Ugga-7yr old french bulldog (calcinosis cutis)(Ugga crossed the bridge)

Hi all. I have been meaning to post an Ugga update for 3 weeks. I swear, every time I sit down to write, something happens and I have to leave my computer. I close the window, erasing everything, and then forget to come back. So, Ugga has had 3 acupuncture treatments so far. Before we started he was unable to blink, he had a head tilt to the left, no balance, his skin (though slightly improved in the chest/chin areas) was a mess (itchy, open, and bleeding-mostly on his neck), he was drooling a ton (way more than my newfoundland), and he was unable to sleep on his side without coughing. We were at the end of our rope. He is maxed out on Vetoryl, he can't take Lysodren, and the medicated shampoo, gabapentin, and benadryl aren't doing squat for his calcinosis cutis. Acupuncture was our way of throwing that Hail Mary pass with 3 seconds left on the clock. Why not? What could it hurt? Let me tell you, I am so blown away and recommend it to everyone, for cush pups as well as non-cush pups (and their humans too). After one treatment he was drooling much less and he slept on his side for hours. After the second treatment his head tilt was gone, his balance was back, and he started sleeping through the night. His neck was almost completely healed. My vet put some kind of cream (the label was in chinese) that is supposed to be good for non-healing rashes on it and it worked like a charm. At this point, he's still not blinking but his eyelids are moving and his left eye is almost closing (it's so close). He's still sleeping on his side AND sleeping through the night!! His neck is healed and today I noticed the big plates are starting to break up. Unfortunately his head tilt is back BUT it switched sides so we are no longer thinking macrotumor, it's looking more like Vestibular Syndrome. It's a little scary to watch, we really have to support him, he's so wobbly. He's going for another treatment Monday. He usually goes about once a week. Because of Ugga's condition, my vet isn't charging us. She just wants to see if she can help him and she's willing to do so as long as he's happy. The needles don't bother him at all. The biggest issue we have is him thinking they're cookies. Ugga is a pretty high strung dog, even now, but he'll actually lay on the table with the needles in. Pretty amazing stuff, I must say. I was so skeptical at first, I didn't think anything could help poor Ugga. This has been such a roller coaster ride and I don't want to get too excited but I'm going to enjoy this upswing while I can. I'm sorry this got long. Thanks for listening to my ramble and I hope someone might consider trying acupuncture at some point. Big hugs to everyone and their furbabies.

~jackie and ugga

Oh My gosh! What wonderful news!!

Wow, what is that cream?!! Sounds like a miracle, I bet a bunch of our CC dogs could be helped too.
That is wonderful that they aren't charging you either.
I say, yay for the Hail Mary!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Great news about Ugga. Keeping my fingers crossed!

So glad to hear Ugga has shown improvement. Keep up the good work.

Hi Jackie,

How wonderful the acupuncture has had such a beneficial affect on Ugga! :) I hope he continues to improve. Yes, do tell what that cream is!

It is great your vet is working with Ugga like she is. It would be really nice if more vets and human doctors were that supportive and understanding.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Very interesting! I used acupuncture on my Annie and I believe it gave her great relief. Your story is very inspiring. Your vet is a real keeper. Kim

Hi Jackie,

What a fantastic update on Ugga. The acupuncture sure seems to be doing the job.

Angela and Flynn

Yay Ugga!! that is such great news. I hope he continues to get more relief & heal.

Hi there

Good to read that you have found something to help and that your little one is feeling better

I would be very interested to know what the cream is and where it can be sourced from as Tia's skin is getting worse and what I have been given is not helping

Thanks

Mel and Tia x

Thanks guys! Yes, we're very happy here :) I took Ugga for another treatment yesterday, he was really antsy on the table, not sure what that was all about. This morning he ran down the middle of the stairs! He's been going slowly and using the wall to lean on. Bad news on the cream though, I thought the label was in chinese, but it was the ingredients we were looking at. The label reads only Healing Salve and the main ingredient seems to be Zi Cao. I googled it and found a couple ointments but they were only available to practitioners. None of them looked like the one we're using on Ugga (label wise). There were a couple "make your own zi cao paste" sites but I really wouldn't recommend that. I also wouldn't use any Chinese herbs without being under strict supervision of your vet. Some of them can actually be toxic. I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful about the cream. We don't know if it's the cream, the acupuncture, or the combination of the two (we're assuming it's the latter) that are helping and we really don't care, we're just happy something is working. His skin still looks awful but it's not bothering him and the open/bleeding areas are healed and that's the important thing. As for my vet, yes, we are extremely lucky. She is my age (33) and is absolutely amazing. Her dad was always our family vet and he was (and still is) the best. Dr. Nicole has an amazing teacher and she's closely followed suit. We rode horses together as kids and were friends in high school. I've known her forever and I trust her implicitly. Ugga loves going to the vet, he loves his doctors and the entire staff. It's his home away from home :)

Hmmm, if it is only available to practitioners, then, seems that one vet could give your Dr. Nicole a call and get a recommendation and see what she is using so they could follow suit. If something works, we don't sneeze around here, we just have to find out how to incorporate it and often that seems to mean educating our vets.

That is so fabulous. Ugga ran down the stairs! Did you almost have a heart attack? I probably would have being the nervous mommy type. LOL I love it though! Go Ugga!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

yay Ugga.. That is such great news. I am so happy she is feeling good.

Hi all. I just wanted to post an update on Ugga boo. We are still going for acupuncture and he's still doing really well. We went from going once a week to every other week. This last stretch was 3 weeks but his Calcinosis Cutis started to flare up so we're going back to every other week to keep that monster in check. His head tilt is gone, he's balanced, and his left eye is closing all the way. His right eyelid is starting to move quite a bit now, closing almost half way. I got a jar of the herbal salve we've been using-I was off on the ingredients before-I'm sorry. I know there's not a lot of scientific evidence coming out of our case but I do hope at least one person who reads this will consider acupuncture. Don't get me wrong, Ugga needs his Vetoryl too, but I think the combination of acupuncture and meds have made all the difference for him. Here is the link to the company that makes the healing salve we've been using. It's only available to practitioners. http://www.tcvmherbal.com/ You can search for a practitioner in your area to get a prescription but I would definitely talk to your vet first. I have absolutely no affiliation with this company, I just believe in the product and so does my vet. Again, I absolutely would NOT use ANYTHING without consulting your vet. Every pet is different and even natural ingredients can be toxic.

Hi! that is so great to hear. So, glad Ugga is responding to the acupuncture treatment. I bet you are relieved to see the head tilt gone & the eyes getting better.

I definitely believe in acupuncture. It did wonders for my body..

keep up the good work little Ugga!

Hi Amy! Yes, we are thrilled to see these improvements :) How's your Boriss doing?

So happy to read that Ugga is doing well and that the acupuncture really helps, hoping that darn CC will completely go away...sending love and hugs, Lori

Oh this is wonderful to hear! I'm so glad that Ugga is doing well with the acupuncture and medicine combo.
I know Julie uses acupuncture for Hannah too and I think some of the others. I think the key is getting a good acupuncturist for dogs and take it from there.
Great update! I was ready for some happy news. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Oh Lori, I know!! Last week, he had a bit of a setback and I was losing my mind. It kills me to see him itchy and bloody :( I have to have that awful quality of life argument with myself...I hate that. I will never go three weeks between treatments again and this last time, I got some of the super stinky healing cream to bring home so I can put it on in between sessions :) It's healed before, I'm holding onto hope that it will heal again. Hugs, Jackie

Hi Sharlene! Yes, we are very happy in this house. We needed some good news here as well. Is everything ok with you and your girl? Hugs, Jackie

Hi Jackie!! The little girl is just trucking along same as always. That's a good thing. :)
Oh, hope Ugga's skin clears up with the cream and the acupuncture. At least you know that it can clear up, just an awful thing to go through till it does. hang in there. You got the miracle cream going for you!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Good morning, Sharlene :) I'm glad Miss Molly is doing well, it's so nice when they're moving forward with no major incidents. This morning I woke up to Ugga scratching like crazy so I popped out of bed, ran to see the wreckage and... nothing :) No bloody spots whatsoever, thank goodness. As I'm typing this, he's barking at my newfie because Lou has a ball that Ugga MUST have (he has a million toys and only ever wants the one that's being played with). Ahh, mornings in the Vogel household :) Big hugs to you and Molly, Jackie and Ugga

I love the spunk of a frenchie.. Of course Ugga wants the ball that someone else is already playing with. :D

Boriss is doing great. I always feel like I need to hold my breath when I say that. Trying to enjoy all the good times while they are here. ;)

Haha, tell me about it, Amy...don't want to jinx anything. So glad Boriss is doing well :) :)

You have a newfie too? Why did I forget that or did I not know?
My neighbors newfie that has a thing for molly now seems to terrify her. He sees her and he's the horse galloping forward and she is the midget back pedaling. He is sucha sweetie and wouldn't hurt a fly but she can't decide if she is intrigued or scared witless. She gave up trying to intimidate him, he could care less. LOL
Awww, Ugga!!! You got momma out of bed. Smart boy! :) Who got breakfast early uh. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Yep, we have a newfie too. He pretty much just ignores Ugga's antics haha. I can just imagine the look on poor Molly's face when the neighbor's bear comes running over to greet her :)

Hi all! I know it's been awhile but I wanted to check in with an Ugga update. I still take him for acupuncture, we go every 3 weeks to a month now. His skin has improved dramatically (I uploaded some new pics...his hair is even growing back!!). He still has the bilateral hair loss, but he's just bald...no CC :). He has some small bumps around his armpits, inside his back legs, and on his tummy/private area. They don't seem to bother him at all, they're just kinda there. His head tilt is still gone. He has some mild droopiness on his left side but we can only tell after he gets a drink (long goobers on the left side). He is blinking BOTH EYES! He still takes his Vetoryl twice a day, along with his anti-seizure meds but his liver is still in good shape. All in all things are going well for this frenchie boy :) Big hugs to everyone and their cushpups!

~Jackie and Ugga

Jackie! That is wonderful news. Way to go momma. :)
Yay.

Hugs
Sharlene and Molly muffin

What a substantial improvement in Ugga's skin and hair!!! Wow!!! Great job, Jackie!!!

Hi Jackie, Peety's fur mom. We are dealing with calcinosis cutis also, or that is what was originally diagnoised. Now I think it could be black skin disease. We just tested for cushing's. We are not on meds yet, long story. We have an appt with a new vet this Fri and I hope we can finally make some progress into some sort of treatment for him. He doesn't really scratch so much. Of course he wears a t-shirt and a cone all the time. I am using some home remedies right now. He has black elephant skin down the middle of his back and the rest is pretty much like Ugga's, pink, bald sports on his legs, no sores, just bald. I am afraid those spots may never regrow hair. But the black elephant skin has lil fuzzies in the middle of it. I have not given up on him having a full coat again, but right now I just want to keep him healthy. And so far he feels great. Not the typical signs of Cushing's either.
Can you tell me a little about the accupunture? How often and is that expensive. What kind of Dr does it? I really want natural remedies for his skin if possible. Right now I have him on Manuka honey. I slather it on the really black spots and wrap him up and bathe every other day in Hibiclens. Orally he gets a daily Vit, Brewers Yeast, Omega3 and honey in his food. He has a good appitite, not overly so and he feels great all the time. Runs and plays and he is so sweet. I love him so much and I want to find some real answers for him. I have some pictures of his skin I posted. We have been dealing with this since January 3rd 2013. Derm Dr did biopsy and tried to put him on DMSO. But I would not do it, too toxic. So I have kinda been doing my own research into treatments. I am sorry you are dealing with this too, but maybe we can continue to compare notes. Not all Cushings pups have CC or any skin problems. There is so much encouragement from this community. I love it here, I never feel like I am facing anything alone.

Big hugs to you and Ugga

Pat Peety's #1 fan

Aww, thanks guys! We couldn't be happier with the way things are going for Ugga :)

Pat- I looked at Petey's album, he's such a little cutie pie! It sounds like you're doing a great job keeping him happy and comfortable with the natural remedies right now. It's great that he's not too itchy. Ugga was constantly scratching himself open and shirts only made him more uncomfortable. It was awful. The CC was compromising his quality of life and the Vetoryl alone just wasn't working. He was also showing signs of a macrotumor (which we don't believe to be the case anymore, it was most likely just vestibular syndrome). We were pretty close to having him put to sleep and decided to try the acupuncture as a last resort. Our regular vet recently became certified in acupuncture so we just take him there. As far as the cost, I don't know, our vet doesn't charge us. She says it's good practice for her and as long as it's helping, she's more than willing to help us out. I think we were all doubtful that it would have worked this well :) I'm kidding, she's just a great person who truly loves helping animals. When we first started going (Jan 2013), we went every other week. We stayed on that schedule for about 2 months, then moved it out to every 3 weeks. I think we're going to do one more 3 week session and then bump it back to once a month for maintenance and see how it goes. My husband doesn't believe the acupuncture is the sole cause for Ugga doing so well but I don't know if I agree with him. He started the Vetoryl in Mar 2012. There was a drastic improvement after a few months and he was ok until Sept. The CC came back with a vengeance and did not let up even after an increase in Vetoryl. When we started the acupuncture in Jan Ugga had a severe head tilt, he would fall a lot and could not be trusted on the stairs, he was drooling and coughing almost constantly, the CC was covering close to 80% of his body and he barely had any hair. All of those symptoms are gone after 4 months of treatment and we noticed improvements after his first session. The neurological symptoms went away before we saw improvement in his skin. The CC is a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure! I believe you can search for a certified acupuncturist online but I don't know how you'd choose one without a recommendation. I go to Warren Animal Hospital in Phillipsburg, NJ. If you're anywhere near there, I highly recommend Dr. Nicole. Having said all of this, I have to mention that I'm a firm believer that every dog is different and what works for one may not work for another. A lot of members here have had success using Lysodren to treat CC. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option for us because of Ugga's other medications. We couldn't risk losing control of his epilepsy to treat the Cushings but we had to treat the Cushings because of the CC. It was a delicate situation and we had to pick the lesser of 2 evils. Our vet just felt the Vetoryl was safer for Ugga. Yikes, I've really rambled on and on here, I'm sorry. I hope I answered some of your questions about acupuncture. I know people think I'm crazy for doing this but I don't care, I have my dog back :). Let me know how you made out at the vet and if there's anything else you want to know. Hugs,

Jackie and Ugga

Well, I'm pretty sure I jinxed ugga by coming here and posting about how well he's doing. He's been acting very strange the past couple days. He will pace the living room, stopping to stretch every 30 seconds or so. He'll stop in the corner, stare at the wall (sometimes he barks) and then move to the next corner. He's not chewing on his bones at all which is not at all normal for this usually active guy. He's also much sleepier than usual. Eating/drinking/elimination is all normal. He has an appointment scheduled for Friday afternoon, I hope he's ok until then. If he's worse tomorrow ill take off work and get him there. Ugh :(

Dang jackie. Just when things are going along fine too.
Hopefully this is just a weird thing and not an alarm bell for Ugga. He's been through so much and over come so much already.
Everything fine with the eating, drinking, pooping? Will he interact at all?

Hang in there!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Sharlene. Yes, he's eating, drinking, and pooping normally. He does interact but sometimes it seems like he can't hear us. All he wants to do is cuddle. Something's bugging him. It's really bad timing too as our Newfie is not doing well and it looks like we have less than a month with him. Hopefully what's going on with ugga is just a weird thing that's treatable. Hugs to you and miss Molly.

~Jackie and ugga

Oh no I'm sorry about your newfie. They are such big wonderful cuddle bunnies. I call Eddie, the one two houses down from me, the gentle giant. He's just adorable and just slobbers all over me when I see him. That is usually because I'm down on my knees or sitting on the grass with him and he tries to crawl in my lap. I know that is heart breaking to think of only a little time left with yours.
I do hope that it is something simple and treatable with Ugga. What is he having done at the appointment friday?

Hang in there Jackie.
hugs
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Thank you Sharlene, we are heartbroken. Lou is the best dog we've ever had and it's very sad to see his health decline the way it is. Cancer can kiss my a**...seriously!! I wish I could take him in for acupuncture but he's just not portable anymore, it's very hard to get him in and out of the car. My poor big guy :( :(

Some good news, Ugga seemed a little better last night. He played for a few minutes and only made a couple laps around the living room. He's still doing the stretching thing and he was limping a little when I got home from work. Something hurts him but I'm not a vet and really have no clue what I'm poking around for. I'm not sure what he'll have done friday. We did a full blood work up less than 2 months ago but things can change quickly so maybe we'll do some more blood work and possibly x-rays or an ultrasound. I guess it depends on Ugga too, we'll have to see how he's doing. My vet is in surgery all day today but wants me to call her immediately if things start to get worse. Right now he's sleeping comfortably.

Thank you so much for your concern and support, I really appreciate it! Big hugs to you and Molly :)

~Jackie and Ugga

Oh yes, I do understand, mobility and newfie's is a tricky situation at best. heck even Eddie who is still just a baby, admitedly a big baby, but less than a year old, can have problems going in and out of the back seat of the car. I agree, cancer blows.
Sounds like Ugga is having some pains. Maybe a shoulder? thinking of the stretch and limp. Acupuncture might help if that is the case.
I know I say it all the time, but hang in there.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

So sorry to hear about your big guy.. :( Newfie's are so beautiful.

Jackie, So sorry you have all this weighing on your heart. It reallly does stink :( I know how loved your fur-babies are. Just know that thoughts and prayers are being sent to you and your lil babies.
Big hugs, Pat

Thanks guys, that means a lot. Hugs,

Jackie and Ugga

Sorry to hear the latest news on Ugga and your newfie. Hugs from me to you.

Angela and Flynn