Buddy

[JoanS]

My German Shepard Mix was first tested for Cushings in the Spring of
2013.After $800 in tests the vet still was not sure.At that time becuse
of the cost we decided not to have any more tests.At this time he was
drinking lots of water and going out a lot.I was living in Colorado and
taking care of my elderly mother that passed in Nov of that year.After
selling the house and moving back to Michigan I took Bubby who was
10 years old at this time and had the pot belly and had lost all the fur
on his tail and patches of fur missing on his hind legs and all around his
neck.I was taking him outside all night long.I decided to take him to a
new Vet and they took one look at him and said he was a poster dog
for Cushings Dogs.They sent for his records to look at his previous
tests results.They ended up putting him on Vetoryl.Since becuse of
the cost we started him on one every other day.That was last June
2014.I am happy to say that was in months he had all his fur back
his stomach was back to normal and he wasnt drinking gallons of
water and going all night with out having to out.He looks beautiful
and people dont believe he is almost 11 in May.He is like a youn dog
and full of life.He gets blood test regularly and his levels are right
where they should be.He is my Buddy !

[Squirt's Mom]

MODERATOR NOTE: Your post has been manually approved so that members can start responding to you. Please check your email, possibly your spam / junk folder, for a message from k9cushings. You will need to reply to that email so that your post go directly to the board and are not delayed waiting for approval. If you have already received and responded to the confirmatory email, please be patient. Your registration will be finalized shortly. Thanks and welcome!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Buddy!

I have manually approved your membership so now all your posts will be seen right away. Also, please just disregard the validation email that was sent to you from k9cushings.

I was wondering if you could tell us more about your boy? We usually ask a lot of questions to our new members but that's only to gain information about the pup so we can provide better feedback, ok? So here it goes! Does Buddy have pituitary or the adrenal form of Cushing's? Is he taking any other herbs/supplements/medications? How much does Buddy weigh? Has he had a CBC/ Chemistry blood panel done recently, and if so, could you post any abnormalities that are listed with the reference ranges and units of measurement? What test/s for Cushing's were performed and could you post those results too? We are especially interested in seeing the monitoring test results for his Cushing's. Is he still getting his Vetoryl every other day and what dose is he on?

I believe I've bombarded you with enough questions and look forward to hearing more about your sweet boy.

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

So great to hear that Buddy is doing so well and things have improved so much. We always love to hear about success too.

Welcome to the forum

[JoanS]

Since I last posted about how good my Buddy was doing , he went
Blind over night last week . Took him to the vet and then an
Optamologist . After some tests they cannot determine why . They
Put him on high doses of steroids and antibiotics which has thrown him back into drinking lots and lots of water and many trips outside .

[Squirt's Mom]

MODERATOR NOTE: I have merged your post about his sudden blindnessinto Buddy’s original thread. We normally like to keep all posts about each pup in a single thread as it makes it easier for members to refer back to the pup's history when needed. Thanks!

[Squirt's Mom]

It sounds like Buddy may have developed SARDS - Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome. Here is a link from our Helpful Resources section on SARDS -

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=213

Let us know how he is doing. I am mom to 2 totally blind babies and one who is blind in one eye. They can adjust and live a fairly normal life. A lot of the changes will be on your end - like not moving furniture and keeping food/water bowls always in the exact same spot. I talk to mine constantly so they always know where I am. Never touch him without first speaking to him so you don't startle him. You can use something like a different scent in each room or small throw rugs with different naps at the entrances to each room to help him orient. Don't get discouraged; just be patient and put yourself in his shoes. His senses of smell, touch, and hearing will become very acute, taking up much of the slack left by the loss of sight.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[JoanS]

Yes that is one of the things that was mentioned by the Doctor.He is
adjusting really well .He is a champ !

[molly muffin]

I think the eye sight is more an issue for us humans than for the dogs. They have super other senses so can adapt.

Did theynsay the retinal was detached? If so then yes, likely is sards. Great to hear he is adjusting so well though. Those steroids sure do cause a set back though.

[JoanS]

Amazing how well a dog can adapt to blindness.Its been a couple
weeks since Buddy went blind.He is really doing good except for the
steroids they put him on.Taking him out twice every night is like
having a new born baby.Good thing is that he almost off of them and
hopefully we can go back to OUR normal.

[molly muffin]

Yes the bathroom outings will hopefully decrease one the steroids are over with. So glad he continues to adapt so well.
Our normal is a good place to be
:)