Following along sending love and strength to you both. Kim
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Following along sending love and strength to you both. Kim
yay, day one and day two done with! I hope this does the trick and Butter comes out of it good for many years to come. :) nasty ole tumors anyhow. .. grrrrrr
A sling might be a good idea. Glad your friend is there to help you out. Now that is a keeper friend! LOL
Can't have your back going out in the midst of all of this. Looking forward to the day when Butter can get in and out just fine again.
Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Dawn:
You are inspiring a lot of people on here with your will to help your baby. I admire your strength and determination to help Butter. I am saying a special prayer for you both. I am hoping today is the last treatment. How long will it take for them to know if this destroyed the tumor? Will Butters have any after effects from this? You went to a great place to have this done. I just wish more people on here had this opportunity, but unfortunately most probably live too far away from Davis. You are doing a great job Dawn and I commend you for it. Blessings
Patti
Morning everyone,
Butters always seems to amaze me. She once again held her water from 8:30pm to 4 am. She ate dinner just fine, oils and meds as well.
Normal bowel movements(YEAH), actually left water in her bowl and no hovering over it starring off into space this morning.
Have noticed that when she inhales her upper body quivers, will bring that to the attention of her Dr. this morning when I take her in for the 3rd and final treatment.
Otherwise she is doing well this morning and so am I. Keeping my fingers crossed that this 3 day process will cripple that nasty tumor and that her body will gradual start to return to normal. Praying for my little girl and all the big and small cushpups and their families.
:-)
Dawn & Miss Butters
Hope today is another successful treatment:):)
She has now complete the 3 day treatment and is doing well. Scheduled her reck appt. which will be on 12-12-13. They did give me prednisone just in case of an emergency, Dr. Zenker & Dr. Kent will be available via phone so that if I notice any change in her behavior they will be able to guide me and let me know if she needs
a dose of the prednisone. They also meet with Dermatology and at this point we can only continue with the antibiotics and pain meds for her skin condition till we see what happens with the tumor.
In about 1/3 of the cases, treating the tumor alone will reverse the Cushing's, but only time will tell.
As per her Dr.'s she is a special case and will monitor her closely, they will even be calling me to do phone cks to make sure her & I are ok and to answer any ?'s that I may have and if I have a ? that is outside of their scope they have "300 other Dr. that we can consult with to get you your answers". Hearing Dr. Kent say that really helped make me feel better about this situation. WOW 300 Dr.'s what an awesome facility.
She is resting comfortable on the bed. All I can do know is watch her like a hawk
Praying for the best outcome possible
Dawn & Miss Buttercup
Dawn:
I am so happy to see the update. Are you staying in the hotel for a while or traveling home? What a Thanksgiving blessing that your baby did all three treatments with no problems. I am so happy for you and Butters, she is a real trouper. I continue to pray for you both. Blessings
Patti
We will be staying here another night, I just could not put her through driving back to the Bay area the evening before a long holiday. she just needs to rest and relax tonight. Will go home tomorrow and spend a quiet evening with her.
Daddy and Max will go to grand parents house for dinner and bring me home a care package:D, no cooking, no fuss or muss, it been a heck of a week already. We both just need to relax and recovery.:o
Huge to all for you support during all of this.
Dawn & Miss Buttercup
I'm so happy to hear that Butter did well and that they will be checking on her constantly. I hope this tumor just goes away completely.
Once the cortisol stops being produced in overload amounts, the skin issues Should start clearing up. That is how it normally works, but you never know. Still so far so good and that is what counts.
At least on Thanksgiving day the roads shouldn't be jammed with too much traffic.
Go home, rest and then scarf down the care package dinner. Sounds rather blissful.
Happy Thanksgiving.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
That's awesome news! Happy Thanksgiving!
Pleased to hear the treatment has finished, now we have all fingers and paws crossed here that Butters has a smooth recovery. Safe travels home tomorrow :)
Oh I know you are relieved this is over! I hope the outcome is all we hope for plus!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang
Dawn:
I hope you and Butters have a safe trip home, and that you can both relax once she is back in her safe surroundings. I am praying for a the best results to come from this, and that the tumor is completely gone. Blessings
Patti
:DWishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving. :D
On this day I give thanks for the people that created this forum and the support that I have received during this very difficult time in my life. I give thanks for UC Davis and all they do, I give thanks to the powers that be that brought Buttercup into my life so that she would have every chance in the world for a good life. I must take a moment and thank myself for having the strength and forethought
to be as prepared as possible should anything happen to this beloved creature, for not falling completely apart and for holding on for dear life.:p
I give thanks for all that this journey is teaching me, no matter how confused, lost and painful it may be. For all these things I am thankful.
Oh and of course, my family, my jobs, my friends, and so on.:D
We are thankful for you and sweet Buttercup!
OK back to Butters.
I'm a little nerves about side effects from this treatment, they gave me an idea of what to look for in the way of side effect. I know her treatment greatly differs from those traditional ones, but has any ones pups had radiation treatments?? If so did you run into any issues
that you share with me, we have come so far I just so not want to miss anything.
Butter did awesome again last night, held her water from 9pm to 5:30 this morning, tried to take her out at 2:30, but she said NO, so that was fine. Not sure why this is, just last week it was about every 3 hours and now it doubled that, could it be working already, could it be that she gets me all to herself and sleeping in bed with me, could
it be we are in a different place. Maybe its a combination of all of the above, looks as if I will fine out once we are home again.
SO if anyone can share their experiences with radiation treatment it would greatly appreciated
Much Thanks
Dawn & Butter:D
Dawn:
I know nothing about side effects from radiation in dogs. What did they tell you to look for as I am curious and want to know more about this? I am hoping you are either home or on your way there now. You family will be elated to see you and Butters. God Bless You all and Happy Thanksgiving.
Patti
Happy Thanksgiving, hope you had a good trip home and Butter is doing well.
I found a thread for Doccy who is the last one I remember having radiation treatment, successfully on the forum. They were at university in florida I think and got a 20% shrinkage. Here is the thread if you'd like to read through it:
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4877
It's not long at all.
hugs,
Sharlene and molly muffin
Thanks for the link., to bad she hasn't posted any updates in a while or responded to anyone. This is the quote from her Dr.'s discharge papers,
"We usually start dogs treated with sterotactic radiosurgery on predisone to prevent brain swelling due to inflammation and edema in the brain, which can occur when the tumor cells start to die. As Buttercup is suffering from severe Cushing's disease with calcinosis cutis caused by her pituitary tumor and already has a very high endogenous steroid level, we decided to not start her on prednisone right away. Please watch Buttercup closely for any changes in her behavior or neurologic status and give us a call right away. If she shows any signs of brain swelling/inflammation we most likely have to start her on a course of prednisone. Please do got give unless instructed .
As previously discussed the therapeutic effects of the treatment will take several weeks to take effect. Therefore, we do not normally expect any immediate changes after the radiation treatment. However we please ask that you still monitor Buttercup for changes in behavior or consciousness. We do not expect any complication, but if you notice changes in consciousness (lethargy, loss of awareness), changes in behavior, difficulty walking or seizures please take her to a nearby emergency veterinary hospital and contact us immediately.
The neurological changes would result from increased intracranial pressure that could be helped with medications."
Since she had been displaying many of these symptoms already. Hung down head, starring off into space, lethargy , she will at time just stand in the same spot and stare at nothing with head hung low till we call out to her to snap her out of it. All she wants to do is eat drink sleep and go potty.
Feeling nerves, praying that she does not have any seizures or problems walking, since those are the only 2 symptoms/changes that she has not displayed since all this started so many months ago.:o
The drive home went well. She is next yo me on the couch resting peacefully.
Will keep everyone posted
Dawn & Buttercup
How was her first night back home? How is she this morning? How are you, Mom?
Dawn:
I was glad to read what the Dr. wrote and what to watch out for. I am glad you are both home safely. You are doing so well with all this, I know you are watching her like a hawk. I am sure she will do well and I hope every part of that tumor goes away. You were so brave doing this to help you beloved Buttercup. The hard part is over now, so you can relax with you baby and just love on her. I am so glad for you that this worked out. Please keep updating as I am thinking of you both. Blessings
Patti
Hey Dawn
Just thinking of you both and wondering how you are?
Hope you enjoyed your care package :) and could enjoy some of thanksgiving
Big hug
Mel
Xxxx
We are doing fine, Butters is such a trooper! :DMother and sister in laws cooking actually mad me sick,:( just starting to feel better tonight!! I am the cook in the family and I usually do ALL the holiday meals, and now I know why!!
Anyways glad to be home :D
Oh no!!!! I can't believe that you got sick! So glad that Butters is doing well.
Up early again , her skin is so bad! Doing tea compresses, really hate having to wait so long to treat the cushings . So many spot s are weeping , some with blood others clear fluid. Her skin is do dry and hard can't imagine what she must be feeling living in a coat that's turning to stone. Its now on her chest and inner thighs ,just noticed a small spot in front of her ear,god help us! I'm doing all that I can,yet it doesn't seem like enough. Its been 36 days since I found those 2 tiny spot to a complete out break,from the base of skull to her tail, around her private parts, inner thighs , chest, arm pit,neck,spot in front of ear. There's got to be more that I can do for her. Someone anyone I'm desperate what can I get her that's OTC that will sooth her skin and not make anything worse, doing my best to keep her clean and dry so that she doesn't get an infection.
Calling all angels , we need help 911, I'm drowning in a sea of calcinosis cutis.
Will go back through my thread and dbl ck previous advise, if there is anything else I can do pls let me know.
Thanks
Dawn & Butters
Did they give you any idea of how well the radiation alone would work on the CC? In my simple mind, shrinking the tumor can help with the over-production of cortisol but the CC still may need a separate treatment. I can give you 2 product just in case I haven't before. One is DMSO and the other is an herbal cream one of our members used that she said helped - http://www.tcvmherbal.com/
DMSO info
http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com...date=&pageID=3
How is Butters behavior? Does she seem ok other than her skin?
Dawn:
Sorry you got sick, but hope Butters continues to improve. There is nothing like your own cooking huh? I am sorry Butters is suffering from the CC it must be horrible for the poor babies with this. Thank God that is one thing I have not had to deal with. Tipper has a few very small calcium deposits, but that has been the extent of it. Hope you two are resting up this weekend. Blessings
Patti
Ckd out the tcvm link and its only for vets. Did read up on what its about,but yu can only get the product from a certified vet.
No DMSO till reck appt. On the 12th at Davis. Per Dr.Kent he see's that the average percent of cases of PDH that are treated with rad. That about 1/3 of them have their cushings reversed and do not need meds. The other 2/3 will need some kind of meds. The radiation is a slow cell killing process. Bulk of cell death will take place between weeks 3 an 12 after treatment.
Here is what Ugga's mom had to say about the cream she used -
She does say it is available only to vets so you might talk to your vet about approving a script for Butters or getting some into his clinic for her. The link is where her product came from via her vet's clinic - they apparently had it in stock.Quote:
The label reads only Healing Salve and the main ingredient seems to be Zi Cao.
Dawn:
Just checking in on Butters today and see how she is doing?? How are you feeling, I hope the sickness is gone. Blessings
Patti
http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com.../detail/659278
did I give you this link already?
they can get a secondary bacterial infection which can be found with a skin scraping. The article will tell you everything they tried for this dog but how that would pertain to Butters with the raidation treatment, I am not sure. They did say twice daily warm tepid baths helped the dog be more comfortable.
I have updated her cushings album . Also fowarded the pic to her vet and the link to the tcvm page asking her to keep an open mind and that east and west med can work inn harmony together and that knowledge is power and if we can learning anything new that can help Butters then it will be well worth the time and energy to do so, for it will also help future cushypup.
Doing the chamomile and green tea presses and trying not to cry all the time.
Hanging on for dear life
Dawn ,Buttercup
Dawn, sending you big hugs.
I know it is awful feeling to see her like this. They say the cc gets worse before it gets better, so hopefully as the tumor gets smaller, the cortisol will lower and the cc will clear up. In the mean time it is a matter of doing the best you can and hoping for that light at the end of the tunnel.
I agree if this will help Butter then I hope that your vet will look into ordering it for you to try. Ugga did very well on it. Ugga also had acupuncture treatments. Again, it was a matter of trying anything and everything.
Hang in there sweetie!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Just wanted to pop in and let ya know how our girl is doing.she is doing well have increased the time she spends with her green and chamomile tea compresses on, she seem to be really enjoying them;) and I know they are good for her,it has made her fur much softer. She's eating and drinking well and pottie time is fine also.;)
So far so good , on day 6 now and praying every minute that this tumor DIES and she is restored and that she will have a long love filled life.;)
Dawn and Butters:D
I'm so glad to hear that Butter is continuing to do well and loving the tea compresses. :) Yes, I bet they do make her fur soft. Hopefully they will also help with making the cc feel better and not spread.
It does all take time with cc though.
When do you go back for them to check on the tumor size? I'm thinking it takes a couple months for it to downsize? But I don't remember positively if you said.
Yay, peeing is better and eating and drinking good. That is all positive news indeed.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
So good to hear that Buttercup is doing so well! I hope you continue to see improvements as each day passes.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang
Dawn:
I was thinking of you and Butters and am glad to hear she is doing well and I hope the tea treatment continues to help her. Blessings
patti
I'm so glad that the tea is helping! Daisy would probably try to eat it.
Dawn:
Just checking in to see how sweet Buttercup is. I loved all her pictures she is a beautiful dog. Blessings
Patti
Thinking of you both, hope you are doing ok?
Mel
Xxxx