Very Worried with symptoms

[Worriedgator]

Ok so I'm freaking out a bit as my dog just started showing symptoms and I'm alone snowed in my house very anxious. I started noticing him acting strange a week ago just laying down alot especially when I would come home from work. That was odd. He is now drinking alot of water, sleeping, laying down, walking around and urinating frequently. He is also panting at random times and has a little belly on him. I probably cant get to the vet very soon so is he going to be ok for a few days? He is still eating pooping walking around. Just seems lethargic. Os there anything I can do now? Is he in pain? I'm having panic attacks wondering what to do and hoping he doesnt randomly die. Please ease my pain!

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and welcome to you and your precious boy!

Cushing is a slow progressive disease and takes a long time to do systemic damage so one does have time to get a confirmed diagnosis. Could you tell us how old your sweet boy is? Does he have any other health issues? Is he taking any herbs/supplements/medications?

Sorry this so short but please know we will help in any way we can so do ask all the questions you want.

Hugs, Lori

[Joan2517]

No need to rush...my big boy had symptoms for two years before he was diagnosed and my little Lena probably had it for about five before diagnosis.

When you do get to the vet, have them do bloodwork and post the results here: highs and lows, with the reference ranges please.

Welcome to the forum!

[labblab]

Hello from me, too! Gosh, I'm so sorry your dog is having problems now in the middle of a storm :-(((((. It always seems like my own dogs have their big crises during the weekends or the middle of the night when their own vet is unavailable. But I get it that this is even tons scarier for you if you're snowed in -- I'm so sorry for that! If, in fact, your dog does have Cushing's, I totally agree with Lori and Joan that you should have plenty of time to sort this out in the coming days. However, there are other ilnesses that can cause excessive thirst/urination and lethargy or discomfort, and some of them can be more serious in a shorter timeframe. One less serious thing could be a urinary tract infection. But a more urgent possibility could be something like diabetes. For this reason, I encourage you to call your vet and at least have a phone conversation about what's going on. Without being able to directly examine and test your dog, I realize your vet will be limited as far as making a definite diagnosis. But he/she may still be able to ask questions that can either set your mind at ease or make it clearer that your dog should be evaluated just as soon as you can safely travel again.

Going back to Cushing's, has it been discussed as a possibility by your vet in the past or have you been reading about it yourself? How old is your dog, and can you tell us more about his overall health history? Any additional info you'd care to share will be a help as we try to sort things out alongside you. Once again, I'm so sorry for your worry in the midst of a storm. Hopefully your boy won't be getting any worse and you'll indeed have time to get him looked over by your vet after the weather settles down. Please do keep us updated, though.

Marianne

[Worriedgator]

Our dog is about 12 or so. He has had no other health problems at all. Maybe an ear infection but that's it. No vets prior have said anything. He was pretty much normal about 2 or 3 weeks ago then I noticed the water urination and laziness sadness. He is still eatting and vet appointment tomorrow at 1:30

[Worriedgator]

Just got back from the vet and they said all of his lymph nodes are super swollen. They did a blood test and everything looked good and within range. We are trying 1 week of antibiotics to rule out an infection but the diagnosis so far is lymphoma so cancer �� This is a very sad diagnosis and we hope the antibiotics will fix but not looking too good.

[Joan2517]

Let's hope it is just an infection...

[labblab]

Thank you so much for the update, and just like Joan, I’ll surely be hoping it’s just an infection. If it is lymphoma, though, one of our members here participated in a lymphoma support forum some years ago that was a great help to her. I’ll try to look back to see if I can find the contact information for that group, just in case. But in the meantime, please let us know how things go for you during this next week, OK?

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

Mornin' Gator,

We've been snowed in at my house too but thankfully never lost power - no water for days and currently no potable water in my town but thankfully we always had power in my surrounding area. So I can empathize with how you were feeling when your baby started getting sick so suddenly.

First, how is your baby doing? Have they started him on any treatment yet?
And how are YOU doing?

I found a link that may be the one Marianne was talking about. It's a Facebook group but it's not very active any more for some reason. This group is for dogs who are either currently undergoing chemo or who are in remission after chemo treatment. That group can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LymphomaHeartDogs/


Here is another group that is more active and open to all dogs with Lymphoma:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/fightingcaninelymphoma


And some websites recommended by the second group:

https://caninelymphoma.com/

https://dogcancertribe.com/
(this link appears to be an email community that you can join and doesn't appear to be associated with Facebook)


If you aren't on Facebook already it's easy to join and you can use it ONLY to participate in groups like the ones above. There are no rules saying you have to interact with anyone or anything. ;)

Just because it turned out your baby doesn't have Cushing's that doesn't mean you can't stick around. We want to know how things are going with you and your precious baby boy so feel free to talk to us anytime you wish. Our focus is Cushing's but our hearts are with the dogs and their parents who come to us regardless of what they are facing. We do care, about you both. So let us hear from you when you can, ok?

Hugs,
Leslie