Hi - I just posted an intro, and now I'd like to tell you about what is happening with Angel. She's 8 and we adopted her in Sept because nobody wanted a dog with cushings; that in itself can be a rough road and now we have the disc situation. (Her entire story can be read at caninecushings.net under the threads "Angel update the cushings foster dog" "Angel update trilostane treatment" and "Angel ER visit possible disc surgery") Gee, its my fist discussion post and I hope I didn't break any rules just now! I did read the terms before registering too! (I am a nerd!!
)
I've been sitting in my tiny home office; Angel just had her 7.5 mg of prednisone and after 1 hr she finally lay down and is gently snoring /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif . Duh-now she's up. I am going to copy/paste from the cush site...
This was March 30:
Just when I thought things were under control...I thought Angel may have slipped on the icy snow in the backyard and had a sore muscle. Took her to the vet office, saw my vet's colleague. Got some Metacam for pain (non-steroid anti-inflam). No better after a week. She gets so stressed going to the office so I tried to avoid a return visit. Wed night (2 nts ago), she was crying at 4am, my mind started racing-nerve damage? disc? pit tumor growing? She calmed down after she got up and ate etc. When her pain seemed worse this morning at 4am I drove the hour to RI (great time to go-no waiting!). After she yelped in pain when getting up at 4a, she couldn't even lie down again and was walking with her head hung low...typical disc symtoms that I've experieced first-hand (except I'm not 4-legged with the extra burden of the cush-pups weight causing more pressure/weight on the front.)
The ER vet has a 3-legged beagle and understands alot about them. They injected pain meds and the xrays "did not show any bony tumors or evidence of diskospondilitis. I am suspicious there is a bulging disk in her neck." I got her home and started her on methocarbamol 500mg 1/2 tablet 2-3 times a day, tramadol 50 mg 1 pill 2-3 times a day, and tomorrow she starts on pred! For the pred, she has 5 mg pills-1.5 pills 2x day for 5 days. She is on "floor-rest" - I have gated her in her favorite small room. Carry her outside and down the stairs then back up. When I got home at 430p today, she hadn't peed since last night (Harry was home all day with the dogs). Left a message at regular vet's office to let them know she is going on pred in addition to her 60mg trilostane 1x day. If she is not better in 48 hrs she goes back to RI for an MRI and immediate surgery so they only put her under 1 time.
Silly me, I thought my heart couldn't break any more. Its been 2 years since I've felt this helpless! I had to share - Harry's been great but all of you truly understand. It seems like so may meds for a little 30/32 lb beagle, and she still seems to be in pain! Argh - I can't take it!!!
This was April 1:
Angel continued to do well all day until now, 1030pm. I heard her give that high-pitched beagle cry. It was time for her evening meds of muscle relaxer and pain reliever. I know they take time to kick in but she can't get comfortable. I tried laying her on me on the couch and she just cried in pain. I'm sitting here thinking its my fault that she's had this setback. This afternoon when I carried her to the yard I was also watching Alex and his friend in our half-built treehouse and Angel ran up the stairs to the deck! I think she is paying the price for that now. I am staying positive and saying "three steps forward, one step back."
Today (now):
Ok, I can tell she is in pain when it is close to meds time. She'll stand and her front end will gently shake for an hour, so I stay in the room with her. The ER doc told me today that the neurologist said she can actually see the herniated disc at C2/3 in her neck on an xray! I am told that she will not need an MRI now. Angel has not yelped out in pain once today, and I heard her bark today (its been days since she's barked!) She got away from me at lunchtime and ran up those darn stairs again, so I am harnessing her with her leash when I carry her out. Each day she does something she shouldn't and it truly is my fault. Tomorrow at lunch I am getting a kennel/cage for her. I work 1.5 miles away so she is never alone for more than 3.5 hours.
I am exhausted now /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/tired.gif so I will rest until she is due for her tramadol and methocarbanol at 11pm.
IF YOU'VE READ ALL THIS - THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH! :happyhappy: Joyce and the gang
I've been sitting in my tiny home office; Angel just had her 7.5 mg of prednisone and after 1 hr she finally lay down and is gently snoring /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif . Duh-now she's up. I am going to copy/paste from the cush site...
This was March 30:
Just when I thought things were under control...I thought Angel may have slipped on the icy snow in the backyard and had a sore muscle. Took her to the vet office, saw my vet's colleague. Got some Metacam for pain (non-steroid anti-inflam). No better after a week. She gets so stressed going to the office so I tried to avoid a return visit. Wed night (2 nts ago), she was crying at 4am, my mind started racing-nerve damage? disc? pit tumor growing? She calmed down after she got up and ate etc. When her pain seemed worse this morning at 4am I drove the hour to RI (great time to go-no waiting!). After she yelped in pain when getting up at 4a, she couldn't even lie down again and was walking with her head hung low...typical disc symtoms that I've experieced first-hand (except I'm not 4-legged with the extra burden of the cush-pups weight causing more pressure/weight on the front.)
The ER vet has a 3-legged beagle and understands alot about them. They injected pain meds and the xrays "did not show any bony tumors or evidence of diskospondilitis. I am suspicious there is a bulging disk in her neck." I got her home and started her on methocarbamol 500mg 1/2 tablet 2-3 times a day, tramadol 50 mg 1 pill 2-3 times a day, and tomorrow she starts on pred! For the pred, she has 5 mg pills-1.5 pills 2x day for 5 days. She is on "floor-rest" - I have gated her in her favorite small room. Carry her outside and down the stairs then back up. When I got home at 430p today, she hadn't peed since last night (Harry was home all day with the dogs). Left a message at regular vet's office to let them know she is going on pred in addition to her 60mg trilostane 1x day. If she is not better in 48 hrs she goes back to RI for an MRI and immediate surgery so they only put her under 1 time.
Silly me, I thought my heart couldn't break any more. Its been 2 years since I've felt this helpless! I had to share - Harry's been great but all of you truly understand. It seems like so may meds for a little 30/32 lb beagle, and she still seems to be in pain! Argh - I can't take it!!!
This was April 1:
Angel continued to do well all day until now, 1030pm. I heard her give that high-pitched beagle cry. It was time for her evening meds of muscle relaxer and pain reliever. I know they take time to kick in but she can't get comfortable. I tried laying her on me on the couch and she just cried in pain. I'm sitting here thinking its my fault that she's had this setback. This afternoon when I carried her to the yard I was also watching Alex and his friend in our half-built treehouse and Angel ran up the stairs to the deck! I think she is paying the price for that now. I am staying positive and saying "three steps forward, one step back."
Today (now):
Ok, I can tell she is in pain when it is close to meds time. She'll stand and her front end will gently shake for an hour, so I stay in the room with her. The ER doc told me today that the neurologist said she can actually see the herniated disc at C2/3 in her neck on an xray! I am told that she will not need an MRI now. Angel has not yelped out in pain once today, and I heard her bark today (its been days since she's barked!) She got away from me at lunchtime and ran up those darn stairs again, so I am harnessing her with her leash when I carry her out. Each day she does something she shouldn't and it truly is my fault. Tomorrow at lunch I am getting a kennel/cage for her. I work 1.5 miles away so she is never alone for more than 3.5 hours.
I am exhausted now /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/tired.gif so I will rest until she is due for her tramadol and methocarbanol at 11pm.
IF YOU'VE READ ALL THIS - THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH! :happyhappy: Joyce and the gang