Steph and Pallie

[Wylie's Mom]

Hi Steph,

That's great - it's just fat! I don't have Wylie's mapped either. I tried looking for a simple drawing to use, couldn't find one on the internet, but I think my vet has one. If I get a copy, I'll try to post it. He has so many of them, I'll probably have to enlarge the drawing to fit them all in!!

-Susy

[Squirt's Mom]

Lord! I'm glad no one is mapping my fat!

[Truffa's Mom]

Hey Pallie and Steph, glad to hear everything is Great.

I could host a "party fatty tumor".... or just contribute to the oil independence....

My vet has mapped and measure every bump on my Truffa's body, sometimes I swear to him that she is loosing weight , but the growing fatty tumors are the ones to blame for her gain weight..... obviously Truffa sniffing his white pockets and begging next to his cookie jars totally obliterates my pity excuses...

But thanks to my stubborness and obsessiveness in checking -measuring and absorbing samples - every old and new bump, that's how we found two mast cells, and for my surprise they were the "pretty and small ones that were mast cells.... so my advice : keep on doing the oil exploration.

Marcela & The Choco Labs

[corgipallie]

so my advice : keep on doing the oil exploration.

Great advice!!!!

[forscooter]

Hey Steph...

So no money tree but we have oil?????

I have started calling Bailey "Lumpy Bumpy"...one of his many names...

Poor Bailey....

Love ya! Beth, Bailey and always Scoobie

[corgipallie]

I know we had some Tramadol discussions on the old CC.net, but I can't remember what everyone's feedback was.

Pallie's having some rear-leg pain/weakness, whether it's Cushings, arthritis, the fact she's 12, etc.
So we are trying a 50mg Tramadol in the morning and evening.
For those who have used it, does it work right away, or does it take a few days for results to show? Has anyone used it for arthritis and/or old age pain?

Thanks!
Steph and Pallie the wonder-corgi(hound)

[Lulusmom]

Hi Steph,

Three out of five of my furkids have taken Tramadol for post surgical pain and it works very quickly. It made all them tired but it controlled the pain superbly. Lulu is a real panter when she is in pain and she was as calm as could be on Tramadol. I believe that other members have used Tramadol for severe arthritic pain and hopefully they will be along to share their experiences.

Usually a vet can tell the difference between arthritis and muscle weakness due to cushing's. Did you have xrays done and/or did the vet manipulate the joints? I personally would want to know which condition is causing the problem because if it is muscle weakness due to cushing's, Tramadol is not the answer. When was Pallie's adrenal hormones last tested and can you post the results?

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_tramadol.html

Glynda

[Carol G]

Hi Steph,

McGill (16-1/2 year old, Australian Cattle Dog mix with Atypical) is on a high dose of tramadol for his arthritis (50 mg 3 times a day) plus Previcox.

I saw a real improvement when we added the Tramadol to the NSAID (Deramaxx at the time). Our IM vet says that there is a combination effect with Tramadol & a NSAID.

He started out with the tramadol at 2 times a day and we upped it not too long ago. I think it really helps him a lot and I don't see any side effects. He has bloodwork done regularly to be sure the NSAID isn't causing any problems.

Little tip on the tramadol, ask your vet for a written Rx and get it filled at Wal-Mart or Costco. My cost went from $31 for 90 to $11 for 120.

I think the muscle weakness from his Atypical (which went undiagnosed for much too long) probably made the arthritis worse and now because of the arthritis, rebuilding the muscle is challenging -- not to mention his age.

Carol, Winnie (always), McGill & Atty Cat

[corgipallie]

Thanks for the Tramadol info. Hopefully it will work. My vet won't put Pallie on an NSAID because she's Atypical and thinks it will cause an ulcer, so Tramadol is our only option right now.

I do have to be careful with it because she's on SAMe, in her Denamarin for her liver. In humans it has caused seratonin syndrome, but my vet said there has not been any noted cases in dogs, but theoretically it could happen with high doses or long-term. So we obviously don't want that. He says to use it as needed. But with NSAIDs out of the picture, Tramadol is our only choice (aside from stopping the Denamarin). He is not concerned about seratonin syndrome happening. I hope he's right.

(and yes, I get it at the grocery store. $4!! I get her Benezapril there too for $4)

[Carol G]

That's interesting about the NSAID and Atypical because McGill is Atypical also (treated with Melatonin & Lingans only). He does take Pepcid AC as a precaution because he's on the NSAID. Why does your vet think the NSAID is more likely to cause an ulcer in an Atypical Cushings dog?

I just started McGill on SAMe for the arthritis and then I read about the seratonin syndrome. I had checked with the IM vet before starting him on the SAMe but once I read about the seratonin syndrome, I called the IM and asked specifically about it. He too wasn't concerned.

I will be watching to see how Pallie does.

Carol, Winnie (always), McGill & Atty Cat