14 year-old Shih Tzu With Recent Cushing's Diagnosis

Thank you all so much for checking on us. It means so much to me to know you're all thinking of us. Hannah was up a few times during the night to itch. She was actually standing twice and had gotten up without me seeing her. I was able to watch her get up this morning and it was slow, but she did it. She seems to be in good spirits. I'm hoping to hear from the vet about Metacam, but I would like to give it to see if it helps. I'll keep you updated.

Thanks again for being with me. Even though you're all far away, it feels like you're here. It helps so much.

Julie & Hannah

That sounds like progress! So glad to hear that Hannah seemed a bit better this morning.

The internet is a wonderful place, bringing all of us together from across the world and making us feel like we are just next door. :) Hugs Sharlene

I am crossing my fingers that the vet okays the Metcam and it helps our litle Hannah.

Wish we were all right next store. We could all do lunch:D:D:D

Okay, Doga is yoga with your dog so we could all go on SKYPE and we could do simple yoga stretches with our pups while we are all on SKYPE!!

Now what could be better than that?

SKYPE DOGA, Addy style:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I finally heard from the vet who lasers Hannah and she asked if she wa on Tramadol. I said she was on no pain med because the holistic vet said to withhold the Gabapentin through at least Mon. to see if things corrected. I am not giving the herbs either. She is only taking Cosequin, Denamarin, Hydroxyzine and now Metacam.

Vet said to start the Metacam once daily through Mon. at least. She wants her to have something in case it is painful and wondered if getting up hurt and that is why she has a hard time with it. She will laser her Mon. at 10 a.m.

She thinks it sounds like disc disease at this point due to worsening symptoms. That is what I have been feeling as well. She has the signs with the unsteady, wobbly, back legs. I've seen it before with her (but not nearly this bad) and with other dogs. Never even saw it with my Bailey boy because he just got up one night and dragged both legs across the floor-straight paralyzed.

I am supposed to rest her and only let her walk a little to poop. She is a bit wobbly as she moves around. It is hard to watch. I hope there is a little improvement with the pain med and rest. I sure do hate the waiting...

Julie & Hannah

Quote:

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I sure do hate the waiting...

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I'll wait with you

how is Hannah today?

Hannah is about the same today. She has a hard time getting up from lying down and is a bit wobbly with her gait. The positions she gets her back legs just look sort of strange to me when she is lying down. I have also heard some quiet groans when I am picking her up to move her.

I have been taking her to my parents' house to poop the last couple of days because I want to keep her going every 24 hours (otherwise she has to strain to go and that can't be good with a sore back) and she really won't go without a walk. For some reason, a car trip usually works. They also have other dogs so smelling their yard usually does it. I'm trying to keep her still as much as possible.

Tomorrow she gets another laser treatment at 10:00. It's still just a waiting game...we may see improvement, we may not. It also may get worse. It takes SUCH a long time for it to heal in general...I'd say at least 6-8 weeks, and this time is the worst. So we wait.

Thanks for checking in, Judi! I hope you figure things out with Jenny's ACTH test and the pred. Glad to hear she is still doing well!

Julie & Hannah

Hi Julie,

I am waiting with you. Keep the faith. I know six weeks is a long time, we just went through that with Zoe's eyes, as you well know becuase you spent a lot of time waiting with me. Thank you for that. Now it is my turn to wait with you.

You are doing a great job and Hannah is so lucky you are her mom because you are a really good one.:):)

Sending much love and hugs

Poor little Hannah. Glad the car trip works for her!
Crossing fingers that the laser gives her a bit of relief tomorrow.
So she has been through this before? 6 - 8 weeks seems so long..I feel for you and Hannah.

Will be checking in tomorrow to see how she is doing. Oh my gosh, molly is having a case of the toots right by my desk and it isn't pretty. ugh

Hugs,
Sharlene

Just checked out the pictures of Hannah and Izzy. Oh my gosh. Those two are way too adorable. I saw Bailey too. He was so adorable. I almost cried when I saw the one where you were cuddling on the couch and laughed of course as the supervision of stool one. She supervisors about like Molly does. She's there to make sure it happens but might need a nap if it takes longer than 5 minutes.

LOL, thanks for posting them!

Hugs,
Sharlene

Hope your Monday is a good one and Hannah has a good day.

Thinking of you both and sending love and prayers

How did the laser treatment go?

Hi guys,

The laser treatment went fine. The vet said Hannah's back muscles are really tense-almost hard like rocks. She said she is probably compensating or guarding her pain, like we would. She recommended we add a muscle relaxant, methocarbamol, to the mix. She also suggested seeing an animal chiropractor (she knows a woman who only treats dogs and horses) but I am a little worried about that. She did say the woman won't do an adjustment if she is worried about a disc issue, but I just don't know if I am ready for that yet. We'll try the muscle relaxants first.

Now she will be on Hydroxyzine for allergies, Metacam for pain, and methocarbamol to relax her muscles (2-3 times/day). I have not added the herbs back in, and I am not going to add the Gabapentin right away either. I am like Addy. One thing at a time so I have a better clue of what might be going on if there are reactions. I guess I could give all of them together, but I would prefer not to. I asked about possible side effects from methocarbamol, since she has never taken it, and the most likely is sedation.

I have decided that for today I will give the Hydroxyzine twice (and skip the 3rd one tonight) and I'll give the methocarbamol before bed. I am always so worried to give new meds, but it sounds like it could really provide her some relief and it is listed for helping with back spasms and disc disease.

I have a call in to the other vet just to run it past them. The guy we saw is out of town for a week (of course) but someone else will call me back. She is about the same. She has a tough time getting up (but it is worse when she has been asleep or lying down for a long time), is a little wobbly on her feet at times, but them sometimes I am having to keep her calm because she is trying to run away from me or trot to the kitchen to look for food or beg for treats. It must not be as bad at times.

Thanks for checking on us!

Julie & Hannah

Oh Julie, maybe the muscle relaxer will do the trick. I sure hope so.

Did anyone ever say if you could put cold or warm compresses on Hannah? I just wondered if that was someone you could try.

Love ya bunches and I thought you did a really good scream today.

I think Sharlene needs to have more Scream Mondays!!!!!:D;)

Good idea muscle relaxers. I hope they work. I wonder if they have something similiar to human ibprophen, that combinations of muscle relaxer and anti - inflammatory all in one.

Glad laser went well.

hugs,
Sharlene

glad the laser went well Julie. do they think the chiropractor would be better than the acupuncturist? hope you and Hannah had a good night

Hope you and Hannah and Izzy are having a good day!

Hugs,
Sharlene

I hope the pills relaxed the back:):):)

Thinking good thoughts for both of you.

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Hi Guys,

I need positive vibes and prayers for tomorrow....Hannah is trying acupuncture again. The vet who performed it after the other dog shook her is going to do it. She said we could try it again, and if Hannah is not doing well we can just leave. I want to try it because it helped, but I hope it isn't horrible because then I'll feel bad. We go at 9:30 in the morning and my mom is coming with us. I'm glad it will be over with early. I've been wondering how many of Izzy's Xanax I would need to take to be calm. ;) :p

We have another laser treatment on Fri. so hopefully all this is helping her. It's hard to tell. The muscle relaxant went fine. I gave it this morning too and I'm about to give it again.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Julie & Hannah

Well at least you know this acupuncturist and are familiar with her, so no surprises. Hopefully it will go well and help Hannah. I'm glad your mom is going with you. Two thumbs up for moms. :)

We are all about positive vibes and prayers! Right there with you!

Hugs,
Sharlene

Hoping for a good visit with no flying needles;);););)

No flying needles, Addy!!!

We (yes, I said WE) survived the acupuncture. I did my best to remain calm so she did not pick up my nervousness. She struggled a little with two of the needles-the one that goes in the back leg and one in the tail, but it was a small groan, not quite a yelp. The rest of them actually went in pretty easily and I held her in my lap while the needles were in.

We fed her tiny pieces of her favorite treat during the procedure, which seems to help. I sure hope it gives her some relief. I made another appointment for next week. Hopefully there will be some small improvement by then. We get another laser treatment on Friday.

Her right leg is definitely weak-both vets notice right away. She did not needle her right leg, and did the left instead. She said it is good to see some reaction on the leg needle-if you don't it means the energy can't move around. That makes me feel better to know she should react. Now I just need her to poop today and then I can relax too.

I get a little nervous because the vet who does the laser seems to want to see faster improvement, but her improvement has been very gradual the other two times we have gone through this. I will be curious what the acupuncture vet says next week.

Julie & Hannah

Great. I think I told you that acupuncture helped Annie a great deal. I truly believe it gave her a year more of life. Who is to say... but she'd go in 'worn out' and come out rejuvinated and with a huge smile on her face. (the photo in my album of her in the carseat was right after a session)

I think it is very important that you have the same vet each time. I didn't have to worry about it as only one was certified. They have different techniques and trust is certainly at play here... Annie was petrified at first too but she got over it and learned to absolutely love it. She would run into the vets office from the car.. that tells you all you need to know. :D

Also they wouldn't let me hold her as she was too squeamish with me there. They had one of the 'helpers' hold her for the sessions. It worked out better.

Anyway.. hope today's session provides some relief!! Kim

Hope the acupuncture has helped Hannah.

Sometimes the road just is a slower travel than others. As long as in the end it is all well. :)

Glad you survived too Julie!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly muffin

Hi Guys,

My girl is definitely not getting better. She is more wobbly and unsteady on her feet and is slipping/falling down on her butt more. I don't know if she is losing feeling in her back legs or if they are just getting a lot weaker. She can't even take a step on anything not carpeted and is so wobbly, even on carpet. It was pretty hard for her to poop today; her back legs just wobbled in and out and she was walking and wobbling and groaning. I don't have a good feeling about her improving. I know sometimes they can seem worse for a while after acupuncture, but I don't think it's like this. I just wish I knew if it was from weakness or neurological issues. She is kind of a mess and I don't think anyone knows what to do to make it better.

Julie & Hannah

Well, when I asked about Zoe today, IMS said if she had a pinched nerve in her neck, the prescription would be six weeks of rest, no walking.

Julie, Zoe is pretty much a slipping and a sliding and falling too:mad::confused: Sometimes it is worse than others but the little stinker walked just fine for the IMS:rolleyes:

Sweetie, dont give up hope yet.

Healing prayers and much love

Oh Julie, I do hope that Hannah will eventually show some improvements. Maybe it is a pinched nerve like they said Zoe has. No walks and rest. Give it some time sweetie and see how she does. I know you are worried something awful for her.

HUGS,
Sharlene

Hang in there, sweetie. I thought of you and Hannah last nite as I watched Squirt waddling down the hall to bed. Not that long ago she would have been bouncing and hopping down the hall and it brought a lump to my throat to think how many of us see our babies slowing down, losing ground but still fighting. And we fight along side them. You and Hannah are a formidable team...don't you forget that. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

it's so hard to watch them struggle. hugs, Judi

Weekend check in on you and Hannah:):):):):)

I hope you are cuddled up with Hannah and a good book:)

Zoe's napping with hubby and I cant concentrate on my book. :rolleyes:
Cant clean, I dont want to wake them up;);) Good excuse not to do chores, no?

Love ya

Hi thought I'd check and see how you and Hannah are doing :)

Hope you are having a good weekend.
Hugs,
Sharlene

Thanks for checking on us Addy and Sharlene.

Friday afternoon when I got home from running some errands, Hannah came out from the bedroom (where I gate them) basically dragging her left back leg, but it wasn't toes down. It was sort of out to the side, still pads down. She was acting fine but it looked terrible. Within a minute though, it was corrected. It was almost like it was asleep or something. I don't get it.

Aside from that, she was basically up and down every day...like a roller coaster. She would seem a little better, then be falling down or sliding everywhere, or walking at an angle. I haven't been able to figure it out.

We got laser treatment Friday. She did a really thorough exam and watched how Hannah stood, walked, etc. She had tons of questions for me. Basically, we don't know what it is. Could be a disc issue, could be a neurological thing and some peripheral nerve issue. She may not be in pain at all if it is a nerve issue. Vet suggested we back up again and withhold pain med and muscle relaxants for the weekend to see how Hannah did. She wanted to see if she showed signs of being painful, and also if there was any sign of improvement (in case for some bizarre reason a med was causing any strange side effects with the up and down stuff).

Anyway, Hannah hasn't really had a terrible "down" on the roller coaster since Friday afternoon. I don't know if the laser helped (she also did her hips and legs in case her legs are sore) or if it was an issue with the meds, or if she is just doing a little better. Pooping was horrible on Sat. though. She could barely get in the position to go and could barely get it out and was lifting her back feet off the ground, grunting, smashing her butt into the ground, etc. It was like she couldn't get the last little bit out. I finally picked her up and had to wipe her back end when I took her in. Yesterday she didn't have much trouble though. So, again, I don't know.

The vet who did the acupuncture called Sat. and agreed with the plan. She said her own dog is going through something similar for the past couple of months. She doesn't know what the cause is. Looks like we could be dealing with this long term...she is calling today to see how Hannah is.

We have acupuncture again on Wed. I'll be curious to see if she notices any differences at that point. I am glad she seems stable at least. She isn't falling all over the place, so that is a good sign.

Julie & Hannah

It is so hard to not know what is wrong with them sometimes, cause and effect, what should we do, etc. You are such a good mom to Hannah. If anyone can get to the bottom of it, you can. You know her so very well. Hang in there, Julie.

Since I cut back on Zoe's Tramadol her falling is not as severe as it was. Of course she has her super banadage on and I often wonder if that is not giving her support somehow on the front leg and it has nothing to do with the Tramadol. She did not fall like that when she was on the Tramdadol for her eyes so:confused::confused::confused::confused

Sending you love and hugs


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Hannah sure does like to keep you on your toes. :) She is so sweet. Whatever it is and whatever is causing this, you and your team are right there to figure it out. Hopefully Soon, there will be some sign of what the underlying cause is.

We're right here with you and you know where to find us when you want to have a chat.

hugs,
Sharlene

saying hi and love you:D:D:D:D:D:D

head for cover- in coming hugs all around


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Waiting to see how the acupuncture goes today and how they think Hannah is doing.

Best of luck!
Hugs,
Sharlene

Hey Julie. I know you're super busy setting up your class and all right now. When you get a chance, let us know who Hannah's last acupuncture went and what they said.
How is she doing? How are YOU doing?
Know we are thinking of you. :)

hugs,
Sharlene

Hi Guys,

I've been really busy getting ready for a new school year. Tomorrow I go back officially (I worked all last week), but the kids don't start until after labor day.

Hannah's acupuncture went well Wed. She sat calmly with the needles in for about 10 min. which was good. She did not like them inserted much though. She seemed to be doing much better as of Fri. She was starting to trot again (but still dragging the back left foot) and had more energy. She got laser treatment on Sat. on her legs and back. She seems a little worse again yesterday and today-not trying to trot. I don't know if she over exerted herself or what. She is doing okay though.

The vet who does the acupuncture is out of town this week, so I had to decide if I should wait a week for acupuncture or see another vet. I am worried about another vet since Hannah has done well with this one and she is so good with Hannah. I scheduled it for two weeks out,but left them a message to get their opinion on if it might be better to see Dr. Jim (she did okay with him several months ago) to not impede any healing.

They still don't know if it is a disc or something else, or both. They also both have mentioned that her back legs are really weak, so some of the dragging could be from that. We may have to try some strengthening exercises, but they don't want to rush into anything now.

Dr. Nicole, who I love, said if she is showing improvement she thinks we should do another acupuncture and see how she is. I don't think they really expected her to fully recover this time, but were pretty encouraged with what I said about the trotting on Friday. Now I don't know again. She got my hopes up and now we have kind of gone back a couple of steps. It is a mystery.

The vet who does the laser mentioned considering trying prednisone as a last resort. She is hesitant because of the Cushing's, of course, but said since Hannah really has no strong symptoms she wasn't as worried as she would be otherwise. She said this would be what we would try if we felt we had exhausted everything else without improvement. She is worried it could also push her into full-blown Cushing's. For now, I'm not thinking about it. I see it as something I would try before we would put her to sleep because things were really bad.

I'm trying to take one day at a time. I will be really stressed with work the next couple of weeks, so I hope she can hang in there and stay stable for a while. I also know that I cannot afford to keep up weekly acupuncture and/or laser treatments if that is what she would need to maintain her current level of functioning. That would cost several hundreds of dollars per month. I am only continuing it at this point to see if she can recover from this latest issue. If she hasn't in a week or two, then we will have to see how she does and figure out where to go from there.

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts...

Julie & Hannah

Julie: thanks for updating. I hope she continues to improve but I definitely understand the lack of funds for continuous expensive treatment.

I hope the beginning of the school year goes well. My husband just got his principal license this summer and accepted a last minute job offer on Thursday. Talk about a whirlwind. Hope things go well for both of you! Judi

It sounds hopeful because she did show improvement. I hope Hannah goes a few steps forward again. I understand the money issues only too well. I dont even want to think about Zoe's bills for the last two years:eek::eek::eek:

Good luck with the new school year!!!! That is exciting.

Hang in there, Julie.