Zoe By My Side- Our Journey with Cushings

Hi Addy,

I had my sinus surgery over 10 years ago and I don't think it was that bad. The only thing that was bothersome was the plastic tubes that were stitched inside my nostrils to keep them open. I had to go back to the doctor to get them flushed, that was a bit ouchy.

I really to recommend this surgery to any one that is contemplating it especially if one suffers from frequent sinus infections.

Hi Addy-

I hope you and Zoe are feeling better! For the record, I use the Neil Med bottle when I have a bad cold too. I got freaked out by the Neti Pot news because I have always used tap water...even though I think our water is much safer here in MN, I'll be boiling my water first now. I didn't think I would like the feeling either, but it provides so much relief. It is like heaven when you are really stuffed up.

Julie & Hannah

it took me some time to get used to the water pouring out the other side of my nose also, but I guess it helped some. But I threw mine away I don't care how they got the infection after learning about bacteria coming in through the nose and killing people I won't take that chance.. lol taking the Anatomy class last semester and learning about how much bacteria is out there and just trying to get you!!! Oh no!! Lol

I went to see an ENT recently and unfortunately I don't have Sinusitis I have Rhinitis which surgery won't help and there aren't many meds that will even help it. :( Sudden temp changes set me off which is what happens here this time of year, but I did recently find Alka Selzter severe allergy congestion (its new) and it has really helped. I also have emergency doses of prednisone on hand that my ENT gave me for days when my ears are so stuffy they ache..

Hope you get to feeling better soon Addy. Have you tried the really hot bath, shot of Brandy yet?

I feel a bit better, thank you for asking. I took a small dose of Prednisone yesterday and my nose actually started to run. Sudafed, hot compresses, mucinex, saline spray, steam, nothing could relive the inflamation and relieve the pressure. I don't want to use up the prednisone. I put some of mine away for Zoe and I don't have many left for her.:(:(:(:(

I'll see the doctor next week if the hot compresses and breathing steam don't keep helping.

Melissa,
I get both sinusitis rhinitis:eek::eek::eek::rolleyes:


Okay, enough of me being sick:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
I'll get a reputation if I don't have one already;);););)

Hey Julie- how is our little, sweet Hannah?

We are to get the cold front tonight. I took both pups out for a wee bit of a walk this morning before the front comes in. They were happy campers. They both needed to move forward. So did I!

love ya all,
addy

Maybe you should see the doctor this week so it doesn't get so bad you have to take even more medicine to fix the problem or end up in the hospital yourself. I will be the MOM today for you!!!!:mad::D

I hope you got the day off for the holiday!!!!! I did!!!:p

Happy Monday!!!! Get better!!!!

Yeah I agree see dr this week!!

Hi Addy

Hope you feel better soon!!! Its awful to feel like that for sure!!! Mike had it to and he has to use Sudafed and thank God it helped him- I hope you get relief soon!!! If not doctor visit soon!!! Hope the furbabies stay warm!! hugssssss xoxo

Hey wait!!! I'm the Mom here!!!!!:D:)
Now little Addy......you must be in bed by 9, you must drink a LOT of water and you must make an asap appt with your doc. That's why they're there.:)

World's still spinning around over here. Not as often, though.

I hope you feel all better soon!

Love,
Mom/Sus

I know you are the MOM, but I thought with your head spinning around you might get lost and not do your motherly duties....:D

Addy, I hope you are feeling better or you made that doctor's appt!!!

Hi Addy,

Just checking in on you. Hope you are feeling better.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Well.....I AM lost....but I don't think that's anything new!!:D

Addy


Hope each day you feel better and better!!


Hugsssss xoxo

Hi guys,

Thanks for stopping by. Zoe chews her kong and drinks water, long drinks. When she isn't doing that she is chewing her paws or sleeping. Since she took the last Simpiflex dose, she has been kind of off. Last night her tummy was all swollen and bloated. We have not been taking a chicken walk because of all the salt in the road and her Cush tummy is coming back. Or it is from all the food I have been giving her trying to distract her from chewing her paw.:eek::o

I am going to call the IMS and see if she can see her next week. She isn't licking her potty anymore. She is still chewing her paw. I am wondering if she needs the cone of shame:eek::eek:

Why wont they give me the blue solution and the old antihistamine? Who cares that it has been around since the IMS was a kid. If it worked once it may work again.

I am so frustrated!!!!!:(:(:(:(:confused::confused:

And i am still sick.

love,
addy

Awwwwwwwwwwwww....Addy......I wish I could send you a day when all's right in the world.:)
Poor Zoe....NO cone of shame......halo for the angel she is. :)
I hope you & Zoe both get very well very soon.:D
Love,
Sus (still spinning)

Addy, I hope you can get this figured out with Zoe soon.. I know she doesn't want that cone of shame :(

And one more thing... Have you seen the Dr for yourself??

Hi Addy,

Ok, the feeble minded old broad finally remembered to call about that blue solution. It is called Nolvasan Solution. Here in a link about it. This link says not to put it directly on the animal but we sure did and with great results! Hopefully, we can find a smaller container of this than the gallon, too. But at least we know the name now! :)

http://www.revivalanimal.com/Nolvasan-Solution.html

We are going to have to have an intervention for you to go to the doctor's. Mom already yelled at you is that not enough. If you are sick who will worry about Zoe....hello!!!! :eek::o:confused:

Please call today to get an appt or do you have prompt care walk ins???? I know you would like to see the regular doctor, but please do not mess around with being sick.

I need someone to wear a red sweater with me in the non-basement.....:p

Hi Addy

How are you feeling?? Hope better:) I am sorry Zoe still is having problems - yes I agree if it worked once why not again?? Hope you can see the doctor soon for Zoe and yourself if you are not better

hugssssss to both of you xoxo

Okay guys, I think I figured out why Zoe was bloated the other night. I had been giving her less than 62 mgs of metronidazole every other night for the last week. I cut back on the food and gave her the regular dose of metronidazole and she looks better ( she pooped 3 times today). Her probiotic may have to kick in again since the other antibiotic is done. Tummy bacteria could be messed up.
I found the old antihistamine on line too ( I can also get it at walmart) but I have to check to make sure it can be used with the Trilostane and the metronidazole. I would probably have to stop the melatonin.
I know, I know, I have to call IMS not just do this myself. I just want her to stop chewing her paw. I have tried so many things already, nothing has worked. Okay, I will call IMS. Wait she is not in on Friday. Maybe I will at least order the solution. That can’t hurt. I should have called her today. I am not thinking. I got so upset about Koko’s eye. I think I called hubby every hour.


well, thanks for letting me ramble.

anybody for Chocovino????????

ME

I don't remember reading anything about Koko's eye. Did I skip over something?

WELL! There you are Marie Irene!!! Why didn't you tell me you needed some company down there?? I thought you and Wally had gone for a swim. Brrrrrrrrr.

What's this I hear about you wanting a different color sweater?? Do you have holes in the red one? Did you spill something on it and it won't come out? Did you wash it and now it won't even go over your head???!!!

Now, as for you, Miss Addy-me thinks you are stalling on calling the doctor. Not in tomorrow, you say? If you have one of those rattling chest coughs and/or a fever, I want you to march your little self on over to the ER. Waiting until Monday to call will mean she'll see you when? Easter?? 3 more days could really do you some damage. If it's just (yeah, "just") the sinus, march yourself into the shower and run it as hot as you can stand for at least 20 minutes.

Dr. Sus has spoken! (Not to be confused with Dr. Zeus.) Isn't that the goddess of love? I'm getting so confused here.

Now go put on your red sweater and sit by the fire after you have taken your shower. That's an order!!!
Lov,
Sus/Mom/Dr. Sus

Oh... Addy... I'm so sorry you are going thru this. It's a horrible place to be. If you're being advised to go to the ER maybe you should. You could ask them about your ideas and find out if it might help. Glad you are talking to husband lots, hope his being supportive. My husband who is normaly very not supportive was very supportive with our Mira. That meant a lot!

(((((((((BIG HUGS)))))))))

((Addy)) how is Koko's eye? did you call IMS about Ms. Zoe the licker? hope things are looking better!

Just catching up to speed on this thread but it seems there is an issue with what I use to call mawing at her paw. I'm sure the vet has told this could be caused from many things from allergies to diet to skin issues. Jake's brother, Ramsey, who passed last year had seven years of issues until I took him to a dermatologist at Angel Medical Center in Boston.. they are state of the art for everything there. We got to the bottom of this finally but often times when it flared it was an ear infection, which I'm sure has been mentioned and i see metronazole mentioned or it could be bacteria. But the one thing that relieved the paw chewing was making a solution of a shampoo from Verbac called Ketochlor and water and dipping her paws into into for as long as she will stay. The rinsing. You can do this when she comes in from walking. It calmed the itching down considerably and along with the meds kept the paws in check. It is a RX shampoo available at the vet... of course. But I mixed it with oatmeal soap to bath Ramsey and that made it lather and with diet changes he was almost back to normal after what Angel said was the worse case they have ever had, and they train the Tufts Vet School vets!
I have given Ramsey a benedryl pill when he was miserable and the doctor recommended the benedryl gel and that helped hot spots. i have also use solarcaine spray- if you look it's benedryl or lydocaine both with vets approval.

Thank you so much for all the info. We have tried benadryl, a skin antibiotic besides the metronidazole daily for her IBD, we tried cidar vinegar foot baths, antiseptic wipes, baby wipes, iodine foot baths, nothing has touched it.

Her IMS does not think it is dietary. Hopefully we can get in to see her next week.

I am worried at this point it is sore and hurts and is turning into a behavioral issue or maybe she keeps chewing it to make it stop hurting. It has to hurt because she now growls at me when I want to look at it.

When you used the topicals, how did you prevent your pup licking them off?

Thanks again, I'll go look up the Ketocklor.

hugs,
addy

Oh Addy,

I'm sorry I missed all that is going on with Zoe:(, and here you are "shouting" for us still. Please take some time for yourself. You need a breather right about now, but yeah who am I kidding, this is what moms do, we can't afford to stop for one second, who's going to take care of the kids?:eek:

Praying for a turn for the better for you and Zoe, mom and your family.

We love you....xo Jeanette

Addy-
I have used Ketochlor for Hannah too when she is itchy. My vet thinks it is the best when there is an infection because of the itching. We used that when Hannah had the infection from the vulva licking and it really helps. Sometimes they say that will even work without an antibiotic. I don't remember if we used it for just itching. Maybe she has created some kind of little infection from licking though, so this will help?? We leave it on Hannah for 5 min. or so (or as long as she'll tolerate it) and then rinse. I just keep her in the tub while I do it and hold onto her.

I hope you're feeling better and that Zoe gets some relief soon too!

Julie & Hannah

Okay I need to vent, BIG TIME:mad::mad::mad:

I called IMS, talked to her nurse, brought her up to speed, nurse goes to speak with IMS. Calls me back 2 hours later and tells me to take Zoe to her regular vet or a dermatologist because she only deals with "insides since she is an internist" and it sounds like a skin problem.:confused::confused::confused:

IMS has been Zoe's vet for everything for almost 2 years and I get the brush off?????:eek::eek::eek::mad::mad: Zoe doesn't have a regular vet, the IMS is her vet which the IMS agreed to 2 years ago.

How many thousands upon thousands of dollars and I get the brush off?:eek::eek::mad::mad:

So I call the local vet we saw 3 weeks ago and bring his nurse up to speed and that I am worried if I bring Zoe in she may bite someone since she is trying to bite me. New vet calls me back personally, not the nurse ( he called me back right away last time too). we discuss how Zoe is feeling and we decide to try the old antihistamine since it worked once. He checks his book, no drug interaction, I ask about the hypothyroidism warning and that she was always borderline because of her Cushings, he say should be okay. So I am off to find this and the blue solution. He said if I can't find the blue solution continue the iodine. We discuss the melatonin and we decide to stop it since we don;t know how it will interact with the antihistamine.

I did not discuss the Ketochlor shampoo with him yet.

So should I be mad at the IMS? Should I look for a different IMS? I really feel betrayed by her.


anyway it looks like it is you my Cush family, and me and Zoe to try to figure this out.

Thank the good Lord I have all of you to help me figure this out!!!!

I'm so mad!

really ticked off addy

Im so mad I want to spit.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Wow!!!!! That is so bizarre that the IMS did the brush off. I would feel betrayed also!!! I know I should be giving you comforting words, but I don't get why they do this. Does the new vet have a good IMS he can refer you to when you need one??? :mad::mad:

I am glad you are feeling better, but now you have this to contend with---stress, stress, stress you do not need this right now. :D

You need a good cosmo right now, maybe chocovino...:p

I am glad the red pj's helped, I hope they go with your red sweater. :)

I don't have plans for the weekend--we are suppose to get some rain so I think it will be inside projects. We went out to sushi last weekend--it was sooo good--it had been so long.

I hope you can enjoy the weekend, relax and Zoe & Koko do not have any issues.

Take care!!! ((((HUGS)))))

Hi Addy-First I read how much better you feel, then I find you're really pissed at the IM vet.
I am guessing the vet wants to get out of treating Zoe because of the problems it poses when she comes in. That's MY guess. Of COURSE it's rude, lacking in compassion and inconsiderate of the guy to tell you to go away. Any reason not to have the "new vet" be your regular vet? My vet's frist Cushings' Case was Palmer. We were able to work most things out. She had a number of colleagues she consulted and between all of us, we kind of made our way through it.

Aren't bad things supposed to come in threes? Aren't you up to 9 or 12???? :confused: NOW CUT THIS OUT!!!!!;)

Have a relaxing weekend. They're calling for some snow here as well. Sounds like a good reason to build a fire and watch a couple of football games.

Love,
Sus

Addy I pray for a cure for Zoe soon!!! These vets - ugggg I really dont get them - I have had my share with mine!!! Poor girl her paws must be so sore - I think you need a nice quiet weekend to cuddle have a choco vino or a hot choc and get some well needed R & R -- sending you lots and lots of support strength prayers love and hugsss xoxo

Addy, I know this is a real stupid idea. So please don't do it. If you and your dog are so messed up your spitten angry. Biting! Poor thing. Just stop all meds, at least for a day. Sit by the fire and share some boiled chicken and see what happens. Give yourselfs a brake. I know lots of people who felt so much better when they stopped all the meds. Some can't I supose. Oh hell I wish I could help.

Addy - I think the IMS owes you an explanation. Was she saying she is not willing to help you at all or just for this issue? Regardless of the answer if she had agreed to be your regular vet then she needs to be reminded of that and know that she has just thrown you to the curb after earning your trust. This is really hard for anyone to handle. She took an oath and she needs to be reminded of it. Even if the outcome doesn't change I wouldn't let it go. Not fair. Sending love, Kim

Thank you Kim, she is saying she can't help with this issue and from her end everything is in order. I don't understand since she told me to give the benadryl a try for 3 weeks and then we could try a different anthihistimine if the benadryl did not help. She even wrote that on the discharge in december. So now I call for that help and I get the brush off. She wrote on the discharge about Zoe's food as well. So what the heck are they telling me now?

And now zoe's colitis is flaring this morning. I figured something was up with the swollen tummy. I don't even know if this chewing is from itchy paws. I have been wondering if I should have her thyroid rechecked. It has been 2 years. I read they can even chew their paws from experiencing pain.

She is so snappy and crabby. She has always been high strung (like her mama) but I have learned when she does not feel well it gets a LOT worse.

I'll try to figure this out on my own I guess. I need the new vet to advise if my thoughts are okay from a medical stand point. I'll get control of the colitis and nip that in the bud.

I'm used to being on my own with Zoe. The vets have always thrown me under a bus.

Now I'm crying. Gotta go
love,
addy

Oh, Addy, that stinks! I would be angry too! Even if she didn't feel like she would be the best to treat Zoe (which could be the reason why she doesn't want to try), I think she should have contacted you and just given you her explanation. I know how hard it is when we invest so much time and money and most importantly, trust, into our vets and then they do something to let us down. I have had that experience a couple of times with mine (but not nearly to this degree-just little things), and it really is frustrating. I don't think they realize how important they are in the lives of some of us with pups that have many problems.

I can think of two possibilities: call back and ask to talk to the vet herself and just ask for an explanation. Stay calm and just inquire as to her reasoning. If you get the exact same explanation, I would remind her that she has been Zoe's regular vet and that she agreed to that, and see what she says. The other idea is to just go to the other vet you tried. He called back himself, seems concerned about Zoe, and is obviously not worried about her biting.

I'm so sorry you're in this position. It seems like you can't get on top of this thing, and with feeling crappy yourself, it must be extra frustrating. I feel so bad that Zoe is having so much trouble with her foot. Do you think it looks like there could be any infection there? I wonder if that is what is bothering her. They can easily get a yeast infection just from their licking and keeping it moist.

I wish I could think of more ideas to help you. Like I said, I have successfully used Ketochlor, and my vet does say that this spray with a little steriod in it (one is Gentaved, but there are others) is highly successful when they wont' stop itching. I know none of us want to hear the word steroid, and I know that Hannah's Cushing's is not very bad, so that may be easier to consider for me, but both vets felt confident that a little bit topically would be okay to get us over a hump if we needed it. I didn't ever use it, but still have it.

I'm sending some positive vibes your way. Please let us know if you talk to your vet again, or what you decide to do.

Julie & Hannah

Addy, I just read what you posted while I was writing to you. I think if I were you I would get the thyroid checked, unless they tell you it makes no sense. It can't hurt. My parents have a collie with thyroid issues and he is just "off" when it isn't regulated.

After hearing that the vet said all of that and you have info. on the discharge papers, maybe she really doesn't KNOW what else to do and this is the way she is handling it (giving you the brush-off), instead of just telling you. I don't get it.

I am so, so sorry. :(

Julie & Hannah

Hi Addy,

That really stinks for the IMS to do that even if they feel they have done all they can for Zoe in this situation. I would make a consultation appointment and sit down face to face with the IMS, remind her that she agreed to be Zoe's ONE vet, and let her know how this episode has effected you. I would not just let this slide by - for the IMS' sake as well as yours. ;) You seem to have had a pretty good relationship up to this point so you should have a foundation for such a chat.

I am so sorry you had to be given this to deal with too. :(

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Oh Addy, I am also so sorry that you've been treated this way! When you're up to it, though, I do agree with Leslie and Julie that I wouldn't let this go without talking to the IMS personally. Since the nurse was the intermediary, there is no way to truly know what the IMS really intended (or whether your own info was accurately conveyed to the IMS). No matter what, she needs to know how this brush-off has affected you. It is not right for any care provider to abandon a patient without talking to them directly.

But in the meantime, you're stuck with your worries. :( :( :( :(

FWIW, here's a few thoughts. First, it looks as though the Ketochlor shampoo contains the same active ingredient (chlorhexidine) as does the blue Novalsan solution. In addition, the Ketchlor also has the antifungal agent, ketoconazole. One other thing I noticed is that the chlorhexidine in the shampoo is "chlorhexidine gluconate," whereas in the Novalsan it is "chlorhexidine diacetate." Maybe it's the form of the chlorhexidine that makes it OK to put directly on an animal's skin? Because on the same page as Leslie's link to Novalsan, there is another generic blue solution that *is* OK'd for direct wound care. And the listed ingredient for it is also "chlorhexidine gluconate," just llike the shampoo. I never took a chemistry class in my life :o, so maybe this has nothing at all to do with the different uses -- maybe there's just some other additive in the Novalsan that could be a problem. But at any rate, here's the link to the other blue product on the website that Leslie found:

http://www.revivalanimal.com/Chlorhe...-Solution.html

Last but not least, I wanted to tell you that your old-time antihistamine is the one that I still use personally to this day, and that I was also giving to my Peg up until she started on the phenobarb. The brand name is Chlor-trimeton, which I have been able to find in grocery stores (I've also found generics in the groceries, too). The only reason we switched Peg off it is because my vet said that since she is already getting a sedating effect from the phenobarb, it would probably be better to switch her to a newer, nondrowsy med. I know you're concerned about specific interactions for Zoe which makes total sense, but I just wanted you to know that I'd been safely using it with Peg for years. And I still use it myself, drowsy or not, because it works better for me than any of the newer drugs!

Addy, try to hang in there! I can imagine how upset and discouraged you must feel. I will never forget how it drove me CRAZY to sit in the quiet house with Barkis, and hear that constant "slurp, slurp, slurp" from wherever he was sitting. Peg is also so licky and itchy, too, but at least she varies the target :o. With Barkis, it was always his paws. The skin around them turned permanently pink. I always wished so much that I could just ask him "WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT??????????????" :eek: :eek: :eek:

Marianne

Dear Addy,

So sorry your insensitive IMS made you angry, mad, cry and feel let down. It sounds all too familiar to me. My IMS told me the very same thing this past December when Princess rebounded with her symptoms. Reason why? as Glynda once pointed out to me is the fact that her head is way too big and it is beneath her to treat a patient whose mom is trying to play an active role and educate herself with all this cushings non-sense. I know she wants to be done with me and Princess, and under different circumstances I would have been all over that a long, long while ago, but since I do not have a backup IMS at the moment, I refuse to give this one the upper hand of dumping me and my girl before I have the honor of booting her first, and when that days comes, and it will, it won't be prettieeeee. :mad: For now I basically rely on her for the stims and meds. That is my relationship with her at this stage of the game.

I do not know what your situation is there with other IMS's, but if you have access to others, and feel your dr./patient relationship has been jeopardized, I'd jump at the chance to run off with Zoe.

So sorry you and Zoe have to deal with this on top of everything else, but sometimes they are blessings in disguise. I hope that is the case here.

Feel better soon as well as Zoe.

Much love and hope....xo Jeanette

Thank you all so very much for your understanding and support. I guess it got so I was like Shirley McClain in Terms of Endearment when she started yelling "just give my daughter the shot" in the hospital. I called for help for my little girl and could not make that dang nurse understand a darn thing so I lost it after I hung up the phone. It was like I just want an answer and I want it NOW. I did not yell at her, I just lost it in my head and my head went into the Shirley McClain zone. Does that make sense?

I was already upset yesterday because she had been chewing and chewing her paw and when I went to put her harness on she snapped at me again. It was almost like she was guarding a resourse. I finally had to put her collar on to take her out to pee. Then I had to run to work. Her behavior just makes more stress, though I do understand why she is doing it. I will not break the sacred trust again as I did when I sprayed the bitter apple on her paw a month ago It is just harder to help a reactive dog.

When I saw her poo this morning it was like the last straw. I was concerned about giving her another antibiotic, what would it do to her IBD but felt I had to try. Looks like it accomplished nothing but giving her a flare up.

If I am honest with myself, I never really did what the IMS told me to do for very long anyway. I usually changed it to my own comfort level with Zoe. But I did listen to her input and I always considered and weighed her opinion. And in my mind she had done not all that much with Zoe regarding this new problem. I had alot of questions. But then, I always do and vets dont seem to be comfortable with that. I talked to her once about it. But I just can't talk to her right now.

I think I have the right blue solution, I went to the new vet's office and explained to the tech what he and I had discussed. I have the Chlor tabs and a muzzle.

I soaked Zoe's feet and she let me look closely at her paws. I do not see any open wounds, gashes, the large pad is just not black and looks irritated. Maybe I can take a picture of it to show you.

We will try the new meds for 2 weeks and if there is no improvement at all we will go back to the new vet. I will ask how can we tell if it is mental or physical.


I'm hanging on. Sorry I lost it.

love,
addy

Addy, I've been trying to get caught up on what has happened with the IMS. Since she agreed to act as Zoe's primary vet, she needs to be told about all of this directly. Now, for my 2 cents worth, I really think you need to see about a referral to a derm vet. I have had a derm vet on board for a number of years, now, & when it comes to skin, coat, allergy issues, they are the ones you need to see. IMO, it sound like Zoe may be beyond what a GP vet can do for her. I don't know what it is with Lhasa's & allergy issues but Barkley was severely allergic, Chewy is pretty bad, but not as bad as B, & it sounds like Zoe is getting there.

Debbie

PS- Some other antihistamine choices are Zyrtec, which is what Chewy takes. Benadryl can be given as many as 3 per day, & there are several of the other OTC allergy meds that can be used. If I can find the list from my derm vet, I will post back.