Say hello to Hobbes

Intake Date: 5/2015
D.O.B 4/2014

Update 2/22/2023

Currently, Hobbes’ health is stable. We are doing all we can to give him his best chance at a happy life.

Sadly, Hobbes is back in emergency care as of today, 1/2/2023. Currently, we are unsure if it’s the same issue as last time or another issue arising. We will keep you posted once we receive an update. Please keep him in your thoughts.

This is Hobbes’s Story

Hobbes was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism)
in June 2022.

Cushing’s is a manageable condition, but it is not a condition that we can “cure”. Early testing for Hobbes indicated “Pituitary Dependent (PDH)”. Most dogs with PDH live a long life with Cushing’s and often eventually require treatment to control clinical signs. However, Hobbes’ left adrenal gland (one of the organs responsible for Cushing’s disease) was shaped differently than in the past. This is concerning that his Cushing’s may have an adrenal gland component (vs. just being caused by a change in

his brain). Dogs with adrenal gland masses tend to have a very short prognosis compared to dogs with PDH Cushing’s, which can be managed for years. Therefore, Hobbes’ next ultrasound will be very important to help us prepare for how his Cushing’s journey will progress. (Fortunately, we did not find any evidence of an adrenal gland mass at his recheck ultrasounds.)

Hobbes has almost all the possible side effects of Cushing’s, so he is a very fragile internal medicine patient who we’ve been lucky to be able to manage as well as we have been up to this point.

Dogs with Cushing’s often develop clinical signs such as pot-bellied appearance, excessive panting, thirst, urination, or appetite. Hobbes’ liver is enlarged due to his Cushing’s disease and his abdomen will likely forever have a distended appearance making him look “overweight” when he isn’t. Hobbes will never feel as good as he did before he developed Cushing’s, but our goal is to get him back to as happy and feisty as possible!

December 2022 Update

The first week of December, Hobbes was examined due to him acting off and very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, due to Hobbes’ Cushing’s and its many complications, he is predisposed to chronic pancreatitis. Additional testing was performed which confirmed his pancreatitis was very flared up. Pancreatitis pain can be intense for some patients, and Hobbes is one of those patients. Therefore, our goal with him is to decrease his pancreatitis inflammation to a level that does not cause him intense discomfort.

Our goal is to keep him mildly sedated so that he can rest without being agitated from pain. Most cases of pancreatitis improve after a few days of supportive care. Our medical team and staff are keeping a very close eye on him. If his condition ever becomes unmanageable, we will not hesitate to take him to an animal emergency hospital.

12/16/2022 Update
Hobbes is on the mend. However, he will never be 100%.

Please consider sponsor Hobbes to help with his chronic medical costs.