Buddy, The Mighty Lizard Hunter - Suspected Pituitary Macro Tumor

haha...the little dinosaur! He's probably trying to intimidate the lizards as a giant reptile!! :D I love it!!
Barbara ;)

What a cutie that Buddy is, I thought it was a pickle costume :)

Hey Kathy

I thought he was a lizard :D

How are you both today?

Big hug

Mel
Xxxxx

Kathy:
I am hoping and praying against all odds that Buddy does not have a tumor. You two have certainly been through enough. I just cannot get enough of Buddy's escapades and costumes, he is soooo cute ! I am glad you enjoyed the day at SeaWorld and got this off of your mind for a while. I think Buddy is dressing up so he can go incognito outside and get a surprise jump on those lizards! Blessings
Patti

Hi Kathy,
Well, that is a fine state of affairs. One options that they might suggest is to stop the vetoryl. I don't know of course, but it might be that the higher cortisol will be better for Buddy than the vetoryl. I'm sure that your vet is going to go over all this with you once he talks to the neuro staff. Hang in there kiddo. We'll be right here with you, whatever may come.
Well and isn't that a fine outfit. Mel - A Lizard!!! hahahaha That Buddy does live dangerously considering his escapades in the backyard Lizard Hunting. ROFL
Glad you had a great time with the kids at Sea World. Sugar, now that is an option. I hear the burn out is YIKES at the end of the day though.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

I was kidding about the sugar on the field trip guys!!!!!!!!!!;) I actually don't eat sugar because it triggers my migraines. So now you have it!:D

Hugs,
Kathy

Yes Sharlene, I know the decision that I'm going to have to make. It will be one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make in my lifetime. It all comes down to quality of life, what is best for Buddy. If it were up to me, I would pop a pack of energizer batteries in him and keep him going and going and going, like the energizer bunny on the commercials. Buddy was miserable before I started Trilostane. He would lie in his bed all day, only leaving to go potty. Even then, he had to be coaxed out. He didn't hunt, he didn't play, he didn't interact much, he was just there. :(Trilostane gave him his life back. If I stop it, he will quickly revert back to the way it was before his cortisol was controlled. That is no way to live, if there is another option. Keeping him on the Trilostane will most likely shorten his life the way the neuro symptoms are progressing, because it will leave the tumor left unchecked. His legs will most likely give out on him much more quickly and permanently, leaving him unable to stand or even get up. Trilostane could slow down the tumor growth, keeping him with me longer, at the expense of the his quality of life. So it comes down to longer or better. That is a crappy choice to have to make!!!:(

Hugs,
Kathy

Kathy:
Tipper and I are saying a super, duper prayer for you and Buddy. I know what you are facing, and it will be a very tuff decision. You are in between a rock and a hard place. My heart goes out to you. None of us should ever have to make that decision. This Cushings really stinks! You are a wonderful mom to Buddy and I know you will choose what is right for him. You put a lot of thought into his care. May God give Buddy a miracle healing. God Bless You Both
Patti

Dear Kathy,

Thanks so much for being willing to explain all the neuro observations and diagnostics that have been done so far. I am guessing it was not very easy to write. :o

But everything that has been said makes perfect sense to me, and so I realize that you are now in the midst of a painful guessing game as to how Buddy's journey will unfold.

For what it's worth, I do understand why you may opt to continue the Vetoryl. We were faced with exactly the same decision with Barkis when we suspected an enlarging macrotumor. We did stop his trilostane entirely for a very short time, but his debilitating Cushing's symptoms quickly rebounded. So we tried to pick sort of a compromise and restarted him at a lower dose for his remaining time with us.

As crazy as it sounds, we have also seen some specialists prescribe BOTH trilostane and prednisone for dogs afflicted with problematic tumors. Although I have never had the rationale explained with certainty, I do believe it is with this thought in mind. A steroid can indeed be helpful in terms of reducing swelling and inflammation caused by the tumor, but you'd like it to be administered in a controlled fashion. So by continuing with the trilostane, the natural cortisol remains in check at the same time that a very specific dose of prednisone is administered. In this way, the dog isn't suffering from the excessively high, uncontrolled cortisol of Cushing's but is instead receiving a predictable steroid dose. So if, by chance, your neurosurgeon makes a suggestion like this -- it may not be as nutty as it initially sounds.

Anyway, bottom line, my heart goes out to you because I will always remember how painful it was for us when Barkis' neuro deficits became ever more obvious. But our family here helped save me then, and our family here will save you now, Kathy. We will be walking beside you every step of the way. And I know you will make the choices that will keep Buddy as comfortable as possible for as long as you can.

Marianne

That is a very good thought Marianne about the trilostane and prednisone. Didn't someoen on here do that before, or did I read it. I can't remember at this point.
Other thing would to do a mild decrease of the vetoryl so as to allow it to come up a bit but not so much as to cause the symptoms to come back. So definitely things to think about.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin