Sharring the story of Husko the Hero...

JUNE

It is important to mention sth very important that played a big role in events to come...I don't have a car, just a scooter and a sportbike
...and this vet-office of Elias ,Dimitri and George is the only one i knew within walking distance of almost 2 miles...plus i had good past experiences ex.Lemmy got neutered there with excellent results...

I told the vet-George that Husko has difficulty standing up and sometimes needs a tiny ''poke/push'' to stand-up.

After checking his joints he asked how old is...probably 10yo i said...
He diagnosed a very mild form of arthritis and prescribed Husko to take

MEDROL 16mg
1. 1/2 morning & 1/2 night for 7 days
2. 1/4 morning & 1/4 night for 7 days
3. 1/4 mornig for 7 days

Iraklis:
Do you or the vets think Husko has Cushing's? I am confused as to what all his issues are? Is Lemmy healthy? Are the gets expensive there? Hope you can get back to work, or still no jobs? How is your weather over there now? We are expecting snow again tomorrow? It has been a long hard winter here, and hard for the dogs to go out to potty. I am looking forward to spring, but my Tipper is afraid of thunder, and she makes herself a nervous wreck and gets sick. So I hope no storms. Blessings
Patti

JULY

Instead of improving , Husko slowly got worse.
We opted for a blood test...

June 2nd Results (2nd paper got lost by the vets but they said what's important in this case was the first page)
''Off results''

γ-GT 17,59 IU/L (1,20-6,40)
SGPT/ALT 407,06 IU/L (10,00-94,00)
ALP 249,00 IU/L (0,00-90,00)

They suspected liver cancer...
They suggested an ultrasound but unemployment funds were almost weeks away...
I was devastated...

Husko was prescribed to take

Prezolon 5mg (until we could have results from the ultrasound)
1. 1 morning & 1 night for 7 days
2. 1 morning for 7 days

18th July 2013

Day of the ultrasound and urine sample.

Ultrasound Results (in short):
Liver:enlarged
Gall Bladder:normal but with suspended precipitate
Spleen:normal
Kidneys:normal
Urinary bladder:normal
Pancreas:normal
Adrenals:Left normal .Right couldn't be checked
Gastrointestinal tract: normal

Comments: DIFFUSE liver disease (dd: lipidosis, steroids hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, lymphoma)


Urine sample results:
All normal except
Specific weight :1007
epithelial :rare
erythrocyte : rare

I asked the radiologist-vet if he sees cancer & what is the diagnosis ,and he replied ''i see no masses , but i don't give diagnosis ,just the results of specialty (ultrasound & x-rays)''
Ι thought that meant ''no cancer'' so i asked if the liver puncture should be done immediately or next month when funds would be better ,to which he replied ''next month would be fine''...

Postponing it would turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes in my life...

I took these results to my vets ,relieved believing Husko didn't have liver cancer.

They said ''no ,it's here and pointed at the last word of the comments section...Husko has liver cancer''.
I was devastated once again...nothing could be done medically so believing the vets, i could only postpone his death...

Husko was prescribed to take

Prezolon 5mg
2 morning & 2 night every day

+plus
Animastrath
Royal Canine Hepatic dry food
Flagyl
Ursofalk
Denosyl
(also gave Milk Thistle ,not suggested by the vets they didn't even know it...started w/2 pills a day and finally ended up giving 5 pills a day when i felt things got worse)

Can't remember the exact date but Husko started limping his left front leg, which was swollen...
Visited the vets again...opened it to let the pus come out...it never closed again until he passed away...
Was prescribed Ceclor for that and his ear infection...
Visits to the vets had become weekly by August...

hi iraklis welcome to this forum. what an interesting story you have written down here.
great that you saved both dogs.
my bordercollie flynn had the same thing going on at his front leg as your husko had.
also pus coming out and it could not been healed.
severe inflammation because of arthritis.
i had to put him to sleep because of this. 30-12-2013.
my dog had cushings as well.
i am sorry you lost husko.
i hope your lemmy is still a healthy boy.

AUGUST

The radiologist-vet went on a monthly vacation so i had to wait till the end of the month for Huskos' liver puncture.

By this time Husko was diminished to a peeing/drinking ''machine''...only able to walk for 50y tops...22kg (48lbs) and me crying every single day...
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/pict...pictureid=6469http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/pict...pictureid=6468


His 24th August blood test results were:
SGOT/AST 113,56 IU/L (23,00-66,00)
SGPT ALT 651,84 IU/L (10,00-94,00)
ALP 1300,00 IU/L (0,00-90,00)

Routine CBC
WBC H 19,48 *10^3 cells/μL
RBC L 4,26 *10^6 cells/μL
HGB L 10,3 g/dL
HCT L 36,1 %
MCV H 84,8 fL
MCH H 24,3 pg
MCHC L 28,7 q/dL
CHCM L 28,1 g/dL

Routine WBC
Neut H 83,3% - 16,22*10^3 cells/μL
Lymph L 5,6% - 1,09*10^3 cells/μL

Morphology Flags
MACRO +++
HYPO +++
PLT CLUMPS +

I was noticing every time i gave the cortisol medication Husko was getting worse...but as most people...i thought the vets know better...
By the end of august Husko was taking 5 Prezolon pills per day...

Until something snapped finally in me and i told the vets I'm stopping cortisol and getting a liver-puncture...
they insisted he had liver-cancer and a liver-puncture would just be a tormenting procedure and that I was wrong to not having Husko euthanized already...

29th of August the radiologist-vet had returned so I finally managed to find transport by a friend to get there...
Results of the liver-puncture were pointing to corticosteroids (didn't specify source)...


I was furious...I was killing my baby with my own hands...

SEPTEMBER

4th September
Managed to find transport by another friend to another vet far from home...she said he is good...
We did perform the LDDS test there...
An x-ray (not the one in my album) showed Husko had been shot in the past and had a air-gun shell in his back...
This messed me up inside...

Results came in 2 days later...6th September
btw, Husko had been off Cortisol for only 4 days (1/2 prezolon was his last 4 days ago)

SGPT/ALT 703,07 IU/L (10,00-94,00)
ALP 1551,00 IU/L (0,00-90,00)

Routine CBC
WBC H 41,92 *10^3 cells/μL
RBC L 3,75 *10^6 cells/μL
HGB L 9,5 g/dL
HCT L 33,4 %
MCV H 89 fL
MCH H 25,5 pg
MCHC L 28,6 q/dL
CHCM L 27,2 g/dL
RDW H 14,7%
PLT H 416 *10^3 cells/μL

Routine WBC
Neut H 89,7% - 37,61*10^3 cells/μL
Lymph L 3,9% - 1,63*10^3 cells/μL

Morphology Flags
MACRO +++
HYPO +++
ANISO +
PLT CLUMPS +

LDDS
1.14,20 μg/dL
2.16,40 μg/dL
3.13,40 μg/dL

I'll have to continue tomorrow...please understand i am completely devastated by what has happened up to now and it is incredibly difficult for me to write all of this...
You'll understand more and more as we come closer to the end...
And hopefully i'll have some answers myself...

Do not hurry and reach conclusions before this story is finished...