Gem's diagnosis of Cushing's confirmed :(

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jkbank

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Well I spoke to the doctor who said the dexo whatever test confirmed that she has Cushing's. She again repeated that they feel there is nothing to be done for her as her skin is in such bad shape, the amount of time it would take to see some improvement she is danger of more skin tears. However when I spoke to our regular vet, she agrees that it is reasonable and understandable, given Gem's behavior, that I'm not ready and that it's worth it to go to the specialist.

I made an appointment for Wednesday with Dr Mark Peterson, who is an endocrine specialist for dogs and cats here in NY. I wish I could get in sooner but… I am hoping that he will be able to say with more certainty that there is either something or nothing to be done for her, as he has the most experience with this rare disease. And then maybe I will have peace of mind that I did all I could.

So now I am hoping that Gem stays well enough til then, but we will see how the weekend goes. Keep praying for us, I really appreciate everyone's good wishes.
 
I've been following your posts and am sorry to hear about Gem's Cushings dx. I'm glad you got an appt for her to see a specialist. She is in my prayers, poor baby.
 
I am sorry to hear that the diagnosis has been confirmed. I am glad that you are going to see Dr. Peterson. He has an excellent reputation. Maybe he will be able to offer you some treatment options.

I will keep your family in my prayers over the weekend. I hope that Gem stays comfortable, and enjoys all the love and attention she will be receiving.
 
Thanks to both of you. I actually got a call from Dr. Petersons office asking if we can come in Monday - even better! I feel like I'm waiting for something really bad to happen over the weekend (of course that might make a good argument for ending it now so we don't live like that).

Hopefully we will have a peaceful weekend and then see what the dr says. It doesn't help that my poor daughter begs me not to put her to sleep :( My heart breaks for her.
 
I also have been following your posts on Gem and I am so sorry about the diagnosis. As for the specialist you will be seeing on Monday, Dr. M. Petersen is an excellent vet with a fantastic reputation. I'm praying the he can come up with a treatment plan that will not only allow you more time with Gem but may also work for her. I'm so glad you are going to have Gem be seen by him and saying my prayers.
 
You are doing such a great job taking care of her. You're an amazing kitty mom. I have no doubt you're doing absolutely everything you can. Praying for your comfort over the weekend and clarity on Monday.
 
Prayers, purrs and a couple sloopy wet doggie kisses for good measure from us to you all and Gem.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Thank you all.
Gem is meowing, and I don't know what she's trying to say. It's how she usually meows when she's hungry but she doesn't really want to eat right now. Oh Gem, I wish you could talk and tell me what you want.

I'm trying to upload a picture of her - I read somewhere that you can tell if a cat is in pain from their face…having their cheeks puffed up. If I can get the picture on, can someone look and see if she looks like that? I know you don't know how she normally looks, and it's not a great picture, but tell me what you see.
 

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Thanks Linda!

I hope you guys will indulge another photo or 2. This is Gem as a kitten, and another with Gem and my other kitty Kooker



She hadn't quite grown into her ears yet :)
 

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Sendings prayers and hugs for you and Gem. I hope her skin improves over the weekend and that you can find some good treatment options.

I've always read that cats usually hide or go into the meatloaf position when in pain. Sometimes a meow is just a meow and I hope that's all it is.
 
I am glad that you got confirmation of what all of us here feared for you. Now you can move forward for Gem. I have no doubt that you will do the best thing for her and it sounds like you have a great team of people willing to help her too. Your love comes through in every post and I think she looks like a happy kitty in the picture!

Please consider the Vetericyn product for her wounds! The wounds sound like the worst issue for her. You can warm the bottle in warm water before spraying it on, as even room temperature might feel chill especially if she's shaved.

I don't know how familiar vets are with this product, so you might ask or purchase it and show them before using it.
 
Vicky & Gandalf (GA) said:
I am glad that you got confirmation of what all of us here feared for you. Now you can move forward for Gem. I have no doubt that you will do the best thing for her and it sounds like you have a great team of people willing to help her too. Your love comes through in every post and I think she looks like a happy kitty in the picture!

Please consider the Vetericyn product for her wounds! The wounds sound like the worst issue for her. You can warm the bottle in warm water before spraying it on, as even room temperature might feel chill especially if she's shaved.

I don't know how familiar vets are with this product, so you might ask or purchase it and show them before using it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Vicky, I kept meaning to discuss this with the vet after your suggestion of it, but I got sidetracked with this latest stuff. I will try and get someone on the phone to see if it's OK to use it. My father in law is a pharmacist and works with animals a lot, particularly horses. He has not heard of this product but when I read him the acting ingredient he felt it would be fine to try.

So far Gem seems stable - she cries a lot for food, not sure what that's about, but doesn't seem any worse off then she was a week ago (apart from the gaping wound :) ). So we are just keeping an eye on her til I take her in on Monday. Sadly, even my father in law who has gone to really extreme lengths to save his animals thinks that we should let her go, in her best interest. Ironically he's had multiple animals with Cushing's, and was able to treat his dog and keep him alive for 2 years with medication. But the dog did not have all the complications Gem has. Oh well, this is all speculation, I will wait and see what Dr Peterson says and go from there.

Thanks again to all who have posted, and those that have not but have been following our saga and thinking of us. I will post back Monday after the doctor.
 
So sorry to hear about the Cushing's. But I wanted to chime in on the Vetericyn. It is great stuff. It does not damage the skin in any way (unlike hydrogen peroxide) and does not appear to sting or bother the cat at all. It is wonderful for killing germs, fungus, etc. They sell it at our local farm/pet store and everyone there swore by it, so I decided to try it. My friend's rescue had a kitten that was almost completely covered with ringworm sores. She said adding the vetericyn to the kitten's treatment regimen improved the skin condition immediately. I have tried the various formulations too (spray, ear & eye) and it has worked very well for my kitties. And me too! It's expensive but personally, I wouldn't be without it. I recommend you get the gel spray rather than the liquid spray, because the gel clings better to the skin/fur and doesn't drip off immediately. I get the big bottle for cost savings. It is available at Jeffers Pet at a good price.

good luck,
laur
 
laur+danny+horde said:
So sorry to hear about the Cushing's. But I wanted to chime in on the Vetericyn. It is great stuff. It does not damage the skin in any way (unlike hydrogen peroxide) and does not appear to sting or bother the cat at all. It is wonderful for killing germs, fungus, etc. They sell it at our local farm/pet store and everyone there swore by it, so I decided to try it. My friend's rescue had a kitten that was almost completely covered with ringworm sores. She said adding the vetericyn to the kitten's treatment regimen improved the skin condition immediately. I have tried the various formulations too (spray, ear & eye) and it has worked very well for my kitties. And me too! It's expensive but personally, I wouldn't be without it. I recommend you get the gel spray rather than the liquid spray, because the gel clings better to the skin/fur and doesn't drip off immediately. I get the big bottle for cost savings. It is available at Jeffers Pet at a good price.

good luck,
laur
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Thanks Laur, I received my bottle from Amazon today and have started using it. Hopefully it will help as we wait for the medication to kick in. I ordered the liquid spray, only because it said specifically for cats, and it was available for overnight shipping :) It was hard to tell what the difference in the various formulations were, hopefully the one I got is appropriate!
 
No matter what happens, you'll know for sure that you did everything you could. You're an amazing kitty momma.
 
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