Just introducing my self and my baby

[Cookie's Mom]

Hi everyone,
I am Cookie's Mom. Cookie is my little girl Shih Tzu. She will be ten years old in July 2014. Last year, Cookie began showing symptoms of what I now know is Cushing's Disease. The first sign was hair loss on her back, two big patches on either side of her spine. I took her to the vet & he told me it was most likely Cushing's. After discussing the options, I decided not to have her tested. I can't afford the testing or medications. I just thought I would let nature takes its course & make the remainder of Cookie's life as happy and comfortable as possible. She is blind in her left eye, and has a cataract in her right eye, rendering her almost completely blind. She has urinated in the house 3 times in the past 3 months. Her back legs are weak & often collapse. She refuses to go for walks.She sleeps most of the time drinks large amounts of water. I know at age 11, her time with me is a few years, at best. My question is at what point is euthanasia the best option? I don't want her to suffer, she's not ready for the rainbow bridge yet, but when do you know? Thanks you & much love.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Cookie,

I am sorry for the circumstances that brought you here but glad you found us.

Some dogs with Cushing's go years before getting a confirmed diagnosis because the symptoms of Cushing's are sometimes attributed to old age. Cushing's is usually not a painful disease but left untreated it will damage internal organs such as the heart, kidneys, liver etc.

Because of kidney disease my boy, Harley, was not able to with stand treatment and evenutally his liver and heart became too damaged. Harley was obsessed with frisbee and food, and when he became uninterested in both of them is when I knew it was his "time."

You know Cookie best and you will know when to make that difficult decision for her, your deep love for her will guide you.

We are here for you both and will help in any way we can.

Love and hugs, Lori

[goldengirl88]

I think something in your heart tells you to take on the pain and free your baby from it. I have had to do this in the past, and have taken on the pain myself in order to release my baby from it. It is one of the hardest things to do in life. Blessings
Patri

[molly muffin]

Hi Cookies and Cookie's mom. I too have a shih tzu, mine is mixed with lhasso though. She is 10 too.

I think you're heart tells you when the time comes, or they do. Obviously you don't want them to suffer, but as long as they still enjoy life and are doing okay then the time hasn't come I think.

We'll be right here, anything you want to ask, or if it's just a bad day or you need support. We're here and available.

Welcome
Sharlene and molly muffin

[Iraklis]

Hello and welcome!

You can give her curcumin/turmeric capsules (~10-20$ a month)
Omega-3 capsules (helps the eyes too, ~20-40$ month) ,Melatonin at night (~10$ month) ,chicken and spinach for food, if you can afford any of these.
No side-effects or testing needed ,just common sense, and they do help.

Diuretics help relieve her organism too.

Making her life as calm as possible and stress-free is what you want...
ex. a quiet completely dark room when she sleeps.
Maybe even music like this might help...
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dog+calm+music

[StarDeb55]

Welcome to you & Cookie.

This is the absolutely hardest decision to make. You really have to go by your instincts to determine when it's "time". Some of things you might look for are Cookie losing interest in the things that make her happy. For instance, she doesn't want to play with any toys anymore, losing interest in taking a walk. These are just some examples. One of our other members uses the phrase " dogworthy life". When you feel it might be time, you ask yourself whether Cookie still has a dogworthy life.

I can tell you from my personal experience that a pup will frequently
"tell" you when it's time. My first cushpup developed lymphoma. I did put him through chemo which gave him a great quality of life for 19 months. I worried myself to death that I would hold on to him for too long, for selfish reasons, & miss the signs that he was ready to leave. His oncologist assured me that he would probably tell me. I initially thought she was full of you know what. Toward the end of that last month, I got home from work one day, Barkley was waiting for me in his usual spot. He struggled to get up, I took one look at him, & started bawling my eyes out. It was as if he was telling me, "Please, Mom, do that last kind thing you can for me. I'm so tired of all the vet visits, pills, needles, etc. I'm ready to go." Barkley crossed the bridge that afternoon.

Please keep us posted as to how both of you are doing. We are hear to help in anyway we can, even if its just someone to listen or talk to you.

Debbie

[goldengirl88]

Thinking of you and sending you hugs. Blessings
Patti