_PL_

All good news. How cool that she's charmed all the vet staff already! I bet she's such a sweetie. Hugs to you all Kelly_Louise.

Awwwww Isn't she cute with her scarf and square patch shaved off her belly! So glad her ultrasound was clear. :D Things will move forward faster now and it won't be long till all this uncertainty is a memory.

Loraine you are a wealth of info. Kelly_louise, how did you go today? No, I don't think the diagnostic stuff is painful for them, just annoying. Button always views it as a huge inconvenience and great insult to have to skip a meal for any reason. She did bruise fairly badly when bloods were taken. Distressing for me but not so much for her. And as she deteriorated very rapidly before surgery she could only digest baby food. Poor girl. She basically drank, slept and peed or wandered about looking lost and anxious. So, in the scheme of things, meds and tests are the less of two evils if it means a healthier old age. You will get the odd pee accident until things are sorted. It's one of those Cushings things.

That's a really nice offer Loraine

Trusting your vet is a biggie. I'm so glad you have that. &Remember to keep updating here as she progresses. It's such a rollercoaster when any loved one is ill and you will be frightened at times. It's just that Cushings is so intangible. For us bystanders, it feels like trying to pin down smoke. Everything is uncertain and personally, I had never once considered Cushings in my vision of Button's ageing, it seemed so awful and random. But there is hope. Dogmad manages her Dixie's Cushings day-to-day, supplemented with good food and lots of cuddles :D and my Button-girl is still with us and still running the house ;) until time brings another challenge. Chin up Kelly_Louise Things will get better. Hugs to you, your gal and your mum.

Kelly, I've had the opposite experience that Dogmad has had and a couple of times have thought about writing a thread so that if other DOLers do a search it will come up and maybe be of some help. From my laymans knowledge there are two Cushings causes. Pituitary -small benign tumour in the brain -on the pituitary gland. More likely to be the cause of Cushings in smaller dogs. Inoperable and unlikely to grow any faster than the natural lifespan of the dog. Then: Adrenal - usually malignant growth on the adrenal gland -attached to the kidney -and as stats go, the larger dogs get this one. Likely to spread. Leaps to the renal system and into the bloodstream. Getting diagnosed asap is the key. Pituitary: once diagnosed, is the chemo treatment that Dogmad mentioned. I think it basically kills off some adrenal cells and restores the cortisol balance. Counteracting whatever the pituitary gland is doing. Sort of like cancelling out one thing by using another. If you stop treatment, the symptoms return because the underlying pituitary tumor is still there. As Cushings is an older dog disease, it's considered a fair option to treat this way and dogs simply pass of old age. It just means you need to manage a chronic condition the same as any other older dog problem. Adrenal: is ruled in or out by an abdominal ultrasound. If the adrenal gland is unusually large (and I'm talking millimetres here but it is crucial) and vets spot certain indicators on blood tests then that's what they will deem as the cause. As far as your options there, we only really pursued one so I'm not sure of all your choices but I recommend, if they offer an ultrasound, go for it. We seriously didn't think our girl had adrenal as she is a smaller breed but wanted to be sure. And there you go: That's what she had. Little bugger had to be different. We asked that a specialist be found who would operate, we went ahead (and my god that was a terrible time), Button was in hospital for 7 days and now a few months later is almost recovered. The surgeon removed her adrenal gland completely, the vet supplemented her cortisol synthetically, gradually weaning her off over several months. Today she is absolutely Cushings free. All the symptoms are reversing. The healing power and fighting spirit of this tiny little 13y.o. dog never ceases to amaze me. Try to stay positive and continue things as normal. The oldies thrive on routine and calm environments so I feel it makes a difference if they see you take it all in your stride. ;) (even though I almost had a breakdown LOL). Homeopathic 'supportive' treatments for you both in a stressful time won't hurt either. Hope that helps. I'm no professional so I hope what I wrote made sense. :D Good luck with your girl.

There's definitely an apple cider vinegar article on this page somewhere, I remember reading it. Are you patient enough to scan the index? :rolleyes: *Site Index Link Here* edited to add: an antioxidant article although I still can't find the apple cider one.

Same here Hopenfox, and I even wondered if she was getting a bit demented but after tests it turned out to actually be Cushings.

RIP Luke

So very very sorry Horus. I hope both you and Ellie are ok. RIP Cleo

Try the boot? Is this the kind of thing they use water therapy for? Swimming, as physiotherapy --hydrotherapy. Given the original problem is with his shattered pelvis not his leg, maybe it would help. He probably lost some muscle strength and suffered nerve damage in the accident. Poor Lewis. (I think alanglen in the rescue section knows about this therapy)

Oh no, I'm so sorry . RIP Girl

So sorry. RIP Wonder

My dogs don't get a lot of kibble food in comparison to their other foods and i have no idea of the ethics behind the varieties available but after switching to Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance thats where we'll stay. Its good stuff, and they love it.

"No fuss, just sits & waits for me to do it & then opens his mouth like PacMan waiting for me to drop his treat into it!" hehehe love it! he's got his priorities right! my tiny little oldie is not diabetic but is pretty much all blind now -the vet insisted it wouldn't bother her and he was right. as long as i remember not to leave stuff for her to bump into, and to have doors either all the way open or all the way closed (she'll crash head-on into a half open door every time). and i grow her fringe to keep the sun out. bright glarey sun seems to upset her. if i couldn't grow her hair i guess one of those little doggie sun-visors would be the go. she follows sound really well. and scent is a big one. when i mop the floors -like an ant, she can smell where her regular paths are- she gets a bit lost but quickly makes a new path. the house is only small and she remembers her way around anyway but i think her 'paw path' is helpful. not long ago i heard that dogs can be scent trained e.g. a few drops of lemon oil in a spray bottle of water, it doesn't have to be strong enough for you to smell it, and you can mark walking paths, food areas, beds and stairs with scent so the dog learns safe familiar spots. or even use different oils for different areas. don't know if it works but it sounded good at the time and reassuring for newly blind dogs.