Tipper - adrenal tumor/breathing issues

Patti, We understand, believe me we do. I don't know if this is the right word to use but I am envious of you that I wasn't more like you when it came to my Scoop. You are like superwoman when it comes to Tipper. I know I tried to do what I could for Scoop but I feel it wasn't enough and it hurts. I was afraid to do things without the vet because of Scoop's diabetes. I was always afraid of making things worse. I feel like I let him down. So you just keep on doing what you are doing for Tipper. She is a lucky little girl to have you for her mom.
Hugs

Patty, through it all, you're on top of it, when it comes to Tipper's care. I am amazed as to how much you up and able to accomplish by yourself, considering your current health issues. Be proud of yourself and don't care what anybody else thinks! Hugs,

Vicki,
you were right to be cautious with Scoop's diabetes. Things can go terribly wrong when you're not careful. You have nothing to feel guilty over sweetie.

Patti, you're doing great with Tipper but please remember to take care of yourself too.

Just stepping in here to give you all the support I possibly can. You have been wonderful with Tipper and even during all this you have been a tremendous support for me as well.

I relate most times to dogs better then people too, and you are doing absolutely everything you can for her.

Hope both you and Tipper had a good evening.

Everyone:
Thank you all for supporting me. I need you behind me, so I cannot take all the credit for my doings with Tipper. You all have steadily helped me thru this process, so everyone on here needs a pat on the back for paying it forward. Even some who are still devastated by the loss of their babies are on here every day supporting others. That is the sign of a truly caring individual with your best interests at heart. I always put it all out there and try my best with Tipper, because God only knows if anything should happen to her I want to know in my heart I never quit and that I went that xtra 500 miles for her. I am always quick to anticipate things and at times may seem ahead of myself, but that is how I have always approached life. At times I am reliving my dad's passing with this disease process with Tipper. I saw my wonderful dad slowly deteriorate every day, but gave it my all to the end. I took his xrays and medical information to every Dr. in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area that would see me, in hopes they could help him. I was looking for a miracle, and in the end there would be none. I have begged and pleaded with God since he could not give my dad a miracle to please use one on my Tipper. I have made so many deals with God I would have to write them in a book to keep them straight. Everyone approaches this disease differently, just how you have approached your life. No one on here should feel guilty and think they have not done all they could. I know better about the people on this forum. We are a tough group, we get up dust ourselves off and go for the nest hurdle. All we have gone thru will not be in vain. Our information and our babies legacies will help others that come after us. When you get up in the morning and put one foot in front of the other, and do what is in the best interests of your baby, there is no room to fault yourself. All I care about when I wake up is seeing my sweet girls face, that is my world. Vicki you also went to the nth degree for Scoop, you were willing to get him the radiation in hopes of helping him, you were doing the right thing, and I would have done it too. I highly considered this if I were to find out Tipper had a macro tumor. We aren't saints who perform miracles, but mere mortals who do the best we can with the situation presented to us. We have all done our best, each and every one of us, so lets celebrate ourselves having the strength to go on. We don't give ourselves enough credit. Leslie has been a huge inspiration and guiding force to me on here and I applaud her for always jumping in to help anyone. I also wanted to say before I am done rambling on that I have thoroughly researched Tipper's blood report. The high alk phos and high alt could be from cortisol damaging the liver even though controlled, or Gallbladder issues. The Albumin being high is only caused by one thing as I have researched the crap out of it. It is caused only by dehydration. Tipper is getting enough water so I am not sure why her albumin would be high, I need to look into it further. I don't think they give her water in the kennel when on testing day as I cannot see back there and will ask them. Maybe with all her panting going to the vets, and no water in the cage before testing could be spiking it up?? Hope you all have a blessed weekend with your babies.
Patti

Patti,
I know that Tipper and all of your animals are well taken care of, but I do worry about you.;) Please take care of yourself too. Xxxxx

Hi Everyone:
Just a short post as I have to take Tipper and my cat to the vet this morning. I had to take food away from the cats last nite so my cat could get his blood work done. I don't sleep well as it is, but last nite was bad. All nite long cat yowling because they had no food, they ran back and forth doing this all nite. Needless to say I am tired. Yesterday I noticed Tipper having a hard time with her back legs. Then later on she did not want to go potty and seemed to be limping on that front leg again. Maybe it opened up where the vet tech nicked her with the clippers. At any rate I did not take her walking this morning. She is still looking at me wondering why. The paw seems to be ok this morning, but this is a reoccurring problem that needs looked at this morning. The vet can put it under hi magnifier and see what is what. I will post when we get back. Blessings
Patti

Sorry you had such a bad night. Last fall Zoe sprained a toe and she limped off and on until it healed. Who knew they could sprain toes?:o

Hope everything goes well at the vet.

Sorry you had a bad night all fingers, toes and paws crossed here for you get visit :)

Aw Patti. You need to catch a break. I really hope today goes well, you can maybe get to bed a bit early and have a restful nights sleep.
Thinking of you.

Hi Everyone:
Went to the vets and got that over with. Tipper got her 7th shot and we went over Tipper's blood work. The Dr. is in agreement with me that she could have Gallbladder issues since the alk phos and alt have risen. We discussed her ACTH results also. I asked that he call and confir with the Dechra vet. I talked to Dechra today also. They think Tipper needs to be off the Vetoryl all together for a while, they will let me know how long after they talk to my vet. Also they think when she starts up again it may be just on 10mg instead of 30mg. They are feeling like her adrenals have gone back to normal and this is too much Vetoryl for her now. I am going to have it confirmed on the ultra sound Friday and let them know the size etc. They said they felt that Tipper's high alk phos and alt was not from cortisol because she is suppressing all too well. They feel there is something else going on with her, which made my heart jump. I was scared of this ultra sound before, now I am petrified. Because her pre number is so low .7 they said she could very easily slip into Addisons. I am watching her like a hawk. Her cortisol being on the very lower end is why she is going into a panic during a storm. The Albumin rise is like I said from dehydration, and confirmed by the vet, even though she is not. So I need to get the blood work inline where it should be, and will die a million deaths until Friday when she gets her ultra sound. Then next week she has 2 vet visits and an eye appointment in Pgh., and then laser therapy. I am dead today from those darn cats keeping me awake. I just feel run down. I had my Dr. give me a B12 shot to boost me up a little. I am so scared of bad news on this ultra sound, that it is all I can think about. I am praying and praying my girl has nothing bad going on. I am back to crying this week, and getting nervous. The though of Tipper ever leaving me is just not an option for me. Thank you all for your support, you make it possible for me to continue this fight. If this disease wants my girl, it better be ready for the biggest fight in history, because I am not letting it have her. Blessings
Patti

Maybe getting Tipper off the vetoryl for awhile will let her deal with the storms better.

Lets just see what Friday brings and deal with it then. Remember, just about everything can be dealt with in some way. There is no need to think dire thoughts. What you are doing is once again being proactive on Tippers behalf. If there is something there, you Want to know about it so you can deal with it and make her better. Not knowing and having something going on, would be much worse.

Go into Friday armed and ready to work out a game plan if you need to. That is the mindset to get into. Gearing up to battle anything and everything on Tippers behalf. See, That I know you can and will do. :)

Hang in there~!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

One baby step at a time Patti. Maybe stop the Vetoryl for a while and give her a chance to bounce back.

I know that you're dreading the ultrasound. It is always better to know as much as possible in order to make informed decisions. :o
Thoughts and prayers headed your way,

You will deal with it all like you always do. My hubby warned me before Zoe's last ultra sound, that I had to live with the knowledge of whatever we found. But I had this sick dog who got so bad after her surgery, I had to know in order to know how to help her.

And we just deal with it all, and I know Patti, you will to if there is anything serious and if it is all clear, well, then you can breathe a sigh of relief.

But you will know how to help your precious Tipper, one way or another.

HUGS

Hey Patti, your Tipper knows how much she is loved, you are a great Mom, ....with cushings it seems like we always prepare for the worse, I think the disease does that to us...but the more you know the more you can treat it, so keep praying for good results, I will be praying with you!! Hugs.....

Hi Patti,
Sorry you have had a tough few nights worrying and also with the hungry kitty. You probably need a good night's sleep but thinking about all this likely make that difficult for you.
Did the vet check out Tippers paw? I agree with Sharlene that there will be a solution to what you find but no need to think the worst. The rest from the medication may be a good thing for Tipper. Between the shot and the break from Vetoryl perhaps she'll have a good night without any labored breathing.
Try not to worry too much..I know that's easier said than done!

Barbara

Hi Everyone:
Thank you all for your encouragement, it gives me the power to go on. Last nite Tipper was limping now with her back leg. Honestly, talk about problems one right after the other, we got em. So I have been carrying her in and out to potty. she could have just landed wrong or something. I am hoping rest will cure whatever this is. The vet looked at her front paw and said he saw where she had been licking it and it was sore. So I can just put some Panalog up in there. The back one ahs me worried though. True to form the vet never called me to tell me what he discussed with Dechra. So on my own I stopped her Vetoryl. I will do what I think is best until his royal highness decides to call me. Funny thing about how different peoples' opinions are. Has to run in the hardware store, and took Tipper in with me. The lady behind the counter said" who is your vet?" I told her and she said "don't you just love him, and isn't he the most knowledgeable vet?" After feeling vomit in my mouth I just smiled and said "gotta go." I thought as I walked to my car, lady if you only knew what I know! I am going to make my jelly today, I need to keep busy until Friday as I am a bundle of nerves. I just realized that Tipper and I have been in this house together for the greater part of a year now. Leaving on very rare occasions to go to the Dr. and that is it. It seems like it went too fast for me. Why can't I just stop that darn clock?????Blessings
Patti

Patty,
I wish I could have stopped that darn clock a little over a year ago before Scoop started having all his problems which was in the beginning of July 2012.
Hopefully if you can get Tipper to rest her leg it will feel better real soon.
I hope the ultra sound on Friday brings good results.
Prayers and hugs for Tipper and you.

Patty,

My wife (Moo) and I are saying prayers for you and Tipper. Here's hoping being off Vetoryl helps a lot.

Patti,

It sounds like everyone is finally on the same page with Tipper's care. That is a good thing! Relax because if Tipper improves while off Vetyrol then you know that she's really doing better. The gallbladder issue can then be assessed more accurately.

I honestly think that all of this means that you're closer to getting more accurate answers.

What a great idea to make the jelly today! I Bet it's yummy! :DYou might have to start a mail order business! I'm glad that you have a project to occupy your brain for at least a little while. :p I know it's hard, but try to do others things that you enjoy, We all need a break now and then, even for a couple of hours. Although I worried about Buddy continuously while I was at work, I was forced to concentrate about something else while I was there. I had children that needed me too. Yes, I rushed home to Buddy, but I still had a break while I was there. I worry about you Patty.

Sorry to hear about Tipper's other leg. Often resting it does help. Let's hope so. Xxxx

Hi Everyone:
Thank you all for thinking of my girl. She sprawled out on the floor yesterday watching me make jelly. That is unusual for her as she always needs to be doing something, so I knew her leg was bothering her. She gets laser therapy early next week so I am sure that will help her in that regard. She has slept ok for a few days and very few episodes of struggling to breathe, and very little wheezing. I can only hope it is the shots finally starting to give her some relief. I still hear her snorting like a pig when smelling the grass etc. so I know this is her trachea. It seems the Adequan must be giving her some much needed help. She did start to walk this morning for the first time in 2 days. We had to come home as it started to rain. She is resting now. It is very hard keeping the dogs separate. Toby gets really upset being inside a gated area and so does Tipper, oh well it has to be. I wish Friday was here already as I am getting more nervous every day anticipating this test. Blessings
Patti

Just one other thing I forgot to post. Monday when Tipper went for her shot a couple rushed in a wire haired terrier, and said he just became ill all of a sudden. The dog looked bad. Of course my vet showed up 20 minutes late again. I called about that dog yesterday only to find out he died. I was so upset hearing this. He had a tumor on his spleen that burst. I keep wondering to myself if my vet had come on time, could he have been saved? I truly hope that my vet is saying this to himself, as he needs to think long and hard about what happened. The sad part is he probably went home and forgot all about it. He has still not called me about Tipper's instructions from the Dechra vet. Should I expect him to? No. So This is her second day off the Vetoryl that I decided on my own to stop for now. We will see how this plays out.
Patti

I'm glad to hear Tipper is having a few good days anyway with the breathing. Let us know how Tipper makes out off the Vetoryl, seeing I've taken Keesh off it too.

I'll be thinking about you on Friday, I assume you get the results right away. Try not to worry too much. An ulcer isn't funny and you don't want to get one from the worrying.

Thank you for thinking of my Tipper. I wish this was Friday and the testing was all over with. The waiting and nervously wondering about any other things that could come up are daunting. I told God last nite that he never came thru with the miracle for my father, and could I cash my miracle in for Tipper. I am hoping against all odds there are no further problems, but I know in the back of my mind the alk phos and the alt are rising for some reason. Glad to hear Keesh is eating. How is the peeing while off the Trilo? Blessings
Patti

Thinking of you and Tipper. Hope things are going well.

My heart goes out to you, honestly it does. I know exactly how you feel, and the worrying is so mentally exhausting yet when it's bedtime I'm physically tired too. My brain somehow tells my body it's been a rough day-LOL

It isn't long enough into the day yet, Keesh's peeing I think is about the same, yet his water intake so far is a little less. I measure the water daily, so I'll know when it's bedtime.

No accidents in the house though thankfully.

Take care of yourself please, Tipper needs you healthy.

Judi & Keesh

Hi Everyone:
Well I feel like I just got a punch in the gut. I just spoke to my vet and he told me Chance my cat's blood work came back. His Creatine Kinase has jumped to 500 and 135 is normal. I told the vet on my last visit that Chance was losing a lot of muscle in his rear legs etc. and I though maybe he needed laser treatments. Well so much for telling him anything as he didn't listen to that either. I am sick at my stomach as he was the only well one in the bunch. It means he has something bad going on with his muscles. Could be a muscle disease like MD, rheumatoid problems, underlying liver disease the list goes on and on. I did not need this before Tipper's ultra sound. I got an immediate headache and I just feel awful. I knew he was not himself as he did not want to engage in play and only lays around and sleeps. I could just scream, but then the neighbors would really have me carted off to the looney bin. I am taking him on Monday to get an exam and talk this out. My vet said he would probably talk to the Dr. after Tipper's ultra sound. I told him he better be around as if there is something found I want to get on it now, not 5 days from now. I used to have beautiful nails, but the Lupus and the thyroid problems ruined them, so I don't even have any to chew if I chose to do that. I am telling god tonight that I am at my breaking point here and need to catch a break. Chance will be 13 in February and he is the sweetest, most loving and well behaved cat I have ever had. He'll even answer me if I ask him if he wants to play. He has never ever hissed, scratched or anything even though Lucky has tormented him badly. He would never lift a paw to strike Lucky back. This is starting to pee me off big time. I am so anal about all these animals care and I keep getting health problem after health problem. Who do you know brushes their cats teeth? I do. I have really taken care of them all the way they should be taken care of, and I am getting so upset with all this crap. Oh well, there are others that have bigger problems than me. I will keep on going but this is wearing me down. This is when you need a family member to lean on, God I wish I had my dad. Ok I have had my little tirade. Tipper goes for her blood pressure and her last shot tomorrow. I think they better check mine too! So off to the vets we go in the morning. Thank you all for listening to my rant as I am about to lose it and go mad, yes start raving crazy!
Blessings
Patti
P.S. Here goes all the money I saved for Tipper if she had problems and needed something!!!

Oh Patti,

I am so sorry to read this, you cant get a break it seems and I worry about your health too. I am saying prayers for Chance. How is Tipper doing off the Vetoryl all in all?

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. You did not need this on top of everything else.

You do a great job of looking after your animals but please look after yourself too the animals need you well.

You will be in my prayers tonight

Love and hugs Tracy

One day at a time Patty, just one day. Concentrate on getting through today and then start on tomorrow. It does seem like you're not able to catch a break lately. Xxxxx

Well, this is not good news about poor little Chance. I think things just start to go wrong as they get older, just like with us humans. I know though how devastating it is and how expensive too.
Hugs to you Patty. You have to be able to catch a break at some point.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Oh Patti...so sorry to hear about Chance. Wow...you didn't need that just now. I hope Chance will be okay. It's all very distressing.
I'm glad to read that Tipper wanted to walk and is also doing much better with her breathing. So she's doing okay so far off the Trilostane?
One day at a time...(that's what I tell myself a lot). We're all here for you Patti.

Barbara

Oh my Patti!

I'll keep Chance in my prayers too.
Please don't let all of this make you sick Patti. I know that is difficult but we are here for youto lean on.

Im glad that Tipper has had good nights.

I have been keeping up with your zoo Patti. There are five in all. They are Tipper, Toby, Lucky, Chance and Elvis.:) That is a handful when they are healthy.:rolleyes: Please take care if yourself. We are a bunch of worrywarts. Xxxxx

I'm sorry to hear about Chance. Once today and tomorrow is over, I'm hoping you can relax a little on the weekend, as you deserve and need it. Next week you will know everything that is going on with both Chance and Tipper and hopefully focus on other things.
Of course we all know how you feel, and the deep concern we have for our babies, but the tests will tell the story and you can take it from there.
Please look after yourself, they need you.

Hi Everyone:
This is a short post as I have to take Tipper to the vet for her Blood pressure and shot #8. I will post when we get back as my vet talked to Dr. Fox at Dechra yesterday. Blessings
Patti

Hi Everyone:
Just got back from the Vets and Tipper's pressure was good, and yeah she got her 8th shot. She is to get a booster once a month. The vet called me yesterday after he spoke to Dr. Fox at Dechra. Dr. Fox is concerned with Tipper's .7, and wants her off the Vetoryl until Sunday. He cautioned that although I took her off on my own and she has been off 3 days her number being under 1 is not good and even though she is not taking Vetoryl she could go into Addisons. I have the prednisone ready and he said to watch her carefully for any sign of weakness and vomiting. Dr. Fox said that the studies in the UK are showing them that after a dog has been on a certain dosage for an extended period of time, they tend to not need as much of the Vetoryl to maintain the cortisol. So since Tipper is so low the plan is to keep her off until Sunday then start her back on 20mg dosage. She is to be checked in a month which is terrible and I hate to do it to her, and God the cost. He said she still may be low then and may have to go to 10mg. So I am just about out of the 30mg. and I ordered 2 10mg boxes yesterday. Both Dr.'s want her on brand name Vetoryl and no compounded product. So the cost will be unreal again, as buying two boxes a month gets expensive. Oh well that is how it has to be so I will figure something out. She is to have the 20mg dose all together in the morning. Dr. Fox also wants my Vet to call him with Tipper's ultra sound results tomorrow. He agrees with me and said it could be the Gallbladder. My poor Chance is in hiding and would not come out to eat this morning. I hope he is able to hang in there until Monday to see the Vet. He has never done this before and always eats for me, so I am worried about his situation. Please say a prayer for my girl tomorrow that this is nothing bad that cannot be taken care of somehow. Blessings
Patti

Quote:

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Dr. Fox said that the studies in the UK are showing them that after a dog has been on a certain dosage for an extended period of time, they tend to not need as much of the Vetoryl to maintain the cortisol

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Patti- that is consistent with the info Dechra gave my vet.

Hang in there

Addy:
Good to know you have the same information too. I got the impression that Dechra gets a lot more information on the dogs using Vetoryl out of the Uk than they do here in the US. It was just something their Vet said that made me think this. I got my cat out from behind the sofa and fed him, so at least I know he is eating. As long as he can make it until Monday when we see the vet, he has never done this, I think he hurts all over. Blessings
Patti