My beloved Westie died this morning...

[Hamish's mom]

and I am disconsolate. Hamish was 13 and was diagnosed with Cushing's only four days ago. My vet, who I trust implicitly prescribed trilostane ((Velotryl)for him, a low dose to begin with, and yesterdy was his third does. last night he was lethargic and vomited one, then eliminated on the carpet. We thought this was him adjusting to the new medication and decided to wait til morning to see how he was. This morning he could not stand or hold his hed up. On the way to the emergency vet clinic at 6 am this morning, he seems ot have suffered seizures of some sort and died in the car. We are bereft and were not prepared for his leaving us. I just want to talk to other pet owners who might shed some light. Does anyone know of this or something simliar happening at such an early stage of treatment with trilostane. Hamish' immune system has always been weak, and he suffered from terrible skin conditions in his first 6-7 years. We managed through a careful diet and serum shots to help him get well. I would appreciate any input that might shed some light. I can't get hold of my vet til tomorrow morning. And I am beside myself with grief. We loved hamish dearly.

[Roxee's Dad]

Dear Hamish's mom,

I am so sad and sorry to hear of his passing. I really don't feel right asking you alot of questions at this time during your grief. Most of us here share your grief or any passing of a cush pup. They are so special to all of us here.

When you feel up to posting further, we would be glad to share our knowledge and experience but we would need to know more history of Hamish's diagnosis.

Peace to you sweet Hamish.

PS: When you registered you placed a period after your name (ie as Hamish's mom. with a period after the actual username) Please remember to use the period when you log in.

... or an admin can remove the period from your username if you ask us to do that, so that the username becomes Hamish's mom without the period after the letters

[SaxLady]

I am profoundly sorry that you have lost your precious Hamish.
Candy

[frijole]

I too am sorry about Hamish's passing. If you post his photo we will honor him and you can tell us all about him. Take your time, we understand. Bless, Kim

[gpgscott]

I also am sorry to hear of your sudden loss of your little one, Hamish.

I think at this stage you can be fairly certain that the administration of Trilostane did not contribute to his demise.

It may be that Hamish had Cushing's for a long period and it went un-diagnosed, this happens. Cushing's is a rare issue and is often confused for another.

13 is an elder, even for a small pup like Hamish.

We have a Remembrance section where I know people here will help you put up an image of Hamish and a place where you can post about him

Mine will all get special hugs tonight in his memory.

Scott

[gpgscott]

I have just edited your personal profile to remove the period after the username as has been sugested. I have also sent you a PM advising you of this change.

Thanks very much brother, John. Scott

And Cushy:)

[Harley PoMMom]

I too am so sorry of the sudden loss of your beloved Hamish.

Please know we do understand and are here for you.

With my heartfelt sympathy,
Lori

[Roxee's Dad]

Dear Hamish's Mom,

A candle/s has been lit in memory and in honor of Hamish.

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=K9C

I do hope you will return and post a picture to honor Hamish in our "In Loving Memory" forum.

Again, I am so sorry for your great loss. I am sure Hamish is watching over you and all of our cush pups.

[MiniSchnauzerMom]

I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet Hamish and the overwhelming grief you are experiencing right now. Wish I had the answers to ease your mind and and the ability to ease your pain. Holding you in my thoughts and prayers.

Peace be with you precious Hamish.

With deepest sympathy,
Louise

[Carol G]

I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you.

Carol

[Smileyspeople]

We are holding you and Hamish in our hearts. Please give an extra hug to all members of your animal and human family. Dorothy, Peter and our canine-kids.

[mytil]

My heart goes out to you and am so very sorry to read this very sad news. I would not venture to guess right now exactly what has caused this, but in my opinion I think most probably it was not the Trilostane and something else. I know these words may not offer much comfort right now....please let us know when you can, what the vets say.

We have a very special place to remember and honor our pups who have passed Remembering all who have left us (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132) and we have added your Hamish's name to remembering him always.

Please stay with us - we are all here.
(((((hugs)))))
Terry

[bgdavis]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your little one, Hamish. Truly heart-breaking that the treatment came too late.

Bonnie and Angel Criss

[Squirt's Mom]

It is so hard to lose one we love no matter the circumstances, and when there are questions we have no answers for the loss is even harder to bear. We want to be able to look at something and say, "Oh! That is why this happened"...we want a reason, something to blame, something to answer the question "Why?" I fully understand this need to know and how hard it is to bear the burden of losing a loved one when the answer doesn't come.

I can imagine how hard it would be to gather all Hamish's info, look at it, and post it here. But, if you can do this, maybe we can help you find that "Why?" However, an autopsy may give you the best idea of what happened, as difficult as that may be to think about.

I am so sorry you are grieving and in pain. Many here understand what you are going through, so please don't suffer in silence. If you need to talk we are here for you.

We have a special place for memorials for our babies that have passed and when you are ready, we would love to share in the story of his life. You will find the memorial section at http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=8. It would be an honor for us to share in celebrating Hamish's life and in your memories of him.

Our deepest sympathies for your loss,
Leslie, Squirt, Ruby, Goldie and Crystal

[Hamish's mom]

Good afternoon:

I cannot believe the kindness shown here from people I don't know. it has comforted me immeasurably.

It has been a tearful two days since my wee Hamish died and I found myself looking for him unwittingly when I awoke this morning: he has been sleeping at my feet every night for 13 years.

I want to share with you the latest news in the events of Hamish's demise, to clarify and also to hopefully help any of you with similar trials.

I spoke with my vet - finally - this morning and told her of Hamish' passing and the events leading to it. She is not at all convinced that the trilostane or Cushing's is responsible, rather, given all of Hamish' symptoms and very sudden death she believes the cause to be hemangiosarcoma, a cancer very invasive, hard to detect, and one that can bring about internal bleeding and rapid decline ending in the dog's death. She says she has prescribed trilostane very successfully for many dogs with Cushing's and has never seen this scenario.

Strangely, I am almost comforted by what she told me. I cannot bear to think that we brought about this with anything we did to try and help our wee dog.

I hope any or all of this information is helpful to you, sweet readers. I wil post a picture of my dear wee Hamish on your Remembrance page.

Meanwhile, If I can provide any other details I will be happy to, but I will close now, and leave you with these words by Lord Byron, who described dogs as, "beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity, and all the virtues of man without his vices."

Indeed.

With my sincere appreciation for your compassion, I remain,

Hamish's mom.

[Kiska'smom]

Dear Hamish's Mom,

I have just finished reading your thread, and my heart is breaking for you. I just want to add that Hamish knows all that you did and wanted for him. Dogs are pure love and devotion, and they certainly recognize those who try to help and love them without limits. I believe that they take our love with them and that their's is left in our hearts to keep us safe and happy until we meet again. I wish you peace and love and God's speed to Hamish. Please keep in touch with us. We certainly know the depths of despair that you are now experiencing. We are standing by to help you through this.

Big hugs,

Jeanne, Kiska and Sammie

[gpgscott]

Good afternoon:

I cannot believe the kindness shown here from people I don't know. it has comforted me immeasurably.

Hamish's mom.

We know you from the company you keep. And I think you know us as well.

Scott

[Buffaloe]

I am so sorry to hear of Hamish's sudden passing. We all know, it is beyond devastating. I wish I had words to help you.

When I first read your post yesterday my definite thought was that neither the Trilostane nor the cushing's had anything to do with it. Then I was glad to see that Scott said exactly what I was thinking. There's just no way the little bit of Trilostane he took caused the sudden downturn. Often, we never know for sure what caused our dogs to pass on but Trilostane had nothing to do with it. You did everything you could do to help him.

Ken

[Dollydog]

Hi,
I read through your thread this morning but didn't know what to post. I'm glad you have some reassurance from your vet that the trilo isn't responsible for Hamish's sudden passing. We've been using it for 2 1/2 years with great success.
I just love the name Hamish, especially for a Westie. I hope your memories will bring you some comfort as you go through this difficult time of your life. Please take good care of yourself and come back to tell us how you're getting on....pictures of Hamish would be great to see,
Jo-Ann & Lady

[sarahbera1]

So sorry for your loss of your precious Hamish.
Sarah

[Harley PoMMom]

Dear Hamish's Mom,

I want to thank you for coming back and sharing with us what happened to sweet Hamish. I realize typing these words must of been incredibly difficult especially when the pain is still so raw. Your ability to do so under these circumstances shows what a truly remarkable and loving person you are.

I wish there were words I could say that could ease your pain...all I can say is we are here for you always.

Hugs.
Lori

[corgipallie]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I just lost my corgi 10 days ago. I had her in my life for 12 years and 4 months. I hope you can find peace knowing Hamish will always be in your heart and you will be together again someday.

[Roxee's Dad]

Dear Hamish's Mom,

Thank you so much for posting his pictures. He was a beautiful and handsome boy.

[Truffa's Mom]

Dear Hamish's mom

I am terribly sorry for your loss. I took a look at your pictures and I saw your beautiful, beautiful baby. I am a proud "auntie" of a westie girl from one of our dearest friends from my country, and I know how those snowy little fellows can wrap themselves around your heart.

During this difficult time, please come to our site, there is going to be always someone paying attention, either way when you feel your aching heart wanting to scream, or when your memories will surpass your pain and you'd like to share an uplifting story about Hamish.

Meanwhile I will have you in my prayers and my thoughts.



I’m Still Here


Friend, please don't mourn for me,
I'm still here, though you don't see.
I'm right by your side each night and day,
And within your heart I long to stay.

My body is gone but I'm always near,
I'm everything you feel, see or hear.
My spirit is free, but I'll never depart,
As long as you keep me alive in your heart.

I'll never wander out of your sight.
I'm the brightest star on a summer night.
I'll never be beyond your reach.
I'm the warm moist sand when you're at the beach.

I'm the colorful leaves when fall comes around,
And the pure white snow that blankets the ground.
I'm the beautiful flowers of which you're so fond,
The clear cool water in a quiet pond.

I'm the first bright blossom you'll see in the spring,
The first warm raindrop that April will bring.
I'm the first ray of light when the sun starts to shine,
And you'll see that the face in the moon is mine.

When you start thinking there's no one to love you,
You can talk to me through the Lord above you.
I'll whisper my answer through the leaves on the trees,
And you'll feel my presence in the soft summer breeze.

I'm the hot salty tears that flow when you weep,
And the beautiful dreams that come while you sleep.
I'm the smile you see on a baby's face.
Just look for me, friend, I'm everyplace!

Author Unknown

[ChristyA]

I am so sorry for your loss.
Christy

[muskyhusky]

I'm so sorry for your loss...
Lynne

[jrepac]

He is a fine looking boy; very sorry for your loss.

Jeff

[fivebichons]

I am so very sorry to hear of your loss of your precious baby. God bless both of you. Hamish is safely curled up on his very own cloud in Dog Heaven.

Hugs and Prayers,
Heidi, Marco and Sophie
...and Friskie, Lucky, Cheri and Snicky from Heaven...