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I want to second Marianne here. We all do the best we can with the information we have. It's our privilege to have these precious beings as part of our lives ... but, it is also our burden to make the best choices we can for them and hope it turns out all right. Had you elected not to treat her, then you would possibly be beating yourself up for whatever the outcome going down that road.
Be kind to yourself Joan. Lena had your unconditional love, which is all that mattered to her.
I know, Renee...thanks.
yep the heart and the head are not always in agreement even when in the midst of trying to treat and make those decisions.
It certainly isn't when we are trying to come to grips with the loss of those we loved so much.
Hi all,
I know I read somewhere of a harness diaper...I just can't remember who posted it. I have a Puggle who will not stop marking and he is ruining my furniture and I am at my wits end about what to do. HELP!
Thanks....
https://peekeeper.com/
My Ginger wore these for three yrs and I don't know what I'd have done without them. Took a bit of time until I got the hang of how to put them off and on with ease (those pesky valcro patches :mad:).
I believe these are for both boys and girls but please double check.
You can see Ginger wearing them in her album. Miss my baby. :(
Give it a try and order a spare if you like it as you will need it.
Wonderful! Thanks!
Where you able to get a peekeeper for your puggle? Hope that helps with the marking. My friend had a cocker that marked every house he went into, including his own. Peed down my wall, I was like, hello pleased to meet you too. Then went for the bucket to clean up. I think it would drive me crazy on a daily basis. LOL
Right now we are on Elavil and valium, hopefully it will help
...I hope so
Hi joan. How is your puggle doing? How are you. It's been such a sad time lately to lose so many and I though of you and of Brianna and so many who also have had heart ache and loss.
Hi Sharlene,
He seems to be doing okay so far, but that is what happens...he goes weeks without doing anything and then all of a sudden he pees or poops all over.
Sibbie is adorable and we are all settling in together. I miss Lena every day, but am beginning to move on a little. I still think of her constantly.
Thanks for checking in with me. I check in on all of you every day, even if I don't post.
Sharlene,
I've been meaning to ask you about elevated sex hormones. I see you mention that a lot and I was wondering what exactly it means. Just curious because of Gable, who may or may not have Cushings. He drinks a lot, but as far as I know, doesn't pee in the house (I hope I haven't been blaming the Puggle all this time if it was Gabe, but I don't think it is).
When we first heard of Cushings way back last year before we even suspected Lena had anything, it was because of Gable's hair loss on both sides of his rump. They tested and it came back fine, but of course I know now that that doesn't mean anything. He likes to rub against the boxwoods in the backyard, so I think it was because of that and it usually grows back in the winter as soft puppy-like fur. I put him on Melatonin for a while a few months ago and he hasn't lost any yet. But sometimes I wonder...he pants a lot, but he's a big dog (85-90lbs) and lately he seems to be a little unsteady, but he is going to be 8 and I don't know what he's mixed with...pretty sure there is Lab in there, but maybe Visla also, who knows.
I can't bear the thought, or the expense, of going through Cushings again! As soon as I have some extra money I'm going to have the vet do a complete blood workup, but I really don't want to know.
Anyway, my original question...what does elevated sex hormones mean when it refers to Cushings?
Hi Joan,
I started to try to type this on my ipad and gave up, too horrendously painful. LOL So, at the computer now.
In cushings, when a dog has normal cortisol levels, but has (and per my IMS) at least two other sex hormones elevated, they call this Atypical Cushings. Not all vets even agree that this exists, but Dr. Oliver at the University of Tennessee studied it thoroughly before his death (he was a great resource to k9 cushings here). We know that sex hormones elevations can cause some of the same sort of sypmptoms that are seen in cushings, hair loss, etc. So the test through University of Tennessee evaluates cortisol levels and the other sex hormones and if you have 2 or more elevated, this is then considered to be Atypical cushings.
The treatment is starting out on melatonin and lignans. I like the HMR lignans as they are more easily absorbed by the body. It takes about 4 months to see if there will be any improvement, but some have reported good results sooner. You don't treat and test with the traditional cushing meds which are for high cortisol because this doesn't exist in the atypical diagnosis. (cortisol levels are normal)
Now Gable could have this and you could try the melatonin and lignans. Or you Could have them do a blood draw and send it to the University of Tennessee which tests for it. Then you would retest if in fact there are elevations in about 4 months usually to see if they are responding.
If he is rubbing against the boxwoods though, then that is likely causing some of the hair loss you see. Has he been tested for allergies? That might be a place to start, or even better place is to check the thyroid as it too can cause the same symptoms.
I wouldn't go straight to cushings though. Definitely don't need another cushings diagnosis, but the main thing is to rule out more likely culprits first anyway.
Hope that helps.
Those adrenal glands produce cortisol plus 5 other adrenal intermediate steroids/sex hormones which are: 17-hydroxyprogesterone, estradiol, androstenedione, progesterone and aldosterone. Now, estradiol can be produced outside the adrenals, like in fat cells, hair follicles and the liver.
Those adrenal intermediate steroids/sex hormones can be elevated while the cortisol is not and this is known as Atypical Cushing's. Dog's with Atypical Cushing's generally have the same symptoms of a dog with conventional Cushing's.
Hope this helps.
Hugs, Lori
Thanks, Sharlene and Lori.. A starting point as soon as I have some money!
Joan, even tho your question brought me pain , I am so glad you asked the question on elevated hormones in dogs. The elevated hormone issue has bothered me for quite some time. I have searched a lot about elevated hormones in dogs, there effect on the dog and Atypical Cushings in dogs. Sharlene and Lori`s answers were of great interest to me. Thank you.
Yes, they are all so knowledgeable...I'm glad it helped you.
I know this should go in everything else, but I can't figure out how to start one.
Sibbie, who is now 7 months old, is getting spayed today and my husband has me on such a guilt trip about it that I am almost ready to cancel it. We are not going to breed her...so isn't it best to have her spayed??? He thinks she'll change and he doesn't want her hurt. I am sick to my stomach worrying that something will go wrong.
The only female we didn't spay when they were young, is his chihuahua, who we finally did when she was 11 after years of the mess and poor girl's confusion twice a year.
Thoughts???
Tell your hubby that breast cancer in dogs is horrible to watch - I've had two fosters who were not spayed and ended up with breast cancer. It is not pleasant for the dog nor their humans. How will he feel if blood starts pouring from her swollen nipples, or if it spreads to other organs including the brain which it did in one of mine, or if removing the tumors is only a band aid because they come right back even before the incisions have healed as they did in the other? What would more painful for that baby girl? Which would he rather watch? The vets that saw my babies all told me that their cancer was more than likely due to that failure to spay...my Trinket had not been spayed when I had to deal with the first case but she was taken care of not too long after being told the probable cause of Tasha's breast cancer. No way Trink was going to go thru what Tasha was if there was any chance of preventing it! Spaying removed a great deal of that risk for Trink.
I appreciate your hubby's compassion and desire not to allow any pain in Sibbie's world...but this little spay procedure is done and over and forgotten in days while breast cancer can go on and on and on. No comparison in my experience, none. ;)
Thank you! She is there now and I will just bite my nails all day long until they call. I really appreciate your response. I know it's the right thing to do, but when he starts with all his negativity, it blows my confidence to hell...
Well I know I am late checking in, but you can tell your hubby that my molly was spayed when she was about a year, after we got her from the rescue and once she recovered from the surgery she has been on the path of divine divahood every since.
I think your baby girl is going to be just fine and your hubby will wonder why he made so much fuss.
If I had to guess, he just can't stand the thought of her having surgery and being in any pain. Once this is past they will both be fine. :)
Thanks, Sharlene and Leslie...
She is home and very sleepy, moans a little when she moves, but she's peed; walked around a little; and I just gave her a little bit of food. She looks so stunned! No one has ever hurt her :(.
I feel terrible. She was happier to see my son than me...probably because I was the one who left her there.
But my vet (the cute one) said she was an angel all day. She didn't cry or bark and just sat in the cage and watched everything that was going on....
I on the other hand, couldn't eat or concentrate on anything and sat on the couch with my son until I finally closed my eyes and slept. When I'm worried or upset, I need to slip into unconsciousness where there is no reality...it's my coping mechanism.
My husband has that same coping mechanism Joan. I think it's how he survived two girls going through their teens. :) :)
Awww what a sweetie. She'll be right as rain in no time and I'm sure she will forgive you.
I swear I don't know what I would do without all of you!!!
:) hugs :)
Oh Joan, you poor thing, stop torturing yourself!(easy for me to say because I'd be the same as you!:eek:) You did the right thing getting her spayed. My coworker is dealing with mammary tumors in her unspayed 10 year old female, its awful. They decided to have surgery and there was something on her spleen so I think that was removed too but I'm not sure. The vets said all of this would have been most likely avoided if she had been spayed. Hang in there!:)
Thanks, Leslie and Sharlene...I know it was the right thing to do...we spent 10 years dealing with our/his chihuahua's going into heat, false pregnancies, mood swings, and nasty temper (which hasn't changed).
She was spayed the same day Lena had her dental work done in November....I was so worried about Lee, but she seemed fine. I sat on the couch with Doree for two days while she recovered.
No way was I going through all of that again!
My Marvin, he's a rescue so I don't know his exact age...well anyways, the shelter neutered him when they took him in and we are thinking he is between 9 - 11 years old...and he is doing fine. I wanted to post this earlier to you but got distracted, which as the older I am get the less it takes to distract me :eek::eek:
Sending hugs to you both.
Thanks, I can get distracted just by looking up from what I'm doing...all of our animals (cats and dogs) were fixed. Doree was the only one we didn't do and I regretted it at least 3 times every year for 10 years....and he still didn't learn his lesson!Quote:
Originally Posted by Harley PoMMom
How is Sibbie doing today?
If you ever want me to start a thread for you with these post for Sibbie to have hr own thread just let me know. :) Any of the staff can do it for you. Not necessary but just if you want.
She's fine, Sharlene. I took her out to do some errands with me yesterday and we got ice cream and sat by the water watching the boats and shared the ice cream...so I think I have been forgiven :)
I used to do that with Lena...usually with Burger King or McDonald's. Then we'd walk along the sea wall and watch the boats. Lena grew up in Kings Point. We lived on an estate right on the water, Manhasset Bay. She loved the beach, the dock and the smell of the ocean (so did I). And I think she would remember when we took our little side trips here in Glen Cove. That was one of the things I had on our bucket list after we found out about the Cushing's....to go back home so she could see it one more time. We never did get to do it, I thought we would have more time. I'm trying to do all these things with Sibbie, though.
Funny thing is the owner of the estate has been asking me to bring my grandsons over to enjoy the pool and we finally went last Sunday. Just me and Josh and Alex. I would've brought Sibbie, but was afraid it would be too hot for her. I'll bring her next time. It was nice. They had a good time in the pool and I told them stories of when their mother and uncle were their ages and swam in the same pool, walked along the same beach and went out on the boat in that same ocean.
I used to take Lena in the pool with us there. She would go anywhere that I did...and she loved walking out on the dock. Sometimes we would just sit there and she would bask in the sun and her ears would blow around in the ocean breeze. It felt good to remember all of that last week. I still miss her so much...it's 23 weeks today. Fridays are so sad for me now, its one more week that she's been gone.
I don't think I want to start a thread for Sibbie yet...this is still Lena's space...thanks, Sharlene.
For you, Lee...I just wanted to put this where I could find it. It's a beautiful poem that Leslie posted...I think of you every day. Love, Mommy...
[CENTER]FRIEND
I lost a treasured friend today
The little dog who used to lay
Her gentle head upon my knee
And shared her silent thoughts with me.
She’ll come no longer to my call
Retrieve no more her favourite ball
A voice far greater than my own
Has called her to his golden throne.
Although my eyes are filled with tears
I am thankful for the happy years
She spent down here with me
And for her love and loyalty.
When it is time for me to go
And join her there, this much I know
I shall not fear the transient dark
For she will greet me with a bark.
~Author Unknown[/CEN
Joan that is such a beautiful poem. :( I also just read your earlier post about taking Lena to the beach. Whiskey loves to swim & Has been to the Jersey shore a few times and we always took him to my Aunts home in the Poconos to swim in the lake. Sadly she passed away suddenly in December and the home was sold.:( Lots of happy memories though. My daughters have been to Long Island many times to visit friends. They always make the drive to Montauk, & tell me it's absolutely beautiful. Lena was lucky to enjoy life to the fullest with you. :)
My mother has a house in Woodloch Springs, a part of Woodloch Pines, in the Poconos and Lee and I used to go all the time. She loved it there...just the two of us in the car together, sharing cheeseburgers at the rest stops, and then being pampered by by Mom and Dad. A whole "Mommy and me" weekend. I haven't been there since she died. My father passed away 8 years ago and my mom is living here in Huntington with my sister now...she has Alzheimer's.
But we still have the house and I think I will take Sibbie there. Going back with Lena was on my bucket list after her diagnosis, but we didn't get the chance.
Lena grew up in Kings Point on the water and loved the beach and the sand...so many smells and things to investigate! She never really went in the water though. She did like the pool!
We had a black Lab growing up and we used to go Upstate to Gilbert Lake and she just loved diving into the lakes and swimming. I love to watch dogs swim. They look so free and happy. I hope you have pictures of Whiskey swimming, he sure is a cutie!
Montauk is definitely beautiful. I have a friend who lives in East Hampton, and while visiting, we sometimes go to Montauk for dinner. You should take a trip here with your daughters and check it out. They are pretty dog-friendly out there
My golden retriever just loved the water. Always up for a swim and a fiesty shake afterwards.
She loved to fall asleep right at the edge of the lake and you know how goldens just love to turn their bellies up to the sun :) I don't know how many times she'd be sleeping by the lake edge, roll onto her back for some belly sun and fall into the lake, then have to take a swim since she was already there.
They are our companions and friends and bring such joy to our lives.
They certainly do, Sharlene. We have two fish ponds in the backyard and after we dug the first one out and filled it with Koi, Lena used to touch noses with one of them who we called Dottie. She was so friendly and would come to the surface to greet us, especially to see Lee.
Well, I can't tell you how many times she either fell or jumped in and I had to fish her out~ One time I heard this whining and I was on the deck and kept thinking it was a hawk flying around. I kept looking in the sky and didn't see anything, when I all of a sudden I realized that I hadn't seen Lena for a while. I went running down to the pond and there she was, hanging on for dear life in the corner of the pond. After that episode, we built up a little wall around the pond so we didn't have to worry about that happening again.
A few years later, unbeknownst to us, a great blue heron found our pond and came for breakfast every day and ate my poor Dottie, along with all of the other Koi in there. I couldn't figure out what was eating them (thought maybe a raccoon or cat) until one morning I was out early and saw it jump from our neighbor's garage roof, onto our grape arbor, and down into the courtyard where the pond was...mystery solved! He was gorgeous, but I had to put a stop to it.
That was the end of Koi for us. We barricaded the pond and filled it with cheap goldfish instead...lol!
This is one of my favorite memories of my darling girl. Sibbie has fallen in once because she is tall enough to climb up on the wall, so we got her a pool so she could jump in there to cool off and she loves it.
As I'm writing this, Sibbie is sitting in my lap, with her head on the table and my laptop, just the way Lee used to do. This is the first time she has wanted to do this...I know my darling is sending me a sign that she's with me.
What a beautiful poem and such wonderful memories.
My dear, sweet Lena...today is six months since you left me. I still find it hard to believe. It seems so long to me, not seeing your sweet little face as you watched me, or holding you in my arms all the time. I miss everything about you and not a day goes by where I am not thinking of you. I can't believe I still have tears left to cry...but I do.
You were always such a good girl, never a problem, never mean or cranky...a happy, sweet angel, always, from the minute you came to us. You are the dog of my heart, Lee, and you always will be.
Your brothers are fine, Gabe still misses you, though. He still won't sleep upstairs with us. Cooper is Cooper, and I think Doree gets lonely for you sometimes, too. I think you would have like Sibbie...she is adorable, but can really be a holy terror.
Give Phoenix, Tem and Andee a kiss for me...and all the others who went before them, too many to mention, but I hope you are all together and playing, lounging in the sun and happy.
I love you with all my heart, Lena, I always will...my precious, angel child.
Love, Mommy
(((Hugs)))
Hugs & caring thoughts from us as you remember your sweet little girl.
Checking in Joan. I can't believe it's been six months. Seems so long, but so short. I hope you are starting to feel better and yesterday wasn't too tough on you.