Bubbie - Siberian husky (Possible Cushing's)

[LittleHawk121]

I have a Siberian Husky (Bubbie) whose symptoms are almost a text book case for Cushings --
He started with occasional stomach upsets, malaise, increased thirst; then had a benign-appearing growth/tumor on his Left Rear let, about mid-line.
About Easter, 2010, he presented with 'Liver Problems,' and we started a Treatment Series from our Vet, for a specified time frame. This Treatment has been remarkably successful and is the Protocol that my Vet has followed, when he has occasional flare-ups.
Approximately, the Spring of 2011, I read about the prevalence of Cushing's Disease in Huskys, and discussed it with my Vet.
He indicated that the Testing is extremely expensive, and that there is some controversy with regard to the fact, if, in-fact, the Treatment Regime actually works.
And, since my income and resources are limited, recommended that we continue, as we had been doing.

However, after the most recent 'bouts,' he has commented to me that, the Symptoms, may, indeed, be Cushing's Disease.
Blood Work revealed:
ALT of 132, and Should Be -- 118;
A-Phos of 235 and Should Be -- 131

Most recently, he had an onset of acute/projectile vomit (1 incident), which I immediately gave him a 20mg of Pepcid. He responded well to this, and after 18 - 24 hours, I resumed his Medications, food & water. All went well, except that he has an unquenchable-need for water. If I let him drink, at-will, I don't know how much he will consume ---
So, I called my Vet, who will not be back til Wednesday; and spoke with his Partner.
The news, 'suspicious of Cushing's Disease,'and Monday, I am to bring-in a '1st AM Urine,' for testing and we will discuss how to proceed after those labs are completed.
As this develops I will keep everyone posted. But I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have found this forum.
Please pray for Bubbie, as I cannot begin to tell you how much he means to me.
He came to me by accident, a beautiful and loving creature, full of mischief and wonderment --- somehow he had been thrown-into a life on the streets, and then our paths crossed.
In vain, for over a year I tried to find a previous owner, or someone who would give him a 'forever' home --
Instead he had found his home, with me.
I have to run now, but will appreciate any advice or help you have to share, in Bubbie's behalf.
Best Regards,
LittleHawk121

[labblab]

Welcome to you and Bubbie! I am so glad you've found us, too. :)

I have only a moment to post right now, but I wanted to tell you that I noticed you had posted this reply elsewhere on the site. As you can see, I shifted it here to our main discussion forum and started a thread that is for you and Bubbie alone. This way, it will be easier for our members to reply to you directly.

Once again, I'm so glad you both are here!
Marianne

[Altira]

Hi... I have Siberain Huskies too! Actually I've had six of them over the years. My Kira had Cushing's. I'm really no good at the techinal stuff but there are plenty of angels floating around here that are. You've come to the right place. Hold tight, they will be by soon.

[addy]

Hi and Welcome,

I am so glad you found us. I believe the test Bubbles will have is the UC:CR urine test. It will either rule out Cushings or suggest further testing. It cannot diagnosis Cushings and it is a good place to start.

There are many disease that can mimic Cushings and no one test is perfect. If Bubbles would have Cushings, you would not want to withhold water.

Is there anyway of posting what the Treatment Series consists of?

Any further info you can give us about Bubbles helps.

I am glad Bubbles found a forever home with you. I'm sorry he has been sick.

Hang in there,
addy

[jmac]

Hi and welcome from me as well!

You are right that you have found a wonderful place of caring, helpful, and knowledgeable people. As Addy mentioned, it sounds like Bubbie will be having the UCCR test. It is a relatively easy and inexpensive test because you collect the first urine of the day at home and bring it to the vet. If it were to test negative, it would indicate Bubbie does not have Cushing's at this time. If it is positive, you would need to do further testing. My dog had the LDDS blood test done. She had blood drawn at three different times in one day. It can also help to show what type of Cushing's a dog has (pituitary or adrenal). I believe it was between $100 and $200 for the test where I am.

As Addy said, there are many diseases that have similar symptoms, so it is sometimes hard to figure out exactly what you are dealing with. Also, you want to let a Cushing's dog have water whenever they need it. Does Bubbie urinate more frequently? Is he eating more and/or begging for food? What other symptoms make you think of Cushing's? Often, people notice the dog has gained weight, has a pot belly, is drinking/urinating more, eating more, is panting, has hair loss, may have skin issues, and often have back end weakness.

The more information you can give us, the better we can help you. We are now with you on this journey, so please let us know what we can do to help.

-Julie & Hannah

[Cyn719]

Hi and welcome to you and Bubbie

I will be praying for Bubbie.....hang in there...you have so many members here to help you sort this out. They are the best...that I know!! You will be asked as you already have, a lot of questions but every bit of info helps. Will check back on you and Bubbie

Hugs and prayers xo

[marie adams]

Welcome to you both!!!

You have definitely come to the right place to have everyone's arms around you for support. :)

Do not hesitate to ask any questions, because there will be an answer or it will be researched for you!!!

I can tell you that treatments do work. My Maddie had been on Lysodren and it gave her back a lot of her quality of life. It was cancer that she died from and not Cushing's--we had that under control. So do not hesitate to try one of the treatments available to you. The experts will help you along the way with whatever way you choose.

Take care!!! :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi LittleHawk and welcome to you and Bubbie! :)

Love the names, btw! ;)

First, it sounds as if you and Bubbie were a gift each to the other, meant to be, and I am so glad that you found joy in each other.

The drinking certainly fits with Cushing's, but it also fits with diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney issues, and a host of other conditions. Most of the Cushing's signs do, so it is very important to rule things out, in fact, this is as much a part of the diagnostic phase as anything. ;) Usually, when labs are done that show things like the ALT, ect, these things are looked at as well.

As others have said, the UC:CR is a good place to start - inexpensive, non-invasive, and it can rule Cushing's out right off the bat. But it cannot diagnose it.

Have you seen any changes in Bubbie's appetite? or frequency of urination? Has he gained or lost any weight? or does he look like he has gained weight? Do you notice any changes in the coloring of his skin, like darkened areas? Has he had more frequent infections of any kind?

It would help us a great deal if you can tell us exactly what Bubbie is taking. The ingredients of the treatment that has helped his liver and anything else he is taking - supplements, herbs, and so on. Also, if you would get copies of the actual test results and post them here, like you did for the ones in your first post, that helps a lot. It's a good idea to keep copies in a file at home in case you ever have to take him to a different vet...like on vacation. You will have all his info in hand when you walk in the door. :)

I'm glad you found us, too, and look forward to learning more about the both of you as time passes. I want you to know that you and Bubbie are not alone on this journey. We will walk with you all the way. Please ask any questions you may have and we will do our best to help you understand. We all learn from each other daily.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[LittleHawk121]

To All Who Posted,
Thanks for all the Welcoming & Information! I cannot tell you, but I am sure that you understand; how reassuring it makes me feel -- to be able to have the support of 'those that have gone-before Bubbie & me.

I will gather all of the Medical & Symptom Information and Post it later today, so that you have a more-coherent idea of the information that you need to help us.

It will probably be mid to late this evening, before I can come back & post all of the information. I will try to get it on sooner, if at all possible.

When I take the Urine sample into the Vets office tomorrow, I want to go over some of the information that I have found-out, so that maybe we can help Bubbie.

The biggest obstacle that I have to overcome is the fact that I have grave funds to be taking this on.

From a conversation that I has, last year with one of the Techs at the Vets, I know in my Heart that, some of the 'reluctance' on their part, has been 'the cost-relationship of the expensive testing that is involved.'
It's not fair to Bubbie, so I have to find a means or way, to overcome this issue, if he needs treatment.
I am going to see if I can find resources that will help in that area too.

Our local Humane Society won't help, because he is over 5 years old, and 'not worthy of the investment.' And, if they do help, you have to relinquish your ownership of the animal, and it is placed up for adoption, once it regains health.

Thank you, again, from the Hearts of Bubbie & Little Hawk121,
we will be back! :)

[Squirt's Mom]

The testing phase is the most expensive part, usually. Once treatment has begun, things settle down and the only cost is the monthly med price. But, the testing can get quite expensive. Here are some resources we have gathered over the years. Care Credit is really good and several of our members use it. You might want to check with your vet to make sure they take it before you apply, tho.

Financial resources
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212

As for the Humane Society's assessment of age....well, my 13 and 14 yr olds take extreme issue with that! :D

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[labblab]

I'm so glad Leslie has given you the link re: financial resources. Maybe one of those sites would be able to offer at least a bit of relief. And she's right about Care Credit being a great program.

I do want to highlight something from your original post. Somebody else also commented on this, but it is really important that you not limit the amount of water that Bubbie is given to drink even though it seems really excessive. If he has Cushing's, he is drinking the water due to a physiological imbalance caused by the disease, and if you limit his fluid intake he can become seriously ill.

Does your vet have an idea as to Bubbie's approximate age? He is such a lucky boy that you saved him. If it turns out that he does have Cushing's, hopefully we can all put our heads together and help you put together a reasonable plan for his care. It may not be perfect, but the goal is to make him as comfortable as possible within a scenario that is workable for you, too. I do believe we can work it out together!

Marianne

[LittleHawk121]

I'm so glad Leslie has given you the link re: financial resources. Maybe one of those sites would be able to offer at least a bit of relief. And she's right about Care Credit being a great program.

I do want to highlight something from your original post. Somebody else also commented on this, but it is really important that you not limit the amount of water that Bubbie is given to drink even though it seems really excessive. If he has Cushing's, he is drinking the water due to a physiological imbalance caused by the disease, and if you limit his fluid intake he can become seriously ill.

Does your vet have an idea as to Bubbie's approximate age? He is such a lucky boy that you saved him. If it turns out that he does have Cushing's, hopefully we can all put our heads together and help you put together a reasonable plan for his care. It may not be perfect, but the goal is to make him as comfortable as possible within a scenario that is workable for you, too. I do believe we can work it out together!

Marianne
Marianne,
Yes, I took heed to the Water Issue. Now I work with him and he drinks, then takes a pause. If he drinks too fast or too much, at once, he seems to get chocked and sometimes regurgitates, food, water & phlegm. He's doing much better now, with the water. Thanks to everyone who let me know about this. I was really struggling with having to keep him from something that I knew that he needed.
Today, he is acting much better. An example: Huskies seldom 'bark, a routine dog-bark,' but do a lot of woo - woo - ing, when they talk to you -- But today, when I 1st took Bubbie outside, he rejoiced about our 1st real snow, THEN, he noticed the Fire Hydrant (at the end of our driveway) for the 1st time (it has been there about 2+ years) and began Barking (6 - 7 times) at it. His bark was truly 'modest' for such a big-fella!
I will keep in touch with Up Dates.
Have to get back to the posting that I did not get finished, before accidentally hitting the wrong key & sending it.
More later,
LittleHawk121 & Bubbie

[LittleHawk121]

Good Afternoon, All,

Earlier today, I tried to start this note to you-all, but accidentally hit the wrong Key & Sent a Partial Message.
So, here it is in its entirety ...
Sorry for the confusion.

Finally, I have the symptoms & meds all together & am ready to post them.

1st -- The UA that was planned for today, is not happening. When I called to check if it would be a Routine UA or the UCCR; I was told that they planned to do the Routine UA, to test for Specific Gravity; and that the UCCR Costs $75 - 80; and that I should, 'wait until my Vet returns on Wednesday, and see what he wants to do.' :confused:

I need to move forward, toward helping my 'Blue-Eyed Baby Boy'!

BUBBIES ROUTINE MEDS:
1. 20 mg Tablets of Famotidine (Pepcid) 1 - 2 per day
So far, 1 tablet, given before the AM feeding, has worked fine;
2. 50 mg Tramadol *(up to 3 tabs per day)
1 1/2 tablets per day, given with food, have maintained his comfort-level;
3. 4 Capsules of Cosamin ASU per Day, with Food, Maint. dose, for Back-End and/or Back-Legs Weakness. *(He has had exceptionally remarkable improvement with this patented formula of Chrondroitin - Glucosamine w/ASU.

BUBBIES LIVER MEDS MAINTENANCE REGIME: (for flare-ups):
(given in 10 and/or 14 day stents )
1. 1 - 500 mg Metronidazol tablet, 2 times per day
2. 1 - 500 mg Amosicillin capsules, 2 times per day


BUBBIES SYMPTOMS, 12 Months, or More in Duration:
I need to Note Here, that ALL of these Symptoms, Are Not - Continually-Constant, in that, sometimes he is more-like his original-self; but then, the Symptoms return (and may last for a few days, to a month).
1. Water Intake/Increased Urination: From the beginning of time that Bubbie first came to me, Without any assistance or hesitation, He has always had enough urine to: Water any Article, Weed or Plant that he deemed to need, decoration, marking or watering, without any effort.
So, it is difficult to say, but it does appear that over the past 12 months, he has had more In-House Accidents, and, On-Set of Urgency Accidents.
Initially, he did not have the In-House/Urgency Issues -- whereas now he occasionally does. So I fix him 'pee pads' -- When I return, if he had an accident, I take care of it, and his Pride & my Carpet/Floors are saved.

2. Ravenous Eating to Gulping-His Food or Water-Down.
Sometimes he does this, as if, He had not eaten in days or weeks.
He always wants, whatever I am eating, even if He does not like the Taste or Texture of whatever it is.
Within the last 6 - 9 Months He has appeared to me, as I described it: Barrel Chested/Bloated, especially when He lies on his Sides, as well as when He is up.

3. Skin & Coat:
Skin - I do not remember any Skin Discolorations/Changes that I noticed, but with a Husky their Coat is so dense that you would almost have to be able to tell.
His Coat vacillates between looking: Healthy & Bright & Shinny; to loosing luster & tufts of hair. It almost has a steel-wool appearance, and that of a dog that us emancipated, and extremely malnourished.
About 9 - 12 Months ago, He had a Black-colored lesion that swelled-up & burst, on his Rear Left Leg, @ Mid-Line-Down, from the Top-Center of his Hip.
It was bandaged & treated with Antibiotics. It remains there, still today.
It never resolved & appears to be Sensitive to the Touch.
About 6 - 9 Months ago, He had a Similar, much smaller lesion that appeared, on the same Leg & Location, but on the Opposite-Side of the Leg.
The Vet cut it off without anesthetic. When asked if the same procedure could be done on the Initial Lesion, the Vet sated, No, that that one was too large & would require Anesthesia & Surgery.

4. Panting, especially in the last 6 - 9 months; at times I have been afraid that he would hyperventilate.

5. Back-End Weakness:
We attributed this symptom to his age, and maybe a muscoskeletal injury, to his neck or back. The directive was to treat with NAISAIDS or put him on Chrond/Gluclosomine TX -- I decided to go with the Cosamin ASU, for safety reasons.
If I hadn't come to this forum I might never have known that it could be related to Cushings.

6. About 6 months ago, when Bubbie got up, I noticed that His Right Eye looked if it were 1/2 the size of His Left Eye & looked as if it had sunk-back into his head.
The Vet Dxd. as Horner's Disease, involving a nerve that runs behind the Ear, then to the Brain; and that when that pathway is disrupted, it causes the Eye issue.
Sometimes it is Resolved with Tx. other times, it Resolves Itself; and sometimes it DOES NOT Resolve.
I was told that I could use OTC Refresh eye drops, which I did, and it has almost-completely Resolved itself.

NOTE: When my son first found me, He was Dxd. w/a Serious case of Heart Worms, which was Treated appropriately & He Responded Well.
He had a Bad, Infected, Triangular Cut on Left Rear Leg *(at about the Same Location of His CURRENT LESION), which was Cleaned, Sutured & Treated with Oral & Local Antibiotic Medications; and appeared to Resolve.
Other that the Above, Bubbie has Spent Much of His Time:
Taking the Laundry, Off-the-Line for me;
Taking me for Hikes, when He decided We Should Do So/ He was/is quite the Escape Artist (but has slowed-down quite a bit now);
Helping me to Laugh Until I Cry & Making Me Cry Until I Laugh-Again;
Helping me to Understand that He IS, My Blue-Eyed Baby Boy!
He has helped me to look-into my soul, through his soul.
Toady, He showed me that Huskies can Bark, when they want to, and it is Important enough to do so --- In the Snow, early this Morning, He discovered the 2 year old Fire Hydrant at the End of Our Driveway, and He just had to let me know about it!

Hope this Helps You to Help Me, Help Him.

Both Bubbie & I thank everyone for the help & prayers that you have already bestowed upon us.
LittleHawk121 & Bubbie

[LittleHawk121]

Marianne,
Yes, I took heed to the Water Issue. Now I work with him and he drinks, then takes a pause. If he drinks too fast or too much, at once, he seems to get chocked and sometimes regurgitates, food, water & phlegm. He's doing much better now, with the water. Thanks to everyone who let me know about this. I was really struggling with having to keep him from something that I knew that he needed.
Today, he is acting much better. An example: Huskies seldom 'bark, a routine dog-bark,' but do a lot of woo - woo - ing, when they talk to you -- But today, when I 1st took Bubbie outside, he rejoiced about our 1st real snow, THEN, he noticed the Fire Hydrant (at the end of our driveway) for the 1st time (it has been there about 2+ years) and began Barking (6 - 7 times) at it. His bark was truly 'modest' for such a big-fella!
I will keep in touch with Up Dates.
Have to get back to the posting that I did not get finished, before accidentally hitting the wrong key & sending it.
More later,
LittleHawk121 & Bubbie
Marianne,
Something that slipped my mind about the water --- the Vet had recommended ice cubes ... when that crossed my mind, I tried putting a few ice cubes in a small amount of water and .... Bubbie drank slower, and didn't get chocked. Will the ice cubes be OKAY for him to have?
Some of the time, he would pick-out 1 or 2 of the ice cubes and chew on them.
Let me know.
Thankx,
LittleHawk121 & Bubbie

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi to you and Bubbie and a belated welcome from me!

We can definitely help with cost-saving ideas such as this article by a renown Cushing's expert, Dr. Mark Peterson: How to Extend Your Supply of Cortrosyn and Lower the Cost of ACTH Stimulation Testing (http://endocrinevet.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-extend-your-supply-of-cortrosyn.html)

Another way to cut expenses is to have the Cushing medicines, Lysodren/Mitotane and Vetoryl/Trilostane compounded, this can be a huge cost savings.

Please know we are here for you and Bubbie and will help in any way we can.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[LittleHawk121]

Hi to you and Bubbie and a belated welcome from me!

We can definitely help with cost-saving ideas such as this article by a renown Cushing's expert, Dr. Mark Peterson: How to Extend Your Supply of Cortrosyn and Lower the Cost of ACTH Stimulation Testing (http://endocrinevet.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-extend-your-supply-of-cortrosyn.html)

Another way to cut expenses is to have the Cushing medicines, Lysodren/Mitotane and Vetoryl/Trilostane compounded, this can be a huge cost savings.

Please know we are here for you and Bubbie and will help in any way we can.

Love and hugs,
Lori


Thank You, Lori,
I went to the link for the Vet - Article & google-searched about the compounding - so that I can talk with my Vet about all of this, plus, the Financial Links that I received earlier.
Bubbie is most-impressed that he is being the Star of an Internet presentation! He is quite the Ham!
He seems in brighter spirits today, but his energy levels still seem a little down.
But Hope still Reigns!
Thank you, again & we will keep in touch.
LittleHawk121 & Bubbie

[LittleHawk121]

Welcome to you and Bubbie! I am so glad you've found us, too. :)

I have only a moment to post right now, but I wanted to tell you that I noticed you had posted this reply elsewhere on the site. As you can see, I shifted it here to our main discussion forum and started a thread that is for you and Bubbie alone. This way, it will be easier for our members to reply to you directly.

Once again, I'm so glad you both are here!
Marianne
Hi Marianne,
Did I post Bubbie's Medicines & Symptoms in the correct place? Do I need to post any other information? The post was on 13 Feb 2012. Since I didn't receive any replies, I wondered if I was responding correctly, or not.
I am not very familiar with this, so any suggestions are appreciated. Just let me know.
The Resources are a great help and I am following-up on those on the Lists; as well as the Testing & Medication Resources. Also, I am taking the information to my Vet so he can help with any paperwork that he needs to give me.
Thank You & Best Regards,
LittleHawk121 & Bubbie

[Altira]

Just dropped in to give you some wishes for good luck....

[labblab]

Yes, you definitely posted Bubbie's list of meds and symptoms in the right place, and I am sorry we overlooked commenting on them earlier. No wonder you weren't sure whether or not we had seen them! :o

The symptoms you describe do sound consistent with Cushing's, and the only med that I an unsure about is the Tramadol. Are you and the vet concerned that he is in some sort of chronic pain?

Have you had the chance yet to talk with your vet about the UCCR? I am sorry that even a simple test like that will cost almost $80. But it is still the least expensive test that has the potential to at least rule out Cushing's even though it cannot confirm it (a "negative" result makes it highly unlikely that the dog has Cushing's; a "positive" result can be caused by other conditions as well as Cushing's).

One other thought I can throw out to discuss with your vet is the possibility of giving Bubbie a trial run on the drug Anipryl (generic name: selegiline). It is most often diagnosed for treatment of Canine Cognitive Disorder (or senility associated with old age), but it sometimes helps resolve Cushing's symptoms for a small subset of dogs. It only works if the dog suffers from a tumor in a very specific location in the pituitary gland. But it does not require the monitoring tests of cortisol levels which add so greatly to the expense of Lysodren or trilostane therapy. I am not sure whether the expense of the drug itself would be too excessive for you, but again, it could be an option for you to discuss with your vet. Normally it is recommended that the preliminary diagostics be performed in order to see whether or not the dog suffers from pituitary vs. adrenal Cushing's (because for certain the drug won't help with the adrenal form). But since it is also prescribed for dogs without Cushing's at all, perhaps your vet would feel as though it would be safe to just give it a trial run in order to see if it helps. There has been some discussion on the forum as to whether or not it is safe to give in conjunction with Tramadol. The combination is not safe for humans, but may not be a problem for dogs. But that is one reason why I am wondering as to why Bubbie is receiving the Tramadol.

It is very clear that you and Bubbie are true companions, and that he found his way "home" on the day that you rescued him. I so hope your vet will be able to help you find a way to offer him some relief from his physical problems. I know you've already got his spiritual needs totally covered. There is no question but that he is well-loved. :)

Marianne

[Cyn719]

Hi and a belated welcome!! So glad your found us so sorry Bubbie has these problems.....bus as you can see the members here will get you through it.....they got me through it and they will be my Angels forever! Hang there it is a lot.....but you will do it. Sending you love and prayers

Hugs

[LittleHawk121]

Yes, you definitely posted Bubbie's list of meds and symptoms in the right place, and I am sorry we overlooked commenting on them earlier. No wonder you weren't sure whether or not we had seen them! :o

The symptoms you describe do sound consistent with Cushing's, and the only med that I an unsure about is the Tramadol. Are you and the vet concerned that he is in some sort of chronic pain?

Have you had the chance yet to talk with your vet about the UCCR? I am sorry that even a simple test like that will cost almost $80. But it is still the least expensive test that has the potential to at least rule out Cushing's even though it cannot confirm it (a "negative" result makes it highly unlikely that the dog has Cushing's; a "positive" result can be caused by other conditions as well as Cushing's).

One other thought I can throw out to discuss with your vet is the possibility of giving Bubbie a trial run on the drug Anipryl (generic name: selegiline). It is most often diagnosed for treatment of Canine Cognitive Disorder (or senility associated with old age), but it sometimes helps resolve Cushing's symptoms for a small subset of dogs. It only works if the dog suffers from a tumor in a very specific location in the pituitary gland. But it does not require the monitoring tests of cortisol levels which add so greatly to the expense of Lysodren or trilostane therapy. I am not sure whether the expense of the drug itself would be too excessive for you, but again, it could be an option for you to discuss with your vet. Normally it is recommended that the preliminary diagostics be performed in order to see whether or not the dog suffers from pituitary vs. adrenal Cushing's (because for certain the drug won't help with the adrenal form). But since it is also prescribed for dogs without Cushing's at all, perhaps your vet would feel as though it would be safe to just give it a trial run in order to see if it helps. There has been some discussion on the forum as to whether or not it is safe to give in conjunction with Tramadol. The combination is not safe for humans, but may not be a problem for dogs. But that is one reason why I am wondering as to why Bubbie is receiving the Tramadol.

It is very clear that you and Bubbie are true companions, and that he found his way "home" on the day that you rescued him. I so hope your vet will be able to help you find a way to offer him some relief from his physical problems. I know you've already got his spiritual needs totally covered. There is no question but that he is well-loved. :)

Marianne


Good Evening Marianne,
Just before you responded, I had talked with my Vet and we decided that, since the UCCR is $120, here, and we won't have a true-answer, and then still have to do the Bigger test to find out if he has or does not have the Cushings.
Then, I read your reply a few days ago, but did not respond because I wanted to talk to my Vet about some of the information.
I called him and went over the Resources that you all have shared with me (the treatment costs, etc) and he wants me to bring-in the information on the Resources that I have collected from the forum, as well as the input from the members.
We are going to go-over the information and make a decision that is best for Bubbie.
I have printed all of the links and information and plan to see him tomorrow.
Also, I wanted to thank you, because ... He's really a 'special fella' and we have been through alot together. But, I didn't know it showed :>))
Your last paragraph really got-me! Guess that I didn't realize that it was so obvious, but you are right-on with your summary. Bubbie & I are true soul mates.
He was found on-the-streets, and I was coming home from a week's stay in the hospital with a sudden onset of a life-threatening illness.
My spirits were down and I was very weak. My friend had brought me home, because I couldn't drive yet. We stopped at the neighborhood grocery store, and the Security Guard & Store Manager were out in front, trying to coax him to eat. As my friend & I walked-up, they began trying to convince me to take Bubbie. Finally, they said, that a very severe storm was coming-in & if I would just keep him overnight, the Guard would come back, the following day & take him.
At about the same time, Bubbie, ran to my friend's car, and jumped-up-into the back seat of her car! The rest is history!
He really prefers men, but after several interviews & visits, the last man that was interested, indicated that he thought that he wanted a smaller, lap dog.
I can't tell you the pain that I saw in his eyes. It broke my heart, and I knelt-down, and told him, through the tears, that I knew that he wanted a Daddy; and that I would still try to find that for him; but that he would ALWAYS have a Mommy. He stepped-up to me and licked the tears away and we walked back into the house.
When he's sick, he comes to me & visa versa. He is the Houdini of the Escape Artist, and for a couple of years, he kept me pretty busy, but I never gave-up til I found him. The 1st time he was out overnight, & when I finally found him (several blocks from home), he looked-up at me as if he thought he was in trouble. When I hugged him & told him how much it would hurt me if he should get hurt, when he went-off on one of his excursions, he seemed to see, clear to my Soul. That was his last time of running-off.
I apologize for the length, but I sincerely appreciate all that everyone has done on our behalf. As soon as I can I want to personally respond to each post.
Take care and God Bless each of you for all that you do!
Little Hawk 121 & Bubbie

[labblab]

Oh, your story about Bubbie's homecoming just brings tears to my eyes! What a very lucky boy.

I wanted to pop back to pass on a tip that another member (Fred) has posted elsewhere on the forum. It relates to reciving big discounts on drugs in conjunction with AAA auto club membership. The AAA annual fee probably varies from state to state, but for Fred, it was $50. And for any prescription that can be purchased from a human pharmacy (whether or not it is for a pet), a discount may apply. I mention this because I do believe that generic selegiline is a "human" med, if you and your vet decide to go that route. Here's a link to Fred's tip in which he goes into more detail:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?p=71151#post71151

Marianne