Zoe By My Side- Our Journey with Cushings

[StarDeb55]

Addy, all of this means is that our pups will frequently suffer from repeated infections that may be hard to get them to heal up. For instance, about the 6 months prior to my Harley's diagnosis, we had been fighting a recurring corneal ulcer. When we were at the IMS for his consult at diagnosis. darn, if his eye didn't look all gross, again. I asked the IMS if this repeated problem was probably due to the immune system being compromised from the Cushing's, she said yes.

When it comes to a raw diet, I fed both my boys Primal raw for over a year & they did fine. I pretty sure that Glynda (Lulu's Mom) feeds all of her pack Primal, including both of her Cushpups, & she swears by the food.

Debbie

[addy]

okay, i am calming down now. I freaked when I read her food. the thing is, I believe I am doubting everything I did last year, the raw diet, the Armor supplement, the shen, because now she is sick with Cushings. Did I do this to her? I can't get that out of my mind. There, i finally said it out loud. Did I make my dog sick? She wasn't sick before this. I am now having a major meltdown. I only fed her turkey, i did not rotate protein, the holistic vet said keep her on turkey. i didn't even do it right.

I am so sorry, I can't type any more.
Addy

[apollo6]

Addy, You didn't cause it.
You are not to blame, I blamed myself also. In 2003 Apollo had some kind of allergic reaction or was stung by a bee, wasn't home when it happened. That night his face starting swelling up, then he got hives all over his body, had to go to the emergency at 1a.m. -Superbowl weekend will never forget, he couldn't breath. He was put on so many medications over a few days-lots with steroids in it. He also has back problems was on prednisone on and off, allergy tablets.Then he started having hives, lumps on his little belly, ingrown hairs I had to squeeze out, it was bad. His belly turned grey, liver spots. I question myself if all this caused it. But the positive is he is still here. This disease sucks. Apollo had stomach problems for years, was always throwing up intermediately, he ate the back of my husband's dress shoe, socks, had a yellow string come out the other end once when he popped. I had to put him on a low fat diet because of the pancreatitis( the ultrasound showed scaring chronic pancreatitis), I also do holistic, with supplements and it did help Apollo for a while, the throwing up stopped his coat did get better for awhile. You do the best you can. They know it with the love they give you back. You need to ease up on yourself. Sending you hugs Sonja

[SavingSimon]

okay, i am calming down now. I freaked when I read her food. the thing is, I believe I am doubting everything I did last year, the raw diet, the Armor supplement, the shen, because now she is sick with Cushings. Did I do this to her? I can't get that out of my mind. There, i finally said it out loud. Did I make my dog sick? She wasn't sick before this. I am now having a major meltdown. I only fed her turkey, i did not rotate protein, the holistic vet said keep her on turkey. i didn't even do it right.

I am so sorry, I can't type any more.
Addy

NO! YOU did NOT do this to her. Have you tried "probiotics"? Don't get them from Iams - they are crazy expensive, but read Iams ad about them if you can find it. I think it may be a good idea for ALL dogs with tummy problems (and maybe those without). I just gave "Frijole" (Kim) the contact info on how to hopefully get the same less expensive probiotics I have been giving Simon.
My friend, I wonder if I "did this" to Simon sometimes too - was it drinking the pool water? Did I not see it for too long? But then I stop myself. Have you noticed how many purebred dogs are amongst us? In fact, I have yet to see anyone with a "mutt" ... personally, I think it is a genetic predispostion, and from the breeding and breeders I have seen throughout the U.S. - even the ones I thought were HIGHLY ethical, I kind of think this looks like something that may just be a genetic predispostition. I think that we do go through everything for a reason, and that reason will work out to be good if you can hand it over to God. This is all again, just my opinion. I am sorry if I am the one who caused you to start going down the road of self-blame. Trust me, you didn't do it. It just happened, and now you are doing everything in your power to make it better for your baby. So don't freak yourself out (take it from the one who tends to do that dailly.)
I just re-read what you wrote and see I misunderstood. You are wondering if you made your dog sick with the food. I stand corrected, however, the answer is still NO. Even if the food is what made your baby sick, you did NOT "DO IT" to her, the food might have, so now you just get her well, focus on that. Blaming yourself (like all parents do) isn't going to help either one of you. When you feel bad, she worries - so you gotta KNOW you didn't do this. Even if you messed everything up (which I have no idea, not up to date on your thread). What you ARE going to do is make her get better. So hang in there for her, and believe me, if it was the food, you can blame the food company - just don't blame yourself, okay? I would tell you if I thought it was your fault. And I am telling you that it is not. It's just your job to get her better and so focus, listen to Harley's poor Mama, who always says "take a deep breath" - take ten, and then start making plans on how you will get her feeling better. You are her Mom - you can ONLY make her feel better - and if you asked her, that is what she would tell you.
Praying for you both.
Love,
Dena and Simon

[SavingSimon]

Addy, also I know a lot of people are going to not like this one, and I did just catch up on your thread ... but I just read an article recently by a veterinary endocrinologist that says Hills ID is the best choice for dogs with Cushings. I don't have the link, but you can google it. I have to get to work - but wanted to tell you you might want to look into that - it is made for dogs with stomach and digestion problems. Also, I really am a believer in probiotics, as I said in my last post, and most of a dogs immune system is in their gut so I really believe probiotics will help. Food is so hard of a thing to figure out what is right, but if you left it up to your baby, just think of what she would have been eating on her own. You will resolve this. Lastly, are you feeding the flax seed hulls? A little too much of that can give a dog (or a human) the runs, and so be sure your vet has looked up the exact right dose for your baby's weiight, and remember it is once a day - not twice.
Hope I am helpful (if not please just ignore). I am very relieved that you agree about "raw raw" - raw meat is the last thing a Cushing's dog's tummy can tolerate ... but my understanding is that is NOT what you were doing, so I'm wondering if it could have been too much flax., or maybe it is just getting the plastic out of her system. It WILL resolve ... just keep trying to do what is right, that's the best you can do. For me it's really hard with 7 dogs to get Simon not to eat all of their food. And last night Coulter (my Anatolian "JUNKY" shepherd ate a half a bottle of Simon's Sam-E and she's fine. She grabs a bottle of vitamins or any RX she can get her big mouth around any time I leave a door where she can get to it. I think she is trying to kill off the JRTs, but my point is that healthy dogs can get away with a lot more than Cushing's dogs, and that doesn't mean that YOU did anything wrong, okay? I just hope I can help by suggesting stuff that might work. Probiotics, and as much as we all hate Hills, ID is a very good intestinal diet and has recent research to show it is helpful in Cushings. It is not very good looking food, though and I'm not totally convinced - but when I have put dogs with stomach problems on it, it has helped. And so does reglan - were you the one that had that but was afraid? Take one yourself first if you don't believe me - it sounds like your stomach might be upset, it works in thirty minutes and is a total relief - I will tell you a funny story about it later but gotta get to work now. Praying for you and your girl.
Love,
Dena and Simon

[Squirt's Mom]

ok...here is the link to the thread where we discussed the dosages and SDG I told you about. The discussion starts a page or 2 before this link but the main ideas start here:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/show...+hulls&page=11

About guilt....obviously no has told you but I am the Queen of Guilt here and have no intention of giving up my crown any time soon! I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I am sure I had something to do with the Gulf tragedy! So you just put that crap in the trash.

Unless there have been some new studies, no one really knows what causes Cushing's to develop (other than the Iatrogenic form). It can be found in families but not always; there are sometimes commonalities in the history of the pups but not always; some breeds are more prone to the condition but not all of them will succumb. Truthfully, I think Cushing's is much more common that is currently believed but it goes undiagnosed or is mis-diagnosed more times than not. That is one reason what we do here is so very important. By our love, determination and self-education each one of us has taught and is teaching our vets the truth of this condition; it CAN be treated, the pups CAN live a normal, healthy life-span, and there are parents who DO care and will do ANYTHING to help their babies. It may not be in our lifetimes, but the day will come when Cushing's is no longer a feared, mis-understood condition and that will be in large part due to parents like you, sweetie, who are fighting so hard today.

So when that nasty guilt pokes its head up, remind it who is the Queen and that what you and Zoe are facing has an important purpose for all babies.

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls - always

[apollo6]

Dear Andy I will post what I feed Apollo:
A.M-low fat cottage cheese, Greek nonfat yogurt, egg white
, low sodium turkey slice, supplements

NOON- long WHEAT grain rice, cooked chicken, teaspoon canola oil,
Lite salt-potassium chloride
ADDED PURRED,CARROT

AFTER 4P.M-cooked potatoes with skin, chicken
Nutria Deni mini chew or Greene
Halo-Live N Little skin & Coat treat with Salmon
Have alternated with organic baby food-summer veg with pumpkin, turkey with veg, spinach.
Slice apple, sometimes blue berries, honey melon
I have given Apollo -Solid Gold-made in San Diego, Halo, and NUtrilite. You are getting to much overload on information, check with your vet and holistic vet to work together on Zoe's diet. That is what I am doing. Maybe Dena is right about pure breeds, my little guy has a super sensitive stomach. Although he will eat anything he can get his teeth into. Just take it slow. I am here if you need to talk or should I say post. You are on the east coast and I am on the west Coast-Original from Toronto, Ontario , Canada-know more then I want about the cold.

[addy]

Thanks to all of you for your much needed support. I think I just needed to put Cushings away for a day. I feel much better.

Zoe was on the Hills' Icanned ID for nine months and still had colitis flare ups frequently, I had to supplement it everyday with pumpkin. She chewed her paws terribly and gained alot of weight from the food. Her stool always had mucus in it. I tried Animal Esstenials Enyzmes and probiotics, it was hit or miss, not consistant. Tried Forti Flora too. She has been on Culturelle 1 time per day, half capsule now for almost a year.

Last night I gave Zoe her first 1mg of melatonin. I wanted to start that for a week without the lignans. I always have to do things one new thing at a time. Well, it didn't really knock her out, she was waking me up at the crack of dawn as usual. Tommorow I will try 2 times a day.

It probably was just a fluke and nothing to do with the melatonin, but this morning she had the most perfect beautiful poops I have seen since March. Now, you know I love my dog because I have become an expert poop examiner!!! And yesterday was not even a metronidazole day. I have again cut her back to every other day as she seemed a little sick to her tummy on the every day Metronidazole dose.

At any rate, last night I thought I should look at things differently and maybe because of what I did do last year she does not YET have all the normal symptoms of Cushings except for the coat and skin. Tried to put a positive spin on it

Anyway, I will allow Squirt's Mom to remain the "queen of guilt". Thanks for all the kind words, it really helps when I have a melt down.

Addy

[Harley PoMMom]

It probably was just a fluke and nothing to do with the melatonin, but this morning she had the most perfect beautiful poops I have seen since March. Now, you know I love my dog because I have become an expert poop examiner!!!

I shall say that around here we do get quite excited about perfect poops!!!!
Poop patrol rocks!

At any rate, last night I thought I should look at things differently and maybe because of what I did do last year she does not YET have all the normal symptoms of Cushings except for the coat and skin. Tried to put a positive spin on it

Good for you! A positive attitude is essential when dealing with this disease, so if that negative energy comes calling again, well as you say...put it in a drawer and never open it! And you know that you can come here to talk about the fear and anxiety that this disease can create in us.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[Squirt's Mom]

You go, girl!

Ain't poop patrol fun?!?! A few years ago, a neighbor asked me if I had lost a diamond! After a while, they quit asking and just decided this old broad was simply nutso!

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls - always