Farfelle - Cushings and Surgery...sweet Farfalle has crossed The Bridge

[Polkaroo]

Wasn't sure where to put this as it's not a Cushings issue per say but could be I suppose.

Farfalle is going in for a dental with extractions tomorrow. While he is under, they are also doing X-rays of his hips, shoulders, knees and elbows and a possible cyst removal from his rump (not sure if it's big enough yet). He will also be having the full Senior blood panel prior to surgery.

I'm a bit freaked out over the blood clot risk during surgery for Cushings pups. Also, he has severe allergies so I am worried about the anesthesia. He had a dental about 5 years ago and was fine but that was pre-Cushings and his allergies have become much more severe since then.

I am terrified he is going to die during the procedures. We just lost our Bazil in May after a long hard battle with Cushings and Diabetes (in the end to was a brain bleed that killed her). I'm still heartbroken and grieving over her death and I just can't bear the thought of possibly losing Farfalle too.

How big is the blood clot risk? Am I freaking out for nothing? He is going to be ok right?

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Polka,

Oh boy, can I relate to your fears! :eek: Squirt has had to go under twice since her diagnosis and both times I was terrified of all kinds of things going wrong. But she came through with flying colors, as have many others here.

There are several types of anesthesia available so talk with your vet and express these concerns. I am sure they will be able to help allay your fears a bit. And we are always here for you. ;)

I am going to try to move this thread to the Discussion board so we can keep up with Farfelle's story. Any time you wish to post, you will do so here - once it is moved. ;) Anything related to our cush babies is always relevant and we always want to know what is going on...as well as keeping in touch with our family. So, let's see what happens when a tech-no idiot goes to work! :p

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Squirt's Mom]

Ok...nothing blew up, nothing disappeared! :D

So, here is Farfelle's own thread where we can talk with you about him anytime and you can always talk to us about anything.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Polkaroo]

Thanks!

Well I dropped him off this morning at 8am. Was all I could do to keep from crying. We also had to bring Zoey (11 weeks old) for her shots so that thankfully distracted me for a bit. Now that I am at home waiting though, the panic has set in. Surgery is to take place between 1-4pm.

The vet said she isn't overly concerned about the Cushings. It is an issue but she's more concerned about the allergies. He is allergic to so many things and new things daily so we never know when he will have a reaction. He also has a few lumps she is going to look at while he is under. They aren't concerning but he will never let us look closely at him when he is awake so while he is under, she is going to do everything she thinks he might need as she knows I am not putting him under again unless it's an emergency. I'm only even doing the dental because one tooth is really bad and he is on immuno-suppressants so we don't want to risk a blood infection.

I would never even have worried about this except he was supposed to have had this done in April. At the time Bazil (RIP) was taken into emergency for ketoacidosis the same weekend as Farfalle's procedure and the vet cancelled it because she wasn't going to take a chance on me possibly losing both dogs at the same time. Bazil survived that crisis but sadly died 2 weeks later. I've been putting off rescheduling Farfalle's procedure ever since. I still cry at the drop of a hat over Bazil and the thought of possibly losing Farfalle makes me physically ill. I finally caved, as he is limping more and more so we really need the X-rays done to get him on proper NSAIDs or Gabbapentin if his liver values aren't good enough. Tramadol just isn't cutting if for him anymore.

Anyway, sorry for babbling. My husband is tired of listening to me worry and I have no one else who "gets it". Hopefully I will have good news later this afternoon. :)

Thanks for listening!

[Squirt's Mom]

Blab away, darlin'! We have all been there and we DO understand! ;)

I am a true spaz when it comes to my babies. The least little thing sends me over the edge. :o:rolleyes: Our vets quickly get used to seeing me run into the clinic in tears, panicked, with a furbutt in my arms. :p A few months ago, I "diagnosed" Squirt with cancer because I felt some "lumps" in her belly - they were her mammary glands. :o

Hang in there and know we are here any time.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Polkaroo]

HAHAH! I do the same except I am usually right with my diagnosis. I was the one who diagnosed Farfalle with Cushings initially. He was never a big eater or drinker (in fact he was always dehydrated) so when he started showing symptoms, he was eating and drinking a normal amount for a normal dog. But it wasn't normal for him. My vet said if it was anyone else, she wouldn't have done the bloodwork and ultrasound because on exam he was super healthy. But because it was me and she knew if I say something is wrong with him, this is something wrong with him. I swear, I'm the clinic's best customer. LOL

She just called and the initial tests are good so he is going under now. She even did a chest X-ray to be safe as he has a heart murmur (had it since birth) and he is wheezy so she wanted to be sure the wheeziness was just the allergies and nothing else. His alkaphos is elevated and his liver is enlarged (normal for Cushings) but his liver enzymes are all normal and the rest of the bloodwork looks good.

Fingers crossed the rest of his visit goes as well.

[Squirt's Mom]

I'm sitting right beside you, holding your hand, until he is awake and recovering.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Cyn719]

Hi just wanted you to know my Penny who is 11 and has Cushings and was on Vetoryl had her k9 tooth extracted along with 3 other teeth a few months ago and did fantastic!!!! She went to Tufts in Boston MA - her recovery was great also -- I was a crazy person -- I paced and paced and cried and cried and she was just fine when we went back to get her - dropped her off in the AM and picked her up in the PM -- so I understand how you feel - all will go fine - I know its the waiting!!!!! Right her to wait with you and Leslie!!!!! Will check back soon!!!! Hugssssssssss

[Polkaroo]

He's still under. 3 hrs and counting. 7 teeth pulled so far and more to come. Apparently even though the teeth looked ok the roots were rotted. Some are impacted and some are broken. He's had some excessive bleeding but they have been able to get it under control. They are keeping him overnight and are monitoring his blood counts during surgery. So now I'm freaking. Vet said she'd call again when he was done (she just called to check in while waiting on a blood count update).

Sigh. They sure like to worry us don't they, the little furry buggars!

[Squirt's Mom]

As the daughter of a dentist, I can tell you this is a wise move on part of your vet. Bleeding and infection in the mouth can get out of hand quickly so I am glad they are keeping him for the nite. They will be able to monitor his progress and act if needed, tho I doubt that will be required. This is a cautionary act I'm sure, not an indication something bad has gone wrong. It's hard enough getting humans to understand they have to take care of themselves after surgery like this. A dog? HA! :p He will be able to remain quiet and unstimulated, allowing him to recoup that much faster.

Now for my personal prescription for stress since you have the night "off". :D A hot bubble bath, a good book and a chilled glass of wine. Take the chance to rest and relax a bit yourself. ;)

Remember, we are only a key-stroke away.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[labblab]

Hi from me! I'd not yet had a chance to post to you, but I was following your updates yesterday and am very anxious to hear how Farfalle is doing this morning. It sounds like it turned out to be quite the ordeal for your little guy, and I am surely hoping that he is safely home. Do let us know as soon as you have the chance.

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

How is Farfelle this morning? Hope he is soon home, if not already!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Polkaroo]

He is finally home! phew!

He ended up losing 8 teeth. There were two more that could have come out (they are borderline now but will likely need to come out in the future) but he had been under for so long she was concerned with his heart as he had a few blips during surgery so she left them alone.

He had very high blood pressure overnight and was on a bp monitor all night to watch him. We have to go back in two weeks to check it again as she is concerned this may be a permanent thing as his kidney enzymes are off too. If it is, then more meds for him, if not, then yay.

His poor face is so swollen. Even his eyes are swollen. He's still pretty groggy from the anesthesia so he's sleeping a lot. Moaning all the time so he's pretty sore. From the looks of his poor mouth, he will be sore for a while yet. We have to watch him still for his breathing and can't leave him home alone for a week just in case but we both work from home so that isn't a problem.

I'm just glad my little man is home!

[Cyn719]

So glad Farfella is home!! That was alot of teeth to lose at once - but they are troopers and will bounce back soon -- baby food is what Penny ate the first few days after her dental surgery - she loved it!! hope the recovery goes well - will check in again - Hugssssss

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Polka,

Wonderful that Farfelle is back home under your loving care! :) That's the best medicine of all! ;)

I can just imagine his face....poor fellow. He's probably gonna sore for a few days. If the vet didn't give you any ideas for feeding, there are many things you can do. The baby food is a good idea, just be sure there are no onions in the ingredients. You can soak his usual kibble if he has been on dry food, or get a high quality canned and make sure there are no chunks to chew. You can boil some chicken and rice, run it through a blender with some of the broth so it is "pre-chewed". I would think that he will be much better soon and able to eat better when the pain subsides. Our babies heal so much faster than we do, thank goodness!

Keep in touch and let us know how things are going!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Polkaroo]

Actually feeding hasn't been a problem. He's on a home cooked diet due to severe food allergies. So I just had to take his normal food, shred the meat, cut it super small, mash the veg, and make it into more of a thick soup/stew.

Getting him to take the liquid Pepto is more of a problem. Usually he gets the chewable tabs but obviously can't have those right now. The vet gave me a bottle of the meat flavored one they use but he won't take it. It can't be mixed with food either. And with all of the anti inflmmatories and antibiotics he's on, his poor little bum is a mess.

[Cyn719]

My brother used the chewable and when his dogs teeth were pulled he cushed the pill to powder and put it in the baby food - you can try that and put it in your home made food -- what is you mixture of homemade food - i have to pass that on to my bro who has a golden with severe allergies --

[Polkaroo]

He gets a mixture of either beef roast or boneless lamb roast, couscous (brown rice or a whole grain pasta is good too),green beans or broccoli, baby carrots, flax, oats and a little low fat shredded chesse on top. There is also a scoop of Hiliary's Blend vitamin powder and a squirt of Omega 3 oil on top as the IMS recommends double omega 3 dose for the itchy fellas. To make it stewy, I make a light gravy from the roast drippings.

The recipe (minus the carrots) I originally created for Bazil who was diabetic and we found by altering the protein source from poultry to either beef or lamb that it worked well for Farfalle's allergies too. Both our vet and IMS have said our dogs eat better than they do LOL. Any protein source is fine so you can substitute the roast with anything. Ground meat would be cheaper. Farfalle just doesn't like it.

Farfalle has been on home cooked since he was a puppy but it has evolved over the years as his allergies have increased. Roasted chicken is his favourite but since he delevoped an anaphyllactic poultry allergy he can't have it anymore. That's the only thing he gives us grief about.

My mom has allergic golden's who are also allergic to poultry (but it's not an analphyllactic allergy). They have done really well on Orijen 6 Fish kibble. Orijen is a low grain high protein kibble made with human grade ingredients. Acana fish is good too but her furry ones prefer the Orijen.

[Polkaroo]

Oh and any multi vitamin will do. We just use the Hilary's Blend as we couldn't find a chewable that was poultry free.

[Cyn719]

Thanks for the info i will pass it on to my brother - sounds good!!!!!:)

[ozzysmom]

Hope Farfelle is doing well today! So sorry that you and he have to go through this - no fun. Big hugs for both of you.

[MBK]

Hi and welcome!

I have not been checking in regularly since I've had some home computer issues and I missed that another JRT person is here! You sound like me - first had a female JRT and then got a male 2 years later. Mine are Alivia age 13 and Maxwell age 11. Alivia has cushing's, but KNOCK ON WOOD, seems to be in a complete remission, without any medications other than for high blood pressure.

I checked out your pictures. I am so sorry to hear you lost Bazil in May. She had the beautiful, soulfull, alert look of a JRT in her picture. She was beautiful! Even with the shaved leg! And, it also looks like she had on the same collar my Alivia has.

So far, I've only glanced over your string...I'll have to read it all later when I have more time. I do hope Farfalle continues to do well from his dental procedure. Poor little man went through a lot!

[Polkaroo]

Glad to meet another JRT person! We actually had Farfalle first. Got him as a puppy and then rescued Bazil 2yrs later when she was 3. Now of course there is little Zoey who is a little terror--hah what JRT pup isn't!

[Cyn719]

How is Farfelle doing - recovery coming alone fine I hope??? They usually bounce back in a few days -- xoxo

[Polkaroo]

He's pretty good. I can tell by looking at him when it's time for his next tramadol dose but that is expected. He is dying for some regular food but I'm making him wait until at least Monday.

[Polkaroo]

Farfalle's allergies are getting worse and worse, especially since we brought home Zoey. He is allergic to human dander and cat dander and I am beginning to wonder if he is allergic to dog dander too. It's the only explanation. I also suspect he has developed a beef allergy on top of the poultry allergy. Which is a problem as he is such a picky eater and we have to rotate between Lamb, salmon and beef to get him to eat. He won't eat the same thing two meals in a row. So if I have to drop beef, this could be problematic as lamb is sometimes hard to get (he is on a home cooked diet). He is already taking immunosuppressants so not sure what else we can do seeing as he is 13. His arthritis is finally under control with the Gabapentin.

Cushings wise his last stim was good. His next one is in early March.

[Polkaroo]

My sweet prince, Farfalle passed away last Monday.

3 weeks before (July 24th) he had his blood checked and he was fine. Friday Aug 10th he stopped eating. By Sunday he was vomiting everything, including water. We took him to emerge where they did blood work and an ultrasound (his last ultrasound was in June). In 3 weeks he had developed Diabetes, gallstones and something with his pancreas. He was in such severe ketoacidocis that there was no coming back from it. Our vet said we would be torturing ourselves and him to even try.

We are shattered. We lost our Bazil only a year ago. And now our little man. Our hearts are forever broken.

[Squirt's Mom]

Dear Polka,

I am just so sorry to hear about sweet Farfalle. You and he worked so hard to make his life the best possible and I know he is so grateful to you for all you did for him. Diabetes can come on very suddenly and get bad quickly....it sounds as it this is what happened to your sweet boy. My heart is broken along with yours.

Farfalle's name has been added to the In Loving Memory thread for 2012 where he will always be remembered and honored as a member of our family here at K9C. When you are ready, please feel free to post a tribute, or memorial, to Farfalle in In Loving Memory. It would be our honor to help you celebrate his life via your memories.

Our deepest sympathies,
Leslie, Squirt, Trinket, Brick, Tasha and our Angels, Ruby and Crystal


Love’s Final Gift
By Cheryl Goede

I know it is hard on you, there are no words that can describe
the piercing sorrow which does not lessen with time.
...
When you had to bring me with you, on that last car ride to make,
all the while knowing the course of action you needed to take.

I know you feel guilty, I feel your sorrow, it’s true,
I could always sense your each and every mood.

When they called my name I knew that your heart was breaking,
you carried me to the room…getting closer to my new awakening.

The friendly doctor I know gave me treats and spoke low,
he was giving you the time that you needed to let me go.

All left the room, and you gathered me close,
as you wondered how you could do this for me when you needed me the most.

I tried to convey, my last wishes to you,
I looked into your eyes with all the love you are used to,

Mom and Dad, this earthly body has served me well,
but the time has come for us to part, to no longer dwell.

You understood the signal, and knew it was time for me to go,
but before I leave there is just one more thing you should know.

I will look out for you, each day I will guide,
my spirit in some way will always be nearby.

Before I make it to the Bridge to stay,
I will return the love tenfold in hopes for my debts to be paid.

For when that new pup or dog will enter your world,
a new love will blossom and slowly unfurl.

I hope you realize that new dog is Love’s Final Gift,
sent from me, your baby girl.

That new dog was chosen by me, to lessen your pain,
like the gentle warmth of the sunshine after the rain.

When you hear him bark, it’s my bark too,
when he cuddles you close, it’s what I would do.

So open your heart when the time comes to see,
that the love he gives comes also from me.

Take comfort, hug him, and reminisce
as he gives his love freely in the form of a dear doggy kiss.

It’s what I would do, if I still could,
and what you would want that is understood.

But the time has come to let me go,
to make that unselfish choice, even though tears will flow.

Hold me, cherish me, until my last breath,
but please don’t look at this as my death,

Someday we will be together again, come close for one last kiss,
I know this it true, as it is my soul’s last earthbound wish.

Now I can feel my spirit floating it is traveling high,
as though I were a cloud in the endless blue sky.

Please find peace, you have honored my life with this,
For I have been reborn through your Love’s Final Gift.

[Squirt's Mom]

(FYI - it is against the law to sell or even give away unused drugs but often a shelter or rescue and even vets will take donations anyway. Here is a thread in Everything Else where this is discussed.

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1119&highlight=drug

It is very kind and thoughtful of you to offer. ;))

[Bo's Mom]

I am so sorry to hear about Farfelle. Our sincerest condolences to you and your family.

[molly muffin]

My deepest sympathizes. :( I'm so sorry.

Hugs,
Sharlene