Meet Kaibo :) 9 y/o toy poodle - Myotonia, Diabetes, adrenalectomy; now PDH and CC

[Trish]

Wooohooo!! So good to hear, phew what a relief! First stage over, keep it up Kaibo!!

[molly muffin]

Yay. Great news.

Hugs
Sharlene

[Trixie]

Such good news about Kaibo! Keep it up little guy! Sounds like things could not have gone better. Hoping Kaibo has a quick and easy recovery! Happy for you! :)
Barbara

[doxiesrock912]

That is INCREDIBLE news!!!!!
I'm so glad that you went ahead with surgery because this sounds like the perfect scenario - no vena cava invasion etc.

Had you waited, things might have been quite different.

I'm so HAPPY!!!!

[goldengirl88]

Thank God what a blessing, great to hear good news, I am sure you are thrilled he did so well.
Patti

[kaibosmom]

I am thrilled to say the least. I just spoke with the vet again and she seems very happy. His insulin is adjusted way down already. He has been up for a walk and had a pee outside. The tumour was about 2 to 3 cm. nothing else looked suspicious. I'll pop in later. A friend just came over!

[frijole]

Wonderful update. Continued healing thoughts and prayers. Glad the diabetes is under control too. Hang in there mom. :) Kim

[Tina]

Nikki, I am so relieved to get home and see this fabulous news! Already out for a pee, way to go Kaibo!! :) So happy for you. I will be checking in on things later.

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper

[molly muffin]

Excellent news. We Love happy updates and can't get enough of them. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Roxee's Dad]

Wonderful :D

[goldengirl88]

Just the greatest news I am happy for you and elated for Kaibo. Prayers to you both.
Patti

[Squirt's Mom]

I hope you get another good report on Kaibo this morning. I can't wait to hear from you!

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[kaibosmom]

I'm still waiting for my morning call. I just woke up because I heard the landscaping crew outside. That being said, no phone call last night must mean continued success for Kman. Also, I'm surprised how well I slept. I was so exhausted from the days of stress and worry. I realize I haven't slept straight though a night in forever. Little man gets up at least three times a night. Scratching to go outside, but mostly to eat. I'm hoping now that the tumour is out, that will stop. Wow. What other changes will be in store for him/us? Hair growing back? Hope so! Not hungry all the time? Hope so! And what about all of those internal things - liver enzymes, cholesterol, etc. oh, hoping for so many wonderful changes for him. Last night the vet said it would be about a month for his little body to adjust to life without the tumour. I'm so excited. I'm hoping for continued strength and no complications. I'm thankful I'm a teacher and I am now off to attend to his every need!

[Squirt's Mom]

I just love the positiveness in your "voice"! That will help Kaibo as much as anything...that and your love can bring miracles. ;) No telling what wonders the future may hold for you both! :D

[Roxee's Dad]

We are all waiting for some good news right along with you..... :)

[kaibosmom]

Oh my gosh!!! I just spoke with the surgical resident. She is very happy with how Kaibo is doing. She said he did very well over night and was up several times for a walk. His blood glucose was 12 this morning!!!! I hardly ever got a 12 even when he was on high doses of insulin (he was getting 8 units twice a day!). She only gave him 2 units of insulin last night and this morning they are withholding it as he seems to not have his appetite at the moment. No appetite! :eek: Well, nothing to be worried about she said, since he was just under anesthesia. She said they are disconnecting unnecessary "stuff" (catheters and the like) today because he is doing well and they are also decreasing his pain meds a bit. Yay! The best part......I get to go visit him!!! I'm worried it will make him sad when I leave but she thinks the visit will be good for him. So, time to shower and go check on my little monkey.

[Roxee's Dad]

Woo Hoo... Great news. :D:D:D:D We are so happy for you and Kaibo !! :D

[frijole]

Give him a hug from all of us.

[Trixie]

What fantastic news!! :D Everything has turned out so well for Kaibo! You must be walking on air! Hoping for your little guy to get back home asap!

Barbara:)

[Budsters Mom]

GO KAIBO, GO KAIBO, GO KAIBO, KAIBO, KAIBO!!!!!!! Big hugs all around!!! Xxxxx

[kaibosmom]

I gave him a big hug from everyone and told him how many people he has thinking of him. He had a nap. Kind of laboured breathing and some moaning. Worried me. The ICU vet tech said he had not done any of that with them. Cheeky monkey. So I let him nap for a while. Then I asked if he wanted to go for a walk. Well that perked him up. So off we went. He wanted to greet everyone in the waiting room. Then we went outside for a bit. He peed and pooped! What a good boy. He also threw up a little but they said he has been doing that and not to worry if he did it while I was with him. Poor guy. If I can post a picture from my phone I will!

[doxiesrock912]

That's great news! It will take some time, but he's doing so well already!
We know the plumbing works :)

[Mel-Tia]

Woo hoo, that's a great report, pleased you got to spend a bit of time with him to see for yourself.

Big hug
Mel
Xxxxx

[Trixie]

Perked up enough for a walk and it's only 24 hours?! It sounds like he's doing really well. It's still so soon...I bet by tomorrow he will be almost like new!
Love the photos you posted. I think his recovery is amazing!!
Barbara

[goldengirl88]

I am so happy for you that your baby is doing well. I hope it all continues and that you have many more years of memories with this special boy. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Clearly I'm more exhausted than I thought. I came home and slept for 3 hours. Now it's time to go see him again! I'll let you know how it goes.
Nikki

[molly muffin]

Sometimes you don't even realize what roller coaster you are on emotionally. It can be quite exhausting. Get some rest any time you can.
I'm so glad to hear that Kaibo is doing well. While I haven't always been impressed with how the vet college has dealt with Kaibo, I have to say that I have been quite impressed with your surgeon. :) I think you got a winner with that one. Great to hear that his BG has been good too.

hugs,
sharlene and molly muffin

[Trish]

Yay I am back home, now having a proper catchup. How was Kaibo on your last visit? So very pleased to hear all is going well!!! Gosh you must be exhausted, not sleeping properly then all that pent up stress/relief comes gushing out and leaves you pooped... catch up now so when your boy comes home you are all bright eyed and bushy tailed!! :D

[kaibosmom]

Welcome back Trish! I hope you had a good time. Kaibo seemed to be in much better shape when I saw him tonight. He was very perky and curious to go and tour around the vet college. It turns out his ICU "nurse" was a girl that we did flyball with. I knew she worked in the ICU and hoped she would be caring for Kaibo and she was! So, he came in the room and was happy to see me but he was trying to get to the area where the treats are (as seen in one of my pictures from the other day!). I guess he had been vomiting a fair amount, it wasn't until later in my visit that I found out they changed some of his meds and gave him something for the nausea so that probably played a role in him looking better when I saw him tonight. The tech decided that she should bring some food in and see if he would eat it for me. I could tell right away that he was hungry so I figured that would be a good idea! While she was gone he was looking around and I said, "are you hungry?" and he really perked up! :D Well, he gobbled that food up when he got it...the wet and the dry stuff! And, he kept it down for the rest of my visit at least (about an hour). After he ate he wanted to walk, I didn't ask, I could just tell he wanted to be on the move. So we went outside, he peed and then we had a pretty long walk for a guy who had such major surgery the day before! :) After that, we went inside and sat in the nice little visiting room. I picked him up (carefully...I don't know where to hold him with all of those incisions!) and put him on the couch. He quickly positioned himself right along my leg, just like he does at home. He had a big nap. His breathing was quiet and calm, not like it was this morning so that made me feel much better. I knew the surgical resident was going to chat with me so I just kept sitting with him until she came. We chatted a bit. She said they changed some of his meds and had done the ACTH stim test today. I think I mentioned it earlier, but they hadn't given him insulin today because he wasn't eating. She was going to test his blood glucose after I left and give him 2 units. Otherwise, she continued to be quite impressed with how well he was doing and how strong he was. I kind of asked when he'd be home...."do you think Sunday?" and she said yes probably. I don't want to rush it. Although I miss him dearly I know I'm not ready to have him home yet. We talked about the blood clot risk and she said he still needs the heparin therapy to help, etc. So, I know he is where he needs to be and is getting the care and monitoring he needs. He seems to enjoy my visits and he seems to accept that I leave....it's like he knows he needs to be there. So, overall, I am pleased with his progress. I'll have to check which pictures I put added, I might have a few more :p I will get a call in the morning letting me know about his night and then I will be able to visit him again! I'm looking forward to that. :cool:

[Trish]

Thanks Nikki, it is good to be home again, but had a lovely time away!

That's very cool your friend is looking after him in ICU! Kaibo deserves the personal touch :D:D Flynny's appetite took a while to come back and he had the antinausea injections too. Sounds like his is coming back if he has already sussed out where the treats are, smart boy!!

After our op, he wanted to walk too... but he was still kinda of dazed with all the drugs and recovering from the anaesthetic so I just did short walks with him, he so surprised me by wanting to walk... probably helps him clear his wee head being outside in the fresh air too. As soon as I would take him outside he would perk up thinking YAY I AM OUTTA HERE! He was always so disappointed when I had to take him back in.

When I used to pick him up, I put an arm right under his butt and the other hand in his chest area and pick him up like that and it worked good, they should me how to do it so there would be no stress on his incision.

So he is eating, popping, peeing... he is doing everything right!! Hope the diabetes side of thing stays good, wouldn't it be great if that went away!! Good they are keeping such a close eye on that as well. He does sound like he is in good hands Nikki, I bet you are feeling so much better. How is Brett doing? Must be so hard for him being so far away!

I think the longer he stays the better, although he does sound real good. You would definitely want the diabetes sorted, Flynn had the anticoagulant injections for I think it was about 5 days, but if you can give injections like I could you can do that at home as well. Going to have a look at the pictures now and will be waiting to hear how he is doing in the morning, hope he is sleeping well and regaining his strength to come back home where he belongs!! So pleased with your good report!! xx

[spdd]

Tears of relief for you are being shed. I cannot tell you how happy I am that Kaibo is doing so well. When you said he laid beside you having a good nap, that was the clincher.

He's getting such great care, and maybe by tomorrow he'll be home.

So, so glad to hear this wonderful news.

[Squirt's Mom]

What a great report to wake up to, Nikki! :cool::):cool::) I hope his tummy is settled now and the new meds are working well. Keep in touch and let us know how our sweet boy is doing. I love the image of him sleeping by your leg just like he usually does. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[goldengirl88]

Nikki:
I am so thrilled for you that Kaibo continues to show improvement. I am amazed at all he is doing after major surgery. He sure bounced back in a big way! Blessings
Patti

[molly muffin]

This is awesome news!

Hugs
Sharlene

[kaibosmom]

Good morning. I just got an update on Kaibo. The surgical resident said that he had a good night. He hasn't thrown up since they switched meds. Yay! He ate breakfast and seems perkier than he did yesterday! I can't imagine. I might have a hard time keeping him in check once he gets home at this rate ;). Not that I mind. I know how lucky I am that he made it through with no complications so far! (And I'm assuming there won't be any now!). She said they are "turning down his meds to get him ready to come home tomorrow". Oh my.

I too loved that picture of him lying by my side just like he does at home. What got me was last night, Molly did the same thing. She never lies like that with me. She's channelling her inner Kaibo. Lol

Brett is having a hard time with all of this since he is so far away. The time change is making it difficult. In addition, his locations are making it extra difficult to communicate. He has only had cell phone coverage here and there. Where he is now has slow wifi so no Skype calls. He is now somewhere near Darwin....well I think a four or six hour drive from there at an exploration camp. Wherever he is there are crocodiles as he sent pictures last night! I want to see koalas and kangaroos ;). He won't be home until August 4th....our anniversary! By then Kaibo should really be on the mend and the landscaping will be done! Anyway, I better shower and get ready to go see my little man.

[Trish]

Yay!! So pleased to hear of another good night for Kairob! :D Ohhh home tomorrow, but he is doing so well Nikki it is going to be so good for him to get home and relax in his own bed, in his own surroundings and recover :D:D Make sure you find out from them who to contact once you get him home if you have any concerns about anything, I would hope it would be them in the first instance. In my readings I have read that once the dog gets out of hospital there are very rarely ongoing problems with complications YAY ONE DAY TO GO!!!

Have they got the results back from the lab to see what type of tumour it is?

Poor Brett, I don't envy him being stuck out in the middle of nowhere. I went to Darwin last year for a conference, it was so blardy hot and humid I nearly died and I had air con close at hand which he possibly hasn't. There are a lot of crocs up there... we went to a croc wildlife park, my gawd they are monsters!! I held a small one, they had a rubber band around its snout so it could not bite (I will put a pic in Flynns album about my croc braveness!) :eek::eek: Yep give me a nice furry Koala anytime! Well communication might be patchy but at least he is getting good news when you do manage to get hold of him so hopefully that is putting his mind at rest!

[Roxee's Dad]

Woo Hoo !!!! :D Great News... Go Kaibo !!! :D:D:D

[Budsters Mom]

This I all such great news!:D It'll be wonderful getting Kaibo home where he belongs. Big hugs,

[kaibosmom]

Oh my gosh! I can't believe I didn't post about my visits with Kaibo yesterday. Well I will do that. But for now, I will tell you that I am sitting at home with sweet Kaibo having a snooze next to me! Yes! He is home! We've just been hanging out. Mostly sleepy time for him. Molly was so sweet to him when I opened the door and brought him in. I guess she missed him a bit. His bandages are off so I can now see his incision. Wow. It's a big one. Poor guy. Not sure if I'll post it or not. I have to put cold compresses on it. He's got a bit of fluid built up. I'll write more later. Time for his pain meds.

[Roxee's Dad]

Kaibo is home !!!! :D:D:D

[kaibosmom]

I posted a couple of new pictures :)

[frijole]

Great news again. Glad you are home with him so you can make sure his pain meds maintain him ok and to watch the fluid issue. What a miracle baby you have. So thrilled for you - beyond words really. Huge hugs, Kim

[molly muffin]

Welcome home Kaibo!!!! We're all so pleased that he is doing so well. :)
Love the pictures. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Squirt's Mom]

YAY, KAIBO!! I am so glad he is home by your side where he belongs, Nikki! :cool::cool::cool: I think we will all rest a bit better tonite knowing that. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[kaibosmom]

Ok....this is weird. He won't eat supper. So I can give him insulin. I was surprised at 6 when he wasn't wanting food. Then 7 came and went. His prednisone was due at 8 with food do I figured it was time. He had the prednisone because I hid it inside treats. He ate a small amount of food. I was getting his insulin ready and he usually stops halfway through eating to get his injection but I looked and he had barely eaten. I guess they warned me that he was kind of hit and miss with eating. Well. I'll just keep an eye on it I guess. It's just so strange from that ravenous eating he had before the tumour.

[doxiesrock912]

Nikki,

you have a new normal to get used to :) No tumor so no more ravenous appetite:)

[kaibosmom]

I know! It's so strange! His blood glucose was 36 though! They told me 1 unit if he's not eating but it seems so high. I think I should give him two. Oh dear. Well. I'll give him 1 and check again in the morning

[doxiesrock912]

I know nothing about canine diabetes so I can't advise you either way. Keep the vet informed, they sound like they know what they're doing.

Kaibo still has a lot of healing to do on the inside and a new normal to get used to himself.

[Budsters Mom]

Nikki,
I am thrilled that Kaibo is home where he belongs!:) I love the photos!:D Continuing prayers for you both. Big hugs,

[Trish]

Hi Nikki

So pleased he has arrived back home, he looks pretty pleased to be lying on his own bed again!! I did not use the cone on Flynn, he never even looked like trying to touch his stitches, I used to put a little tshirt on him in those early days to make sure he could not do it though.

His appetite was up and down at the start too, but then we did have that added problem of retained swab so it is hard to tell whether appetite was due to that or just recovering. They can get pancreatitis after this op so worth keeping that in the back of your mind too. Has he had a poop? I would just try tempting him with little tasty stuff that he loves..

That sugar is high, I would be tempted to recheck in the middle of the night. I would think that would be making him feel pretty yuck, hope it settles down quickly.

What meds is he on besides the prednisone?

Do you have to take him back for a checkup soon? I would definitely be on the phone to them first thing if sugar still high like that. I would be making sure he drinks ok.

So exciting having him home, I am so pleased! :)

[kaibosmom]

Hi. Well over the course of the night he finally ate all of his food. He just picked at it here and there. He has drank almost 2 cups of water since being home. He has peed lots and had two poops. So things are working fine there. I took the cone off a couple of hours after he was home and he's been really good. I will put it on for the night though in case he starts at it while I'm sleeping. Right now he seems comfortable. Well I'm dozing off here so time for me to sign off. It is just after 1 am here. Good night and thanks for the continued support and well wishes. I'm hoping his blood glucose settles down. In my dream world that went away with the tumour ;). Fingers crossed. It was going down at the college. They didn't see anything over 30 while he was there.

Oh as for meds he is on prednisone, tramadol for pain, and insulin. I forgot to ask about heparin until I came home and re-read one of Trish's previous posts. I am to take him to our vet in 7 to 10 days to discuss his diabetes. Sutures out in 10 to 14. ACTH stim test in 3 weeks.

[Trish]

Hi Nikki

I would not wait 7-10 days to discuss diabetes if those high ones keep up like that!! I would be on the phone tomorrow :p While you were there, I would ask about the heparin, maybe they think he has had enough? I would ring the pet hospital not local vet as they are the ones with recent experience with him.

That's great he ate his dinner and peed and pooped, good boy Kaibo!! Does he stay on the Prednisone until the stim test? Because Flynn's had the pheo we did not have to do the Pred so I am not to sure on protocol for that.

Apart from the high blood sugar it sounds like he is doing every thing he should be :D:D Have a good sleep you guys, no pudding for you Kaibo :D:D

[spdd]

So glad to hear he is home. I'll keep checking in here to see how he is doing.

[goldengirl88]

So happy to hear you baby is home with you. He is a wonder dog that has been through a lot so the eating may be off for a while. I bet you are thrilled to have him back home. God Bless You and Kaibo.
Patti

[Squirt's Mom]

Mornin' Nikki,

I hope Kaibo is feeling perkier this morning and wants to eat...and that his sugar is better!

Not to add to your worries but I do want to share our experiences following Squirt's tumor removal from her spleen so you can watch just in case.. During the surgery, they had to move the pancreas around. As a result, she developed an acute pancreatic attack within days of coming home. Her surgeon told me the pancreas is a very touchy organ and gets POd when it is disturbed in the least. I don't know that they had to touch Kaibo's pancreas during his surgery but do keep an eye out for signs - one of which for Squirt was a loss of appetite. She refused all food offered then started vomiting.

I'm with Trish - do NOT keep the vet's schedule of contact and testing if you think Kaibo is the least little bit off for any reason. It is one of my dreams that 10 years from now Kaibo will still be here and sharing his story with others facing the same thing. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Jenny & Judi in MN]

so glad Kaibo is home. It is hard to decide how much insulin when they won't eat added to his lowered cortisol now! hang in there

[kaibosmom]

Good morning. The little man did alright during the night. He just got up a few times to go outside. Didn't want food. I woke him up at 8 for his medications. So I snuck his tramadol and his prednisone into his favourite treats. Then I tried to get him to eat. No thanks he said. So I doctored a small amount up with some pumpkin to see if that would interest him. He poked around at it and had a few bites....eating the pumpkin and spitting out the food! Cheeky monkey. When I tested his BG it was 40! I called the vet college immediately. The surgeon called back and said she was trying to contact our vet Dr. Steph to discuss the diabetes. Lol. Anyway she is not in today so she asked the internal medicine resident who is familiar with Kaibo about it. So they told me to give him the 2 units and check his urine for ketones. I don't actually have those strips so I have to go get them. But they owe me some meds so I have to go in anyway. The internal medicine resident is ready for us to come in anytime if needed. I am to watch him for vomiting and so on and go in if needed. I have a call in for Dr. Steph to call me tomorrow to discuss. She just left the college to private practice and she has been dealing with his diabetes from day one.

Other than the diabetes he seems ok. He is drinking lots of water understandably. He is very sleepy. There was a bit of oozing from his incision so I'm keeping a close eye in that. Overall I think his incision looks a bit angry but then again he's been through a lot. Its hard for me to know if it looks that way because it is healing or not. its swollen a bit and quite red but that could be normal. Like I said I'll keep an eye on it. I'm taking pictures so I will be able to compare. He loves being outside so he did lay in the sun for a little while this morning. He was so happy. He is sleeping now. Little Molly is close by him. So cute. I'll post the picture.

[kaibosmom]

I posted a picture of him on his favourite bed. You can see most of his incision. There is another large cut under him that you can't see.

[Trish]

Hi Nikki

Glad Kaibo had a reasonable night, but eek with that high BG :mad: Hopefully the higher insulin will get it down but it does seem very high so glad you are going to check his ketones, I am sure you are keeping a close eye on it and do get back to them if it is not improving through the day I think I would have get him in for their review really especially if it has not gone down at the next check. Getting the BG will definitely help with wound healing too as it does look a bit angry in the pic. I'm off to work soon but will check in tonight... hoping he has a good day xx

[molly muffin]

yes, I see what you mean about the incision. Maybe one of the others who have been through this surgery, knows if it is too angry looking. Hoping that BG came down with 2 units. How is he doing today?

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Harley PoMMom]

When my boy, Bear, had his front leg amputated he also had a nasty incision site (it was big) the surgeon brought up two things to watch for: Is the incision weeping any fluids? Does it feel hot to the touch? If yes is the answer to any one of those questions it is best to have the doc look him over.

Sending lots of love and healing thoughts, Lori

[Squirt's Mom]

What Lori was told was also what I was told with the addition of spreading red around the incision - if the redness was spreading, I was to contact them as well.

[kaibosmom]

Thanks for the tips on the incision. It is weeping fluids today. I did go in to the college to get the rest of his prednisone, ketone test strips, and soft food. They actually gave me the food free...soft food and baby food and told me to heat it up! Oh my! Well, it worked. He ate a small amount tonight. He kind of grazed at his food throughout the day too so I'm feeling like he is eating enough. I know they are keeping him on a low insulin dose for now. I think everyone is hoping things will settle down now that the tumour is out and maybe, just maybe the diabetes will go away too. I feel like the dose he had before surgery would likely be too much but I think this could be bumped up a little. But, I'm too new at the diabetes thing to start messing with his dose! As for the ketones, the first strip showed a small reaction for ketones, the second one was trace amount. I'll do it again tonight and tomorrow and go from there. Oh. Back to the incision. I did see the surgical resident and mentioned that it was oozing a bit. She said to keep an eye on it and keep up with the cold compresses. She said it is likely just that fluid build up escaping (my simplified explanation!) and to wipe with a warm cloth every now and then. The little fluid sac (for lack of a better term) looks smaller tonight and the incision looks a bit better. I will of course keep watching it! We have come too far for an infection! He doesn't mind the cold pack so I'm thinking it might feel good. Now, here's some good news. The Dr. Said she (finally) got the ACTH stim results. It looks like the left adrenal was responding! She said it was a little low but that's why we are supplementing with the prednisone. I'll try to get the results tomorrow so I can post them. That's it for now. I should get the results of the tumour and the liver biopsies by the end of the week.

[frijole]

Did you tell the vet about the traces of ketones. I don't want to scare you but I know they are not good. That is the sum of my knowledge. Please post this info on the diabetes forum - I'm pretty sure you are a member there right? More important report it to the vets. Like you said "WE" have come too far...

Glad he's eating. Keep up the great work mom. Kim

[doxiesrock912]

I'm glad that you had them see Kaibo. The weeping incision with redness makes me nervous. One adrenal responding already is good news :) Hopefully, it will pick up more as time goes on.

[kaibosmom]

Actually, they didn't see Kaibo! I expressed my concerns over his incisions starting Saturday. Looking back at pictures I see just how much worse they have gotten. I really thought at first it was bruising. Some inflammation. I mean it still might be but that oozing has got me worried. I've decided I'm taking him in tomorrow morning. I'll call right at 8 am. I'll keep you posted.

[Budsters Mom]

I am so glad that you are watching for signs if infection. We are all pulling for Kaibo and here for you both. Please keep a close eye on his weeping incision. If it starts to look angry read or ooze anything that might resemble puss (unclear fluid) please contact the doctor immediately. Yes, WE have all come too far together. You are doing a wonderful job Nikki. Sending continuous healing energy and prayers your way. Xxxxx

[kaibosmom]

Good morning! I just wanted to report that I took Kaibo to see the surgeon first thing this morning! She had a good check of his incisions and says there is no infection! She believes that they "got a blood vessel" and that it has created a blood blister. That is the area that keeps seeping as well. She said all of the redness is part of healing. Ok. Well I'm still watching closely. Better to be safe than sorry. When we were leaving there were two people in lab coats I had never seen before. One of them says " Is that Kaibo?" The other one says "Of course, have you seen another dog that looks like that?" Lol. So funny. Yes. Everyone seems to know and love Kaibo there. He is so special! I gave him his last pain med this morning. It should be interesting to see how he does. I can get more if needed but I will see how he seems without them. Blood glucose was still high this morning but he did eat. He also just ate again when I had him downstairs. He thought it was a good game because he was stealing from Molly's bowl. As a rule, I don't / can't leave food out because he would eat everything in sight. I've certainly calmed down since this morning and he seems a little perkier. The other good thing about today...our landscaping is almost finished. Yes, through all of this I was managing a pretty major landscape job. I made a huge (aka expensive) change. That will teach Brett for leaving me in charge ;). Kaibo was already making himself at home on it. Basking in the sun peacefully. I wish I had my phone with me o snap a picture. I'm heading out in a bit to take pictures for Brett so I'm sure it will happen again.

[doxiesrock912]

BIG sigh of relief that there is no sign of infection!

My dream is to have home where I can do the landscaping etc. I want a garden that has places to sit so that it can be enjoyed.

[frijole]

Fantastic. Did you bring up the ketones? Sorry but I have to ask. Kim

[Trixie]

So happy for your good report! yay for Kaibo...coming through this like a champ!! You're doing a great job monitoring his recovery!! Hoping he continues to do so well!! :)

Barbara

[Trish]

HI Nikki

Pleased to hear you took him in too and the vet is happy with the wound.. how come he has two incisions? Or maybe I have read that wrong?

How are the sugars doing today, I really wish they would come down as that can delay wound healing.

Sounds like he is pretty perky though, knicking food! YAY!! Still pooping and doing those things ok? Hope he does good with stopping the pain meds, he may be needing a few more days especially if his wound is sore... Have a good day and will check in tonight when I get home from work xx

[kaibosmom]

Mornin' Nikki,
It is one of my dreams that 10 years from now Kaibo will still be here and sharing his story with others facing the same thing. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

That is one of my dreams too!!! :cool:

[kaibosmom]

Trish: You did read that right, he has two incisions. Well, it is a t-shape incision. Straight down the middle and then a slice out to the right. They said something about it being situated far right and it was easier for them to get at it with the extra incision. I should measure them! They are quite substantial. I'm at my desk and he is right beneath my feet so that was easy...the one going across his body (leg to leg) is 10cm. The one going down his body (head to tail) is about 13 cm. Ouch! The seeping is still coming from the same part of the wound and hasn't gotten worse so I am ok with that but definitely keeping an eye on it.

Blood glucose was in the low 30s today. I forgot to talk about the ketones when I was at the clinic with him today but the surgeon is kind of timid when talking about the diabetes anyway. I did hear from the internal medicine specialist and she said as long as he was eating and getting some insulin ketoacidosis would be a rare event. She told me to increase him to 4 units, which I did tonight. He ate more today so that made me happy. Ketones today were trace amounts.

About an hour ago, he had a little roll on his back...back and forth on the rug. I've posted some pictures of him doing that on the grass. He was rubbing his face and looking happy. Wow...made me happy!

He is peeing and pooping fine. No worries there. Hmmm. I think I answered everyone's questions.

Here is my Facebook status tonight...thought I would share it with you.

Several times today I have looked over at Kaibo and just watched him sleep and listened to him breath. I've smiled at him and looked at his big incision and funny haircut and I realize just how lucky I am that he is still by my side. I'm eternally grateful for a wonderful surgeon who confidently tackled a risky and uncommon procedure, caring staff, and the prayers and healing thoughts that were received (and continue to be received) for him. Thank you!

(the procedure seems pretty uncommon around here anyway...except for the other dog they did a couple of weeks ago!)

[Roxee's Dad]

I love reading the good news and updates on Kaibo :):):)

[kaibosmom]

Mr Kaibo is being quite the character tonight. He's a little more active. I am guessing his pain meds are wearing off. He's getting a little more personality back too. I just got quite a few kisses. I've had a few since he's been home but kind of just when I shove my face in his. Lol. I just had cute paws and a cute little face come at me for a face wash! He's eaten almost all of his food tonight. I guess that isn't good for his diabetes. Bad mom. The blood blister that I was worried about this morning has pretty much drained completely. The incision is still really red but looks more like bruising than anything else. Brett finally was able to connect with me as he is back in Darwin. He doesn't usually try FaceTime but he did tonight so I was able to put the camera on Kaibo and Molly. I think seeing Kaibo made his day! Overall, it's been a pretty good night.

[spdd]

Makes me happy to hear the good report. He's a trooper !!

[Trish]

Eek :eek::eek: poor Kaibo with that double incision! Watch the corners where the two join as those points can be tricky to heal. But if it is bruising that will fade in a few days. I do worry about the high glucose and wound healing so keep a close eye, if that redness does not settle he might need antibiotics. Pleased to hear they upped the insulin as sounds like he needs it right now. I am also happy he ate all his dinner, he needs all those vitamins to heal :D:D so its great his appetite is picking up!

Awesome to hear he is acting more Kaiboish :D:D Nice to get those kisses and pleased to hear Brett got to see him too on the facetime!

Tomorrow I would like to hear that glucose is back into the 20's!! We can go down 10's at a time :D:D:D

Sounds like a good day, I am most pleased :D:D:D:D:D

[goldengirl88]

Hoping Kaibo continues on the path of improvement. Those incisions sound like they are coming around too. Blessings
Patti

[frijole]

More good news. Thanks and keep it coming. Praying for healing. Kim

[scoora]

Glad to hear Kaibo is doing so well. Keep up the good work.

[Squirt's Mom]

WOOHOO!!! These reports make my days, Nikki! :cool::):cool::):cool:

[kaibosmom]

Hello! Little man is doing great today. He is very sleepy! At the moment he is sleeping on his back, something he hasn't done since he's been home. So cute. I think I'll post the picture even though you can see his incision. Sorry if it grosses anyone out. I can delete it later but I love taking pictures of him and this is what it is right now. And, lets face it, last week i was taking oodles of pictures "just in case" so him sleeping in his favourite way right next to me is worth celebrating! However, that incision is looking much better than yesterday! Blood glucose is still high :(. It was 32 this morning. I tested again 4 hours after insulin just to see where it was at and it was 31 :(. As for overnight...the little monkey is still getting up at 3am, 5am, and 6am today. I was so hoping that would stop after surgery. Maybe it will with time. He is still drinking lots because of the diabetes. And maybe some from the prednisone. Ketones were good this morning, just trace amount. I'll notify the vet and see what she says. He's been such a good boy without his cone. Oh and I've been meaning to tell you about something I noticed right away. His Buddha belly is gone. Just like that. Bye tumour bye pendulous belly. It's amazing really. He looks so tiny now! I can't wait to get him all healed up and groomed. How handsome he will be....and I bet his hair will start growing in too. I can't wait. I think that's our report for the morning. Have a god day :)

[molly muffin]

So glad to hear that Kaibo is doing good. Sleeping on his back, rolling around, all good things. :) Definitely picture worthy!!

Once the diabetes is back under control, and no prednisone needed any longer, then the water intake/peeing will likely decrease to a more normal level. At least that is what I would think would make sense.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trixie]

Great news!! It is amazing how quickly the bad stuff starts to go away! Glad that belly is gone! What a great recovery, you must feel so good about how this all turned out! :D

Barbara

[Trish]

The latest photo of his wound looks better than the one before, less red but still a bit of the side wound and down the bottom! He would not lay like that if it was real sore though so that has to be good!!

The pred is probably messing with his diabetes too, how long does he have to take that for? I think I remember you saying he was having a stim at the 3 week mark?

Right, off to work I go... see you tonight :)

[spdd]

I always ck on Kaibo's day... glad to hear he's had a great one.

[kaibosmom]

Hi gang! I just received some wonderful news!!! The pathology results are back. Kaibo's tumour was benign but functional so definitely the culprit of all of those Cushing's symptoms. The liver biopsies are consistent with damage from excess steroid for a prolonged period of time. I was so excited I forgot to ask if we will see liver enzymes decrease now. I would assume we will. To top things off I was talking to Brett at the time so I could tell him instantly. The phone call probably cost as much as the surgery but whatever! Overall he has had a good day. A very sleepy day but his body is working so hard to get better. Incision is looking better but it is definitely time for ice and a walk.

As for the prednisone, he is to be on it for a month. He has an ACTH stimulation test scheduled for August 20th. Then they will reevaluate the prednisone and start decreasing it. And yes it is probably messing up the blood glucose to some extent. However I am really hopeful that things will get under control as his body gets used to not having that nasty tumour inside.

[Harley PoMMom]

Oh that is great news!!!!!

[doxiesrock912]

Kaibo is definitely on the mend now :) Awesome news!

[Budsters Mom]

Nikki,
I am so happy with your latest report. :) Thank you for continuing your updates. We really do care and want to know. Big hugs,

[scoora]

Wonderful news.

[Squirt's Mom]

Oh, Nikki, what a relief! I'm so glad the path report was good and that our sweet boy is doing so well. Keep up the good work, Mom!

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Boriss McCall]

Way to go Kaibo!! That is great news.

[mcdavis]

Oh I'm so pleased to hear that Kaibo's op went well and it sounds like his recovery is on track. Great job Kaibo, and Mom of course.

[kaibosmom]

Well, the little man is definitely feeling better. I had my hands full today as he decided he should go up and down stairs! Inside i have baby gates. Outside he just has been waiting to get picked up. Not today! A few minutes ago I carefully placed him on the bed only to have him appear in the bathroom to get a drink, then before I could do anything he was gone and back on the bed all sprawled out looking rather impressed with himself! I should mention that we took our bed apart months ago to help protect his knee...so the mattress is on the floor. Not too much of a jump but still. The incisions are looking really good today. A bit of seeping today from where the blister was but by the end of the day it was drying up. Still a fair amount of bruising. Otherwise he is eating like a champ again but nice and slow!!! Happy dance! He still leaves a few for a snack later in the day. So cute! I didn't do his BG today because I poked and poked this morning and couldn't get a drop. I think the bump up to 4 units has helped. He hasn't drank as much water today, still lots but not as much as previous days. Our regular vet told me to do a mini curve on Saturday so I'll keep you posted.

[Trish]

Hi Nikki

OHhh my heart was in my mouth when I read he jumped on and off the bed but then relief when I realised was mattress on the floor :eek::eek: That all sounds really good, I think a fantastic sign his energy is coming back!! So happy the wound sounds so much better, awesome news. Be interesting to see his BG curve, I think we are all willing it down!!

Oh yes, put those baby gates by the stairs, that's a bit much for this stage Kaibo no matter how good you feeling.... I used to take Flynn for short wee walks with his leash on and he would be straining to go and had to hold him back for a while!! FIrst time he was allowed free range he went crazy haha was so good to see! How long have the said to restrict Kaibo?

[kaibosmom]

Two weeks at least. I booked his suture removal for August 7th so the surgeon will see him then. Generally though, he's pretty restricted because of his knee. He seems to realize he can't run like a mad man, but still thinks he can jump. He did about 4 stairs today on the deck. A couple of times. He seems so confused when I yell no! At him. Little monkey. Did you see the post from yesterday about the pathology report Trish? I think you will like it ;)

[Trish]

Oh yes, I did see that!! What an awesome result for Kaibo and you guys too! Such a relief not having to worry about any spread of tumour!

[frijole]

So happy for you. Kim

[goldengirl88]

All I can Say Is Kaibo The Wonder Dog is doing terrific. Loved the story about the mattress. That is something only a true dog lover like us would do is tear the bed apart for the dog!! He is on his way to a good life! Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Ha ha...yes indeed Patti...I knew that no one on here would bat an eye that the mattress is on the floor! :p He is one spoiled boy. Today he is making it hard for me to clean and organize my office. He's being kind of clingy, not that I mind! He is looking really skinny, even my friend said so on a FaceTime chat. I'll be curious to see his weight next week when I take him to get his sutures removed. And I am still having trouble getting blood for his blood glucose check. I'm not sure what is wrong with me. I poke him over and over and get nothing or not enough. It is so frustrating, especially since it isn't the first time! Oy. Hope tomorrow goes better when I do the curve.

Oh ya...and you referred to him as Wonder Dog which is funny because I posted a picture of him on Facebook a couple of days ago and called him Wonder Dog :0

[Jenny & Judi in MN]

is he drinking enough water? glad he is feeling ok!

[kaibosmom]

Yes, I think so. Although his water intake has decreased since I put him on the 4 units. Hmmm.

[Trixie]

He has made a fantastic recovery!! :D So happy for you!

Barbara

[Budsters Mom]

I am thrilled with Kaibo's recovery. Way to go Kaibo and mom! Xxxx

[Trish]

Hopefully the water intake going down also means his blood sugar has dropped!! Wish you could get a good sample too to put us out of our suspense :D:D:D Pleased he is feeling good though!! Such awesome news this week with Kaibo and lord knows we need some good news around here lately!

[goldengirl88]

Hope Kaibo the wonder dog continues on his path of recovery,a nd has a good, and quiet weekend with his watchful mom looking after his every need. Blessings
Patti

[Trish]

Hi Nikki
How's the BG curve going? Hope its a great Kaibo day! x

[kaibosmom]

Hi gang! Kaibo is having a very relaxing weekend so far. We started the day off by spending two hours outside on the new patio! We had a nice outdoor nap! Kaibo also basked in the sun, rolling around on his back as he likes to do. Then, he just laid there on his back, paws up feeling the sun on his face. He's loving life! So today we were doing our glucose curve. I wish I had good news but I don't. As the vet said "his curve isn't curving" :(. This is disappointing as I truly hoped the diabetes would disappear with the tumour. I still hope it does but my hopes are kind of fading. That being said, getting the tumour out and how amazing he is doing is sure something to celebrate so if we have to keep dealing with the diabetes so be it. Here are the results.

August 3
5:30 am 29.7 mmol/l. Ate food. Gave 4 units insulin.
7:50 am 29.8
9:50 am 33.2
11:50 am 29.4
1:50 pm 28.1

Thumbs down! I have already spoken to the vet and she said to increase him to 6 units twice daily. We will do a curve next Friday. I will be away....I think....so I have arranged for him to go to the vet clinic for the curve that day. Asking the girl who is looking after him to do a curve might be a bit much. Lol.

As for being away, well that's been planned since January. We may cancel but he is doing really well so part of me thinks it will be ok to leave. We have a couple who has looked after the poodles before coming to stay with them at our house. She is ok with giving him insulin and he is familiar with her of course. But I just can't imagine leaving him. We are supposed to be headed to Vancouver for my (and Brett's) first half marathon. My training has kind of stopped the last two weeks but I know I can finish and would hope I can still make my goal time. I did leave him for a bit yesterday for a yoga class and later in the day for a 8.5 km run. It was nice to get out!

Otherwise, boy wonder is doing great. His incision looks so much better. I can see the healing happening now. The bruising is really improved. He's eating well and looking for treats! I'm not sure if I wrote yesterday but he was even more Kaibo! He sniffed out his BarkBox that has been waiting for him! I happily took him outside and let him dig in! I put a few new pictures up. I have video too but haven't uploaded to You Tube yet. He sure had a fun time! He is still sleeping lots but that's what he needs to do. He will go for a bit longer walk now but really takes his time.

That's all for now. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Nikki and Kaibo.

[kaibosmom]

Ha ha Trish I was typing as you posted that! Oh and I agree about needing some good news on here lately! I wish I had a magic wand to make all of the pups better!

[Trish]

:D:D I did not have to wait long for the numbers! You must have been typing them out as I posted... great minds and all :D:D:D

Well at least those numbers are in the twenties... albeit high twenties!! Maybe the six units will do the trick!

I saw his barkbox in one of the pics and it looks pretty exciting! Does he have new one to open!! He deserves a nice treat after this past 10 days or so. That sun on his tummy will be great at helping with healing.

Well by next weekend he is a good couple of weeks out, I was ready to go back to work at that stage so hopefully you can get away for your run, better do a few short ones this week as don't want you tearing any muscles! I bet you are counting down till Brett gets home, that is going to be a joyous reunion for you all :D:D:D

[kaibosmom]

Good minds indeed ;) Yes we are waiting! He leaves Australia today! He won't be home until 9pm tomorrow. It will definitely be a wonderful reunion. More special than any other time. After all when he left we had no idea how the surgery would turn out. To top it off, tomorrow is our 12th wedding anniversary. Monday is a holiday here so we are planning a day of Kaibo pampering!

[Trish]

Pics are great Nikki, that wound looking much better! He is doing a super good job of opening his BarkBox!! Smart boy!

You know with the Prednisone and not exercising as much as usual it is probably not unexpected his BG is still high, I bet when you get off the meds and he is allowed to run about more like his usual self we will see those numbers come down and he will need less insulin. That is what I am hoping for anyway :D:D:D

[kaibosmom]

Yes Trish, this was a new BarkBox! He got right at it. Him and Flynn have pretty similar gift opening styles!


I keep looking to see if my friend has joined. Her pup Parker has Cushing's. they have known for quite one time but chose not to treat him. The symptoms weren't that bad. I think it was discovered incidentally, kind of like Kaibo. Parker got into trouble and the blood work showed some interesting findings. In fact, it was because of her telling me about Parker that I started questioning Cushing's for Kaibo! I hope she joins soon!

[kaibosmom]

I sure hope you are right Trish. I am hoping that over time we will see less insulin and by less I mean none ;). I know we need to give him time for the endocrine stuff to all settle out. Fingers crossed

[Budsters Mom]

Kaibo's news keeps getting better! YAY! I don't know much about the diabetes but I am thrilled that she's doing so well!. Keep it up Kaibo!:D:) When do you have to go back to work Nikki? Xxxxx

[kaibosmom]

I go back on August 28th officially. I signed up for a voluntary PD day on August 26th. The kids don't start until after the long weekend in September. September 3 I guess that will be. It's all coming so fast now :(. I just want to stay home with Kaibo!

That being said, even though I didn't have to, I tested his BG tonight before supper. The reading was HI. We have never had that before! Yikes. I'm keeping an eye on him and I'll test again soon to see what's happening. Darn diabetes!

Urine is negative for ketones! Just tested him and it was 36.5 mmol/l. The book says it will give the HI reading if over 41, so at least it is coming down. I will test again in an hour or so.

[Trish]

Eek, :eek::eek: when is the acth test again? Sooner we get him off this Prednisone the better! Ask if they can do it earlier maybe?? Are you allowed to increase his insulin, maybe worth a call to run it past them. That's getting a bit too high for comfort!

[kaibosmom]

Hi. ACTH test is August 20. If this keeps up I'll definitely ask earlier. Maybe because the left was functioning somewhat right after surgery it won't take too long to get back to normal? He has come down to 31 so far. I probably won't test again. I guess I forgot to mention earlier that the vet did increase his insulin to 6 units after his non curvy curve today. So I gave him the 6 units tonight after the HI reading. I have arranged for him to go to the clinic next Friday for the next curve. Oh I think I posted that earlier. He seems ok other than drinking lots. Actually seems pretty hungry. At least that is from the prednisone of the diabetes now not the Cushing's ;)

[Trish]

Was just reading about the postop prednisone on the surgical oncology vets website... sounds like they taper it bit quicker, ask your surgeon esp as this is probably having effect on his BG

Adrenal Insufficiency

•adrenal insufficiency may occur following unilateral adrenalectomy for adrenal neoplasia and bilateral adrenalectomy

•prednisone (0.5 mg/kg q 12 hr PO) should be tapered down to 0.2 mg/kg q 12 hr PO within 7-10 days

•ACTH stimulation tests can be used to guide cessation of glucocorticoid therapy

•mineralocorticoid deficiency can also occur and electrolytes should be monitored

•mild hyponatremia and hypokalemia has been reported in > 40% dogs after unilateral adrenalectomy

•mineralocorticoid supplementation: fludrocortisone acetate or desoxycorticosterone pivalate

[Squirt's Mom]

Don't forget - the pred is going to act just like excess cortisol, giving him the same signs as long as he is taking it. Hopefully once it has been tapered off and stopped, you will see some of these things becoming more normal.

[kaibosmom]

Thanks ladies. I was going to do some reading myself. Trish you are always on top of it. Thank you! I have just sent emails to the internal medicine specialist and to our family vet on the off chance they would read and reply today. I did pose the question of ACTH test happening sooner and tapering sooner since his left adrenal was producing somewhat post surgery. I haven't figured the quote thing out on the iPad app but this is from Trish.

"prednisone (0.5 mg/kg q 12 hr PO) should be tapered down to 0.2 mg/kg q 12 hr PO within 7-10 days •ACTH stimulation tests can be used to guide cessation of glucocorticoid therapy"

He is on 1.5mg twice a day. His last weight that I know of was 5 kg. I don't know what he was on the day of surgery but expecting around the same. So if I am calculating correctly he is on a lower than recommended dose already. At any rate, I will hope for an email or call back soon. Otherwise I might call the college, although I'm a bit hesitant to get someone new involved but then again they might just call someone who is familiar with him. Oh, this is because this morning the reading was HI once again and at 38.7 two hours later. I'm just giving his prednisone now.

[kaibosmom]

Update: I tested here and there throughout the day. Lowest reading was 27. He was at 33 when I fed him and gave his insulin. Hopefully he will continue to trend downward over the next couple of days. Two hours until Brett is home! I have to go bake banana bread as a surprise for him. I cleaned the house and groomed Kaibo a bit but didn't get to bathing Molly. Poor girl. Kaibo gets the spotlight these days. I plan on doing more reading and talking to the surgeon on Wednesday when I take him for an incision check (hopefully removal).

[Trish]

Yay welcome home Brett!! Hope you have all had a lovely reunion tonight and Kaibo is pleased to see his Daddy!! Hope he brought him home a crocodile to chew up!! :D:D Poor smelly Molly :eek::eek: well be time for a bath soon enough :D

Well least that BG is a little better today, can't wait for it to come down though. Must be making him feel a bit yuck being super high like that all the time. Glad the appointment with surgeon is coming up. How is the incision looking? Healing up nicely hopefully :)

Hope your having an awesome night! x

[Squirt's Mom]

Get up! Get up! Talk to us! That ole hubby can wait! :D:p:D

I'm glad Brett is home with ya'll at last. You've been a brave mom through all of this and I know it will be sweet relief to be able to lay your head on his shoulder and let things go for just a minute, secure in his arms. I bet Kaibo was glad to see his dad, too. What I want to know is - who was so excited they peed the floor, you or Kaibo? :D

I'm glad the BG is coming down a bit and pray when the pred is stopped and out of his system and he is healed, you will find it has stabilized....or better yet, normalized and is no longer an issue for our strong boy. Not sure how it works in dogs but my dad was considered "borderline diabetic" for ages. After one of his more major surgeries, his BG went haywire and he had to take insulin for a while. But after he was over the surgery and off all the meds that came with it, he went back to that "borderline" status and stopped the insulin - he managed via diet just as before the surgery. So I hope this will be Kaibo's story as well.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[goldengirl88]

Hope Kaibos BG comes down to normal. Glad her dad is home to help you a bit. Kaibo was probably thrilled to see him, and he was probably just as happy to see her. Hope all continues to do well. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Hi. The incision is healing nicely I think. It still looks yucky where that blood blister was, there is quite a scab there. Blood glucose was 36.4 at 5:30 this morning. The little gaffer still wants his food early ;). I tested again at 1pm and it was 25. We just got back from a walk it was Kaibo's longest one yet since he's had surgery and he had quite a bit of pep, picking up the pace at times. He seemed pretty happy! It was about two blocks! Amazing! He's come a long way!

[molly muffin]

So glad to hear that Kaibo continues to do well and is making a fine recovery. Now just to get that BG under control. I too hope once the meds are done, that the glucose will come down into more normal levels and may even return to normal.

Glad to hear that Brett is home! I'm sure that was a wonderful reunion. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[kaibosmom]

Maybe this article is already posted somewhere. I just found it when looking for the prednisone therapy post adrenalectomy surgery research. It seems pretty thorough. Here's the link:
http://www.lbah.com/word/cushings-hyperadrenocorticism/

[kaibosmom]

I think we've reached a new level of recovery. Kaibo picked his favourite ball out of his toy box. He seems really bummed that we won't throw it for him. Poor dude. ;)

[frijole]

:D:D:D:D:D That made me smile. So amazing our little guy. So happy for you. Kim

[doxiesrock912]

Wanting to play :) That's awesome :)

[kaibosmom]

We took Kaibo for a long walk (about 4 blocks this time!) to try to get some of his energy out. He came home and went straight for his ball :cool: I posted some pictures :p

[kaibosmom]

Some observations: Kaibo seems more ravenous with food again. Eating faster. Trying to steal Molly's food. Begging or food between meals - and we know tht isn't from low blood glucose. His pendulous belly seems to be coming back. :(. I'm glad our incision check is tomorrow so I can speak with the surgeon. Do you think it's safe to say the left adrenal is kicking in more and that with the prednisone dose is making his cortisol too high? That's what I'm thinking.

[frijole]

Yes prednisone mimics cortisol and thus if too high you would see cushings symptoms. Keep us posted. Kim

[goldengirl88]

I hope the surgeon is able to answer your questions about all this. Hope the check of the incision etc. all goes well. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Well, what lovely vets we have! I think I mentioned that I emailed them both on the weekend when Kaibo had the HI blood glucose readings. I didn't hear back from them but I wasn't expecting it really, it is a long weekend, and they deserve to have time off after all. But the internal medicine resident emailed me Monday night and our other vet called this morning. I hadn't had time to reply to the IM resident and she emailed me again today wondering how things were going. So I spoke with both of them today, basically saying how I realize it is hard to know what is causing the increased appetite (pred or the diabetes) and that he is definitely getting his big Buddha belly back and so on. They were going to speak with each other today but the family vet (what do I call her?? hmmm....) must have been busy today (first day after a long weekend is always crazy) and they didn't touch base. However, I had a phone call (which I missed) and email from the IM resident. She had spoken with her boss lady and they want me to decrease his prednisone in half - to 1.5 mg once a day. She said to keep him on 6 units of insulin and watch for appetite changes, water intake changes, etc. and do a curve on Sunday. Well, I am going away and had arranged for a curve to be done at the vet clinic on Friday, so I asked her if she wanted it Monday. I'm sure there is a reason to wait....like to see what happens with less prednisone. :p Ha ha. Anyway, that is the plan for now. I kind of thought they would decrease it more gradually so I hope this isn't by too much but I also hope that it is enough and we start to get better control over the blood glucose. He gets his incision looked at tomorrow morning so I will be able to talk to the surgeon about it all too....but the other two vets kind of just laugh and say surgery would be talking to us anyway and relaying the message. :rolleyes: Kaibo was a bit more subdued than yesterday but then again, Brett wasn't here as he was gone to work. I think Brett is kind of the play toy and I'm the snuggle bunny. He's very calm and quiet with me! Well I hope everyone had a good day.
Nikki and Kaibo

[doxiesrock912]

Nikki,

it could be that Kaibo is adjusting to his new normal faster than they anticipated and he doesn't need so much prednisone. I'll take it as good news :)

[goldengirl88]

I also agree with Valerie, maybe he is adjusting to his new normal. I hope the improvement continues. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

What a good boy! Kaibo's sutures are all out! I'm so happy. It makes leaving him for a few days a little better...but I know I'll still worry! I know he is in good hands and that at some point I'll have to leave him. I also know a break for me is ok too! Thank goodness for Internet...I'll be able to get updates and pictures!

Oh and yes, I agree. I think he is adjusting quickly. I would too if I spent most of my life feeling yucky!

P.S. new picture of him without staples posted!

[Budsters Mom]

Thrilled to hear your news! Kaibo must feel so much better with those dang things out! It is so endearing to hear that he is playing and wants to play fetch. It makes my heart happy! :D You have done a phenomenal job Nikki! Keep it up Kaibo! Xxxxx

[molly muffin]

Wow, such great news. :)

I'm sure it makes the worry just a bit less to have those stutures gone. :) Love the internet, and instant messaging on our phones too. LOL

Enjoy your break!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[doxiesrock912]

Yippee!

I'm sure that Kaibo is looking forward to a break from mommy's worrying too :)

No more itchy stitches!

[spdd]

Great news about Kaibo. Enjoy your break and try not to worry too much. I know easier said then done.

[Squirt's Mom]

I just love these updates! It is sooooo good to hear how well our sweet Kaibo is doing and thank you for sharing his journey with us.

[kaibosmom]

Oh my! It was so hard to leave today. Last night Brett said, "I'm surprised you are ok with leaving". Well it hit me today as we got in the taxi for the airport. I hesitated to check our bags and I was ready to get back in the taxi and go home! Now that we are here I'm kind if excited to explore a new city. We will see how Kman is doing and if we have to we can fly home early. I did call as soon as we got here to check in. Our sitter said he is acting like normal and had a god night. Oh and today I did a spot glucose check and he was down to 15! Pretty good as he's only been on the decreased prednisone for three days now. Although, now I'm paranoid he will go too low over the weekend! :p. We have busy days ahead. Better sign off for now.

Nikki

[kaibosmom]

Question. My friend is starting a thread on the page but can't find where to start her thread. I'm on my phone right now so not much help. Any suggestions. She says she can't see where to start the thread

[molly muffin]

Once she logs in, she should start a new thread under
Canine Cushing's Questions and Discussions
title it Kaibo

Sharlene

[frijole]

Go to Canine Discussions thread and there is a big blue box that says NEW THREAD. Click on that and a thread will show up. Tell her to type in a subject line and then the message. :) Kim

[kaibosmom]

Thanks. She figured it out. Welcome to Parker and Lori!

[spdd]

Have a great holiday. You deserve it. Kaibo will be just fine, so try to enjoy the break as much as possible. I'm jealous !!

[goldengirl88]

Great you are getting a break. You baby will do fine and be glad to see you when you get back. Hope Kaibo keeps improving. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Thanks. I've calmed down a bit. Trying to take it all in. My first half marathon is in a few moments. Yikes! It's time to get "Vansweaty" in Vancouver.

[Trish]

Wow stopping that Prednisone has made a huge difference in the BG, awesome!! Hopefully you finished your run without any problems, don't want you coming up lame too :D:D Bet you can't wait to get back to your boy now but on the other hand hopefully you and Brett are indulging in some downtime to just chill and relax, if that is possible after running a half marathon... I would have to be in bed hooked up to oxygen and an IV! :D:D

[kaibosmom]

Well I made it and didn't need medical help after! Now today on the other hand is a different story. I'm not sure what we will do...muscles are pretty sore! I did have trouble with my right foot yesterday so hoping that goes away today too. Oh and Trish, we didn't stop the prednisone but cut the dose in half. Updates from home have been good. Molly is being her usual moody self. Kaibo is getting treated like a prince. He's got our pet sitter wrapped around his little paw. We have three days left here in Vancouver. No set plans so we will see what adventures we go on. I'm glad we didn't change our flights back home o an earlier day. Kaibo is doing well so no need to worry.

[Trish]

How's the holiday going Nikki? Hopefully your having fun and all the sore bits have settled down :) Is Kaibo going in for his curve while you are away? Hope he is continuing to do well!! Little darling he is :)

[goldengirl88]

Just wondering how Kaibo was doing and hoping for continued improvement. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Hi. The holiday is going well and the pain is getting better daily! We are heading home later today. Kaibo went for his curve yesterday. I don't have the numbers but it must have been ok because they kept him most of the day. The vet put him up one unit to 7 so there must be room for improvement. I need to let the internal medicine resident know the results as they may drop his prednisone down to 1 mg once a day. Well the ferry is docking so time to shop! Bye for now.

[kaibosmom]

Home sweet home :)

[goldengirl88]

Isn't home sweet home the best??? Hope Kaibo is still doing well, have you reunited with him yet? Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Yes we came straight home to the poodles. Our pet sitter stays at our house with them. They even picked us up at 1am! Having a lazy day so far but better get moving. It's a gorgeous day here in Saskatoon! Not many days left until I head back to work.

[Trish]

So... how's the boy!! What happened with the curve? Glad your home too, nothing like your own bed :D:D I bet Kaibo and Molly gave you wonderful welcome home kisses! xx

[goldengirl88]

Glad to hear you are having a wonderful day and hope Kaibo's improvements continue. It is so nice to come home isn't it? Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Hello. Sorry I have been MIA. It's finally been really hot here so I have been outside most of the time and I'm also starting to get ready for back to school. :mad: Kaibo is doing well. I know it is time to decrease his prednisone. I wish they would get a proper plan together already. Hoping that comes tomorrow. I am doing a curve tomorrow. Will post those results and his last one tomorrow. I've taken him to rehab for his knee a couple of times now. The rehab vet does massage, stretching, range of motion, laser therapy, exercises on a wobble board, and underwater treadmill. He loves it there. It is quite expensive. Basically he has lost so much muscle mass and his bad knee (right side, partial tear on cruciate) has a really tight quad muscle. It is pulling his knee/leg out to the side. Poor guy. Rehab vet said we won't see much progress until he is off the pred. He was supposed to have ACTH stim test tomorrow but the boss lady vet at the college talked with our vet (I love how they are working together) and said it wasn't worth doing until after we get him off prednisone. I agree but time to start weaning him off already. Panting, thirst, ravenous eating, reluctant to go for a walk, and Buddha belly are back! He has actually lost more weight. He was down to 4.4 kg last week! Up a bit today at 4.6kg. They weigh him every time he goes in for rehab!

[Trish]

Pleased to hear from you Nikki, hopefully tomorrow will bring some answers and they can get Kaibo off the prednisone in the near future. Fingers crossed for a good report tomorrow night :D x

[Squirt's Mom]

Good to hear from you! I hope the pred is weaned off soon so you can see how he really is doing. You may find once that is stopped that he is quickly his old self once again. Let us know how the visit goes!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[goldengirl88]

So glad to hear Kaibo is continuing to do well. I am sure that once he is off the prednisone he will be himself again. I have had to take that stuff and it is horrible on you. Hoping the testing and everything goes well. I am sure he will miss you when you return to school. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Oh yes he is going to be a very sad puppy when I go back to work next week. I had to leave for a doctor appointment. BG so far looking good. Started at 34 was down to 12.7 when I left the house. Nice. About 5 hours in that time span.

[doxiesrock912]

You go Kaibo!!!

[kaibosmom]

Blood glucose curve August 12; at vet clinic
6 units twice a day

8:40 am 14.4 mmol/l
9:40. 9.9
10:45. 10.9
11:40. 13.3
12:59. 18.5
13:49. 18.9
15:00. 12.6
16:15. 9.7
17:05. 16.1
Increase to 7units twice a day


BG curve August 20; at home
6:05 am. 34.0
7:05. 33.6
8:30. 23.1
9:30. 18.9
11:12. 12.7
1:02 pm. 15.5
2:20. 14.4
3:50. 19.0
5:00. 20.8

Between 11am and 1pm I would imagine he went lower. I had a doctor appointment. Only other thing that happened was he sniffed out a treat I left on the counter so I rewarded him with half of it. A chew stick. Probably had some effect. Called the clinic to tell vet but she was gone for the day. I was mad because I asked them to get her to call me before she left. I wanted to know about the prednisone. They knew I was PO'd so they looked in his chart. There was a note to decrease his prednisone to 1mg once a day. I had actually already done that but just this morning. It is clear he is on too much. So many Cushing's symptoms! I want to know the plan to get him off the prednisone. I don't want to rush it but its been almost a month!

[frijole]

Keep pushing them. The longer he's on the prednisone the longer it will take to wean him off it. Hugs, Kim

[Trish]

Jeepers it is a long time since we had a Kaibo update!! Always keen to hear how our adrenal pups are getting on!! Hopefully the diabetes has settled down or at least is under better control!

Is the Prednisone weaned off Nikki?? Love to hear an update and see some new pics of your wee man! xx

[kaibosmom]

:pHi! Yes...it has been too long! I was going to post last night but I was so exhausted; much like tonight. Kaibo has been doing amazing for the most part. I am happy to say that he has been off of the prednisone completely for just over a week. Today was a HUGE day for us. We took him in for the ACTH stim test. I'm so nervous about the results. We will find out on Monday. They also did a liver panel. It will be interesting to see the results of that as well.

I do worry a lot still. Like he has been panting a bit lately. And he has been reluctant to walk a lot. Yet overall health wise, he looks great. His eyes are bright and perky. One of my happiest moments was when I noticed that his nose wasn't so cracked and dry. Every time I look at him now, I just love his little nose! He has lost more weight and the pot belly is gone! His hair hasn't really started growing in yet but it does look healthier and feels softer. A couple of days ago we noticed that the skin on his belly wasn't so dry and wrinkly looking. And if we looked really closely there was a bunch of tiny blonde hair growing there. So nice to see. We have had a bit of trouble with his penis sticking out a lot since the surgery but that too seems to be getting better. They think that maybe there was some nerve damage or something from the stitches and incision...it was so close to his junk! I can't believe I just wrote that :eek: One thing that makes my heart sing is when people see him they comment on how great he is looking. Our family vet hasn't seen him in awhile and he spent the day there on Monday because we couldn't do his curve on the weekend. She commented right away when we picked him up that he seems like a different dog and his personality has changed so much. She said he is much more calm. That being said, today Brett talked to the internal medicine specialist and she was rambling on about a bunch of stuff like how he may have pituitary dependent Cushing's and then she went off about Addison's. Say what?!!? :eek: You have got to be kidding me. I know I need to wait until the ACTH tests come back. I said the other day, I've worried about him for so long I don't know how to not worry about him. :(

As for the diabetes, it is a bit better controlled; we are definitely seeing better curve results. However, they just increased his insulin again...he is now back at the pre-surgery dose of 8 units twice a day and he has lost more weight (he is now 4.6kg; was 4.4kg but he ate like 4 bags of treats last weekend!!). I don't get it. I started raising questions last week then decided to hold my horses since he did just get off the prednisone.

We had him in for rehab today as well since he was already there. I guess the rehab vet told Brett that she also thought he was calmer and stronger even with just being off the prednisone for a week and a half. I totally feel like his knee was getting worse so that was good to hear too. Anyway, I feel like I'm rambling.

Overall, I am pleased with his recovery. I do worry from time to time that the Cushing's isn't gone but the test results will show us on Monday and I will deal with that as it comes. We did start visiting at one of the places we visited before the surgery (for therapy dog visits) this week. His personality is coming back...he is naughty as ever! I mentioned the 4 bags of treats already but here's another one. He was left alone in the house for about 15 minutes. Brett went out to get groceries and I was outside tanning. I was going to go in but I wanted a few more minutes. I was going to stay even longer but had to get to school to clean my classroom. I came inside and there's Kaibo, very pleased with himself, standing on the floor with a full can of hot chocolate powder tipped upside down on his bed. His face full of hot chocolate powder!!! Like I said, he looked very impressed with himself. He is so clever...got the hot chocolate out of the bag (it was on a chair!) and over to his bed, opened it and enjoyed! :cool: What a monkey! As for the treats, I had someone comment, why do you leave the treats so accessible for him if he is prone to getting them. Well, they aren't accessible. Turns out the little bugger used the stool that I have in the pantry to reach the high shelves to get into his treat bin. Smart or what! Then he was bold enough to do it when I had the pantry open and was standing right there. :rolleyes: OMG. It is things like that that I love seeing to tell you the truth! I'll post again on Monday. I hope the news good. No, let's make that, I KNOW the news will be good.

Sorry I haven't been on to check on your dogs and to keep you updated on Kaibo's adventures and recovery. I have gone back to work and life becomes a lot busier! I teach grade 1 at a community school and that is a challenge in itself. I'm not sure what you call that type of school in the states but it is an area of high poverty and many social issues. I have been enjoying my new group of students but have my hands full. I have 23 students....17 boys and 6 girls. Let's just say there are a lot of tattles and lots of pushing and shoving. Ha. I am going to learn even more patience with this bunch that is for sure. I'm also going to drink a lot more :p

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Nikki,

I'm so glad Trish asked after ya'll! It's good to hear that Coco is doing so well and I'm sure the ACTH will be just fine, too!

About the penis - Brick's won't stay in the sheath and we use KY Jelly to keep it lubricated, making it easier to pull in - tho he can't always (his little muscles are worn out from age). I also have a cream called Panalog that I use on occasion when it looks a bit red or when it's getting scabby. Do NOT use non-water soluble products like Vaseline (petroleum jelly) or ointments. The lubricant must be water-soluble. ;)

It was funny getting the first tube of KY Jelly - I asked the pharmacist in the store if he was sure this would be alright for my dog's penis. The look on his face! :p

I hope you have a good school year. Here our schools are divided by location - certain areas go to this school while the kids on the other side of that dividing line will go to another school. We bus kids miles and miles trying to keep a good balance between economic and social status within the public school population. We also have private schools that can control which students they accept and those students can come from anywhere. Private schools cost, public schools do not. The vast majority of our students are in public schools. I admire anyone who can teach. I have no patience and would end up in jail the first week! :p

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[goldengirl88]

So glad to hear about Kaibo's great recovery and that he continues to do well. He is quite the little thief that one is!. I know you are busy in school now so I will be short. Just wanting to let you know I have been thinking of you two. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Yes he is a thief! Well I started today with a call to the emergency vet...for a good reason. We are doing a glucose curve today and his first reading was 11.1. Normally his levels in the AM before insulin are in the low 30s so this was quite a shock. This is our first curve since prednisone has stopped. Anyway, the emergency vet recommended just a half dose. We have to go out a bit this morning so I knew there would be a break in the curve but today is better than tomorrow and I don't want to pay again! We paid for his curve Monday and it was $150! Anyway thinking the BG level this morning is a good sign of things to come!

Sorry. Not our first curve without prednisone. But the last one was just a few days off of it.

[kaibosmom]

I am too tired to post the curve results from the weekend...let's just say they were confusing! I asked if we should do it anyway or if the ACTH test would influence the results. I guess it is good that we did it as we found out he is actually going quite low at times. I ended up calling the emergency service on the weekend to see how much insulin to give him because when he woke up his BG was 11.1! Unheard of! Anyway it all ended up kind of messy between vets (one at the college and family clinic vet), I think they thought we were playing them against each other (which we weren't) there was just a bit lost in translation between emails and phone calls and Brett taking some of the calls, etc. It was a real mess. However, that was cleared up tonight and we are finally starting to talk about changing his insulin to a different kind. I wanted to ask for a long time but wanted all of the other stuff to get sorted out before changing insulin. So, the plan, we test his blood sugar in the morning and evening before meals and adjust his dose accordingly. We are to do this for 2 weeks. And for some reason, she wants me to give him more food. Well, she says if we give him more food and he doesn't gain weight then there is insulin resistance and we will change his insulin. We actually don't want him to gain weight. For goodness sake, we have been trying to get him to lose weight for years but we never could (now we know why!). I think he looks fantastic now so why would we want to pork him up on purpose? Not sure how I feel about that part at this time. Personally I think he has been gaining weight anyway without increasing his food (those 4 bags of treats helped fatten him up a bit). So, that's the quick story on the diabetes.

Now, are you ready for the ACTH stimulation results? Are you? :rolleyes: Well, are you sure? ;)

Ok....Kaibo's test results are NOT consistent with Cushing's disease :D Yep, that's right, bye tumour, bye Cushing's. I mean obviously this is what we assumed and what made sense but it is nice to have actual results. Well, I actually don't have the results. I will ask for them, as well as all of his other stuff from surgery on. I didn't get any of that. And, come to think of it, she didn't even mention his liver panel results today. So, anyway, thrilled with the results and what appears to be improvement in the diabetes department. We also had another visit back at the hospital ward we visit on tonight. He was super happy to be there and was a lot more interactive with the kids than he was last week. it's always good when a therapy dog lets people pet him :p That's all for now!

Nikki

[frijole]

WOW that is great - the cushings is gone. Wonderful news but do get the results so I can know with certainty. hahaha

Wish I could help with the diabetes - assume you are at our sister site for guidance. Give sweet Kaibo hugs from Aunt Kim ok? Hugs to you.

[mcdavis]

Just dropped by to see how the pups were doing and so pleased to hear about Kaibo's results, and also that he had a good visit with the kids.

[molly muffin]

This has been a wonderful turn around for Kaibo. Weird about the glucose being so low. I hope you are on the k9diabetes site too. They are simply wonderful with diabetes ins and outs.

Things can get real confused very fast when playing phone tag amongst multiple vets. LOL

I'm glad he is getting to do the things he loves and is back to enjoying them the way he always did. Very cool

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[doxiesrock912]

Kaibo is truly blessed.

[spdd]

Great news about Kaibo... I'm so very glad to see things turn around.

You must be so relieved.... very happy for you both.

[Jenny & Judi in MN]

don't forget, you want to adjust the dose based on the lowest # in the curve. I normally just check before I feed Jenny also but I only adjust her insulin after a curve since there is no way of knowing where she has been all day without a curve.

yay for goodbye Cushings! that would explain the need for less insulin!

I've gotten to the point where I'll do a curve myself on a weekend and email the results to my vet if I want his input on where to adjust.

congrats to you & Kaibo!

[goldengirl88]

Kaibo:
That is wonderful to be able to get rid of Cushings, your mom is doing an excellent job!! Wish we could all say goodbye to Cushings! Glad to hear he is doing so well.
Blessings
Patti

[Boriss McCall]

awesome news! you can kick cushings to the curb. I am so happy for you & Kaibo.;)

[kaibosmom]

I am on the k9 diabetes page too but it has been ages since I posted. I will have to head back over there because I certainly could use some help figuring out his diabetes. He's been all over the map this week. After the last curve they wanted me to test before each meal and gave me different instructions for the dose depending on his BG. The vets were thinking the ACTH test was creating the wonky results. I'm not doing a curve this week but will do one next weekend. Depending on those results we may switch the type of insulin we use.

[Trish]

Hi Nikki
So pleased to read the cushings is gone!! How amazing is that, just goes to show what the surgery can do :D:D he will still be regaining his energy for a while yet, I think it took a good three months until we saw him regain most of his energy although Flynn did have the ongoing BP problems to sort out much like you are still working on the diabetes... I think we could do without those bumps in the road but sounds like Kaibo is getting better control of that too. Very cool he is getting back to his hospital visits, I can totally see how that cute wee face would cheer up the sick kiddies :D:D so pleased to read your good report! xx

[goldengirl88]

Glad to hear Kaibo is still progressing. I would give anything in the world to be able to say Tipper's Cushings is gone. kaiblo is one lucky dog! Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Kaibo is doing well. We found out his liver enzymes have been improving. We are doing a curve on Sunday. I still need to touch base with K9 diabetes. It's been forever since I wrote there. Kaibo's hair is filling back in. We really notice when taking his blood. It's getting tricky again...too much hair! Also he's gaining weight....what a little porker! Or maybe it's just his hair growing back ;)

[Budsters Mom]

Hi Nikki,
What a wonderful report! Gaining weight, hair growing back, liver enzymes improving, so much great news! I hope his diabetes is under control too.

I hope your new school year is going well. It is so much easier to return to work when our babies are doing well. xxxxx

[goldengirl88]

Nikki:
You are so blessed to be rid of Cushings and that your precious Kaibo is continuing to improve. How I wish my Tipper were rid of Cushings, I would give anything to see her healthy again. Blessings
Patti

[Squirt's Mom]

Great news, Nikki! Way to go, Kaibo!

[spdd]

That is great news. Way to go Kaibo!!!!

[molly muffin]

That is wonderful news! The liver recovering is great to hear. It is one of those amazing organs that Can recover luckily, so once the cushings is gone, then things can start to come back into line of where they should be. Now that insulin issue... :) Hopefully that will get even better as time goes forward too and more stabilized.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trish]

Hi Nikki

YAY Way to Go KAIBO!! So pleased to read your latest note! He will keep on improving too! I bet you are so happy to be on this side of the surgery now eh! Makes all that stress worthwhile :D Good luck for the curve, hope the diabetes settles down as he continues to improve! xx

[kaibosmom]

Just a little update on my little man. He continues to do well. I realized how much his hair is growing back the other day when a photo popped up of him from last year. What a bald belly. Slowly but surely it's growing back. Also I finally have the results of his ACTH test from September 13.
Resting cortisol 118 nmol/l (<20-270)
Post ACTH 334 nmol/l (230-570)
Interpretation: ACTH stim test suggests normal function. :)

We changed his insulin a few days ago. It will take a bit to figure out the new dose. His knee seems pretty bothersome lately. We are still planning surgery for that in December. I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow for a check up. He's got a bump in the area of his incision and a part the is kind of poking out. Want to be on the safe side and make sure it's not a hernia or something else going on. Have a good weekend.

Nikki and Kaibo.

[Budsters Mom]

Hi Nikki,
Thrilled to hear that Kaibo is continuing to do well. Go Kaibo, Go Kaibo!:D:D:D xxxxx

[lulusmom]

Hi Nikki,

I haven't been around much so had to catch up on sweet Kaibo. I do have some questions as I read some of your posts that made me scratch my head and long for additional information from you. This all surrounds stim test results. See below:

On 7/29 at 12:23 am you stated that a stim test was scheduled for three weeks. A subsequent post on 7/13 stated it was scheduled for 8/20 but then you subsequently posted on 8/20 that the stim test was cancelled. Were there any stim tests done between July and September?

On 7/29 at 7:07 pm you posted and stated that your vet finally got the results of the last stim test and that they were a little low. Unfortunately you never provided us with the actual numbers so I have no idea if Kaibo's numbers were actually low. I say this because your post on 9/16 stated that the results of the last stim test were not consistent with cushing's, bye tumour, bye cushing's, yet the results of that stim test you just posted show a post stimulated cortisol level that is too high for a cushdog. Unless the adrenal glands are completely ablated (destroyed) by lysodren, in which case a dog would have to have lifelong glucocorticoid and mineralcoricoid supplementation, the adrenal cells will regenerate and the dog will see a return of symptoms as cortisol levels continue to rise. I believe this is what is happening with Kaibo.

I am very concerned that your vet is using the normal ranges provided by the lab rather than the therepeutic range dictated for a dog with cushing's being treated with Lysodren. The therapuetic range is 1ug/dl to 5 ug/dl. The last post stim result you posted is in nmol but converted to ug/dl is 12.1. This is far too high for a cushdog, especially one with concurrent diabetes. If my suspicions prove to be accurate and Kaibo were my dog, I would ask for a referral to an internal medicine specialist because as long as the cortisol continues to climb, you can expect blood glucose levels to do the same. Is your vet a gp or specialist?

Can you please ask your vet for the results of the stim test that was done prior to the most recent one and post those results? How long has Kaibo been off of Prednisone?

Glynda

[Trish]

Hmmm this is getting my thinking cap on! I thought in the case of Kaibo who had a benign functional adrenal tumour that once the tumour was gone, then his ACTH would be read on the normal scale as he does not have cushings anymore? I need to do some more research on that one.

I know Flynn's acth post adrenalectomy were Pre 2.5, Post 13.8 admittedly a different type of tumour and no positive cushings test preop, but we were told this was normal. I remember my surgeon telling me that it with a tumour only on one gland then once it is gone, that's it. I have to go out soon but will have a look to see if I can dig up any studies on acth post surgery later on.

Nikki, hope his knee is not too sore for the little poppet and his wound is OK, can you post a photo of it? xxx

[lulusmom]

Oh geeze, I didn't go back far enough in Nikki's thread to refresh my memory about the adrenalectomy. Now don't I feel really stupid. I want a do over!!!! :o:o:o I'd be really mortified if nobody else had ever made the same type of mistake. So sorry Nikki and thanks, Trish, for setting me straight. Oy! :o:o:o:o:o:o

[frijole]

:D:D:D Welcome back Glynda. While you were away Kaibo had successful surgery. :D:D:D No longer a cush dog - isn't that cool?

Always love getting these kind of updates. Glad Kaibo continues to flourish. The journey was long and bumpy but well worth it! Let us know how the insulin switch works. Kim

[kaibosmom]

That's ok. I was confused by your post but figured you somehow missed that he had an adrenalectomy in July. Anyway, here is the information you requested:

July 26/13
ACTH stim test post op adrenalectomy:
cortisol resting 23 nmol/l (<20 - 270)
cortisol, post acth 103 nmol/l flagged L (normal 230-570)

Interpretation: ACTH stimulation does no support hypoadrenocorticism or hyperadrenocorticism.

The test for August was postponed because he was still on prednisone and the IMS indicated that we wouldn't have an accurate result so we were to wait until he was off of prednisone.

Sept 13/13
ACTH Stimulation
cortisol resting 118 nmol/l (<20-270)
cortisol, post ACTH 334 nmol/l (230-570)

ACTH stim results suggest normal adrenalcortical functioning :)

Anyway, I am glad that you have since posted and agree that these results are what should be expected in a dog who had a functioning adrenal mass. It is now removed so the left adrenal gland has successfully taken over cortisol production...or however you want to word it ;)

[kaibosmom]

Yes, Trish, I will post a new picture of his belly. He's gained some weight so it's quite a cute belly once again...but not a Cushing's belly...just a nice "I like to sneak in the pantry and eat 4 bags of dog treats" kind of belly :rolleyes:

[Trish]

Excellent, I don't have to do anymore digging!! I thought I was missing something there too Glynda!! :)

[kaibosmom]

I posted a new picture of his belly. You can see the pokey part. Sometimes there is a larger bump to the left of that spot. I'll keep you posted on what I find out!

[goldengirl88]

He is looking very good. I am glad you had such a good outcome. Blessings
Patti

[kaibosmom]

Thanks Patti! I wish all of our Cushing's dogs would have such positive results. Hugs to you.

[spdd]

He is looking good, and looking quite pleased with himself too !

[molly muffin]

Awww, he is looking very handsome indeed. :) Great job all around.

hugs,
Sharlene and molly muffin

[Trish]

He is so gorgeous, just want to give him a big cuddle... wrote a few wound comments on his pic! Be interested to hear what they have to say, I think his wound will be a little weaker in the area where the two incisions joined, so possibly could have a little hernia there. x

[kaibosmom]

Thanks for the comments! Yesterday he had a good check up and our family vet is quite pleased at his increased energy and how his hair is growing back! She was able to ultrasound the area of concern and said that everything is still healing nicely. She thinks that his muscles are just a bit weak and that is why when he moves a certain way there is a bit of a bulge. Definitely no hernia so that was a relief to hear...worth the $120 for some peace of mind! The pokey part of the incision she says is where there is a knot and it will just take longer to dissolve. So I'll keep my eye on it and hope it goes away soon!

Otherwise, the little guy is doing well. He seems to be responding to the new insulin although I worry as it is more potent and longer lasting. I was reading a bit on it and it can lead to hyperglycemic episodes. With him being so small the dose is very low, only 1 unit twice a day right now. Even the reading I have done indicates that is a higher starting dose than normal as it should be .1unit/kg...I think...my paper is downstairs at the moment! Anyway, last night he was scratching at the pantry door for food at 1:30 in the morning. I decided to take a test just to see and he was at 7.5 mmol/l. Interesting as that is low for him since we have never had really good control. Anyway, we will do a curve next weekend so we will get a better picture of how this levemir is working for him!

I'm off to read your comments on the pictures now! Have a good day.

[kaibosmom]

Well friends, we have had hit a big bump :mad: I mentioned the other day that Kaibo's knee seems much more uncomfortable lately. We massage him daily and I have been feeling changes in the muscle and it is just so tight. The last few days he has been putting virtually no weight on his back, right leg. It just kind of sticks out to the side and hangs there. Anyway, I made an appointment for him for rehab last week and today was his appointment. I told them what I have been seeing and that if possible I'd like the surgeon to consult with the rehab vet to see if we need to do surgery earlier than Christmas. We were just trying to get him to Christmas as that is when I have my next school break and Brett can take an extra week off so we would be home with him for at least 3 weeks. Anyway, the news I got today wasn't exactly surprising but kind of devastating nonetheless. Maybe devastating is not the right word. Disappointing? Well, the rehab vet did indeed confirm that things are much, much worse than they were even 3 weeks ago for my little trooper. I thought ok, no big deal, we knew the surgery had to happen and we had already talked on the weekend about ways we could make it work by having someone stay with him, etc. But, then, she said that his hip is no involved. His muscles are so tight and he has been compensating for so long that they have gotten to the point where they are pulling his hip right out of the socket. Honestly I felt deflated. We have tried to give him the best chance at a healthy life, spending thousands of dollars on rehab already, even before his surgery. We do exercises for him at home, massage, etc. So to hear things have gotten so bad broke my heart so much. Anyway, we are waiting to hear his surgeon's schedule. She is off clinics at the moment. I certainly hope that this can all be fixed in one more last surgery. I mean after this, what else can possibly go wrong? I am anticipating that it will happen in the next couple of weeks. With the tumour and recovery and prednisone, the vets had all agreed that it was best to keep him off pain meds for as long as possible. He was finally given pain meds today. I hope that it helps him feel more comfortable. He is already getting extra spoiled as I am carrying him everywhere! Even down the stairs to go to the bathroom! It is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. I can honestly say I am thankful that I don't have children so I can spend what I need to on Kaibo. I am thankful that we can afford to offer him the best care...the care that he deserves. Thanks once again for "listening" and being the support that I need to help me get through Kaibo's "adventures" :rolleyes:

[doxiesrock912]

Oh no! He was doing so well!
No one likes these surprises.

[Squirt's Mom]

awwww, poor little Kaibo and poor mom and dad. New worries so soon after coming out of a major surgery and recovery. :( I hope ya'll get everything worked out so all are comfortable. Let us know how things are with our sweet boy and you hang in there!

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[spdd]

Awww... sorry to hear this. He was doing so well too.

[Budsters Mom]

Hi Nikki,
Well, this stinks! :o Kaibo is blessed to have such great parents who love him so much and are able to get him the care he needs. I understand the break thing. I wanted so much to be home with Buddy too. :o Kaibo has done miraculously well. He has come so far and isn't going to let this little set back stop him I'm sure. Big hugs for you and a belly rub for our sweet boy. xxxxx

[molly muffin]

Well drat! Not what was wanted or expected. Kaibo I am sure knows and expects that you will fix this for him as you make everything in his world right. They really do look at things from a positive perspective.

At least you have a long weekend now to come to terms with how things are and what needs to be done. Hope you can get an early surgery date. Just think by Xmas he should be back in tip top shape.

Hugs
Sharlene and Molly muffin

[kaibosmom]

Thanks everyone. Kaibo is slightly more comfortable after a few doses of tramadol. Yesterday was so busy and I was waiting for the vet college to call me with my appointment but they didn't call. So I'm calling them today to get the ball rolling. We looked in to boarding him at the family vet clinic post surgery. He won't stay in a kennel at home so we will have more peace of mind if someone is watching him. I guess you are right, he will be well on the mend at Christmas. Does this mean I can go to Grand Cayman for two weeks like we planned then? Hmmmm. No probably not because I'll spend all my money on his surgery. Lol. It's a good thing he's lost weight...I'm carrying him everywhere now ;) I'll keep you posted.

[goldengirl88]

Nikki:
Is he having surgery on his leg? Excuse my memory but I forgot. I hope he continues to do well. I am sure after the last surgery this will be a breeze compared to that. Blessings
Patti

[molly muffin]

Kaibo has found his ride! LOL Hoping for some news soon on a surgery date! Now tell us what exactly will they be doing? Fixing the leg, but are they also going to look at the hip? Or will that come back to rights once his leg is better?

Grand Canyon eh. Well, there is always next year if not this one. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[kaibosmom]

Patti: Kaibo has had a cruciate tear for a long time. We were waiting to fix it until after the tumour removal and after he had a few months off prednisone and some good overall recovery time. However, he has gotten much worse :(. His hip is now involved and he is having a very hard time getting around. We can't wait until Christmas for the surgery like we had planned. So we are looking at doing it soon. Sharlene: I booked his surgery consult today. I managed to get it with the surgeon who performed his adrenalectomy! Score! So we go to see her next week on Thursday (October 17). This is where I can ask those questions...the rehab vet thinks that they will need to do surgery on his hip as well as the knee...at the same time I hope! It would be great to hear that if the knee was fixed all of the muscles and ligaments will go back in place. Who knows. In the meantime, I get a long weekend at home with my little man. He is very peppy tonight! Yay for tramadol! It's so good to see his little tail wag!

P.S. We want to go to Grand Cayman Island not Grand Canyon! Although I'm sure Grand Canyon is as beautiful in real life as it is in pictures, it doesn't have warm sand and tasty slushy drinks that I desire when there is so much snow here in Saskatoon! Also, Kaibo got his name from a place on the island...a place I have never actually visited (that's another story) even though I've been to Grand Cayman twice! So I'm desperate to go back! However, it likely isn't in the cards for me this year.

[molly muffin]

Oh yea, Grand Cayman!! Hello, yes! LOL I'd want to go too. Well, maybe you can go still, if he does well with recovery. If not, how about for spring break.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[spdd]

Don't want to rain on your parade.. but that's where I'll be in about 2 1/2 weeks. I have family that live there in the Caymans.

Sure hope everything goes well with Kaibo and the consult on the 17th. Up until I go away, I'll be checking in on everyone.

[kaibosmom]

Oh I'm so jealous! Have you ever been to Kaibo? You should go :). How long will you be there? We have a friend who lives there so we stay with him. Enjoy 7 mile beach! Have a mudslide at Original Joes for me ;). Ahhhh. Such good memories. We may try to make spring break work to go there. Fingers crossed!

[spdd]

Yes I have been there and been to "Hell" too LOL - this time around I'm only going to be there a day - it's one of the stops on my cruise. I've been there 5-6 times but I love going back even if it is for the day only. My cousins will be meeting me at the dock and I'll be with them during at least part of the day.

BTW - love mudslides.

[molly muffin]

Okay, officially jealous now!!!! Thanks girls!!

*checking out itravel2000.com

hahaha
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[spdd]

Sharlene... it's a girls only cruise... ck out Carnival Legend leaving Nov 3rd.... it's gonna be a hoot !!

[Trish]

Awww poor little Kaibo, if its not one thing it another. But sounds like it is time to get this surgery done before it affects any of his other muscles or ligaments. Pleased the Tramadol perked him up! This operation will be easy compared to the last one, it will just be the recovery that will be hard and keeping him still a while, poor little poppet but I am sure he will come out the other end fine and then put all this behind him. How is th new insulin working out?


Big PAWS UP KAIBO!!

[kaibosmom]

I'm such a paranoid mom!!!!!! I took Kaibo to the hospital to visit with the kids tonight and he was panting like crazy! I'm going to chalk this one up to it being warm in the room we were in and that we forgot to give him his tramadol before I took him for the visit. Oh dear. Anyway......surgery consult on Thursday. The BG curve today (yes a couple of days later) was not stellar but not terrible either!

[kaibosmom]

Kaibo had his appointment with the surgeon today. Wow, she is so amazing. She spent a lot of time with me going over a lot of stuff. Moral of the story is she doesn't want to do surgery on him! Not that she won't but she doesn't think it is completely necessary at this time. :) I wonder if we saw the resident if the answer would have been different. Anyway, after a thorough examination of him, she determined that his hips are solid and his knee is actually quite solid as well. She said that perhaps he has already started growing scar tissue around it and recommends we crate rest him for a month :eek: Ummm....he seems like a normal dog in a kennel at the vet but get him home or in the car and he is a little psychopath! We are going to look into buying a different kennel and hope that might help...a wire one, closer to what the vet clinic has. Fingers crossed that works! I'm still unsure as to why he is so unstable lately :confused: Like he will fall over if someone goes to pet him. I mentioned how one time last week he put his foot down and his paw rolled under and he didn't change it for a bit. Hard to explain what he did but anyway, I remember from an agility seminar that doing that isn't a good sign. I mentioned it to the surgeon and she said that is a neurological issue and he has no signs of that. As soon as she said it though, I thought chiro treatment is needed! I came home and booked him for a chiro treatment at our regular vet clinic. I can't get him there until next Friday :( I've wanted to do it for some time but was worried about him post surgery. I guess the time slipped by. He will definitely be ok now. So anyway, I am hoping that will help...he certainly is crooked, you can see it...and he is peeing crooked just like he did after surgery when he had the sutures down there! The other thing the surgeon mentioned was that a dog with a cruciate tear doesn't jump up and greet people without pain the way he did to her when he saw her. By the way, he was so sweet when he saw her, jumping and pawing at her leg, looking at me, looking at her...such a happy boy! Then after she examined him, which was uncomfortable at times but he really didn't seem to react terribly, he was a little standoffish. By the end though he was happy again and playing with her....probably because he understands English and realized she recommended he doesn't have surgery right now :D Anyway, I told her that last week, there was no way he was jumping on his hind legs or anything. He was barely moving. I did mention that he has been getting peppier and what not since being on the tramadol for a week now. So even that too made her say that such a positive reaction to pain medication would make her think that surgery isn't completely necessary at this time. I guess we were so focused on what we were told before his adrenalectomy that he would need surgery on the knee and when he had such a bad report from the rehab vet last week that we just assumed he needed it and all of a sudden it was an emergency because his hip was coming out. Today, however, it was solid as a rock. So, I'm not going to argue! We will try the crate rest. I hope that he can be calm in a kennel at home. I'll have to set up the iPad to video him or something. :rolleyes: Well because I thought he was having surgery ASAP I booked in family pictures very spur of the moment. Now I don't know if we should still do them or not. I would prefer them in summer. Hmmm. Maybe not. Just go for it, just celebrate his successful surgery!

[doxiesrock912]

Go for the pictures :-)
Great news!!!

[spdd]

That is good news about the non-surgery. I'm so used to vets wanting money, it's rare they say something isn't needed. I like that vet.

Kaibo sure is cute with the attitude toward the vet. Love it and love him.

Good luck with the crating, I'm sure he'll do fine.

[molly muffin]

I think that is really good news to hear he doesn't need surgery right now and especially about the hip, as that was quite worrying.
Kaibo is adorable. I'd say go for the pictures. You can always have some done in the summer later too if you want. A winter and summer pictures side by side. :)

Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[frijole]

Love your stories. Get the photos done during happy times and they'll be even better. Interesting they ruled out nerve issues because my Annie had the same thing where she'd just collapse but then be fine. It was bizarre. I attributed it to nerve issues and the pheo. Heck take the good dx and try the crate - though i agree your little guy needs to be able to see out and not feel crated. :D Put a small TV with animal planet playing on the other side of it. lol Kim

[Trish]

Haha I leave animal planet on for Flynn if I have to leave him at home! So pleased to hear his hip is ok Nikki. Not so pleased to hear he has to go into the crate, but time will whizz by and hopefully with this treatment he will be raring to go when he is let out!!

I remember when Flynn hurt his back a few years ago, the vet was doing that test where they turn their paws under, it tests proprioception and they should immediately flip it back over. If they don't it can be a sign of neurological deficit when they have disc issues and a nerve is compressed. I am pleased to see your vet saw no neuro signs but I do worry about chiropractic treatment of back injuries and slipped disc. I have seen terrible and permanent damage done to humans from chiropracters when they manipulate backs. They can do even more damage to nerves if there is any herniation of the discs and/or nerve compression. If it was me, I would see how the crate rest went in the first instance before going to a chiropractor. A simple xray should be able to tell if there are any disc issues in Kaibo's back. You say the chiropractor is at your regular vets, so I would presume they would do those safety checks before launching into anything that could do him harm.

Do the pics!! Would love to see them, he is so photogenic I loved looking through his album! xx

[kaibosmom]

Hi! Kaibo and Molly got all dolled up for the pictures but it started raining :(. We postponed them. I can ask for an X-ray before his Chiro treatment. It isn't his first time. He's often had a spot on his back out. Where Molly's is actually. He seems a bit tender in that spot when I massage him. And he still looks pretty crooked. The tramadol continued to keep him comfortable. He looks pretty chunky these days. But, I still think it's his hair thickening up and he did get fluffed up today ;). We heard back from our vet today about his curve last Monday. She had called the vet clinic to discuss it with the specialist there. They want us to increase his dose to 1.5 units Lemevir twice a day. We are to give him some pumpkin with his food to help him from going too low. We shall see. We are going to buy him a new crate tomorrow and give it a try. I hope the more open crate more like the one at the vet college will work. I'm still not sure what the crate rest will do as this isn't a new injury but hey it's worth a shot. I'm going to post a picture of him from tonight. Our groomer said she thinks he still looks bad but I don't see it. His hair is softer than before and definitely growing back on his belly where he hasn't had hair for over a year. There are still thin patches and sometimes I wonder if they are new or not but I'm going with not. The hair on his ears is definitely thicker so I assume the rest go his hair is getting thicker too. Looks like it to me. :)

[molly muffin]

It rained here all day today too. I bet they looked cute all ready for their pictures.

In the picture you posted his hair sure did look like it was growing back in and getting thicker.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Squirt's Mom]

I'm not sure if I gave you this link or not so just in case here it is. This is a group that has some wonderful tips for managing things like this. They helped me a great deal with Crys.

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ConservativeManagement/info

[kaibosmom]

Thanks for the tip on the website. I will check it out ASAP!

[Trish]

Love the latest pics, especially the breast cancer support one :D:D

[kaibosmom]

Hi gang. I guess it has been quite awhile since I stopped in. Work has been extremely stressful. I have a very challenging group of firsties this year. Report cards are done so that is a bonus. I'm counting down the days until Christmas break. As for Kaibo, he's been keeping me on my toes as usual. He was doing so well then his blood sugar started going bonkers. We ended up changing insulin. If he was a larger dog, I think that insulin (detemir) would have been the right one. However, it is very potent and he needed a very small dose. One unit wasn't enough and one and a half was too much. He was getting some extremely low numbers so that freaked me out. We have changed his insulin yet again two weeks ago. It was not doing the trick at all. He was peering in the house again while we were at work. Oh my! We do a curve on Sunday. I have read a lot of dogs don't do well on this insulin (Lantus or glargine) so we will see on Sunday and go from there.

Since the last time I posted, Kaibo has gone downhill as far as his knee goes. We took him for rehab one day and the rehab vet said his hip was coming out. I had felt very weird things when massaging him and knew that he was experiencing much more pain. He was also lame on his right hind leg more often than he has been previously. I requested pain meds for him and booked him in to see the surgeon immediately. I had a good long chat with the surgeon...the one who did his adrenalectomy.....wait....I told you this! Ok. So, crate rest. She recommended crate rest for the cheeky monkey. We took our sweet time getting to this, although we did carry him everywhere. So he was not going up stairs, running, etc. we bought a new kennel for him. One more like the ones at the vet. I've been giving him food and treats in there for awhile and even put him in there one morning while I got ready for work. He laid down like a good boy. So I figured we were good to go. Last Saturday, we put him in and set up the iPad to video him. When we pulled up to the house later, Kaibo's little head popped up and there he was looking at us from the window. He has never liked being caged up! We were excited to watch the video. What a cheeky monkey. So skilled and efficient at being an escape artist. He started his escape immediately after we closed and locked the door. He was out in two minutes! If I can figure out how to edit a video on my new iMac, I'll post it. It's such a hoot! Needless to say, crate rest has not been successful. That being said, we definitely have restricted his activity level. We have seen no improvement to date on his knee. I tried no pain meds one morning and he was clearly in pain when I hot home that night. This is certainly not the way we want him to live his life. So we are back having to decide on the knee surgery.

Overall, Kaibo appears rather sickly. Mostly in his coat. It's very patchy and thin. I try to chalk this up to the uncontrolled diabetes but that little nagging Cushing's word haunts me. This is concerning and I wonder at times if we should do another ACTH. Maybe the left adrenal hasn't picked up the slack as it appeared to at the last ACTH? I also hadn't done ant of his post op blood work as they decided they didn't want it at the time of his ACTH. So, I took him in to our vet yesterday for a complete blood work up, urinalysis, and X-rays of hips and knees. Well, overall great results! Apparently, his hips and knees look great. She thinks the clicking we feel (and think it is his hip) might be a meniscus tear. His liver enzymes are a third of what they were pre surgery. I'll post results when I get them! It will be interesting to see what they are in comparison to the liver panel they accidentally did the day of his ACTH. His ketones were elevated but I don't know how much. She sent the urine for a culture to see if he has anything going on due to the really high BG values when we switched his insulin. Ok. So there's an update. Overall pretty positive. We just need to get this diabetes in control and figure out what to do about his knee. While I would love for him to not have to endure another surgery, I'm not sure I can accept him taking pain meds forever and watching him struggle to walk, lay down, stand up, etc. I guess at this point my gut is telling me we need to try the knee surgery and hope it improves his overall quality of life. And, if this new insulin doesn't work, why is he insulin resistant? Again, Cushing's pops in mind. Left adrenal being lazy? Lol. No. Let's not even think it! We will get it figured out and I'll know what to do for Kaibo just as I always have :). Hope all is well with you and your pups.

[kaibosmom]

Oh I forgot to say, last weekend I spent a lot if time on the diabetes forum. Posting. Reading. Starting to question his diet a bit. The food we have him on was to meet his needs pre-surgery. Carefully selected to help maintain his weight and limit pancreatitis episodes. With the tumour gone, his dietary needs may no longer need to be so specific. Something to think about and research more I guess. Also, I'm not sure if you remember the bulge around one part of his incision that I worried about and had an ultrasound done on? Well, it's still there. More noticeable, I think. But no vets seem worried about it. And the blood work was good so I guess I'll let it go too. Is that possible? Lol.

[doxiesrock912]

Wow! Poor Kaibo! Hopefully you'll get to the bottom of this and he'll be back on the mend.

[molly muffin]

Poor guy. He sure does end up having a few things to deal with at the same time. :( This diabetes sounding like the hardest.
Wow, talk about an escape artist! I guess all you can do is try to block of areas of the house, so he doesn't have opportunity to go running around while you are work. Not up and down any stairs anyhow.
Doe it appear that the "semi" rest is helping his knee/hip?

Hang in there!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[kaibosmom]

Sadly, the "semi" rest doesn't seem to be helping much. :mad: I'm thinking he will be having knee surgery in a few weeks. I wish I knew the right answer. Ideally we will do it over Christmas Break because I will be off for 2 weeks. We have a bit of time left to decide. Will be talking to the surgeon this week.

Yes, the diabetes sure is giving us a run for our money. Literally. It's costing bunches of money. But, we will do what we have to. The curve today was not that great. He does seem to be feeling a bit better at times. I'm not sure what we should do about the insulin. This was the first curve on the new insulin but overall I have read it isn't that great for dogs. I guess we will see what the vet has to say tomorrow when she sees his curve. I will post it here too.

[kaibosmom]

Curve results November 17, 2013; Lantus (glargine) insulin

5:30 am 11.6; ate food; 6 units
6:45 am 21.6
7:45 am 22.7
8:45 am 19.3
11:15 am 18.7
12:50 pm 18.4
2:00 pm 11.9
4:00 pm 10.5
5:55 pm 11.6; ate food; 6 units insulin

[molly muffin]

What does the group at k9diabetes say about this insulin? Do they have any suggestions on what to try?

I agree, Christmas break would work best, if it can hold that long. Guess the surgeon will let you know what she thinks soon.

hugs,
sharlene and molly muffin

[kaibosmom]

I've just recently been back to k9 diabetes. I've posted oodles of info. It's generally quieter there than here but I've had a few people stop by with comments.

[molly muffin]

How many insulin options are there for dogs? It must be harder when the dose has to be so small from what I can tell. You need like 1.2 or 1.3 right in between the not enough and too much. Arggghhh

So, this is just me thinking and blathering, and this has nothing to do with cushings, but when there is something wrong, pain, etc, the cortisol rises, to counter act that, when the cortisol rises, it is hard to get the diabetes under control. Just like when you have cushings, it's hard to get it under control with diabetes going on. So, with the leg issues and the pain, wonder if the cortisol is high enough to be interfering with getting the diabetes under control and a good curve.

Just my thoughts
hugs,
sharlene and molly muffin