Hi~
1. Cushing's disease -- can be caused by a tumor of the
adrenal gland,
OR - and in dogs I believe this is a common cause - can result from
long-term or repeated admininstration of cortisone-related drugs. It sounds
like *Pam Brown's* dog was diagnosed with Cushing's disease late in life. I
personally have not heard of Anipryl being prescribed for Cushing's per se;
it is possible the vet prescribed it because of other symptoms (or in the
hope of postponing symptoms) suggesting "cognitive dysfunction syndrome"
(senility). In fact, since "soiling in the house" *preceded* the diagnosis
of Cushing's, I do think the vet suspected senility (since soiling is just
one of the possible behavioral changes associated with senility). In this
particular case, it sounds like the Anipryl is no longer addressing the
symptoms of senility. The vet may suggest increasing the dose, or it may
just no longer be worth using (I had a very old, senile dog for whom Anipryl
was not effective). At the time there was no effective treatment for
Cushing's (or my dog was so old that experimenting with possible treatments
would have been too debilitating).
2. Senility -- I agree with Carol (and perhaps others - I'm not yet caught
up on my email!) that *Pam M's* description of her dog suggests the onset of
senility. What her dog is - and is not - doing is reminiscent to me of the
*early* stage of senility in the dog I referred to above. In that dog's
case (and pending the results from the upcoming physical), I'd ask the vet
about trying Anipryl.
3. Allergies - (Rosanne's question) - there were several wise suggestions
that the prospective owner should visit and spend time with the dogs. I
agree but would add: My husband and I (one of us is allergic to cats but
neither of us has asthma or any known dog-allergy) once visited a breeder in
a room with many rugs and fabric-upholstered furniture, which probably had
not been seriously vacuumed in a long time. Although we had had dogs in the
past, both of us were alarmed to experience respiratory difficulties after a
short visit ("fuzzy" throats, etc.). We were afraid we were allergic to the
Cavaliers, but we decided that if necessary we'd take medications for years
in order to have a Cavalier. We got our Cavalier and have never had a
problem (and don't need meds). Though we have rugs, much of our furniture
is upholstered in leather (which I think makes a big difference in
preventing the accumulation of dander and fur). And we TRY to vacuum
regularly ... :) So, for each individual much depends on primarily (1) the
*degree* of allergy; and secondarily, (2) how many dogs one has, and (3)
probably also whether one is able to take measures to sufficiently reduce
the accumulation of allergens in the house.
Alida
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