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juliemac

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Posts posted by juliemac

    Chase Needs Prayers

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by juliemac

    Oh, what great updates!

     

    When I took my little Paige in, she had been in a foster for almost a year that had gotten almost 10 pounds added to her frame (she was removed from a home at 10yo nearly weighing 25-30 pounds below racing weight). I figured out how to get & keep weight on her, but learned that her muscles would not support any more than 47 pounds (her racing weight was 57#). So when it comes to proper weight for a senior, Chase's own muscle strength will determine that.

     

    Paige had horrible teeth as well -- the roots were exposed below the "V" in her back molars, but neither of the experienced vets I used were willing to put her through a dental because the teeth were solid (no wiggles). I should also say that Paige didn't seem to have any pain or infections from her teeth, which made decisions easier. So my job focused on keeping her mouth clean and having a friend do regular scalings.

     

    From a food perspective, Paige was eager to eat (early on, we had food aggression issues that subsided as soon as she realized she would never again go hungry and Riley realized that he would always get some of the 'good stuff' that Paige was eating). Paige's diet included:

    > free-fed kibble (which was never as interesting as her meals)

    > 1 bottle of ensure (can of Equaline) - minimum 250 cal (preferred 350 at the beginning)

    > cooked chicken or beef with rice or pasta. She'd get 2-3 cups of this per meal (I put food out in 1 cup servings until she seemed to get tired or full).

    o chicken: I would debone multiple rotisserie chickens to make 2 days of food at a time.

    o beef: I would throw ground hamburger into a pot of boiling water with uncooked rice & seasonings (and veggies), & cook them together to make a 'stew' -- I never worried about the fat content, and didn't care about excess watcr/broth because it helped avoid issues with dehydration)

    > Paige liked chicken strips to gnaw on ... or chicken-wrapped sweet potato treats if I could get them (my local stores ran out of them often)

    > Steve's raw food comes in small, frozen chunks (like small ice-cubes), and was a nice variation for Paige -- it had a high water and fruit content, and Paige enjoyed them as a meal or a treat (I'd take a bag of Steve's and portion it into 1 cup bags, which I could partially thaw (for a treat) or thaw completely (for a meal).

    > probiotics and vitamins were added to meals

     

    It sounds like Chase is doing really well, and prayers are still coming that Chase finds a forever home soon!

    Hard Times

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Glad to hear Sophie's home now ... and I definitely hope she's a better patient for you both than she seemed to be for the vet! Sounds like you've got a little fighter there, and that's a wonderful thing ...

     

    gentle hugs for Sophie and you as you help her recover from surgery, and prayers that the doctors don't find any surprises in the tests that they're running.

    Please Please Pray For My Gt Angel Yaz

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    you know we're all praying for Yaz --- and the waiting is DEFINITELY the worst, especially when there aren't any answers coming back from your tests. Please call if you need help getting him somewhere!

     

    And if you don't have him on probiotics or you & the vet want him to try some different foods, please let me know and we can raid my fridge & cabinets for some other options to see what might work well for him.

     

    gentle hugs to you & Dave (& spazzy yazzy of course). Tell him Auntie Julie's waiting for a kiss!

    Update On Rainey -- Final Update Post 1

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Kim --

     

    I just saw this thread, and had hoped that not hearing about Rainey meant things were getting better. I'm so sorry I was wrong, and please accept the gentlest of hugs from me.

     

    Please give me a call ... 630 416 0047 or 630 567 0506 © ... I can come over on Wednesday or Thursday nights this week or on Saturday for a few hours if you & Bruce would like to head out (maybe with Anubis) for some quiet time. Also, are you going to Arboretum View for the MRI on Wed? Would you like to bring Anubis over so he can meet my pups and have a doggy playdate of his own for the day?

     

    If you're interested in trying a new one, I have a wonderful chiropractor/vet in Winfield (about 15 min W of Arboretum View) that I can recommend ... Dr. Dena has greys of her own & tends towards holistic medicines & a raw diet, so I'm guessing she'd definitely have some new options to incorporate into Rainey's care. She helped Paige walk again after her first 'stroke', and kept her walking for a full year before her body just couldn't take it anymore.

     

    Julie

    Sara Is In Surgery Right Now

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Sounds like really great news, and I'm so glad to hear that your husband is supporting everything (and you know everyone here at Greytalk wishes you didn't have to go through any of this either, right?)

     

    Hugs to you all, and I hope you can find something to do to keep the clock from moving slowly.

    Green Tripe

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    Oma's Pride distributors also sell ground raw green tripe ...

     

    my friends (who also feed mostly raw) are very greatful that I have almost no sense of smell ... I usually thaw out a 5# container and shred it up (tear it into smaller chunks) and put it in smaller portion containers. Then only one of us has to get her hands dirty, and nobody's admitting whether the smell stays on your hands after washing, though (ok GTers, let me know if I've been duped).

     

    Enjoy!

    Brucie

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    I lost my first grey to spinal cancer, and my heart breaks for you. Brucie clearly thrived in your home, and I'm so glad that he trusted you to give him a fabulous life, and as a result you & your family were able to see the wonderful boy that was hidden behind all of the fear. Thank you for taking a chance on Brucie, and hugs to you all as you cope with the hole that he's leaving in your hearts.

    Protecting Healing Tail Stump

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Sorry ... tp holder is the tried & true method in this house ... One vet used a wide diameter syringe that had been aerated (drilled holes) ... nice idea, but I couldn't replace.

     

    I tried the fingertip bandage route, but it was too hard to get the tail into the bandage, and then I worried about the wound being able to breathe & heal.

     

    good luck! watch for infection, too --- Riley's tail amputation is where we learned that he does not respond to one particular antibiotic, and he got really really sick (and almost required a 2nd amputation) to deal with the infection that occurred.

    Small Wound - How Serious?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Welcome -- and we all have been there! I now have several (unopened) bottles of hydrogen peroxide in the house, along with an assortment of children's t-shirts, ointments, bandages, and even super glue! As you need to, you'll build an arsenal of the products that you find you don't want to be without around the house (which will include many collars, coats, and probably greyhound art, I'm sure) My newest learning (which others here have known for YEARS) is that a toothbrush and doggie toothpaste (and using them) can make a long-term difference on your hounds' health ...

     

    Welcome again ... and looking forward to many pictures in other categories besides Halth & Medical!!

    How Much Xanax?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I understand Ace can cause seizures, but I'm no vet.

     

    I use Alprazolam, which is a generic Xanax. Riley's prescribed 1-2 1mg tablets as required (for anxiety during strong barometric pressure changes) -- 1 mg works for him, but only if I catch the symptoms REALLY early. When I mentioned that to my vet (because do you know how hard it is to catch barometric pressure changes early?), she said even 2 mgs wouldn't make a difference once the symptoms were in full-force (the phrase '1-2mg would be like candy' stuck in my head), but to try 3 mg at that point to try to take some of the edge off.

    Number 2 In The Kennel :(

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    If you think she's stressing out from being in the crate (which she should be very used to if she recently was on a track), then consider confining her to the kitchen, where the flooring is easier to clean up should there be an accident. Baby Gates, or even large, flattened cardboard boxes held in place with diningroom chairs can provide good barriers to other rooms of the house. But be careful ... since you haven't had her very long, you may not know if she's a chewer yet ... I would muzzle her for awhile if you go that route, since you don't need to come home to find the corners of your cabinets gnawed (and then when you're ready to try her without the muzzle, I would spray the corners of lower cabinets with bitter apple to keep chewing focused on kongs, antlers, or nylabones). It probably goes without saying, but the kitchen should also be doggie proofed before using it for a kennel area - my Baby can open the lid on a peanut butter jar without damaging it and Riley can squeeze between the slat on railings, so doggie-proofing has special meaning in my household.

     

    Since you've only had Lola for a week, though, I would be patient with her ... give her time to figure out YOUR routine. You also may find that she needs to go potty twice in the morning before you leave the house (my Baby still must go potty within 10 minutes of my departure, otherwise she responds by HAVING TO GO as soon as I walk out the door). Don't forget she's probably also getting used to being ALONE when you leave (remember that most greys have never been alone) ... something like a TV or radio might help with that.

     

    good luck!

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