new from europe (arthritis and vetoryl?) - Ian, Flynn and Enya have passed

I am thinking of you dear friend. Yes the things you are saying about Ian is the muscle wasting. I am so sorry you are going thru this yet again. I know how you feel and missing your Flynn. What a shock that was to me, I can only imagine what you are going thru. It I s freezing here and 5 inches of new snow. Only 16 out and Tipper is doing better today, but I am worried about the damage to this leg. I am scared to death at the though of her undergoing an operation with all she has going on. I am trying to make her rest it, although that may be little help. I am so sick of having to figure out things going on and all these major decisions. God Bless You and you babies. Stay safe and warm.
Patti

I am very sorry to read this news of Flynn :( My condolences to you.

I am so very sorry to hear of the loss of your sweet boy Flynn.
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Hugs

yes, i have to go to the whole -taking care of a cushing dog thing- again and i fear his sister is slowly developing it too. i can now excercise them more, because the last months i could not walk as long as they wanted because of flynn.
and just like tipper they are gaining weight!
luckily, both the of the vetoryl "'leftovers"' i bought arrived today. enough for almost 2 months.
i want a moneytree too patti!!

Again, I regret the fact that you must go thru this again. I know how darn expensive all this is . I am now looking at money for Tipper's leg. Just not sure what I can do here yet. I am going to take her to laser therapy and ask them what they think. I will have to make arrangements for her to get x rayed with my vet next week. I am just sick over all this. I truly hope you have a better New Year. I know sweet Flynn is looking down and watching over you and the other babies. Blessings
Patti

Thinking of you this New Years day and hoping that this year will be a better year.

hugs,
Sharlene and molly muffin

Our dear friend , we all feel your pain and cry for your loss of your beloved Flynn. He tufted it out as long as he could thanks to all the love and care that you gave him. So many would have given up long ago, but you did not, you went that extra mile for him as you are going the extra mile for Ian. We are with you in spirit for we all understand how heavy the cross is that you are bearing.

My Buttercup has muscles that have wasted away from this, they use to be firm and taunt but know they are soft and loose and wiggle around when she shacks, not enough strength to jump in the car or up on my bed, just enough strength in her hind end to hop up on the couch. It is very sad and stressful all at the same time.

Buttercup and I are praying to the powers that be to give you the strength and support that your family needs during these VERY difficult times.

Many hugs coming your way
Dawn & Buttercup

thank you all, and dawn, i recognise it too the muscle loss, they look so different now. ian can't jump into the car anymore, and he is angry about it. he does not want to be helped. they don't understand why they can not do it themselves anymore.
ian is stiff and lame today and lookes tired. i gave him some of flynn's painkillers and he now wanted to go for a walk, so he is/was in pain.
a few weeks ago the vet thought maybe he had a herniated disc in his neck, he has a bit of a stiff neck. she palpeted him in the back and neck and bowed his neck sideways and up and down and he showed some pain then. but not as in hernia pain. more like sore muscles.
since i was too busy with flynn, i neglected ian's signs somewhat, but i notice some mobility problems now.
hope buttercups cc will improve soon, flynn had it too last summer, ian does not have it.

Sorry Ian is having troubles from the muscle loss. When I look at my Tipper as she sleeps her head is skeletal, her body sunken in where the muscle is wasted and her ribs sticking out from no muscle to hold them in she is hardly recognizable form the strong power house she was. It is such a cruel disease to these babies and to the caretaker. This is the thing I have ever watched as my Tipper is as close to me as a human. It would be such a wonderful and human act if all the money we have paid to vets, they would turn over to research a cure for this disease. We need to stop this, and that takes research. With this running so rampant in the canine community I am amazed that so little is being done. I truly hope you can get Ian straightened out so his current health can be maintained. It is freezing her and snowing and we are in for a foot of snow yet today. Tuesday it is to be 0 degrees out. WE will be staying in except for our visit to the vet that day. Blessings
Patti

hello patti, i agree with you about the need of research for the treatment and cause of cushings disease. it seems they still don't know very much about it .
since i am watching ian more closely now, i recognise more of the symptoms you are describing from tipper.
besides from the knee trouble, has tipper a stiff gait too? it sounds that she is still jumping and running from what you describe. ian does not run anymore just trots and walks. however with the painkillers he has jumped on the couch today. he is doing better with them. so if he needs them in a low dosage i will keep him on it for a while now.
if it is fresh snow and not slippery, maybe you can allow tipper to play in it on a leash? it sounds like tipper is still a youngster in her mind. doesn't she behave cranky now? hope the weather will improve so you can have a safe ride to your and tippers appointments. is it a long ride? it is still "spring"' here. hope you and tipper sleep well tonight.

I am going to call the vet hospital and see how much a Neurologist will cost me for Tipper. Please read my post this morning and you will see my IMS suggested one. Tipper is so bored and getting really cranky form all this being on the leash stuff. I am hoping Ian can do ok on these meds. It is a shame about the NSAIDS causing kidney and liver problems with dogs. I did read about that green lipped muscle extract however and it had very little as far as side effects. Maybe you can check into it? Blessings
Patti

i read your post on tippers thread about the costs, maybe the suggested medical creditcard is something for you?
ian needs some more tests too, but i don't have the money too.
hope the exersices for tippers leg will help and she does not bite you and it will heal without an operation.

i looked up info about the green lipped mussel and if you feed tipper supplements already with glucosamine en chondroitine and omega 3, i don't think she will need it. but feeding the original mussel sounds interesting though. lots of nourishment and vitamins. also good people food. some dogs are allergic to it i read on a dutch forum.
i read about tippers former allergies, so maybe not a good idea if not necessary.

How is Ian doing?
How are you doing?

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

hi patti and sharlene , ian is still on a low dosage of anti inflammary/painkillers. he is feeling much better now. in a few days i will test if he can do without them, but he is certainly feeling better now. so maybe he will need them permanently in a low dosage.
the weather is still like "'spring"'overhere unlike last year.
patti, i can understand so well that you are frightened for tipper. the disease and also ageing and above that all the money which you need to pay for those vet bills. i have a pile of them myself now.
in my country there are several companies who offer pet health insurances. but mine were very healthy till they got cushings at 10 and 12 years of age. did not see a vet for years.
i don't know if you can insure your pets in the usa?
it is still strange to not have to look after flynn anymore. i was so used to it. it was part of the daily routine. i still expect him to walk around the corner when making food for the dogs. it was always the highlight of the day for him.
but the other dogs are getting more attention now. i have to watch ian more closely now because of old age and cushings.
never a dull moment..................

Love the avatar :) Looks so happy there.

We're awaiting another snow storm to blow in tomorrow and then more frigid temperatures to follow that.
I won't be good for Patti and Tipper to be traveling in this weather, as they will have a lot of snow from this storm on top of what they already have.

Wow, imagine that, spring weather already, how strange. And the UK is getting blown to bits with rain and more rain.

How many dogs to you have? I do hope Ian continues to do well.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

hi sharlene, i have only two dogs left; ian and his sister enya. ian is not doing very well at the moment, he is not 100%. somebody told me there was kennel cough in this area. he has some symptoms of it.
i've always had more dogs because they were working/sportingdogs and when they retired, i bought a new pup to work with again.
i did obedience, agility, sheepdogtrials, and before ipo with my belgian shephard dogs.
slowly i am looking for a new dog again, but i am not sure about the breed i want. so many breeds do have serious health problems.
i do a lot of research, but you can not rule out everything.
how is the weather doing now? did the snow storm reach your town yet? it is still spring overhere. very weird.

Hi sweetie,

Kennel cough is highly contagious. I would get Ian to the vet asap and watch for the same symptoms with Enya.

Daisy had it as a pup and it progressed really quickly.

We had snow all day yesterday, then a bunch more over night, temperatures dropped very quickly and we had flash freezing, which turned everything next to the ground into ice. It has not been pleasant. I'd love to have some spring weather right now. Tonight, the wind chills will be closer to -40C brrrrrrr Molly and I are currently only going out into the backyard as there is at least some wind break back there compared to the front.

Eeek, kennel cough :( Hopefully Ian doesn't have it. Cushings dogs already have a fragile immune system.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

hi sharlene and valerie, ian is feeling better today. i still give him 30 mg norocarp [nsaid]. he needs it for his stiff legs and it also helps with the kennel couch. it is a mild variety of k.c. so far, so the vet agrees with the treatment with nsaids. i can go as far as 60 mg/day should he need it for 5 days.
we will try to avoid abs because he will need them in the future when he has an infection because of the cushings.
my flynn needed them in his last months, he could not handle infections anymore by himself.
an hour ago, when walking the dogs, i found an old man wandering in the streets looking for his car. he forgot where he left it.
finally we found the adress where he had visited a friend of his, but no car.
it was already almost midnight overhere so the friend was reluctant to answer the door. the old man was exhausted, but finally she opened the door and let him in. i recognised her, because she has a dog too.
she would take care of him, and bring him home, so he did not have to drive himself.
ian was very tired after the wandering outside, so i hope he will recover soon.
it is 2 am now so off to bed.

Oh my gosh, I am so glad that you found someone who knew him. How scary that must have been for him.
What a sweetheart you are to help him out like that. Glad she did finally open her door too~!
Ian and you both had a full day it sounds like.
You'll have to have a recovery day tomorrow now :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

still awake, can not sleep. i have to work the whole day tomorrow so in 3 hours i have to go to work.........i am my own boss, so from 12.30-2 p.m. i am off from work. i can walk the dogs for an hour or so and have lunch. they don't mind staying home for a few hours.
still miss flynn a lot......so does the cat. they always slept together during the night.

Hope you are well. I guess your cat really misses Flynn his sleeping buddy. This is probably still working on your heart and your mind about Flynn and it is making it hard for you to sleep. I am sure you will be tired at work. I am glad you are still having good weather there. It is so miserable here it is minus 17 or something it is really bad and the wind will not stop it is like 40 miles and hour. Take care and get some rest when you can. Blessings
Patti

aww, sorry to hear you're having some insomnia. A lot has been going on lately, makes it hard to get good rest.
Awww, poor kitty wants his snuggle buddy. Can't blame him.

Glad you get a break tomorrow to recoup mid day.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

patti and sharlene, i am sorry that the weather is still bad. last year we had the same overhere, and now it is still 10-12 degrees [celcius] above freezingpoint [=0] in the weekend it will be 5, but still pretty "'warm"'.
it is 2 a.m. here now, maybe walking the dogs will clear the mind.
ian is not eating well and he does not want his pills. he is very suspicious now, but i bought a smelly can of cheap catfood and he is finally eating his vetoryl pill....yeh!! he is not couching anymore, so i hope his cushing appetite will come back, and i can hide his pills in his food again. luckily the norocarp pills are so called tasty pills-what an invention- and he likes them.
........and he just ate about 200 gram=6 ounces of green tripe. including his fish oil capsule..............................he is becoming a night owl too i quess.
i will send some tropical winds towards you and hope the snow will melt.

oh man I would take even a +5C. :) After out last cold spell that went through with the freezing ice storm, was that just last week or the week before, anyway, then we had a day that was 1C and I went out with just a light jacket on. After having the -25C stuff, that felt like a heat wave. :)

What is it about nights. I don't know if they clear your mind or not. I use to say, never send an email or make a serious decision after 2am, you'll regret it whatever it is, because you're seldom thinking clearly and are pure emotion by that time.

Hopefully Ian will be just fine and he just needs to settle back into a routine. He probably misses Flynn too, pack animals are like that, take away one and they get mopey too.

yes, flynn was the pack leader. he never needed a fight with other dogs, he just looked and made himself big, and off they went. he was very protective of ian and enya. he blocked the pushy dogs off and they felt safe with him at their side. there are so many pushy dogs these days, people are walking their dogs looking on their i-phones, they don't watch their dogs at all! no interaction, no contact.
they want a family dog, but don't have time to train or exercise it properly. overweight labs running trough your dogs...........
that is why i always take the car to go to the riverside or the forest. [only a 10 min drive] and hardly any dogs overthere. most people walk 10 min round the block.
tomorrow i will ask any of my elderly clients for a few sleepingpills........
off to bed now, it is only 4 am here.......

I am hoping that Ian is going to be alright. I feel for you having another dog to worry over now. Things in life just aren't fair are they? I am glad you have a job where you basically do your own thing, especially with all the things you have had going on with the dogs. We are still having frigid temperatures and wind. Take care and get some rest. Blessings
Patti

hi patti, yes i decided to be my own boss because of the dogs. i want to take care of them myself. but i will be poor the rest of my life because it does not pay very well.
but the freedom of making my own working scedule and be able e.g. to walk the dogs myself makes up for it.
and patti, one day we will invent a money tree........
ian is doing pretty well. he can walk for 30 minutes now without a rest in between, so this is not bad i think. the other rounds are 10-15 min.
he remains stiff in his joints, but that is vetoryl and age i quess.
i hope that the fact that he is eating and drinking less is due to the vetoryl. that he is stable now. it is difficult to say. i will watch him closely. i was hoping for a break after flynn died, but ian decided otherwise. [he is a very modest dog]
how is tippers leg doing? any better? hope you and tipper sleep well this night.

Well I had to make a decision between a job that had wonderful pay and benefits or my health. so now I struggle, but will make it somehow. I am glad you are able to walk your dogs etc. that means more than money. I am hoping Ian is in a good place for a while with the Vetoryl. I used to wonder years ago why Tipper as she got older never had problems with her back legs. They are like little springs and she could jump almost 6 feet in the air from a standing position. Now I know it was the cortisol keeping them form hurting. This disease is unlike anything I have ever dealt with, it affects every part of their body. It is worse than a cancer. I hope you got some much needed rest. Maybe Ian could snuggle with the cat and be buddies?? Glad you are still having good weather. Blessings
Patti

i know what you mean by this. one day they are jumping sky-high, the other day they are senior citizens because of the cushing.
the muscle loss and coat changes are giving them a whole new look. and not only on the outside, the disease is everywhere......but as long they are enjoying life............
when tippers leg is ok, she can hopefully run again and play ball etc.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...psb2796b2a.jpg
this is an example of what you mean by wasting away of a cushingdog.
flynns last picture alive. [parking vet clinic]

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...a/IMG_0490.jpg
with his catbuddie.

all in a few months time.....

Wow! What a difference.
I am so sorry.

My God what terrible things this does to our babies. Poor Flynn her really hung in there as long as he could. God bless him he is no longer in pain. I am hoping Ian stay the course for a long time and that you can have some peace of mind for a while. I know when I look at Tipper and see the changes in her it makes me cry immediately. He head has become so boney and skeletal. In a way I wish she was a real furry dog, so I could not see all of this. It is hard to face when your best friend in the whole world is failing every day little by little. Now on top of all the other bills, I have to get money together to pay for 5 straight weeks of laser therapy. I need to do this as if this is Tippers best chance of recovery I need to get it done. I am slowly sinking in deeper with vet bills. I have over 500.00 of testing coming up at the vets and plus the three specialists at the veterinary hospital next week and now the laser therapy. I must do it as my Tipper is so deserving of the best care she can get. She is my biggest blessing in life. I hope you got caught up on sleep, and that Ian is having a good day. Maybe get the kitty a stuffed animal it can sleep and cuddle with. Blessings
Patti

Awww, poor Flynn, that was very quick, a month.

I love the picture of him with the cat. He looks like a happy guy there. :)

[p.s. sharlene it was not a month between the pics, but summer-winter, so about 6 months, but still his health went downhill very fast]
flynn was always a happy guy, never grumpy or anything, even when he was really sick.
he was an alpha male, so we had some fights [i never neuter my dogs] ,but after that, he knew where his place was, and he worked very well.
ian is doing better today, so hopefully he will go on for a while. ian and his sister enya were never a day apart from each other and are very close, so when one of them dies, the other will be lost.http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...a/IMG_2307.jpg
the money thing is bad, and i am appalled by what the vets charge you in the usa. i read some other topics and as far as i know, in my country, the prices are 50% lower. vet clinics are just big business. 600-700 dollar for just an acth-test and some bloodwork???????????
some client of mine bought me a kitty cushion [very sweet of her] and i put it on the spot where he was always sleeping with flynn.
flynns bed is still there, and after a while and some sniffing he lied down in it. so far so good....
patti, i hope after these tests tipper will need no more for the next 10 years or so and you can have some rest. [we will always worry though]
sleep well all of you. i hope i will.

How sweet that picture is with the two of them :)

I'm glad that Ian finds comfort in the kitty bed. They feel a loss just as badly as we do.

hi valerie, ian is not sleeping on the kitty cushion, but the cat is.......since he always slept on this spot with flynn. ian is always sleeping with his sister......
hope your daisy's alk. phosph. will come down with the higher amount of trilostane. isn't that dangerous when this level is so high?

Oh! I'm sorry, I got confused.
It is if other things on the test showed impaired liver function but they did not and she noticed that Daisy's liver has decreased in size.

ok, that sounds good. daisy; keep up the good work!

What a precious picture of your babies together. That is good the kitty has something to sleep on. I am so glad that Ian is holding his own, and I pray he does for a long time to come. Tipper was a bit better on her leg yesterday from the laser therapy. She really worked on her leg good. She said she should be good in about 5 weeks. I will never let her in my room alone again. She will never get the opportunity to jump on my bed. I am so anxious about this testing next week I cannot sleep to good. I am praying this tumor has not grown, as I don't know how I will drive home a nervous wreck. Blessings
Patti