icon>
Squirt's panting is increasing. She was panting hard last nite but not like she was a few weeks ago - no raggedness or wheezing. Just fairly fast and hard.
She is restless at nite, moving often on the bed as she regroups.
She is sneaking around the place looking for Moe's food outside and the other dog's in the Big House and wolfing her own feed.
She seems to be staying at the water bowl a bit longer.
More and more, she lays on the floor where there are no rugs.
The hair re-growth on her hip and leg from the July surgery have not come in normally - only one of her 3 coats has come in. (New pics in album show this.)
Her hair has a coarser feel to it, more brittle-feeling somehow.
She is getting more and more adenomas all over.
She is losing hair around her eyes, from the lower lid area primarily.
She isn't raising either leg to pee any more but simply squats.
She pees for a longer time (it is a stream so no infection suspected).
She has been experiencing some nausea at nite.
The darkening of her skin has progressed to cover more of her body.
Her gums and tongue are very red, almost purple, at times especially at nite.
She does not have a pot-belly tho she has gained weight - 1#.
She still plays, gets excited about things, wants to be with me, interacts with people and animals, has had no infections other than the bronchitis, no other skin changes, no hair loss other than the eye lids.
hummmm......YOUR thoughts?
Squirt's mom, who is feeling like a great big dummy!
I'm thinking of you!
Oh Leslie, your sweet Squirty is sounding more and more like a genuine "Cushpup" to me...:o:o:o When are you thinking about repeating the UTK panel?
Marianne
Hi Leslie!
WOW! I am experiencing a lot of those things with Chloe lately but her last panel, about a month ago, was pretty good.:confused: Chloe does have a little pot belly and at times it feels very "tight" and hard.
Will be watching your thread carefully for info. You are definitely not alone!!:(
Carrol
Hi Leslie,
I agree with Marianne. It's sounding like Squirt's cortisol may be increasing. In looking at the results of the last two UTK panels, I noticed that the increase in intermediates correlate with the increase in cortisol, which is to be expected. You know Squirty best so what do you think is going on? If you think her cortisol has continued to climb, you may want to think about having Dr. B do a stim test. If the post cortisol is higher than the last UTK panel, then you can pretty much assume that the intermediates are also higher. If cortisol is still in the high normal range, you can continue with the melatonin and lignans and consider adding a lysodren maintenance dose. That's my two cents worth.
G.
Hi Leslie!
What's happening with the Squirtser? I was having real problems with Chloe's coat - really thinning on top and her back and neck were covered in those awful bursting sebaceous glands. What a mess. Dr. L. talked to Dr Oliver who suggested increasing the melatonin to 5-6mg twice a day. We did that. It has been 1 1/2 - 2 months now and I notice this morning there seems to be improvement in amount and texture of her fur. Wishful thinking or are we on to something????? Have you emailed Dr O?
Carrol
Hi Carrol,
We talked after her last UTK panel because I am concerned about her andro and progesterone levels. Funny, as the estradiol returns to normal, these hormones can rise. :rolleyes:
We talked about increasing her melatonin and I did take her to 6mg at nite only a little over a month ago. But then she got sick and since has had some nausea at nite, so I cut her back to the 3mg to see if that would help with the nausea...it hasn't. So she will start back on the 6mg/PM tonite.
I have also added phosphatidylserine (PS) to her regime about a month ago. PS is a phospholipid and has been shown to lower cortisol in human athletes as well as having other benefits for athletes and non-athletes. Here is a link from iHerb concerning PS:
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetCo...chunkiid=21843
Again, because of the bronchitis and nausea, she hasn't been on it consistently since starting. The plan was to try these two changes, retest in about 40-45 days to see how things were, and go from there.
As for her coat....here is a pic of her in 2007, prior to diagnosis and prior to melatonin -
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/albu...pictureid=2156
Here she is now, taken this summer as was the one in '07 -
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/albu...pictureid=1876
And here she is this month -
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/albu...pictureid=2123
She hasn't lost hair as is expected with Cushing's at all. Even before the melatonin, her coat was good! I wish I had a pic of her tail when she was younger so you could see the difference between it then and now...there is a vast difference I hadn't even noticed til Brianna said something. But, I don't know how long this change has taken to reach the point it is today, but her tail hair is much thinner than it used to be.
When she made her remark, I really started watching Squirt and noting things I saw that were different. That was 2 weekends ago. The only real hair loss I see is some from the lower lids on both eyes. The skin beneath is black. The other things like the drinking and peeing are subtle. She doesn't ask to go out much more often but she pees longer. I am not filling up the water bowl more often, she is just drinking more in one trip than before. She has always been a Miss Piggy but she is acting more concerned with securing food more frequently.
Are you seeing more changes in Chloe other than the coat issue?
Since posting the other day, she has been acting as if she doesn't have Cushing's once again, little huzzy. :rolleyes::p But I am not fooled this time, oh no! Action will be taken and taken soon. After much thought, even before this latest, I seriously doubt I would put Squirt through another surgery so an U/S and Xrays would be added costs that would more than likely lead to nothing. So, I am thinking of starting her on a maintenance dose of Lyso asap. If I can find someone close who does the SNAP test, I would like that done but don't know that it is really necessary at this point.
This is my baby :eek: and I find what little I have learned is rapidly falling through the trap-door of my mind so I fear I am missing something important or doing something dangerous....so please speak up and set me straight, or say you agree! :o
Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt
Quote:
The maintenance dose is usually 25 to 50 mg of Lysodren per kg of the dog's weight per WEEK (25-50 mg/kg/week) and can be given in divided doses. Example: 500 mg Lysodren per week can be given as 250 mg twice a week, or 375 mg per week could be given as 125 mg three times a week etc. The entire weekly dose is often the same amount as the dose per day that was given during the loading phase.
Squirt weighed 15lbs at her last vet visit. 15/2.2=6.82. 6.82kg x 25mg = 170.5mg/week. hummmm...... 6.82kg x 50mg = 341mg/week. hummmm..... 170.5+341=511.5/2=255.75mg/week for an average between the lowest and highest dose recommended for maintenance. So, to make the division of the tablets easier, 250mg/week for her? 250/6.82=36.66mg/kg to start. Does that sound alright?
Hi Leslie,
I have been wondering the same thing about the maintenance dose for Zoe. She was 18 pounds last vet visit but I think she will be down to 17.5 now.:(
I think you figured it out right.:)
Hugs,
Addy