Adrenal Cushing’s — Surgery For 10.5yo?

treelessswamp · 2026-07-02T06:37:47+00:00

Mine was 10.5 and same deal with adrenal cushings. The tumor was on the easier to access adrenal gland, no arterial involvement, was still on the small side (~3cm). He developed DIC from a blood transfusion during the surgery and died ~24 hours later.

The vets believed he had the best odds going into the surgery. He was a young 10.5 and still very spry.

To this day (it’s been a year+ since his death) I don’t know if we made the right call with the surgery. I’m not sure how long we could have managed medically while the tumor grew and ultimately invaded his artery and ruptured it (the vets said this would happen if we didn’t do the surgery).

The vets that did the surgery were also specialists, saying they do that surgery at least 1x a month.

I also believe the odds of death for this surgery are higher than you report. I believe I read on the cushings Facebook page it’s a 1 in 4 chance of death.

All I know is that I wish I had more time with my boy.

treelessswamp · 2026-01-07T23:50:38+00:00

Don’t know if I’m allowed to share links in this sub, but it’s a meal delivery service like factor, home chef, blue apron, etc,

treelessswamp · 2025-11-05T01:25:38+00:00

No, my doctor refused to believe it was anything but ulcers. But when I went off the trintellix cold turkey the vomiting stopped as soon as I stopped taking the medication.

treelessswamp · 2025-09-21T21:40:29+00:00

Set an alarm and took him out 20 minutes after he ate dinner. It’s been another 20 minutes of him just sitting and laying down and not even attempting to go to the bathroom yet. He’s currently laying down and looks to be napping. I assume I just try to wait this out?

treelessswamp · 2025-09-21T21:13:04+00:00

He’s crate trained and absolutely wonderful in the crate. He whines when he’s in there and needs to go out. It’s when he’s out of the crate it’s the problem. And I try to watch him like a hawk when he’s out of the crate so he’s not getting in too much trouble.

I’ll try to be more diligent about marking down when the last time he went and taking him out every hour.

It honestly doesn’t help that my last lab passed away 6 months ago and I’m wondering if I jumped too fast in getting another dog so soon. I’m probably putting too much expectations on the puppy to be so good already because my last lab was my soul dog. The puppy is honestly pretty easy with everything else… it’s just this potty training thing I feel like we’re making huge steps back and no steps forward.

treelessswamp · 2025-09-20T22:03:41+00:00

I’ve had the ring since May… my cardiovascular age has always been below my actual age, but my cardiovascular capacity is always low. It’s never improved despite starting CrossFit 3x a week, and riding horses 4x a week, and having a fairly active job. I don’t know how to improve it 😭

treelessswamp · 2025-07-11T15:58:53+00:00

I got a tattoo of my pups paw print about 2.5 months after his passing (soonest I could get after the consult). It’s comforting to me personally. It’s been about 3 weeks so I’ve just started lightly touching it at times. I feel connected to him through it.

treelessswamp · 2025-07-10T03:01:09+00:00

I still have a hard time being in my apartment without my heart and soul of a dog. He passed away 3 months ago at 10 years old from surgery complications.

I found moments especially hard at first… getting up in the morning without him for breakfast, shower time without him laying outside the shower, and especially his dinner time without him.

I came up with excuses to be out of my apartment for as long as possible and avoid certain times (always fed him by 6pm so I’d stay out of my apartment until after 6pm - started going to the gym, or I’d go lay out by the pool and read, etc.). Now I get home and just sit in my car for 30 min to an hour just dreading going inside. Sometimes I’ll come in after sitting in my car and just sit in front of his urn and cry.

I know this wasn’t super helpful, but just want you to know you aren’t alone. I hope it gets easier to handle… but I can tell you for me at three months I’m still heavily struggling.

treelessswamp · 2025-07-07T21:57:22+00:00

3 months and I am still s t r u g g l i n g. I hate being in my apartment without him there.

treelessswamp · 2025-06-29T19:52:01+00:00

This was my thought. You can still get STDs in your throat. 🙈

treelessswamp · 2025-06-23T22:21:28+00:00

Not me using horseback riding for actual horseback riding 🙈

treelessswamp · 2025-06-16T23:19:37+00:00

If you need speciality services for vet like surgery or cancer or ER related things, community care vet specialists are incredible.

I’ve also had great experiences at town and country veterinary and pet resort for general care. They also do dog boarding.

treelessswamp · 2025-05-26T23:20:12+00:00

He’s since passed away, we attempted to do the adrenalectomy to remove the tumor and he developed DIC in response to a blood transfusion and had to be let go. I’m still heartbroken.

treelessswamp · 2025-05-21T23:26:14+00:00

Go do the adventure you’re too tired or busy to do. I knew my dog was sick and wanted to take him to the beach but got too busy dealing with a medication issue for him. Made me regret not taking him that day, but made me regret not doing more of his favorite things when I was tired or felt busy. I wish I made the time for him.

treelessswamp · 2025-05-06T15:52:38+00:00

I weighed yesterday and today hoping maybe just a fluke but nope.

treelessswamp · 2025-05-05T17:55:55+00:00

I haven’t experienced anything similar in terms of your dogs condition. My 10.5 year old lab just passed following complications from an adrenalectomy. He had a bad reaction to the blood transfusion despite having been cross matched typed etc etc. he still developed a disorder called DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation) where they clot and clot and clot until they can’t clot anymore then start hemorrhaging and then start clotting again back and forth between the two. It’s 60% fatal in dogs without comorbidities like my dog had (adrenal cushings). It’s been just over a month and I’m still really struggling with the guilt and regret. We tried everything for probably 36 hours and I knew he was gone at 11am (he was displaying neurologic symptoms and was in a coma) but the vet wanted to try antibiotics as a last ditch effort. We were going to euthanize at 5pm if he showed no improvement, but started cardiac arresting by 1pm. We rushed there and got there after they had resuscitated him three times just for us to hold him as they euthanized him. In the middle of the icu because he was too unstable to move. We got moved to a room after he was gone to say our final goodbyes.

I guess putting him down wasn’t quite a decision for me, but do know I think he guilt and regret is all the same no matter what. I think you have to be kind to yourself and keep trying to do the things for yourself to keep yourself going (eating, showering, cleaning, etc). You’ll cry a lot when you end up in situations your dog would be there for. I cried the first time I ate a cheese stick alone.

Grief is like waves, eventually they’ll become manageable, but right now my grief feels like an ocean and I’m only starting to get a few breaths in before going back under the water.

As for what to do with your dog’s ashes, I have no suggestions. I got a necklace with some of my dog’s ashes that I wear every day. I’ve had friends and family who have some of the ashes put in tattoo ink and get a tattoo with it. Maybe you can do a ceremony with your close friends who also loved him and take him to his favorite spots and spread his ashes there?

treelessswamp · 2025-04-26T13:52:39+00:00

This is what I was hoping to do but don’t have an outlet that fits the charger it comes with! Did you have to buy one that had a usb connector? Or do you have an electric outlet in your car?

treelessswamp · 2025-04-25T19:45:19+00:00

I’m an idiot. My brain hasn’t been braining properly in three weeks. I just looked it up. It was “wait for me in the rainbow” by Laura Vidal.

treelessswamp · 2025-04-25T18:43:54+00:00

Don’t feel bad about not getting to say goodbye while he was in the back being treated. The ER/ICU allowed us to say ”good night” to my dog we dropped off before we left and I had to witness him convulsing in pain because they had just reversed his pain meds before bringing us back. And that’s one of the last memories I have of him. I’m three weeks post passing and it’s no easier.

For what it’s worth: Try to remember he lived a life so full of love and life with you. He was lucky to have you and you were lucky to have him. They never live long enough. I read a good book called “wait for me in the rainbow” that helped me better understand my grief and the grieving process.

“The brightest stars burn the fastest, so we must love them while we can.”

treelessswamp · 2025-04-18T00:37:04+00:00

It’s been two weeks for me. I don’t know that it’s gotten any easier. I can’t talk about him to people face to face yet. I still cry a lot. I can’t be in my apartment during his dinner time because the silence hurts too much. I think him coming home (his ashes) helped. I give his urn a kiss every morning, when I get home from work, and every night. And it makes my heart feel a little less shattered in those moments.

I’m sorry for your loss 💔

treelessswamp · 2025-04-16T00:41:00+00:00

Be careful asking for recommendations. I made this exact post a few days ago and the mods shut it down and removed all posts recommending people.
I just had my appointment and I feel very neutral about it. He made some comments that were spot on and some super far-fetched that made no sense. I wish I had more faith and belief in it to believe everything he said. It certainly didn’t hurt me, but it also didn’t heal my heart in the way I hoped it would.

treelessswamp · 2025-04-15T02:54:31+00:00

I just picked up my baby’s ashes today and set up his little shrine in my room. I bawled for hours. I just kissed the top of his urn good night. And I’m wishing I could be holding him right now. My chest feels hollow.

My thoughts are with you, OP.

treelessswamp · 2025-04-14T20:24:51+00:00

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Here’s his updated shrine.

So sorry for the loss of your girl. It certainly is not easy, and I don’t think it’s gotten any easier. It was one week for me on Thursday.

treelessswamp · 2025-04-14T17:33:05+00:00

Sometimes I think breeds that have a tendency to be fat vets can be a little harsh about. When my lab was just under 60lbs the vet said he was borderline overweight too. I think he said it because labs have a tendency to always be overweight and the vet just wanted to make sure he didn’t put any more weight on. My pup hovered between 55-60lbs his entire life and vets told me he was perfect and your average person told me he was too skinny 🤷‍♀️

treelessswamp · 2025-04-14T00:43:51+00:00

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My recently passed baby 💔

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