Sunday, August 18, 2019

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?


So Skye needs dental work done. The vet has suggested it for 3 years now and Mark refused the high prices to have it done. So now she has to have work done with at least six extractions! 

Since she has a fatty tumor on her chest it is a good time to get that done also since you wouldn't want to pay all the tests preformed ahead of time all over again. So the estimate is just under $1,400!!!!!!

She had her blood work done and when they called with the results, which are all fine for the surgery to be done, they believe that she might have Cushing's Disease. Medication for Cushing's Disease is $54 for a 30 day supply. 

Obviously I have done a lot of research. Here's the thing, Skye does not have any of the warning signs for this disease. Not one of them! Also a dog with Cushing's Disease can live almost as long as a dog who was treated with medication. 

Also in my research I found that there are several natural approaches that can be used. The reviews on the one I shared are very promising. It would cost less and have way less side effects then the prescription from the vet. 

Actually the doctor mentioned that there has been a good response to CBD oils. Of course those are expensive too. So we are picking up her $54 medication on Monday when they check her blood pressure to see if maybe she has hypertension. 

Well if you know Skye you would know that she is filled with anxiety. Always has been. We have just learned to live with her behavior. She doesn't like loud noises, is afraid of the noise from a bag of potato chips and runs under the bed if you are chopping vegetables in the kitchen. If the TV is loud you will find he sleeping in another room. 

My plan right now is to maybe give her a pill every other day or half a day depending on the type of pill it is. Then maybe switching over to the natural approach. Skye will be 11 in January. Most dogs, if they have Cushing's Disease, will live at least 3 years being treated or not treated. 

What would you do?

11 comments:

MadSnapper said...

we are all so different, so what I would do might be a long way from what you would do. what kind of tumor and does it really NEED to be removed. Baby had one removed and all the years since we wished we did not. they said a simple removal, it ended up an 8 inch incision and she suffered for days and days from it. she had 7 of the same tumors all over her body when she died at age 15. they never bothered her, just did not look pretty. you said they THINK she has Cushing's, for me I would go the natural or no way. what I look at in our dogs is 1. are they suffereing? in pain? that is the one thing I would never let them do... is Skye is acting happy and her normal anxious self, I would think long and hard... sorry you are going through this with her.it is so hard to know what to do... I don't get why so many vets are pulling teeth and cleaning teeth. I have had 25 plus dogs and never had their teeth cleaned or any that needed to be pulled. of course mine were all tough mix breed rescues.

Sue said...

OH my Debbie this is a hard one, since losing our dear Jack last August I have asked so many question, did we do enough! If natural remedies would have helped I would probably have gone that way! I know the meds we gave jack had so many side effects.
I will be praying for you.
Susan

Sandi said...

I would never have thought dogs would need blood pressure medication. To be honest, I am suspicious of medicine being over-prescribed for humans and now for dogs. Healthy eating, exercise, sunshine, do that for a while and have her re-checked. That's what I would do. Also, the surgery if it is necessary. I like natural remedies if at all possible.

Love Bears All Things said...

I've thought of this dilemma before. My son had a dog which was diabetic and had to have shots twice a day. I'm not sure just how far I would go. My daughter has her dogs teeth cleaned regularly. I've wondered what I would do if our 14 year old cat began to have serious health problems. He has Hyperthyroidism and we have to crush a pill into his wet food every day but that isn't too costly. If he wasn't suffering, I think I'd decide to end his life. I don't think anyone can make this decision for you.
Mama Bear

Mevely317 said...

I can't add much more than what's already been thoughtfully offered. I will add, my Caraleigh had to have 5 teeth extracted at age 11; hers was not an easy recovery. On the advice of their vet, we had Macie and Grace's teeth cleaned last year: preventive medicine, as it were. Grace came through like a champ, but they had a real challenge getting Macie to wake from the anesthesia. Tom's said, "Never again!" Everyone's case is different; perhaps you'd feel comfortable getting a second opinion?

Pam said...

Bless her heart. I would have them check more if you say that she has none of the warning signs. My Dakota has Lymphoma. He is fine, still plays, still acts right, eats good.....well, he eats more then he should but he eats! We love our babes. I had to have some of his teeth removed a few months ago. Him and Chey. He is 12.Hoping you babe is doing well and it turns out to be nothing bad.

Ann said...

It's tough making decisions where the fur babies are concerned. You want to do all you can for them but I sometimes question the vets decisions. Are they really telling you things that are necessary or are they just trying to pad the bill and make more money. Personally if they told me my dog had something but wasn't showing any of the symptoms I would choose not give them meds. That's a tough one.

betty said...

Our vet would tell us Koda needed dental cleaning, etc. None of the other dogs we had we had that done so we just let it go and didn't do it. We treated him with chemo for his cancer because he was just over 6 years old but we knew if he was older that we wouldn't have done it. Just tried to keep him comfortable. What is the lifespan of dogs like Skye? Its one of those things to look at and consider. Vets are wonderful and I truly appreciate them but they are like any other business, trying to up sale services, etc. Do what you feel comfortable doing and then don't second guess yourself with it later. We never regretted our decisions about Koda and his health but we also knew when his cancer came back that at age 10 and with him being blind and with diabetes, it was just time to say goodbye and be merciful as painful as it was. In the "old days" a lot of pets I'm sure had similar conditions like Skye and Koda but the people rarely took them to the vets. I had a neighbor once that said I treated Koda like a person and not a dog. To her, a dog was a dog. To me he was much more (make sense?)

You'll make the right decision for Skye. I know you will.

I know a little about Cushing disease and I just googled it for dogs. Does she have the symptoms that they list? I remember years ago when the kids were younger and I always worried about taking them to the doctor when they were sick, the pediatrician's nurse gave me this great advice. She said if they were sick but still eating okay, sleeping okay and pretty much doing their daily activities, they didn't need to be seen. But if they were not eating okay, sleeping okay, lethargic, etc., they probably needed to be seen. Judge how Skye is feeling and what she is doing.

And like someone else said, if you have concerns do seek out a 2nd opinion.

Let us know what you go with!

betty

Cathy said...

Debby: I am so sorry your are having these medical concerns with Skye. It's so hard. I have no advice to offer, but I will pray that God will give you wisdom to make the right decisions. It may seem silly to pray for our dogs, but I know God cares about them. Psalms 36:6 "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord." I so love that God not only cares for us, but he cares for animals too.

Chatty Crone said...

I would leave the fatty tumor. It is not life threatening.
I would give her the natural medicine.
The only thing I don't know about is the teeth.
Is it life threatening?
Sorry wish I knew more.
Love, sandie

Secret Agent Woman said...

I don't think anyone can, or should, tell you what decision to make with your own pet. It's such a personal decision. Me, I'm a pragmatist. Given the short life-spans, I tend not to do much beyond routine care. I'd never let my pet suffer, but I probably wouldn't treat a chronic or terminal disease. But again, that's just me.

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