joeyisboss
12-29-2015, 07:52 PM
Hello. I am currently fostering a 10.5 lb dog named Joey. I believe he is a mix of chihuahua, beagle and pug. I estimate his age at 12-14 years. This is all a guess, of course.
Joey has been with me for about 8 months. He is fixed but he marks. He is mostly mellow but will have sudden episodes of aggression, usually directed at another dog, mostly my large male goldendoodle. He sometimes bites but he has very few teeth so the large dog usually doesn't notice. We call these episodes his "get off my lawn" moments.
Recently I have started noticing that he is drinking more water, going to the water bowl as much as 2 or 3 times an hour and often emptying the small dog water bowl. He also has started begging for a 3rd meal before bedtime, on top of the 2 meals he typically eats per day. He does have a pot belly and he does show weakness in his rear legs, often having difficulty jumping on the furniture. When we go for walks he rides in the dog stroller with my hospice dog (right left pda heart defect, yes, I am a magnet for dogs with rare medical conditions). He loves to go for a stroll.
When I found several large (bigger than my thumb) bald spots on his back I took him to the vet. The vet found that his last blood work, done last February when he had 19 teeth removed, showed slightly elevated cortisol. We did another full panel of blood work which came back totally normal, including the cortisol! The vet believes that this plus his symptoms points to atypical Cushings. The diagnostic test for this will cost $500. That is with the rescue discount; I live in a very high cost of living area.
As an alternative to the test, the vet would like me to start Joey on 40-100 mg of flax seed hull lignans and 3 mg of melatonin per day. Then observe for 6 weeks and see if symptoms improve.
I am meeting with the members of the rescue this weekend who make decisions about medical expenses to discuss how to proceed. Can anybody share advice/experience/recommendations with the diagnostic tests and advise whether it is best to do the tests immediately or try the supplements?
Either way, Joey's status will be changed to "medical needs" and he will stay with me. Which he probably would have anyway as dogs that mark and bite are not generally considered desirable by potential adopters.
Joey has been with me for about 8 months. He is fixed but he marks. He is mostly mellow but will have sudden episodes of aggression, usually directed at another dog, mostly my large male goldendoodle. He sometimes bites but he has very few teeth so the large dog usually doesn't notice. We call these episodes his "get off my lawn" moments.
Recently I have started noticing that he is drinking more water, going to the water bowl as much as 2 or 3 times an hour and often emptying the small dog water bowl. He also has started begging for a 3rd meal before bedtime, on top of the 2 meals he typically eats per day. He does have a pot belly and he does show weakness in his rear legs, often having difficulty jumping on the furniture. When we go for walks he rides in the dog stroller with my hospice dog (right left pda heart defect, yes, I am a magnet for dogs with rare medical conditions). He loves to go for a stroll.
When I found several large (bigger than my thumb) bald spots on his back I took him to the vet. The vet found that his last blood work, done last February when he had 19 teeth removed, showed slightly elevated cortisol. We did another full panel of blood work which came back totally normal, including the cortisol! The vet believes that this plus his symptoms points to atypical Cushings. The diagnostic test for this will cost $500. That is with the rescue discount; I live in a very high cost of living area.
As an alternative to the test, the vet would like me to start Joey on 40-100 mg of flax seed hull lignans and 3 mg of melatonin per day. Then observe for 6 weeks and see if symptoms improve.
I am meeting with the members of the rescue this weekend who make decisions about medical expenses to discuss how to proceed. Can anybody share advice/experience/recommendations with the diagnostic tests and advise whether it is best to do the tests immediately or try the supplements?
Either way, Joey's status will be changed to "medical needs" and he will stay with me. Which he probably would have anyway as dogs that mark and bite are not generally considered desirable by potential adopters.