Buster
We got our dog Buster back in May of 2000. He was a Father's Day gift from Katy & I. I can still remember when Katy & I went to pick him up from the breeder - we chose him because although he was very small he had a mighty big personality and anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Buster knows he still does! He pretty much runs our house.
Katy & Buster - June 2000
I still remember the day Katy and I went to pick him up and the woman who was selling him advised Kate & I to go just sit down in the living room with all the puppies (I think there were about 6 puppies in all) and see which one we liked best and which one seemed to like us best. I remember all the rest of the puppies ran away from us and hid but Buster - brave little Buster - just ran right over to me and climbed up on my lap. He played with Kate and had no fear of us. We loved his personality and feisty spirit - I think he chose us rather than we chose him.
Buster in his Cougar Raincoat Katy made
We found out just before Christmas that Buster was sick. He was diagnosed with Cushing's Syndrome. Some of his symptoms were/are:
- Increased Water Consumption and Urination: The most common symptom is increased consumption of water and the resultant increased urination. The dogs drink between two and ten times the normal amount of water and the resultant increase in urination follows. Previously housebroken animals may begin to have accidents because their bladders fill quickly with the overproduction of urine.
- Increase in Appetite: Increase in appetite is another common symptom. Dogs may begin stealing food, getting into the garbage, begging continuously, and become very protective of their food. Despite having other symptoms, the owner may feel that the dog is okay because of his good appetite.
- Abdominal Enlargement: The potbellied appearance is a result of the shifting of fat to the abdominal area and a weakening and wasting of muscle mass in the abdomen.
- Hair Loss and Thin Skin: Hair loss and thinning of the skin are also common symptoms in dogs with Cushing's disease.The skin may also become thin and be easily damaged and slow to heal.
- Increased panting, recurrent urinary tract infections, or losses in reproductive ability are other symptoms often associated with this disease.
Piles of Borax (to soak up the pee) have become a regular sight on our carpet
All of these symptoms are now present in Buster. Looking back we can easily track the progression of the disease over the last several years. Last year we blamed the 'little accidents' that had begun to appear throughout the house on a regular basis on Sneakers and her old age. I even had her tested last year for kidney problems because it seemed that she was having so many 'accidents'. She tested fine and the Vet said it was probably just due to her age. But, things did only got worse ...
... and really began to go downhill this summer right around the time that Kate came home from school and brought her new cat, Chewie, home with her. About the time that Chewie came to live with us we began to catch Buster peeing on the floor - sometimes he would just do it right in front of us.
We blamed Chewie for upsetting our delicate animal equilibrium. We banished him upstairs to my scraproom & office and never let him come down, Kate told me repeatidly that the problem wasn't Chewie and claimed that Buster had somehow spontaneously 'de-housetrained' himself. I argued that simply wasn't possible - it is (see symptom 1).
But by Christmas it had became very obvious to all of us that something was terribly wrong with Buster. The accumulation of symptoms had become undeniable: loss of fur, excessive thirst & hunger, bloating, uncontrollable urination and fatigue and so we took him to the Vet to be tested ... Cushings Disease.
We actually consulted 2 Vets to get a good understanding of the disease, its progression and possible treatments. In the end, we have decided not to treat Buster's illness. This illness is not curable and for most dogs it can only be 'managed' for a couple of years - so, given Buster's age (he's almost 10), the cost of treatment (between $2000 - $5000) and the Vet's advise we have made the very difficult decision to make Buster as comfortable as possible for as long as possible and leave the rest in God's hands.
Katy & I bought Buster a kiddie playpen and a tarp. We set up a little play-area in the living room. The tarp & pee pads protect the carpet from his 'uncontrollable urination and make clean up easier. He now can move around, access his crate for sleeping & resting (he rests a lot now) and get to his much needed water bowl. The Vet also advised us to start feeding him smaller meals more often throughout the day - so I now feed him 4 times a day. The Vet also suggested that we feed him canned green beans because he is now hungry all the time. The beans are low in calories but high in fiber so they leave him feeling fuller.
This has been very hard on Katy, Mike & I. We agonized over the decision of whether to treat him or not. Buster has been a loved (Oh yes - I know, Buster & I have had, at times, a love/hate relationship - he loved me, I hated him ~ I loved him, he loved me) but he has been a constant companion and loved part of our family for so many years ...
Update: We are now in the middle of one of those Love/hate moments I talked about ... Sneakers has peed on the carpet twice this morning (I wonder if it some-sort of [Gotta Go, Gotta Go, Gotta Go Right Now] sympathy things or because my house now smells like a giant litter box). Buster has knocked over his water dish, peed inside his crate, chewed up & shredded one of his pee pads, barked his head OFF all morning at the mailman, the lawn-care man & to alert me to the fact that he wants out of his playpen. As we speak, he is attempting to escape by trying to lift the fence with his little nose ... O' dear & good grief!
I am off to see if I can find a sale on room deodorizers ..
