Topics covered in this issue include:
1) FWD from Tom and Maria, et al.
by lolawson@uts.cc.utexas.edu (Leslie Lawson)
2) Introduction
by Jeri <kurvenal@ameritech.net>
3) Update
by Jackie Siniard <siniardj@email.uah.edu>
4) Re: Introduction
by Jeri <kurvenal@ameritech.net>
5) cushing's: FWD from Sunny's Daddy
by Leslie Lawson <lolawson@uts.cc.utexas.edu>
6) Cushings: Re: Introduction
by ClaireMail@aol.com
7) Cushing's: Alternative therapies
by Leslie Lawson <lolawson@uts.cc.utexas.edu>
8) Ivan's checkup
by "Dillon Pyron" <dillon.pyron@amd.com>
9) Abby Intro
by Katerpoo@aol.com
10) Cushings: Ivan's Checkup
by Tom White <trw@virginia.edu>
11) Bo does community service
by Judy Antipin Hartheimer <jhart@cynet.net>
12) Re: Abby Intro
by "Dorothy" <dorothys@beachlink.com>
13) Re: Bo does community service
by Judy Antipin Hartheimer <jhart@cynet.net>
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 13:50:52 -0600
From: lolawson@uts.cc.utexas.edu (Leslie Lawson)
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: FWD from Tom and Maria, et al.
Message-ID: <v01540b04b0697c7f492e@[128.83.46.170]>
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Potentially very sad news forwarded from Tom and Maria:
> We're numb. Blood test returns for Timmy and Little
>Rosti--Little Rosti may have Cushings and Timmy's tests are
>inconclusive. More tests begin tomorrow to determine the diagnosis.
>
> Thanks to Dillon's tip concerning thyroid and Cushing's
>diagnosis perhaps we have caught the problem early enough to get it
>under control.
>
> Clea is still plugging along like the little energizer rabbit.
>She did alot of barking and walking around this weekend; and her
>appetite has improved a little since we took her off lysodren and
>baytril (although we are still syringe feeding three times a day).
>Because of her additional renal disease, we keep animal protein,
>phoshorus and salt ouf of her diet as much as we can. To a dog who
>loves delicatessen sliced roast beef, this must seem like cruel and
>unusual punishment. She seems happy, though, and hugs to all your
>doggies. Tom and Maria.
>Tom, Maria and Clea, Timmy and Little Rosti
>E-mail us at trw@virginia.edu
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 16:53:51 -0700
From: Jeri <kurvenal@ameritech.net>
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Introduction
Message-ID: <3444060F.77E1@ameritech.net>
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Just thought I'd introduce myself, as a new member of the list.
I have a Great Dane, Kurvenal, who is now 7, who was diagnosed
just over a year ago with pituitary-dependent Cushings. This
summer, my parents' dog, Oblio, a 7 year old flat-coated
retriever, was also diagnosed with Cushings. Hers appeared to be
due to a tumor on the adrenal gland--until they did an ultrasound,
and failed to find a tumor. So, she either also has pituitary-
dependent Cushings, in spite of the other test, or it's too early
to see a tumor. Neither dog is undergoing the standard treatment
for now. Oblio's Cushings was diagnosed after being lethargic, etc.
for a while, and then an episode where she was pacing, panting,
and shaking. I rushed her to the emergency clinic, thinking that
she might be bloating, (Kurvenal had stomach torsion, and has
bloated a few times since, so I panic at the thought), but they
found nothing wrong. We pursued testing with our regular vet,
and found the Cushings. She currently is symptom-free, though--
she's full of energy, acts "normal", etc.
Kurvenal has some hind end weakness now, but other than that is
also symptom-free--no excessive drinking of water, etc. We were
looking for a cause for his bloat, and found this instead.
Both dogs take Chinese herbs and get acupressure on a regular
basis, but we won't use Lysodren until there are symptoms to
be treated. In Kurvenal's case, I'm not sure if I'll ever try
Lysodren, since he also has epilepsy, in addition to the bloat
episodes, etc., and I'm not sure how the Lysodren would effect
him.
I have 2 other dogs, Jessica, an 8 year old Great Dane, and
Casey, a 9 year old lab, who fortunately are doing well!
I look forward to hearing about all of your experiences, and
learning from you all. Jeri
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 09:09:05 -0500
From: Jackie Siniard <siniardj@email.uah.edu>
To: CUSHINGS-PETS@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Cc: Siniard-RC@fhssmtp.redstone.army.mil
Subject: Update
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19971015140905.0067cc74@email.uah.edu>
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Just thought that you would like to know that we took Sunny our Manchester
Chihuahua for an ultrasound on Friday as our vet and Auburn wanted to make
sure that it was not on the Adrenal Gland, Great news, nothing was found
on
the Adrenal Gland, she was such a good girl laying on her back for over
an
hour, we were very proud of her, now maybe we can get her regulated on
Lysodren, her liver and kidneys all looked good as well, not oversized as
our vet thought it could be. I am glad that all of you are out there,
I
look forward to hearing from you all again. Jackie and Randy
Jacqueline P. Siniard
Staff Assistant, Graduate Studies
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Materials Science Building Room C206
Huntsville, Alabama 35899
ph: 205-890-6002 Fax:205-890-6349
e-mail: siniardj@email.uah.edu
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 20:21:09 -0700
From: Jeri <kurvenal@ameritech.net>
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Re: Introduction
Message-ID: <34458825.C69@ameritech.net>
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I was asked to give more details about the approach that I'm currently
using for our 2 dogs with Cushings--Chinese herbs and acupressure.
I started to write a *very* long reply, and then decided that maybe
no one was quite that interested! So, before I give a shorter reply,
I thought I'd ask if anyone else is using any alternative approaches
for treating their dog's Cushings. I'd be very interested in hearing
about anything that anyone is doing.
I was asked how I heard about the Chinese herbs. I mentioned to a doctor
of Chinese medicine that Kurvenal was diagnosed with pituitary-dependent
Cushings, and he told me that herbs could help. I asked both vets that
Kurvenal was seeing at the time, (one for "traditional" medicine,
and
one
for acupuncture), and they both agreed that trying the herbs might be
a good thing for Kurvenal. So, just over a year later, Kurvenal is doing
just great, and has no symptoms of Cushings. And, the last blood panel
that was done showed his levels getting closer to normal. (Though they
still have a ways to go.) I'm studying acupuncture, and was taught some
points to do specifically for the Cushings, (and for Kurvenal's
epilepsy,
and for Kurvenal's bloat.... The class is for doing acupuncture on
humans, but we spend a *lot* of time talking about my dogs!), and
I try to do acupressure daily. That seems to help a lot--since I began
doing that, he's never been this healthy.
I was asked which herbs the dogs are taking for Cushings, and what they
are supposed to do. That's where my response really got long, (as if
this
isn't long enough!), so I'll wait and see how interested any one is
in hearing specifics. But, the herbs are prescribed based on all that is
going on with the dogs, not just the Cushings--so Kurvenal, with all of
his problems, takes a lot of herbs, and Oblio, who just has the
Cushings,
takes fewer herbs, and there are differences in the herbs that they
take.
The goal of Chinese medicine is to balance everything in the body, so
what would be used varies from individual to individual.
If anyone is interested in hearing any more about that, let me know!
And, I'd definitely be interested in hearing about the experiences of
others on the list. Jeri
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 10:15:12 -0500
From: Leslie Lawson <lolawson@uts.cc.utexas.edu>
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: cushing's: FWD from Sunny's Daddy
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19971016101512.006dfdcc@uts.cc.utexas.edu>
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>From: SINIARD-RC <SINIARD-RC@fhssmtp.redstone.army.mil>
>Subject: Introduction of Sunny's Daddy
>To: CUSHINGS-PETS@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu, siniardj@email.uah.edu
>
> Well here goes. I am Randy (of the previous introduction of Jackie
> and Randy) == Sunny is our baby. She is about 11 years old and
a
> Manchester Chihuahua. She was diagnosed about 6 months ago and
has
> been unregulated as of yet. This is quite frustrating. Our baby
went
> from a normal weight of about 13 pounds to a rotund 20.5 pounds
in
> this time!! Her weight gain does seem to have slowed recently
however
> it is hard to tell. She does whine for her food and bark incessantly
> while we prepare her breakfast and dinner. Our Vet told us to
feed
> her two small meals twice a day in order to help her feel more
> satisfied. I don't think it has helped that much, but still anything
> to help her. She has always had a problem of urination since we
> adopted her from our Animal Control. She had dehydrated and had
to be
> put on a drip for 3 loooong days to see if she would live. So
this
> additional bladder control problem has ended with many more accidents.
> We opted to put her in a cage, but the sad eyes win out and she
is out
> of the cage more often than in. Then we have to contend with Sadie
> our eldest, she is close to 13 (being a stray we are not really
sure).
> We do however know that she has an enlarged heart (takes enacard
for
> it), fluid build up (takes lasix for that) and has breathing problems
> (recently put on a brochial opener medicine [can't remember it's
> name]) anyway you get the point. Sunny's medicine is only Lysodren
at
> this point and only 5/8 of a pill a week. VERY LOW DOSE I think,
> maybe a bit too low. But we have been told over and again that
larger
> dogs are easier to regular than smaller ones. Has anyone else
heard
> this? If anyone else can provide us with some other information
that
> maybe we haven't heard of then feel free. Thanks.
>
> P.S. Jeri I am interested in finding out more about the herbs
and
> acupressure. It may help Sunny, since the Vets here don't seem
to be
> able to regulate her.
>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 15:50:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: ClaireMail@aol.com
To: kurvenal@ameritech.net
Cc: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Cushings: Re: Introduction
Message-ID: <971016152946_173640531@emout13.mail.aol.com>
Hi,
I'm also new to the list. My little shadow Ruby, an 11-year-old dachshund,
hasn't yet been definitively diagnosed with Cushings although she has
multiple symptoms of the disease. Her low-dose dexamethasone test came
back
normal a couple of weeks ago, and we did the ACTH test yesterday and expect
the results tomorrow. If that test is inconclusive, I will definitely be
looking into alternative therapies... I can't stand to just wait around
for
her to deteriorate to the point where the tests show up something! I would
be interested in learning more details of what other people are doing with
alternative therapies/diet/etc. Also, in the November issue of Good
Housekeeping magazine there is an article about alternative medicine for
pets
and gives addresses & phone numbers for associations where you can get
referrals for veterinary homeopaths, holistic vets, chiropractors, and
acupuncturists. A couple of them have web sites:
Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy is www.acadvethom.org
American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association is www.altvetmed.com
I checked out these sites and they seem to be a good place to get started
in
researching alternatives.
Claire
>>>
Subj: Re: Introduction
Date: Thu, Oct 16, 1997 3:35 AM PST
From: kurvenal@ameritech.net
X-From: kurvenal@ameritech.net (Jeri)
Sender: owner-cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Reply-to: kurvenal@ameritech.net
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
I was asked to give more details about the approach that I'm currently
using for our 2 dogs with Cushings--Chinese herbs and acupressure.
I started to write a *very* long reply, and then decided that maybe
no one was quite that interested!
<<<
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 16:15:30 -0500
From: Leslie Lawson <lolawson@uts.cc.utexas.edu>
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Cushing's: Alternative therapies
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19971016161530.006eebb8@uts.cc.utexas.edu>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Thanks to Claire for sharing the alternative veterinary medicine web
sites.
I'll add them to the Cushing's pages
<http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~lolawson/cushings/>.
If anyone else has URLs, addresses, or telephone numbers that you'd like
added to a centralized location on the Cushing's web page, do send them
to me.
-Leslie
Cushing's Electronic Forum and
Web Page Manager
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 17:10:16 -0500
From: "Dillon Pyron" <dillon.pyron@amd.com>
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Ivan's checkup
Message-ID: <9710171710.ZM22936@dvorak.amd.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Ivan had his semi-annual checkup Wed. He's in amazing shape for a dog
his age,
cortisol levels are down a little, so we'll cut back on the Lysodren. Saves
us
some money, too :-)
Anyways, we're off to Disney World, the pups in care of Auntie Sue.
Dr. Smith
still thinks Ivan will be at our funeral.
Love to all.
--
dillon pyron
dillon.pyron@amd.com
PADI OWSI-54909 USPSA TY-26031
Corgis are big dogs in small suits.
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 07:26:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: Katerpoo@aol.com
To: CUSHINGS-PETS@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Abby Intro
Message-ID: <971018072606_-2065278015@emout14.mail.aol.com>
Hi everyone! My dog, Abby, is ~10.5 year old Shep/Husky Mix. She was
diagnosed (finally) last April with Pituitary Dependent Cushings. I adopted
her from the shelter 3.5 years ago and from the beginning she was a little
difficult. She had extreme separation anxiety and got liquid diarrhea
whenever something new happened. In March 1996 she had a grand mal seizure.
Her blood work all came back OK so the Drs. took a wait and see if she
has
more attitude. The only symptom we had started to see about 5-6 months
prior
to the seizure was that she started looking for food (she used to be a dog
who would leave food in her bowl all day at times) and she got very whiney
in
the car. She had another grand mal and several days of focal seizures in
August 1996 and after a ton of blood work, was diagnosed with idiopathic
epilepsy and put on phenobarbitol. All of the vets discounted our complaints
of ravenous appetite and accidents in the house blaming it on either a brain
tumor (not a pituitary one) or the phenobarb. Then she started waking up
in
the middle of the night every night and pacing endlessly. I work for a
vet
and had some knowledge of Cushings Disease, so we tested her for it in
November 1996, but the tests came back inconclusive. We repeated the tests
again in January 1997 and at that point, she was still not showing Cushings
with the tests. She did show up hypothyroid though and the medicine seemed
to help her at least sleep through the night. Finally, in April 1997, I
took
her to see an endocrinologist at the Animal Medical Center in NYC and she
was
diagnosed with Pituitary Dependent Cushings. We started her on Lysodren
in
May and the drug worked wonders immediately. I had my old couch potato
back.
The by the end of May, the Lysodren started to interact with her phenobarb
and it became apparent quickly that we couldn't keep her on both drugs.
Since she hadn't seizured in almost a year, we opted to taper off the
phenobarb. At the end of July, she woke up one morning unable to walk
without tumbling over from dizziness. After a lot of discussions and a
lot
of talk of brain tumors (other than pituitary), the vets finally decided
that
it could be the Lysodren so we stopped it at the beginning of July.
Unfortunately, Abby had three grand mals the second week of August and
we
had to scramble to get her on KBr (another seizure medicine). After several
months of hanging over the edge of a cliff, Abby seems to be doing fairly
well. Now we have to start thinking about treating the Cushings again
because she is making me insane. Her vet wants to consider using Anipryl
-
has anyone on the list had experience (good or bad) with it? Thanks for
listening and I hope all your dogs are well.
Chris Carlson
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 17:10:09 +0000
From: Tom White <trw@virginia.edu>
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Cushings: Ivan's Checkup
Message-ID: <A142774296@law1.law.virginia.edu>
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Fabulous news about Ivan's checkup!!
Keep up the good work!! Tom and Maria
Tom, Maria and Clea, Timmy and Little Rosti
E-mail us at trw@virginia.edu
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 02:08:26 +0000
From: Judy Antipin Hartheimer <jhart@cynet.net>
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Bo does community service
Message-ID: <34496B81.28232933@cynet.net>
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On Sunday morning, Bo and I will take part in our seventh annual AIDS
Walk, a distance of about eight miles. (The walk has been going on for
longer than that, we have been part of it for 7 years). Although he made
it through the walk last year o.k., it was there that I first began to
realize that his "weight gain" and other symptoms were getting
serious.
He was diagnosed with Cushings in January.
I debated whether to take him this year. He has been doing very well
on
moderate (twice a week) doses of Lysodren, as well as thyroid pills
twice daily. I was tempted to play it safe and leave him home. But he
truly loves this event - it is his one big public outing each year, and
he is a decided extrovert who thrives on interacting with people and
pets. He even has his own sponsors for the walk!
So, wish us luck. If he should have a problem, there are vehicles along
the route to bring back those who can't finish. There are also
"stations" along the way that cater especially to the needs of
canine
participants. My plan is to give him a prednisone before we leave in the
a.m., to avert an "episode'' brought on by stress.
My hope is that both he and I will have a fine time, while at the same
time helping to raise money to fight another terrible disease.
regards,
Judy
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 13:43:31 -0400
From: "Dorothy" <dorothys@beachlink.com>
To: <cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu>
Subject: Re: Abby Intro
Message-ID: <19971019135043.03140ec9.in@mail.beachlink.com>
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Hi...I also had an Abby. She was put down this summer because of an
abdominal tumor in addition to her Cushings. She did not tolerate Lysodren
well, so I put her on Anipryl. The best thing about it is that there are
no side effects on Anipryl. It was slow to show improvement, but at the
end of a month, Abby was much better. She had all the classic symptoms
and
all improved. My philosophy is that if a dog is doing well on Lysodren,
then don't mess with it. However, if there are problems with Lysodren,
try
Anipryl. You really don't have anything to lose, and Abby might do a lot
better. Let me know what you decide and how Abby does. Give her a big
hug
for me.
Dorothy Schildkret
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 22:41:02 +0000
From: Judy Antipin Hartheimer <jhart@cynet.net>
To: cushings-pets@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Re: Bo does community service
Message-ID: <344A8BCA.5F24F0DF@cynet.net>
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Hi folks,
Just a note to let you all know that Bo and I did have a fine time at
the AIDS Walk. He had no problem finishing, and is full of beans tonight
(in between snoozes), chasing cat, etc., while I feel like I've been run
over by a truck! Those last two miles seemed endless! I did give him a
prednisone before we left for the walk this morning. The vet told me to
do that whenever he was going to be in a stressfull situation. I also
held off his regular dose of Lysodren until tonight, after we were home
a few hours. He will be 11 next year, and while he is slowing down just
from age, I feel like the Lysodren (plus the thyroid meds) has given me
back the dog I loved, the one that I was afraid was gone forever when he
was in full-blown Cushings.
Judy.