Lulu 11 y.o. Pom has gone over the Rainbow Bridge to meet Jojo

[BestBuddy]

Dear Glynda,

Every day you have with Jojo is special, try not to let those tears start. I do understand it is a bittersweet time because those loving moments are just so special. I hope you can get some answers as to what is going on and that there are many more days to love on him.

Jenny

[addy]

Hi Glynda,

I will go out on a limb here and share this with you. It may be of help with Jojo, I was not sure where his intermediate hormones stood.

After I had Zoe's UTK adrenal panel run in January I emailed Dr. Oliver. I wondered why a maintenance dose of lysodren would be a treatment option when her cortisol was higher. During the emails back and forth, I asked him, if I had to pick the worse of two evils, high cortisol or high estradiol and other intermediates, which should I control? He said according to his research "they seem to do the same thing" in his studies.

We then discussed Zoe's symptoms and her improvement in mood. He attributed that to her decrease in estradiol and the fact her other intermediates had also come down, and though three were still not normal, they were not as elevated as in May. The estradiol and some of the other intermediates, I have to refer back to his email to see which ones, can cause behavior problems, moodiness, etc.

Now I realize, all of this is theory and I do take that into account. What I know is that Zoe's mood is different now, different than even last October when her colitis was not an issue. Today, for example, we went for a brief walk. We saw strangers and strangers with dogs and we did not react. She gave me watch me without me asking, she gave me leave it without objecting and she was calm. I have not seen that behavior in quite awhile. Keep in mind, I have studied her behavior for over three years. I know all her signals, I know everything about her behavior as I have studied it every day, how she signals to play, how she warns other dogs and strangers, her calming signals. I watch and observe constantly because I had to.

For whatever reason, Zoe is not as aggressive, moody, crabby, whatever you want to call it. I see a marked change in her personality in the last month. At this point in time, I will attribute it to her reduced elevation in her hormones. I otherwise, cannot explain it. She had only been on melatonin and lignans at the right dose for barely 3 months. It can't be a coincidence. And yet her cortisol is higher. Even Shen Calmer did not give me this behavior.

My theory, sorry I wrote a book. Just want to share. I wondered if high estradiol and perhaps progesterone was a possibility for Jojo.

Love ya,
Addy

[lulusmom]

Addy, thanks so much for sharing that information. As you probably saw in my last post, I have thought about the possibility that estradiol could be a factor. Considering all of his issues, I really hope that's what we are dealing with. I quit giving Lulu melatonin and lignans as it did absolutely nothing for her. I checked the expiration dates and they are still good so I'm thinking about starting him on both in the morning to see if that makes a difference.

[Casey's Mom]

Glynda I just read through your posts about Jojo - my heart and prayers are with you.

Love and hugs,

[Franklin'sMum]

Glynda,

Thinking of you and hoping so much that Jojo feels better soon. Sending you my thoughts, prayers and hugs.

With love and hugs,
Jane, Franklin and Angel Bailey

[AlisonandMia]

I'm sorry to hear that Jojo is having problems.

I'm hoping that the thyroid panel shows something - that's what I have my fingers crossed for.

Alison

[lulusmom]

It's been a while since I've posted about my own kids so thought I'd let ya'll know how things are going. Jojo and Lulu had stims three months ago that were excellent. Lulu's post was 4.6 ug/dl which was better than her 5 point something prior to that. She still looks like a hyena from time to time as the random sprigs of hair grow here and there from her little black torso. She really is the most pathetic example of a Pom you've ever seen but she still draws a crowd with that cute face of heres whenever we go out.

Lulu has always been a food hound and she goes crazy whenever I pull the treats out of the reefer. When I pulled the treats out last week and sat down on the sofa, I looked over and she was having a seizure. I think we can safely say that her excitement about food, special treats in particular, has been the trigger for her seizures. We have to be very careful in the future to make sure the suspense does not build too much for her or she will seize up. It is really scarey!

I am going to rename Jojo, Yoyo because he is all over the place. His last post stim was 3.7 ug/dl and he seemed to be feeling pretty good that day. One month prior to that, he was feeling off, had vomited and had a little soft stool. I took him in for a senior panel and by the time the results came back, he was bouncing all over the place and eating like a pig again. When I went over the results of the bloodwork with the vet, the vet was gravely concerned because Jojo's ALT was 2001! More values than not were elevated so the vet wanted to do a bunch of testing. Since Jojo was acting fine, I told him I'd bring him in should he act sick again. Jojo's quality of life is off and on. One week I am looking at saying good bye and the next week he's running around with his tail held high, jumping up on me looking for loving and always ready for the next meal. He is still a grumpy old turd and does not tolerate anybody. The groomer will no longer groom him, Gil will no longer pick him up and I'm very careful when I pick him up. If I don't put my hands directly behind his front legs and lift, he will turn around and bite the living crap out of me. He doesn't have many teeth left but the ones he has will break the skin. So, we take it one day at a time with him and figure he'll let us know when it's time to cross the bridge.

My little Maltese Jasper was coughing a lot and I thought he may have a collapsing trachea but after tests and imaging, he was diagnosed with a grade four heart murmur and a huge heart. He is now on enacard and Lasix. My other Maltese Buster has an appointment to check his heart because he is coughing now. We did his bloodwork a few months back and the specialist wasn't concerned about a few mild elevatations. I am convinced that he is either hypothyroid or has cushing's. His T4 was low normal so I think I will have a full thyroid panel done. If that comes back normal, then I'll do a UC:CR. So it looks like none of my babies are healthy and my counter is even more cluttered with drugs.

My little rescue Lola has been battling a bacterial infection for three months. After four rounds of clavamox, two rounds of cephalexen and orbax and two bottles of malesab shampoo, she is finally turning the corner. My other little senior rescue, Gracie Mae, is on three meds for the rest of her life but thankfully, I have a wonderful fostermom who takes care of her. She has just agreed to foster Lola too. Between them, they have six teeth....Gracie Mae has two teeth and Lola has four. I just had a dental done on Lola and I got a big discount. Every rescuer should have a foster like mine. The only thing I have to do is provide the medicine and pay any vet bills. She feeds them, takes them to the groomers and has their six teeth cleaned every month.

The kitties are all okay but our male, Mokie, managed to get out of the house and of course, got into a fight. The other cat bit the crap out of his tail and it got really infected. Gil took him to the vet and came home with three medications in addition to the antibiotic injection. After one day, the cat had our number and there was no way we were going to get the meds into him. Thank goodness for the injection because that's the only thing that healed the infection. Everything you've heard about medding a cat is true. They are freaking crazy!

So that's the latest and I'm happy to report that I still have a few hairs on my head. Oh and today is my and Gil's 4th wedding anniversary and we still like each other.

[Squirt's Mom]

Happy 4th Anniversary to you and Gil!!

We love ya both!
Leslie, Squirt, Trinket, and Brick

PS. Trink sends a special head rub and tail wag to her Daddy Gil.

[Cindy Thoman]

Happy Anniversary!! Thanks for the update, I was wondering about all your little ones.

xoxo,
Cindy, Alex and Bear

[littleone1]

Happy Anniversary my friend. I hope you have many years of happiness together.

You really have your hands full with your furbabies. I admire you so much for everything you do, not only for them, but for others as well.