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

I've been away but wanted to express my sorrow for the loss of our sweet Flynn. He fought so hard as did you and I am just so sorry he couldn't beat this. You gave him a wonderful life and I know he left this old world on the wings of your love which he will carry with him til that day you meet again.

Our deepest sympathies,
Leslie, Squirt, Trinket, Brick, Sophie, Grace and all our Angels.

at first; thank you leslie!
ian is more stable now, and patti, i recognise what you tell me about tipper wanting to jump on the bed herself. ian wants to jump in the car, but he can't do that anymore. today after our walk along the riverside, he ran away because he did not want to be helped.
he certainly feels stronger now. it is just -2 degrees celsius now, so we do have some wintertemperatures right now. during daytime it is about +5.
just dream about possitive testresults and your dreams will come true!
can't your doctor prescribe you something relaxing for those testdays to come, which allow you to drive with? just a thought....

Some how I will make it thru this. I think that is one of the best things I get from my father is strength. I can pull it out when I have to, so I am counting on that to get me thru next weeks ordeal. I feel really bad that Tipper must see 3 Dr.'s then when we get back have all that testing at my vets. I may have to give her a break in between or she is going to have a nervous break down from vets. I hear what you are saying about Ian. Tipper is the same way she comes from the doggy group that wants no help and gets really aggravated if you make her let you help. She would run off if she could also to stop me from helping her. Tipper is definitely strong willed to day the least. I am glad though that Ian is feeling good enough to go on his walks etc. These dogs are such a huge part of our every day life that I wonder what I did with all my free time before all this started. It is dark, drizzling, and the wind is really starting up so we will have snow Monday. Blessings
Patti

yes, we have the "'girlpower"'. we are alone with our dogs and we are the only ones that can take care of them. in their minds they are still strong willed indeed. ian is getting stronger every day now, so it is more difficult to convince him he needs help.
but i also think this is what keeps them going. they really want to go on with their lives.
i am sorry for you that that the weather will change to snow again.
ian hates vets and gets very stressed out too. it sounds better indeed to give tipper a break between vet visits. does she put up a fight when she has to enter the clinic? does she likes car rides or do they make her suspicious of what is coming next?
it sounds as if tipper is still in pretty good shape and she will surprise us all with good testresults.

I try to take Tipper in the car with me other places, but she has been at this vets so many times and it is a 40 mile round trip. She knows every inch of it, every turn and every time you put the turn signal on she knows which way we will turn. No fooling her. I go in the vets and leave her in the car. I wait until they are ready for her and get her real fast and take her in. Other wise she is trembling so much she looks like she will have a break down. I am glad that Ian sounds like he is doing well. That is all we can hope for is for them to be as well as possible and be happy. You have had a lot with you sweet Flynn passing and I am praying every day that Ian keeps on going and we celebrate his birthday next year. This is such a cruel disease, and in epidemic proportions if you ask me. Tipper is starting with the hunger at nite and I am wondering if her cortisol is creeping up again. She is on 28mg and may have to go back to 30 after this next ACTH test I guess we will know where we stand. Hope your weather holds out and stays nice. Blessings
Patti

i leave my dogs in the car too till it is their turn to come in, less stress indeed!
ian is on 30 mg. now. [2mg/kilo] the water intake and appetite are back to normal after increase from 20 to 30 mg. i don't have to walk every 3 to 4 hours anymore.
do you give the trilostane once or twice a day? do you give her some food before going to sleep?
after all the worrying with flynn, i hope that ian will stay stable for a long time.....maybe he will even lose some weight........
the weather is still ok overhere.
wish you both a good night sleep.

I do give Tipper something to eat before bed as she get real bad gastro symptoms if she does not eat something. Do your dogs get that too? I think that is the best way to leave them in the car as they get so anxious with all the other animals in one room together. Maybe this is a really good dose for Ian and he will do well on it for some time. Lets hope so anyway! Warm and going to rain here. I will be up at 4am as I have to travel to my hometown to see my Dr first thing in the morning. I never sleep well the nite before as I am always afraid of sleeping in. Blessings
Patti

up at 4.......that is early...... but sleeping in is a risk indeed. hope the doctor will be satisfied with your health. busy week for you.
glad that the weather is better now so you can have a walk with the dogs.
ian is doing fine on 30 mg of vetoryl, but he is back to being a picky eater. makes giving the pills difficult. he is more suspicious now.
i read in an other topic that tipper is always very hungry.
was she always like that? fortunately my dogs do have "'concrete"' stomachs because of eating barf their whole lives. i've never fed my dogs anything else. it is pretty common in my country. you have to know what you are doing of course. you can even buy it [frozen] in the supermarket]
hope the visits tomorrow and wednesday to your doctors [yours and tippers] will go well, and after that some well earned rest!

Tipper has always been a hungry girl, but never had weight on her like this and it was not the kind of hunger she has now. Never met a Jack Russell that would turn down food. They are eating machines. I am curious what this stuff is you say you by in the supermarket, what exactly is it? I am hoping Ian can stay on the 30mg as then you are into compounding the next dosage as the next in Vetoryl would be too high. Got to go sleep. Blessings
Patti

the good thing about eating machines is that the pills go in easy i quess.
in all the supermarkets you can buy raw sort of dog hamburgers for small dogs [about 100 gram/4ounces each] in different tastes. for the bigger dogs there are packages of raw minced meat also in different tastes. and most of the time chopped cow's heart, chicken hearts and liver, small fish for cats etc. at the pet store they have more expensive brands and kilo rolls [frozen]. i buy it somewhere else, it is much cheaper overthere. private persons with their own freezing facility at home. it is big business. you can also buy whole rabbits, duck. goose, rodents, salmon, whatever you want.......and dried animal parts for a snack. it is a "growing industry"'.
for people who are used to feed kibble, it sounds odd maybe, but i have never fed my animals anything else.
again lots of strenght tomorrow with all the appointments and we will be going to hear only good news tomorrow i hope.....
sleep well!

Thank you so much for your kindness and thinking of my Tipper this has taken a load off my mind, but am still apprehensive about the seizures. She had some more last nite. We were at the hospital for 12 hours and I had several melt downs. Has to start over from scratch on Tipper's ACL as they messed it up in the hospital and the therapist worked it out yesterday, but was unhappy they did this and set her back. I am hoping all is still good with Ian. How are you doing and how is the weather now? Blessings
Patti

i can understand that you and tipper must be exhausted after 12 hours driving/hospital in one day! and having some break downs while you have to wait during tippers physical exams.......i can understand that too! and the fact that her leg was worse afterwards......[and the bills..]
hope the new meds will work for tippers seizures.
the temp. are still very high an the dogs are shedding like crazy because of it. you can knit a whole sweater from it.
i am looking for a ramp so the dogs can walk into the car by themselves. but since ian hates everything out of the ordinary.........i fear he will be afraid of it . he is "a wimpy kid" in those things.
it is only 4.40 am so...........................bedtime.
and sleep well for you and tipper.

Maybe that is a new business to start making things out of dog hair! I better think of making money somehow as these bills are really outrageous. This cat is simply amazing, she is more dog like than anything. How is Ian holding up? Hope you are able to get some rest now that he is doing fairly well. I hope this works out for the cat as she is one of the nicest cats I have ever seen. It is snowing out and about 2 inches on the ground. Tipper's leg is a little better today. She is getting rested up for Wednesday BP check, and Thursday therapy for her leg. Blessings
Patti

hi patti, so the snow is back...i will send some spring temperatures from here towards you....but....i saw a tic in ian's fur in his neck. they are still alive because of the high temp.
hopefully the cat's health will be ok and she will be getting along with your other cats.
does tipper need more laser therapy because of the fact how the hospital mistreated her leg?
ian is still doing wel on 30 mg vetoryl. i "met"' with someone on the internet and she ownes a whippet with cushings.
we were able to buy 189 pills of vetoryl [60 mg] for only 100 euro. [=136 us dollar] and are sharing the costs of having them split into 15 mg capsules, so we can give them twice a day to our dogs.
ian is getting restless for an hour or 2 when it is time for his vetoryl. i think 2x day will suit him better.
apart from being a bit stiff in all of his legs, he is back to normal.
only 7 weeks after he crashed and was diagnosed with cushings, and the kennel couch has healed without abs, so he is still a strong guy!

This is great news that Ian is doing so well. The crash and kennel cough were kind of scary, so this is really good.
That is very cool that you've met someone that you can split cost with for the vetroyl and then have the pills split to the correct dosage. That will be easier for both of you I'm sure.
No spring weather here yet. I wish. I am not a particularly good winter person. :( I lived in Hawaii for 4 years and in California for many years too, throw in Tennessee and I like a winter that is short if it happens at all.
Most of my family drive to Tahoe, Big Bear or somewhere to get their winter fix and then back to the coast.
Molly loves the cooler temperatures, but not the blistering cold that we get here. When it gets too cold, she does her thing and then turns around and head back for the door and her warm comfy home. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

yes sharlene, i am glad ian is doing well [after all that happened with flynn] and that i found someone to buy vetoryl with and she knows a laboratory who will split the capsules for us. we both have enough for 7 months now...
luckily people sell their vetoryl "'leftovers"' on the internet.
i can understand that canadian winters are not your favorite season after living in hawaii and california......did molly live there with you?
if she does not want to walk in the harsh weather than there is not much you can do [except being happy that you don't have to walk either...].
are you and your husband feeling better now? [it was you who suffered from whooping couch right?]
i suffered from it 15 years ago, and it left me with a-typical asthma
attacks.

Hi, no molly didn't live in Hawaii with me. She is actually from Quebec, a rescue that we got after our golden passed away.

In Hawaii, I had a couple different rescues that I fostered and a cat that was also a rescue as a baby. He came back to the mainland with me, and I got my golden retriever. Those two grew up together and traveled, lived their lives together and passed within a couple months of each other. Then came molly. :)

No, Kathy has the whooping cough, I had the flu, and hubby has pneumonia. I'm much better, hubs is getting there, slowly. I hope that Kathy is doing better. Whooping cough is horrible and much worse than the flu, I think. It last longer and is much harder on the body and to recover from. How awful that you had it too. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

They aren't allowed to sell vetroyl over the internet here, ebay, etc. You can't resell medications here, so there aren't very many options when it comes to getting pet medication. I think it is even more difficult in Canada in that we don't have all the internet options that is available in the states.

I'm really glad that you have that option where you live. Some simply cannot treat as they can't afford it and no options like that available to them. I think that is heart breaking. :(

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

I am so glad that you got enough meds for Ian for 7 months that is fantastic. That is good to know you don't have to worry about that for a while. Yes Tipper has to have 5 weeks and maybe more of intensive laser therapy because of the hospital not listening to me. She was with so many different techs it is hard to know who did it. I am watching snow come down just real fine. We are to get sub zero again next week so Tipper will not walk again then. I am a bit more relaxed knowing her testing was mostly good. This worrying can wear you down. Big Hugs to you and all the furbabies form Tipper and I. Blessings
Patti

hi sharlene and patti, i believe it is not allowed in my country either to sell meds on "'the dutch ebay"' either, but sometimes they manage to put the vetoryl ad on it.
because of that, i did put an ad on it asking for vetoryl and they did not delete it so far.....
i have some strips of thyroid medicin from flynn, which i will donate to a rescue pound, but since vetoryl is so expensive, i can understand why people want to sell those capsules. i would do so too.
i am sorry that you both are still in the polar temperatures.
it is about +8 celsius here.
tippers testresults sound really good indeed. after her leg has healed, she will be a puppy again....
the rest is just aging i quess. we "'40+ ladies"' all suffer from it...............[at least i do...ha, ha!!]
and again it is 2.14 am overhere, so walk the dogs and bedtime.

Yes we are not allowed to sell meds here and if someone saw them would probably report us for doing it. I am glad someone else will benefit from Flynns thyroid meds. I took Tipper to the vets for her Adequan shot this morning. It would be easier if her gave me an apartment above the place it would save all the driving!! Tipper gets these shots every 3 weeks for her Trachea and legs and back. It does help a great deal. I think I need a couple myself!! I am hoping Ian is still doing well on this dosage and getting around good. Blessings
Patti

maybe you can marry your vet................everything for free........
i will google on those adequan shots, don't know if they are available in europe. glad they do benefit tipper.
ian is feeling so strong now, he thinks he can do everything by himself again e.g. jump into the car. but he can't! he is very pissed at me when i need to help him. he does not understand it.
the dog ramps i found are so heavy and take away a lot of space in your car. and the good ones are very expensive.....
i hope you [and i] will have a good night sleep despite everything going on....

I should have gone to school for it when I was younger but my mother nixed that. I should have married one instead and could have free vet care which would be unreal. Tipper is doing better and I am glad to hear that Ian is stronger. It takes away so much worry when they are doing well. WE are to get real bad and real cold weather coming and I have to go out tomorrow and take Grace, and Thursday to take Tipper to therapy. Blessings
Patti

so i read you are expecting more bad weather coming up. and it is only january! hope the roads will be clean so you will have a safe drive to the vet and tippers leg therapy.
distraction.......i just saw ian biting at a spot on his hip....hot spot!! just what we need right now! i have to lure him into the bathroom so i can lock him up and have a proper look at it, but since he is a wimpy kid this won't be easy. plus i have to put a pipet with anti flea drops [advantage] in his neck. also with sister enya and the cat. they won't like it...........but because of the spring weather fleas and ticks are still alive.
and some stray cats outside from the nearby farm who don't look very healthy and bingo.....[ living on the edge of a small village]
not happy right now!

hi, try a tea compress on the hot spot and see if that helps. Sometimes it does.

Yes, it's cold here and where Patti lives, and most of the others in the northern parts. :(

Currently it is -18C temp and -25 wind chill where i am. Walks are shorter for sure.

Saw you are at +5C, heaven! LOL

Sharlene and molly muffin

thank you charlene +5 is also heaven for those mini critters that will prey on your cat and dog. last year we had snow and ice till the end of march. this year it is "'spring"' so far.
low energy bill this year i hope.....
i gave ian half a pill of norocarp/carprodyl from flynn and an advantage pipet in his neck, but since he has gained weight, i think he will need a stronger one. this one is for 4-10 kg dogs. he is about 14 kg right now.
stay warm in freezing cold canada!

I am really happy that Ian is doing so well. You needed this after the heartache with sweet Flynn. I can imagine the ticks and fleas are out if you are having spring. Don't need those critters in your house next! Hurry up and find me those money tree seeds as Grace is going to have a whopper of a bill at the end of the month!! Hoping I have no more problems with Tipper in between as that stint at the animal hospital wiped me out again. Blessings
Patti

bills, bills, vetbills........we need a whole forest of them [money trees i mean]. here one bill ; euro 209, the other one 253! [with discount]
ian has a big hotspot since yesterday, but i cleaned it up myself and it is dry now. so far no infection and no vet visit [yet] i give him half a pill norocarp/carprodyl 50 mg from flynn. luckily they are so called tasty pills.
hopefully the laser- treatment will do the trick for tippers leg.
is she doing better now?
have to go to bed though, so sleep well!

Oh Gheez I guess that means mom is going to have to bring home more bacon!! These vet bills are ridiculous aren't they? It is more than paying for yourself to go to the Dr. I hope that hot spot on Ian is gone for good, you do not need any more expense or worrying. We are to be hit with another front in a few days bringing more snow and even colder weather. Blessings
Patti

more cold weather...yehh...just what you need right now.
and for the bills...............grrmmm......
the hotspot is pretty big, but looks "'good"' so far, but being a cushing dog and being susceptible to skin infections, i am a bit worried though.
hope tipper has no more/less seizures tonight and you both get some rest.
do you have a break from vet visits for now? and no doctor appointments for yourself i hope. try not to catch the flu from your neighbour when you are helping him out....your animals need you!
we can not afford to get sick, since we have no back up. [ at least i don't]. have to walk the dogs for the last time in the drizzle and finally go to bed.

Well Tipper did have a few smaller episodes last nite. She is moving around the bed a lot so I am suspect the cortisol is climbing. I am going to have no recourse but to put her on the 30mg that made her pre number go low. She is at 28 mg now. I am hoping that spot on Ian gets no worse. He is doing so well he does not need a skin infection. It is so frigid out I cannot believe this weather and to get colder next week. Tipper and I went to laser and the roads were getting bad on the way home and snowing like crazy. Her leg is getting better. One more session next Thursday and then she goes back to once every 3 weeks unless this leg acts up some more. The laser therapist gave the ok for her to be lose in the house so we will try I out slowly as Tipper does everything full throttle. Blessings
Patti

it sounds good so far with tippers seizure activity . did you notice any difference since you give her a full pill?
and her leg improving too!
it is a pity that you still can not walk tipper. it would make her more quiet in the house i quess.
ian's hot spot is itchy, so it is healing, but it makes him a bit restless because of it.
last walk and off to bed!

Tipper had quite a few smaller seizures last nite. I am not convinced this medicine is doing anything, but challenging me mentally. Her leg is a lot better but I would not say 100%, probably never will be. She jumped yesterday and I caught her. She is so hard to stop she is just like a tiny bulldozer. She was throwing her toys all around yesterday and up in the air to show me her level of frustration. I did get the point! We have 40 mile and hour wind, snow coming down terrible and about 7 degrees. It is so miserable out it is like the Arctic here. I have a few days without appointments so I need to get some stuff done around here. No home for Grace yet. I called a cat rescue near me to see if they knew of anyone no luck there. I will keep trying. She needs to be with a middle ages woman who is devoted to her, she wants attention and is so sweet she deserves it. Hope Ian is still healing on the hot spot and having a good day, and you too. Blessings
Patti

ian's hotspot has to be treated, but he gets very, very stressed!
he cried out loud, having a panic attack.
i really wish i did not have to do this. i hope this was the last time. i do not want him to hate me for it. he is avoiding me already. not good!
hopefully tipper can regain a good use of her leg without surgery! so she can have her daily walks when the weather is getting better.
i can understand she is frustrated now. [so will you i quess]
hope you will find a good home for grace soon. she will need the extra space and attention.
i once had a cat with FIP virus which started as corona virus and she crashed on an intestinal bleeding at age 10. my other cat never showed any signs, but the vet said he must have been a carrier. he died of old age at 18 never showing any signs of fip.
what does the vet say about keeping her and introduce her to your own cats. what is the risk of grace spreading the virus?

Does I an get real bad if he ahs to go to the vets? I hate that they get so stressed as I feel that can harm them a lot too. I try to keep Tipper's visits to as few as possible, but she always has something going on. I am hoping they give you something to treat this and it goes away for good. With these dogs prone to CC I would not want it to turn into anything like that. Tipper continues to have small seizures at nite. I thought they would stop, wishful thinking. The vet said there is a 30% chance Grace could spread this to my cats and I cannot do that to them. My one cat will be 13 and I love him dearly. Very hard situation to deal with. I am the one who rescued her so I must now make sure she gets a good, safe, forever home. Blessings
Patti

not a day without worrying about our pets. old age and cushings.....double trouble.
your own cats do come first, and if there is any risk, i won't introduce grace either.
i did not take care of ian's hot spot today since it looked dry.
i do not want him to be afraid of me. he does not seem to have a fever so i leave him alone. he eats well and wants to go out for a walk [in the rain]. [they never want to p and p in the garden]

Have you tried a tea compress on the hot spot? Sometimes that makes them feel better and it shouldn't hurt them at all you do it.

It's hard when you want so much to help out, like with Grace, but have to be careful of your own cats too. :( Very sad. I do hope that Patti can find her a good home.

You're having rain and we're having snow tonight. Joy joy, I just went out and shoveled down to the street, so at least it won't be as bad in the morning, if we get more.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

That tea sounds like a good thing. Is I an licking at it? I am not letting Grace out of this room until I find a perfect person for her. If I had no cats this would be a no brainer as she is just like a dog. We are still having bitter cold and snow, so rain sounds nice right about now. Blessings
Patti

yes patti and sharlene, we do have the rain and wind and you do have all the snow and also wind of course.
at least i don't have to shovel ...............i can step into my car-no ice to remove from the windows- and off i go.
ian is very upset , even if i only want to look at his hotspot, so no tea compress,[too much stress] but i will keep it in mind . it sounds interesting and i had never heared of it. i like doing things the natural way so good tip.
hope you all have a good night sleep.

That's a shame that you cannot get near Ian. I feel so bad as I know you want to take a look at that spot. Has he always been real touchy about things like that or just since he got Cushings? I am glad you do not have our weather I think it is 15 below 0 this morning here. Tipper goes for her testing tomorrow so I hope the weather is better. Blessings
Patti

hi patti, he is and was always touchy indeed. not a tough guy! his mom was more like tipper sounds. his sister is something in between those characters.
-15 sounds really cold.........is this normal for your area?
hope the outcome of tippers tests will be ok. is your cat ill or also tests for him?
sleep well and we will wait for your report on your vet visit.