Cushings and pancreatitis

Jade's doing really well on her cancer treatment.  She said she wanted to write a blog, too, but she can't figure out how to use the pen.  I'm not telling her I use a computer.  That's way easier as I use my toenails to hit the keys. 

Mom has been doing a lot of research about Cushings disease as I’ve been diagnosed with it.  There is one more test coming up soon, an ultrasound to look for tumors on my adrenal gland.  Good grief.  I’m getting tired of taking tests where I can’t eat.  You have to know that eating is what Beagles do best, and I’m a master at it.  Plus, skipping a meal is critical for me as I’ve been dropping weight like a rock, and really can’t afford to lose more.

We went in for my ultrasound on Friday, Jan. 22, and discovered in just that short time of about a week, I’d lost nearly another pound.  My mom was really getting scared because I’m nothing more than skin over bones, my neck is skinny and stringy looking and my butt bones are quite prominent and sharp to where it seems they’ll poke through my skin.

I’m a happy dog, though, and always glad to see other dogs, cats and people.  It was quite the day.  I couldn’t have food after 9 p.m. the previous night even though my test wasn’t scheduled until 1 p.m.  A Beagle could starve to death.  Mom had an appointment for her knee for a new treatment she’s trying and Jade had to go in for bloodwork to see how she’s doing on her cancer meds.  It was a day that was all about doctor and vet appointments.  Yep, we’ve been keeping mom busy.

Finally, mom came to get me at about 5 p.m.  She was told my vet, Chris, wouldn’t be in the clinic to talk to her until the following Tuesday, four days away.  She was concerned because we’re getting closer to her departure date, especially since I keep losing weight.  I’m only 27.8 pounds, now down more than 7 pounds.  She was asked if she’d like to talk with Riley, who also had the information.  Yep, she would.

Riley came out and showed mom my ultrasound pictures.  I’m sure they were quite beautiful because I am a very good-looking boy.  As it turned out, Riley said there were spots or something on my pancreas, and he was thinking I might have pancreatitis.  If so, they can do a blood test to confirm it.  But the clinic staff had already given me treats, so we couldn’t do it that day and I’d have to go without food yet another evening after 9 and then come in for them to draw blood the following Monday.

I do enjoy my comforts.  I lay on the couch all the time, usually right up next to mom cuz I love her.

If it’s pancreatitis there’s a powder that acts like an enzyme could be put on my food and then it would help me digest it instead of it just going in one end and out the other without me getting any nutrients to fuel my body and keep weight on me. 

Although, I have to say, with mom trying to put weight on me I’ve been getting three and four times the usual amount of food, and special food, too, like boiled hamburger and rice.  I’ve been enjoying eating and eating and eating.  It’s what Beagles do, and since I’m so good at it, I’ve eaten it all.  The only problem is that it’s given mom and pop a lot more to clean up out in our yard.  That doesn’t make them happy.  Barooooooooohhhh. 

In the meantime, until we do the test and get those results, Riley said mom could give me the powder to see if it helps.  As he’d not seen a case of this in four years they didn’t have any of the enzyme powder, so the techs would be calling around on Saturday to see if they could find some for her.  I know mom is really hoping this works because she doesn’t want to lose me.  Of course not.  I’m her handsome boy.

Being sick ... a Beagle's story

My mom learned Friday, Jan. 15, that I have Cushings disease.  She doesn’t yet know if it’s the adrenal gland tumor or brain type.  She’s very upset and crying all the time.  I’m lying next to her as much as I can, but I don’t know that it helps.  She feels hopeless because she had taken me to the vet because I’d been losing weight (five pounds as it turned out), drinking a lot of water and pooping way more than usual.  She thought it was diabetes, and she knows that can be treated.

I'm the goofy one and have my mom's heart.

The vet first did a blood test and found I had a bladder infection that they gave me pills for.  I don’t mind pills cuz I usually get an extra treat for it.  By the time I went back to the vet in three weeks I’d lost another pound.  I’m pretty thin anyway because mom doesn’t let me get overweight since when she got me I’d had an untreated broken leg that she was told in time would atrophy so I’d not be able to use it.  So I cannot afford to lose weight.

I went back to the vet Thursday, Jan. 14, for a day-long blood test.  That’s the one that said I had Cushings.  Mom has been trying to read about it, and much of what she’s read isn’t good news.  Others have been able to keep their fur babies for quite a while with certain treatments, so I know that’s what she’s hoping for.  But she still keeps crying because she doesn’t know enough yet.

 

Pop and Jade, September 2015.

Maybe me being sick wouldn’t be so bad if it were just me, but pop’s girl, Jade, had a splenectomy in early-December.  She weighed 23.5 pounds, and they removed a 1.4-pound tumor.  The vet said that usually as ugly and big as it was, that type is normally benign.  It wasn’t.  Jade will probably have 3-12 months.  Mom could do chemo for three months, but she and pop chose not to based on quality of life.  So Jade gets an anti-inflammatory, cancer-inhibiting pill once a day. 

Jade might be sick, but you’d never know it.  She’s like the old Jade … demanding, playing, lively, barking too much, being bossy.  Mom’s been giving her special treatment, too.

Jade looks slim and trim after losing the tumor.  I'm looking at her in a whole different way.

I know it’s hard for mom because Daisy Mae has been sick, too, throwing up.  She figures it’s cuz Daisy got in the bird seed and she’s allergic to nuts.  It’s been a long, hard road this fall and winter.  And I can only cuddle up to her and give her love, as she gives me cuz we're her kids.  I sleep right up next to her heart, and she knows I have a huge piece of it.

I’ll try to do some updates.  Mom has some good friends who are telling her things because they’ve had fur babies with cancer and Cushings so hopefully those things will help Jade and me, too. The upside is that I'm getting lots and lots of extra food.  But all this couldn’t have come at a worse time since mom’s going on vacation in less than a month and will be gone for two months.   But maybe I’ll live a long time and she won’t be so sad.

We talk, he walks

The other day mom took the not-a-real Beagle with the fancy name Colonel Oliver North, AKA Ollie, or The Pissant, as I call him, to the vet to get his teeth cleaned.  His teeth had turned a bit discolored, unlike my pearly whites, so he was a dog-in-need of a cleaning.  She loaded him in the car and off he went with mom. 

While the Pissant was at the vet the rest of the household was quite calm.  When he is around things are always more frantic.  He’s got some type of terrier in him, Jack Russell, I hear, and so he’s always nervous, always moving around, never calm and relaxed.  The house was way quieter cuz he does a lot of squealing and squeaking in a high-pitched voice that would take paint off the walls.  We all had some quiet time with pop and it was very enjoyable.

Ollie with his ears blowing in the wind.

Mom was home waiting for the call to pick up the Pissant in the afternoon.  She didn’t hear from the vet so she called them because when she went to pick him up she was going to take Daisy and Jade in for some routine shots.  Mine are all up-to-date by-the-way.  The vet clinic told mom that Ollie had just come out of surgery and it would be an hour-and-a-half until she could pick him up.  So everyone settled in for that last bit of quiet time before he came home.

About 15 minutes later mom got a call from the vet office.  She could come pick Ollie up now.  What?  Off she went with the girls to go get him. 

At the vet’s the shots were completed and Ollie was rounded up and harnessed for the ride home.  Turns out he’d come out of his comatose state (his under-anesthesia time) way sooner than they’d expected.  He squealed and squeaked and in their words was “quite annoying.”  Ha!!!  I could have told them that.  The girls said mom told the vet he was a very annoying dog at the best of times.  Yep, he sure is.

Anyway, mom brought everyone back home.  Too bad as I’d been enjoying some quality time with pop.  Oh well.  That’s the pack way … all of us here at one time.

We had our supper and then, wouldn’t you know it … something else different happened.  Mom took a walk, but this time she took the little Pissant with her.  She never takes any of us … we’re too much to handle, you see.  So, the moral of this story is, he acts like a Pissant and gets to walk with mom and gets extra treats.  How do I know that?  Cuz he bragged about marking territory everywhere, and I could smell Milkbone on his breath!!!  Plus I saw mom had photo proof.  Pissant!!!!

The pissing Pissant!!!

 

Beagle comfort

Comfort is a Beagle quality that stands only a tad under our undying love for food.  Mom and Pop like to make sure we have the best of everything to sleep on, to lie on.  Mostly it’s the couch, loveseat and chair, although the chair is not my favorite.  And there are blankets that we can get under to keep us warm and pillows to put our heads on.  I’m usually kind of on the cool side and love to get under the blanket, although I mostly prefer it when Mom’s under the blanket, too.

I get so comfortable and always let Mom take my picture.

But we also have lots of Beagle beds to choose from and a big round bed in the greenhouse that was Mickey’s when she was with us.  (RIP and run free, Mickey.)  They get a lot of use as we all like to sleep in them.  I prefer the smallest one, although Mom thinks I look kind of goofy in it with my head and butt hanging over either edge. 

The other day Mom decided we needed some new Beagle beds as our old ones have gotten kind of ragged from the constant use.  She bought us two new ones with a real soft lining although I’ve not yet been in them.  I’ve only seen it so far.  The girls pretty much claimed them as soon as they came in the door. 

Jade was the first to claim one of the new beds.

Then Daisy Mae got in the act and they both went to sleep.  They can sleep anywhere.

 I’ll bide my time and you can bet I’ll get my turn.   

I don't have to go

How many ways can I tell you?  I don't need to go outside and pee or poop. 

Mom and dad let us out first thing in the morning to do our chores.  Sometimes the others need to go outside cuz they didn't do everything they should have.  I almost always pee and poop first thing cuz that's how my doggie system is set up.  When I don't need to go I do NOT want to go outside.  Mom and dad still try to make me and I don't like that. 

Sometimes I hide behind a pillow or just refuse to get up off the couch.  That might bother my folks but I really don't care.

Leave me alone.  I don't have to go.  But call me when you're giving out the treats.

What I do care about is the treats we always get when we come inside.  I will get up for those.  And usually I'm first in line since we get a Yummy Chummy.  I really like those.

Fourth of July

I am not a willing participant ... as you can see.  But mom wanted me to pose and wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July.  Long live America and the US of A.  Thank you to those who have served, those who will serve and their families.

I also hope people are responsible with their fireworks and only shoot them where legal, which isn't anywhere around our neighborhood.  They scare Daisy Mae.  She's a wimp, I know, but I love her and don't like her getting scared.  Pop doesn't like them either cuz he was in Viet Nam, in the war, where they shot at him. 

This is not my best pose, but I guess I'll get better if mom persists in dressing me up.  I love her anyway.  And by the way, she did not give me the treat she promised me.

Ninja beagles

Who knew we were famous?  And we’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of a photo our mom took a while back.  There was even 111 likes for it when she looked (Beagle Wrangler site).

Today mom got an email from a person who said someone had snatched our photo from my blog and had also altered it.  Well, she had to go out and look at it.  Yep, it sure was us … me (Tuffy), Daisy, Jade and Oliver.  But if you didn’t know us well you might not have recognized us as we are now outfitted with masks and called Teenage Mutant Ninja Beagles.

Photo altered by Beagle Wrangler site to show ninjas.

It’s kind of funny, especially considering none of us are teenagers, and, in fact, Jade is an old girl … 11 or 12 years old.  Let’s see, old school says that’s probably 77-84 years old.  Wow.  She’s old.  Oliver is youngest at 8, or 56-ish.  Nope, no teenagers here.  But we certainly do like the attention and being at center stage.  Baaaarrrrrrooooooohhhhh!  (That’s my beagle song.)