New Here - 6 y/o Puggle - Diagnostics?

[marti]

Hello everyone, just joined. I have a 6yr. old puggle who I think is starting to display some signs of this disease. He has been drinking a lot more water than usual it seems everytime I turn around I have to fill the bowl. He is the type of dog that will never have an accident in the house, but the other night he wet the bed which is very unusual for him. He does have somewhat of a pot belly but he also is very overweight. See I do not know too much about his background because I rescued him from Fargo Mn. that makes it harder. I am watching him very carefully the past few days, if urinating in the house keeps up then I know something is wrong. I also have to find a vet who will take payment plans because I am on a fixed income & only get SSI. but when it comes to my dog I will do just about anything. Can anyone give me any more ideas on what to look for. I would really appreciate it. Thank You.:(

[Renee]

The first thing I would do is have him checked for a UTI. This is relatively easy check for, and could explain the drinking and accidents. If cost is a factor, then call around to the local vets and just ask what their rates are for an in-office visit. Most small family owned practices have reasonable prices.

Pugs are very, very prone to being overweight (and pug mixes), so I urge you to get the excess weight off him. If I may be blunt - being on a fixed income, you could be setting yourself up for some expensive vet care in the future due to his obesity. It can cause a host of problems. An inexpensive way to help him lose weight is to reduce his kibble to 1/3 cup twice a day (or a half cup at the most), and then add in canned or fresh green beans. Canned green beans are especially inexpensive and will help him feel satisfied and full.

[goldengirl88]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am glad you rescued your baby, that was a wonderful thing to do. I would be seeing if the rescue could help you out since you are limited on funds to have diagnostics done. The first thing I would be doing is measuring the amount of water you dog is drinking and journal it. Check around and see if there are any vets that are real experienced in this disease in the event your dog does have Cushings.I would be looking at diabetes, do you know if the dog has ever been tested for that? Can you call the rescue and see what they had done if anything? There are many things that have symptoms just like Cushings so that is yet to be determined. You will need to have the UTI checked, and diabetes. The diagnostics for Cushings is several tests consisting of Urine, which is the cheapest probably, LDDS, ACTH. Blood, and Ultra Sound. So no it is not cheap unfortunately. Are you able to apply for Care Credit that most vets will take? If not how about an Animal Rescue League? You need to find a good reliable vet, and explain your situation so that you can do what is affordable, that is why I thought maybe the rescue can help or suggest some where you can get help. Sometimes these rescues have Dr's that do things for them cheaper. Hope you can find a way to help this baby. Blessings
Patti

[Renee]

Patti, that is a good call on contacting the rescue. We often help people that have adopted when their dog gets sick. Not all rescues do this, though.

[marti]

I have a6yr. old puggle who is starting to show signs of this disease, drinking more water than usual & urinating more. He also pants excessively but the weird thing about it is the panting is only at nighttime, he does not get any sleep & is very lethargic during the day. Also he is a very overweight dog & his appetite has not changed I do not have any health records on him because he was adopted. This is a dog who would never have any accidents in the house but the other night he wet the bed. Another thing I am very concerned about is the vet cost I am on a fixed income of SSI & hope to find one that takes payments I live in Mn. I cannot let my baby go on suffering like this.

[labblab]

Hi there, you'll see that I've merged your new post into your original thread. I'm not sure whether you saw the earlier replies you received, so perhaps you were thinking you needed to start over again. Anyway, here we go, with all your information consolidated in this one place. :)

Marianne

[marti]

Hi, everyone I am fairly new to this board. I already lost 1 doggy to this dreadful disease now my other one is showing signs of this. I adopted a male puggle who is 7yrs. old he was fine up until about 2wks. ago. He is drinking vast amts. of water & urinating more. This is a dog who would never have an accident in the house but now has wet the bed twice. He also pants excessively then he cannot sleep which makes him very lethargic. The crazy thing about it is the panting does not start until nighttime. He is going into the vet tomorrow. I am devasted & in tears over this. I figured this board would be good for me with lots of info. I had my last doggy on lisinoprol & he just dropped over one day & that was it. I refuse to watch this one die before my eyes he is not just a dog to me he is my everything my baby. I am also going to contact the rescue org. where I got him. Thank You for listening to me. I will take any advice or info you can give me.

[labblab]

Hello again. I see you have tried to post another new introductory thread, so hopefully you will see this reply or the private message I just sent you. I have moved your new post into this same original thread, and hopefully you will see that this is the place to return to in the future.

I have also taken the liberty of adding a bit more info to your thread title so that people will know about your situation. I have only a moment to post right now, but did want to at least include this link to the website for "Care Credit." Many vets accept this program, and it is a way in which you can space out payments without necessarily having to add in any interest:

http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

I'm hoping you will soon be returning to this thread and once we know you've found it, then we can move on with some more information.

Marianne

[goldengirl88]

I am so sorry this is your second go round with Cushings. Please contact the rescue and see if they can offer you help, or at least some where they can get you discounted vet help. I know how you are feeling and I am so sorry you are going thru this. Please ask the rescue if they can help get the appropriate testing and meds for your baby. This disease is really taking over our poor babies, but you can manage it with drugs and they can live a good life. I will pray for you both to get help.
Patti

[marti]

Hi there, you'll see that I've merged your new post into your original thread. I'm not sure whether you saw the earlier replies you received, so perhaps you were thinking you needed to start over again. Anyway, here we go, with all your information consolidated in this one place. :)

Marianne

I do not understand where I go to post next time.

[molly muffin]

Hello,
So, this is your thread where you can post any time and we will respond here also.

You can bookmark this thread, but it will then always take you back to this exact page.

Try this. At the top of the forum, you'll see on the top left corner, User CP. Click on that. This will take you to your personal page of information. On your CP page, on the left side, there is a panel with options, one of which is Your Profile. Click on that and panel with tabs will open one of which is statistics. Click that tab, one of the options you'll see "Find all threads started by marti" when you click on that, it will show you this thread.

Make sure that when on this thread, that you mark under Thread Tools, Subscribe to this page, so you can be sent email notifications when a reply is made.

Alternatively, at the top of the forum you will see Canine Cushing's Information and Support Forums,
when you click on that, you can scroll down through pages and find your own thread.

I hope that helps some. Play around with it and come back here and let me know if you run into any difficulties or have any questions.

Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[labblab]

You should keep coming back here to this thread, and click on the blue "Post Reply" button on the left side at the bottom of the page. You can always get back to this thread by clicking on the link I gave you in the Private Message I sent you.

Marianne

[marti]

Ben was really sick yesterday & I thought I was going to lose him, he was so lethargic could not walk by himself. So I called the vet this morning I am going in on Wed. the earliest he could take me. Today he seems to be doing better he ate his supper & did his duty. He is really a trooper. I grabbed some blankets & pillows & slept on the floor with him last night it is cooler for him, it seems when he is on the bed he pants heavily. There was one question I wanted to ask if anyone knew. Do they ever euthanize a dog for this disease?:

[doxiesrock912]

Marti,

Cushings is very treatable if you have a vet with adequate knowledge of this disease.

Has Ben been actually tested for Cushings? First, rule out any infections because having once can interfere with accurate test results which is absolutely necessary to determine the right dose of medication to treat Cushings.

As far as financial difficulties go, there is a credit card for vet bills called Care Credit, they offer promotional offers too which help immensely. http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

[marti]

My doggy had a very bad day today. He would not eat or even take a treat. He was vomiting & very weak. I go to the vet in the morning. I do not know what to expect & I am very devastated by all this. By the way his name is Ben. I will let everyone know tomorrow what happens.

[doxiesrock912]

Please don't wait until morning. Take him to an emergency vet now.

[labblab]

I hope you'll soon be on your way to the vet, too! The lack of appetite, vomiting, and extreme lethargy sound like something other than Cushing's -- perhaps even the opposite condition where cortisol and/or aldosterone has dropped too low (Addison's Disease). But we are very worried about Ben, too, and I agree that he needs to be seen as quickly as possible today. Please let us know what you find out, OK?

Just for information, here's a link about Addison's:

http://www.addisondogs.com/addisons/

Marianne

[molly muffin]

I think this sounds very serious and not cushings. I hope that your vet can find out what is wrong and give something to help Ben.

Let us know, we're worried too
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Squirt's Mom]

Please let us know what you learn. Sending prayers and hope!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang