Tipper - adrenal tumor/breathing issues

[goldengirl88]

Gummysmurf:
I think Tipper's heart enlargement is due to the breathing difficulty and it is putting more stress on her heart. There are no specialists we live in the country. I am however having the vet look up xrays of Tippers chest and trachea from a few years ago to compare them. I do not always trust his judgement, as he has steered me wrong before, so that is why I am out here searching for help again. I am hesitant on putting her on Bronchodialators as she is allergic to everything. I need to find a solution to ease her breathing and fast, before anything else happens. Of course my Vet has been off since Friday and comes back Tuesday so I have to wait until tomorrow. Thank you for the help, I will see what I need to do. The blood test I was referring to tells you if the heart is working properly, then you have to go from there. I researched this online, and that said it was a good indicator of heart problems.

[gummysmurf]

I wonder...if you could have an online consultation? I don't know if this is even possible, but my cardiologist here in Atlanta was awesome, and so sweet. I wonder if he'd be able to look at case history and so forth from emailed x rays and records, without examining your little guy in person? If nothing else he could consult with your regular vet and guide him in what to do. Not sure if they will do it, but it's worth an ask. I think a consult cost me $60.00, but that was when the IMS was seeing my dog at the same facility.

I bet your nearest univ hospital cardiologist may be able to do the same. When Baxter was getting cancer treatment out of state, the oncologist said she could walk my primary vet through treatment if need be - and I emailed her x rays and lab test results.

Just some ideas - it may put some of your doubts to rest if you got a second opinion from someone with more specialized experience.

Wishing you the best of luck and the best possible diagnosis!!

[goldengirl88]

Gummysmurf:
Thank you for the help. Please read my post to everyone to see what I decided to do with Tipper. God Bless you and your furbaby.

[Squirt's Mom]

Gummysmurf:
Thank you for the help. Please read my post to everyone to see what I decided to do with Tipper. God Bless you and your furbaby.

uummmm....could you point out this post you are referring to? I am lost! And I, for one, would really like to know what you have decided "to do with Tipper".

[goldengirl88]

Hi Everyone:
After a ton of research and several times going round and round with the Vet this is what I have decided to do with Tipper regarding her problems. When I kept telling everyone Tipper had labored breathing and wheezing etc, this is what the problem was. When your dog gets Cushings it narrows their nasal passages, which in turn inhibits breathing causing snoring. Due to the extra stress of trying to breathe Tipper's right side of her heart became enlarged. To see a cardiologist here is 600.00 for the visit and ultra sound. Since you can't reverse the damage I must think of the smartest way to use my money to help Tipper. The Vet told me if she sees the cardiologist that she may have to go on powerful drugs for the heart that have consequences for usage as with everything else. He said knowing what he knows about those drugs he would never use them himself, that he would use this supplement. Tipper's heart enlargement is small.

I found a supplement called Cardio Strength from Vetri Science a really reliable laboratory. My Vet said he had a dog that had a heart really enlarged, and was retaining fluid, very sick, and it is still going strong 2 years after starting this supplement. Everything in it is to help support the vascular system, including COQ 10. So I have decided to use it and ordered some, it is chewable. If anyone is interested I will tell you the cheapest place to get it. Anyone who has a dog experiencing breathing problems I would say try it as maybe your dog won't develop heart problems, as its heart will be well supported. I wish I would have know this earlier.

Also, Tipper has the collapsing trachea adding to the breathing problem. I have found a product called Glyco Flex lll that supports new cartlidge growth in the body, also chewable.This is also excellent for arthritis- so double benefits. Since the cartlidge is weakend in the dogs windpipe causing it to collapse, my Vet said this was an excellent product to use on her. I have ordered both products, and will start them as soon as I get them.

I also ordered Tipper a vaporizer, as most of the breathing problems are when she lays down at night. It has a UV light in it to kill any germs since these dogs sre so prone to infection, I don't want her breathing any germs accumulating from water in the vaporizer. I checked with the Vet first as I was going to add Eucalyptus Radiata essential oil to it. He said that was a great idea as it does many good things. I was ready to order it, and thank goodness I checked to see if it would be harmful to my parrot Elvis. Birds cannot breathe essential oils, so if you have one do not put it in the vaporizer. You can use it internally( I would not do this), you can wipe it on their neck, put it in a vaporizer, or put some on a cloth and let them smell it, while they are sleeping for a few seconds at a time. I ordered some and will be letting her smell it.

Also, I found out coconut oil, and the Manuka honey I have always used on her are excellent for this. The coconut oil has to be used sparingly at first because it may make loose greasy stools. I would never give more than 1/4 teaspoon at first. Tipper loves the taste - I thought she would hate it. I am all for natural healing powers.

If I can find an accupuncturist I may even give that a try, as I have read it is beneficial to these dogs. I have to see about the cost though.

I know this is a long post, but I figured that maybe some of this may help someone else, since everyone has been so kind to help us. It may not be realistic, but I told my Vet, I will some how keep my Tipper going no matter what, as long as she is not in pain. I have never loved, and been so attached to a companion animal in my life, and I am doing this for both of us, I need her. Please pray that all of this helps her.

Also, in trying to keep her weight down, I went on the Dog Food Adviser web site searching for a low fat dogfood. I cannot find any 4-5 star foods that have not been recalled except the one I have fed her for years, Newmans Own. It has 10% fat and no grain, and organic human grade chicken. Does anyone know of a lower fat, good food that has not been recalled at some time? When they get recalled, and start using ingredients I cannot pronounce-that probably come form China I will not use them. I started cutting Tipper back on her dogfood. She gets 1 cup a day and that is it. She weighs over 17 lbs now because she has not been walking as much as she did due to the cold here.

Please if you have dogs with breathing problems- especially like Tipper with a heart problem now, be cautious of the cold. It makes it harder for them to breath in cold weather. Tipper used to walk a few mile a day. She gets real upset if she doesn't walk, but I have to weigh the consequences of the stress on her heart. I only take her if it is 32 or above. I truly hope that some of this will help someone.

My last tip- make sure you know how to give your dog CPR, and how to help a dog that is choking on food without further injuring them, as you only have 3 minutes to get them breathing. You can go online and watch videos on this free, and I would get anyone else in the house to watch also. I refresh myself by looking at them periodically, as you tend to forget some things. This may sound stupid, but I even have a small stuffed dog toy I have practiced on.

God Bless You all, and all you fur babies.

[goldengirl88]

Everyone:
I just made a decision to take Tipper for accupuncture and made an appointment. It is over an hour away, but I weighed the options, and want every advantage I can get for her. I will just have to cut other things in my budget, and cut other things out all together to afford this. It is the only way I can afford doing all of this. Our medicine here only treats the symptoms afterwards, Eastern Medicine is about getting the body and immune system healthy. So I want to combine both. This will probably make my Vet angry as his ego is as big as the sky, but that is too bad. I need to know I did all I could possibly do to help her. She has a 1 hour appt. on Feb 6th, as they have to get all her Dr.'s notes and xrays from my Vet, so the Dr. there can review them before our appt. They then do a thorough exam of her before they even do any accupuncture if it is even possible on her. I will never give up on my Tipper, I have to keep searching for that miracle.

[goldengirl88]

Squirts' Mom and everyone:
Please everyone read my post on my page 19. It is very long, and has another short one after that Thank You

[Squirt's Mom]

My Squirt has been taking the GlycoFlex III for several years now and I cannot say enough good things about this product! It is chock full of wonderful things that help inflammation of any kind and offers some great support in other areas as you mentioned.

Vetri Science seems to be a great lab tho the GlycoFlex is the only one of their products I have tried. Let me know how well the Cardio Strength works for Tipper. I had started Squirt on CoQ10 a while back but her poops got weird on it so I stopped it.

Mine all get coconut oil, as well. It is great for coats, digestion, skin to name only a few. Starting with a low dose and building to tolerance level (when looser stools appear) is the right way to handle it, too.

A tip for you - if you use a collar on Tipper for walks, stop. Get her a harness that will not put any pressure on the throat area and that will make her walks much more pleasant and not cause further damage.

I have never used the Manuka honey but hear wonderful things about it for humans as well as our companion pets so I look forward to hearing more about Tipper's experiences with it, too.

I hope you find the acupuncture is very beneficial to Tipper; I know several here have used this with good results.

Let us know what the Holistic vet has to say and what herbs, etc he/she recommends. I know very little about the Eastern approaches - TMC, Ayurveda, etc - but they fascinate me. They look at systems in an entirely different way than we do in the Western world and have been practicing their methods for centuries. They are among the oldest known medical approaches.

As for feed, what you have found is a good feed and should be ok for Tipper. Of course, the best way to know what is best is to simply feed it and see how it works for her. It is getting more and more difficult, not to mention downright scary, finding reliable high quality feeds. If you would be interested in home cooking for Tipper, I can point you to a couple of ladies that would be glad to help.

You are doing a good job to make the best life possible for your sweet girl. I know exactly what you mean about doing everything in your power to give her what she needs. We will can't give up; we have to keep fighting for as long as they can. Tipper is one lucky girl to have you as her mom.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[goldengirl88]

Leslie:
Thank you for all your help. I will certainly share any information with everyone that I get from the holistic Vet. We all need all the help we can get. I did get Tipper a harness, and her humidifier just came so I am going to go get it ready to start up. I will fight to my last breath to help my girl. Thank you for the encouragement, we all need it once and a while.

[molly muffin]

I hope so much that this combination helps Tipper. Do let us know how the supplements work, if they help to bring down numbers and with breathing, etc.

You're doing good!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin