New to Cushings

Hi everyone...our Annie, miniature schnauzer was just diagnosed with cushings and she is also diabetic. Anyone out their who has a pup with a dual diagnosis?

Hi and welcome to you and your sweet Annie! :)

First thing I want to do is send you to our sister site, K9Diabetes. They are the experts on canine diabetes. Once you are registered there, come back and talk to us more about the Cushing's...but diabetes will always take precedence since it is immediately life-threatening and Cushing's is not. So go register with them then come back here and talk to us, ok?

https://www.k9cushings.com/forum/sho...ew-to-Cushings

Hugs,
Leslie

Thanks Leslie, I'll do that and come back.

Hi again... just an update on Annie. The hubby and I had a consult with the vet today and she may have been cushinoid for several years which triggered the diabetes. Her glucose has been very high and was considered insulin dependent. This is day 3 for her on 3/4 of a 500mg tablet of Lysodryn. She had been at their boarding facility because we had to be out of town last week and that's when they did all the testing for Cushings. Anyway, the doc told us he checked her fasting glucose this am before her feeding and it was down to 179--she weighs 18.3lbs, has been diabetic for almost a year and has shown no real physical symptoms of Cushings except for some weight gain and needing to go outside at night. He told us to leave her there another day and will check her glucose again tomorrow. They were not going to give any insulin today. He said once the Cushings is under control, that may keep her glucose down low enough that we might be able to get her off the insulin at some point. I realize this is the Cushings site and not the Diabetes site but they are so entwined it's hard for me to wrap my head around it all. Then to top it off, she had developed cataracts in both eyes several months ago and we were scheduled for surgery to remove those on the 25th. We've been advised to postpone that until she is stabilized. I'm just grasping for straws and reaching for moral support. I've had schnauzers for over 45 years but never have experienced Cushings so I will read all I can and check out the resources available here. Thanks.

I'm glad she is with her vet and pray they can get things under control and help teach you how to manage both conditions. We are here to help with the Cushing's and K9diabetes will be with you for the diabetes. If you have any questions about Cushing's don't hesitate to ask and we will do our best to answer. The two conditions are definitely a handful together but I have full faith you will learn what is needed to give your sweet Annie the best life possible.

Hugs,
Leslie

Hi All—Annie’s mom here with an update. After 3 weeks at the vet the drug finally kicked in. Her latest stim test was great and she is officially “loaded” on Lysodren at 500mg divided into two doses a week. Oh, sorry—still new to this, Annie is a 10 yr mini-schnauzer and also diabetic. Her coat is good and pretty good muscle strength. She’s drinking much less but her diabetes is also better. I’m going to start her on milk thistle to help her liver deal with the Lysodren. Any other suggestions for helpful supplements? Thanks for being here!

This is great news! You’ll see that I’ve moved your post over here to your original thread about Annie. This way, we can more easily track her entire diagnostic and treatment history. Because we are a nosy bunch, we’d love to see the actual numbers for her most recent ACTH stimulation test. However, just knowing that she’s looking and behaving a lot better is a huge relief.

I don’t have additional suggestions for liver support myself, but perhaps some of our other readers will have some thoughts. Thank you so much, though, for updating us. And we’ll remain anxious to hear how things are going for you guys.

Best wishes,
Marianne

Her stim test #was down to 2 from 17:5 last week. I am concerned that it might be too low and push her into Addisons. I will give her Lysodren myself for the first time tomorrow and she will have another stim on Thursday. She never refused food to give them the signal that she was fully dosed, the little pig, so I’m sure there will be extra stims in our future and I ‘m ok with that.

Doc originally started her out at 375mg per week and then upped it to 500 when she wasn’t responding. He mentioned a target stim of 5 when we began so that’s why I ‘m worried that 2 is too low. I know from reading the literature that this stuff can build up in the body. Any comments would be appreciated and thanks Marianne for guiding me through this forum. Wish us luck for tomorrow. I just have fears she’s going to have a bad reaction to the pill. She eats a half a can of Glycobalance 2x a day and I will give her pill in a little “meatball” of her food first then let her finish. I know I over think everything and am a worrier by nature. Can’t help it—she’s my baby just like yours are to you all. Take care. Karen

Hi Karen, thanks so much for this additional information! I just have a couple of questions that’ll help clarify things. When dogs go through the loading phase for Lysodren, they are dosed daily, but this is what you wrote:

Quote:

---

Doc originally started her out at 375mg per week and then upped it to 500 when she wasn’t responding.

---

I’m guessing you meant to say that, while loading, she was given 500 mg. per DAY. And now, she has shifted to receiving 500 as a weekly total, divided into two doses. For dogs taking Lysodren, the target post-ACTH result is between 1-5 ug/dL. So even though she falls within the lower part of the range, Annie’s indeed within the desired target. So that’s good. We’ll hope that the 500 mg. weekly total turns out to be the perfect maintenance dose for her, but that’s good that you’ll have the added reassurance of another test this week.

I have not used Lysodren personally, but one suggestion that occurs to me is that you may want to make sure that Annie finishes her normal meal before giving her the Lysodren dose tomorrow. If for some reason she is picky about eating, that may be a signal to hold off on the Lysodren dose. I know that this is an instruction that is typically given during the loading phase, but it makes sense to me to still follow it even after shifting to the maintenance phase. Hopefully some of our members who have had direct experience with Lysodren will add their thoughts about this.

Thanks again for returning to update us, and we’ll be anxious to hear how things continue to go.
Marianne

Marianne, Thank you for the voice of reason and the ability to enunciate my garbled words which then made sense to me. I have no pride left at age 67 and need any advice I can gain from this forum of learned pup cusings parents. I feel much better with your affirmation of #2 as OK. This is my first pup developing cushings after 45 years of pups and I feel like a first time parent of a human infant in the ER because she/he vomited and I panicked. I am prepared to give Annie her first dose at home in the morning. Your feeding suggestions make perfect sense. I will let you know how the morning goes. Take care, Karen 0

Hi Karen,

What is the dose of Lyso you are going to give her...or have already given her? How long ago did she have a dose at the vet's office? Typically there are a few days between achieving the load and starting maintenance. So if she had a dose at the vet's on Monday you would wait a few days then give the maintenance dose. The maintenance dose is not the same daily as was give at the vet's but rather that dose is divided. So if she was getting 500mg a day for the load from the vet then that would be divided into several doses over the week - ie 250mg twice a week or 125mg 4 times a week. In other words do not give her 500mg today.

You say she vomited....was that after she came home from the vet's? If so has she vomited again? How is her appetite this morning? Have you noticed any loose stools or diarrhea?

Good Morning Everyone,

Just the basics first for anyone new to this thread. Annie is fully loaded on Lysodren and yesterday was the first time I gave the maintenance dose of 250 mg. since she came home from three weeks at the vet hospital. I gave it to her in a little meatball of her Glycobalance and then she gobbled down the rest of her breakfast. I was so concerned that she might have a reaction but all went well. I did notice that she drank more water than usual and she acted like she didn't feel comfortable lying down as she kept moving from spot to spot all morning. That made me wonder if her stomach might have been upset. My husband thought I was just imagining things. I thought Annie was going in for a stim test today but they are just doing a glucose curve as she is also diabetic. Not sure when the next stim will be but I'll be sure to ask later this afternoon when we pick her up. Sorry Leslie about all the confusion in my last post.

Now I have a question regarding the forum and what a "junior member" means. Do I need to pay a fee to be a regular member? If so, that's ok, and perfectly understandable in keeping this forum up and running. I only ask because I've tried to access the reading material and was told as a junior member I didn't have access to that as well as other information. I'm hoping someone will clarify this issue for me. My sincere thanks to everyone rooting us on and helping me keep my calm through the initial storm. Our journey has just begun and I know I can't do it without you all and your vast experience and knowledge. Take care. Karen

Hi again, Karen! The “Junior” vs. “Senior” designation stems solely from the number of times that a member has posted on the forum. I forget what the magic number is that triggers the changeover, but there should be no difference at all in your ability to access the material on the forum. It is free of charge to all members. So I’m concerned that we may have a glitch going on with the website, and appreciate you letting us know!

If you could possibly copy and paste the exact language of the warning message you’re receiving, that’ll help us figure out what’s going on. I’m so sorry about any problems, and we’ll try to get this straightened out ASAP.

Marianne

Hi Marianne...the following is a direct copy/paste of what I'm getting. Thanks for the help. Karen

Katy1, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.
Log Out Home

Thanks Karen! We’ll definitely look into this!

I seem to recall the magic number which will change a member from junior to senior status is 100 posts. It's been a while, so I could be completely wrong. All posts count, whether you post on your own thread or respond to another member on their thread. You don't get a prize or any special link to material that the junior members cannot access. I have over 4000 posts over almost 6 years. I am still waiting for my PRIZE, it hasn't happened. LOL I think my prize is the fact that our administrators are still putting up with me for so long. So seriously, your status as a junior member shouldn't affect your ability to access anything.

I just read your update Karen. I have gotten that message many times. If your are on an IPad, clear Safar in settlings and close all open apps, which will remove all of those nasty cookies and restart. Do the same on a computer, except clear whatever browser you are accessing the forum from, then restart. Hopefully that will help.

Glitches pop up on this site from time to time. It has been touchy lately. Good luck!

Thanks for the tech help and suggestions. I'll work on it tomorrow when I'm not so brain dead. Karen, Annie's Mom

Many thanks to Kathy for these suggestions. If they don’t help, though, let us know and there are a couple of other things we might try...

I did everything Kathy suggested, cleared the cache, dumped the cookies, etc. then restarted my laptop and still no luck. It must be something on my end because it's happening on both my hp and ipad. I'm lost at this point. What else can I try? Thanks, Karen

OK Karen, I’m going to send you a private message to talk about another problem-solving option. We’re determined to get this figured out!

Just a quick update. Tried to feed Annie her breakfast this am and she refused to eat—I mean flat out refused to even get close to the plate. She has only had two doses of her maintenance Lysodren so I called the vet. They said to bring her in so I quickly made her a day pack of all her supplies and off we went. She was also very lethargic and urinated a lot before we loaded her up. Her last dose of Lysodren was on Sunday and she ate okay last night. I’m scared and don’ know what to think or feel given my mindset of late. I have to take off for a Dr’s appt. this afternoon and it’s over an hour away so we won’t know anything until we get home later. My dread is taking over. Will update you later. Karen

Let us know what you learn. We are right beside you even tho you can see us!
Hugs,
Leslie

Thanks so much for letting us know. I surely understand your worry, but you’re doing exactly the right thing by taking her in. If, by chance, her adrenal function has truly dipped too low, the vet will be able to immediately start giving her any needed steroid supplementation. So she’s right where she needs to be right now. And we’ll be waiting right here beside you for the next update!

Marianne

Still right here, awaiting word about little Annie. Hang in there, Karen!

BIG UPDATE :o

For those of “our family” who are crying, or tearing up—that was me two nights ago---or those of our family who are rejoicing in a good day and crying tears of joy….let me recount the trials and tribulations of a day worth living with a newly diagnosed Cush pup—and a MOM who didn’t know any better. I laughed all afternoon at myself and I know my Gracie (departed 1-11-19) and big sis to Annie, was barking with laughter after a great 14 year run. I also saw this as a sign from Gracie to pull myself away from grieving her death and focus on her baby sis’s health and well-being. Bear with me as I recount the day to remember.

When I posted this morning, I was in process of rushing my newly diagnosed pup to the vet because she REFUSED her breakfast…Annie has never refused food--- including post HGE events and flu. At 8am, she presented as a sick dog who I feared was in some kind of “collapse”—(I don’t even have my terminology yet correct. My Hubby, Jerry and I took off and left Annie at the vet with her dog pack of food, insulin, eye drops, leash, water bowl, and blanket. After handing over my limp, quivering pup to the vet tech, giving her all meds taken “forever”, and becoming semi-hysterical, she said they would take good care of my baby. ( Now is the time when all of you have my permission to moan a collective, OMG—how pathetic).

Now, I digress to this past weekend. Wherever you are in the world, especially in North America, the weather has been horrible. The POLAR VORTEX hit us in Illinois, USA in early January. I digress further if you will forgive me. My little baby Annie, 10 yr. old newly diagnosed Cush pup has always been a snow dog. She is a beautiful black and silver miniature schnauzer being born and bred south of Tacoma, Washington. When I describe her as black and silver, I mean black as tar and her silver markings are as white as snow---when she’s clean. At diagnosis, her coat was as thick as a rug and still is. I’m thankful for that. Because of her thick coat, she has always loved snow---and as of this weekend, I can also add mud to her repertoire. I know many, many, many of our beloved pups love snow to some degree, but my Annie has always taken it to epic levels. This year after a record snowfall, brought her to the back door after she had figured out how to fully face plant her head in a bank of dripping wet snow. At this point I wish I could upload a photo right here, but I can’t, so just use your imaginations. Close your eyes, focus on a solid double pane glass door…then all of a sudden; a small black creature with a solid white, snow crusted face appears. You take a step back, then two steps forward and laugh until you cry. That was my Annie, the day after we put our Gracie down. I know that Gracie had all fours in that prank. On with this apparent never-ending-story. Annie’s face was so packed with wet snow that I just plopped her in my big pup-friendly single big kitchen sink and hosed her down with warm water until all the snowballs were melted. I also noticed that she had snow packed in her nostrils and I was able to easily remove that with warm water with the aid of a couple of baby cue-tip swabs.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Lots of rain, lots of mud on Saturday. For some unknown reason Annie decided to pretend the mud was snow and did another full-on, full throttle face plant head down in the mud. When I saw her at the glass door, I loved her more than life itself and I wanted to kill her at the same time. I let her stand outside while I started her bath, gathered up as many dog towels I could find, some shampoo and all the courage I could muster. At this point, one must understand that bathing a black dog covered in thick black mud is no easy task. Finally, it was over, and I could see her eyes again, however, I neglected to really look at her nostrils. Her wet black dog hair was partially covering her nose---that’s my story and I’m sticking to it, motherly guilt after the fact—and all.

Now it’s Sunday, her Lysodren pill day. This was the second maintenance pill I had given her at home. Everything went ok but I also noticed that she had mud stuck in her nostrils, mostly in the left one. Fortunately, our vet is open from 10-3 on Sundays, so I called and asked the safest way to remove the mud plug. This was totally different from the snow plug. At this point the mud had hardened and I didn’t want to shove a cue-tip up there and potentially cause more problems. They told me what to do and how to do it---but I didn’t, because I had been hit with the memory of Gracie’s death just two months prior. I spent Sunday night crying for my lost Gracie while watching a hockey game and reading through all the grief help I could on this site. It was very therapeutic--but not for Annie.

Now it’s Monday. I have a slight burst of energy and spent the day taking care of household business long neglected. Annie still has the mud plug in her nose and I am oblivious. She ate her supper, no problems.

Now it’s today, .. I worked hard on Monday around the house, Daylight Savings Time is NOT my friend, and I’m a tad late getting around to feeding Annie.
It was a little before 8am cst and Annie did not want to get out of bed. Her dad had let her out to potty about 5am. I fixed her breakfast and she did NOT want anything to do with food—not even the plate. She was lethargic, hubby told me that she had urinated a lot when he let her out and all I could think of was the totally irrational, “MY BABY IS GOING TO DIE NOW! I called the vet right away and asked if I should give her a Pred. tab and was told to bring her right in.

If you are still with me at this point in this saga, Bless You! The best is yet to come. I promise you will laugh.

At 8:53am this Tues. Hubby carried our limp baby girl into the vet’s office with me following in tears carrying her day bag. They knew we were coming and our favorite person in the office personally grabbed me for info to relay to the techs and the Doc. SPOILER ALERT!

She took one look at Annie and said to me…and this is a direct quote, “It’s her nose”—Did you look at her nose—it’s plugged with mud?” “She’s probably not getting enough oxygen.”

I didn’t know what to say, had no reply, no excuse, no nothing. All I could do was hand her the bag of stuff and off to my medical appointment over an hour away. My appt. wasn’t until 1:45 so we took care of some chores at home before we officially hit the road. At 12:03pm, (Hubby was a math major and can do quantum physics in his sleep but doesn’t have a clue how to operate the washing machine) Jerry suggested we call and check on Annie and see what her treatment plan for the day looked like. At this point, I can’t repeat the words to which I replied after I asked the question…”How is Annie doing?”(Too much silent profanity). The reply was from my favorite person at the vet clinic was, “I WON! It was her nose. The techs were very careful in removing the large plugs of dried mud from her nostrils and she is doing very well. Shortly after they finished, she ate her breakfast, her insulin shot was given and she has a wiggly tail whenever anyone walks by her special crate.”

At this point in the conversation, I’m filled with a combination of horrible guilt, the ultimate in embarrassment, and the biggest sense of relief that a human being is capable of. I’m now crying tears of joy that my little baby Annie did not suffer a life threatening event and laughing so hard at the same time because of my own “blindness in grief”. Then, in his own way, my loving spouse, now driving me down a semi-truck filled highway turned to me and said, “Don’t get so worked up about this, Annie’s fine, maybe sometime she won’t be, but now she is. Smile.” Some of the most profound words ever spoken to me. I love this man and I love you all for sticking with me through this long-winded saga.

On a technical note: while Annie was at the hospital today, I asked them to check her teeth, run some necessary bloodwork to see if she could have her teeth cleaned with anesthesia and the answer came back YES. She is due for a glucose curve on Thursday then we will make the appt. I also contacted her veterinary ophthalmologist and she is on the books for cataract surgery on May 17, 2019. Remember, I said, on the books….it will depend on her combined health at the time.

Today was a HUGE revelation to me as a new mom of a Cush pup, a renewed sense of hope…. the longest laugh at myself I’ve had in years and a very, very subtle—but paw firm message from my angle Gracie to keep vigilant eyes-on her baby sis. Message heard loud and clear Gracie—thank you.

Long story short---eyes, ears, heart on call 24/7/365. To everyone of all ages living with a Cush pup or any pup with issues or not. If you "see something, say something" to the person in charge of care. Wow, what a day, thanks for listening universe. Blessings to all, Karen

A great story, Karen! Part of being a mom to a cushpup is the , how shall I say it, completely irrational paranoia. Because we are always watching for signs, any little things will become HUGE. I can't tell you how many times I run to the vet now and am told there is nothing wrong. But after losing Lena, I don't take any chances with any of them. Poor Lee never saw the vet as many times as she did after she was diagnosed and on Vetoryl.

After we got Sibbie, which was so soon after Lee passed, if she burped I was at the vet. A few months ago our 15 year old teacup chihuahua, Doree would not eat. She threw up and had diarrhea. I told my boss I had to work from home because I was pretty sure she was going to die. Ran to the vet, they did blood work, xrays, full exam, meds for the diarrhea and vomiting. $660 dollars later it turned out to be just a stomachache. Everything came back perfect. But I figured the money was well spent because we knew she was in great shape for her age. The next time it happened I knew not to panic.

But that is the new norm for us. Watching, worrying, panicking! On the upside it means plenty of funny, embarrassing stories! Enjoying the everyday things! And being happy with a good day!

All I can say is, WHEW!!!! :):):):):):)

What a relief, and as Joan says, what a great story!

If you’re anywhere near as old as me and remember Joni Mitchell’s classic song, “Woodstock,” my favorite line (which I quote often) is, “Life is for learning.” And that it is, a thousand-fold. No matter what mistake I make, I try to tell myself that there was value to it, because now I learned something that I didn’t know before — and that’s one mistake I won’t ever make again! :rolleyes:

Please give Annie a big hug for us, and give yourself a “virtual” hug, too. Here’s hoping that today is a much calmer and happier day, all the way around!

Greetings All,

I wanted to post earlier but my paranoia after our escapades of yesterday prevented me from doing so. However, enough of this day has passed that I feel comfortable in making this announcement: WE HAD A GOOD DAY! NOTHING HAPPENED! In fact, it was so good that I made a call to our vet clinic and told them. I could hear the laughter in the background but with my infamous reputation down there, I expected nothing less.

I think we are still fighting with Daylight Savings Time and it took Annie a little while to get herself going this morning but she finally plodded her way into the kitchen after I let the can opener on her dog food make a few extra laps. Today was her Lyso med day and of course my anxiety was running high. I did my best to pretend that nothing was different and she licked her plate clean and didn't even detect the pill hidden a a little meatball of dog food. I walked over to the calendar and drew a little heart.

Maybe it's my imagination, but it has seemed to me that on her Lyso med days, she seems to drink a little more water and requires a little more food. She also sleeps more. Is there anything to that?

As I close out the day, I just wanted to let you know that nothing bad happened at our house today---and I just know that you all understand how good that feels. Blessings and be well. Karen

I don't remember Squirt having that reaction on her Lyso days but it could be my memory. :rolleyes::o I would think that is certainly possible however. When it's time for a dose the adrenals have already started to regenerate a bit which could cause a reccurence of the signs to a small degree. Then when the maintenance dose is in the system those adrenals calm down once again and those little signs disappear. So I wouldn't worry overly much about that...but GREAT JOB, mom, in picking up on that change! That is the sign of an observant pet parent which is the most crucial part of dealing with Cushing's.

Your story brought laughter to me and a memory of ONE of my own panics with Squirt. We were laying in bed one evening and I started rubbing her belly. I felt lumps up and down her belly where her teats were. It scared me to pieces! By midnight I had diagnosed breast cancer and was hysterical. I cried uncontrollably and hugged on her all night long so neither of us got any rest. I was at the vet's office as soon as they opened and a complete basket case as I told her vet, with whom I have a great relationship, she had breast cancer. He carefully examined her while I sobbed on the other side of the exam table then looked at me and said, "Those are her boobs, you big booby!" :D She had lost her pot belly and for the first time in years I could feel her mammary glands! Perfectly normal but we hadn't had "normal" in quite some time so I was not prepared for it at all! :D:D:D So, yes, I could SO relate to your adventure the other day....that is perfectly NORMAL for us cush parents and don't let anyone tell you differently. LOL For a long time I referred to these episodes as twitching and those of us who experienced them twitchers. So welcome to the Twitcher Team!

Hugs,
Leslie

Leslie,

I am honored beyond belief to be invited into the “Twitcher Team”. I will wear my button with pride in the secure knowledge that I indeed am not alone in my eccentricities and total obsession with my fur baby and her total well being over my own. This will make me smile all day. Thanks for that. Karen

Greetings to All,
Now we have a new problem. For the past two days, Annie has not wanted to eat her breakfast. She is on Glycobalance, one can a day divided between her two meals. Yesterday, I ended up sprinkling some ground up freeze dried chicken breast on top, and this morning, I used just a little bit of baby food turkey in broth and she picked around at that for awhile and finally ate everything. I'm scared to death for tomorrow though because it's her Lyso med day. I feel a call to the vet coming on as I type. My double concern is that she has been a diabetic for over a year. I’ve already left a post over on the k9Diabetes site.

My big fear is that she may be getting a bit too much Lyso and it has really suppressed her food drive. Annie has never missed a meal in her life, even after bouts of HGE earlier in her life.

Take care everyone and wish us luck. Karen

I'm glad you have posted on the diabetes forum. Sometimes once the cortisol comes back to a more normal range the insulin needs to be decreased but I will leave that to the experts on our sister site. I wouldn't expect the cortisol to have dropped too low in the last few days since she saw the vet but that is always a possibility so keep an eye out for other signs such as loose stools/diarrhea or nausea/vomiting. Let us know how things are going when you can!
Hugs
Leslie

Hi Leslie,

Well, I cried all the way to the vets office at 3 o’clock this afternoon. I cried the whole time doc was telling me that Annie was doing ok. He ran a bg quick test and an electrolyte panel. He told me he could tell that she was not overdosed on Lysodren and totally understood my concern and tears. Doc knows I’m a crier and mostly a hot mess if I feel my baby is having a crisis or not. He gave me a hug, told me I was doing more for my baby than most of his parents would( still not sure how I feel about that ). Anyway, Sunday is her med day, and doc said if she doesn’ want to eat—don’t stress, just let her plate sit for an hour or so, if she doesn’t eat, no Lysodren or insulin and. she will still be alive at the end of the day and to call him whenever I needed to. I do not abuse that privilege. Thanks for listening, Blessings to you all and your pups. Karen

I'm a crier too, Karen. Sometimes when I get there I am totally incoherent and can't even tell them what's wrong! They are used to it....the fear of not knowing what is wrong, even if you KNOW something is wrong is frightening. If only they could let us know so we don't have to guess.

The first night Lena was in the ER, I couldn't speak at all. I just sobbed through the whole evaluation with the doctor. I sobbed when I told her goodnight and left her. I screamed and cried the whole way home. The next day when I picked her up, I didn't have a voice and my eyes were so swollen from crying that I was afraid she wouldn't recognize me. Then when it happened again that night I couldn't even cry. I was totally in shock.

Some people are better at handling these situations. I don't happen to be one of them...

You're doing really well, Karen. Our "breast cancer" scare was nearly 4 years into Squirt's diagnosis and you have just started this journey so don't feel bad at all for the twitching or tears...they are perfectly normal! :)

Ok, I know it’s early this am where I am and I’m a basket case because my sweet little Annie is going in today for a dental cleaning under anesthesia. I’m so paranoid over this little pup, my hubby is about ready to put me out of my misery. Is this the twitcher team i’m speaking to? Between the Cushings and the diabetes forums, I’ve gotten lost, mis-placed my brain or lost it altogether. Blessings to you all and your brains. Crazy Karen

Yep, this is the twitcher team, alright! I’m up early, too, although you’ve got me beat by a couple of hours... I’ve got to take my senior nonCushpup Lab girl in to be seen first thing this morning for a weird growth on her eyelid that we just spotted this weekend. I know it will need to come off, and I’m just hoping it’s nothing bad. They’ll probably want to schedule a dental at the same time. They won’t do it today — this will just be the assessment. But I hate to even take her in for this part, because it’ll get the ball rolling. And just like you, I hate to think of her going under anesthesia and having anything done at all :-((((((.

So I’ll surely be thinking of you girls today and wishing you well. I know what a long day this will be for you. Come back any time to update us, OK??? We’ll be watching for you!

Big twitchy hugs coming across the miles to you,
Matianne

Huge loving and calming hugs from me as well! I know how worried you must be about sweet Annie and we are here for you.

More (((Hugs))) Lori

Me too! I always get worried when they need anesthesia. I obsess over it for days! Lena and Doree went in at the same time when Lena was 14 and Doree was 11. Lena was getting dental work and Doree was finally being spayed. I went to work and was very unproductive. I was sure Lena would not do well because of her age, this was before we even knew she had Cushing's. My husband picked them up and when I got home from work I was sure Lena would be curled up in one of the beds totally out of it. Well, she didn't even come to greet me, she was so busy eating even though she had 11 teeth removed. She handled it just fine.

Turned out that Doree needed me more. I spent two days on the couch with her trying to keep her comfortable.

I'll be waiting for your news too!