Tobi’s Health Journey
When it comes to health in both humans and pets, sometimes we coast along for a while thinking everything is great. You can be happy and healthy and then life happens. Health journeys can sometimes be scary and overwhelming, but todays story has us smiling from ear to ear. This is Tobi’s story written by mom.
“ Tobi's first 9 years of life were easy-peasy - the best behaved, healthiest little Shih Tzu there ever was! Thankfully there was never a single health issue or concern until he went in for blood work prior to a dental cleaning in 2016. His liver levels were elevated, but everything else “seemed normal”. Dental work was put on hold at the time until his levels could even out. He was started on Denamarin (milk thistle). Fast forward 6 months, Tobi was gaining weight very quickly as he went from 17lbs to 23lbs within a month. His liver levels continued to be elevated. Additionally we started to notice increased hunger, excessive drinking water, and panting. This is when Tobi was recommended by multiple friends to see Dr. Lassin in the Winter of 2017.
After various tests Dr. Lassin diagnosed Tobi with early Cushings Disease. This is an overactive adrenal gland causing an increased production of Cortisol. Basically too much steroids. Dr. Lassin and Tobi’s parents decided to treat Tobi with a more natural, holistic approach including Chinese herbal therapy, food therapy, Lignan therapy, and Melatonin therapy. We also started liver supplements to support his liver to bring down his elevated liver levels. After a year on his new all home-cooked diet and the new treatment plan, Tobi’s weight came back down to 17lbs and his energy levels drastically improved! Tobi was finally looking like his old self again, running, jumping, and making friends - *human friends only* of course as this is his preference. Additionally Tobi’s signs of drinking a lot and panting decreased.
The following Summer of 2019 Tobi’s hair started falling out and his energy seemed to be decreasing again. More signs of his overactive adrenal started to become more prominent. With additional testing and further consideration, Dr. Lassin decided it was time to utilize a medication called Veteroyl to treat Tobi’s Cushings along with a number of alternative therapies to help support the body. With regular testing to monitor the dosage, Tobi’s energy and blood work began to improve again. Unfortunately, Tobi’s hair was still falling out. However, fluff came second to Tobi’s health, and as long as he was healthy, who needs hair when you’re a happy pup? Tobi took this time to express himself through fashion with various shirts and sweaters to stay warm and protect his skin from the sun. Dr. Lassin never seemed too concerned with this and continued to assure us he was on the right track.
Come February of 2020, we began to notice little tiny blonde hairs appearing on the top of Tobi’s head. Little by little the blonde hair began to come in all over his body, and by the Spring of 2020 Tobi was almost fully covered in his new coat!
Tobi just celebrated his 12th birthday! He’s a happy and healthy pup that’s forever grateful to Dr. Lassin and his amazing staff for helping him to navigate the tedious and at times scary journey of Cushings treatment. This integrative approach made every difference for Tobi. He’s also turned over a new leaf and taken interest in making dog friends for the first time in his life! This made his parents so excited that they got him a little brother that he’s currently taking his time to warm up to.”
