Let's talk about TInker's....

....health.

I've been avoiding this issue for the most part while blogging, but now it seems like the time has come. I also hesitate to write this because everyone has a different opinion on how things can (or should) be handled. What follows are my current thoughts, feelings, and some knowledge of what is going on. My ideas and plans will change as the information and data we get changes, but my goal is the same: to keep Tink comfortable and pain free.
Some of you know that it looks as if we will be fostering a 10 year old BT mix beginning in mid August. She has just been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. Well, we've been keeping an eye on Tinker for a while for this same disease and while doing some more research for Molly, I have learned even more of what to be looking for in Tinker.

The Following information is from Cushing’s Disease Breakthroughs By Michael Dole. It's an E-book entirely devoted to Cushing's and how to work through it.

The following is a list of common Cushing's symptoms. The fun part is that symptoms do not appear all at once and often mimic old age. These symptoms are also present in other diseases making an accurate diagnosis even more difficult.

• Increased thirst (polydipsia)
• Increased urination (polyuria)
• Loss of urinary control
• Unexplained appetite increase ( polyphagia)-- to some extent, but not extreme
  
• Aggressiveness around food
• Begging, eating from trash cans, stealing food
• Bloated stomach
• Unexplained weight gain or redistribution of weight
• Unexplained weight loss due to loss of muscle mass
• Pronounced bony look to the head
• Inability to exercise
• Overall weakness
• Weakness of the hind legs
• Unusual panting
• Thinning of the coat and/or baldness patterns
• Dull or excessively dry coat
• Excessively slow hair growth
• Thinning of skin
• Tendency for skin becoming easily damaged
• Excessive wrinkling
• Appearance of patched of dark pigmentation
• Presence of calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis)
• Frequent skin or urinary infections
• Diabetes
• Pancreatitis
• Seizures

The symptoms in light pink are ones that Tink displays, with a significant increase in drinking and urination in the past week or so even from her previous levels. Nick is in agreement on these symptoms so I know that I'm not making them up (although maybe that would have been easier...)

I spoke with Dr. Haver directly today and Tink's age is not on her side. He shared that there are other possibilities that could be causing these symptoms including diabetes or her kidneys. Treating Cushing's is a "full time job" according to Dr. Haver. Sometimes treatment is very effective but other times it is not. It is costly both with time and money and it is filled with trial and error. I wanted him to tell me what he would do in our situation, but unfortunately, I couldn't squeak it out of him. What I did get was an honest conversation and as a result we have a starting point to begin with Miss Tink.

There are several testing options for Cushing's but most of them are time consuming and will be very taxing on Tink. I don't want to put Tink through an 8 hour day of testing and blood work if I can avoid it. Tomorrow morning I will be bringing a urine sample for a Urine Cortisol/Creatinine Ratio Test. This test is a screening tool as it will not say that she has Cushing's but it will either effectively rule it out (causing us to look at Diabetes or her kidneys) or rule it in (causing us to look at Cushing's or other diseases that cause these symptoms.)

I need to take first things first and not get ahead of myself with all of this. My main goal is to keep Tink comfortable and pain free. She is getting as much attention and love and care as Nick and I can give her. Our main goal around the house is to spoil her as much as is humanly possible. I will not put her through painful and taxing treatments at her age. I appreciated Dr. Haver's candid way of discussing our options and I know after this first test we'll have another discussion about our options when slightly more information is known. If it's not Cushing's it could be diabetes and Dr. Haver had a much better outlook on treating Diabetes than treating Cushing's Disease. However, he did say he has treated several dogs with Cushing's; some successfully and some not successfully.

We'll know more when this first screening comes back....meanwhile, Tink is still happy when I come home, she loves her food, and has been walking and snuggling ok too. (but doesn't get comfy in the evenings or at night as easily.)

It seems like every other day there is something going on. I've realized though, that if i'm going to foster and work with the older dogs that I need to get used to this and develop some healthy coping strategies to effectively work through all that will come our way. I love Tink so much and the thought of her not being comfortable or having something going on in her body that we can help her with is driving me nuts. I do know that the God of the universe orchestrated getting this pretty little lady into our family and He will walk us through all that is to come one step at a time.

More to follow for sure....