LolasShoes
03-26-2010, 04:23 PM
:confused:
Lola is my ten year old Lhasa, she's 19 pounds. About two months ago, I noticed she was drinking more then normal, which at the time I didn't think odd as my condo is very very warm and dry in the winter. The drinking continued but I noticed that she was releasing more and more onto the wee wee pads, to the point she was soaking them through.I thought maybe there was something wrong, but put off the vet thinking if I turned the radiators off, this would help. Obviously, it didn't.
This past Sunday, Lola was very lethargic, didn't want to play and did not come join me for my morning coffee (and he cookie). later in the afternoon, she has loose, mucus stool that was streaked with blood. The vet was not available, so I made an appointment for Tuesday morning. Monday morning, she had another loose stool but drank some water and ate a cookie.
My daughter called me at work saying her eye had popped out and was rolling upwards and was red (cherry eye, which I know now) Thinking the worse (a co-worker told me it might be shock) I rushed home and raced to the vet. They ran an initial blood test her he sugar levels were over 500. she said she was fluffy in the chest (they did x-rays) and Lola was diabetic (mellitus), but it could be managed with insulin. She said Lola would need to stay so they could bring the sugar down.
On Tuesday when i went to see her, her sugar had spiked to 666. On Wednesday it was back down to 580 but the vet was perplexed on why they could not get the levels down and mentioned Cushings. They did a ACTH suppression test and it came back at 27. I was told that it was cushings, more likely adrenal and they want to do an ultrasound on Tuesday. A new vet (mine went on vacation) said that he wants to do surgery to remove the tumor (what tumor??) when I said that researched cushings and read it might not be wise to remove anything, he said his opinion was to remove it and he was starting her on a cushing protocol (I don't know what yet).
Now I am thrown for a loop. I called this morning to see how she was and I was told by the nurse that he wants to keep her again because now her sugar was too low. I am going to see her tonight and I would like to bring her home until I can decide what is the best thing to do for her. They do not know if the diabetes was caused by the cushings or vice versa. I have read so much about drugs and protocol, have the surgery, don't have it, my head is spinning. My sister, who is a firm believer in holistic medicine for pets told me to research herbs and supplements.
I was so grateful when I found this board and read some of the stories. I guess what I am asking for is help. I have limited funds, I need to understand what is going to give Lola the best quality of life. I love her, but I want her to be happy and comfortable. I am trying to think of her first and me second. I would mortgage the house if it meant keeping her alive, but I don't want to do that if her quality of life is compromised. We are so new to this condition and I think I have overloaded on information that I don't know what or who to believe. Thanks for listening! ~Lola's Mommy, Jo~
Lola is my ten year old Lhasa, she's 19 pounds. About two months ago, I noticed she was drinking more then normal, which at the time I didn't think odd as my condo is very very warm and dry in the winter. The drinking continued but I noticed that she was releasing more and more onto the wee wee pads, to the point she was soaking them through.I thought maybe there was something wrong, but put off the vet thinking if I turned the radiators off, this would help. Obviously, it didn't.
This past Sunday, Lola was very lethargic, didn't want to play and did not come join me for my morning coffee (and he cookie). later in the afternoon, she has loose, mucus stool that was streaked with blood. The vet was not available, so I made an appointment for Tuesday morning. Monday morning, she had another loose stool but drank some water and ate a cookie.
My daughter called me at work saying her eye had popped out and was rolling upwards and was red (cherry eye, which I know now) Thinking the worse (a co-worker told me it might be shock) I rushed home and raced to the vet. They ran an initial blood test her he sugar levels were over 500. she said she was fluffy in the chest (they did x-rays) and Lola was diabetic (mellitus), but it could be managed with insulin. She said Lola would need to stay so they could bring the sugar down.
On Tuesday when i went to see her, her sugar had spiked to 666. On Wednesday it was back down to 580 but the vet was perplexed on why they could not get the levels down and mentioned Cushings. They did a ACTH suppression test and it came back at 27. I was told that it was cushings, more likely adrenal and they want to do an ultrasound on Tuesday. A new vet (mine went on vacation) said that he wants to do surgery to remove the tumor (what tumor??) when I said that researched cushings and read it might not be wise to remove anything, he said his opinion was to remove it and he was starting her on a cushing protocol (I don't know what yet).
Now I am thrown for a loop. I called this morning to see how she was and I was told by the nurse that he wants to keep her again because now her sugar was too low. I am going to see her tonight and I would like to bring her home until I can decide what is the best thing to do for her. They do not know if the diabetes was caused by the cushings or vice versa. I have read so much about drugs and protocol, have the surgery, don't have it, my head is spinning. My sister, who is a firm believer in holistic medicine for pets told me to research herbs and supplements.
I was so grateful when I found this board and read some of the stories. I guess what I am asking for is help. I have limited funds, I need to understand what is going to give Lola the best quality of life. I love her, but I want her to be happy and comfortable. I am trying to think of her first and me second. I would mortgage the house if it meant keeping her alive, but I don't want to do that if her quality of life is compromised. We are so new to this condition and I think I have overloaded on information that I don't know what or who to believe. Thanks for listening! ~Lola's Mommy, Jo~