Guest Cielo Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 I use to be a member of this board and know how helpful everyone was when someone's grey was sick. My boy Demas is very ill. It came on pretty suddenly. Last week we noticed he wasn't eating well and seemed really stiff - he was walking without bending his knees or elbows. We took him to the vet but he wasn't able to determine what was going on - all the blood work appeared pretty normal. Then this weekend he became extremely weak - so weak that he couldn't get up - and he started showing the weight loss from not eating. We took him to a specialty hospital on Monday and he has been there since on supportive care. I have approved every test they can think of but nothing is coming back as a clear diagnosis. Right now they're leaning towards Addison's disease but it doesn't explain the stiffness we saw originally. I've visited him every day and he has improved to the point that he is eating some but he still is very weak and having difficulty moving. The doctor thinks I may be able to take him home tomorrow if his condition doesn't worsen. I've been reading all I can find on Addison's disease and have joined the Yahoo group but I'm wondering if there is anything special to greys that I should be aware of. I've read that Addison's dogs have to be monitored carefully and finding the right diet for them can be difficult. Does anyone have experience with grey having Addison's? Demas is 9 years old - anything special I should know about for older dogs? Thank you so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytexplorer Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 I don't have any personal knowledge about Addison's, but want you to know that I am praying for you and your pup. Get better Demas! Your family needs you! hugs, ~Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ss556 Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Sending my prayers. Hopefully some people here will be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 I know there are a few here who have dealt with Addisons, let's hope they see this. Sending lots of prayers Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 I know there are a few here who have dealt with Addisons, let's hope they see this. Sending lots of prayers I will point Lora to this thread, she and Clemmie battled Addisons so I'm sure she can shed some light for you Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greydogluvr Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Hi. I have a mix breed with Addison's. It is a very scary diagnosis. If it is addison's please let me know how I can help. Once diagnosed my main concern would be gastrointestinal upset due to the medications they use. I would ask about being provided with extra protection during the process. Clementine had bleedng ulcers that cause additional complications. Please mail me at loralubin at charter.net (remove spaces and at = @) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan41 Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Sending prayers for Demas. I hope you get a diagnosis so treatment can commence to get your boy on the road to recovery. Quote Linda, Mom to Fuzz, Barkley, and the felines Miss Kitty, Simon and Joseph.Waiting at The Bridge: Alex, Josh, Harley, Nikki, Beemer, Anna, Frank, Rachel, my heart & soul, Suze and the best boy ever, Dalton.<p> ....for all those hounds that are sick, hurt, lost or waiting for their forever homes. SENIORS ROCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cielo Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Thank you everyone for the kind words and Greydoglovr - I will send you an email. DH and I were able to take him home about 2 hours ago. Since then he's just been crying in pain. Its awful. And he can get into a sitting position but his back legs are too weak for him to stand up on his own. He seems so uncomfortable. Is this part of the Addison's???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greydogluvr Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 The back leg weakness is part of addisons but this should have been resolved with the treatment while he was hospitalized. Clementine had the rear leg weakness and the "drunk" appearance. She was given percortin, iv fluids and prednisone. Typically, once medicated correctly, they bounce back fairly quickly. I mentioned the gastrointestinal issues because Clementine had bleeding ulcers due to the meds. This is fairly common with the treatment protocal. The crying/whining may be due to stomach pain but it is definately worth asking about. They had Clementine on two different meds for he GI tract (carafate and prilosec). If I remember correcly the Carafate is used to coat the stomach and the prilosec was for acid production. Watch for dark, grainy stools which indicate blood loss due to GI bleeding. I am sorry you are going through this. Please call you vet and tell them about the pain and continued leg weakness. I took Clementine back 3 times before she was stable enough to stay at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greydogluvr Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Checking in on Demas this morning and looking for some good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cielo Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Checking in on Demas this morning and looking for some good news. Thank you for thinking of me. Unfortunately he's no better. I spent all night laying with him and he was just crying. Sometimes it seemed like he was having difficulty breathing. He lays so still that I have to keep checking that he is breathing. It was a long night. He stopped crying now and is laying still. He won't eat anything on his own but my husband and I were able to force down some rice and beef balls so at least he has something in him. He still can't get up or even sit up on his own. He actually seems worse to me then when he first went into the hospital last week. If we don't see some improvement I'll take him back to the specialty center tomorrow morning when his Dr is in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GreytMuse Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Hugs to you all. I hope you have a much better night tonight and the vet can give you some help tomorrow. Please update as you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greydogluvr Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Checking in on Demas this morning and looking for some good news. Thank you for thinking of me. Unfortunately he's no better. I spent all night laying with him and he was just crying. Sometimes it seemed like he was having difficulty breathing. He lays so still that I have to keep checking that he is breathing. It was a long night. He stopped crying now and is laying still. He won't eat anything on his own but my husband and I were able to force down some rice and beef balls so at least he has something in him. He still can't get up or even sit up on his own. He actually seems worse to me then when he first went into the hospital last week. If we don't see some improvement I'll take him back to the specialty center tomorrow morning when his Dr is in. What type of treatment did he receive while hospitalized? Did they give him Percortin injection. We did not wait until the test for Addison's came back prior to initiating treatment. If he does have Addisons he may be in crisis. Shallow breathing, weak heartrate are all signs of this. Does he feel cold to the touch? This is when we knew Clem had to go in. You may want to take her to the nearest emergency clinic. Not to scare you but this is life threatening. I hope I am wrong but it sounds like additional suppportive care is needed. Hope he shows a turn for the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) Prayers coming.I agree with Lora, if he's in crisis, he really does need to be seen right away. Please keep us posted. I always keep Prednisone on hand in case Misty goes into crisis again, is there something that will help with this? Edited January 11, 2009 by cbudshome Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hoping for an update Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greydogluvr Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hope all is well with Demas. Please update when you can We are thinking of you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cielo Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 What type of treatment did he receive while hospitalized? Did they give him Percortin injection. We did not wait until the test for Addison's came back prior to initiating treatment. If he does have Addisons he may be in crisis. Shallow breathing, weak heartrate are all signs of this. Does he feel cold to the touch? This is when we knew Clem had to go in. You may want to take her to the nearest emergency clinic. Not to scare you but this is life threatening. I hope I am wrong but it sounds like additional suppportive care is needed. Hope he shows a turn for the better. He received supportive care - so fluids, pain meds, and every test they could run. He's been seen by an endocronologist (sp?) and a neurologist too. He had the ACTH test done and that was inconclusive for Addison's but that is what the doctor's think it likely is. He did not get a shot of percotin though he is on a steroid pill along with tremodal. He's actually the opposite of what you describe. He's hot and when he has difficulty breathing he's taking very deep, noisy breaths. His heart isn't week - I can put my hand on his chest and feel it. I just don't know what to do for him. It is awful to listen to him in so much pain. Of course we will give him every chance and will do everything possible for him but its killing me to see him in so much pain. He doesn't understand why he hurts and all I can do is sit with him and hold his paw. I will take him back to the specialty hospital tomorrow morning. Thank you everyone who has sent healing thoughts his way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Sending our prayers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hoping for good news this am, hoping your boy is more comfortable. He's in my prayers and please let us know how he is doing. Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greydogluvr Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Continued prayers coming your way. I hope they can help him to feel better. The unknown is the worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sweetpea Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) My parent's whippet had Addison's, but she was diagnosed with it very young. They managed it quite well with a monthly steroid injection that my dad was able to learn how to administer at home. She had a much thicker coat than her sister, due to the steroids I think, but other than that she was asymptomatic on her medicine regimen. Good luck! Buzzy Edited January 12, 2009 by sweetpea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Any update on how this pup is doing? Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cielo Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thank you to all who have been thinking and asking about Demas. He is not doing well. Regardless of whether he does have Addison's - and we won't know for a few days still - it doesn't explain his extreme pain and weakness. He went back to the hospital today and was seen by two neurologists. They performed a myelogram and a CT scan looking for tumors, lesions, etc. Those tests came back negative. A spinal tap was done but that test won't come back for a couple of days too. They are now thinking Demas has Addison's Disease as well as an illness involving his spinal cord such as meningitis. In the mean time Demas needs to stay at the hospital. Since we took him home from his last hospital visit on Saturday he has lost another 7 lbs. He is now 54 lbs - his normal weight is 73 lbs. When I saw that it finally hit me just how serious this is. He is in so much pain - he screamed all night last night - literally screamed. How long do I let him be in pain like that? All I could do was give him more pain pills and hold him. Until this hit Demas was the most outgoing happy greyhound - everyone commented on it. I'm sorry - I'm rambling now. I just feel like I could be sick. Thank you everyone for "listening" and caring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I sure am baffled. Am I remembering correctly that he tested negative for Addisons? I take my little girl in regularly for the ACTH Stim test and always have the results the next morning. I just pray that they do something and get your boy out of pain right away and figure out what the heck is going on. I can only imagine how you feel. You're both in my thoughts and prayers. Please, if you can, keep us posted Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cielo Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) Am I remembering correctly that he tested negative for Addisons? I take my little girl in regularly for the ACTH Stim test and always have the results the next morning. He had the ACTH Stim test done and it was inconclusive. He scored just barely in the range of Addison's - he had a response to the injection but not what a healthy dog would have. So it was not a clear "he's got Addison's." His kidney function, potassium/salt ratios, and steroid levels all look like Addison's but Addison's doesn't explain the pain or weakness. He also appears to have an infection (white blood cell count of 17000 - normal is 9000) which isn't explained by Addison's. So they did a second more comprehensive test for Addison's so they can distinctly rule it in or out - I'm in my office and I cannot recall what its called. It needed to be sent to Michigan State U. for analysis and I was told it would be a week for the results. :-( Edited January 13, 2009 by Cielo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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