We are all worried about you and Scoop. I do hope the surgery went okay and that Scoop is at home with you and well on the road to recovery and that you can all have a Happy Thanksgiving.
hugs,
Sharlene
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We are all worried about you and Scoop. I do hope the surgery went okay and that Scoop is at home with you and well on the road to recovery and that you can all have a Happy Thanksgiving.
hugs,
Sharlene
Thank you so much everyone. Sorry I haven't checked in sooner. There's been so much. I just typed for awhile and I lost what I typed. My computer acts up. I'll be typing and then everything just disappears. So I'll try again. Maybe I'll send some info and then start again. I need to talk. There's a lot to tell. Scoop made it through the surgery and came home last Saturday. Don't know all the results just yet. The surgeon removed his left ear canal. Also found out his pituitary tumor size. 8mmx3mm I know that's not good but that's not what the neurologist initially told us. I have to tell you about it in another post later. Scoop's eyesight has gotten worse. He's been having a hard time. Now he has a cornal ulcer on his left eye. The same side they did the surgery. That had been the better of the two eyes with the cataracts. I was so optomistic after the surgery. The neurologist had told us the tumor was small and the surgeon was optomistic what was in his ear was infection, not a tumor. I know for sure there was infection but haven't heard about if there was a tumor in there. The pituitary tumor scares me so, so much. Scoop has just been getting worse and I am so, so sad and scared. All I do is cry. More later.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
I just wanted to stop in and say I am so sorry for what you and Scoop are going through. My heart goes out to you. It seems a lot of us on here sit around and cry a lot. I am thinking about you and Scoop.
Big Hugs,
Ro and Chey
Sometimes crying is the best way to let it all out and then you find your strength after a really good cry.
Let us know when you can. We are here for you, never doubt that. You can come here and talk all you want about whatever you need to get off your chest.
Oh Vicki :( I'm soooooo sorry that Scoop is having such a hard time and so are you. I would be exactly the same. Just let it go, cry, scream, whatever you need to do. It's anguish and it just needs to come out.
okay, so the tumor size isn't great, but it's not all horrible. What do the neurologist and the surgeon say now?
What you need is a plan going forward that you are comfortable with. Scoop might end up noting being able to see so well, or at all, but they are amazing creatures and can and will adapt as they need to. Leslie can tell you all about that.
Lets just try as hard as we can to find the joy in every moment and whatever comes tomorrow, you will be able to get through it somehow, because Scoop needs you and loves you. We'll be right here with you as much as you want us to be.
As for typing it all out. Trying typing it on notepad or wordpad and then copy paste it into the Reply box once you have it ready. That way you won't lose it and you can say what you want and however much you want.
love and some super big hugs your way,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
So sorry to read of Scoops troubles... hope everything settles down for you both. How frustrating going through surgery with still more problems. Lots of hugs coming your way
Trish xx
I am so sorry to hear that Scoop is having a hard time right now. I know it is so scary. I will say a prayer for his comfort & healing & peace for you.
Hi Vickie,
Thanks for letting us hear from you. I know how distressed you are right now and how much you have on your plate to do to care for Scoop after the surgery. I am really glad things have gone as well as they have to this point. That's a good sign. ;)
Don't panic about the pituitary tumor just yet. Wait til you can talk to the surgeon and until all the path reports come in. Macroadenomas on the pituitary gland are typically classed as such once they reach 10mm or larger according to Mar Vista Animal Medical Center. They have some good info at this link - http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...roadenoma.html
If Scoop is losing his sight, his behaviors could be confused a bit with neurological signs as he learns to adjust to his darkening world. He may seem confused, frightened over things you don't grasp, uncoordinated and such yet have nothing to do with a tumor. The good thing is that the vast majority of blind dogs adjust just fine to the situation and learn to rely on their other, heightened, senses like smell, hearing and touch to navigate the world. It is typically much harder on us humans who love them than it is on our babies. ;) I have two blind babies but they were blind when they came to me so I didn't go through the measures many take to save the sight. Addy has quite a bit of experience with eye problems and I'm sure she will be glad to share with you. Others here have gone down the same road, too. But I can offer you reassurances that blindness isn't as bad for them as we often think and that they can and do operate without sight just fine. My first experience was with a Great Dane who was both deaf and blind. She taught me how to communicate with her via vibrations - these babies are very often our teachers, not the other way around. By observing them carefully, we can usually tell which sense is dominate and work with that sense to help them. If he does lose his sight, I'll be glad to give you some ideas to help him. ;)
A tip for long posts - if you will click on the "Preview" button next to the "submit" button, it will sort of save your post to that point. You can scroll down just a bit from the preview pane and see the reply box where you can continue typing. By hitting Preview, you save your work to that point. ;) Learned that one the hard way myself! :D
Hang in there and know we are with you all the way.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang
Hi...oh i my heart hurts for you...i realize your filled with worry, and not knowing....how i hope you can feel everyone reaching out for you and scoop, hope you and scoop can feel lift up in prayer.
I had a pug who could not see....and what happened was his other senses kicked into higher gear and it was almost like he "saw" better. Hard to explain. I also heard that if you place scented candles on ground outside and inside it helps them find their way around, and you can even keep scents grouped to help them know what section of house or yard they are in. Hope we all hear from you soon.
Thank you so much everyone for all the kind words, love and prayers. It's great to have so many friends to talk to.
I heard from the surgeon yesterday. She said it was infection in Scoop's left ear and no sign of cancer on the reports. That's great news.
Leslie-Thank you for the website on the tumors. I will be checking it out. I am so confused about all that. Different doctors say different things.
Scoop's corneal ulcer got big fast. He had to have a third eyelid flap done on Saturday to try to help it to heal. There might be infection in there too. All this infection is probably because of the Cushing's disease. Scoop sleeps so much.
Scoop couldn't have his ACTH test done after his increase to 40mg because of the surgery putting so much stress on him.
More another time.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
That is wonderful news Vicki, no tumor, no cancer. Yay! You were certainly due for some good news. :)
Hopefully Scoops eye will heal fast and he won't get one on the other eye at all. Crossing fingers for that.
I'm sure he is wiped out from everything he's been through lately and maybe once he is all healed up his energy will slowly recover too.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
how are things going? checking in on each of you.........
Just a quick update. Scoop's corneal ulcer is big. The culture also shows infection. Lots of meds. So much infection in Scoop. First the Calcinosis Cutis, then the ear, now the eye. Might have to do a surgical procedure on the eye. Today he is having his ACTH after being on his 40mg dose for over 3 weeks. The eye doctor recommended to wait another week but the vet said no. See how that goes. Also his BG is up. Nothing's going Scoop's way at all. Don't know if the way he acts sometimes is eye sight and hearing loss or his tumor. So scarey.
Those eye ulcers in Cush pups are hard to heal. We had 12 different meds for Zoe's eye and it took 3 months. Our opthamologist was trying hard to avoid surgery so was very agressive with the meds. It was a full time job for us but it did heal. Did they give you dog serum? That helped Zoe's eyes so much.
I know how you feel, it is like one thing after another and it is hard. You do the best you can.
It is possible his numbers may be a bit increased from the ulcer. You never know,
I know the Dechra site says to start ACTH testing 4 hours after dosing and that's what the vet did other times. Today Scoop had his dose at 6:20 AM. I told them that when I dropped him off. They had me come back at 11:00. I asked if he got his ACTH because the times didn't seem right. The tech said yes and I mentioned about the 4 hours. She said it's only 2 hours. So frustrated right now. Do you think that will make a difference in the results?
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
Studies have shown that Vetoryl (trilsotane) reaches peak effectiveness in 1 1/2 to 2 hours. UC Davis monitoring protocol is different than Dechra's and ask their patients to be in their office within 2 to 3 hours of dosing so your vet may be using the UC Davis protocol. Either way, I think the stim test results will be meaningful.
Poor Scoop. Hopefully an aggressive medication plan will help it to heal, but yea, it's probably going to be a long road, considering everything else going on with Scoop.
Addy knows that road well. :(
Hang in there!!
Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
lulusmom-Thanks. I'm glad to see the UC Davis monitoring protocol says 2-3 hours and you feel the results will be meaningful. That makes me feel better. I asked a tech again about the times for the ACTH today and she checked with the vet. The vet said instead of using the gel she used the more expensive stuff and there is a difference in the timing for the one compared to the other.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
checking in with you...........
how is the eye doing? did they say what type of ulcer it was? Shysie just had her indolent ulcer surgery done, and got her stitches and cone off today. Hope things are improving......(((((hugs)))))
addy-Yes Scoop had dog serum but didn't get to use it much. Meds changed. Tuesday before Thanksgiving I noticed Scoop's eye looked different. Took him to the vet. She said it was an ulcer and wanted him seen again on Friday. She wouldn't be in but another vet was. On Friday the vet said it looked like it was getting worse. She changed some of the meds, one she gave him was the serum. She felt he needed to see an opthamalogist as soon as possible. They found one that would see him Saturday morning. That's when he had the third eyelid flap done. Changed some meds again. We were told the flap would stay up 2-3 weeks. Instead of going back to the place where he was on Saturday for a recheck a week later, he was able to go to an opthamalogist a lot closer to home. She said the flap was partially down and wanted to see in there anyway so she took it down after 6 days. She did say the flap was doing it's job. She said she was going to get aggresive with the meds and compounded an eyedrop for him. She rechecked him on Monday and had me fast hm in case she would have to do surgery. She was happy with the progress so no surgery on Monday. Now she is going to check him again on Friday and same thing. No food in case of surgery. She said even though it's progressing in the right direction he still might have to have surgery. I had to make a chart for all his meds and ointment so I can keep everything straight.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
Stormee(Skye)-if they said what kind of ulcer it is, I didn't catch it. Glad to hear things are going well for your baby.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
We made a chart too, our bathroom looked like a pharmacy school;)
After going through all of that, Zoe's 5 medication drops are a piece of cake. Odd thing is, it starts to get routine:eek::eek::eek:
I sure hope things get better, I feel for you after my summer of it.
(((((((((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))))))) )
addy-Thank you. I'm glad things got better for Zoe. I hope they do for Scoop, too.
I just gave him one of his drops. His eye doesn't look as red as yesterday but I think that is a bad thing. The opthamologist said the redder the better because that means the blood is getting in there. Scoop sees her again tomorrow. I sure hope he doesn't have to have surgery AGAIN. I don't mind all the meds and the drops and the charts just so there is no surgery. Just so scared all the time. I had to fast him on Monday before his appointment and now again tomorrow (except for a very small amount with his Vetoryl and other meds) just in case of surgery. He is not happy when he doesn't get his food.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
I know, I was so scared too because they did not want to have do surgery on Zoe, only as a last resort, she has multiple eye problems not just an corneal ulcer that would not heal:eek::eek::eek:
I'll be crossing all fingers and paws for Scoop. I am not sure about the red, I think it depends on what kind of red. For Zoe, we wanted to see blood vessels in the white of her eyes, not inflamation red.
It is most likely different for each dog, depending on the treatment and what is all wrong.
addy-Thanks. Yes the red is the blood vessels in the whites of the eyes. Just doesn't look like it did yesterday.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
I am thinking this may be more extension surgery and will have to have sedation.....but on a few of the surgeries they have that as an option though perference to sedate of course. I had read where some can be be localized and done without sedating. I spoke to the doctor and on some surgeries that is an option although sometimes better success rates are when sedated.
fingers crossed!!!! no surgeries.
Well I really am going to stick to hoping that things are improving and no surgery needed. Poor thing has just had so much going on lately. :( You all need a nice calm winter
hugs,
Sharlene
Hi! My Annie had a corneal ulcer and I went to a specialist who said the same thing. You want red because it means the blood is flowing and healing is happening. Fingers crossed!!! Kim
Scoop's vet called me with his ACTH results today. His pre was 9.3 and his post was 10.1 She is not increasing his dose because his blood sugar has gone up and she increased his insulin so she wants to get that straightened out if possible. What happened is Scoop lost some more weight so she increased his caloric intake and I guess that raised his BG. She thinks if the BG gets better than the cortisol might get better. Then there's the eye ulcer, who knows what that's doing to him. His post number is better than his last one. Why do they say to have an electrolytes test done with the ACTH? She didn't do one this time.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
How important is an electrolytes test when an ACTH is done?
Scoop seems to be doing more trembling lately and he was so restless today.
Tonight he drooled out of the one side of his mouth quite a bit. It got his blanket wet. I never saw him do that before. All I ever think about is that horrible tumor in his head and then I cry and get so angry that this is happening to my baby doll.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
Awww poor Scoop, is his blood sugars ok? I just thought the drooling could be related to that? Thoughts are with you two
Trish xx
Trish-blood sugars could cause the drolling? No, his BG was high and the vet increased his insulin recently.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
Probably not, I was just thinking if he is drooling while sleeping maybe the BG was a little low or else maybe Scoop was just in a real deep sleep and drooled. I am presuming BG is checked regularly on insulin especially if it was high - if it hasn't been checked it might pay to check he has not gone too low. Just a thought, I am sure you are onto that. Hope it has settled down.
Trish xx
Trish-Thanks, I didn't know that could happen if too low.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
Hope Scoop is doing okay.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Sharlene-Thanks for asking about Scoop. He had a visit to the opthamologist today. She said he is not out of the woods yet but she is happy with the way his corneal ulcer is looking. Each time he goes she says it is slow but going in the right direction. Scoop is having a BG curve tomorrow.
I don't think Scoop is ever going to get better. He has changed since he went totally blind. All I do is think about that horrible large tumor he has. It is constantly on my mind. It makes me so sad and I constantly cry.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
Vicki it is so hard to see them not being the way they use to be. :( Of course you are upset and cry. It's heart wrenching. What you have to remember and what is important is that you are giving him the very best life possible and that you are loving him and letting him know that he is still all important to you. Sometimes, that is what matters the most. If they know they are loved and cared for, then usually they are pretty happy.
My golden, Tasha, was at a horrible state physically, but she always wagged her tail, we always told her what a good girl she was and how much we loved her and to her, that was what made her happy, even as her body failed.
You are doing everything and are such a good mummy. Don't think about the tumor all the time, it will just make you feel nauseous. Concentrate each day, on one good thing instead. Maybe that will help to get through this.
Sending you tons of great big hugs!
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Sharlene-Thank you again. It's just so hard not to think about it. We constantly tell Scoop how much we love him and I am constantly telling him he is a good boy for everything he does. Like when he goes potty or he finds his water bowl on his own. Sometimes he can go to the kitchen and find his water and sometimes he can't. Sometimes he steps into his water dish. He'll stand and stare at a wall or at the window. We don't know if it's because of the light at the window. Is it the tumor making him do things like that or because he can't see? The neurologist says we will never know. We haven't left him home alone since he started with the corneal ulcer. I'm afarid to. Eating and ear scratches are what makes him happy. He doesn't care about his toys or chews anymore. He sleeps a lot. He trembles quite often. I get so angry that this had to happen. He just can't catch a break. I was hoping for a miracle when this all started but it doesn't look like I will get one.
Vicki-Scoop and Raleigh's mom
Oh Vicki :( I know you love him bunches and bunches and tell him that all the time. I just meant that is the good thing to concentrate on. It's all sometimes that we people have to hold onto during these kind of things.
Maybe you did get a miracle, just not the one you and all of us, hoped would happen. Maybe each time that he came through something that was the miracle.
I would be angry too, and cry buckets and probably scream some, well, who knows what, but it probably wouldn't be pretty. It is completely unfair. No sweet little animal who can't even Tell you what they feel, or what is going on with them, should have to go through these kind of things and Scoop had gone through them all it seems. Some go through one or two, but not Scoop, he went all out, full steam ahead and he's still going.
I wonder, how about getting one of those video baby monitors. That way you can at least keep an eye on him while being in another room or doing something else. I wish that would work with while you were away from home too. That would be handy, then you wouldn't have to have someone there 24 hours a day with him. Addy and her husband went through this too with Zoe over the summer with her ulcer. They didn't leave her at all either. It is truly scary trying to treat those things and so exhausting. :(
Just going to keep sending you hugs Vicki!
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Sharlene-Thank you so, so much. I never thought about the miracle that way. I wish I could be strong but I am not. It's so nice to be able to talk with such wonderful, caring people.