Zoe By My Side- Our Journey with Cushings

IT IS NOT DIABETES.

I won't have the results of the other tests for probably another week or two but the unexplained weight loss and the worsening leg weakness is not diabetes.

I can breathe again for awhile.

Waiting is hard.

Hugs,
Addy

Hi Addy,

I'm so glad that it isn't diabetes.

It's so hard to play the waiting game. It would be so nice if we could get instant answers. Once you get the results back from all of the blood work, I hope that your IMS will make a positive choice on the best treatment for Zoe.

I know the weight loss has really been upsetting you. Zoe might not have lost that much weight, even though she lost weight. The morning Corky had his surgery and they weighed him, he only weighed 16.6 pounds. I told the tech that there was no way Corky lost that much weight. She reset the scale, and he weighed over 19, which was what he weighed on the visit to the vet before his surgery.

Corky and I are sending positive thoughts and prayers that the treatment will be the right one for Zoe.

In the meantime, try thinking of other things and do something you enjoy.

Take care my dear friend. (((((HUGS)))))

Lov ya,

Terri and Corkster

Thank you Terri for the positive support. It is the weekend and we will try to see a movie again for a break.

They weighed Zoe on two different scales and came up with the same amout. She had been drinking longer and urinating longer but yesterday morning when she had to fast and could not eat food or chew her Kong, she only went to the water bowl once and took a few sips.:confused:

We weighed her as soon as we got home as per IMS and our scale had her at 16.8.

This morning we weighed her after breakfast at the same time we normally weigh her and she was 17.2 or 17.4, I forgot to write it down.

She thinks in Zoe's case, since she already knows Zoe's intermediates are sky high, why would I want to use Trilostane and she concurs with Dr. Oliver. She seems very, very confident with her ability to use Lysodren on Zoe.

We tested again for UTI. I am afraid to giver her the Panacur today, her poops are really, really soft from yesterday. Think I will wait a bit. I only have tried Panacur one time and she got bad diahreea from it.

Are they supposed to get diahrrea from a dewormer if they have worms or parasites?

Have to go to work now. Thank you Terri, your support means alot.:)

Love ya,
Addy

Hi Addy,

I am so, so, so glad that diabetes has been ruled out! While weight GAIN is typical in Cushing's, we do have babies that lose instead. :rolleyes: So it could be that Zoe is just blowing raspberries at the rules. :p

Trink's weight varies since the colitis came to visit. She has lost 1-3 ozs every time she had problems but then gains it right back once she is able to keep her food in. I don't know about Zoe, but with the volume of stuff that comes out of Trink's little body, it is no wonder she loses. :eek:

I have to say that poop patrol has taken on new dimensions since our diagnosis. As of yesterday, I am photoing poop! :eek::o:p

When I have given de-wormers in the past, I have seen softer poops afterwards but the only one I remember having actual diarrhea was Crys when we first found her. But she was full of tape worms, hook worms, you name it, so I wasn't really surprised. The poor thing was so starved when she came home that the tape worms were leaving on their own! :eek:

I am hoping for the best results possible when the results come in!

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls - always

Oh Leslie, you have this wonderful ability to make me laugh no matter what:D:D:D

LOL poo pictures!!!!!!

Hubby used to call me at lunch time and describe Zoo's mid day poo and then if it was even alittle off we would set up a system of pumpkin and rice snack to try to get it back to normal. All we talked about was poo and how to fix it before it got worse.:rolleyes: We were poo obsessed!!!!!!
"It has a tail? Quick, more pumpkin!!!!" We were nuts. I still am, I guess, just can't use the rice and pumpkin anymore.:(


Zoe never lost weight before durring a flare, this is the first time. It is also the first time she has been on metronidazole for more than a month. Vets were always amazed that her came Zoe having a colitis flare and I still had her on a diet.:p

One thing I noticed after we came home yesterday was Zoe was breathing faster than normal. It lasted a qood part of the afternoon.
Was that from the drug they gave her for the UTK panel? I never have seen that with Zoe.

Hugs,
Addy

Dear Friends,

I feel a melt down coming on tonite. It has been a hard day at work.

It has been a very long week of waiting and still I have no test results other than Zoe does not have diabetes.

Her back legs seem better since I cut her back to one dose of metronidazole per day (125mgs) She is not walking as crooked or stumbling or dragging her back legs somewhat. She is hesitant to jump on the sofa but will try.

Her poops are not very good, they are deteriorating every day. I cut back the dose the day we went to see IMS. They have gotten progressively worse each day.:mad:

I don't understand any of this any more and am starting to feel so discouraged.

I have not given the Panacur because I would have to give it on the same meal that I give her metronidazole. I searched the whole internet today and cannot find if they can be given within 30 minutes of each other. The vet tech said I could. Not sure if I trust her so if I can't find answer I have to wait for IMS to call.

I need some encouragement. How am I going to start lysodren when she is such a mess?

I'm sure you are all getting tired of our never ending prediciment. Okay, so I say let's try the tylan, lets try going off the raw diet to some other protein. How do all of those changes fit in with lysodren, even if it is just maintenance? And IMS is bound and determined to load her.

How do I do all of this at the same time? I won't know which end is up.:eek:

Almost 3 months on metronidazole and the only way she is better is to give her 125 mgs am and 65 mgs pm. It did not work.:(:(:(

All I do is waste time and end up in the exact same place I started. I am going to break down and give her her 65 mgs tonite. Poops are heading toward a watery squirty mess if I don't.

HELP,
Addy

Addy, I am so sorry and I can so relate to feeling like you are in a vicious circle of doubt. There were times I thought my head would explode and I couldn't think clearly... and everyone here helped so much. So you aren't losing it.... you are just normal. :D

You have been dealt a lot to deal with and I agree that lysodren would be a challenge. Its been a while since I used tylan and did all the research but if I recall it too can cause diarrhea if the dose is too high so double check that and make sure you don't overdo that. Since you haven't tried it and so many have had success with it... I wouldn't hesitate to try it. But I wouldn't do that and lysodren at the same time.

Hang in there and give dear Zoe a hug from me. Huge hugs to YOU. Kim

Oh Addy, I am so sorry there aren't any good answers. I so hated waiting for test results--it made me crazy when they didn't call.
I can tell you Maddie had no side effects at all from the lysodren, but she didn't have other things going on at the same time either, so I cannot help with any advice.

I say go for the meltdown it helps; right now that is all I do is have meltdowns, but it is getting better--trying to think happy thoughts.:D:D

Just being there for her is good--you are doing the best you can and believe me Zoe knows it. Maddie knew I was doing the best I could and she continue to do the best she could for me; so it works both ways.

Take care, get the box of tissues and go for it!!

Addy

I found a meltdown every now and then helps me to feel better after it. I am so glad that diabetes is off the agenda to worry about :D. You are doing the very best you can, and Zoe knows that.
Hoping that when her other results are in, it will give you and the IMS a more clear idea of which path to go down for her treatment.

Hugs,
Jane, Franklin and Angel Baiiley xxx

So glad the diabetes was ruled out. So very sorry about the leg pain. We have only had one episode of this and though it was so so drastic, it is almost gone for now. I get the feeling that it comes and goes in waves and I will be seeing that again. Hopefully Zoe will get many, many good waves soon. The limb problems are the most scary to me so I want to send many, many hugs. It's a series of ups and downs for all of us and it is painful to hear of the sadness you are experiencing, but there are still things to try. There's good days, bad days, confusing days. It's a rollercoaster of emotions. Find time to take care of you too, you know?

We were Rxed flagyl and panacur a few years ago for colitis and hookworms (our preventative failed). We went to route of slippery elm and panacur instead, then started the flagyl. Your IMS may find that you can do both. This might help the loose stool. I didnt catch what the flagyl was for, has there been a stool culture? So sorry the poops are not great. I am searching the thread for Zoe's diet.

I wish you all the best, but most of all, I wish you strength and peace. Zoe wants to jump on the couch. That's the part that tells me you are doing right by Zoe so keep on! Firm everything with the IMS. :) Hang in there. Lots of love.

BTW, mine get diarrhea from preventatives here and there, and my yonger one gets it bad with dewormers for a few days, doesnt happen to most dogs though. He is sensitive. It happens.