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Hi,
This is my first time posting. We have a 6 year old cocker spaniel/beagle mix named Tippi. Unfortunately, she is showing some symptoms of Cushings Disease and as a result of an excessive weight gain she also has developed arthritis and hip dysplasia. She is presently on a new diet and is slowly dropping weight which is great, but over the last year or so she absolutely refuses to go for her walks unless we force her. I realize that she is in pain and we do give her medication for that but all she seems to want to do is sleep. However she will bolt out of the door if the UPS man(of all things!) drives by. We are at our wits end. Can anyone out there help? We sure would appreciate any advice anyone has to offer. Thanks in advance!

>>Hi,
>>This is my first time posting. We have a 6 year old cocker spaniel/beagle mix named Tippi. Unfortunately, she is showing some symptoms of Cushings Disease and as a result of an excessive weight gain she also has developed arthritis and hip dysplasia. She is presently on a new diet and is slowly dropping weight which is great, but over the last year or so she absolutely refuses to go for her walks unless we force her. I realize that she is in pain and we do give her medication for that but all she seems to want to do is sleep. However she will bolt out of the door if the UPS man(of all things!) drives by. We are at our wits end. Can anyone out there help? We sure would appreciate any advice anyone has to offer. Thanks in advance!

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Why does she have to go for walks? Maybe the walks are too long and she has given up. Pain in dogs is impossible to accurately measure. They get so aroused when chasing that they will even injure themselves, not feeling the pain at that moment. They are also not able to realize later that they have injured themselves. You might try discussing with your vet just exactly how much exercise is safe for her.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

I agree with Kathy, if your dog is reluctant to go on walks, don't force the issue. I know it's a great way to reduce the weight, but in an ailing dog, it could be a problem.

You may just want to allow your dog some time to adjust to her disease and maybe play stimulating mind games inside like "go find the toy" or "go find mom."

It's sad watching a dog with illnesses, but dogs are not lazy by nature so if she doesn't want to walk, then she just isn't feeling good. Toys at home will be her friend. ALso, car rides can help the "sniffer" get some work out as well.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

>>I agree with Kathy, if your dog is reluctant to go on walks, don't force the issue. I know it's a great way to reduce the weight, but in an ailing dog, it could be a problem.
>>
>>You may just want to allow your dog some time to adjust to her disease and maybe play stimulating mind games inside like "go find the toy" or "go find mom."
>>
>>It's sad watching a dog with illnesses, but dogs are not lazy by nature so if she doesn't want to walk, then she just isn't feeling good. Toys at home will be her friend. ALso, car rides can help the "sniffer" get some work out as well.
>>-----
>>Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles
>>

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Being disabled myself, I've had to learn to be nourished and at good weight without being able to "go for the burn" through exercise. I believe that a lot of people are harming themselves and their dogs will excessive exercise in an effort to control weight that is much more safely done through an eating plan. Just for one problem, there is an epidemic of blown knee ligaments on dogs in this country, as well as many injuries from agility and other wild dog activities and sports.

And Cushings is very, very serious. Dogs don't complain about their ills because they don't know how sick they are and because showing weakness in the wild gets animals killed. So their instinct is to hide it. Exercise for a sick dog needs to be very carefully managed. The vet will be happy to help figure out what is safe and helpful to the dog, and what is too much.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Thanks so much to both Kathy and Chelle!! We have discussed this problem with out Vet and he's hoping that as she gradually loses weight she will want to walk more, but I guess I'm just a worrier. I want her to be healthy and happy and free of pain, but it's going to take time. We do get her favorite toys out and on Saturday we hid one of them. She really enjoyed searching for it, her tail never stopped wagging! Thanks again for all your ideas.

>>Thanks so much to both Kathy and Chelle!! We have discussed this problem with out Vet and he's hoping that as she gradually loses weight she will want to walk more, but I guess I'm just a worrier. I want her to be healthy and happy and free of pain, but it's going to take time. We do get her favorite toys out and on Saturday we hid one of them. She really enjoyed searching for it, her tail never stopped wagging! Thanks again for all your ideas.

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Does the vet expect this dog to recover from Cushing's? Have you researched that disease?
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Kathy, Tippi was diagnosed this past December with Cushings but she seems to be borderline as she doesn't show all of the symptoms associated with the disease. Our vet along with a specialist decided not to put her on medication for this reason.
Other than an excessive weight gain,(at one point she ballooned to 67 pounds!),the only other symptom she had was excessive thirst. Since we started her on Royal Canin Calorie Control she has lost almost 10lbs. Her water intake has also diminished. My concern is that because of the weight gain she has developed arthritis in her front legs and hip dysplasia. Our vet started her on Metacam for arthritis pain but it didn't help at all and it caused her to stop eating. I started giving her Glucosamine with Condroitin and that seems to help along with warm compresses a couple times a day. She always loved going outside though and since all of this happened she now acts very fearful of walking outside. She will still go and do her business with no problem and I have started just taking her out front and we just sit and enjoy the day, its just getting her on her feet to do this. I know that she picks up on my moods so I try to keep upbeat but I hate thinking of her in pain. I just wish there was more I could do.

I hope she gets better. The weight gain, lethargy, and excessive water intake are all indications of hypothyroidism as well, so if she doesn't improve a whole lot it might be worth looking into that as well if you haven't already. Hypothyroidism is very common in dogs and almost as commonly misdiagnosed. Not that she doesn't have Cushings but if she's not improving as expected she might have other problems as well.

Also, my parents dog had severe hip dysplasia and joint problems and was on Metacam as well. She couldn't get up and down the stairs and even standing up was very hard for her at times. She also needed to lose about 10 lbs (she's ideal at 40lbs, and was up to 53 at one point). They put her on Canidae Platinum and after a few weeks took her off the Metacam. She's lost all the weight and the glucosamine and whatnot in the food is taking great care of her joints. She seems to experience no pain now. The allergies and foot chewing that she has suffered from since puppyhood have also disappeared, making prednisone shots useless. She's 10 years old and for the first time in 7 years she's taking no medications whatsoever, and is as energetic and happy as she was as a puppy.

It's a fantastic food with no corn, wheat, or other fillers. I'm so fond of the stuff I should be in advertising for them. Just some food for thought, so to speak. Looking into it might help avoid unnecessary medications and overall improved health might give her what she needs to get over the Cushings..

Thanks so much for all the great information! Tippi has been tested for hypothyroidism twice and our vet found everything normal. He did say that since she doesn't exhibit all of the symptoms of Cushings that it is possible that she might have a hormone problem and that testing for this can be very expensive. Unfortunately we were turned down for pet insurance and we are not wealthy so we are hoping that continuing her diet will help her. We feed her Royal Canin CC and she has lost some weight but it took us five months to get her used to it and she still isn't crazy about it. She is used to dry food and switching to canned food was a major upset for her. Is the food you mentioned, Canidae Platinum prescription? She goes for her yearly shots this Saturday and I would like to mention it to our Vet. Anyway, thanks again. Everyone in this forum has been so helpful.

Hmm.. Do you know what test your vet used for hypothyroidism? Without contradicting your vet or anything like that, TSH tests are extremely inaccurate. To have her thyroid properly diagnosed you need to get a full thyroid panel. TSH, T4, free t4, and a couple of others. I think there are 6 different tests overall. Ideally, you could see if your vet would send the blood sample to Dr. Jean Dodds. She's the leading hormonal specialist in the US and all of the tests plus her personal interpretation of the results costs about $65. The lab itself is called Hemopet. You can google them for more info. I like that Jean takes into account the age, breed, and size of your dog. Most vets don't so what labs consider the normal range can be too broad for your dog. The hemopet site has step by step info on how to send the sample and all that, if you're interested in that. Jean herself has been so, so helpful with my dog and her test fees are so much more reasonable than anything your vet could offer.

As for the Canidae, it is not prescription food. My dog eats nothing else, although he's only 2 and healthy as a dog can be. When I got him he was on Iams and Nutro and I thought he was healthy. Then we started Canidae and the difference is amazing - now I really know what healthy looks like..

I can almost guarantee that your dog would love this food. It is a dry food. Since I discovered it I've persuaded many friends and family to give it a try and even the most picky eaters LOVE this food.. I think it's because it's more meat, no fillers. The first few ingredients are chicken, lamb, and fish. Compare to even the Royal Canin foods where one of the top ingredients is corn or other grains.

If you go to www.canidae.com you can go over the ingredients, find a store that sells it, etc. They even give an explanation for why each and every ingredient has been included in the food, and all ingredients used are human quality foods. It is a little more expensive but you'll find that your dog eats much less of it than other foods because there are no fillers. My dog was eating about 5 cups of Iams per day when I got him and he was still losing weight (he's a very slim athletic build). Now he eats 2 cups of Canidae daily and is in perfect health. I worked it out and the Canidae comes out to be about $5 extra per month, compared to the Iams and Nutro. It took a while to get used to feeding him so little, I was petrified that I was actually starving him, but that's not the case.

There are two different formulas of Canidae. The All Life Stages formula is meant for dogs of all ages, based on reasoning that dogs have never been able to choose puppy or adult formula in the wild. The Platinum has added glucosamine and chondroitin (sp?) for dogs with joint trouble and weight problems...

Anyway, I hope that helps. Like I said, I can't praise the food enough. I just couldn't believe the miracles it did for all of my parents' dogs, particularly the one with the joint trouble..

LeahC
Bombard away!!!! You have really given me some great options and I am finally beginning to feel that I have some control over Tippi's care. Yes, she did have a full thyroid panel done, twice,as a matter of fact. I will get in touch with Dr.Dodds and I will talk to our Vet this Saturday. I have always wondered about annual vaccinations, but I'm ashamed to say that I never researched it or questioned it before today. I am going to begin researching immediately! We are very fortunate that Tippi's vet is always willing to work with us too. As busy as he is, he calls us every two weeks or so to see how Tippi is doing and when we drop in to weigh her he gets down on the floor and gives her what I call a "quickie onceover". He is a wonderful Vet.
Anyway, thanks for all your help. If it's alright I'll keep you posted on our progress

A vet that's willing to work with you makes all the difference.. Most vets assume that you'll take their word for it without doing any research on your own, or making any effort to be a part of the process. That's all well and good but most of these vets get a little snippy when you disagree with them. As far as I'm concerned, my dog is ultimately my responsibility, not theirs, and it's up to me to make sure he's receiving the best care I can find. And when it comes to things that are inexact, such as diagnosing a problem, two heads are better than one...

I'm glad you've found such a genuinely caring vet Definitely keep me updated on her progress, I'd love to know how she's doing..

I'm sorry, not to bombard you with crazy sounding information, but have you ever given any thought to annual vaccinations? There is a breeder on these boards, her name is Christie Keith, or Deerhounds, who has a lot of information on the topic that might be valuable for you to read. You can also google it to come up with much useful information.

Different states have different laws on vaccination but I know that here in Canada, we have to have the puppy shots and 1 year boosters done by law. Anything after that has nothing to do with law. Certain areas have laws that rabies must be kept "up to date" but for most vets that actually means every three years.

The reason I'm asking is because there is a lot of research indicating the annual vaccinations lead to severe over medicating and can cause any number of health problems. Skin allergies and breakouts and foot licking are the most obvious ones. Most vets use a rabies serum designed to protect for 3 years (the canadian version most commonly used is called Imrab-3), but give it every year. Most other vaccinations have been proven to protect the dog for most if not all of their lifetimes after the puppy vaccinations. Think about people - we mostly get all of our shots as children and never get them again. They protect us for 70 years. Why would we assume that they don't do the same for dogs? By giving it to them every single year, we're severely overmedicating. It comes down to a personal decision, but as your dog's health is already not at its best, it might be wise to do a little research on it. Sadly most vets will tell you one of two things: 1) Annual vaccinations must be done according to law, and 2) vaccinations will not protect for more than 1 year. Both of these are false statements in most cases. Rabies is the main exception, because law does often take over there. Vets will tell you this because they make so much money off of annual vaccinations. Here in Canada, surgeries cost less because the cost is subsidized by the overflow the vet makes on vaccinations.

Anyway, more food for thought : ) If you post a message to Christie Keith on one of these boards or, you guessed it, the Deerhounds board, she should be able to point you to several articles that she has written on the topic..

Hi there!
We had to reschedule Tippi's appointment for early June, due to a family emergency, however we did speak to her Vet and he wants to sit down with us and go over some of the things that I have found out. As I said, he is a wonderful doctor except that when I have concerns re: Tippi's behavior he isn't very helpful. Also he grew up with cats and he and his wife have 3 cats, so sometimes I think that canine behavior eludes him. Anyway, I am a worrier, but having grown up with dogs I have never had one with so many health problems. Tippi is a cocker/beagle mix, stubborn as all get out. As a puppy she was a dream, she never had an accident inside, something I had never encountered before.We crate trained her and she never cried when it was time to go into her crate, we just said "time for bed" and she would walk into her crate and laid down. She was a playful puppy and loved to run, but she never tried to run away. Even now when we open the front door she just sits in the doorway until we put her leash on. As I said she has an unusual personality. She is six years old now and she still likes to go outside but she prefers to sit under a tree and go to sleep. She will bark like crazy if a big dog goes by or the UPS truck drives by, but for the majority of the day she just likes to sleep. Is this normal?
I read where cockers are champion couch potatoes. My husband says that I just need to let Tippi be Tippi and not worry so much
because if something sparks her interest she's up in a flash barking and carrying on. I guess I just need a second opinion from another dog lover. Thanks for listening.