Ugga-7yr old french bulldog (calcinosis cutis)(Ugga crossed the bridge)

Hi Angela. Thank you so much for the info! I'm definitely going to look into the EPO. Ugga does take 1200mg fish oil/day but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. I don't know why I keep giving it to him. Maybe combined with the EPO it will be more effective. As long as it's safe to give him with all his other meds, I'm all for it! I have tried putting clothes on Ugga but it drives him insane. He rolls and rolls until I take them off. Basically, we just try to keep him distracted. When he starts scratching, we give him a ball and he runs around like crazy, completely forgetting he was ever itchy :). I wash him twice a week in ketochlor shampoo which does seem to help. I think I'm going to increase him to 3 baths a week to see if that works even better. He also has a spray (Humilac) to help soften his skin. I also try to keep his nails filed so they're not as sharp but he still manages to scratch himself open if we're not watching (usually overnight). Oh, and he's on 1000mg/day of Cephalexin for infection. Did you ever just feel completely overwhelmed with Sabre? How did you handle that? I quit smoking 3 years ago and my quit is in serious jeopardy right now, I've been cheating like crazy...ugh :(

Double check with the vet with the EPO .. it was a vet who suggested Sabre had it in his diet and that is when I researched online and found that is was best used in combo with fish oil (I now remember this after my research today ... brain fade).

With regards to the overwhelmed question ... we seriously had little faith in the calcinosis cutis ever rectifying itself. The vet said that if we could keep infections at bay ... hit with antibotics if infections arose we could have a good chance. From Sabre's experience I would say that getting his cortisol levels to the recommended treated range then having them at a reasonably constant level was best for him. Every time the went up or down I sometimes at the time ... sometimes in hindsight, could tell by the way his skin was affecting him. We were lucky in that by 4 to 6 months of treatment with Lysodren all his calcinosis cutis had healed and his hair started regrowing. Once this happened we never had open sores again ... just plates of hard calcification under the skin.

Angela and Flynn

I will definitely ask my vet about the EPO, thanks again :) I'm hoping that since Ugga's calcinosis cutis went away before it will again...hoping. It took about a month before we noticed improvement and I believe it got worse before it got better. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Crossing fingers...

Ok, I uploaded some pics of Ugga's current bout of calcinosis cutis (calcinosis cutis round 2 pics 1 and 2) to my profile (I don't know how to post them here). It's so much more severe this time, I didn't realize until I looked at the old pics. :(

Omg Jackie. I just saw Ugga's picture of the calcinosis, oh my, that poor little fellow. It just breaks my heart to see that on him. I know it must just devastate you to see it. :( I really hope this change in the medicine helps him and he can maintain a good cortisol level too.

Oh gosh, I didn't even notice anything in the "wringer" ROFL!

hugs,
Sharlene

Hi Jackie

I have just looked at the pics ... poor Ugga. Have you been able to stabilise him at any time? You are quite right ... it does get worse before it gets better. It has been now 10 months since diagnosis ... I see back in May that his calcinosis cutis cleared up ... how was it at this stage ... healed and hair growing back? What changed between then and now?

Angela and Flynn

I know, it's bad. The good thing is, it's only really bad on his chest, under his chin, and at the base of his head. He's lost most of the hair on his sides and there are some tiny bumps but they don't bother him at all. Angela, to answer your question-nothing changed medication wise until about 2 months ago, we increased 10mg/day because his skin was starting to look iffy. The only differences between then and now are that he put on 6 lbs (YIKES-that was all my fault and he's lost 1.5 lbs since that weigh in about a month ago) and the neurological symptoms. Last time, we noticed improvement after about a month of treatment. The large plates started to break up, but, he wasn't scratching himself open previously, I'm not sure what to expect this time around. We had a 6 month stretch where his skin was almost normal (still small bumps in spots but nothing that bothered him)

Sometimes ... even when things have been good, things change and dosages need to be tweaked. This is what appears to have happened to Ugga.

Take care
Angela and Flynn

oh poor little Ugga. That looks so painful. :(
Did it start out as hard little bumps under the skin & then open up. I hope for Boriss's sake his bump never opens up.

I still haven't gotten Boriss's cortisol level under control. I hope we can get to the low number with him before he gets any skin problems.

I am so sorry you are having to go thru this with your baby. Ugga is still as cute as a button. We have always wanted a french bulldog.
We currently have our Boston Borris & an Old English Bulldog Pearl. The bullie breeds are just so fun!

I hope you can find the right mix of meds to make that baby feel better & back to fun times.

hugs

Hi Amy. I couldn't agree more, bullie breeds are so much fun. If I were rich, I'd have at least 10 frenchies lol. As far as Ugga's skin, it didn't really start out like a bump, it was more of a small patch (quarter size) of skin that was slightly raised. It almost looked like ringworm initially. Then he got really red and we thought he was having a food allergy. When it all started to harden we freaked and took him for a biopsy. How are things going with Boriss? He is so cute, I just love Bostons :)