Penny is soon ready to go to heaven with my mom

[gyrochris]

Penny is my 14-year-old long-haired dachshund That I love more everyday , But this is where I must show her how much I truly do love her by letting her go . This evening Penny and I had to talk about When you take care of kids or dogs as long as I have No kids just dogs She is my last one And I wonder how I will deal with the emptiness in my life . ? It's really hard to imagine Not caring for my best friend anymore I'm actually putting myself first , It's unreal ! I could go on and on About all the loss I have suffered In the last so many years , But this is all about my dog And this horrible disease known as Cushings This is the first time I've had to deal with this.

Well I poured my whole heart out and I made a real long post and it got lost but luckily I came back and the auto save at least got my headline and it got the first paragraph but I lost everything else That really hinders my ability to wanted to this stuff..... I look at it as therapy I can talk to myself and my dog So when I put that much down on paper and it's just disappears and blink of an eye You just want to smash everything How long my lesson I'll copy and paste it from somewhere else See how terrible the spelling is on this thing How long my lesson I said I learned my lesson I'll copy and paste it from somewhere else This thing frustrates me too Like he can't understand what I'm saying and I speak perfectly clear

[gyrochris]

It's a shame because it was a good story too and This links up with a lot of things in my life and I'm probably never put it back on paper again But I do have a lot of interesting health stories to tell you about veterinarians and all my other dogs I hope you've had better luck than I did

[gyrochris]

Okay I figured it out I don't have permission to it to attack for attachments Okay I have a couple blood test results And I was hoping to put pictures of my dogs up Can I get permission Thank you

https://www.rotaryforum.com/ I spent a whole lot of time on this website And you know after a while You kind of forget what kind of people are out there and they got to watch what they do I understand especially nowadays you got box you got trolls I don't know why they would waste their time here or up my website They have nothing better to do Anyway if you go to the rotary forum My name was CLS447 And you can see what I spent a good portion of my life doing I flew my Java captured for almost 30 years chiropractors gyrocopters I'm not going to correct that I flew my drywall copter for 30 years Still can't get it right Anywhere I've since sold them And there's a big hole in my heart but I think God told me to do it And I think God is leading me in the right direction I hope you can leave this world to the right direction too But like my dog I don't want to stay here too much longer I keep telling her tell my mom I'm coming I said my mom Not my mom Mom That's Grandma Tell my mom I'm coming Elizabeth I'm coming to see you. (Political comments removed)

[gyrochris]

I am very sorry about your dog Petri My dog Penny I believe The Christians came on slowly for a long time I discussed that with the man who did the ultrasound The adrenals are enlarged and her liver is enlarged And he said he wouldn't bother doing the testing he would just treat her That sounded good But I'm just a little skeptical So I tried to harmony gold to put she hates when I squirted in her mouth I'm certainly not going to make her eat green beans either she can eat whatever she wants That's where it is You know if she's not happy with what she's eating she not happy So I got the lignins and melatonin too and she won't eat them but I do have some strawberry flavored melatonin gummies that I like and she loves them They're five milligrams She would eat all of them but another 10 mg I give her to it helps her sleep But with the enlarged liver she has such gas she only wants raw meat but the gas and now she has some diarrhea I'm always glad when she has a solid stool It's getting worse']
Anyway I did get a box of five milligram veterans I thought we start low she's about 30 lb so 5 mg once a day two doses and I noticed something horrible happening she wasn't going to eat she no longer like food and I prayed that there's two five milligram capsules don't kill her because I know he'll feel I'm not going to be the one responsible for killing her You know it's like Rimadyl Dogs do final remodel except the ones that die I think that killed my men pins His dad took him He lived to 16 and they helped him with his arthritis but I don't think his son Could take it You're my fault one time I he had lunch Z so I put him on the doxy side clean After 5 days five doses he stopped eating and there was no way I was going to get another one of those in his mouth 5 days out of 25 day run okay I prayed that you would start eating again and slowly truly he did but I would never give him another one of those pills But let me tell you five doses straighten his him out His life was much improved after that But he was bleeding internally She wouldn't eat it all two veterinarians had nothing to offer me at all When she pooped blood 2:00 in the morning I said that's it I can't watch this no more and let put him down

He wasn't eating His glucose levels were high both vets said you need to get them on insulin instead of looking for the reason why his sugar was high they wonder sell me on $5,000 worth of insulin I said no way no way Anyway she'll never get a better role again She has good days and bad days but I'm planning this very soon I just wish she could tell me how she feels Sorry about all the mistakes but no way am I going to go back and fix them It gets 90% of what I say Mercedes just as much time for me to correct it as it does to type it I say Mercedes Funny baby between the lines funny babies anyway read between the lines and I hope you understand what I'm posting I think the federal would have killed pennies there's no way I'm going to kill her like that I'm going to free her from being cheerable disease that will break my bank account I cannot allow her to suffer for my own pleasure But I will truly miss her The question is Why is this becoming so common I read somewhere that over vaccination is doing it I wish you the best of luck with your dog but as of now I am planning on putting her down someday this week I broke my fibula burying my last boy fell in a hole She's going in the same old as a nice cross It's not fair I tell you

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi gyrochris and welcome to you and your precious Penny!

I haven't had time to read all your posts just yet so please hang on and give me a few to catch up and I'll be back with you. I am sure you will hear from others soon too. We used to be a large very active forum but with the advent of social media we have slowed down a great deal. BUT we ARE here and will be more than happy to help if we can.

Back in a bit!
Hugs,
Leslie

[Squirt's Mom]

(I am moving relevant posts from other threads into this thread and closing the others. This way all the info on Penny is in one place.)

"For some reason out of the blue My veterinarian said you might want to do the low dose test for cushions And I thought Why is she saying that So anyway they wanted 280 for that test My other vet wants 550 Plus of course follow-ups for 5:50 I decided to spend my $550 on an ultrasound to get the big picture That guy said after he did the ultrasound which I wasn't allowed to watch or I didn't get a copy of it Have to take his word that he actually looked at it He said this is classic cushions Yeah I know it spells cushions wrong Anyway I said yet but she went 5:50 to do the blood test He said I would just treat her...... Her liver is enlarged and if you get her on the medicine right away It will heal her liver.... You didn't go into detail but of course I know the proper medicine is viral But I guess I'm not a doctor or lawyer I'm just a dumb plumber who can't read the internet Anyway my vet would not do it without breaking my bank I really don't have that much money So I called the guy did the ultrasound back and of course management said I will you need to talk to a special medicine department would you like to make an appointment I should know I just want to confirm what the guy told me when I paid you $550 to do the ultrasound Anyway both of her adrenal glands are enlarged He said classic cushions So what's the mystery You put her on veteran right Now I know they sent a copy of the ultrasound report to my vet And she never called me So I called and said look can I talk with the doctor at some point when's the best time to talk to her Hey set up pay for the phone call if I got to Will they call me back right away They said they'd be happy to set up my phone conversation for $90 I think it would be cheaper to take my dog in for a checkup."

"You know Penny's got the big distended pot belly and her livers and large and the question I had for the man was should I put her on Vetoryl It says do not give to a dog that has kidney or liver disease Well the liver is enlarge If I can't give her vetereral what would you do."

"We live in the city now so it should not so much of a country dog anymore But when I put her in the car and take her out she's very happy and you would think that there's nothing wrong with her and that makes me very happy But at night She's very fussy about what she eats She has gas That literally can make you sick I think you're back legs are getting weak I don't know she has good days and bad days You know I think we've come to the end of the rope She is 14 And I don't want to let her suffer.... If I let the vet do it by the book her book And I would pay any amount of money to get it done I would check maybe another year if I'm lucky out of this dog You never know show and say good money after bad I'd be willing to just put her on the medication and try it a low dose some rocket science is it It's not rocket science is it I'm not correcting all this stuff I'm sorry."

"

[Squirt's Mom]

Ok...let's start with 2 things - first let's stop talking as if this is the end for you and Penny. I'll be 70 soon and have had a dog with Cushing's who lived a full life WITH the disease. Cushing's is NOT a death sentence in spite of how it feels at first. I know....been there with mine in 2007 when she was diagnosed. I thought my world was ending. But that turned out to be so very wrong. It can be the same for others as well, including your Penny.

Now, second I need to get some information from you about Penny. So we are gonna play 20 questions. :D

How old is Penny?
How much does she weigh?
Does she have any other health issues?
Is she on any medications, supplements, or herbs?
What kind of personality does she have...calm or hyper or easily frightened or has no fear etc?

And now, personal -
Do YOU have a doctor or someone you can talk with? (If not, please find one.)
Do you have a community you can get involved with - a group of friends, a church, a professional association, etc? (If not, please do your best to develop some.)
We want YOU to be well as much as we want Penny to be well. So please take care of yourself and soon.

Now some technical info...from me, a techno idiot. :o Keep all your posts in this thread. You will find it by the title "Penny is soon ready to go to heaven with my mom" (and hopefully we can soon change this title to a more positive one. ;) ) Type all you have to say in one go instead of like texting on a phone. Instead of short posts with 1 or 2 sentences post all your thoughts at once then hit submit. This might help you keep your thoughts together as well as help us keep up better. When I first started this journey with my beloved Squirt I had to write out my posts first because my head was so so scattered so I understand.

And finally some medical information about testing and treatment for Cushing's. Testing IS expensive BUT it MUST BE DONE in order to treat. The drugs used to treat Cushing's are very powerful and Cushing's is one of, if not THE, most difficult canine disease to correctly diagnose. So testing is not optional it is required. No vet worth their license would treat without positive tests to back that choice. The enlarged liver is one of the many indications of Cushing's but it is also an indication of other things as well. An ultrasound CANNOT diagnose Cushing's. An enlarged liver does NOT mean Cushing's. Nor does an enlarged liver mean liver disease. The liver is an amazing organ and can take a whole lot of abuse...then heal itself over and over and over. Being enlarged simply means something is going on that is making it work harder. It could be nothing or it could be a big deal...but all on it's own it means nothing. Further testing is needed to see why it is working so hard. ;)

I think this is enough for now. If you have any recent blood work on Penny please share it with us. You will need to actually type out any ABNORMAL results or write out the comments if necessary.

I'm glad you found us and look forward to learning more as time passes.
Leslie

[labblab]

Hello Chris, and welcome to you and Penny. I sure do understand that you’re going through a tough time right now with a lot of questions about whether there’s a path forward for Penny. I’m very grateful that Leslie has moved many of your replies into this one main thread. As she says, it’ll be a lot easier for us to offer our thoughts and suggestions if we all keep adding our replies to this one single thread.

First off, I’m sooooooo sorry that you ended up losing your initial long introduction. Believe me, the same thing has happened to us all at one time or another, and it is beyond frustrating! When you work so hard to write things down, it is so upsetting to see your words go poof into thin air. You’ve already figured out probably the best solution — to compose your reply somewhere else and then just copy and paste it in here. If you want to write everything out here, though, here’s the best approach. When you first open the “Reply” box, click first on the “Go Advanced” button at the bottom. A new box will open up, and you’ll see a another button at the bottom that says “Preview Post.” As you work on writing your reply, periodically click on that Preview Post button, and that should keep saving everything you’ve written up to that point in time. You can keep on adding more new text after you’ve hit the Preview button, but that’ll save things as you go along.

Also, as far as photos, you *should* be able to create a personal photo album and upload photos to it. I say “should” because our forum software has been glitchy lately when it comes to photos. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But here’s a link to the instructions for setting up an album:

https://www.k9cushings.com/forum/faq.php?faq=vb3_user_profile#faq_vb3_albums

Also, as far as giving us lab results, if you are able to set up a photo album, one option is just to take a photo of the labsheet and post the photo to your album. If you have trouble getting photos loaded, though, you can go ahead and type in the results of the test in the body of one your replies hear on this thread. If you do that, just like Leslie has said, all you really need to show us are any abnormal results on regular lab values.

OK, now that I’ve covered some of the technical stuff, I’ll go ahead and post this first reply — before I lose a post myself! And then I’ll start working on a reply about Penny’s situation.

Marianne

[labblab]

OK, here I am again and all ready to talk about Penny. From what you’ve already written, I think this is some of the most important information. Now you be sure and correct me if I’m getting anything wrong. But it sounds as though Penny is a 14 y/o long haired Doxie who is your precious baby girl. I have no human children, either, so the three dogs I’ve owned in my life have truly been my furkids, too. I just lost my last girl a year ago, so my heart goes out to you as you are facing such huge quality of life decisions for both you and Penny. It sounds as though you’re thinking the time has come to release her. And that may remain your decision. But we’re here to be a sounding board for you, and to see whether other options remain — at least for the time being.

You’ve said your vet suggested an ultrasound that showed enlarged adrenal glands and an enlarged liver. And yes, both these findings are consistent with Cushing’s. But as far as outward symptoms, is she showing anything really abnormal besides a pot belly and some muscle weakness? The reason why I ask is because neither the enlarged adrenals or enlarged liver are life-threatening issues, in and of themselves. There’s a whole host of internal and external problems that Cushing’s can cause, and especially for younger dogs, we do encourage treatment so as to keep those problems from worsening over time. But for senior dogs of Penny’s age, current quality of life may be the single most important consideration. And if the Cushing’s is not really making her uncomfortable, then going through the expense and stress of treatment may not be a worthy trade-off.

So far, it sounds as though you’ve tried Adrenal Harmony Gold, lignans/melatonin, and a few doses of 5 mg. Vetoryl. But the Vetoryl took away her appetite. Given that result and also the lack of bloodwork to really confirm the Cushing’s diagnosis in the first place, I think you did the right thing by stopping the Vetoryl. And as I say, if Penny isn’t really exhibiting signs that she’s uncomfortable, I likely wouldn’t be pursuing treatment further right now, either. Cushing’s is typically a very slowly progressing disease, so there’s usually some time to reconsider options along the road.

Since you’re considering letting Penny go this week, though, I’m thinking that I’m likely missing some other important information about things that may be going on with her. Please bear in mind that none of us here are vets or have medical training. But we’ve all lived with and loved Cushpups. And for sure, we recognize that just the natural aging process alone can overlap with the disease, and make a lot of decisions even more complicated. As you say, if only our dogs could tell us what they are thinking and feeling, themselves. That would surely give us some peace as we struggle to make the best decisions we can on their behalf.

I do hope you’ll return to us and tell us more about what you’re facing with Penny. We’re really grateful that you’ve joined us and that you are giving us the privilege of meeting both you and Penny, especially right now at what sounds like a very difficult time. So any more info you care to share will be greatly appreciated. And I sure hope you’re able to create an album and upload some photos!

Marianne