Loraine

I would have no problem provided that a human was in attendance in case of any problems arising (such as getting caught between teeth or across the top jaw. If you mean dogs swallowing whole bones then I would be very concerned as that is not good. My Wire Haired chews all bones before swallowing.

Yes my boy had his thyroid tested a year before and one level was low and the other was normal so it was ignored, then the second vet in the practice checked my boy's heart rate. His heart rate was very low so thyroid problems were confirmed. It is worth a go, as elimination diets are hard to stick to and can be expensive and difficult to find the meats.

WOW I have just had shivers up my spine I am so glad that Deisel is coping well with the treatment and that it appears to be doing good. When will you know if the tumour has shrunk???

I have had my boy on an elimination diet. I was advised by the vet that he needed to be on it for six weeks to determine if his allergy was food related. He had to have a food that I did not think he had ever had before. I did discover that he is allergic to oats which are in many kibbles, snack foods . Turned out it was his thyroid anyways I have now gone back to normal BARF type feeding of the boy and now he is on Oroxine he is great. Point I started to make was to keep the dog on one type of food (meat and/or fish and a veggie) for a miimum of 6 weeks.

We are reading as often as you post about Diesel. Keeping our fingers and paws crossed. Poor lad it does seems like a bit of an ordeal he is going through, but hopefully the end will be worth it. GO DIESEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keeping Diesel and you in my thoughts today, at the start of his treatment. I've told Zedley to cross his paws in support

I have just this year moved to Titer Testing. I understand that it has to be done yearly. The only place in Australia for the testing is in WA. I paid $180.00, but I saw another DOLer say she paid $80.00. I shall be vet shopping next year for a cheaper cost for the same testing

KL so glad you have got more pills. I am not sure with Trilostane (my use was fairly short-lived), but with Lysodren it is recommended that the vet gives you a few pills so that you have them to hand in case of an overdose. I am guessing that it would be the same for Trilostane.

How wonderful that you will be able to spend a fiar bit of time with Diesel whilst he has his treatment. Sounds like he enjoyed his time on the beach (I personlly think all beaches should be dog friendly ). Good luck with his treatment and your trips back and forth.

KL if it is necessary for Chloe to come off the tablets for a few days, or even longer, it should not harm her. If she does not perk up I would actually give a pred (it will not kill her or hurt her) and she will feel beter. Problem right now is her cortisone is way too low and she is probably feeling very off colour. Hopefully things will turn around for you and Chloe very soon. (((HUGS)))

Here we go KL the roller coaster continues. What a thing to happen. Many Cush pups go Addison and stopping or reducing the meds for a while corrects that position. Many vets actually overdose dogs to make them Addisonion, then you just have to give the dog prenisolone for life. If I remember correctly your Chloe is on Trilostane, which has a fairly quick turn around from the brink of being Addy. Hopefully this will be the case for Chloe. Signs to look out for would be shaking, not eating, not drinking much and generally be off colour. Does Trilostane now come in various sizes? I remember with my boy that I had to have his compounded by a specialist chemist to get the right dose for him, but at that time Trilostane only came in one size.

Dw that sounds like a great alternative. I hope you keep us informed of Diesel's progress and I am praying that he has a brilliant outcome. This has got to have been a roller coaster for you, so I think you need to give yourself a special treat

KL it sounds like Chloe is doing really well. I shall be keeping you both in my thoughts for good test reaults today. Rush back and let us know how she goes. What a great Dogs-mum you are

Dw this has got to be a rotten shock for you and your OH. Maybe drop a PM to Charles Kuntz who is a member here and is a vet with heaps of knowledge. He is aware of the brain surgeries that have been done in the US.

He is just the cutest. Good luck with his future championships, you'll need a whole room to show his ribbons and medals and cups off

yeah i dont know his welts are from him statching all the time, nothin else has changed even in yard/garden always mowed short, no new plants in garden Whilst you may not have put new plants into your garden the puppy is new to the garden, and many common plansts can causing itching (especially as his belly may be touching the planst) Tkane from this website - http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s983350.htm Our gardens are places where our pets spend much of their time, but most people probably don’t realise that often the two do not go together. There are a number of commonly grown plants that are highly toxic to both small and large animals. Pets are curious, exploratory and they love chewing a large range of plant material. There are hundreds of commonly grown plants that are potentially toxic to the animals around us. Marijuana is one that has an unpleasant effect on both dogs and cats, but it is dogs that are usually the victims. Animals often vomit, are usually quite sedated but with episodes of agitation and abnormal behaviour, and have very fast or slow heart rates and can actually seizure or become comatose. It is not just domestic pets that eat toxic plants. Livestock are often poisoned by eating ornamental plants, especially in country areas. Cupressus macrocarpa Monterey Cypress, and common shrubs such as Common Yew Taxux accata, rhododendrons and azaleas and Nerium oleander cvs. have all poisoned livestock. These garden plants should not be made accessible to them, or avoid planting them if there is any risk of animals coming into contact with them. It is only in the last few years that the veterinary community has become aware of lilium toxicity, especially to domestic cats. All parts of the plant are toxic to cats; the roots, stems, leaves and flowers and even the stamens. Veterinary surgeon at the University of Sydney, Jody Braddock astutely diagnosed lilium poisoning in a young cat some time ago and saved its life. The kitten lived indoors in an apartment, and plants were not a familiar part of its territory. The arrival of a bouquet of flowers stimulated its curiosity, and the evidence of teeth marks in the leaves showed that it was all that was needed to make the kitten extremely sick. The toxin initially causes some inflammation of the stomach, and progresses to acute renal failure and potential death within 3 to 5 days if it is left untreated. Glory Lily Gloriosa superba poses a major problem. Not only is every part of this plant toxic to humans and animals, but it has escaped from gardens and has established itself on the sand dunes of northern NSW and Queensland and has become an environmental problem as well. The plant produces a lot of seeds and rhizomes as well, but the main reason that it has spread is because people are dumping it as garden waste in the bush. So not only is it toxic to cattle and dogs and cats, but it is also killing our native kangaroos and wallabies. Nepeta cataria Catnip is actually attractive to pets. It contains nepeta lactone, a substance that for some cats is absolute bliss. They sniff it roll in it and generally become euphoric, but interestingly only cats that carry a specific gene find the plant attractive. Just because we can eat something does not mean that it is safe for our pets. Both the leaves and the fruit of Avocado Persea Americana can cause heart failure if fed to caged birds such as budgies and canaries, and other pets. Macadamia nuts, although delicious to us, are toxic to dogs. They create severe abdominal cramping, joint pain, a high fever and a hind limb gait abnormality. There is little that can be done, except for supportive care and pain-killers and the symptoms will disappear after a few days. All state departments of agriculture have excellent websites that give information about noxious plants, or ring your local vet, who will help you. Visit the website: www.agriculture.gov.au

Blast!!!!! Not good news, I am hoping that there is a solution, but I am not aware of one. I know in the US a couple of vet schools have done pituitary surgery on dogs, but it is not being done anywhere else, it is also very risky. I don't think Lysodren would necessarily help, as it does not shrink the brain tumors to well, it acts mainly on shutting down the adrenals and shrinking them. I will be keeping you and Deisel in my thoughts and hope your vet has a few good ides.

You are right Kelly Louise, Lysodren is a chemo drug and helps to reduce the tumor. Please let us know how Diesel's MRI goes.

The tablets your Mum is referring to is Lysodren, which was the drug of choice prior to Trilostane. I used both (at different times) on my wee lad, and I actually prefer Lysodren, but hey it is whatever works. The adrenals show enlarged as they are pumping heaps of cortisol, but that can be due to a pituitary tumor. Unless the tumor is hiding, an ultrasound would have shown a tumor as long as the person doing the ultrasound knew what to look for.

This is a scary time, but as soon as your vet has done the MRi you will have a better understanding. Please make sure that you vet really understands the treatment of Cushing's disease. Many vets can diagnose it but do not understand the protocols for treating it. Often Cushing's is caused by a micro-tumor on the pituitary gland, but sometime it can be amacro-tumor which will cause other problems such as seizures, eye problems. If it should be adrenal Cushing's then an operation is possible to removed tumors from the adrenal glands.

I doubt that an unqualified person can purchase vacc's themselves. $85 is not bad at all for a set of vacc's (C4/5's)

I took his old, empty box into the pharmacy to make sure of the dose etc. Next time we need renewals we will go to the pharmacy.

I discovered today that my local pharmacy will accept a vet's script for Oroxine for Zedley's thyroid. The vet charges me $81.00 for 200 and the pharmacy will charge me $42.00 for 200. Big saving expecially when you are on the aged pension

My boy gets raw meat and veggies plus he has a bowl of biscuits/kibble for snacking. He is not a piggy eater, so the bowl of snacks is down all of the time and he barely eats a cup of snacks each week. He is very fit and healthy, and his itchy skin is clear at the moment

Nothing more painful than when a loved one has to leave us (((HUGS)))