Mira, 7yr old Husky - Cushings ruled out; liver cancer (Mira has passed)

[frijole]

Nope - to me she looks tired/sleepy. Keep in mind she's on some meds that will make her this way. In the other shots I could not tell anything is wrong at all. She is really beautiful. So is Kira.

[Altira]

I took Mira for three really slow walks today. She looked around at anything, and everything. She isn't eating well today. So I tried stuffing a kong toy with peanut butter. That worked! Cheered her right up. Way more then the walks. She spent a good twenty minutes licking it out with gusto! I have it on video too. (In the mean time Kira gets heavier and heavier.) I haven't seen her on the pillow in weeks either. I think we'll have peanut butter every day...

[Altira]

Nope - to me she looks tired/sleepy. Keep in mind she's on some meds that will make her this way. In the other shots I could not tell anything is wrong at all. She is really beautiful. So is Kira.

You are right... I'm panicing. Poor thing, I'm going to kill her off with pain killers. Everything looks like pain to me. It's just the way she lays on her front leg. She looks all crunched up. I need to remember that about the meds. Bud mentioned that too when I complained that she didn't wag her tail when I asked if she wanted to go for a walk.

Pain:Sometimes when I touch her she growls at me. I'm calling that one pain. Right? Especally if she's not moving. Whining is a totaly unrelable clue. Huskies whine all the time. And pant.

Good Stuff:Following me. Eating. Laying belly up. Looking out the window. Crousing around the back yard. Fur standing on end when Kira gets to go for a walk and she doesn't! (She is so funny.) Showing interest in anything. Dreaming.

I'm going to try to video how she breaths sometimes. It's scary to watch.

Anyway, thank you for looking at the pictures. Your thoughts helped a lot. I never dreamed there was anything wrong with her either.

[Altira]

Getting Mira's Meds Right:
They tell me it's up to me to adjust Mira's pain meds to whats best for her and adjust the dosage accordingly. Normaly I don't see any pain from my dogs so I rarely give them any. (As I understand it, Cushing's meds are pretty much the same way. Owners just have to know. Imagine what a disaster I'll be at that!)

Does anyone know of, or ever used Neurontin (Gabapentin)? For pain.

I'm supost to figure out which one works better for Mira. Tramadol or Gabapentin. Or a combination of the two. I think the Gabapentin might work better for her, but I read that it can trigger seisures and is really hard on the liver. The doctors say the Tramadol would be better but it makes her so dopy. It makes her look like living is just no fun anymore.

Any thoughts or comments on that?

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Janis,

Yes, I would say the growling at being touched is quite possibly a pain response. The touch itself may not hurt but she may be anticipating a move that will cause her to hurt more, so she growls to tell you, "Don't you dare!"

Loss of appetite, lack of interest, removing themselves from their family, constant licking at a certain area, as well as the panting and whining, can all be indicators of pain in our babies. Since they can't say, "Hey, that last pill has worn off and I need more", we have to decide that for them based on their behaviors. SUCKS, huh? I think if it were me, I would give a pain pill anytime she seemed uncomfortable...trying my best not to OD her yet provide her some relief. Start with the schedule the vets recommended - 1 every 6 hrs or whatever. If that didn't seem to be enough to control her pain, I would go to 1 every 5 hours, then every 4 hours and so on. Start keeping a little diary of when you give the pill so you have some idea of how much she is getting and how often.

Gabapentin...ahhhh, a wonder drug in my personal arsenal! I take it for neuropathy and it does wonders without making me dopey! In fact, it works when narcotics won't for this type pain. One of our members used Gabapentin for her baby, Nike, and said it helped a great deal. When our Ruby was fighting her last battle I gave it to her as well and it did help with her pain and discomfort a bit. Ruby's days were limited at the time I started her on it so I don't know what the long-term benefit would have been for her. However, Nike was on it for quite some time with positive results for her.

I don't see how the Gabapentin could hurt to try and see if it helps. You might find that one works better during the day and one better at nite, or using them both at nite and one during the day. The brand name for Gabapentin is Neurontin, BTW.

Something else you might look into is acupuncture. It won't cure her but it might help with her pain level. Just a thought!

Hugs and belly rubs,
Leslie and the girls - always

[Altira]

Help. She has been panting for what feels like hours. I gave her a "gab" about two hours ago. I gave her a Tramadol just now.

[Altira]

Ok I read your post now Leslie. Mira has oddly stopped panting. So you think I should try the "gab" instead if she starts up agian? Or stop panicing? Or give every hour until she stops or drops dead? She panted a lot like this yesterday too. It's not the same gentle pant she did have. You can here this one. She won't eat anything. She still has stopped. That last pill could not of taken effect yet.

[Altira]

Am I going to kill her with my panic? Fortunitly she doesn't seem effected by my crying. The doctor said she would have hot and cold spells.

[Altira]

I have been keeping a diary on her even before I found out it was cancer. Every half hour every five minutes. Ok she's panting again and moved away from me.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hey sweetie,

How long ago did you give the gab? Have you given Tramadol since giving the gab?

Honey, there is only so much you are going to be able to do for her pain and you are working hard to help her. Give the meds time to kick in and maybe she will be able to rest a bit.

With the masses on the liver and chest, it is expected that she will pant a great deal. Her lungs are being compressed, making it harder for them to work properly. Accelerated breathing is going to make her heart work harder so you will see an increase in heart beats as well. All of this is to be expected so try not to let it get to you so badly. I know how hard that is to do.

Has she eaten anything today?

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls - always