My Pug Scoop (Precious Scoop has passed... )

Hi Vicki. Hugs to you and Scoop.

This is a terrible time, when you just don't know where to turn and what to do next to try and make things better. I too think you have a valid set of questions to ask and that the answers might be a guide for you to help know what to do.

It all comes down to evaluation of possibilities with this disease. If we do this, what will the likely result be, what are the chances things will improve vs the chances that they won't. How risky is the procedure to Scoop, what are his chances of surviving the procedure.
In the end, it is quality of life. We use the medications to try and give our babies the best quality of life possible for the time they have left here on earth with us. We do all these procedures and tests to know what will help them the most to give them that quality of life we want for them.

We evaluate every opinion given by the experts by our friends here on the fourm who have been through this themselves and then we try to take it all and make a decision and it is still hard to know what to do and half the time I think we are guessing and hoping. Lists can help, many many lists. List of what recommendations have been made and what can be ruled out, what has helped so far and what has not. At leas that is one method that I've been known to us. Not everyone is a list person. :)

My heart goes out to you as this is so difficult.
Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Continued prayers of strength be sent to you. Please give Scoop some kisses on the nose for us.

Hi Vicki,

Just want you to know I'm thinking of you and Scoop. I can imagine tge agony you're feeling trying to make decisions. I'm sending you lots of positive thoughts.

Julie & Hannah

Good Morning Vicki:
Just wanted to let you know that I am praying very hard for you and Scoop. I am begging God to show you some mercy and help you get Scoop thru this. The thought of what you are having to endure kills me. I pray for you and Scoop to find your way.
Patti

Is texas to far away for you and scoop to travel and see doctors? we have Texas Gulf Coast Specialist and Texas A&M.............do you think you would be able to get any help there? or speak to the doctors there? I know its hard for you to even breathe right now........your soul is shattering............God speed you strength and peace...may the answers surface. if nothing has to be decided immediately........dont....just breathe a moment if you can. sending hugs.

Addy, Letti, Sharlene, Belinda, Julie, Patti, Skye-Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes for Scoop. I have such a hard time with decisions no matter what they are and this is the toughest one I've had to face. I see Scoop do things and I'm so sure it's the tumor and I think to myself, that's it. I have to do whatever. Then I stop and think and get confused all over again. It hurts so much when I see him acting strange or doesn't want to take food that you just never thought he would refuse.

Skye-Texas is far to travel but thank you for making that suggestion. If I could my choice would be U of FL. That's also too far. That would be if the decision for stereotactic radition would be made.

Vicki:
My God I just realized where you are located. I lived in the South Hills my whole life, up until moving here. I come back to Pgh. to go to my Dr. all the time. What a small world it is. What practice do you take Scoop to and where are they located? Tipper and I are holding out for a miracle for Scoop. He so deserves to be well. I am very familiar with Whitehall, and have friends living there. Maybe with the nicer temperatures you could go outside and sit with Scoop and let him enjoy the smells outdoors. GOd Bless You Both.
Patti

Patti, I live in Whitehall but it is located just north of Allentown. It's a little over an hour north of Phila. I have heard there is a Whitehall near Pitts. but I'm in eastern PA. Too bad it isn't closer maybe we could have met up somewhere. It takes about 4.5-5 hours to get to Pitts from where I am.

Patti, Thank you for all your prayers for Scoop. They are so much appreciated. He does deserve to be well, as all our babies do. Scoop has always been such a good boy!

I read an article on the VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital website. Dr. Bruyette talks about surgery done on dogs for pituitary tumors. Then he mentons that Cedars-Sinai researchers have identified a substance that shrinks this kind of tumor in a laboratory environment. He said a clinical trial is in the planning stages to see how it works on living dogs. This article is from Dec. 2010. Has anyone ever seen this or heard if they conducted the trial?

Hi Vicki,

I found an article from 2011: http://www.dogaware.com/articles/new...gssurgery.html

In it Cedars was looking for dogs for trials to try and shrink the pituitary tumor.
Looks like the best person to contact for information is Dr. Bruyette.
Maybe you could give them a call, find out if they ran the trials, are still looking for dogs and get more information.

Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin