Kiko, 11 y/o Jack Russell - Awaiting Test Results

[Carilann]

Nervously waiting for the vet results to see if my 11 year old Jack Russell has cushing's. She has a huge tumor on her lower abdomen, drinking a lot of water, eating a ton and urinating frequently. :(

[apollo6]

Dear Carilann
Welcome and know we are hear to support and help you. We will be waiting with you to see the results. Will be praying for you.
HUgs Sonja and Apollo

[frijole]

Hi! I understand how nerve wracking all of this is... please tell us what test was done and get a copy of it/write down the numbers so you can share with us. It will come in handy in the future too.

Tell us about your dog, how long you've had the symptoms and what are they doing about that tumor? Thanks!!!! Wishing you the best, Kim

[Carilann]

Hi everyone and thank you so much for your kindness and support. My little female Jack Russell named Kiko is close to 11 years old. She puts a smile on my face everyday and since I live alone, she is my baby. I noticed last Sunday when I was playing with her that she has a huge tumor on her lower abdomen the size of a baseball. I took her too the Vet on Monday afternoon and they did a needle aspirate, blood test and then I took them a urine sample the next morning. I am hoping to have the results tomorrow. The Vet mentioned he thinks it may be Cushing's because in the last week or 2 I have noticed she has been drinking lots of water, frequent urinating, increased appetite, breathing heavy and kind of bloated looking. I have never heard of Cushing's and after researching the internet it freaks me out a little. No where did I find anything with this large tumor connecting to Cushing's, so this has me terribly alarmed. Are tumors like this somehow related to Cushing's? Then to top it off, the Vet took a quick look at her eyes and believes she has a cataract in one eye and has referred me to an eye specialist on that. Thank you for letting me know to get a copy of her lab results, I will let you know what the readings are and am hoping for the best. Thank you again.

[lulusmom]

Hi Carilann and welcome to the forum.

Drinking lots of water, frequent urinating, increased appetite, panting and a pot belly are all symptoms associated with cushing's, however, tumors are not. Cushing's is a very slow progressing disease, taking a very long time (years) to do damage to internal organs or compromise the immune system so severely as to leave the dog open to massive bacterial infection. For this reason, I believe you can put the cushing's on the back burner, as the abdominal tumor should take priority. We'll be waiting for your updates.

Glynda

P.S. I forgot to mention that the lower abdomen is an area on the body that older dogs do get what is called lipomas. These are fatty tumors that are benign and can get quite large. Vets normally don't remove them unless they interfere with the dog's mobility. My brother's Australian Shepherd had one on his lower abdomen that was also the size of a baseball. My brother never knew he had it until the groomer told him. I am keeping paws and fingers crossed that your baby has a lipoma.

[Carilann]

Results are in and it appears Kiko has diabetes and the tumor on her tummy is a lipoma. Have an appt tomorrow to learn how to give her insulin and monitor her glucose and then another appt with an eye specialist for what looks like a cataract starting in right eye. Does anyone here know of a support group for dogs with diabetes. Giving a needle twice a day to an excitable Jack Russell is going to be quite a chore. Thank you to you all and best wishes to everyone and their pooches.

[BestBuddy]

Hi Carilann

Our sister site www.k9diabtetes.com is where you need to go. Diabetes sounds scary but it can usually be managed quite easily. My boy Buddy was diabetic for the last 7 years of his life and after getting over the shock it just became routine and not a big deal at all.

Good luck

Jenny