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Thread: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's - Chuck has passed

  1. #151

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's

    Hey all! Sad news this time. He passed away a couple days before thanksgiving. His breathing had been getting shallower and shallower for probably 6-8 months but he never really had any issues with anything. One morning I realized he was breathing very very shallow and quickly, but not panting. He wouldnt even put his head down to obstruct his air passageway. Anyway, we took him to the vet and ultimately made the decision that enough was enough. The vet said it was likely that his liver/gut had just grown too large, and probably there were other complications from very old age like a weakened diaphragm and possibly age related pulmonary fibrosis and possibly some heart related issues as well as possible damage from allergic bronchitis. So...a lot of things. They said they could do x-rays and blood work and all that stuff but that in their experience when a dogs breathing gets that bad it usually wont get better and its just better to end their suffering. Especially since it was a progressive breathing problem.

    It really hurt my soul that they were fully booked and I had to do a drop off and he was apart from me for an hour but I was adamant he shouldnt suffer and I didnt want to take him to a different vet or make him wait another day. Gosh, i'm tearing up as I write this. I guess a pet dying is never convenient or easy or goes how we like but there it is. Wish I could've just made an appointment and been there with him but it is what it is. By the time we got there we had already made the decision and so they sedated him and we were with him for a bit and then they did it. I guess i would have liked to spend some more time with him while he was fully cognizant but understand that the vet was packed and honestly he was in such a poor state that being fully awake/cognizant wouldn't be in his best interest. So I suppose in a sense im sort of glad it happened the way it did because I really really didnt want him to be awake and suffering more than he had to (for his sake as well as mine). Our vet was really great and sympathetic like always, so that helped.

    I dunno. A lot of disjointed thoughts. I know we did the right thing but its just never easy and I sometimes question myself (who doesnt?). Makes me feel sort of guilty I guess. I miss him dearly but was very happy to have been able to spend so much happy time with him and he had a good life and gave me a lot of happiness. Thanks for your support over the years!
    Last edited by randomguy; 12-06-2018 at 05:26 PM.

  2. #152
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
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    Glen Cove, NY
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    1,941

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's

    I am so sorry to read this sad news. Chuck sure put up a good fight. We all have regrets and feelings of guilt. It's so hard to know what to do for them and when enough is enough. He had a very good life with you and I'm sure he knew how much you loved him and you know he loved you right back.
    Joan, mom to my Angel Lena, Angel Gable, Angel Phoenix, Angel Doree, Cooper, Sibble, and now Raina.

  3. #153
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    15,292

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's - Chuck has passed

    Oh my, I’m so very sorry, too. But thanks so much for returning and telling us what has happened. Chuck has now joined our other precious babies on our special memorial thread of honor:

    https://www.k9cushings.com/forum/sho...Left-Us-(2018)

    If you care to tell us the exact day he passed, we can add that, too. We’d also be honored to add a photo link if you’d wish. If so, you can send us a photo at k9cushings@gmail.com. You can do this at any time, now or in the future.

    Just like Joan says, in one way or another, I think all of us carry regrets about losing our babies. Hindsight always seems to be 20/20, but at the moments that we must make such difficult decisions, our vision always seems clouded by questions and indecision. It’s just the way it is. But you made your decision based on your love for Chuck and your desire to spare him any unnecessary pain. So even though it’s hard for you now, please know that your decision was the “right” one. I’ve written this same thing to folks before, but in my heart I still believe it to be true. That one hour of separation was just the blink of an eye during a lifetime filled with love and companionship. Throughout it all, Chuck was still cradled in your love, whether you were physically present or not.

    So thank you again for coming back to us. Please return again at any time if you want to talk more about Chuck, or your lives together, or anything else that’s on your mind. We send you our warmest wishes, always.

    Marianne

  4. #154
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    York, PA.
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    11,037

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's

    I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved Chuck and my heart goes out to you and your family. Please know we are here for you and if you should need a shoulder to lean on, just come back to us.

    With Heartfelt Sympathy, Lori

  5. #155
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    rural central ARK
    Posts
    14,549

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's

    I am so sorry to hear about your sweet Chuck. He had the best family he could have had during his life and certainly during his illness, one who always put him first even on the last day. A member once said that we take their pain so they can be free of it and it is true, as you fully understand today. We do that because of the love we have for them. This most painful decision is one we make because we love them so...and our babies understand that and are grateful for that last gift we give them. Today your precious boy is breathing deep and freely, running wild in the Rainbow Fields with so many of his new friends from here and elsewhere. From there, he will keep watch over his family just as you watched over him and he will carry the love you shared in his heart until that day when you are reunited....and we WILL be reunited with our babies. Know we are here if you need to talk, vent, scream, cry, whatever - we do understand.

    My deepest sympathies,
    Leslie


    My Friend, My Companion, My Pet

    C’mon, old friend, the time has come
    For you to finally rest.
    You’ve given me your finest years
    And I feel truly blessed.
    We’ve walked many trails together
    The best of times we’ve known
    And now your aging body aches
    And I must let you go.

    You’ve taught me things I want to know
    How to love, to share, to give,
    To play, to laugh, and most of all
    How wonderful it is to live,
    And perhaps the most important thing-
    How to graciously let go.

    Good-bye, old friend, we’ve shared it all-
    Our youth, our aging years
    The best of times, and some hard times…
    I’ve shed my share of tears
    Worrying about you, watching you,
    Fearing when we’d part
    And now old friend, the time has come.
    You know you take my heart.

    I’ll miss you every moment
    My heart hurts so inside
    But you’ve suffered much too long, my friend
    And that I can’t abide.

    I pet you, gently hugging you.
    I hear you softly moan.
    You must depart,
    You take my heart,
    But you must go alone.

    I’ll hold you in my arms, my friend
    And my tears will wet your fur.
    And you’ll know I’ll always love you
    Our loyal bond endures. . .

    by Christina
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

  6. #156

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's - Chuck has passed

    Just a quick question: are laryngeal paralysis, chest muscle weakening, and lung calcification actual symptoms of Cushings? I do think muscle weakening is one, but wasn't sure if that was all muscles or just some.

    Also, I wanted to let you guys know I really appreciate your kind words!

  7. #157
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    15,292

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's - Chuck has passed

    You are so welcome, and we continue to send you our sympathy over your loss.

    Although I don’t know a lot about it, I do believe that Cushing’s can make dogs more vulnerable to laryngeal paralysis. It also can cause areas of calcification throughout the body. The effect that we’re most familiar with here is a skin condition known as “calcinosis cutis.” This involves the formation of calcium deposits under the skin that eventually erupt and cause weeping lesions and skin sores. I do believe calcium deposits can also form internally, as well. As far as chest muscle weakness, I’m more familiar with weakness in the hind end and abdominal area as being specific Cushing’s problems. But I suppose that chest weakness may result, as well.

    Marianne

  8. #158

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's - Chuck has passed

    Hey all, just trying to get a little closure here. I've been thinking about how his breathing got poor and was wondering if anyone had ever heard of that with cushings. They did tell me his liver was larger but (at least the last time we took x-rays, which admittedly was a while ago) they didn't say it was absolutely huge or anything. Ultimately his breathing was what killed him. I just dunno what it was. The vet said it could have been the liver and gut getting larger, and age related stuff like his diaphragm weakening, something to do with his heart and/or lungs, or a combination of all of the above. But I guess I'm just curious if you guys have heard of something like that. It slowly got worse over probably 6-8 months or so I'd say (though I may be off a bit, i dont know). Thanks and merry christmas!
    Last edited by randomguy; 12-23-2018 at 08:18 PM.

  9. #159
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    rural central ARK
    Posts
    14,549

    Default Re: Dog got diagnosed with Cushing's - Chuck has passed

    To put things in perspective a little bit, a 14-year-old dog is in the mid-70's in human years. Bodies just start to wear out by then, even bodies that are healthy and have no diseases or issues. Add in a little bit of Cushing's alone and that process is bound to speed up. I imagine your vet has it right - the enlarged liver presses on the diaphragm making it more and more difficult to take a breath; the aging process on the heart alone could easily make breathing more difficult and put more strain on the lungs and diaphragm. I'm overweight by about 50lbs and have COPD - I can tell you that the weight I have gained over the last 3 years has definitely made it much harder for me to breath simply because there isn't enough room for things to work as optimally as they can. The same could easily be true for a cush pup with a liver that is enlarged.

    I understand the desire to have answers but trust me answers are sometimes much worse than the wondering. I had to know what caused my Trink to die because none of her vets could tell me what was wrong with her toward the end. The necropsy told me why she died but it also proved that her vets and I allowed her to suffer horribly for a long time. Sitting where I am today, I wish I didn't know, that I had simply continued to wonder what really took her life and filled in the blank as best I could.

    The important thing to hold on to is this - Chuck knows you loved him and did everything you possibly could to make his life the very best, even when he got sick. Our babies know we can't perform miracles but if we could we would so we love them to the fullest instead. You did the right thing and gave him the greatest gift of all - freedom. Chuck knows that and loves you all the more for that gift.

    Hugs
    Leslie

    And the Merriest of Holidays to you and yours!
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

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