GreytHurleyDawg

I'm so happy to hear that Charlie is home and hoping it is a one time occurrence! I got lots of good info from this topic and your original one. My heart dog Hurley had an exciting life of traumatic incidents every other year and his first was aspiration pneumonia which was a breathing/ gagging issue as well, no idea how he got it. Let's hope Charlie has an uneventful year.....uneventful is soooooo nice! Be well, Charlie!

I've been through this twice, once with an 8yo who had his leg amputated. And with a newly adopted 11yo who we took in for one pamidronate treatment that did not show any response. So, we managed his pain for almost 6 months. He had ups and downs. We would increase his pain meds and then decrease them. Then repeat. It was very much a rollercoaster ride. He never had trouble walking. He always had an appetite. But he did cry at the beginning of the nights. We were his new owners so we weren't sure if it was pain or a thing he did. That was the roughest part. But he was very happy to walk around the backyard, take car rides and be a part of our family. His lesion was in the front knee so our theory was that it washn't as close to the main bone marrow, blood supply as Hurley's was in the lower leg. I think you will know when it's right. Quality of life is the answer and I'm sure you and your husband will be able to talk it through and decide together for yourselves and mostly for your beloved hound.

Does anyone have an idea about what is going on or how to make it better? Woodie is 11 and within the last few years, he broke a toe. It healed after an ordeal that involved casting his entire leg. But recently, he started limping on that leg and we had a vet appointment anyway so the vet looked at it but didn't get any pain response or notice any abnormalities. The toe felt healed and solid to him as well. Of course, limping usually brings worries of osteo but we just xrayed him in December (it was actually the same leg) when he, was limping. So I declined new xrays because even though he is very creaky and stocky, he doesn't have arthritis either. His bones are good and solid. I give him joint supplement for the mentioned reasons. The vet said to give him anti-inflammatory when it flares up. I tried it once before we had the most recent appt and it didn't srop the limping. In fact, it's not a regular limp. He is holding his paw forward. Almost as if to communicate to me that his paw aches. I am thinking that a previously broken toe does ache with certain weather patterns (we are miserably wet and misty lately) or when stepped on/ banged up. I will give a full Deramaxx dose weigh dinner tonight but wondering if anyone has ideas for relieving what I think is chronic pain. Epsom salt soak? Warm washcloth? I saw some arthritis recommendations on facebook greytalk recently. Could this be arthritis just in that spot? Thanks in advance.

I thank you for all.your suggestions and input. Jimmy is on a high protein home cooked dog food right now...I loaded it with ground turkey. I will try the chopped up kibble when we feed kibble. To my eyes, he may have gained some weight but my eyes also did not notice the weight loss. We are trying the alternating hot/ cold for the swelling. We might try an ace bandage for a supervised time instead of a compression sock. The tumor itself looks smaller so I think the soft tissue involvement moved downward. Jim thinks the muscles are giving up and sliding down as they let loose. We just theorize. Either way, it's probably a sign.that his time is winding down. But there is no use contemplating, we are so living each day for today that we never expect anything. Reminder to new readers, I just want to.state that Jimmy is a bounce that we just.fostered and adopted in January. He has not been with us his whole life. Having gone through this with Hurley, I know how acutely painful each moment is when osteo rears its head. I can only hope that our judgement of Jimmy's quality of life is not warped. I thank you for all.your suggestions and input. Jimmy is on a high protein home cooked dog food right now...I loaded it with ground turkey. I will try the chopped up kibble when we feed kibble. To my eyes, he may have gained some weight but my eyes also did not notice the weight loss. We are trying the alternating hot/ cold for the swelling. We might try an ace bandage for a supervised time instead of a compression sock. The tumor itself looks smaller so I think the soft tissue involvement moved downward. Jim thinks the muscles are giving up and sliding down as they let loose. We just theorize. Either way, it's probably a sign.that his time is winding down. But there is no use contemplating, we are so living each day for today that we never expect anything. Reminder to new readers, I just want to.state that Jimmy is a bounce that we just.fostered and adopted in January. He has not been with us his whole life. Having gone through this with Hurley, I know how acutely painful each moment is when osteo rears its head. I can only hope that our judgement of Jimmy's quality of life is not warped.

Hi all, Jimmy is still hanging in there, as the saying goes. We had a scare last night and we took him to the e vet because the leg underneath his affected knee was swelling up. The vet on staff was not willing to contemplate what was going on in great detail, she was more concerned with discussing his quality of life. We still maintain that we have high quality but we are still battling the stomach discomfort (we are trying probiotics, three meals coinciding with med schedule vs two meals/ day) and that causes us to worry but we are taking steps to manage it. The swelling made Jim think it was a possible infection or a break in the bone somewhere so we rushed in. It seemed to have gotten more swollen by 9am ( vet visit was at 5 am) but has not worsened anymore and may even be receding. Has anyone experienced this?? Do you know what it could be? Lastly, even though he has a fantastic appetite (another quality of life aspect we are happy with), he has lost weight !!!! 57.5 lbs while he started at about 64/66. We have noticed the visible ribs but had no idea the weight loss was so extreme. We feed as much to him as we feed Petra and Woodie so we will offer more now and feel free to treat him. Jim has been worried that our antacid / gas x use was not allowing him to digest the nutrients. I guess both these factors are signalling that the end is coming closer. But we will do what we can to encourage weight gain and to monitor swelling. Hugs to all the pups, all the owners, all the healthy dogs.....just everyone who wants one! Jimmy still lives and he has a nice week coming up....i have off today and Jim has extra time off this midweek.

Oh Kristin, I am also very sorry t hear about Fritz's news. Perhaps the size and location of the lesion are good signs that it will give you more time. But it certainly is NOT fair. I am happy to hear Gunner's appetite is doing well. Hugs to all! We are having a whinier-than-normal night again with Jimmy. Fortunately, it is medication and feeding time. I wish I had a magic wand to make the discomfort or pain go away. It was my night off work tonight so I have been home all night to witness his level of discomfort....normally, I come home about this time and he is just happy to see me. Of course, that makes me wonder. But we'll see how the overnight goes and hope for a nice morning.

I agree with you, Katie (aka Quirkderk!). I think the severity of treatment warrants proof of the organism/ infection. He is perfectly healthy to all outward appearances so I think the week or so that it takes to confirm is not going to do any harm. Essentially, I am being even riskier by waiting to see if Petra gets symptoms but I assume her titer was quite low so no alarms were raised by the lab or the blood donor coordinator or my vets. Oh yes, and WELCOME!!!!!!!! You'll probably never be the same!!

So sorry to hear about Ben. I understand it was his time but still very difficult. On an upbeat note, Jimmy is doing greyt if I can say so without any recriminations of fate. I seem to hope for goid news and get thr bad thrown at me. Anyway, the tumor in his knee increases in size but he is showing all good signs physically and emotionally. We carry.him up and down steps. But he is having so many good days and good times. And we love spoiling him! We got.portraits taken of him for the Wall, the Gallery. He came with me to my mom's house on Sunday and there.was whining but only minimally. The Rimadyl is probably the cause of his stomach upset so we give antacid and Gas X. I have no idea if Gas X is dog safe but we aren't stressing. I actually have to get new prescriptions for some refills!! He is enjoying life at the moment! And I am making cooked food for my boy!!

Thanks for all the quick responses! We are still waiting for the titer information. The vet she goes to is my vet too. We are going there upon getting high recommendations from other longtime greyhound owners but we are both new clients. He seems to make extra suggestions frequently so she want all her facts checked before calling him back. He mentioned that a patient of his developed complications due to Babesia infection so I understand that he might encourage treatment. Petra got her results over a year ago when I was at her vet. That group of vets is very laidback, to the point that they would never push for any procedure unless we were ok with it, I think. I also wonder what the er hospital's vets think. Thank you for your easy clarification, Batmom, and I am so sorry to hear about the circumstances with your hound, Kudzu. That is rough. Batmom (or anyone else!), is the pcr going to be too sensitive? I read somewhere that the only method of determining subclinical infection is through pcr. This I interpreted to mean that carrier status is better determined by pcr but we already know he had a positive titer so where does carrier status end and infection begin in a dog that is lethargic because he is a retired greyhound with some shyness issues? He has good Hematological and other values. I guess it is always an individual case and difficult to generalize!

Hello! I am posting in the hopes that others have gone through something similar. During a routine workup to determine if our greyhounds were qualified to be blood donors at the emergency hospital, my dog and my friend's dog were found to be carriers of Babesia. I was told by the blood donor coordinator that treatment was a difficult process and not performed prophylactically. My Petra, although lazy in the mornings, is not unhealthy at all so we let it go. Of course, if she ever exhibits symptoms, we will investigate and treat. My friend was told by her vet (who now has the titer results) to treat and then test by pcr two months later to determine if the infection is cleared. We do not know what the titer result is. What we do know is that this is driving us nuts since we are lab techs and lab tests are what.we do! Has anyone gone through this and what would the recommendation be? Is there a particular lab that is rated well for testing? Is there such a thing as infection without obvious symptoms? Is it wise to wait fir symptoms to appear or better to treat if the titer is above a cutoff value? I would imagine that this is quite common since one article claimed that 46% of all Florida racing greyhounds are carriers. Lastly, if you have treated, has the pcr test come back negative or do they remain a carrier and then exhibit and live with less symptoms? This is clearly not something to jump into and maybe we can help the next person faced with this dilemma to decide on a course of action. I am hoping my friend's dog is just a carrier like mine!

How does one go about upping Gabapentin dosage and what am I looking for exactly when it is targetting nerves. I got a 20 day supply for Jimmy if I only give 300 mg/ day so I would not be upping it unless there was a real reason to. My vet thought he would be too zombieish if I gave more (uncertain if she meant right away or if she meant by upping it). Also, I only.give Tramadol if he is having a rough day. Should I be giving it routinely? I am concerned about the panting and the complete tiredness...aka zombieism. I found the best price at my employer's pharmacy. Target almost gave me a heart attack.when I called for a price. He seems to be stressed: licking sometimes at his legs. Whining sometimes...this is when I give Tramadol. And always limping. He won't put his paw down even when standing (like at mealtime) so I worry that it will cramp from doing that. Most times to go.in and out to potty, I carry him, he prefers that because he is nervous from all the dings and scrapes he has gotten. At one point last night, Jim (my dh) saw some old puncture wounds or I thought maybe corns on his bad paw and we wondered if it was the paw that makes him limp on that leg. It's unrealistic but we are trying to bandage and pad it in case he needs to use it. Dose 1 was given of the Gaba tonight. Normal Rimadyl. No Tramadol.

I was hoping to find an update today. I hope that all is well. Hugs again to Legs and his wonderful family!!

I have a couple of questions about Jimmy's progression. He had Pamidronate on Monday, today is Saturday. Dr said we should see improvement within 10 days (but at consult.she said "right away"). He still limps. His spirit and movement has been better for a few days. We messed up as his owners, however, by skipping his Rimadyl daily dose on Tuesday at noon. I was away at an appt, Jim thought I had given it to him. We realized our error at midnight. So, after that fiasco, he has had better days but I think yesterday, he overexerted himself in the fresh snow because his back end weakened (his rear left knee, same leg which has one toe amputated) and he lost balance. I helped him up and since then he has preferred help with the steps (3 to get to backyard). I gave him Tramadol for the overnight last night because he was very quietly whining, not settling down. He panted a lot and seemed very heavy in his movements but finally made a bed choice and slept. Although, he must fight to stay awake because his eyes were still open after 15 minutes of me staying by him and petting him. He was already on his feet when I officially got up 8 hrs later. He seems fine but I carried him up the steps. He does go down with no problems so it is possibly nerves/ fear. Does this mean the Pamidronate is not helping, I wonder? We are only at about half of our fundraising goal and I am not sure I am convinced that another treatment will help. So, what about chemo from OSU? Would I submit a consult fee and request it so that we can at least fight the spread that way? I am also wondering if I,should get the Gabapentin script and whatever else I need. My Rimadyl shipment of 120 or so liver tasting pills is on the way....i may run out before it gets here but I can get some more locally. I only have a few Tramadol left. Any experience or suggestion is helpful.

I don't know if this is true for everyone but, having been through Osteo once, I feel like it isn't that much of an ordeal in this situation because he is so new to us and he is above the age of 10. I am only focusing on the fact that we do have quality time with our new friend and we will try our best to make him feel loved and happy....and indulged! We are going to our first Pamidronate treatment in the morning and therefore we decided to set up a personal fundraising page. I will post a full story with pictures when time becomes available later but the page is here for you to share or check out: http://www.gofundme.com/238lw0 Thanks for all the greyt support and knowing shoulders to lean on!!!!

I've been catching up on this topic all day today and am just in time for your final diagnosis. I feel so bad since I've been wallowing in self pity because I have to pay for osteosarcoma care for our newly adopted 10.5 yr old and it looks like everybody here has health issues that take up a good chunk of money. I don't mean to be heartless but money getting thrown around for a consult, a diagnosis, a hopefully effective treatment.....gets me angry when I have debt already up the wazoo. And look at you, Lucy, plodding along for months and months, probably spending a lot of your savings. Sometimes I just want to ask for the cheapest way to get quality care. But we live and learn. I don't know anything about heart problems in dogs. I hope DVM is manageable with the right meds. I hope they haven't given you an expectancy of life. I hope things actually get better. You are very strong...I admire all your decision making and your willingness to persevere. I will wait to see how others react but my husband and I might do an online fundraiser for Jimmy if we can find one that has acceptable terms. I will forward info to you because there are many websites that are useful for veterinary assistance financially. Hugs for Legs and all of you! Get some sleep, you've been living this nightmare of not knowing, now you know. It might not be wine and roses but you may be able to make changes to keep him around a few more years! <3

I am just quickly popping in. I am still keeping my name despite losing Hurley last year...he was the GreytHurleyDawg...and that will never change. So, I am here as a member again. We fostered and just adopted a 10.5 year old greyhound who was surrendered to our group in January. Jimmy Sweatpants is so wonderful and it turns out he has osteo. We are considering Pamidronate (or radiation but the journey would be far) and would probably set up a fundraiser if we do. I was asked if OSU could help and I think they can confirm the diagnosis but if we,are not entertaining the idea of amputation, is there anything they would be able to do? Thanks, with all the workups and decisions, my time is stretched thin. I appreciate your straightforward answers. Here is the thread I posted locally about our new acquisition. I have not updated for his diagnosis yet until we know more of what will be going on: http://www.gpawisconsin.org/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10783 Happy One Year Ampversary, Symbra!! Good on you FedX for helping your mom out! Many thoughts going out to Daisy's family, time is often very short with this diagnosis.

Nevermind. She has fleas. I finally found one. Bathed her. At the e vet. Damnit!

Wow, go Pinky, Gia, Lucy, Twiggy and anyone else surviving in this battle! I don't know that its okay to post but Guinness Xavier in Arizona was diagnosed with some form of cancer and it was advanced enough that they sent him on yesterday. It was a hard day on Facebook. Hug your pups!!!! I am loving on my two very much!!!!! Nice to see you too Kristin! Who is going to GPA Wisconsin Gala on October 13th?????!!!!!!!!!

Kim, did I see that you decided to donate to the galgos and Scooby? I hope that's OK to post here. But I think its marvelous! !!!!!

Petra just started itching recently and finally yesterday upon thorough examination with my eyes, I found a red raw shoulder blade which I will call her hot spot. I just needed a starting point and I now am armed with several good weapons to control this. I've searched her for fleas over and over and she is on a preventative but Woodie shows no itch activity and I can't see any on her. So I think it is an allergen and I hope it's not the different brand of kibble. My husband couldn't find our brand and went with something totally different. Woodie has turned up his nose to it once or twice already! I think it's something outside and she now has some fresh scrapes from out there too. She had a bath at the beginning of the month but she will get one today as well. I was going to take her to the e vet of I thought it was really bad but I will take the day to clean, bathe, buy benadryl (maybe) and supplement her diet. I'll report back.

Oh, Kim, this is so hard for you guys right now. Nube is doing the best he can and for whatever reason, he doesn't want real food. I would feed him whatever he wants, he deserves it. I didn't have to go through this with Hurley except on his last night: he refused all raw meaty bone food (maybe not the best thing to offer to him when we knew the cancer was in his lungs) except a boneless chicken breast. I knew that was odd for our chowhound but he was legitimately sick. Then within an hour, we knew he was in a terrible way and rushed him to our e-vet. End of his particular story. I never had that day with the ice cream and the hot dogs and McDonald's and I am glad it didn't drag out. I hope you get some answers and that you have more time. You are doing all you can for him and it isn't easy to be that decision-maker. You have all my good thoughts and prayers!!!

Hi! I'm just popping in after months of not doing so!! So good to see the Pinky pics and hear that so many other hounds are still fighting the good fight! It's been 4 months since Hurley's passing and I had to explain the whole end time to my dental hygienist (who I get along with very well) and I was happy to realize that there weren't any tears welling in my eyes at all. I have moved on and feel completely honored to have been his co-owner and loved one for over 5 years. Things went so quickly that last weekend after so many months of hopeful recovery from the amputation and chemotherapy. I guess it happens suddenly like that sometimes. It should not have been a shock and yet it was acceptably so. I'll try and check back more often so I can catch up on all the stories and all the good news (and hopefully less of the bad).

I am just checking for a pupdate on Nubers. I don't think there is another thread somewhere but I could be wrong. By the way, Greytalkers, I got to meet Anubis on Friday and never have I seen a happier or more well-adjusted hound. I didn't see him walk but he certainly was the king of the slumberball. We can all take lessons from the wisdom of a greyhound...they can shine through the good, the bad and love life for life itself. How is it going?

Kim, I see you have been posting more stuff here than at GPA...I posted a response there but found my questions are answered here. Although it is a jumble since i read through the pages out of order. Firstly, some things people wrote online during Hurley's diagnosis were negative or cautious but I had nothing as bad as the criticism that you have gotten here. Each decision in this disease is meant to prolong life, the quality life. Some treatments cause discomfort first for a lasting effect. All owners go through that. No one is there with Nubes but you at that point. But I want to stress that you have to develop a thick skin against that sort of questioning: they just don't get it. I can't hide my anger though because those comments came across as confrontational and hostile. Oh well, it happens all the time with human medical care too..... Those pictures of Nubes warmed my heart!!!! He knows right where he belongs which is in his family's arms and hearts!! And post an update when you get a chance....I understand that actually getting here is healing: we are here for any venting, any worries, anytime, anyplace and just plain anyhow. And we all know how to pray for miracles and not just curl up and give up! I'm glad to hear of any improvement, no matter how small. It's exactly what YOU need to keep going!

Hurley is the only greyhound I have lost. He had osteo at 8.5 years of age (his heart stopped functioning properly at the end: after amputation, chemo and a new xray showed cancer riddling his lungs and probably taking hold of his heart) and he was a Gable Dodge son. I really like the line...someone mentioned smart and good personality....I couldn't agree more!! I would never stay away from his offspring. Hurley was the most intelligent, sensitive, obedient (to a point and also to a fault! He policed the other two hounds!) and life-affirming hound I could ever have possibly had the privilege of loving. Woodie is an HB Commander offspring (via Molotov) and he is stocky, goofy and lovable. He will be 10 soon. I do not like to think "Oh, he could be next" or that he is doomed. He does have a toe and neck issue right now and we are waiting it out to see how related they are and whether they go away on their own. He has always had joint issues so we expect arthritis will continue to progress. But other than that, he is healthy as a horse. Petra is Hurley's niece so she has a similar body type as Hurley and she has Gable Dodge as a granddad. She isn't as immediately responsive as Hurley and she has emotional girly issues that she needs to vocalize. (I can often imagine what she would be saying if she spoke English: "Um, I would rather........ggrrrr, grrr, whine!) But she is getting there, blooming all along. She is our 4 year old baby. I'm not ready to view her as a full grown adult greyhound yet. Maybe next year! It's certainly a hot button issue. I would not appreciate having to go through osteo with every hound, or any cancer or debilitating disease, for that matter. But you do what you have to. And a lot of times, things go pretty normally. Every pet dies. How many times have you heard people say greyhounds live every moment to its fullest upon retirement? It is a continuous process. And you do what you can do to make that portion of their lives as comfortable and exciting for them as possible. With both respect and love. It makes sense to me that Hurley left us in this way....he fought until the end, which came quite swiftly in that last weekend, but we had over 3 months post-diagnosis to enjoy him and join him in his life-affirmation. In his "obituary", my husband wrote about how he waited for me every morning to start each day (at the end) and there was nowhere else I would rather have been than with him. It didn't matter that he was sick because he was alive. Sorry if anyone else is tearing up, especially if you are currently going through something similar but Hurley was my gentlehound. I will always speak highly of him!