Lhassa Poddle Mix

[decker]

Hi,
I am new to this group. My dog Riley was diagnosed with Cushings Disease in April 2015. He has been maintained on Trilostane since that time. Then on April 2016 he was diagnosed with lymphoma. The nodes in his neck are enlarged and he receives oral Cytoxan every 3 weeks which has kept things at bay. We are not looking for a cure. He is 15.5 years old. Also, 4 weeks ago we found a lump in the groin of his rear right leg and it was found to be a mast cell tumor which was removed. His quality of life is not too poor. He still has energy and wants to go on his walks which are short due to arthritis.
However, last night at 3am he had a grand mal seizure that lasted over 30 sec. Took him to the emergency vet and decided to bring him home and observed until he can see our vet today. About an hour after the seizure he was more like himself again.
One big issue I have with him for the last 6 months or longer is that he does not sleep thru the night. He is awake every 2-3 hours up and mostly wanting something to eat. The Cushings causes his hungar which is never satisfied no matter what we have done. He gets 1/2 Tramadol at bedtime along with a 25mg Benadryl and it really does not help his sleep. Just wondering if anyone else has this issue and if you have found anything that works. We are getting exhausted.
Taking him to our vet today and not sure what the outcome will be. I thought about putting him down after the seizure but like I said after about an hour post seizure he improved. Just worry he may have another which is so hard to witness. Any input is appreciated.

[DoxieMama]

Welcome to you and Riley, though I am so sorry for what brought you to us. My first dog was diagnosed with lymphoma, and my current dog has Cushing's, but not both in the same dog! I can only imagine how difficult all of this has been. Unfortunately, I do not have the knowledge about each of these conditions to provide useful insight. Hopefully someone else will be along soon who does.

Shana

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and Riley from me as well!

I am sorry your boy is going through so much, Cushing's is taxing in itself and then to have lymphoma along with seizures, OMGoodness you do have a very full plate. :(

Melatonin might be something to ask your vet about, my Harley was taking 3 mg of melatonin twice a day and it really had a calming effect on him, he could finally sleep through thunderstorms instead of being so very panicky.

Hugs, Lori

[lulusmom]

Hi and welcome to you and Riley.

I am so sorry that you are dealing with cancer, cushing's and seizures. Cushing's is frustrating enough but at this point, it's definitely warranted a back seat. Prednisone, which is the synthetic version of cortisol, is usually a part of the treatment regimen for Lymphoma so can I assume that the oncologist has instructed you to discontinue dosing with Vetoryl so as to let Riley's cortisol rise? For me that would answer the question as to why Riley is so restless and so hungry at night. If you are still giving him Vetoryl, when is the last time you had an acth stimulation test done and can you please post those results?

With respect to the seizures, they are actually not that common in cushing's but they are definitely commonly associated with Lymphoma. Has your vet given you his opinion as to whether he feels it's the Lymphoma that has brought on the seizure? My first cushdog had infrequent petit mal seizures and I've had rescue dogs who have had grand mal seizures. Both are terrible to watch but the latter is really brutal so my heart goes out to you.

It does sound as though you are at a quality of life crossroads. I have no idea what your pup's prognosis is but Riley can achieve remission and it's always possible that he may not have another seizure for quite a while. Not treating the cushing's and letting the cortisol rise could help combat Lymphoma and it's anti-inflammatory properties could help the seizures and most certainly alleviate any aches and pains from arthritis, thereby improving quality of life. I just thought I'd throw that out there even though circumstance may be a lot different than I think. It would help us greatly if you could share more information on what the oncologist has told you about Riley's prognosis.

Again, I am so sorry that you and your boy are confronted with such an overwhelming challenge. We're here to help you in any way we can and the more information you can provide, the more meaningful feedback we can provide. No matter what, we're great hand holders and we have great big compassionate shoulders for you to cry on.

Glynda

[kanga]

Welcome to you and Riley

So sorry to hear that you are so frustrated about what happen to Riley's health. I can't imagine how strong he is to fight with all disease.

I hope he will be cure soon I pray for him that's the only thing I can do for now, and I will keep on searching for the answer for your problem to give you a best advice and to help you. Just be strong god is good i know he will be okay soon.

[decker]

Thanks for all your messages of support for Riley. I am happy to say that we saw the vet yesterday and we will stay the course for now. Riley had seizures as a younger dog and after 4 yrs on Phenobarb was able to wean him from it successfully and no seizures until the one 2 mornings ago. So, the vet thinks for some reason that activity has resurfaced, possibly. So if another one happens I have oral Valium to give him so he doesn't have a third one and then of course contact the vet and he may have to go back on Phenobarb. So, it all depends if he has another and how often they occur.
I have been giving him Melatonin at bedtime, 10mg along with 25mg of Tramadol and 25mg of Benadryl. Some nights he might sleep a 4-5 hours stretch and other nights up every 2 hours. The drugs don't seem to influence on way or the other. I so wish I could find something that would work and consistently.