pate the sheltie

This is my first baby, Pate. He is a shetland sheepdog (sheltie) and has been the greatest pet I've ever had. He was born and bought in Memphis, TN by a breeder but was the runt of the litter. They called him "Leaf" but of course I immediately changed his name on the carride home. Peyton Manning was on the radio doing an interview while he was the quarterback for UT. Pate just stuck at that moment.

He's been my buddy through thick and thin, through pharmacy school, etc...

He also has cushing's disease, a fairly common disease in dogs that basically causes their body to have too much cortisol. The biggest issue with cushing's for Pate is muscle wasting in his hindlegs which keeps him from being mobile as far as jumping goes. I cannot remember the last time Pate could jump on the bed. He's controlled with a drug called Vetoryl (trilostane) that I special order from England as it is not available in the US. It's been a great alternative to the more toxic lysodren. Besides, he became resistant to lysodren.

Pate is 13 years old now and having more issues with walking on the hardwood floors and getting around. It breaks my heart but at least yesterday the vet gave me hope as we are trying a new drug for his arthritis, rimadyl, a cox-2 inhibitor. We're also going to use sucralfate for a couple of days to coat his stomach.

Fingers crossed that this treatment really makes a difference in his quality of life. I'm not ready for the end of his yet.