Things are looking a lot better than they were just a week ago.
Last week I was pretty down in the dumps about the progress my dog was making. Two to four weeks is the normal time dogs start to respond to the Supraglan and my dog was showing nothing. Not one to fiddle whilst Rome burns I got back on the internet and started doing more research on what else might be out there for my dog.
One thing I noticed on the Supraglan ingredients, there was no milk thistle listed. I do know milk thistle supports liver function and my dog's abdomen has been bloated as hard as a rock which I took to mean liver troubles. I also learned that Omega 3's are helpful in preventing diabetes and also is good for healthy skin and hair. The Cushing's has caused my dog's coat to become dull and he has lost a good deal of hair altogether. He almost has no undercoat whatsoever. Cushing's also has been known to be a contributing cause of diabetes.
Last week, I started giving my dog milk thistle tincture in his water and ground flaxseed in his meals. Of course, I have know way of knowing if what I have added to his regimen is the reason but finally my dog is showing signs of improvement. What I have noted thus far is that his belly is not has hard or bloated, his thirst has lessened by about a cup of water per day. As one would expect his need to go out has lessened. More importantly he is going all night without having to be let out. His appetite seems slightly less. He cleans his bowl but doesn't do it all at once. Koty has never lost his energy or joi de vivre and that remains strong.
This week I am very encouraged. I feel we are finally on the right track and making progress. It's going to be a much merrier Christmas than I thought it was going to be last week.
©Kinsey Barnard
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
CUSHINGS UPDATE 12/15/11
The news is not good. It has now been four weeks since we began the Supraglan regimen and Koty is still not responding. If anything he he gone backwards as he has not made it through the night once in the past week without having to be let out.
I spoke with the folks at Pet Well being and they confirmed most dogs respond within two to four weeks. They offered to refund my money. I prefer to continue a little longer whilst I try and see if there is anything else we can try. One commenter said they had had luck with milk thistle and Sam-e. I wish there was a way to reach that person to find out more about it.
What's so strange is that Koty did seem to be making progress about two weeks out and then suddenly the progress stopped and reversed.
Koty, as ever, seems none the worse for the wear. He is still full of enthusiasm and pep.
©Kinsey Barnard
I spoke with the folks at Pet Well being and they confirmed most dogs respond within two to four weeks. They offered to refund my money. I prefer to continue a little longer whilst I try and see if there is anything else we can try. One commenter said they had had luck with milk thistle and Sam-e. I wish there was a way to reach that person to find out more about it.
What's so strange is that Koty did seem to be making progress about two weeks out and then suddenly the progress stopped and reversed.
Koty, as ever, seems none the worse for the wear. He is still full of enthusiasm and pep.
©Kinsey Barnard
Thursday, December 8, 2011
CUSHING'S UPDATE 12/08/11
It has now been three weeks since we began the Supraglan treatment. I'm disappointed to have to report I haven't been able to observe any changes in Koty. He's still thirsty, still piddles commensurate with thirst. His appetite has not diminished and his hair is still falling out.
On a positive note he still appears to be happy healthy and full of energy. This is good because cushingoid dogs are prone to various infections. They are also predisposed to developing hypothyroidism, pancreatitis, diabetes, seizures, hypertension, congestive heart failure, blood clots (thromboembolism), and liver and kidney failure.
As long as Koty is happy and energetic logic tells me those things that the Cushing's may cause are being held in abeyance for the time being.
©Kinsey Barnard
On a positive note he still appears to be happy healthy and full of energy. This is good because cushingoid dogs are prone to various infections. They are also predisposed to developing hypothyroidism, pancreatitis, diabetes, seizures, hypertension, congestive heart failure, blood clots (thromboembolism), and liver and kidney failure.
As long as Koty is happy and energetic logic tells me those things that the Cushing's may cause are being held in abeyance for the time being.
©Kinsey Barnard
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
CUSHING'S UPDATE 11/30/11
It has been exactly two weeks since I started giving Koty the Supraglan. There have been some slight signs of improvement.
He is drinking a little less water, maybe a cup less. As one would expect he doesn’t have to go out to piddle quite as often. I also notice that his sense of urgency for both has moderated quite a bit. His urine now contains a little color whereas before the water was running in and out so fast it was completely clear. This I find most encouraging.
His appetite has moderated just a bit. I have continued to give him his normal portions which he has been gobbling up in one sitting. Now he is back to leaving some for later which is more normal. Not every time but every now and again.
His abdomen which has been distended and hard as a rock seems to have softened just a little.
Sadly, he continues to lose his beautiful coat. He hardly has any undercoat left at all. The undercoat is what makes these dogs so resistant to cold.
The best thing I can say about Koty’s brand of Cushing’s is he hasn’t a clue there is a thing in the world wrong with him. He is happy as a clam and full of get up and go as always. For us it is all about quality of life not quantity. Right now our quality is great. We are hiking every day come snow or come sun. Living each day to the fullest. Now that hunting season has concluded the hiking is a lot more pleasant for both of us. I worry about one of us getting shot by an eager beaver with buck fever. Koty is gun shy and wants to head for the barn at the first crack of a rifle.
For anyone leaving a comment I would ask that you sign up to be informed of additional comments. That way if I or anyone else has a question about your comment we can get word to you and vice versa.
©Kinsey Barnard
He is drinking a little less water, maybe a cup less. As one would expect he doesn’t have to go out to piddle quite as often. I also notice that his sense of urgency for both has moderated quite a bit. His urine now contains a little color whereas before the water was running in and out so fast it was completely clear. This I find most encouraging.
His appetite has moderated just a bit. I have continued to give him his normal portions which he has been gobbling up in one sitting. Now he is back to leaving some for later which is more normal. Not every time but every now and again.
His abdomen which has been distended and hard as a rock seems to have softened just a little.
Sadly, he continues to lose his beautiful coat. He hardly has any undercoat left at all. The undercoat is what makes these dogs so resistant to cold.
The best thing I can say about Koty’s brand of Cushing’s is he hasn’t a clue there is a thing in the world wrong with him. He is happy as a clam and full of get up and go as always. For us it is all about quality of life not quantity. Right now our quality is great. We are hiking every day come snow or come sun. Living each day to the fullest. Now that hunting season has concluded the hiking is a lot more pleasant for both of us. I worry about one of us getting shot by an eager beaver with buck fever. Koty is gun shy and wants to head for the barn at the first crack of a rifle.
For anyone leaving a comment I would ask that you sign up to be informed of additional comments. That way if I or anyone else has a question about your comment we can get word to you and vice versa.
©Kinsey Barnard
Sunday, November 20, 2011
MANAGING IN HOME ACCIDENTS
As mentioned in Where We Are and How We Got Here, one of the symptoms of Cushing’s is a dog suddenly urinating in the house when that not its usual style. This problem can be a symptom of other diseases besides Cushing’s. This website lists a number of medical situations where this might occur. Koty has already tested positive for Cushing’s so we know the source of our problem.
It was so strange when it started and so out of character. Koty never had to be house trained he knew the right thing to do even as a puppy. Before getting Cushing’s I never paid much attention to this area of his life because he always notified me if he needed assistance from me to tend to personal duties. He is so fastidious that when we are out hiking he always leaves the trail to poop. Koty would no more poop on a trail or a sidewalk than fly to the moon. So fastidious is he, when we are in civilization, it is almost impossible for me to pick up after him because he is so careful to deposit his waste in a shrub or tall grass.
The vet I was originally using (see Where We Are and How We Got Here) just said this new piddling in the house behavior was probably dementia, that I should get him some diapers and take away his water at night. Dementia? My eye. Diapers? Maybe if all else fails. Withhold water at night? Yeah, right. Koty would twirl, bark and pound on my sleepy head all night long to have his thirst quenched.
The thing I didn’t get was he would ask very enthusiastically for water if his pan were dry but suddenly stopped asking to go outside to piddle. Instead he would just let it fly wherever he stood. I watched him on a couple of occasions simply look right at me whilst a veritable flood poured from his body. His expression, faraway and woeful.
My friend Holly Bailey suggested that I not give Koty all the water he wanted fearing that he would wear out his kidneys. I have since been advised by my new, and trusted vet, that you shouldn’t withhold water. So, I don’t withhold water per se. What I started doing was to mete the water out one cup at a time. Koty always gets water when the pan is empty and he asks for it but just one cup. He seems satisfied with that for about an hour or two.
Not long after I started measuring out the water he began asking to go out again. I also take him out before we go to bed whether he asks or not. Now he wakes me up if he needs to go out. Kind of a pain in the patookie but it beats wading through a puddle of piddle in the kitchen on the way to the coffee pot in the morning. One of the things I will be monitoring since we started the Supraglan is how much water he drinks and how often he has to go out. I’m looking for both to slow down.
I think this cup at a time works because Koty will drink up most of what I put in front of him right away. If I put down a full pan he’ll drink most of it. More than he really needs. I think the diseases makes him so thirsty he is a little crazed to get it. If I put down only a cup he will drink it all up and walk away. I think drinking too much at once puts too much pressure on the dog’s bladder it simply can’t handle it and the floodgates open. The poor pooch just can’t hold it or help it.
As a result of my one cup at a time system Koty has had only two accidents in the past two months. Both times it was because the regimen was broken. It may not work for all dogs and many owners won’t be able to do what I do because they can’t be with their pet twenty-four seven like I can with Koty.
If you can, I recommend you try it. How much water you give at a time will depend on the size of your dog. Koty weighs 65 pounds and a cup works for him. Each owner needs to find the measure that works best for their dog. The trick is to dole the water out instead of leaving a full pan.
This little trick, if it works for you, won’t help you or your dog with curing the disease but I learned as a caregiver to my mother, who had Alzheimer’s, anything you can do to relieve stress will benefit all concerned. A dog urinating all over the house is stressful no matter how much you love them.
One of the improvements I am looking for with the Supraglan is a lessening in the amount of water he drinks and hence a lessening in the need to go out. Koty only started the Supraglan four days ago so it may be coincidental, nevertheless he has gone through the night three nights in a row now without asking to be let out.
©Kinsey Barnard
It was so strange when it started and so out of character. Koty never had to be house trained he knew the right thing to do even as a puppy. Before getting Cushing’s I never paid much attention to this area of his life because he always notified me if he needed assistance from me to tend to personal duties. He is so fastidious that when we are out hiking he always leaves the trail to poop. Koty would no more poop on a trail or a sidewalk than fly to the moon. So fastidious is he, when we are in civilization, it is almost impossible for me to pick up after him because he is so careful to deposit his waste in a shrub or tall grass.
The vet I was originally using (see Where We Are and How We Got Here) just said this new piddling in the house behavior was probably dementia, that I should get him some diapers and take away his water at night. Dementia? My eye. Diapers? Maybe if all else fails. Withhold water at night? Yeah, right. Koty would twirl, bark and pound on my sleepy head all night long to have his thirst quenched.
The thing I didn’t get was he would ask very enthusiastically for water if his pan were dry but suddenly stopped asking to go outside to piddle. Instead he would just let it fly wherever he stood. I watched him on a couple of occasions simply look right at me whilst a veritable flood poured from his body. His expression, faraway and woeful.
My friend Holly Bailey suggested that I not give Koty all the water he wanted fearing that he would wear out his kidneys. I have since been advised by my new, and trusted vet, that you shouldn’t withhold water. So, I don’t withhold water per se. What I started doing was to mete the water out one cup at a time. Koty always gets water when the pan is empty and he asks for it but just one cup. He seems satisfied with that for about an hour or two.
Not long after I started measuring out the water he began asking to go out again. I also take him out before we go to bed whether he asks or not. Now he wakes me up if he needs to go out. Kind of a pain in the patookie but it beats wading through a puddle of piddle in the kitchen on the way to the coffee pot in the morning. One of the things I will be monitoring since we started the Supraglan is how much water he drinks and how often he has to go out. I’m looking for both to slow down.
I think this cup at a time works because Koty will drink up most of what I put in front of him right away. If I put down a full pan he’ll drink most of it. More than he really needs. I think the diseases makes him so thirsty he is a little crazed to get it. If I put down only a cup he will drink it all up and walk away. I think drinking too much at once puts too much pressure on the dog’s bladder it simply can’t handle it and the floodgates open. The poor pooch just can’t hold it or help it.
As a result of my one cup at a time system Koty has had only two accidents in the past two months. Both times it was because the regimen was broken. It may not work for all dogs and many owners won’t be able to do what I do because they can’t be with their pet twenty-four seven like I can with Koty.
If you can, I recommend you try it. How much water you give at a time will depend on the size of your dog. Koty weighs 65 pounds and a cup works for him. Each owner needs to find the measure that works best for their dog. The trick is to dole the water out instead of leaving a full pan.
This little trick, if it works for you, won’t help you or your dog with curing the disease but I learned as a caregiver to my mother, who had Alzheimer’s, anything you can do to relieve stress will benefit all concerned. A dog urinating all over the house is stressful no matter how much you love them.
One of the improvements I am looking for with the Supraglan is a lessening in the amount of water he drinks and hence a lessening in the need to go out. Koty only started the Supraglan four days ago so it may be coincidental, nevertheless he has gone through the night three nights in a row now without asking to be let out.
©Kinsey Barnard
Thursday, November 17, 2011
IN THE NICK OF TIME
UPS arrived at noon yesterday with Koty’s Supraglan. Last night we had a half foot of snow. It will be the last time we see Coleman, our UPS driver, until next spring.
The folks at Pet Wellbeing said the time it takes for Supraglan to start working varies with the dogs. Sometimes there are signs of improvement quickly. With others it may take weeks. And, of course, in some it doesn’t work at all. We’re hoping we among the lucky ones. I believe we will be.
It was gorgeous this morning after last night’s snowfall. Koty was happy to get out in it. One of the changes I had noted in him over the past months was a lack of interest in staying out after doing his duties. It was so wonderful to see him in his element enjoying the snow. He is after all a snow doggie.
For the record Koty began his Supraglan treatment November 16, 2011.
©Kinsey Barnard
PS: As I am posting Koty is back outside napping in the sunshine. I’m no doubt reading too much into this but this is a behavioral change back toward normal.
The folks at Pet Wellbeing said the time it takes for Supraglan to start working varies with the dogs. Sometimes there are signs of improvement quickly. With others it may take weeks. And, of course, in some it doesn’t work at all. We’re hoping we among the lucky ones. I believe we will be.
It was gorgeous this morning after last night’s snowfall. Koty was happy to get out in it. One of the changes I had noted in him over the past months was a lack of interest in staying out after doing his duties. It was so wonderful to see him in his element enjoying the snow. He is after all a snow doggie.
 |
| Koty enjoying the snow at Dancing Deer November 17, 2011 |
For the record Koty began his Supraglan treatment November 16, 2011.
©Kinsey Barnard
PS: As I am posting Koty is back outside napping in the sunshine. I’m no doubt reading too much into this but this is a behavioral change back toward normal.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
WHERE WE ARE AND HOW WE GOT HERE
In retrospect I guess it all started well over a year ago but I didn’t know it at the time. Koty has always been filled with irrational exuberance. At 11 years old I expected that he would soon start showing signs of slowing down. He didn’t. He would get so excited spinning and twirling when we were gearing up for a hike that I was forever telling him “Settle down, remember your age, you’re going to throw something out of whack.” Sure enough, he did.
Summer before last he was out in his quarter acre play pen when I heard a yelp. You may not know, Siberian Huskies would give Sara Bernhardt a run for the drama queen title. Even knowing this I always respond just the same. Sure enough Koty was gimping around and not at all happy.
I treat Koty as I treat myself. We don’t go running off to the doctor for every little thing. I haven’t see one for twenty-five years except to have my eyes checked by an ophthalmologist on a regular basis. My mother suffered from glaucoma and photography would be tricky if I were to go blind. Whilst I am not big on doctors I am big on preventive maintenance. Koty has only been in to the vet for shots.
I decided to just observe him for a while and see how things developed. After a couple of weeks it was apparent he required some intervention. He wasn’t in dire straights but he wasn’t up to par. My guess was that he needed a chiropractor. I asked around and ended up at a vet in Kila about 80 miles from here.
We arrived at our appointed time and were shown to a treatment room. Fifty minutes later, I was counting, the vet blew into the room and, without apology, popped Koty on the spine three times with a thing that looked like a giant syringe. She noted that there was some hair loss on both sides of his neck, laid a hairy guilt trip on me for not having him in a harness and was gone.
As it turned out those three pops worked wonders. Koty was his old self within a couple of days but observable improvement was immediate. Chiropractic treatment is becoming increasingly common and based on my experience I would highly recommend it.
The treatment was great but I wasn’t very impressed with the vet. I’m really not a fan of being kept waiting but some recognition of it goes a long way toward mitigating the annoyance. Something like “Sorry, I’m late.” I also didn’t particularly appreciate her damning tone about the hair loss and harness.
Koty is a puller there is no doubt about that. It is in the very nature of huskies to pull. Can they be trained not to pull whilst on a lead? Most probably and the Dog Whisperer would have my head on a pike. For better or worse I did it my way.
Here is the way it was. I never wanted Koty walking at my side. We are always on hiking trails and that’s single file. I also wanted him to be able to explore more as though he wasn’t on a lead at all whilst I was observing nature and looking for things of interest to photograph. Letting him off lead is not an option. What I rigged up to meet both our needs was attaching a 16ft retractable leash to a ski-joring belt. Ski-joring is something Koty and I do around the ranch in winter. It is where you slap on your cross country skis and harness your dog and hook him up to a belt you wear around your waist. With Koty I kind of liken it to hooking myself up to an unguided missile.
The truth is, I go off in my little world and Koty goes off in his. I hardly pay any attention or even notice his pulling unless I want to take a photograph. Then I reel him in and make him sit which he is reluctantly willing to do. I admit I have a bit of a guilty conscience about not training him properly in this regard. So, what this vet said kind of got under my skin. Somewhere in the back of my mind I didn’t believe pulling was the cause. If it had been it should have shown up a long time ago. Now I wonder if this wasn’t the first sign of Cushing’s.
This past January I took Koty in for his rabies vaccination at the local vet. I pointed out the hair loss to her and she said it could be a thyroid problem and the hair would never grow back. I’m thinking who cares about the hair shouldn’t we test for the thyroid problem? So, at my suggestion we did just that. The tests came back negative and the subject was just dropped. To say that this vet is lacking in initiative would be a gross understatement. The town I live near is very small (pop. 1,000) town. Veterinarian options are limited to say the least. I had always thought if anything serious came up I would find help down in the Flathead some 75 miles from where I live.
We went on our merry way. Then this past August Koty started to tinkle in the house. This was highly unusual behavior. Koty has better personal habits than some people I’ve known. Such an occurrence was completely out of character. I did some construction projects here at the ranch this summer that took longer than anticipated and resulted in me not being as present with Koty as I normally am. I honestly thought he might be doing it to get back at me for ignoring him. He is that smart.
I decided it was time to see the vet again. We took in a urine specimen and got some blood taken. The vet said, “It’s probably dementia, you can get him some diapers.” What??!!! A couple of days later I get a call telling me the blood work was normal. That was it.
Not long after the vet visit I noticed along with the in house accidents he was drinking more water and his appetite seemed to have increased. Normally, his water consumption which was less than a pan per day now became two which was slurped up like a dying man in the desert. He who had always eaten like a bird suddenly became ravenous. I used to always tell people that unlike me who lived to eat Koty ate to live. At first I was happy to see his appetite increase to where he cleaned up his food when I gave it to him. Putting it all together I just thought something had to be wrong.
I was fairly sure I wasn’t going to get any help from a vet who never asked a question. I always felt like she was waiting for me to tell her what to do next. I decided to take matters into my own hands and started researching on the internet. Sometimes I forget there is so much information at my fingertips.
I came up with a couple of possibilities but the closest symptoms that fit Koty fit Cushing’s here are the most common.
Increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia)
Increased/excessive urination (polyuria)
Urinary accidents in previously housetrained dogs
Increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia)
Appearance of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc.
Sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance
Weight gain or its appearance, due to fat redistribution
Loss of muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss
Bony, skull-like appearance of head
Exercise intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness
New reluctance to jump on furniture or people
Excess panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on
Symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on torso
Other coat changes like dullness, dryness
Slow regrowth of hair after clipping
Thin, wrinkled, fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin
Easily damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly
Hard, calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis)
Susceptibility to infections (especially skin and urinary)
Diabetes, pancreatitis, seizures
Koty’s symptoms are:
Increased water consumption.
Increased urination.
Urinary accidents.
Increased appetite.
Begging and dumpster diving. Never done that.
Stomach looking and feeling bloated. When I thump it it sounds like thumping a watermelon.
Excess panting and suddenly sleeping on the bathroom tile.
Thinning hair on torso. Koty has now lost the majority of his undercoat.
Coat changes. I started to notice Koty’s coat seemed a little dull back in the spring. It wasn’t until this fall that I realized he was losing his undercoat and it wasn’t growing back.
The one thing he hasn’t presented with is a lack of energy or inability to jump in the car or up on the bed. He may sleep a little longer and move a little slower upon rising but I chalk that up to getting older.
It seems there are two recognized causes of Cushing’s; a reaction to drug therapy most commonly cortisone or a tumor on the pituitary.
Like me Koty has never taken any pharmaceuticals so it most likely is a tumor. The tumors are tiny and surgery is seldom recommended. Some people have opted for chemotherapy in a tumor situation. I’m not sure how they determined the tumor was malignant they are most often not. I am not inclined to subject myself nor my dog to dangerous and potentially unnecessary surgery chemo or pharmaceutical regimens so I started looking for alternatives. I found Supraglan at Pet Wellbeing.
I was ready to take action but it seemed only sensible to get Koty tested for Cushing’s to confirm my diagnosis before starting any therapy. No lay person should treat their pet without confirming the diagnosis. I went back to the same vet because I figured how hard could the test be? I’d get confirmation and go on my merry way. Apparently, harder than I thought because when the vet called me with the results she said he tested positive for Addison’s. I asked what are the symptoms for Addison’s and she said vomiting, diarrhea and muscle weakness. I noted Koty had none of those symptoms. She said the results were exactly the opposite of what you would expect to see for Cushing’s and maybe she had messed up by not injecting him properly with the test serum. She said I could bring Koty back to do the test over and she would “eat” the $175 cost. She said it like she was doing me a big favor. I said thank you very much and began contacting everyone I could think of to find a competent vet in the Flathead.
Thanks to Holly Bailey, Holly’s Country Home Kennels, the only person in whose care I have ever or would ever leave Koty, I ended up going with a veterinarian by the name of Rick Myers in Kalispell. I called his office and he returned the call within the hour. Score one for this vet. I told him the whole story and he recommended I bring Koty in for testing. The test would take all day because blood needed to be drawn at four hour intervals.
At dawn last Tuesday we headed for Kalispell. When I arrived I was asked to fill out some paper work and soon after shown to an examination room. I wasn’t in the room more than five minutes before the vet entered and introduced himself as Rick Meyers. Score two for this vet. I make it a habit to call doctors by their first name to get a reaction. If they appear offended or put off I cross them off the list. My respect for doctors is not automatic and I don’t care much for those with god complexes. If anyone wants my respect they have to earn it. Designations and degrees do not impress or intimidate me in the least.
After a brief chat I left Koty and spent the day running errands. I was to pick Koty up between five thirty and six. I can’t see worth a toot in the dark anymore so driving home wasn’t an option. I ran out of gas before it was time to pick Koty up so I checked us into the Whitefish Best Western.
I arrived back at the vets a the appointed time, paid my bill and left. I didn’t see Rick and I figured there wasn’t much to say until the results were in so I didn’t think anything of it. After we left the office we walked around the grounds so Koty could get his tinkling done. It was already dark. Out of the darkness a figure approached and it was Rick. We had a talk and he told me the test Koty had had earlier wasn’t even the appropriate one for suspected Cushing’s. No, surprise there. I thought it awfully kind of him to come out in the cold and dark to speak with me. Score three for this vet.
We headed home next morning to await the results that were due in on Thursday. The call came whilst we were out working in the woods. Lucky I even heard the call as I was running the chainsaw with ear plugs in.
Well, we know the results, otherwise I would not be writing this opus. Rick told me there were pharmaceutical treatments that had had good results. I had kind of been dreading the moment I would say I was going to go an alternative route. Much to my surprise Rick was in total support. Not only did he support the idea but asked to be kept informed how it worked because if we had good results he would let others know about it. I was amazed and delighted to have found such an enlightened and open minded man. Score four for this vet and call him doctor.
So, now we are waiting for the Supraglan to arrive. It should be here today. A big snowstorm is headed this way so I’m hoping it gets here before the snow start to fly. UPS can’t get to us once the snow and ice starts piling up.
As of this writing Koty is for all appearances happy and healthy. We are taking long walks in the woods every afternoon and enjoying ourselves to the fullest. Yesterday he dragged home a whole deer hide. It was an incredible feat and he was so very proud of himself. What a trouper my guy is!
©Kinsey Barnard
Summer before last he was out in his quarter acre play pen when I heard a yelp. You may not know, Siberian Huskies would give Sara Bernhardt a run for the drama queen title. Even knowing this I always respond just the same. Sure enough Koty was gimping around and not at all happy.
I treat Koty as I treat myself. We don’t go running off to the doctor for every little thing. I haven’t see one for twenty-five years except to have my eyes checked by an ophthalmologist on a regular basis. My mother suffered from glaucoma and photography would be tricky if I were to go blind. Whilst I am not big on doctors I am big on preventive maintenance. Koty has only been in to the vet for shots.
I decided to just observe him for a while and see how things developed. After a couple of weeks it was apparent he required some intervention. He wasn’t in dire straights but he wasn’t up to par. My guess was that he needed a chiropractor. I asked around and ended up at a vet in Kila about 80 miles from here.
We arrived at our appointed time and were shown to a treatment room. Fifty minutes later, I was counting, the vet blew into the room and, without apology, popped Koty on the spine three times with a thing that looked like a giant syringe. She noted that there was some hair loss on both sides of his neck, laid a hairy guilt trip on me for not having him in a harness and was gone.
As it turned out those three pops worked wonders. Koty was his old self within a couple of days but observable improvement was immediate. Chiropractic treatment is becoming increasingly common and based on my experience I would highly recommend it.
The treatment was great but I wasn’t very impressed with the vet. I’m really not a fan of being kept waiting but some recognition of it goes a long way toward mitigating the annoyance. Something like “Sorry, I’m late.” I also didn’t particularly appreciate her damning tone about the hair loss and harness.
Koty is a puller there is no doubt about that. It is in the very nature of huskies to pull. Can they be trained not to pull whilst on a lead? Most probably and the Dog Whisperer would have my head on a pike. For better or worse I did it my way.
Here is the way it was. I never wanted Koty walking at my side. We are always on hiking trails and that’s single file. I also wanted him to be able to explore more as though he wasn’t on a lead at all whilst I was observing nature and looking for things of interest to photograph. Letting him off lead is not an option. What I rigged up to meet both our needs was attaching a 16ft retractable leash to a ski-joring belt. Ski-joring is something Koty and I do around the ranch in winter. It is where you slap on your cross country skis and harness your dog and hook him up to a belt you wear around your waist. With Koty I kind of liken it to hooking myself up to an unguided missile.
The truth is, I go off in my little world and Koty goes off in his. I hardly pay any attention or even notice his pulling unless I want to take a photograph. Then I reel him in and make him sit which he is reluctantly willing to do. I admit I have a bit of a guilty conscience about not training him properly in this regard. So, what this vet said kind of got under my skin. Somewhere in the back of my mind I didn’t believe pulling was the cause. If it had been it should have shown up a long time ago. Now I wonder if this wasn’t the first sign of Cushing’s.
This past January I took Koty in for his rabies vaccination at the local vet. I pointed out the hair loss to her and she said it could be a thyroid problem and the hair would never grow back. I’m thinking who cares about the hair shouldn’t we test for the thyroid problem? So, at my suggestion we did just that. The tests came back negative and the subject was just dropped. To say that this vet is lacking in initiative would be a gross understatement. The town I live near is very small (pop. 1,000) town. Veterinarian options are limited to say the least. I had always thought if anything serious came up I would find help down in the Flathead some 75 miles from where I live.
We went on our merry way. Then this past August Koty started to tinkle in the house. This was highly unusual behavior. Koty has better personal habits than some people I’ve known. Such an occurrence was completely out of character. I did some construction projects here at the ranch this summer that took longer than anticipated and resulted in me not being as present with Koty as I normally am. I honestly thought he might be doing it to get back at me for ignoring him. He is that smart.
I decided it was time to see the vet again. We took in a urine specimen and got some blood taken. The vet said, “It’s probably dementia, you can get him some diapers.” What??!!! A couple of days later I get a call telling me the blood work was normal. That was it.
Not long after the vet visit I noticed along with the in house accidents he was drinking more water and his appetite seemed to have increased. Normally, his water consumption which was less than a pan per day now became two which was slurped up like a dying man in the desert. He who had always eaten like a bird suddenly became ravenous. I used to always tell people that unlike me who lived to eat Koty ate to live. At first I was happy to see his appetite increase to where he cleaned up his food when I gave it to him. Putting it all together I just thought something had to be wrong.
I was fairly sure I wasn’t going to get any help from a vet who never asked a question. I always felt like she was waiting for me to tell her what to do next. I decided to take matters into my own hands and started researching on the internet. Sometimes I forget there is so much information at my fingertips.
I came up with a couple of possibilities but the closest symptoms that fit Koty fit Cushing’s here are the most common.
Increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia)
Increased/excessive urination (polyuria)
Urinary accidents in previously housetrained dogs
Increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia)
Appearance of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc.
Sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance
Weight gain or its appearance, due to fat redistribution
Loss of muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss
Bony, skull-like appearance of head
Exercise intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness
New reluctance to jump on furniture or people
Excess panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on
Symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on torso
Other coat changes like dullness, dryness
Slow regrowth of hair after clipping
Thin, wrinkled, fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin
Easily damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly
Hard, calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis)
Susceptibility to infections (especially skin and urinary)
Diabetes, pancreatitis, seizures
Koty’s symptoms are:
Increased water consumption.
Increased urination.
Urinary accidents.
Increased appetite.
Begging and dumpster diving. Never done that.
Stomach looking and feeling bloated. When I thump it it sounds like thumping a watermelon.
Excess panting and suddenly sleeping on the bathroom tile.
Thinning hair on torso. Koty has now lost the majority of his undercoat.
Coat changes. I started to notice Koty’s coat seemed a little dull back in the spring. It wasn’t until this fall that I realized he was losing his undercoat and it wasn’t growing back.
The one thing he hasn’t presented with is a lack of energy or inability to jump in the car or up on the bed. He may sleep a little longer and move a little slower upon rising but I chalk that up to getting older.
It seems there are two recognized causes of Cushing’s; a reaction to drug therapy most commonly cortisone or a tumor on the pituitary.
Like me Koty has never taken any pharmaceuticals so it most likely is a tumor. The tumors are tiny and surgery is seldom recommended. Some people have opted for chemotherapy in a tumor situation. I’m not sure how they determined the tumor was malignant they are most often not. I am not inclined to subject myself nor my dog to dangerous and potentially unnecessary surgery chemo or pharmaceutical regimens so I started looking for alternatives. I found Supraglan at Pet Wellbeing.
I was ready to take action but it seemed only sensible to get Koty tested for Cushing’s to confirm my diagnosis before starting any therapy. No lay person should treat their pet without confirming the diagnosis. I went back to the same vet because I figured how hard could the test be? I’d get confirmation and go on my merry way. Apparently, harder than I thought because when the vet called me with the results she said he tested positive for Addison’s. I asked what are the symptoms for Addison’s and she said vomiting, diarrhea and muscle weakness. I noted Koty had none of those symptoms. She said the results were exactly the opposite of what you would expect to see for Cushing’s and maybe she had messed up by not injecting him properly with the test serum. She said I could bring Koty back to do the test over and she would “eat” the $175 cost. She said it like she was doing me a big favor. I said thank you very much and began contacting everyone I could think of to find a competent vet in the Flathead.
Thanks to Holly Bailey, Holly’s Country Home Kennels, the only person in whose care I have ever or would ever leave Koty, I ended up going with a veterinarian by the name of Rick Myers in Kalispell. I called his office and he returned the call within the hour. Score one for this vet. I told him the whole story and he recommended I bring Koty in for testing. The test would take all day because blood needed to be drawn at four hour intervals.
At dawn last Tuesday we headed for Kalispell. When I arrived I was asked to fill out some paper work and soon after shown to an examination room. I wasn’t in the room more than five minutes before the vet entered and introduced himself as Rick Meyers. Score two for this vet. I make it a habit to call doctors by their first name to get a reaction. If they appear offended or put off I cross them off the list. My respect for doctors is not automatic and I don’t care much for those with god complexes. If anyone wants my respect they have to earn it. Designations and degrees do not impress or intimidate me in the least.
After a brief chat I left Koty and spent the day running errands. I was to pick Koty up between five thirty and six. I can’t see worth a toot in the dark anymore so driving home wasn’t an option. I ran out of gas before it was time to pick Koty up so I checked us into the Whitefish Best Western.
I arrived back at the vets a the appointed time, paid my bill and left. I didn’t see Rick and I figured there wasn’t much to say until the results were in so I didn’t think anything of it. After we left the office we walked around the grounds so Koty could get his tinkling done. It was already dark. Out of the darkness a figure approached and it was Rick. We had a talk and he told me the test Koty had had earlier wasn’t even the appropriate one for suspected Cushing’s. No, surprise there. I thought it awfully kind of him to come out in the cold and dark to speak with me. Score three for this vet.
We headed home next morning to await the results that were due in on Thursday. The call came whilst we were out working in the woods. Lucky I even heard the call as I was running the chainsaw with ear plugs in.
Well, we know the results, otherwise I would not be writing this opus. Rick told me there were pharmaceutical treatments that had had good results. I had kind of been dreading the moment I would say I was going to go an alternative route. Much to my surprise Rick was in total support. Not only did he support the idea but asked to be kept informed how it worked because if we had good results he would let others know about it. I was amazed and delighted to have found such an enlightened and open minded man. Score four for this vet and call him doctor.
So, now we are waiting for the Supraglan to arrive. It should be here today. A big snowstorm is headed this way so I’m hoping it gets here before the snow start to fly. UPS can’t get to us once the snow and ice starts piling up.
As of this writing Koty is for all appearances happy and healthy. We are taking long walks in the woods every afternoon and enjoying ourselves to the fullest. Yesterday he dragged home a whole deer hide. It was an incredible feat and he was so very proud of himself. What a trouper my guy is!
 |
| Koty with his deer hide trophy. November 15, 2011 |
©Kinsey Barnard
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Who We Are and Why We are Writing this Blog
 |
| Lakota Sunrise and Kinsey Barnard Flathead Lake Montana |
My name is Kinsey Barnard. I am a fine art photographer. What that means is I try to create works of art not just pretty pictures. I made that definition up. You will not find it in any text book. I do very little by some else’s book. I prefer to write my own. I am a lover of Nature and all creatures great and small. I live on a ranch in northwest Montana with my dog Lakota Sunrise whom I have given the nickname “Koty”.
Koty is the main character in this unfolding story. He is a purebred Siberian Husky and as any mother is prone to say, one of the most beautiful huskies to ever live. It’s not all motherly love, you can see for yourself at Koty’s Online Gallery. As beautiful as he is on the outside it is nothing compared to how beautiful he is on the inside. I have never known a sweeter, kinder, gentler soul in all my life. He has taught me many things, most importantly to live in the moment and live each an every day to the fullest.
Koty came to me at just eight weeks old. I will never forget the frightened little ball of fur huddled in the back of a crate at the Burbank Airport. He had spent most all day getting there from Oregon. I will never believe that poor little puppy was not severely traumatized by the experience.
From that day on I think Koty has had a very good life. We are as close as any two can be. In the twelve years we have been together we have been separated only twice and for only very brief periods of time. We have much in common. We think the greatest way to spend the day is hiking and exploring the great outdoors. I look for things in nature that might make interesting and beautiful images whilst Koty just looks for anything because everything is interesting and beautiful to him. A while back I wrote these thoughts about “My Best Friend”.
We have traveled and explored the American West in our little 24ft. Winnebago View. On two occasions we were out for six months exploring and photographing every road and trail we could find. No one could ask for a better traveling companion.
This past Thursday Koty was diagnosed with Cushing’s, an incurable disease. It took over a year to get that diagnosis which, in my opinion, is ridiculous. What I am going to attempt to do with this blog is document where we have been, what we have learned and how we are handling the disease going forward in the hopes that we might help others with dogs who have Cushing’s as well as those who may have a dog with the disease and not even know it.
We will never know if an earlier diagnosis of the disease would have made any difference in how long Koty will be able to maintain quality of life with this disease but logic dictates that it would have made a positive difference. I think it very important for all dog owners be aware of the symptoms and be proactive in their pet’s care. All vets are not created equal and sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands.
Thanks to the internet there is an abundance of information available about the disease. Just Google “Cushing’s in dogs”. In-a-nutshell Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism) in dogs is a condition that results from chronic overproduction of glucocorticoid in the body. In the normal dog, the pituitary gland produces a hormone (ACTH) which stimulates the adrenal gland to produce the glucocorticoid hormones necessary for the function of many systems in the body. If something goes wrong in the pituitary or adrenal gland and too much glucocorticoid is produced, Cushing’s disease develops.
What I want to do here is share our experience and create a forum for others to share information and experiences by way of comments for the benefit of others. I would encourage people to ask questions and get a dialog going. If it’s a subject you are interested in subscribe and participate. If no one is interested that's OK too because doing this is going to go along way toward helping me cope with the tough journey ahead.
I truly believe we can make a more positive difference in our best friends lives if we take greater responsibility for their care. I know if I had not listened to certain “professional” advice Koty and I would be a lot further along with dealing and treating this disease. In my next article “How We Got to Where We Are” I’ll describe how it all began, what were the sign posts, the circuitous road we had to take to find out what was really going on and the treatment option we have chosen.
©Kinsey Barnard
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)