Snapshots of an Evening on Our Couch...

 

Ori is sleeping propped up next to Nick

 

mouth slightly open, snoring away....

tough life here!

meanwhile, Molly is apparently enjoying Ori's frito feet

 

Seriously ladies?  Whatever works....

Oh Miss Moo, we love you!

So Ori has just started growling/snapping at Molly when Ori is on the couch and Molly is coming up.  I don't think it's anything major.  We don't allow it and if it continues, Ori won't be allowed on the couch....it's that simple.  I'm hoping.  Once Moo is up, everyone is ok (as evidenced by the pictures posted tonight).  As is, if Ori doesn't stay down off us while we're eating, she ends up taking a break in her crate.  She can be relentless.  A firm "no" and pushing her down to the ground several times means nothing to her...  She is getting better but she has ended up in her crate a few times so we can eat in peace.  I keep reminding myself that she is just a puppy and we will get through these puppy behaviors.

On a positive note, potty training went much better today!  We've been watching her like a hawk and when in doubt, we take her out.

Meanwhile, we're doing what we can to take care of Moo.  Her underbelly skin is thinner than I thought (stupid cushings!) so I'm rubbing some organic sesame oil into her belly which is already improving the look and texture of her poor skin.  Proof that no mater how close an eye I think I keep on her, there is still a closer look to be made.  One day at a time my beautiful little Moo!

The Joys of Snow....

....the pains of potty training.  So this nice storm dropped over 2 feet of snow on us in our little town Friday night into Saturday.  I don't think I've seen a storm quite like this in PA in the 9 years I've lived here.  I grew up getting snow like this in Massachusetts (oh the snow forts, snow men, snow creatures we used to make!) but this was pretty cool down here until I helped shovel out the cars.  Two feet of light and fluffy snow isn't light and fluffy on a shovel : )  I couldn't let Nick clear them out by himself on his birthday though!

As you can imagine, the snow fall was so great that the snow towers over the girls walking down the snow blown paths.  The piles of snow pushed by the snow plows are huge!  Finding grass for the girls is a distant dream but overall they're learning to adapt, somewhat.  We have a small area out back shoveled out and Molly, who is all business, does her business right away and comes inside.  Ori has taken a different approach.  She does a little piddle and then comes inside to finish her business, it's too cold out there for her!  It's not from a lack of trying on our part though.  All 4 of us bundled up yesterday evening and went for a walk around the apartments and Ori managed to escape doing anything important...lol.  She saved it for the carpet, again.  Moo, due to habit, wanted to get into the front yard and literally jumped into the snow in an effort to do her business in her usual spot.  She quickly changed her mind and found a less snow covered place.  It was funny to watch though!

Today is already a better day, Ori actually pooped outside this morning--go Ori!  She'll get the hang of it, we're getting the hang of it and learning even more about her body language and routine. W've started gating her in the kitchen if either 1 of us can't watch her for more than 1 second.  We'll get there. I also had the 2 girls snuggled in bed with me for a few hours this morning....what a wonderful way to spend 2 hours! 

Yesterday Nick taught Ori to jump up on the couch.  She loves that squeaky stuffy and before she knew it she was up on the couch following it a few times yesterday.  Later that evening she just jumped up when she wanted to sleep on the couch...  She also jumped up on the bed to get the stuffy but still doesn't do that one on a consistent basis (I'm ok with that!)

I don't know how quickly the trilostane works, but it seemed that Molly was more Molly like yesterday and less ravenous already.  She slept in bed with me until 9am too....  Nick and I were both pretty impressed with her mood and behavior yesterday after 1 half dose.  We'll see how she does this week.

We must have tuckered Ori out playing so much in the house yesterday because she is already sleeping with Moo on the couch with us.  Hey, it's hard work being a puppy!

I don't have any pictures of the girls in the snow, but we hope to remedy that situation today.  Hopefully some pictures to follow soon!

Oh Miss Moo....

So apparently the eye ointment isn't supposed to make her eye more red and puffy initially.  It seems she may be allergic to the carrier ointment.  Poor Molly and poor Dr. Haver.  He said he keeps trying but can't seem to find something that will work for her!  We stopped her ointment since yesterday evening but Molly's forgetful Mom forgot to call the doc again today...first thing in the morning!  her eye certainly looks better than it did before we started using the ointment, but it's certainly not where we want it to be yet.

I came home to a poopy/vomity mess by the front door... I'm not sure what caused it, but it's possible her new bone was partly to blame.  She just laid on the couch and didn't even follow me into the kitchen when I came home initially.  She did eat 1/2 rations for dinner tonight and everything came out ok on our walk this evening.  Thank God for vinegar and the steam cleaner.  Our carpet is not the worse for the wear although it is quite the rude house warming gift.  Oh miss Moo....please feel better soon.

Aside from tonight's events she still continues to look very good weight wise, skin and coat wise.  She's been drinking and eating normal amounts and is displaying very few Cushinoid symptoms....hopefully the Cushex is helping and it will stay this way!

More good news rescue wise.  Duke and Dutchess were 2 fosters that were adopted together this afternoon!!!  Yay!!!

Molly's Big Bone

If someone had tried to tell me a few months ago just how much I was going to love this dog,  I would have to his/her face cried "liar!  It will never happen!"  Just shows what a sense of humor God has.  This Molly dog knows how to make my day.  Saturday afternoon we gave Moo this big bone and she watched with anticipation as I unwrapped it.  When I handed it to her, she took it in her mouth and proceeded to parade around the house with the happiest dancy prancy movement I've ever seen from her!  She frolicked and moved so that Nick and I couldn't help but laugh and laugh at her happiness.  It That moment absolutely made it worth giving the bone to her.

Since then, she carries this bone everywhere.  She chewed on it all afternoon yesterday and barely made a dent it in.  So far, no stringiness from it either which it great.  Last night she carried the bone to bed with her and when I tucked her in I placed her bone next to her head so she would know where it is.  Well in the middle of the night she must have gotten hungry and she started to chew on it.  Right activity, wrong time.  So I put it up on the shelf.  Of course it was dark and she couldn't find it anymore so she went frantic looking for it.  Nick turned the light on to show her the bone was on top of the shelf and she could have it in the morning.  My silly girl.

She must have thought the bone was still on the shelf even after I moved it this morning.  When we came home from the vet, the first thing she did was go down the hallway yodeling as she went jumping up at the shelf for the bone.  Of course, I was on my way to work, so she settled for a kong.  She did the same thing when I came home unexpectedly midday.  As soon as I walked through the door she boogied it down the hall yodeling and jumping for this bone.  (I didn't have the heart to show her that it was on the table in the dining room.)  Finally when I came home from work this evening, she did the same thing!  I pulled the bone from the table and called her back to me.  Boy was she a happy girl!  She's chewing and chewing and chewing!  Fortunately her teeth are still holding strong.  No blood is a good thing!

 Molly and I headed to the vet this morning after a phone call with Dr. Haver.  Her eye has an infection which was cause by the steriod drops.  Dr. Haver was very relieved to hear I stopped those the moment her eye got worse.  We now have an antibiotic ointment for her eye to put in 2-3 times a day.  She's holding her eye open more now, but it looks all red and droopy.  I have explicit directions to call Dr. Haver every day with an update.  He stood there and looked at her for a long time, but didn't tell me what he was thinking.  I'm learning a lot about Cushings, but I think the latest is that the body doesn't heal like a normal dog.  Things can go bad quickly with a dog with Cushings.  I'm hoping her eye heals quickly and this is all a thing of the past....

I don't think she has enough stuff to chew and play with....  And she loves to lay on both beds at the same time!  Love my Moo Shoo!

Changes

....sometimes life throws things at you that are totally unexpected.  Fortunately, with a strong support network, those unexpected moments can just about bearable.  It was quite the week over here.  It took a while, but we realized that Madison has some separation anxiety issues that we are not adequately equipped to handle working full time and living in an apartment.  God is so good though.  The powers that be in the rescue were incredibly supportive and a plan was developed literally in 1 night. We boarded her 1 day and then Madison moved to a foster home with a trainer who can adequately help Madison work through her SA and become a well adjusted little girl.  Hopefully, we'll be able to help another little old one sooner than later....

Madison appears to be settling into her new foster home very well now.  I am pleased that Sandy and her pack will be able to help Madison.

In the Molly world, her eye is bothering her again.  It was slowly doing better until thursday night.  I meant to call Dr. Haver on Friday, but with the madison craziness I forgot.  First thing tomorrow morning we will see what we can get done for her....  It bothers her but it hasn't been stopping her from chewing on bones ALL weekend.   I just don't want her to be in pain.

On a positive note, Monday we were told to stop the trilostane until we can get her diarrhea under control (which can be a side effect of the trilstane.)  The Cushex we ordered before Christmas (an herbal and homeopathic product specifically for Cushings) finally came on Wednesday so we have been using that twice a day.  I'm hoping that it might do it's intended job and keep the Cushing's symptoms under control.  We added slippery elm to her diet as well as more rice and we're using a single protein source instead of 2 as well to help the diarrhea.  Overall we're moving in the right direction....I'm hoping that maybe we don't need to start her back on the trilostane.  If we do though, I know that we will be splitting her dose in 2 as studies have shown lower more frequent dosing cuts down on side effects, which is what we want.  Molly is a bit more bony that I like to see her, but as Linda from the rescue reminded me she's 11 years old.  This just may be how her body is going to look.  She's stopped pooping 8 times a day since I've been giving her just over 1/2 cup of home cooked food twice a day...she's back down to 2 or 3 with no accidents in the house which is just fabulous.

The steam cleaner came last week and we spent the afternoon playing with it, the couch, chair, floor around the couch, corners, the wall, the BATHROOM (holy cow does it look nice), drapes, the linoleum, etc etc....  I love that it disinfects and doesn't use any chemicals... definitely a good buy!!!

I have some pics of Moo chewing on a new bone we gave her a few days ago...it's a compressed rawhide bone from onlynaturalpet.com.  I'm not usually a rawhide fan, but I watched Moo chew 1 at my parents and she did really well with it.  This compressed bone is fabulously tough for her and doesn't get stringy.  She chewed in all afternoon and barely put a dent in it.  When we gave it to her, she literally put it in her mouth and danced around the living room wiggling and frolicking.  It was the cutest thing and definitely worth the $4 in and of itself!!!

Moo Shoo's Vet Visit 10-22-09

I took Moo to the vet this morning. I dreaded it and avoided making the appointment until I knew I couldn't wait any longer. We arrived a bit early and of course Molly cleaned the floor and then had time to jump up and sit on the bench with me. Dr. Haver called us in as he always did with Tink, "Lay-dees" starting on a lower tone and ending on a higher note.

Again, he is pleased with how her coat looks "not many cushings dogs have a coat like this." He cautioned us to watch out for a little potbelly. I can't imagine! Not our little moo!

She ended up having a yeast infection in both ears. She wasn't thrilled with the q-tips in her ears, poor girl, but she did ok. He gave us some low dose steriod drops to help. He didn't want to mess with too much and he seemed to think this would help. I can only imagine how long her ears have been like this...have I been that distracted? umm, yes (unfortunately).

We had a fecal sample done just cause Nick pulled something long out of her butt the other day and couldn't ID it and we know that she's eaten poop on us several times. It's not like she's not eating fabulous food here!!! We're doing our best to be diligent but she is FAST!!!! No worms, but a LOT of plant pollen. Plant pollen? seriously? ... oh miss moo... I could only laugh and shake my head.

Dr. Haver isn't concerned about the 1 bump on her leg. The other lump on her shoulder area, he thinks is a mast cell tumor. He doesn't want to touch it right now because as he explained if we agitate it, we could make it worse. He held his hands out about as big as a little basketball and explained that that is how much tissue would have to be removed to make sure we get all the little tendrils from the tumor. So for now, we're going to monitor it. At least now he's aware of it and it's charted and documented. He started saying this is what happens with the older ones and I said I know... I gotta be prepared and he's gotta be prepared for another little old one at some point!

Miss Moo earned a frozen marrow bone that I picked up on the way home from the vet's this morning. While she was chewing I put the drops in...easy as pie. Boy did she love that bone!! She finally caught on that she needed to keep it on her blanket. It made me smile to see her so blissfully happy with a silly little bone.

You can tell her ears are bothering her. I hope this helps quickly for her sake. The yeast could be from an allergy...it could come back... at least this way we have more drops if needed! What a good little Moo Shoo : )

Time to Update! Molly gets sick...

So Thursday night we're ready for sleep and Tinker is nesting her bed, refusing to settle. Molly is chewing her big bone and not ready for sleep. Nick and I are exhausted from late nights and a busy week and we're ready to crash. We finally take the bone away from Molly and throw Tink into bed (and she immediately lays down and begins snoring. No word of a lie.)

I didn't realize this, but Molly never fully settled that night. And for good reason. She spent all night (every 1/2 to full hour) getting up and puking or going outside with rather ummm explosive diarrhea. She was limping earlier and had been a little off to begin with early in the day. All night from midnight to quarter til 5, Nick and I were up with the Moo Mama. Nick was really good with her, but he doesn't do puke, so I had to assist at certain points in the night!

We must have missed her trying to get us up or she didn't tell us, but she didn't get outside for a very important trip that should have been outside... instead it ended up under our dining room table. It was not such a pleasant surprise after a rather sleepless night... Every pertinent cleaning supply in our closet was no match for this level of disgusting. Our house reeked. And with that humid damp weather we were having, it wasn't moving!

To make things worse, Molly refused to eat anything on Thursday morning (not even a morsel!) which was a huge red flag for me. She just looked sick. She sacked out on the couch and couldn't even bring herself to get up and go outside. Obviously this was an immediate phonecall to the vet. Dr. Haver seemed to think it could have been a reaction to the Trilostane and instructed us to keep her off that for a few days. She was still drinking which was a really good sign and according to him, her not eating for the time being was a good sign too. We fasted her Thursday morning (obviously, she woudn't eat.) But by 10:30am, she was already perking up and acting hungry again. We gave her a tiny piece of turkey to see if she could hold it down, which she did and then gave her a fraction of her dinner in 2 separate sittings to see how she would do with that. And since then, she has been normal.

2 days later, she's back to her normal diet and is acting just fine. We haven't added the Trilostane back to her diet yet. (I was supposed to call Dr. Haver friday morning and I forgot...will call on Monday.) He shared that we would probably drop her dose to every other day for a while and see how that goes. So we'll give her a dose tomorrow morning and then skip Monday and see what he has to say then. If she does fine on every other day, then for sure, that's what I vote to do! She hasn't shown any signs of regression since she's been off the trilostane either, another good sign.

We decided Thursday evening that the spot needed to be steam cleaned. In fact, the carpet in general could use a good cleaning (we can thank Tink for much of that too...) We priced out the spot bots and other comparable spot cleaning machines, but in the end we decided to rent a rug doctor and get down to business. Friday was a beautiful evening spent vaccuming, moving furniture and cleaning our carpets. The end product is a beautiful clean carpet with no hint of sickness under our dining room table!

Molly's feeling better, our carpets look great, Nick and I slept very well thursday and friday night, all in all it could have been a lot worse!

Molly Vet Appt 9-11-09

So Molly and I took a trip in the rain over to see Dr. Ramos the holistic vet in Palmyra this afternoon. I liked her very much. She was pleasant and knowledgeable, she didn't beat around the bush, yes she wasn't harsh. She came in and spoke with me, got to know Molly and she explained her philosophy and the holistic approach that she takes. She said that there are some things that she will use herbs and a more natural approach (her strength is acupuncture and massage therapy) where other areas she believes those approaches will not work or be nearly as effective.

The long and the short of it is this: Dr. Ramos would not change anything in Molly's current treatment (or living conditions.) The Trilostane is working beautifully in her professional opinion. She loves the way her coat looks, her weight is perfect, she loves the home cooked diet and the supplement regime that we are using (good building blocks for her health as she described it). Dr. Ramos said she never would have known that Molly has cushings without looking at her chart. She recommended a full panel yearly though (including liver enzymes, thyroid, etc) if everything continues to go well. If something were to change, bring her in early (obviously.)

It felt so good to hear the vet praise how good Molly looked and how well adjusted she appeared to be! She valued what we are doing and seemed to think it was suiting Molly beautifully! She also stated that a dog with Cushing's who is regulated can live for another 6 or 7 years. Although as she said Molly's a "'98 Model" and basically implied that she's older and that length of time isn't necessarily feasible for Molly. But certainly a few years, a few good healthy, happy, and active years are.

On another note, the two girls were snuggled up on the couch between Nick and me this evening while we watched a movie....it was so stickin' cute!

Finding routine....

Molly came into our home on Saturday and fortunately, for all of us, Molly has been transitioning fairly easily. She's a basic Boston love and just wants to be where the people are, but not in an anxious I'm-going-to-chew-your-furniture-if-you-leave-me kind of way or anything. Both of the girls are sleeping through the night, although 7am rolls around and Molly definitely has to go out. But that's totally ok as most nights that means she's made it almost 9 hrs.

Tinker totally didn't want to get out of bed this morning. She actually went back to her bed before breakfast. I guess she didn't want to wait while I put together the turkey, sweet potato, jasmine rice (her fav!), carrots, cabbage, and cottage cheese. I had to go get her and as soon as she finished she was back to bed. Slightly unusual for her, but not completely. She didn't finish her dinner last night, but I gave her a healthy portion. Maybe she's just missing the venison....lol, it's a tough life being a dog in this house.

I look at Tink compared to Molly and Tink looks years younger. Her coat is beautiful, she's well muscled, and she's obviously well taken care of. To be honest, I was embarrassed to have Molly in Petsmart with us when we were getting a tag for her because of her condition. I am totally aware though, that given a few weeks, a nice bath and cleaning, consistent exercise, and a routine, that Molly will look and act years younger herself. All good things take time and I must be patient. I've been slowly cleaning the gunkiness off Molly's face and she seems to be enjoying the rubs and getting years of dirty fur off her face (smart girl.) I'll probably wait to bathe her until after we come back from camp, so as not to totally traumatize her. I'm hoping with some nice walks that Molly's back end with get some strength and tone to it.

We have a vet appt for Molly on thursday to take care of a host of things from heartworm testing, to checking her cushing's meds to checking for worms.

She really is a darling little girl. I don't want to say that she's going to be a permanent foster because there may be some family that falls in love with her and wants to care for her in her final years, but I am also trying to be realistic. I don't want to deprive Molly of a forever home in her final years but if the perfect one doesn't come around, we will gladly be that home for her. Nick and I joke saying that we hope we have a doggie retirement community rather than a hospice care center. It's kind of a sick joke, but we just try to keep the humor around here, and the little golden girls don't seem to mind : )

Both are peacefully sleeping at the moment. Nick and I are totally enjoying this adventure we have been given!

Time for the Happy Dance!

I spoke with Dr. Haver about Tink's blood work this afternoon. He is very impressed with her numbers for her age! (we can blame that on her good diet and consistent exercise!!!) Her thyroid numbers look fabulous and I was afraid he was going to say we still haven't found the issue but...

...her kidney numbers are slightly elevated, enough that it could be causing her to drink and pee more. He said there is nothing medically that we need to do right now. He did recommend feeding her a diet consisting of 20% or less protein to start. (I did just a bit of research yesterday and we're going to play around with more home made diet stuff first I think....it may be more of a phosphorus issue than a protein issue, but we shall see)

So that's that. There are some really good supplements to help support and help her kidneys including b complex vitamins, Vitamin C (ester variety : ), omega 3's, etc.... so we're going to pick up a few items to see if we can help her little body out.

All in all, fabulous news! We'll see if we can help her little body need less water so we can slow the peeing in the house and going out in the middle of the night, but if not, at least we know at this point it's not life threatening. She's just aging, and apparently quite gracefully!

This little dog makes my heart smile so much! And now i have a new project to research and learn more about. We'll see how we can help her be as comfortable as possible : )

No more testing, no more waiting...still lots of spoiling, but now I will be much more conscious about the protein level in the treats.... of course the duck and turkey treats are 60% and 70% protein respectively!!! Ha, in moderation until they are gone...

Love me some Tink!!!

Update from Tink's 7/30 Vet Visit

So Tink and I made the drive out to Leola this morning to visit Dr. Haver and have some more tests done. Dr. Haver said that Tink looks the best she's looked! He loves her skin & coat, her weight is perfect (a whopping 13.6 lbs) and overall she looks very good. He even asked what we're feeding her! And again he smiled that "you spoil her look" when i said that we make a meatloaf that we mix in to her food : )

OK, so the test results. The urine test indicated she does NOT have diabetes. He said that while both the diabetes and cushings are not likely, they still can't be ruled out completely. He did say that they move way down the list of possibilities though. He ran some blood work to check kidneys and I think thyroid (although it could be pituitary gland? All the organs are getting mushed in my brain!) We'll have those results tomorrow.

Apparently Cushings and Diabetes are the two toughest to treat. Kidney failure is easier to help her body function comfortably for a long as possible...? I need to do some research tonight and see what the heck I should be looking for in her!

I'm really praying that this is the last of the tests and that something will come back with an answer...if not, I'm really going to need to stop and examine what else it could be and the risks associated if we don't pursue them...

But for now, so far, all good news. Tink was less than thrilled about them taking blood from her though! The dehydrated turkey was little consolation (although she didn't turn it down!)

Here's to some good news (and some answers) tomorrow!

Tinker's Creatinine/Cortisol Test Results are in....

...Tinker does NOT have Cushing's Disease! I am so relieved! (I can't imagine working with 2 dogs simultaneously with Cushing's; I think one is going to present enough challenges!)

So while this is good news, we still don't know why Tink is presenting with the symptoms that she has. We have a vet appointment for her on Thursday morning to do some blood work and a urine analysis to check for diabete's and kidney issues. I'm really hoping that these are the last tests that need to be done for her. I'm praying for some answers from these tests that provide some clear guidelines to help Tink live as comfortable and happy as she can be!

She's been romping around in the back field like a little puppy when we go out the past few days. It's one of those things that I HAVE to smile and giggle when I watch her play like a little pup. When I don't think my heart can love her any more, it grows to fit those small moments of Tinker joy.

She made it until 5am 2 nights ago and 6am this morning before she really needed to go out and pee. I'm hoping we can stretch her just until 7, but if not, we'll do what we need to... although this broken sleep thing (cause she moves around in the middle of the night poking her little paws into me) is for the birds!

So that's the good news for tonight! We'll keep everyone posted and updated as we figure out what is going on with the one and only Miss Tink!

Thoughts

So we won't have the results of the creatinine/cortisol test until early next week which leaves us waiting for a few days...

Tink had a very nice day yesterday. She was alert and very ready and willing to walk both in the morning and in the evening. We had some nice snuggle and treat time (and some teeth brushing thrown in for good measure.) Nick is really making sure that she gets LOTS of treats and as a result, we're gonna have to cut Tink's kibble just a hair... She is thoroughly enjoying the extra spoiling. Which reminds me, on our grocery shopping excursions this weekend, I'd like to pick up the necessary fixins' for some meatloaf for the little one.

Tink was slightly less active today than yesterday and didn't want to walk this evening. She walked ok this morning though. I want to make sure that when we walk, there is plenty of time for her to sniff and take our time enjoying being outside.

We realized a day or so ago, that in the middle of the night when Tink gets up and then doesn't settle in bed (resulting in a long night of walking up every 30 min or so) that she really needs to pee. So we've been getting up in the wee (ha, pun intended) hours of the morning to give her a potty break.

I also realized (apparently Nick has known for a while...) that the beautiful bed that I made Tink a while ago now, is not her favorite. She nests on all the other beds in the house and seeks them out (up to several times) after being placed on the bed in the back for the night. So last night we came up with the bright idea of putting one of her favorite nesting beds and on top of the other bed...wouldn't ya know! It combined the best of both worlds, softness AND a head rest. Heaven here on earth : ) We compared it to a pillow top mattress : ) She settled right down and slept until 4am this morning (as opposed to 12:30-1am.)

I want to keep these posts as upbeat yet as honest as possible. She's currently sleeping here right nex to me all warm and snuggly : ) We're watching one of Nick's favorites America's Funniest Videos. Unfortunately Tinker doesn't appreciate the humor quite the same way he does. We could hear him laughing all the way down the stairs on Tink's last potty break; we just shook our heads and smiled.

Ha, ok so now i'm just rambling about randomness... And we're soon off to sleepy time....here's to a fun filled weekend and some good news on the other side...

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....