Tango - Tango has crossed The Bridge

[tango]

I just have to post be very careful with the lysodren and make sure you are watching her very closely and do your research. Our dog Tango was diagnosed with cushings about a year ago and we tried Trilostene first but it just wasn't working so about 1 month ago our vet recommended that we try Lysodren. We did the loading and then he was taking it 2 times per week. His first stim test after the loading looked really good but then he started to get really sick, really fast. I brought him to my vet and they just said that maybe he had too much meds so to give him the Predisone. I was back at the vet 3 days in a row to the same explanation and then the 4th day I had to take him to the emergency vet hospital because he could no longer keep anything in his stomach and he was very unsteady on his feet. Well at that point we were told that he was given way too much lysodren and had was in addison crisis. And to top it off, we were giving him predisone and medicam together (which were both prescribed by our vet) which completely destroyed his stomach. After staying in the hospital and looking like he was getting better and then numerous trips to the vet we had to say goodbye to him 10 days later because his stomach was just too badly damaged. So I can't say enough to be very careful. I know my dog was 14 years old but it sure wasn't his time to have to go if it hadn't been for the mistakes that took place.

[molly muffin]

I set this thread up for you and Tango. Tango will also be added to our In Loving Memory section of those who have passed. Let me know if you would prefer a different title for your thread.

Metacam and cushings can be a bad combination. Metacam is not recommended for dogs with cushings, high cortisol has it can damage the liver and cause other upsets.
Lysodren has to be carefully monitored and at the first sign of any difference, stopped immediately and an ACTH scheduled. It could be that the combination of these two items together, caused an overdose reaction. Also, every dog can react different too, and some load very fast and others take a long time.

We would love to hear about Tango and anything you would like to share.

My sincerest condolences to you and your family on the loss of your precious Tango. It is always devastating to face such a loss, and especially when it was so unexpected. That just makes the grief that much worse mixed in with anger that it should not have happened.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[scoora]

I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet boy Tango.
I'm sorry to hear about the way things happened with him.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.

[goldengirl88]

So sorry for the loss of your precious Tango. May God help your heart to heal. Blessings
Patti

[tango]

Thanks everyone for the lovely words and prayers, we appreciate it so much. This has been a very hard time for my husband and I and the other angel of our eye, Tia (she is yorkie/shitzu). We have picked up Tango's ashes now and the paw print that they made and that really gave me a sense of peace as he is now back home where he belongs. I still have my times that I miss him terribly but in those times I open up all the picture albums and videos we have and try to remember all the good times we have with him. Hugs to you all and once again thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[mypuppy]

I am so very sorry for the loss of your precious boy! My family and I just lost our girl a week ago today very unexpectedly. Either way, it hurts so much. Glad you are able to focus on the great memories you shared with your baby. May they comfort you during this awful time.

God Bless and love.

xo Jeanette

[Harley PoMMom]

My condolences to you and your family in the passing of dear Tango. Loving them sure comes easy but losing them sure is hard, we are here for you and do understand the pain you feel, please talk to us any time.

With Heartfelt Sympathy, Lori

[tango]

Jeanette, I am so sorry about the loss of your baby girl, I know how hard it is, we just lost Tango on September 14 and for us it was very unexpected as well. Keep all the wonderful memories of her very close to your heart and I really recommend keeping the pictures handy so that you can look at her whenever you miss her the most, it has really helped me. Hugs and prayers to you and your family.

[LtlBtyRam]

I am sorry for the sudden loss of your beloved Tango. Prayers for you and the rest of your family.
Angela

[Budsters Mom]

Tango has joined our other Cush angels, including mine at the rainbow bridge. They will take care of her now. I know that your heart is broken. Please come back and chat with us when you feel up it it. Xxxx

[doxiesrock912]

I am so sorry to hear this news!
My condolences to your family. It's heartbreaking enough to lose our furlets, but mistakes from those entrusted with their care makes it worse.
Rest with the angels Tango.

[tango]

Hi everyone I just wanted to tell our story. About a year ago Tango got quitr sick and ending up on IV fluids because he was dehydrated. The vet did blood tests to see if there were any abnormalties and found some problems with his liver and they suspected he could have cushings. They did the low dose stim test and then did an ACTH test (I believe these were the tests) and some more urine and blood tests and confirmed he had cushings. The vet put him on Veteryol and we did the ACTH tests every two weeks until we finally got the dosage correct and he seemed to do quite well for about 6 months and then I began to notice that he was hungry all the time and drinking a lot and not able to settle at night so much so that we actually had to give him sedatives at night so he and I could sleep. Our vet did another ACTH test and found that his cortisol levels were very high again so he decided that we needed to switch to lysodren to get his cortisol levels down again. So we stopped the veteryol for a week and then started the lysodren 190mg once a day for 7 days and then one 190mg pill twice a week. We also were still giving Tango his daily dose of medicam that we had been giving to him for at least 6 months or so for arthritis. After a about 2 weeks since we had started the lysodren Tango's appetite started to decrease to the point where it was a struggle to get him to eat his meals and he didn't want treats (which was very unlike Tango as he always was a very food motivated dog). I contacted the vet and he said to give him 5mg of prednisone. That made him a bit more hungry but it was short lived. He started to get very unsteady on his feet, could only walk a short distance and would shake when he was laying down. I brought him to our vet office 3 days in a row and was just told that his cortisol levels must be a bit too low and to give him prednisone. Well on the next day he started to throw up so I brought him to the emergency vet hospital. It was the initial doctor there that finally figured out what was going on. First off he was now in Addison crisis and his electrolytes were so high that if I hadn't brought him in there was a good possibility his heart would have stopped. Second his stomach was so upset because we were giving him medicam and prednisone at the same time and these 2 medications apparently should never be given together. For a week after this Tango was in and out of the hospital every other day. His cortisol levels, electrolytes and liver and kidney function were all in normal range the day before we said goodbye, his stomach was just too badly damaged (which we now have been made aware from the vet that initially saw Tango in the hospital that he more than likely had a perforated ulcer) and be couldnt keep anything in his stomach. Tango should never of had to go through this, and the anger is so deep knowing that the reason we had to say goodbye to him was due to an oversight on the vets part. We have decided to try and get answers and compensation from our vet because of their error. I would be happy to just hear their story and get an explanation how they made this error, hopefully that will help us to get some closure.