alphasmom
02-20-2010, 02:00 AM
Hi all. First visited this forum in 2008 when my sweet boy was first diagnosed with Cushings at the age of 9 1/2, and I wanted you to all know the latest.
Alpha (a Sheprador) just turned 12 in December. Woohoo. Although there has been deterioration which I'll get to in a minute, I am thrilled we've made it to 12 so far.
When healthy he was 78 lbs; since diagnosis, down to 62 lbs. (that loss is over 2.5 years).
He has Cushings, hip dysplasia, heart murmur, hypothyroidism, and dementia/senility/cognitive disorder, along with cataracts causing diminishing vision.
Yay for SELEGILINE. It's liquid and peanut butter flavored, VERY affordable.
His dementia is worse at night, similar to Alzheimer's patients with Sundowner Syndrome. Some nights he wanders and circles the house for 4-5 hours, crying out confused and lost, banging into things, standing and staring into corners, etc. But that's probably only 2 out of 7 nights per week.
During the daytime he wags his tail, still greets me with his squeaky ball, gives kisses... eating ravenously (and pooping twice as much as what goes in!), consuming lots of water and peeing like a racehorse... but still seemingly happy most of the time and ALIVE.
He follows commands and does his tricks. Even sleeps on the bed a few nights a week.
I have noticed he now poops on the driveway sometimes instead of making it to the lawn, but still knows the difference between inside and outside, uses the dog door and has had NO inside accidents. His poop isn't quite solid, but no blood.
I figure that when he can no longer walk (due to his back legs) or stops eating, that will be when quality of life is gone.
Last July, I brought a 12 week old puppy into the household, mostly for me - to avoid the empty nest syndrome that I anticipated with Alpha's illness.
Kona has been a mixed blessing. She's a Corgi mix with tons of energy and mischief. Very sweet and scary smart. VERY destructive. I was on the verge of rehoming her for the first 4 months. She kept shredding Alpha's orthopedic beds.
I won't crate her for long periods of time, so leave the two of them outside in the yard when I'm not home. This means Alpha loses his inside privileges because Kona can't be trusted. I feel badly for how bringing her into our lives has affected him. Sometimes he tolerates her, or is annoyed by her persistent desire to play, but other times he seems to enjoy having her around.
Anyway, for those of you who are JUST getting the diagnosis - the disease has been manageable and not as expensive as I feared. I've already had two extra years with him, and if he makes it to August, it will be three years since diagnosis.
I DO recommend the liquid selegiline. I buy it online at Pethealthpharmacy and a 4 month supply is only $100. That was not a sales pitch. lol
Alpha (a Sheprador) just turned 12 in December. Woohoo. Although there has been deterioration which I'll get to in a minute, I am thrilled we've made it to 12 so far.
When healthy he was 78 lbs; since diagnosis, down to 62 lbs. (that loss is over 2.5 years).
He has Cushings, hip dysplasia, heart murmur, hypothyroidism, and dementia/senility/cognitive disorder, along with cataracts causing diminishing vision.
Yay for SELEGILINE. It's liquid and peanut butter flavored, VERY affordable.
His dementia is worse at night, similar to Alzheimer's patients with Sundowner Syndrome. Some nights he wanders and circles the house for 4-5 hours, crying out confused and lost, banging into things, standing and staring into corners, etc. But that's probably only 2 out of 7 nights per week.
During the daytime he wags his tail, still greets me with his squeaky ball, gives kisses... eating ravenously (and pooping twice as much as what goes in!), consuming lots of water and peeing like a racehorse... but still seemingly happy most of the time and ALIVE.
He follows commands and does his tricks. Even sleeps on the bed a few nights a week.
I have noticed he now poops on the driveway sometimes instead of making it to the lawn, but still knows the difference between inside and outside, uses the dog door and has had NO inside accidents. His poop isn't quite solid, but no blood.
I figure that when he can no longer walk (due to his back legs) or stops eating, that will be when quality of life is gone.
Last July, I brought a 12 week old puppy into the household, mostly for me - to avoid the empty nest syndrome that I anticipated with Alpha's illness.
Kona has been a mixed blessing. She's a Corgi mix with tons of energy and mischief. Very sweet and scary smart. VERY destructive. I was on the verge of rehoming her for the first 4 months. She kept shredding Alpha's orthopedic beds.
I won't crate her for long periods of time, so leave the two of them outside in the yard when I'm not home. This means Alpha loses his inside privileges because Kona can't be trusted. I feel badly for how bringing her into our lives has affected him. Sometimes he tolerates her, or is annoyed by her persistent desire to play, but other times he seems to enjoy having her around.
Anyway, for those of you who are JUST getting the diagnosis - the disease has been manageable and not as expensive as I feared. I've already had two extra years with him, and if he makes it to August, it will be three years since diagnosis.
I DO recommend the liquid selegiline. I buy it online at Pethealthpharmacy and a 4 month supply is only $100. That was not a sales pitch. lol