Diagnosed with Insulinoma

[Jerseyjaime]

Boilerupking-

I'm so sorry for your loss... I'm glad you reached out- I thought all dog food was the same- I know, I really should have known better. We actually had him on Hill's but he wouldn't eat. I figure hime ating something thats not as great is better than not eating at all.

I don't want to rehash any bad memories but the vet doesn't have any answers for me as to how the condition progresses. We are choosing not to operate due to the surgeon giving us not a great outlook overall- we would rather comfort him than go through the trauma.

What symptoms did your boxer have? What happens after the meds don't work any longer. He hasn't had a seizure since he was put on pred.

Could you tell me your story? If it's too much, I understand.

 

[boilerupking]

Jaime-
thank you for your kind words. it's been nearly 10 years since we lost our jordan, who had the insulinoma, so it is not as painful to remember anymore, i just try to remember the many good times.
anyway, to try to answer some of your questions -
her symptoms began appearing one spring day after a long walk. she was approached by someone wanting to pet her, and did not react with her normal enthusiasm, just sat and stared at us.
when i got her home, she acted, well, drunk. she was stumbling and having trouble walking, it was as if she could not see, and her eyes were glazed over. this lasted only 3 or so minutes, but seemed like forever for a worried mom. i got her settled on the couch and kept her still. called the vet, and rushed her over. he guessed it was heat exhaustion from the walk, it was one of the first warm spring days. she seemed to recover within 15 or so minutes.
episodes like this continued, mainly after she was particularly active for a period of time. she was 10 or so at the time, so the vet attributed a bit of her condition to age, but i just knew something else was wrong.
each time she would have an episode, she would seem to lose control of her motor skills, be unable to stand or walk, and eventually slip into a short seizure like episode. she staggered, fell over, seized, and then would lie still for a minute or so. the episodes in their entirety lasted maybe 2 or 3 minutes, and then she slowly came around and was simply lethargic for a short time, other than that, no obvious residual effects.
my vet ran many tests for neurological disorders, any number of xrays and blood tests, and after a month or so, he admitted he was just ruling out diseases and conditions, and a diagnosis was beyond his scope of knowlege. we were referred to Purdue University's excellent vet clinic, where the diagnosis of the tumor and resulting insulinoma were made.
Jordan was on the pred. for a year or so, then began to show signs of liver damage. we made the decision to take her off the prednizone because of her advanced age. at this point, i was aware of the signs that her blood sugar may be getting low, and after discussing it with the vet, we both felt it would be best to prevent the episodes rather than to risk her liver failing.
again, she was 11 or so by this time, and less active than a younger dog. if she began to seem particularly lethargic or slow to respond to us after a bit of activity, i just gave her some of the glucose syrup i mentioned, and she was fine.
she lived to see her old age, 12, and spent her last year happily napping and being doted on. her last seizure was what took her life, it was massive and out of the blue, and lasted for at least 10 minutes, all the way to the emergency vet's. blessedly, she felt no pain during the seizure, and died in my arms at the vet's. the siezure was so massive, there would have been serious permanent neurological and organ damage, so we made the painful decision to let her go that night. my beautiful Jordan.
please don't beat yourself up about the dog food, i should have known better too.
the progression of the illness likely depends on the age of your dog. i think in an older dog, who is less likely to be as active, it is easier to control. i'm sure you know your baby well and will be able to tell if he is particularly lethargic, and may be able to tell his sugar is low, and can try the glucose syrup to see if it works for him.
again, we chose to take Jordan off the pred because of her advanced age, and the effects of being on a drug like that long term began to take a toll on her. we also chose not to operate, as the prognosis for that particular surgery and the recovery were grim.
whatever choice you make is your own, and deserves respect. after all, you clearly have your baby's best interest at heart.
my story is that we were able to control her symptoms and prevent any episodes we could, and dramatically shorten the duration and severity the episodes we couldn't prevent. it is possible for your Homer to have a great quality of life for whatever time he can spend with you. we were lucky enough to have 2 years after the diagnosis, and they were filled with wonderful boxer love.
i would be happy to share anything at all about Jordan and her journey with you if it helps even a little bit.
i'll be thinking of you and Homer, and will ask the universe for blessings and kindness for you both.

 

[boxers4life2001]

boilerupking-

I just wanted to barge in and say"thank you" for sharing your story. I am sorry to hear about your Jordan, sounds like she lived a wonderful, long filled life with a parent who loved her very much. Unfortunately, my little girl Maddie was diagnosed with an insulinoma in August. When she was diagnosed, I could not find anyone who had any experience with it to relate to or share info. Not sure if read my response to Jaime but we tried to remove the tumor in Maddie but were unsuccessful. Your story has given me some hope. I am thrilled to hear that your girl lived another 2 years once she was diagnosed, that's amazing. It's also comforting to know that for the last year she was not even on the pred and still managed to do pretty good. We recently had to take Maddie of the pred due to her having a bleed in her GI tract, she became anemic and needed a transfusion. The doctor is not sure if the pred caused this or something else (like a tumor in her GI tract) so we had to stop the pred. Stopping the pred makes me nervous but hearing your story has helped ease my mind somewhat. I check Maddie's glucose at home and it has been doing about the same as it was while on the pred (knock on wood.) She was on a very low dose and some of her liver values were already on the rise.

Would you mind sharing what diet you had Jordan on? Did you feed her smaller more frequent meals to?

Thanks again for sharing Jordan's story!!!

 

[boilerupking]

Carrie-
i just read up on you & Maddie and all you two have been through together.
let me first say how much i admire all you have done, and continue to do, for your girl. i know how hard it is, and how much it tears at your heart to have a sick baby, and i feel for you.
the good news is there is always hope for Maddie, and her story reminds me exactly of Jordan's. Jordan's tumor was on her pancreas also, and we recieved the same warnings about how dicey operating on that particular organ can be.
the predinizone was just not going to be the drug for her either, too much damage can be done over time, but you know that from experience.
Jordan often had little appetite, so i often cooked for her, and followed recipies for home cooked food. she especially liked liver, and anything soft that had a strong smell. i fed her every 2-3 hours, as much as i could encourage her to eat.
i am amazed that you can test Maddie's glucose level at home, that is a godsend! i am sure that will help prevent any major problems from low blood sugar, and let you get a heads up when trouble may be looming. controlling that aspect of Jordan's illness was the most difficult, as we had no means to test her ourselves. but it sounds as if you know the look Maddie gets, as Jordan got, that would send up an alarm that something was off.
Jordan's only problem once she was off the prednizone was the fluctuation in her glucose, and all things considered, that is not the worst one could wish for. we always knew the tumor would be eventually fatal for our girl, and chose to let her live without the pred, as the insulinoma was the lesser of two evils. she certianly was not as active as she once was, but she was never in pain, never spent a night away from home, and never knew she was sick.
my hope for you is that Maddie rebounds off the predinizone with no ill effects. i know you will be vigilant in keeping her safe and healthy, and of course loved. keep checking her glucose, and keep loving her as you have. these boxers of ours have such amazing spirits and souls, nothing they do surprises me anymore, they are remarkable.
good luck to you and your beloved, i hope Jordan will whisper something soothing in her ear, and watch over you, Maddie, and Homer too. namaste.