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Oh Patti, yes lots going on, but you have to try take one day at a time, enjoy each precious day that you have with Tipper, try not to waste it worrying, I know thats hard...you know what your furbaby can handle, so you will have to make choices, but know we are right beside you and here if you need us....so breathe, take a walk, clear your mind and enjoy Tipper, he knows you love him....we love you too....hugs
Patti, I am really sorry to hear there is so much going on with Tipper.
I hope you get some answers soon. Praying everything will be just fine with Tipper.
Big hugs to you.
Kathy,
I couldn't have said it better.
Patti, we all know how you feel believe me! Take your cue from Tipper. You'll know if you have to help her or not. I don't know how to explain it, but you can tell.
Lot's of hugs for you both and we are ALWAYS here for you!
How are things today? How's Tipper doing? My friend who lives in Pittsburgh told me she had big thunder storms there last night...so I thought of you right away! Hope Tipper was okay if you had those storms too.
We are having some right now...one just blew over. Trixie went under the kitchen table but already popped back out. She got through that one pretty well. Crossing my fingers they're over for now!
Hoping all is okay with you, Tipper and your other furry ones!
Barbara
Hope you and Tipper are doing ok today. Just wanted to send you some positive vibes.:)
Hi Everyone:
Well I took my cat for his blood work today, Tipper was supposed to get her blood pressure, but because of the storm last nite and the continuing rain it was a waste of time to take her. Last nite I thought Tipper was going to have a heart attack. It stormed and thundered all nite and would not let up. She panted a wet spot that was huge, shook, ran in circles and back in and out of the closet. It was a horrible nite, I am exhausted. I talked to the vet about tranquilizers as a last resort because of her blood pressure and her eyes. He said with her history he would not want to do that. I asked him if I could sort of knock her out a little with Benedryl as she is safe with that and he said yes. I gave her some when I got home as it was still raining. Now I feel bad cause she is just sleepy a lot. I talked about Tipper's situation with my vet, did not get to go over every little thing. He showed me some papers from what he looked up on the veterinary web site. The stats were not good for dogs having this operation. He said he is very concerned about it, and if it was his dog he would not do it. The hospital called today to answer my questions. The IMS said that Tipper's CT Scan that she had a few months back showed no tumor on her pituitary gland. She said she took the liberty of checking into it as she knew it was a concern of mine. So is it just the adrenal tumor??? Well I sent all the tests to Dr. Bruyette and the IMS findings. He said he thinks it is PD and that the adrenal tumor is secondary. So here are two different opinions. He said he would not operate, but instead do another ultra sound in 2 months seeing if the tumor has grown. The IMS also said Tipper has no other masses in her abdomen, as I was worried about the object the other Dr. showed me on the screen that was as big as a 50 cent piece. It was nothing I guess or she would have seen it with the high resolution. There is nothing showing her that anything has spread to anywhere else in her. The size of the adrenal tumor is contained in the left adrenal measurement, as it is involved with it and cannot be measured alone. The left adrenal is 1.05 X 2.79 cm the right is 0.592 X 2.18. I do not know what to make of all this. I can sure use some ones help that has experience with this. Dr. Bruyette said that it is either a non-functional adrenal tumor or a pheo. Are there any tests to rule in or out for a pheo like blood or urine etc??? I know that you cannot determine 100% unless it is removed, but is there some way to gain an edge on what this is??My vet said most of the stats that he pulled said that the life expectancy gained by removal was an average of 2 years. Tipper will be 12 in October God willing. She has tracheal issues, a heart murmur, vestibular problems, and now retinal issues. She could live out those two years maybe if I do nothing, so why put her thru this terrible surgery? I know the IMS said it will either cure her or kill her. At her age with her problems, even though she is tuff as nails, I am worried about her making it. Not that I need you guys to make decisions for me, I am curious if this were you what would you do?? Even though maybe by all accounts this is a small tumor- I do not know as I am not familiar with these centimeters and measurements done, it is still a terrible operation on an old dog with problems. Her life expectancy in her breed is 16-18 years and I feel so cheated by this. I am torn as to what to do from here. I need some insight from all of you before I go and see the surgeon. I am moving away from the surgery possibility. I think the other day at the ultra sound Tipper let me know she has just about had enough. How much more can I expect from her?? This is an awful position to be in. My only fear is if I just keep treating her and checking on the tumor, that if she would go into distress at home how could I help her ? I need to over come that obstacle some how to decide what to do. I cannot have her in distress with no help and have her suffer, it would kill me. If it were sudden I would be crushed, but it would be better for her and no suffering would be involved. If I had an emergency close it would be different, but I don't. I would appreciate any ideas, thought or help you can give me. Blessings
Patti
Oh Patti,
This is a call only you can make with guidance from Tipper. When Buddy looked at me with his big, brown, sad, eyes, I knew exactly what he needed me to do for him. There wasn't a doubt in my mind. Knowing he was in pain didn't make it any easier, but Buddy's needs had to come first. It was about what he needed, not what I wanted.
I am not about to tell you what I think you should do, because I don't know. You know Tipper better than anyone. You know how she is feeling and what she needs better than anyone. There does come a time when we have to let them run free. Whether it's Tipper's time, I can't say. Take some time for yourself and pray on it. You will receive your answer when the time is right. The tumor may not even be growing. Please consider that possibility.
Many, many, hugs,
Hi Patti.. I thought I'd take some time tonight to write before I fall into bed.
I'm not much help to you, but I do know that Keesh is getting up there and I've done all I can do for him now. I have some decisions to make as well after tomorrow for his care, but I've done the best I can.
You too have done far more then most in trying to care for Tipper and all I can say is exactly what has been said before.
Pray on it not only for Tipper, but that some answer or decision you actually make can give you some peace. I know we'd go to the ends of the earth for our beloved babies, but when all avenues have been exhausted, you literally need to find some comfort in knowing that you did your best.
We all worry about you and Tipper, these aren't just words.... I am sincere in saying this. You have been such a great support with others, and you deserve all the support you can get.
I know you will make the right decisions, only you know best.
Please take care of yourself and Tipper and I'll be praying for you and your beloved fur babies.
Hugs to you
Hi honey, we all know how much you would miss Tipper if something should happen.
Did the vet give you exact percentages of success/failure for the surgery?
Given Tipper's age and other issues, I don't believe that I would chance it for the possibility that it might give her two more years and being so risky.
She'll let you know when she's had enough.
As for the benadryl making her sleepy. Can you give her 1/2 the dosage?
Oh Patti,
Let us start with the eyes- I am not sure how bad Tipper's bleeding is, Zoe had a bit of that last year and it resolved on its own. Our eye vet said it can happen from many things. For Zoe it has not happened again that our eye vet has seen . Do you have a written report from the eye vet?
There is a urine test that can be done to check for phenon. tumor. I have to go find the source, I just read it and for some reason I thought Marianne mentioned it to you awhile back. I did read those tumors seem to take up more space in the adrenal gland perhaps making it more mass like.
As for an adrenal tumor being malignant or not, keep in mind that often the surgeon is not 100% sure if it has spread until they get into the surgery. They thought Zoe's vulva surgery would be a piece of cake until they got into it and then could actually see the mass was deeper than they thought. My point is there are no guarantees there.
At least it is the left side not the right side.
Did you reread the list of questions Leslie posted from Trish? You need to.
I cant tell you what to do. You know your dog. I will tell you that if you do decide on surgery you must be prepared for not only the surgery but the post op as well. It is okay to say, I cant do it. There are no judgments here.
I have to tell you, Zoe's ultra sound in April was not good. It is possible she has a mass in her right adrenal gland, a mass on her spleen and her liver. They cannot tell me if they are tumors, why I dont know. I have not mentioned Zoe's adrenal glands and possible tumor until now, here on your thread.
Dear Patti, hugs and love and shoulders to lean on, I cant tell you what to do. Follow your heart. Whatever you do, you do out of total love and devotion and Tipper knows that.
Hi Patti,
I can only repeat what the others have said and that is that no one knows Tipper better than you. How much she can go through, etc.
I think that there are many unknowns. It is unknown if it is functional or not, it is unknown how long she will live with no surgery and it is unknown if she would survive the surgery and post op.
I don't think there are Any answers to those questions that are definite, so you have to make the decision of what to do or not do, based on what you already know of Tipper.
Whatever you decide, we are here for you, every step of the way.
Super big hugs
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Patti,
Sorry I have no advise or any help for you but sending lots of prayers and hugs for you and Tipper.
Patti, If I recall it was Trish who mentioned the testing for pheo. I would spend time reading her thread as well as Kaibo's. Kaibo was thought to have cushings at first and then it turns out it was diabetes and a pheo - so you can go to the later pages of the thread to where the pheo and operation are discussed. Kim
Patti... I've read through some of the posts on here, I am so sorry and so sad for what you are going through. I really have no advice, as I am very new to all this Cushings stuff, my dog Bentley was recently diagnosed with Cushings (due to the calcinosis cutis, and he has all the other symptoms, the pot belly and breathing issues are scaring me so badly). I just wanted to say I hope things get better for you and your sweet Tipper. I too lost all of my family, and only have my beloved pets left and they are my life, I know how it is.
Renee
I wouldn't dismiss the surgery until I talked with the surgeon who would do the operation. Your GP vet nor the IMS are the experts in this arena - the surgeon is and the surgeon can give you the best information to use in making this decision. Where the GP or IMS may see high risk, the surgeon may say it's nothing compared to what he usually deals with and he would certainly do the surgery if it were his dog. I'm saying, don't rely on anyone but the surgeon in making this decision because he is the only one who can really tell you. The surgeon may be more qualified to tell what kind of tumor this is apt to be.
In some reading yesterday on imaging used in PDH, I found nothing that mentioned finding a micro - they all referred to seeing a macro. Now whether that is because no scan was done prior to the tumor starting to grow or whether a micro simply cannot be seen on an MRI, I haven't determined. As previously stated, it IS possible for a pup to have both PHD and ADH - even PDH with "duel" ADH (tumors on both adrenal glands) BUT these are very rare cases. Maybe someone here knows if a micro can be seen with MRI imaging? I would think a cat scan would be more apt to pick something that small up. :confused:
If you have definitely taken the surgery off the table, then forget about it and focus on medical intervention. I don't want you to say today that surgery is out then on down the road be beating yourself up when she starts to have more problems from the tumor as it grows for not pursuing it more closely now. There will come a time when it truly is much too late to contemplate surgery. ;)
If you decide to take the meds route, I think I would work with the IMS from now on if they will take Tipper on a regular basis. This has gotten too complicated for a GP vet.
So, that's what I would do - talk in depth with the surgeon who would perform the surgery before taking that off the table. If he says it is too risky for Tipper, then that is no longer an option and you have no other choices but to treat with drugs. Please do check out the questions I posted - they are excellent and can help guide your decision.
I know whatever you decide, that decision will be made out of the deep love you have for Tipper and your desire to do the best you can for her. Honey, that is ALL any of us can do - the best we can with what we have to work with. When that decision is made, put it to bed (as a boss of mine would say about projects in the works) and enjoy every minute you can with that sweet girl. This very minute is all any of us have - we are not promised the next breath, much less another year or three. So it is imperative that we take time to cherish every good thing that comes our way, even if that is simply a night when our baby sleeps well. ;)
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang
Hi Everyone:
I feel some how defeated by all this, but never mistake it for weakness as from a toddler I have learned tenacity, will over take adversity. I have always been like that and will probably never change. It has more than likely gotten me thru the many tragedies I have faced in life. I will never quit because Tipper means too much to me. I said I would continue to my last breath and I meant it. I am still going to see the surgeon, and get her opinion on all of this. I am not completely ruling it out until I talk to her.. If it is not a good option, I am going to look into the tests that can help determine a pheo. If I can find some and it does point to this, I am going to talk to the IMS about maybe a low dose of blood pressure meds at nite to make sure that if this pheo becomes active that I can attempt to keep he bp down at nite at least. I just had her blood pressure checked this morning and it was 135. So if the bleeding in the retinas is caused by high bp it has to be happening at night. Addy I do have a report from the eye Dr. It says the calcium deposits have stayed the same, with a few retinal hemorrhages. Tear levels were 20 for the right and 19 for the left. Says new finding of retinal hemorrhages, could be due to hypertension, clotting disorder, metabolic disease,cushings, hypothyroidism, cancer, age related vessel fragility. I remember she had 1 day a few weeks ago with a bp of 190 and that could have done it too. I am going to track down these tests for the pheo and get on them. Also I am making an appt. at the hospital with the IMS to do a follow up Ultra Sound to see if the tumor is growing. Tipper will have to have an ACTH again in a month because of the dosage change. I gave her the 10 mg yesterday morning and then before she could get hungry I gave her the other 10 mg of Vetoryl at 6:00 pm. They said I could give the second dose early to prevent the hunger. So we are back with it this morning. It is too humid for Tipper to walk with all she has going on so I will paly with her inside, it is safer today. I am wondering if all the movement at nite that Tipper does could be coming from this tumor, even though I have heard others mention their dogs doing it, I am suspicious of it now. Her side will ripple, her legs and tail twitch usually after laying down and falling asleep it starts. I have never seen her do this before this illness so it is not the type of sleep mode like rem that she is in, or I would have seen it years ago. I am praying constantly for help and direction, and for God to have mercy on my baby. In the mean time I am going to check out some testing and ask the surgeon about it. I am going to use the questions that Leslie posted from Trish when I go, so she better be ready to spend at least an hour with me. If she starts to rush me that will set off alarm bells in my head. Any help on this from any one will be appreciated. Blessings
Patti
Hi Patti, I surely understand why these are such difficult decisions for you. If only we had that crystal ball...:oQuote:
Originally Posted by Squirt's Mom
As you continue to gather information, though, here's a quote that seems to imply that pituitary microtumors may indeed be present but too small to show up on imaging. The quote is taken from a 2007 article, so it is not the most recent. But it still may remain accurate. At that time, the author (Dr. Ellen Behrend) was throwing out the possibility that all dogs diagnosed with PDH might benefit from imaging of the head in order to determine tumor status from the outset. Due to the expense (and maybe also for other reasons) that idea has not gained much traction. But per this quote, it appears that tiny pituitary tumors are often not visible.
For what it's worth, I've gotten the impression that an MRI is actually the more precise imaging tool for pituitary tumors. When we suspected that our own Cushpup had an enlarging tumor, our specialist told us he could perform a CT at is office which could reveal the tumor, but that if we were considering radiation therapy, the vet school we were considering would likely want to perform an MRI of their own in advance of actual treatment. So even though he didn't explicitly state that an MRI is more precise, that's the impression I was left with.Quote:
Based on this information, recognizing that the number of dogs studied is small, the recommendations are: All dogs with PDH should have a CT or MRI at the time of diagnosis. If no mass is visible, medical treatment should be implemented and no follow-up is needed. If a mass 3-7 mm in greatest vertical height is seen, medical therapy should be implemented with a repeat scan in 12-18 months. If a mass > 8 mm in greatest vertical height is seen, radiation therapy should be done and medical therapy used only if clinical HAC fails to resolve within 3-6 months of finishing radiation. These recommendations are based on clinical experience and theoretical considerations53 and no studies have been performed to date to assess their validity.
Also, hopefully Kim will stop back by to talk about the urine testing for pheos because I think it was her (or perhaps Trish) who mentioned it in the past.
Marianne
Marianne:
Thank you for your help. I am going to talk this over with the IMS, and see what we can come up with. My head is spinning, but I will never quit helping my girl. All the phone calls, research, posting and emailing Dr.'s is taking a lot of my time, so I have let other things go onto the back burner. Tipper is the single most important thing in my life, I must keep trying to get some resolution to this. Blessings
Patti
Tear production is good then and the hemorrhages may resolve on their own, Zoe's did. Our eye vet was not overly concerned about Zoe's, he said he often sees them in older dogs. He has shown more concern about her other many eye issues which surprised me as we use Fluribiprofen which can cause bleeding in the eye. Tipper's calcium deposits will most likely not get better but the good news is they are not getting worse.Quote:
Addy I do have a report from the eye Dr. It says the calcium deposits have stayed the same, with a few retinal hemorrhages. Tear levels were 20 for the right and 19 for the left. Says new finding of retinal hemorrhages, could be due to hypertension, clotting disorder, metabolic disease,cushings, hypothyroidism, cancer, age related vessel fragility
The written report is not bad but of course I have been to hell and back with Zoe's eyes so maybe that is why I think that.:o:o
Hi Patti,
Such an overwhelming amount of things to think about. Your head may be spinning-whose wouldn't?- but you are amazing in your capacity to plow forward and gather as much info as you can and you're doing a great job! Your tenacity is like Tippers!
How is Tipper doing today? That new blood pressure number is really good, isn't it?
Does the morning 10mg dose seem to keep her symptom free most of the day? Is her night time breathing still better? I hope she's doing well today!! Jack Russells are tough little cookies...sounds like Tipper is living up to her breed! ;)
Barbara
Patti,
Daisy and I continue to pray for you and Tipper.
Patti,
According to the veterinary neurosurgeon from the specialty hospital that was overseeing Buddy's treatment, MRI is the best imaging available in hopes to view a micro-tumor on the pituitary gland. A CT scan may or may not show the tumor. The visibility of an MRI is much clearer and more precise. It can show most tumors and measure their sizes, and location on the pituitary gland, among other things. When a macro is a possibility, an MRI is the first thing that's done following consultation. Xxxx
Patti, Thinking of you and Tipper.
Big Hugs!
Hi Everyone:
Thank you all for thinking of my girl. She needs all the prayers she can get. Kathy I am going to talk over the MRI with my IMS and see how we could do this cheaper. She has given me breaks so far on almost everything, as she know I am having a hard time with the money. Barbara Tipper is the toughest dog I have ever had. She could be on the floor really sick and feeling really bad, but she would get right up and defend you with her life. She went after a Great Dane one day when we went to a friends house their dane ran up to the car and stuck his head in the window. Big mistake on his part, Tipper lunged at the window biting the dane in the face. He backed up and just looked bewildered like did that little dog just bite me, maybe it was a big flea? Many days when her back legs are bothering her and someone comes to the door, she is up and at it again no matter how bad she feels. The things she has had to endure because of this disease, many dogs would not have taken as well. The 10 mg in the morning is ok for right now. I can see at times a small amount of panting going on. I have to give her the 10mg at nite early or she will start getting really hungry and keep wanting more food. I give it to her before her last mini meal of the nite. Because of all that was going on this week, I let her have a little xtra, and it showed on the scale, so that has to stop. So giving her the nite dose early is helping to stabilize her on just a total of 20mg. I am hoping it continues to work, even though the other dosage was so much cheaper. Last nite she made a lot of noise while sleeping, some loud breathing noises. It is making me nervous now all the muscle contractions etc. since learning it can be a symptom of pheos. It is never far from my mind. I got an appointment for Tipper's next ultra sound to see if the tumor has increased on October 15th at 8:30 am. That was she doesn't have to starve till the afternoon. It will be all over with in the morning and I will just feed her on the way home as I did before. It seems that the humidity is going to bad again today so I will have to think of something for us to do inside. Last night Tipper was laying on the kitchen floor watching me as I baked 2 apple pies. Don't know who is going to eat them, but it was something to do. I can freeze them. Hope everyone has a good holiday with their babies. Blessings
Patti
Hang in there Patti. We are all here for you, and sending positive vibes and blessings your way. <3 Stay strong for sweet Tipper. Remember, I'm in Pittsburgh, so if you need anything, let me know.:)
Crystal:
Thank you for you kind words of encouragement. This has been one of the hardest times of my life. I get up every day and keep going as I love my Tipper and cannot think of not having her with me. How is your baby doing? What area of Pgh. do you live in? Boy I hope the regular season games for the Steelers are nothing like the preseason ones! Something needs to get fixed real fast. Do you have a Dr. at PVSEC?
Blessings
Patti
Hi Patti, Just wanted to know that Tipper, you and the medical team are in my thoughts and prayers. Tipper sounds so much like Norman in his protective, loving ways. Praying all goes well with the Vet and arrangements can be made so Tipper can regain better health. Sending healing vibes your way. (((hugs)))
Love and Hugs to you and Tipper,
Sharon, Norman and Millie
Hi Patti... just thinking about you and all you are still going through. Wouldn't it be nice if both of us could catch a break at the same time.
Hope you and Tipper are doing well today... also hope you can work something out with the MRI, if anybody can do it you can.
I know how you feel. It's horrible to know your baby is sick. My other Boston Tyson had a brain tumor, and he passed away on Christmas Eve, and I thought I would never go on. But 8 months later, I still cry a lot and miss him but I'm doing better. Focusing all my attention on my sweet AnnaBelle. She is doing much better on the Lysodren. We live in Moon, and yes, we see Dr. Peterson at PVSEC. They all know us by first names, as we've been going there for almost 2 years (IMS for AnnaBelle, and Neurologist for Tyson's brain tumor).Quote:
Originally Posted by goldengirl88
Yes, the Steelers need to step it up, or it's going to be a ROUGH season for sure.:)
Hi Patti. I've been reading a bit but can't catch up completely right now. I did see a comment about Kaibo and that maybe you should read his thread. One error in the comment though was that he had a pheochromocytoma. He didn't. We did a test to help determine if it was a pheochromocytoma- a urine catecholamine test. Kaibo had a right adrenal tumour that was removed July 25. Kaibo is only 6 years old. The tumour was a functioning adrenal tumour that caused the Cushing's symptoms. The only way they knew for sure was to remove it and have the pathologist test it. Good luck with Tppper. Take time to relax and breathe. You will know what to do.
Nikki and Kaibo.
Nikki:
I heard of that test and was going to ask if they could do one on Tipper. There is quite and age difference between Tipper and Kaibo, and Tipper has a lot more issues now, I am not feeling too good about a surgery at present because of those factors. If this was just a non functional tumor and it didn't get any larger that would probably be out best scenario to leave it alone. Hope Kaibo continues to do well. Blessings
Patti
Crystal, Sharon, and Judi:
Thank you for keeping my Tipper in your thoughts. She is resting quietly now, I just had her on the porch, but the heat and humidity is too much for her and I so we came in. She sleeps a lot more lately, I think out of boredom. I will be so glad to see fall so she can be outdoors more. In a way I am afraid to see it though, as the clock is still ticking and I still haven't figured out how to stop it. In a way it is good I do not have to go to work and can spend all my time with her. Paying her vet bills is not too easy on a fixed income though. Judy that Dr. is really keeping us all in suspense, I hope for your sake they hurry and call do you can get your Trilostane before the holiday weekend. Do you celebrate that in Canada? Blessings to you all
Patti
Mel:
If you are busy I understand completely. I am sure you are keeping up with the threads. Please tell Tia to watch over Tipper. I miss you and hope you are doing well. I bet your weather is really hot and humid?? Hugs and Kisses to you and Boyce from Tipper the Ripper. Blessings
Patti
Sorry it's too hot and humid there for Tipper to get some good outside time. I was lucky this morning...was only 70 degrees when we left for a walk..we had humidity but it was cloudy and breezy so I was able to take Trixie to Central Park to be off the leash. It actually felt cool though a bit damp. I know Trixie is always better with 60-90 minutes of morning exercise, but if it's hot forget it.
I'm waiting for my husband to get home and we'll both take her for a walk- but now the sun is out and that's got everything steamed up outside, so it will be a short walk this evening.
I'm with you Patti...can't wait for those nice cool Fall days. What a difference that will make. The dogs love the cool temps especially ours who have trouble regulating their body temp.
Hoping you and Tipper (and the rest) have a good weekend.
Barbara
Hi Patti. Yes it is a long weekend in Canada. We call it labour day, and the last long weekend before the kids go back to school.
I have no definitive answers from the IMS visit, so we will just continue with no meds other then Tramadol. I wanted to go on holidays for the first time in many, many years, but can't now as I can't get Keesh controlled.
I'm glad to hear that Tipper had a relatively good day yesterday. Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers. Seems I've been doing a lot of praying lately, specifically for our pups.
Enjoy the weekend, hopefully you can relax a little.
I had to think a bit. We live just 30 minutes from Canada and I either forgot or didn't know Canada celebrated Labor Day the same day we did. Memorial Day and Canada's holiday in May are a week or so apart, but I hadn't thought that. Now that means the campers from Canada should be in full-force in the large shopping center parking lots. I didn't see any yesterday, but I did the week or so before. Certainly beats the rates they charge to camp with in parks these days, almost the price of a cheaper motel room!
So Happy Labour Day weekend in Canada and Happy Labor Day in the States! (Notice my slang too!) LOL
Hi Everyone:
Tipper is in for the day again due to the humidity. It is the worst it has been today. She did walk one time. I am having a slight problem with her 10mg nite dosing. I have to give it to her around 5pm or she starts getting really hungry. She does not eat her last mini meal until after 6pm. The last 3 nites she has been waking in the early morning hours with gastro symptoms, and loud gut noises. I get up take her out, where she tries to consume the whole lawn, then feed her . It goes away about 20 minutes after she eats. I give her last dose of Vetoryl with some chicken. All she gets for her last meal is some dog food nuggets. I don't think there is enough fat, and giving the Vetoryl a little sooner than the food is not working out as far as the tummy aches, but it does control the hunger. I cannot give her cheese, she does not like it, and I am really afraid to give her anything too fatty as she has not had anything like that in a year. I am so afraid of pancreatitis, and she has had enough stuff going on. I may have to suffer and give her the Vetoryl with her last meal and add some chicken. From all the storms we have had she gets up in the middle of the nite and goes in my closet and sleeps a few hours then gets back in bed in the early morning. The closet has become a comfort zone for her. The hospital called last nite and said for her ultra sound in October she does not have to be fasted. Thank you God. Also my urologist's office called yesterday to inform me that my x ray showed I still have the stone, and he wants me to come in to talk about removal. I told them my dog is not well and I am not leaving her, so it will have to stay there until whenever, and I will call them when I can come in. I simply will not even consider doing this now as I am too nervous about Tipper. I knew it did not come out, just my luck. It is just too much for me to do something like that right now, although I know it has to come out. I need to get settled with some definite answers on Tipper first. That will come secondary to her. I am going to take a sample of Tipper's urine to my vet when I go on Wednesday for blood pressure and ask him to test it for Catecholamines. I have to take my rescue Lucky in for shots, and Tipper hates him so this should be fun. Then all the babies are up to date on everything except Tipper, she no longer gets vaccinations. I haven't mentioned this, but I think the Adequan shots helped Tipper with the trachea problems. I see a definite improvement. Hope you all have a blessed weekend.
Patti
Hi Patti,
Can you give Tipper a few low fat treats before she goes to sleep for the night? I give Trixie her 14mg at 10pm with some food..a bit of dog food and some treats. Then she gets a Pepcid a/c and Denamarin when we go into bed...around midnight (we're night owls).
How about just a small snack right before turning out the lights so her tummy is not empty when she is sleeping. Do you give her Pepcid a/c? It has been so helpful for Trixie...never hear all the gurgling anymore since we take a half a tab nightly. We also had very loud gastro gurgling at the start of all this, but I hardly ever hear this anymore. Pepcid a/c may not be the same for all dogs but it's been successful for Trixie. The one night she didn't have it last week as I was at my mother's is the morning she woke up with the bad poops.
Humid and overcast here too...not good dog walking weather. :( Trixie had a walk but not as long as usual.
I hope Tipper is doing okay and that you don't have any big thunder storms!!
Barbara
Barbara:
I decided to not give Tipper the 2nd dose until she eats her last mini meal, as much as it kills me to see her hungry I would rather she not suffer the gastro upset. So we shall wait tonight and see if this helps. We just had a down pour, but no thunder. Tipper ran to the closet, but is out now that things have quieted. Glad you are getting Trixie's blood pressure checked. A very wise and prominent animal dermatologist told me when Tipper was first diagnosed that it is the single most important factor to do when they have this disease. I take Tipper 25 miles every Wednesday to get hers checked. I have never missed a blood pressure, and keep a flow chart of all the readings and her weights. I can see in a glance that she has only had 2 high in a year and comparing them to what the IMS told me they weren't high really- they were 170 and the highest was 190. She said she worries if 200 or over . Tipper usually falls between 120 and 140. So where this stuff came from in the eyes remains to be seen. Blessings
Patti
Hi Patti,
The shots helping her trachea problem is good news! :) There is always something to be truly thankful for.:cool:
I am glad that your a keeping your consult appointment with the surgeon. You need that information to make informed decisions on the best care possible. It doesn't at all mean that surgery will happen. It is all about options, so you can decide on what's best for Tipper.
I'm not worried about Tipper. She is in the best hands possible. I am more concerned about you. It's hard to stay strong when so much is happening. Your babies need you to take care of your needs first, so you'll be strong for them. Many hugs xxxxxx