14 year-old Shih Tzu With Recent Cushing's Diagnosis

Hi thought I'd check and see how you and Hannah are doing :)

Hope you are having a good weekend.
Hugs,
Sharlene

Thanks for checking on us Addy and Sharlene.

Friday afternoon when I got home from running some errands, Hannah came out from the bedroom (where I gate them) basically dragging her left back leg, but it wasn't toes down. It was sort of out to the side, still pads down. She was acting fine but it looked terrible. Within a minute though, it was corrected. It was almost like it was asleep or something. I don't get it.

Aside from that, she was basically up and down every day...like a roller coaster. She would seem a little better, then be falling down or sliding everywhere, or walking at an angle. I haven't been able to figure it out.

We got laser treatment Friday. She did a really thorough exam and watched how Hannah stood, walked, etc. She had tons of questions for me. Basically, we don't know what it is. Could be a disc issue, could be a neurological thing and some peripheral nerve issue. She may not be in pain at all if it is a nerve issue. Vet suggested we back up again and withhold pain med and muscle relaxants for the weekend to see how Hannah did. She wanted to see if she showed signs of being painful, and also if there was any sign of improvement (in case for some bizarre reason a med was causing any strange side effects with the up and down stuff).

Anyway, Hannah hasn't really had a terrible "down" on the roller coaster since Friday afternoon. I don't know if the laser helped (she also did her hips and legs in case her legs are sore) or if it was an issue with the meds, or if she is just doing a little better. Pooping was horrible on Sat. though. She could barely get in the position to go and could barely get it out and was lifting her back feet off the ground, grunting, smashing her butt into the ground, etc. It was like she couldn't get the last little bit out. I finally picked her up and had to wipe her back end when I took her in. Yesterday she didn't have much trouble though. So, again, I don't know.

The vet who did the acupuncture called Sat. and agreed with the plan. She said her own dog is going through something similar for the past couple of months. She doesn't know what the cause is. Looks like we could be dealing with this long term...she is calling today to see how Hannah is.

We have acupuncture again on Wed. I'll be curious to see if she notices any differences at that point. I am glad she seems stable at least. She isn't falling all over the place, so that is a good sign.

Julie & Hannah

It is so hard to not know what is wrong with them sometimes, cause and effect, what should we do, etc. You are such a good mom to Hannah. If anyone can get to the bottom of it, you can. You know her so very well. Hang in there, Julie.

Since I cut back on Zoe's Tramadol her falling is not as severe as it was. Of course she has her super banadage on and I often wonder if that is not giving her support somehow on the front leg and it has nothing to do with the Tramadol. She did not fall like that when she was on the Tramdadol for her eyes so:confused::confused::confused::confused

Sending you love and hugs


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Hannah sure does like to keep you on your toes. :) She is so sweet. Whatever it is and whatever is causing this, you and your team are right there to figure it out. Hopefully Soon, there will be some sign of what the underlying cause is.

We're right here with you and you know where to find us when you want to have a chat.

hugs,
Sharlene

saying hi and love you:D:D:D:D:D:D

head for cover- in coming hugs all around


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Waiting to see how the acupuncture goes today and how they think Hannah is doing.

Best of luck!
Hugs,
Sharlene

Hey Julie. I know you're super busy setting up your class and all right now. When you get a chance, let us know who Hannah's last acupuncture went and what they said.
How is she doing? How are YOU doing?
Know we are thinking of you. :)

hugs,
Sharlene

Hi Guys,

I've been really busy getting ready for a new school year. Tomorrow I go back officially (I worked all last week), but the kids don't start until after labor day.

Hannah's acupuncture went well Wed. She sat calmly with the needles in for about 10 min. which was good. She did not like them inserted much though. She seemed to be doing much better as of Fri. She was starting to trot again (but still dragging the back left foot) and had more energy. She got laser treatment on Sat. on her legs and back. She seems a little worse again yesterday and today-not trying to trot. I don't know if she over exerted herself or what. She is doing okay though.

The vet who does the acupuncture is out of town this week, so I had to decide if I should wait a week for acupuncture or see another vet. I am worried about another vet since Hannah has done well with this one and she is so good with Hannah. I scheduled it for two weeks out,but left them a message to get their opinion on if it might be better to see Dr. Jim (she did okay with him several months ago) to not impede any healing.

They still don't know if it is a disc or something else, or both. They also both have mentioned that her back legs are really weak, so some of the dragging could be from that. We may have to try some strengthening exercises, but they don't want to rush into anything now.

Dr. Nicole, who I love, said if she is showing improvement she thinks we should do another acupuncture and see how she is. I don't think they really expected her to fully recover this time, but were pretty encouraged with what I said about the trotting on Friday. Now I don't know again. She got my hopes up and now we have kind of gone back a couple of steps. It is a mystery.

The vet who does the laser mentioned considering trying prednisone as a last resort. She is hesitant because of the Cushing's, of course, but said since Hannah really has no strong symptoms she wasn't as worried as she would be otherwise. She said this would be what we would try if we felt we had exhausted everything else without improvement. She is worried it could also push her into full-blown Cushing's. For now, I'm not thinking about it. I see it as something I would try before we would put her to sleep because things were really bad.

I'm trying to take one day at a time. I will be really stressed with work the next couple of weeks, so I hope she can hang in there and stay stable for a while. I also know that I cannot afford to keep up weekly acupuncture and/or laser treatments if that is what she would need to maintain her current level of functioning. That would cost several hundreds of dollars per month. I am only continuing it at this point to see if she can recover from this latest issue. If she hasn't in a week or two, then we will have to see how she does and figure out where to go from there.

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts...

Julie & Hannah

Julie: thanks for updating. I hope she continues to improve but I definitely understand the lack of funds for continuous expensive treatment.

I hope the beginning of the school year goes well. My husband just got his principal license this summer and accepted a last minute job offer on Thursday. Talk about a whirlwind. Hope things go well for both of you! Judi

It sounds hopeful because she did show improvement. I hope Hannah goes a few steps forward again. I understand the money issues only too well. I dont even want to think about Zoe's bills for the last two years:eek::eek::eek:

Good luck with the new school year!!!! That is exciting.

Hang in there, Julie.