"sighthounds & siberians" wrote in message
...

On Fri, 29 Oct 2010 07:42:10 -0400, "~*LiveLoveLaugh*~"
wrote:


"sighthounds & siberians" wrote in message
.. .

On Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:39:51 -0400, "~*LiveLoveLaugh*~"
wrote:

I have a call into him about the side effects... how bad do they get, is
there pain, etc. As far as it being 'hard' on the dog, that's from what
I've read on Google. Some have said they would have never done it b/c of
the "chemo's" side effects. Another small problem is my vet (who is in
his
mid 50's) has cancer. It's not anything too bad that I know of... but I
do
not know what kind it is. I live north of Syracuse, NY and when I saw my
vet last week, he told me about it (just saying cancer... not what kind)
and
that he was in New York (city) for treatment. Anyway, he's been out of
the
office more than usual. The questions I have are being relayed to me via
a
vet tech right now. This is one reason why I'm Googling and trying to get
info. in here.

But Cushing's isn't cancer, and the drugs the dogs get aren't chemo
drugs. Though I have heard that there can be side effects.

:If Happy were my dog, I'd have a blood chemistry run. That would tell
:you whether there might be other reasons for his excessive drinking
:and urinating such as diabetes or kidney failure, neither of which
:would be unusual in a dog his age. My greyhound's hind end weakness
:is caused by lumbosacral stenosis, which is fairly common in
:ex-racers. I'm thinking that spinal issues might not be uncommon in
:Bassets, but there are other, more common explanations for his hind
:legs shaking too.

Happy had a CBC done in May. He was being put under for a teeth cleaning
(and extraction). Everything was fine then. When I saw the doc last
week,
he didn't think the CBC was necessary right now. That's when he brought
up
Cushing's. From what I was told, the test for Cushing's is different.
Mind
you, I was going into a fog when he brought it up. (Screaming inside,
"no,
no, no, nooooo")!! As far as the legs shaking, he said it was age and
Hap's
elongated back. But that's when he brought up Cushing's, so I am not sure
if it is related to the disease or not.

A CBC isn't a chemistry; it's a complete blood count - red cells,
white cells, etc. A blood chemistry is not a diagnostic test for
Cushing's, but as I understand it, the majority of dogs with Cushing's
have abnormalities in the liver enzymes. If your dog's liver enzymes
are normal, chances are he doesn't have Cushing's. The tests for
Cushing's are pretty expensive, which is why starting with a chemistry
might be a good idea. Also, as I said, it would show any
abnormalities in his blood glucose (diabetes can cause excessive
drinking and urinating) or kidney function (ditto). There are usually
(not always) other signs/symptoms of Cushing's; does Happy have any of
them?

__________

Will know more tonight. Hap is going in today for blood work on his
kidneys, check for diabetes and glucose check. My vet said this is the
least expensive way to check for Cushing's by ruling out other things.

Right. That's what I was referring to.

Hap
has to stay for half a day b/c they do the blood work, wait, feed him, and
do the blood work again. We shall see. Fingers crossed

Let us know.

________

Oh, I definitely will, but it's going to be Tuesday for the testings.
Shannon (vet tech) called this morning to tell me that the one test they do
is done twice and there has to be an 8 hour wait between the two tests. So
Happy is going there Tuesday a.m. to spend the day and then I'll pick him up
at 4:00ish. 'Will keep y'all informed, and THANK YOU for the support!!


·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
Laurie
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸ ·.·

*~*LiveLoveLaugh*~*

All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
~Abraham Lincoln