An Old Girls Plight

[Gigi's Gma]

Hello everyone! I am Lynda-Gigi's Gma. Gigi is my daughter's (living with me) dog, a Shitzu Poodle mix now weighing 22 lbs(should be 17). There were few records provided at adoption. Some dispute as to her age, our vets guess is she is now 15ish. She started having seizures 6 years ago right after we got her. Diagnosed as Epilepsy. She started having seizures and odd eating habits eating anything should could get to, often not food items.

But sadly she was just diagnosed a year ago with Cushings. Vet felt her age, and the epilepsy issues made her a poor candidate for the drugs available. So we've been trying to deal with her symptoms with out medicating her. She's happy when she sees her Mom or her buddy. Other than that she sleeps, eats ravenously, plays infrequently, and let's my hubs and I know if she needs out(more and more accidents.) She also has the calcifications coming through her skin, hair loss and thinning, and stiff back legs with turned out feet.

We came through a diarrhea event this weekend that scared us. Her stools were mostly soft, but it was constant and she had little control. We were frantic, vet advised to give Imodium and feed rice and rice milk, until Monday, when we were to bring her in if it hadn't stopped. She was lethargic and not seeking food beyond the rice!! It finally stopped after 3 days. Sunday she was excited asking for her reg food and playing!?

The food seeking returned with a vengeance! She ate several jelly beans, and yesterday she ate tea lite candles and Yankee candle floating candles. Her stools were white this morning! Took a bit to correlate with eating all that wax.

Here's my concern. When do we let her go? How do we know she's had enough? This weekend scared us and taught us we need to have a plan. Help? Thoughts?

[doxiesrock912]

Focus on her quality of life and signs from her. She's still getting excited is a good indication that she's happy. If in doubt and you test your vet, ask for their honest opinion.

[Squirt's Mom]

I had a Pit mix who had Pica. Pica is a disorder that causes a craving for non-food items. I know that dogs and humans can get this, but not sure about other species. Crys, my baby, would eat anything but glass or solid metal pieces. BUT she had no problem with rocks, dirt, bushes, couches, carpet, shoes, CDs, DVDs, jewelry, toothpicks, beads, glue, and on and on and on. She would leave a bowl full of home cooked human food to go eat an Azalea bush. I finally had to muzzle her for her own good. She ate the first 2-3 off her face! They were cloth then plastic and she ate them right off while wearing them! I ended up having to have a metal cage that went around her muzzle with thick leather straps she couldn't get to in order to eat. She looked like Hannibal Lector which is not good for a Pitty! :( It was impossible to remove everything from her environment without keeping her in a sterile crate (no blanket, toys, etc) so I had to make it impossible for her to eat the things in her environment via the Hannibal muzzle.

There is a treatment that uses melatonin and lignans but melatonin should not be used in dogs that already have seizures so I wouldn't want to see you try that. You can try feeding her things like green beans or carrots, fresh with no seasonings at all. Or fruits like bananas, apples, pears, oranges, etc. to see if those things will help her feel fuller. Tho with cortisol running thru her system, she is going to feel like she is starving 24/7 no matter how much she eats - just the nature of the beast unfortunately.

I know the peeing can get to be a big issue but do not restrict or withhold water. Cush babies do not pee so much because they drink so much - it is the opposite. They are GOING to pee regardless so they drink a lot simply to stay hydrated. ;)

Love your baby and find ways to enjoy her presence as long as you both can. We will be here to help in any way we can.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[My sweet Ginger]

Hi and welcome.
Since she was diagnosed I'd seriously look into treating her with Vetoryl, one of the two drugs treating Cushings which you will start low and slow. You will get thorough advice from our members with years of hands on experience once you decide to start on Vetoryl.
To me she sounds like she will most likely get benefited from being treated versus not treated as many of her clinical symptoms could be from Cushings.
This is only my opinion but I think her quality of life will be much better than now once treatment gets on the way. You can give it a try and stop it anytime if it doesn't seem to work.
Initially it won't be cheap during diagnostic period but once she's regulated the cost will get dramatically lower.
I hope you give it a serious thought and come to the best decision for Gigi and you and your daughter.
Please, come back and let us know. Thank you. Song.

[Gigi's Gma]

Thank you all for the replies and support. My daughter clings to every sign of life and tries to not see signs of pain and suffering. Gigi and I are the old gals in the house, so we bond over hip meds, stiffness and waddling a bit more than we used to. Lol. She's a good ole gal. I hate the Cushings. Because it's a pain for us, but mostly because seeing an animal hurting, especially in old age, stinks.

Will Vetoryl increase epileptic seizures?

Thanks for your caring and support,
Gigi's Gma

[molly muffin]

Is the diarrhea cleared up now? Often that is caused by a gastric bacteria and if it doesn't clear up,could need an antibiotic for that.

I'm not sure if there would be any interaction with vetroyl and the meds for epilepsy. I would call dechra the manufacturer of vetroyl and ask them. Their toll free number is 866-933-2472.

If there isn't then it might be worth a shot to try a very low dose.