Tipper - adrenal tumor/breathing issues

I have to wonder how many of our thunderstorm terrorized dogs have similar or other problems because of all the stress. Many vets don't seem to take this problem very seriously or even understand how extreme this phobia can be.

I don't know if it's related or just a coincidence, but an awful lot of our Cushpups seem to be afflicted with this problem.

I had to sedate (acepromezine) Rosie last night because it rained. No thunder or lightning, just darkness, wind and rain, all of which she associates with thunderstorms and therefore they trigger the panic. She has also dreamed thunderstorms several times recently and woken up in a fullblown panic when none of her triggers were present. It takes sustained good weather to allow her to completely recover after an episode; the longer the bad weather has been, the longer time it will take to recover. And unfortunately, in this part of NY it is seldom sunny for more than two days in a row. This has to be taking a toll on her.

Karen:
Do you have any Reticulocyte values on any of you baby's blood work? If they are high this is the reason. If they are you need to get something done about it asap. Blessings
Patti

Hi Everyone:
Well it would seem I have unlocked Pandora's Box. This is the reason a lot of the Cush pups are having trouble with thunderstorm, and loud noises. After all the vets etc.told me don't worry about it ( Reticulocyte) I am glad I listened to that inner voice of mine that said don't listen to them. This can be very dangerous. It thickens their blood and can cause many neurologic problems, eye problems, blindness, stroke the list goes on and on. I have prepared letters to my vet and the IMS with proof showing them they are wrong, and this is definitely what caused Tipper's eye vessel bleeding. I told them I want to get on this like yesterday. I looked at my spread sheet and all of Tipper's last 5 Reticulocyte values were very high. I read phlebotomy and hydroxyurea will lower her making red blood cells, and I do not mess it to mess with the white, that is the tricky part. It has to be done in a hospital so someone better move their ___ on this. I am not fooling around with these vets, after I read all this you could have scraped me off the ceiling. I am thankful I have learned to never ever give up,and to trust myself. So everyone having babies afraid of storms- it could be caused by the tumor from Cushings or excess cortisol, please read my previous post. God is looking after my girl by pushing me to find this. I am shocked at how much these vets do not know, I am wondering what they did learn in school?????? Without the tumor being removed this will continue to happen, so the only solution is what I stated previously. Blessings
Patti

Patti, what exactly am I looking for? I would guess under hematology, but I don't see "reticulocytes" listed there, or anywhere, on the bloodwork report I have. Her RBC (red blood count) is a little high at 9.06 (ref 5.5-8.5) though.

Wow Patti! That is amazing!!!!!

If the blood is thicker does that mean it will clot easier? My Cooper had an aortic blood clot and the specialist vet said it was a complication of his Cushings. Maybe this is what he meant? It's been 7 weeks today since we had to let him go and I'm still trying to figure out what happened to him. I sure hope you get some answers from your vet. This disease is so complicated and horrible.

Karen:
I noticed that on my blood reports years ago the Reticulocytes were not even listed. I don't know if the lab adds it if they find something wrong or the Dr. orders it, I will have to find out at the vet this morning. Blessings
Patti

Regarding Cooper that could be a possibility as when blood is thicker it will make clots. I luckily stumbled upon this after much research. I am going to get my Tipper on something to thin her blood. This reticulocyte when high means too many re blood cells are being made, thus the thickening of the blood. Blessings
Patti

Hi Patti,

I found your information very interesting and decided to do a little more reading myself. Issues associated with abnormally elevated red cell counts are indeed genuine. But from what I saw, fearful behavior is what triggers the hyperactivity of the spleen and the increase in red blood cells -- not the other way around. So the fearful behavior is the cause of the increased cell production and not the result. Additionally, red cell production caused by fear is only a temporary abnormality.

Quote:

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Transient polycythemia is a type of relative polycythemia that is caused by splenic contraction. The spleen is a storage site for mature red blood cells. When a dog becomes extremely excited or experiences fear, anger, restraint, vigorous exercise or surprise, its spleen contracts in response to the release of epinephrine by its adrenal glands. Epinephrine is commonly called adrenaline. When the spleen contracts, it injects large numbers of red blood cells into circulation, thereby increasing the relative ratio of red cells to fluid in the blood. This is beneficial for dogs that are experiencing sudden and strong feelings, because the increased concentration of red blood cells facilitates the transport of oxygen to key organs and body tissues, preparing the dog for unusually energetic activity.

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http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Health/P...ia/Causes.aspx

It is true that Cushing's itself can be associated with chronically mildly abnormal red blood cell levels (also discussed in that article). But the mechanism involved is neither the cause nor the result of a fear response. In Tipper's case, it seems to me that you may have legitimate concerns if her cell counts are consistently highly abnormal. But from what I have read, I don't think that abnormality is what is causing her fear of storms, and lowering the red cell count will not solve that particular problem.

Marianne

Marianne:
Tipper falls into the category of Secondary Erythrocytosis. This is Endocrinopathy associated Erythrocytosis it is found in dogs with adrenal hyperactivity which does cause behavior changes. I know what you are referring to about the splenic release after fear or excitement. Some of the dogs here may fall into that category. So Tipper's crazy reactions to storms etc. is associated with the behavior changes caused by Endocrinopathy associated Erythrocytosis. In fact I was just at the vets office and he agrees, and said she may suffer from both, having the Secondary that makes her fearful, and then the splenic reaction takes over after that and keys her up. Thanks for your help, I need all I can get at this point.
Patti

OK, Patti, I gotcha. It will be really interesting to see whether Tipper's fear abates any if she does have some blood drawn off. The thing is, a fear of storms is so common among dogs, in general, that I am having a hard time linking it specifically to the erythrocytosis. Many of my friends' dogs, none of whom are Cushpups, are very afraid of storms. But my own Cushpup never blinked an eye even during the worst thunder and lightning. I guess in Tipper's case, the proof will totally be in the pudding. And I surely hope for both your sakes that her fear can be lessened!

For the majority of dogs with Cushing's, though, it sounds as though secondary erythrocytosis usually remains mild and doesn't cause significant issues.

Quote:

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Another type of secondary erythrocytosis, called endocrinopathy-associated erythrocytosis , results from hormones other than EPO (eg, cortisol, androgen, thyroxine, growth hormone) that stimulate erythropoiesis. The mild erythrocytosis in dogs with adrenocortical hyperactivity or in cats with hyperthyroidism or acromegaly is insufficient to cause clinical signs.

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http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/circ...ycythemia.html

Marianne

Marianne;
Do you know anything about this blood draw, and this drug? I am wondering is this dangerous? Otherwise why does she have to go to the hospital?? Thanks for your help
Patti

Patti, no, I'm afraid I don't know anything about the drug. With people, drawing the blood off is no big deal at all -- exactly the same process as when people donate blood. When you say that Tipper's procedure needs to be done in the hospital, does that mean in a location different from your vet's office? If so, I'd definitely ask your vet why, and clarify what all will be involved.

Marianne

Marianne:
I found out it has to be done with a catheter and a bag that is marked so amount taken out can be clearly seen. It says they would stay about 6 hours, so that indicates to me that my vet could do this in his operating room???? The person doing it obviously has to know the exact amount to draw. It does not seem complicated. I do not want to take Tipper to the hospital and get her stressed out- which is bad for this condition if my vet can do this safely. He is going to call me back and I will let you know what he says. Thank you for always helping me. Blessings
Patti

Hi Everyone;
I talked to my vet again last nite. He called Diamondback and changed Tipper's trilostane from 5mg to 7mg. He talked to Dechra and they said to give her 10mg of Vetoryl at nite. He and I both agreed that since she went dangerously low on the total of 30mg why would we give it to her again. That made no sense at all to either of us. So her total will be 20mg morning and 7mg evening which will be given earlier than normal ( not waiting the 12 hours). So she will get it at 7am and 5pm when she usually starts with the hunger. So she will get a total of 27mg. It will be here in a few days. I hope this works as this is getting very expensive and eating up money I need for her vet visits. Yesterday evening when I took her out to potty and brought her back in she was adamant that she was going to get food. I was carrying her to put her on my bed and she was so engrossed in trying to get food that she scratched me unknowingly really bad on my chest. I had to leave the room and go in my office because she would not stop jumping on me etc. for food. Yesterday they could not take her blood pressure as when I pulled into the vets a lady had a big dog she was taking in that was barking and it started Tipper up, so to take her blood pressure at that point is useless as it will be sky high. That is why I like to go when no one else is there. My vet and I discussed the other problem with Tipper's Reticulocytes. I am also waiting for an answer from the IMS. He said she definitely would have to go to the hospital for phlebotomy her would not even think of doing it. So we have to get all this sorted out on what to do. He said he needs a few days to go over all this and check on it all. I am so nervous about all this, as it does have scary repercussions. I am not feeling well because of all this and I have to take Elvis tonite for his wings and beak etc. I also have to go to the phone store as this wonderful piece of junk IPHONE is not working right and they are replacing it, with a used one. Don't you love it, you buy a new one and they replace it with a used one. What a gimmick they have going. Blessings
Patti

Patti, how highly elevated is Tipper's reticulocyte count (and for how long?). I am assuming she must also have elevations in her red cell count, hemoglobin, and/or hematocrit, too, and that's why the reticulocyte counts have been ordered?

The reason I'm asking is because from that Veterinary Merck Manual excerpt, it sounds as though erythrocytosis (if present) is usually not severe enough to actually create problems for most Cushpups. I know you'll hate to put Tipper through the stress of a hospitalization to draw off blood unless there truly seems to be sufficient need for it to be done. I'm hoping this is what your IMS is looking into right now for you.

Marianne

Hi Patti I have read all this so you don't need to reply on my post, I can only say as I did on Teddy's post, that I am here for you ANYTIME you need to talk, I wish I understood all this more and could help you. My heart goes out to you and Dear Tipper. Love Diana & Teddy x

Sending prayers and hugs!!

Patti HOW is Tipper today and HOW ARE YOU Much Love Diana & Teddy x

Marianne:
The last 5 blood work ups for her all of the Reticulocyte was high with normal being (10-110) 12/12 was 153 2/13 was 158 4/13 was 140 5/13 was 145 8/13 was 129 10/13 was 128 they are all high

HCT normal is (37-55)
2/13 was 59, 4/13 was 58.1, 5/13 was 55.5 8/13 was 58.9, 10/13 was 54 only one was normal

All of the MCV's for these periods were (60-77)normal range hers were all 73,75,73,73,72 they were all high normal.

I am waiting for the IMS to get in touch with me, sometimes she is off for a few days. I am not rushing into anything, but my vet and I are both convinced this is what caused the bleeding in her eyes. He wants to research it and get back to me in a few days. He is leaning away from doing anything with her blood and after reading up on it so am I. I am wanting to see how we can lower the Reticulocyte count, and keep her from making clots or any more eye bleeding. If you find anything or have an suggestions I sure need them from you. Than you for always helping me with things
Blessings
Patti

Wow Patti,

You have your hands full. I'm glad that Tipper's vet is finally more proactive with her care. I'm agree with avoiding the blood draw if there is another way to lower the count without messing with something else.

As for the phone, ironically-the tests for refurbished phones are considerably more stringent and you're likely to end up with a phone that works much better. Please ask if the used phone is factory refurbished.

Praying for good alternatives to help Tipper!

Hi Everyone:
Tipper had an ok nite, just many episodes of muscle tremors going on. We had a good snow on the ground yesterday. My day was mainly taken up by this IPHONE piece of junk. Finally the new one is working for right now. I am waiting for the cable man to come as I am having a very strange problem happening here. As of a few months ago I cannot fax, email or call the Animal Hospital in Pittsburgh. My emails are returned, my calls will not go thru, and the fax just keeps ringing and will not go thru. My only way of contact is to go to the library and fax them or use the cell phone that has not been working. Gee what a great choice. Now that the cell is working I can call at least. The only problem is I have to fax to the IMS for her to answer me, she does not take calls. I had to write her a letter with the information about these developments with Tipper if you can believe that. It was just too much stuff to go and fax somewhere. So I am hoping that the cable man can tell me why this is happening and no one else calling that hospital is having this problem. It is this phone/cable co. I know it has to be. Solving this is another issue. I figured I better post before he comes because I don't know what will happen next. I am very worried about finding a solution to Tipper's dilemma that is not dangerous. I told the vet Tipper has been sleeping a lot and not as active the last few weeks, which does fall in line with the symptoms of this problem. I am hoping Marianne can help as I posted some of Tipper's numbers for her to see. Blessings
Patti

Oh Patti you just DON'T Need the iPhone and Fax issues, with dear Tippers situation do you, in seems in life, it all comes a long at once, My heart goes out to you, I am thinking of you all the time, and of course of Tipper too. Teddy and I send our love and best wishes to you both. Much Love Diana * Teddy x

Hi Everyone:
Well the cable man was here and called the phone company to tell them I am not crazy, and that this is a big problem since I need to contact my dog's vet at this number. They are thinking it is a relay switch in their system. Well thank God they are at least thinking instead of appeasing me with we'll look into it. The guy who came out said he has only seen this one other time. Oh am I lucky right?? So they are steadfastly working on it today supposedly. All I know is I better be able to fax, call or email my vet at this number by days end. Tipper seems to have so extra energy today and that is nice to see, it helps me not worry so much today. She has walked 3 times today already. It is freezing and the wind is blowing hard. She has her winter coat on.. I just found out our substitute mail person must have mistakenly delivered Tipper's liver supplement to someone else. The company was so kind about it when I called to see where it was they sent me a replacement, which is great I need them for her. I am wondering what else can go wrong this week??? The IPhone expert who programmed my email to my phone screwed up and it does not work. So if anyone knows what to put in your IPhone 5 for windows live mail let me know. Toby got away from me and tired to nail the cable man, at which point he just laughed at him. Tipper on the other hand was locked in the bedroom as she would have gotten him for sure. I took Elvis last nite for his wings etc. and on the way there which is 25 miles, it rained, snowed and hailed in different areas we went thru. Elvis' feet are bothering him today. When they get their nails clipped back it bothers them. Once they get so long they have to be cut back like that to keep the quick back in the nail. So he is taking turns standing on one foot then the other. He loved the car ride, but on the way home the car lites shining in on him scared him to death so I had to cover him all the way. Never a dull moment here. The cable man found a long white whisker on my phone base, and asked what it was. I said it's one of my cat's whiskers, maybe he was using the phone and that's why it's all messed up. He just looked at me, which I think he thought I was serious for a minute till he thought about it. Blessings
Patti

Oh Patti what a song and dance as we say in the UK, I do so hope you get it all sorted soon, at least they are doing something, and as you say, not just saying they will look into it, 25 miles wow, is that your nearest vet?

As you very rural then? it sounds like you are.

I hope Tipper continues to have more energy and that her supplements turn up soon, Take care keep us posted.

Diana & Teddy x

Hi Diana:
Hope you and Teddy are having a great day. Yes we are rural, which is new to us because I lived my whole life in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in the suburbs. You had so many things available to you. Here I am minutes from a small town that has only a grocery store and pharmacy. You have to drive at least 20 mile to get to anything. My vet here is 20 miles away. The other one I use the Internal Medicine Specialist is over 2 1/2 hours away in Pittsburgh. That is why I am so disgusted that I cannot contact her in any way because of this phone company problem. I sent her a letter asking her about Tipper's condition. She probably thinks I am nuts sending a letter and wondering why I did not email, call, or fax???? Now my cell phone is working at least so I can call her on it, but she does not take phone calls. I can however leave a message for her thru her assistant. I have had my share of problems this week! Are you close to the Dr. for Teddy? How is he doing today? I say prayers for you both every nite. Teddy is just so precious, I hope he can get thru this, and that it is a mistake and he does not have cancer. It is terrible to love an animal so much, and have these things happen. It is just like a family member when it happens, even though some people say to me get over it it's just a dog. I love her more than anything and will continue to fight on her behalf. I understand your reluctance to put sweet Teddy thru any more. He has had so much now. Blessings and hug and kisses to you and Teddy from Tipper and I.
Patti

Holy cow girl there's a lot going on with you and Tipper. Please keep up updates and I'm sending lots of love and prayers to you both.

Donna

Thank you, Patti, for the laugh! That's two for me today so far, first Diana in her pajamas at the vet, now you and your kitty phone.

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(='.'=)
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I once had a phone from a liquidation of an out-of-business motel. It had a light that flashed when the phone rang as well as a ringer, for the hard of hearing. I also had a beautiful white cat named Dogberry, and you know how cats are with flashing lights. He would attack the phone when it rang and knock the the handset out of the cradle. We were always discovering one of the phones was off the hook when we tried to make a call on another extension (and whe knew which one probably needed putting it back on the hook), or having friends and family come by telling us they'd been trying to reach us for hours, but the line was always busy.

One day I got a phone call from a very irate friend in another city. She said, "what kind of game were you playing, it wasn't very funny and I was calling long distance so it cost me money!" I said, "????" and she told me she had called on Saturday afternoon, someone answered the phone and just made funny noises, and she thought one of us was joking around. I told her no one was home all day Saturday, everyone was out and didn't get home until well after the time of this call, she must have dialled the wrong number. She said, "That's what I thought, but when I tried it again, the line was busy, so someone had to be home because they were on the phone!" And then the coin dropped. I told her about the flashing light, and what must have happened: "Dogberry answered the phone and apparently did his best to have a conversation with you." At that, she was quite tickled, and often told the story about "the time she called long distance and talked to the cat."

Thanks Patti Teddy and I send love and good wishes to you and Tipper too, we hope it won't turn out to be cancer the first needle aspirates were clear, but they wanted to repeat them in case the spleen nodule is changing.

We are only 3-4 miles from the Vet but 60 miles from the Vet Hospital he was in seeing the specialist.

I do hope you get the Fax sorted out soon, what a pain it is for you when you need to use it.

Love to you and Tipper from us here x

Hi Patti,
I'm finally getting caught up on posts. Tipper's new dose will be close to Trixie's...she's 28mg a day but I do an equal split of 14mg. It's been working pretty well for us lately. I will have to schedule the test though, Trixie's prescripts need renewals. We just started on my last 30 days of meds and I don't want to cut it too close. I hate to have to take her to the vet because she gets so worked up and I know the symptoms will be showing that day.
I think Trixie is pretty well controlled now, but I will be anxious to see her numbers. Her water intake has been pretty normal the last few weeks, sometimes I can't believe she is only drinking 15-16 oz. Some days it's a bit more but now it's mostly under 20oz. which is a huge improvement.
I was reading your posts about the red blood cell stuff...I will have to re-read again, don't think I understood everything.
Funny about the storms...Trixie was never bothered by thunder/lighting when she was younger..I think after she was about 5yrs old we started to see a frightened reaction to thunder storms. That grew into being afraid of noisy wind and heavy rain too..guess she hears that and thinks thunder is on the way.
We should be over with thunder storms for a bit now, thankfully. It's been quite chilly here too..needed gloves these last couple of days. Trixie is loving it and I am too...all the dogs in the park have been really frisky with the cold breeze blowing, it's great!
Hope the new dose will help with Tipper's appetite. Even though Trixie's seems controlled she is always hungry.
Thank you for all your messages whilst I was off the boards. I really appreciate your thoughts.

Barbara

Hi again, Patti. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you, but I was having computer access problems yesterday. I wish I could tell you whether or not those lab elevations are high enough to warrant concern, but I just don't know. I believe you will have to rely on the opinion of the IMS to tell you. From that excerpt in the Merck Manual, it sounds as though "mild" elevations in RBCs are not all that surprising in a Cushdog. As to whether or not Tipper's counts would be considered severe enough to warrant treatment, I just do not know. But I will be really interested to see what the IMS has to say. I am so sorry you are having these communication problems when you are so anxious to hear back yourself!

Marianne

Hi Everyone:
I have been researching my brains out about this Reticulocyte stuff with Tipper. It all goes back to the same cause, I have found nothing else it could be. All of her HGB's for the last 9 blood work ups have been high. Normal is 12-18 her lowest was 18.2 and the highest was 20.2 they are mostly closer to the 20.2 mark. Her HCT was elevated the last 5 times ,normal is 37-55 her lowest was 55.6 and the highest was 59.5, they were mostly closer to this reading. There are three different kinds of this disease from what I can see.
Transient Polycythemia/ Erythrocytosis- which is when they are scared of something the spleen contracts and injects RBC's into circulation in response to epinephrine.
Absolute Polycythemia/ Erthrocytosis- Has three sub headings
Primary- A disease of unknown cause where RBC is dramatically increased but EPO is low or normal.
Secondary- Develops from excessive production of EPO- in severe pulmonary disease, tumors of the kidneys, renal disorders.
Endocrinopothy- associated- from hormones, cortisol, androgen, thyroxine, growth hormone that stimulate erythropoiesis. This is in dogs with adrenocortical hyperactivity.
The Polycythemia Vera- Can be caused by Gastroenteritis or a bone marrow disorder.

Basically the only help I have found to help this situation is removing some blood and they are then put on a high dose of hydroxyurea therapy. This basically slows down the production of red blood cells. Her Reticulocyte count is high because she is making too many red blood cells.
Tipper has in the past had Gastroenteritis at times thru the last 4-5 years. She also has a heart murmur from valve leakage. So these are two things stated above. She also has Cushings which is a third thing mentioned. This can cause bleeding in the eyes like she had. I am positive she has this, but I am conflicted if it is Absolute , or secondary which involves endocrinology. I am leaning towards secondary. At any rate I believe either one of these are treated the same. I am not sure how safe this drug is they use, I could not find anything bad about it. I know it is used in people with sickle cell. From the scale she is currently in the upper mild range sometimes going into moderate. Even tho this says mild range it was enough to cause bleeding to her blood vessels in the eyes. I don't want this to go any further. I don't know if I should treat it now or wait and see if it elevates, as I am not keen on having some of her blood removed as I am scared of complications. I am sending this information to Dr. Bruyette in California. He has helped me with a lot of this Cushings stuff to date, and about her adrenal tumor. I value his opinion as he is the expert in this Cushings disease. I know this is said to be a serious situation in all I have read so I must find out what to do here or I am afraid of the consequences. Tipper was very restless last nite and she is sleeping again already this morning. tiredness is associated with this and she has been sleeping a lot and not wanting to walk as much with the exception of yesterday. I am hoping her new dose of Trilostane is here today as I know she is not controlled properly. I am hoping this helps with that problem. I heard from the phone company once yesterday, and the problem is still not fixed. I need to fax some things I charted Tipper's blood work for the IMS and cannot fax it. I am getting really disgusted with this situation real fast. I don't know if they will be working today or not, but I need this problem solved. I will let everyone know what Dr. Bruyette's opinion is. Blessings
Patti

Patti I can,t begin to understand what any of that means as I don,t have a cush pup but what I do understand is the love you have for Tipper. I also do know that you will do whatever is best for Tipper. Please try and relax I know its easy said that done but take care of yourself.

Love and licks

Tracy & Woody

Patti,

Dr. Bruyette has gotten back to you fairly quickly in the past, right?
Try to hang in there.

Patti, Hugs and prayers for you and Tipper.

PATTI Teddys red blood cells have been too high for some months,

His retic is high (I think that is the Reticulocyte count ) and his HB is high too.

His spleen nodule seems to be connected to it, I am not sure.

He too has a leaky heart valve, and his gastric issues, and the spleen nodule as you know.

His red blood volume is also too high, I don't know why either, on top of this as you know his whites were low for 3 months.

So I totally understand the worry this brings, and hope you can get to the bottom of it.

I intent to keep trying too.

Much Love Diana & Teddy x

Hi Everyone:
Tipper slept ok last nite. Her 7mg dose of Trilostane came and I gave it to her at 5:00pm. It is too early to see if it worked but in a few days I should know. She was really hungry last nite. I have cut her food a tad to try and get additional weight off of her. She walked several times yesterday, but as soon as she hits the house , down on the floor she goes and passes out. This is very unlike her to not be really active. I know it is the RBC situation. Valerie, Dr. Bruyette has been wonderful at getting back to ma quickly in the past, but this time instead of emailing him I faxed the things along with her blood chart. He may not be in the office to get it. I am going to shoot him an email today to let him know it is there so it is not overlooked by anyone. Yesterday I spent all morning writing my vet, IMS and Dr. Bruyette letters and making blood charts so they could see the whole picture. I never quit anything and I will not quit working to help my baby. Today I will research again to see if there is anything I missed. Tipper has walked, and I have to go to the store for a bit today. My elderly neighbor who is a widower is really sick and shut in. I have been making him supper for 4 days now, I don't go in but just hand it in the door, I do not want to get it. I need a few things to make supper so I will get the sitter and hurry there and back. It is warmer here today and I see next week we are to get to 60. It rained all nite here. I gave Tipper some of the meds I have to dry up fluid in her nose and throat, I can hear her swallowing fluid drainage or mucus again. I will see if this makes a difference. Hope everyone is having a good weekend with their babies. Blessings
Patti

Wow! You should work for the vets Patti :-)
You'd make an awesome tech!

I hope that he responds soon.

Hi Everyone:
I am up and at it already this morning. Dr. Bruyette wants all of Tipper's blood work faxed to him so he can see the whole picture.
I have just called my vet's as soon as they opened to ask them to fax all of this to him. The tech was less than enthusiastic about doing this. I hope the attitude goes away as I have been at this for about a week now, and think that is the least they can do to help me. I followed up this phone call with a letter faxed to my vet in case I have any problems I want him to know this is important. Called the vet hospital in Pittsburgh yesterday and they got the fax, that I drove 30 miles to send to them because the phone company still ahs yet to fix my problem here. I am calling tomorrow to make sure the IMS got the letter I sent her also. She has all the information now to really look at this, so does my vet and Dr. Bruyette who is a sweetheart is also on the case. I will get my dog help, not matter what stands in my way. I have another issue I am dealing with at the same time. Elvis has had sever diarrhea since his beak and nail trim last week. I am giving him stuff to help it, but emailed the vet who sees him. He is out of Chicago and is traveling so gave me his cell number to call this morning. I do not think I have any Baytril on hand to give him. Tipper slept well last nite, but is already laying on the floor resting form her walk. This is very unlike her. She is on the go all the time. It is very cold here in the high 20's with a thick blanket of frost on the ground. I am hoping to hear something back from Dr. Bruyette early this week. I took my neighbor who is sick his dinner again last nite, and he said he is better and is going to get up and out of the house today. That was good news. I got Tipper and Toby Halloween outfits yesterday when I ran to the store. Toby is the cutest Caterpillar, and Tipper is a Lady bug. I hope Tipper feels like wearing her outfit Friday as she goes for laser therapy as the vets office there will surely enjoy it. I will take pictures and post them. Blessings
Patti

Hi Patti, isn't Dr. Bruyette just a wonder. I love that he responds so readily to your emails.

Poor Elvis. I wonder if he got all upset and it gave him a bit of tummy trouble.

That will be so cute to see pictures of Tipper and Toby in their halloween outfits. I'm sure they are just darling.

Do you get any kids coming through doing trick or treating?

Hope Tipper perks up a bit later today. Sometimes when it is cold after a walk, Molly will have a nap that can last all morning if it is cold and dark.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin