Mixies Mom

[tertyten]

ok new to this and not sure if I am doing it right. My dog Mixie is in trouble vet thinks she has cushings, she has most of the symtoms but wants to do more test, after spending over 4 hundred for tests already now wants about 4 hundred more, plus my other dog Spencer has a growth on his eye and vet will remove for over 8 hundred dollars. I am not made out of money and hubby does not want to spend any more on the dogs, plus mixie has an enlarged heart. not sure if meds to cushings is going to make that worse, or not. hubby sayes we will just make her comfortable and let her life out the rest of her life with no more meds. I am so torn. Love my dogs, but they are getting so expensive. I have strep throat and did not go to the dr. due to money already paid out for them. when is enough, enough?:confused:

[labblab]

Welcome to you and Mixie! I have only a moment to post right now, but I wanted to let you know that I have moved your new thread here, to our main discussion forum. This way, I think you will be "seen" more easily by the greatest number of people. ;)

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi and welcome to you and Mixie! :)

Cute name!

First, I know you don't feel well and that tends to make things seem worse somehow but you can relax a bit now 'cause you and Mixie are in good hands. We will help you in any way we can and support you no matter what you decide.

Cushing's is a slowly progressing condition so there is usually no rush to treat. Once the disease has been confirmed, costs typically go down once treatment begins. Vetoryl (Trilostane) can be a bit more expensive to use as it may need to be tweaked more often than Lysodren, and with each dose change the testing schedule has to start all over again. Many vets these days prefer Vetoryl. But we are not there yet. ;)

If you would get copies of all the tests done so far and post the actual results here that would help us a great deal in helping you. On the lab work that shows things like BUN, CHOL, ALP, ect. we only need to see those that are too high or too low. Please include the little letters that follow the numbers along with the normal range for each value. It will look something like this -

(EXAMPLE)
BUN - 45 ug/dl 10- 35

On tests called an ACTH or LDDST we will need to see all the numbers given.

The more you can tell us about your sweet girl the more meaningful feedback we can offer. Don't worry about writing a book - we LOVE details! To get you started here are a few questions -

How old is Mixie?
How much does she weigh?
What breed is she (if known)?
Is she on any meds, herbs, supplements, ect?
Is she spayed?
Have hypothyroidism and diabetes been ruled out?
What caused the vet to test for Cushing's in the first place?
Does she have any other health issues that you know of besides the enlarged heart?

Nosy old broad, huh? ;):D

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

There comes a time for all of us when we have to say, "No more". No matter how much we love our baby, circumstances dictate what we can, and should, do. Whether it is due to financial restraints, the age of the pup, our own health restrictions, etc. - we have to make those hard decisions at some point. The really sucky part is that no one can tell us what is right for us and our baby - that is a burden we each carry alone. However, we are here to listen, to share our own stories, to give you support and knowledge to the best of our ability. We will stand by you no matter what you decide about further testing or treatment. See, you an Mixie are family now...you will never be alone. All you need to do is holler and someone will be along soon.

I'm glad you found us and hope you get to feeling better soon. Rest and don't worry about this right now. We will be here and Cushing's can wait. Take care of you for now.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[molly muffin]

No one can say it better than Leslie.

If you can get the test results that she mentioned for us to take a look at, then we'll try to help you determine what is going on.

As Leslie said, only you know for sure how Mixie is, but cushing can be managed.

Sharlene and molly muffin