Rusty is suffering

[bookworm1150]

Hi I and my partner are both on a fixed income; we have to save up for a diagnostic visit to the vet, (and were treated badly the last time we went). I sadly think that we cannot afford the vet treatment for Cushings. Rusty is a rescued Golden Retriever. We adopted him in 2008 when they told me he was 2 yrs old. He is VERY shy and afraid of everything (other dogs, cats, birds, people he doesn't know, loud noises, etc.) I had to get him used to playing fetch with me; he thought I was throwing the ball AT him. He was extremely abused at his previous home. When we brought him home, we couldn't even tell that he was a Golden. He was skinny, had very little hair, and was very timid. He quickly attached himself to me, gained weight and started growing a beautiful red coat. At that time, the only symptom that I noticed was very bad dandruff, I mean, really bad. With bathing and grooming, he seemed to do well; didn't overly scratch, etc. He did continue to gain weight, however. He wouldn't go outside with anyone but me, and so waited all day for me to get home before he would go out. He even followed me to the toilet. We did find out that he was sneaking our other dogs' food and also the cats. My elderly mother, suffering from the first signs of dementia, was feeding him her lunch every day ( also sneakily). I started having extreme problems at work that I won't go into, but, after a couple years with Mom (sister took her to her house out of state), and other excrutiating problems, I had to leave work. I am now disabled. We lost our house in 2012 and were homeless for several months. There was a lot of stress to put it mildly. I received permission from my doctor to have my 2 cats and 2 dogs as part of my stress was my concern for them. During this time my devoted, sweet, Rusty continued to gain weight. We had to depend on others to get food for the animals, or just buy what we could afford. (we used Science Diet before). about 2013 Rusty's jaw appeared swollen and he seemed to whine softly at night. We saved up for a vet visit and found that he had an infection in his parotid gland, and gave antibiotics. We were also told that he was very overweight and he needed to lose weight. No kidding. Rusty is pretty sedentary, because he will not, still, go anywhere without me for more than about 5 minutes, and I am 60 now and kind of agoraphobic. Anyway, about 6 months later, he started "moaning" at night. Another vet visit was done as soon as we could afford it. The vet was very rude and even rough with Rusty, and said that his bones and joints were under a lot of strain because of his weight, gave us some anti inflammatories, and even yelled at us to "just feed him what's on the bag." I wasn't even sure what he was talking about until we got home. At that time, after getting my settlement, we were back on the science diet, and actually would have had enough money to at least do some diagnostic tests over the next few months. We were referred to a dermatologist for testing for his dandruff (by another vet). The initial visit was too expensive. We have 3 other animals, and 2 sons with problems besides our own disabilities. One of them is now pregnant (his girlfriend😆), and self employed with a brand new business. They both live with us at 34 and 28. But, I digress. So we have given him oatmeal baths, science diet when can afford it, and I brush him all the time. The amout of food "on the bag" is almost twice as much as we have been feeding him, but since he is so inactive...He weighs about 120 lbs., he drinks water like crazy, eats the other dogs' food about every 3 days, (not as bad as it was-he was getting food from the trash for awhile and conning miscellaneous people out of snacks). He has also started panting heavily (mostly at night) and groans a lot. His fur doesnt seem to be thin, (but doesn't grow back after summer trimming as fast); his dandruff is horrible. He is about 9 yrs. old now. He loves the snow and goes out several times a day to pee (a lot) and roll in the snow. He likes summer because of the air conditionng. This is too long, I know. We live downstairs, and I have to go behind him on the stairs to reassure him, but it's hard for him after 3 - 4 times a day. He will always eat as much and whatever you feed him, and will sneak the other dog's food if we don't remember to put it up. He is still afraid of everything (probably worse than he was), and extremely attached to me. I would have considered giving him up to someone who could afford to give him the medical care, but he has been so attached to me ( and I to him), that I think that would be cruel. I had to be separated from him for 5 weeks about 3 years ago and was told that, after not eating at all for 3 or 4 days, he was listless, didn't want to go outside (this was Oregon) and had very little interaction with anyone, for the entire 5 weeks. I don't know what to do...the veterinarian treatments are all to expensive for us (surgery, or medications for life with accompanying testing). I'm checking on grain free, high probiotic, high Omegas, limited ingredient food that doesn't cost twice as much as even Science Diet; and am checking on raw food diet. I was hoping the Cushex-S drops might help, at least not hurt. I can't stand to see him suffer. He's next to me, asleep right now, the only time he seems to be at peace. He's my baby boy and he's not old enough yet to lose him. Somebody please help.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Rusty!

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.


Your post just broke my heart reading it, and I am so sorry that you and your family have been through so much turmoil. Bless you for giving Rusty such a loving forever home and it is obvious from your post that he means the world to you, as you do to him.

Unfortunately there are no homeopathic/nonprescription remedies available, that I know of, to treat Cushing's disease. The homeopathic medicines may aid in lessening the symptoms of Cushing's but do nothing for the root cause of Cushing's which is the elevated cortisol that the dog's system is producing. We surely do understand and sympathize with you regarding the cost. The initial cost expense is during the diagnostic phase and when a dog becomes stabilized on treatment the cost does go down considerably. However those ACTH stimulation tests, which are needed to monitor a dog on treatment, are expensive.

I'm including a response from one of our Administrators to a member that was contemplating treatment for her elder dog:
Dear Lisa,

Welcome to you and Pepper, and WOW you've done a great job of keeping your girl healthy and happy up to age 17! First off, even though folks here do give various supplements to support healthy body functioning, there are no nonprescription drugs that will address the root cause of Cushing's and lower cortisol sufficiently to control the disease. So it really will take treatment with either trilostane (or Lysodren, the other Rx option) to control the Cushing's, assuming it truly is the cause of her symptoms. Having said that, at age 17, you may want to consider pluses-and-minuses of Cushing's treatment before rushing in to treat Pepper.

Cushing's is typically a slowly progressive disease but it does have the potential to cause systemic damage over time (from high blood pressure, vulnerability to pancreatitis and infections, high cholesterol, kidney damage, liver inflammation, etc.). So for a younger dog, I'd certainly recommend effective treatment so as to eliminate some of these risks, improve longterm quality of life, and allow the dog to live out his/her normal lifespan. However, for a dog of Pepper's age, immediate quality of life issues seem of paramount importance to me. And there are some trade-offs to treatment, especially for an arthritic dog since the arthritis may actually worsen as the cortisol level drops, necessitating the introduction of additional drugs to better manage the discomfort. Also, especially at the beginning, there can be numerous vet visits and blood draws which can be less than pleasant for a dog who's nervous at the vet (and also hard on the owner's pocketbook :o).

I don't tell you any of this to dissuade you from treating if you and your vet agree this is the best path forward for Pepper. But I do think you are the best judge as to how uncomfortable her current symptoms are to you both, and if they are not bothering Pepper all that much -- as I say, you may want to hold off on treating for the time being.

First things first, though -- as Lori says, it'll be great if we can take a look at those test results.

Marianne

Dogs with Cushing's usually have a ravenous appetite, and I know how hard it is to hear them whine for food when you know that they have already eaten their fill for the day. Some of our members give their dog frozen green beans and/or carrots to help with that insatiable appetite.

If you're looking for a good quality dog food that is pretty reasonable, Blue Buffalo could be an option, a 30 lb bag of their Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food is 51.79, where Science Diet's 17.6 lb bag is 54.99.

Two of our members, Patti and Leslie, in honor of the memory of their pups have started The Tipper and Squirt Care for Cushing's Fund, Inc. Their post:
It is with great pride, and not a few tears, that Patti and I announce the Tipper and Squirt Care for Cushing’s Fund, Inc. Even though we have had a semi-public presence since Nov. ’14, we wanted our first official announcement to be to you, our family at K9Cushing’s.

Since late Oct. 2014, Patti and I have been watering the seed of a dream – a dream to aid families struggling to meet their cush baby’s needs. We both know first-hand how desperate that struggle can be at times, what it means to choose between eating meat this month or paying for our baby’s meds, between our own medications or an ACTH. And we wanted to help where and when we could.

To this end, we have established the Tipper and Squirt Care for Cushing’s Fund, Inc. We were incorporated in the state of Ohio, USA in Dec., 2014 and received notification of our 501(c)(3) tax exempt status from the IRS March 6, 2015, with the effective date of Jan. 1, 2015.

Another cush mom, Vicki (beaglemom3), is using her incredible talents on our behalf and has developed our beautiful website which is nearing completion. When it is launched we will be ready to start taking applications – and again you will be the first to know and the first to see our dream in full bloom.

If you are on Facebook, come “like” our page and learn more!
https://www.facebook.com/tipperandsquirtcare

And a link to it on the forum: http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7036&page=3

One of the ways that helped me with the expense was applying for Care Credit. It's a revolving credit line that allows you to pay large bills same as cash for a year. This information and other financial resources can be found here: http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212

Please know we are here to help in any way we can, and do not hesitate to ask all the questions you want.

Hugs, Lori

[bookworm1150]

Thank you, Lori, I will check on the website and my partner is getting some "Taste of the Wild" food for him today (about 50.00 for 30 lbs.). Whenever he starts panting heavily during the day, I take him out and let him hang out in the snow. He does seem happy then. If he doesn't like the food I'll try Blue Buffalo or raw food. I'm sure he will like it-there's not much he turns down. Do his symptoms sound like it could be something else? Do other cush dogs gain weight? Could he just be too fat? I gained about 25 lbs. myself during our most stressful time. I appreciate your time and kindness. Lisa

[Renee]

Hi Lisa,

Rusty sounds like such a special dog.

A good way to help Rusty feel satisfied is to give him canned / frozen / fresh green beans. It's an excellent filler and it won't increase his calories too much. He can have as much as you want to give him. When I have an overweight dog I am fostering, we always go on the 'green bean diet', haha!

I personally believe Taste of the Wild to be an above average food, and definitely better than Science Diet. I sure hope that with a switch, you can see some improvement in his coat. You may also try adding a little fish oil or coconut oil to his food to help. Just don't add too much, or it may upset his digestive system.

I personally would discourage you from feeding a raw diet. I know a lot of people are huge proponents of raw, and I myself think it has a very important place in dog nutrition, but I find that most of the time it can be upsetting, rather than helpful, when being introduced to an older dog. My dogs absolutely cannot tolerate raw food (they are all 12-13 yrs old), but they used to be able to tolerate it just fine. Home made raw is riddled with risks, and I would outright discourage that! If you must go with raw, make sure to go with a properly formulated commercial product.

As for helping with the expenses, you might check with your local rescue organizations or non-profits. A few organizations in my area are set up to offer limited assistance with vet care. It's possible someone in your area may do the same.

[molly muffin]

I think one of the first things I would try to get if it is at all feasible is a regular blood test, senior profile one, to see what is off in him. It could also be thyroid, which is a lot easier to treat.

Welcome to the forum. Call around and check vet prices, they aren't all created equal and some charge more than others. Also check with the the local shelters and see if they have any programs or vets that give discounts.

Those are my first thoughts. I love goldens. They are just wonderful companions and yes, very loyal to "their" person(s).

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Lisa,

Some common signs of Cushing's are; excessive drinking/urinating, ravenous appetite, skin/hair issues, exercise intolerance, and difficulty or unable to go up steps or jump on furniture. Rusty does have most of these symptoms but physical symptoms, blood and urine abnormalities associated with Cushing's are shared by other diseases, such as a thyroid issue and/or diabetes.

Dogs with Cushing's do usually pant more and may have a pendulous abdomen due to a few things: the increased fat deposition over the thorax, an enlarged liver (which is common in a cushdog) that puts pressure on the diaphragm, and with the fat distribution to the abdomen along with the muscle loss in the abdominal area these are factors that can cause a dog with Cushing's to pant more and have a pot-bellied appearance. With Rusty being overweight he probably has some extra fat around his thorax which is making him pant more, he'll just have to eat more green beans and get more active ;):) I should follow my own advice, it seems that I have gained a lot of weight after I turned 50, I'm 54 now and am still carrying that extra weight around :o

Dogs with Cushing's generally are not in pain because they have extremely high levels of cortisol in their blood and since cortisol is our body's natural anti-inflammatory, cushdogs are self medicating themselves. Also Cushing's is a very slow progressing disease and it takes a long time before that excessive cortisol will cause harm.

As Sharlene mentioned, I would recommend having a CBC/chemistry blood panel done to see if any thing abnormal pops up.

If you are changing Rusty's dog food to another brand you may want to do that slowly, sometimes dogs can get diarrhea when they are abruptly switched to a new food. The Taste of the Wild dog food sounds like a good feed, just looked it up on the dogadvisor.com website and it scores 4.5 starts out of 5 ;) I also took notice that it is on sale on chewycom - 44.89 for 30 lbs...here's their link: http://www.chewy.com/s/taste-of-the-wild,dog

Hugs, Lori