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

Iris:
Tipper does not get a real bad episode compared to some of the videos I have seen of dogs, but it is bad enough. She just has so many issues since getting Cushings. It is humid and rained a bit during the nite. As soon as Tipper heard it she ran in the closet, and was afraid to go out this morning, until she realized no thunder yet. It is to get worse this afternoon. She continues on with laser therapy as at times I can see her leg bothers her, and she has developed a small sway back for her musculoskeletal system changes due to Cushings so I am just trying to be proactive and treat her as I know that weight pulling down on her back from her stomach muscles giving way has to hurt and make her back ache. I am trying to keep her as pain free as possible without drugs. I am guessing Ian is not liking your weather either? This humidity and Tipper's breathing problems coupled with a heart murmur do not mix well at all. She stays in with the air on so she can breath easier. She does tend to get real naughty if not walked enough. These dogs need their energy burned off. I guess Enya is the healthy one of the bunch now? How old is she? Hope you have a good day with the babies. Blessings
Patti

hi patti, hot and humid with some rain here too.
ian's back is looking a bit hollow right now.
just as you mentioned about the weakening of the stomach muscles.
they sort of pull the back down.
is this what you see with tipper too?
enya is 12 years old [turned 12 may 2]
ian is 14 months older. [same parents, different litter]
enya has artrose in her front legs. years ago she hurt one of her front legs in an swimming accident and tore a tendon, which could not been operated on because of a big cut from the glas in the water.
it healed pretty well, but you can see the damage from this accident in the way she is using her front legs now she is getting older.
but i still try to keep us in shape by making long walks as long as it is not too hot.
hope you and tipper have ""a dry night"' without thunder.

Iris:
Yes that is what I see in Tipper, it has to put a terrible strain on her back. She was moving all around yesterday when getting her laser therapy like something hurt and she did not want to do the therapy. She is on high alert as a storm is on the way, so her bp was up from it when they took it today. I wish I could get her calm, that is all I am concerned about. Does Ian ever act like his back bothers him? Wen Tipper walks she has a body harness that is made out of Nylon and I cinch it a little snug on her as I think they may help to hold the weight of that belly up while she walks. I am so sick of storms, I am worn out from this all. So Enya is up there in years too. I wish they lived longer, it is heartbreaking to lose them. Blessings
Patti

no, i do not think his back bothers him, but he had a bit of a lame frontleg today. they are a bit stiff anyway because of the vetoryl.
yes, both doggies are getting older, so it is not a nice thought that our time together is running out.
their mother died of kidney failure at age 14.
the weather is off here too, but i can imagine that you are so fed up with those eternal thunderstorms.
especially since tipper is so afraid of them.
hope you had some nice walks today.
it is raining now, so i hope the dogs do their business fast before going to bed.

Iris:
That is my only qualm about having a dog, is the life span and my extreme attachment to them. My last dog died from cancer at 7. I was so devastated I researched the breeds before getting Tipper two years later to see what breeds had longevity. The Jack Russell lives to 17-18 years old, but I see that has done me no good either. Tipper was really up last nite with this throat and mouth thing going on. I have emailed the IMS to ask her opinion. She is having trouble swallowing right now as I am typing this. This Cushings sure brings on a host of other problems! It is getting real hot outside so the dogs are in for the day unless it cools off on the porch. Hope you are able to get a walk in. That is good that Ian's back does not hurt, when you pet Tipper you can feel a divet in her back in the middle. Blessings
Patti

yes, it is a pity dogs do not live very long. large dogs die younger than small dogs, but at age 12 most dogs do get health problems.
in my experience cats live longer than dogs.
in ian's case the only side effect of using vetoryl is the stiffness in his front legs.
no complications from having cushing's as far as i know.
flynn's symptoms were very bad. so i have experienced 2 totally different varieties of cushing's.
it was cool outside so we did 5 walks. [also because it was a national holiday today]
long day of work tomorrow, so i have to go to bed now.
sleep well.

Hi Iris:
I am going to have the vet see if Tipper has a sinus infection on Wednesday. I am waiting to hear for the IMS and the Cardiologist about the questions I asked them. It was cooler here yesterday and Tipper loved it. It is cool again this morning, but I see the humidity is due back next week. I am waiting to get an appointment with the pain clinic for this pain in my chest. It has made me feel miserable all week. I will be calling and bugging them soon if I do not hear anything. I hope you get some of this cooler weather over there. Blessings
Patti

pain clinics are for people IN PAIN!
why don't they answer your calls? are you on pain meds already?
can you increase the dosage maybe to give you some relief?
do they know what causes the pain in your chest?
i am interested in what might help tipper with her breathing problems since i do have the same issues as tipper has.
i always do have a sore throat, maybe this is the case with tipper too?
this spring it is worse too.
i love the cooler weather too.
today was ok, but the temp. will be higher next days.
i can handle this as long as the nights are cool and not sticky.
no airco here.

Iris;
I had a mammogram last year and the tech was looking away for a few seconds and the machine compressed me like a pancake and hurt me badly. It pulled something on my chest wall and I was black and blue, and green the size of your hand. I called and told them the next day and they had a Dr. call me back who told me unfortunately this would take a long time to heal. Well it is a year later and I still have trouble raising that arm and have stabbing pains constantly in that area. All I want is a nerve block to stop this it is killing me. The heating pad gives me some relief, but starts right back up again. I called the director of radiology and told her I have insurance, but what it does not pay would they be willing to pay? Hey this is not my fault, and I am trying to be nice about this. I cannot get a mammogram now this year as the pain would be intolerable. The hospital said they will send me a letter stating what they will do. How kind of them. So they know someone else would have just sued them, and not just asked for help??? Seems really like a stupid move to me. So I am waiting for my Dr. to fill out the form the pain clinic requested, even though my Dr. wrote me a referral on his letterhead. They said they only accept their forms!! What a bunch of malarkey, as I am not functioning well they are playing paper games. it is cool her the morning and Tipper has already walked. We are to go into the 80's so she will be in . Is the Cruft's institute anywhere near you? I always see different things they are doing with dogs over there. I wonder sometimes what their mortality rate is for dogs having the pituitary tumor removed since they were the pioneers with this operation? I hope you have a good weekend and it is not too hot for Ian to enjoy his walk. Is he still doing good taking the pills? Blessings
Patti

this pain unfortunately is a common side effect of mammograms.
torn muscles etc.
they are for free in my country for woman age 50+.
you are invited every 2nd year.
payed by the government.
my mom died young of a very agressive form of breast cancer, so i had 2 mammograms.
1 did not hurt, the second one very much.
i could hardly do my work for weeks.
i hope this stupid paperwork is done fast and that they can give you a nerve blocker.
cruft's institute is in britain and is about dog behaviour.
i think you mean the uni-clinic in utrecht. it is well known for its pit tumor operations.[dr. sarah galac]
they don't perform them too often, since it is very expensive and most of the dogs are older ones.
there is a dutch blog of someone who let her cairn terrier mix [only 6 years old] have the op. overthere.
the dog had to stay there for a week.
the most difficult result is that she has to give her dog cortisone twice a day and she has to increase it if she suspects stress moments like vet visits/groomers etc.
she always carries an ampul of injectable cortisone with her in case the dog crashes. [addison]
since the dog was only very young he recovered well. [op. was march 2014]
he has to take meds to concentrate his urine for the rest of his life and thyroid meds.
he is still less perky than he was before. especially when walking.
that is a side effect of it.
since he was so young she felt she had no choice, but there are certainly side effects.
i am glad ian is doing well on the vetoryl.
that little can of expensive fish food for cats is still doing the trick.......