greypop

Declan is home, and seems okay. The positioning for the C/T aggravated his arthritis and LS, but he's not coughing or having difficulty breathing. We'll watch him closely over the weekend and go on from there.

Exactly. Everything the surgeon was suggesting is exploratory, and we don't want to put Declan through that. The critical care vet assigned to the case agrees with us.

Well, they did the pre-op C/T and found no sign of a lung lobe torsion, so the surgery is cancelled. So far, every test has been negative. They're not sure what it is, and are running a couple more tests tonight. They're also giving him IVs to flush the contrast dye from his kidneys. We're bringing Declan home tomorrow afternoon. He's going to be in pain from the positioning for the C/T, and on restricted activity. Even though we don't have a cause, not needing to undergo surgery is always better. It might be chylothorax (buildup of fatty fluids in the pleural area). It might be some weird ideopathic thing that will never be resolved. We'll just watch and cuddle Declan, and take things as they come. Thanks to all for the good thoughts; they certainly helped.

That's the step we're deciding on now. If we decide on surgery, we bring him in tomorrow morning, they do a C/T and, if it confirms a torsion, keep him sedated and do the surgery. If the C/T shows a mass, we cancel the surgery and bring Declan home for palliative care.

All the tests so far are inconclusive. They're draining the fluid from the area and then doing an ultrasound to see if it's an encapsulated area, or if they can tell if it's a torsion. Then the plan is to bring him home and see how he does. What's confusing things is that Declan really doesn't seem as sick (except in this morning's episode) as the literature suggests he should be. It could be that the grey's lung capacity is letting him compensate, it could be it's really not a torsion, or it could be we're fooling ourselves.

Our almost-11-year old boy Declan started coughing about a week ago, which we put down to allergies. However, it got worse and, last night, he woke up in the middle of the night coughing and unable to breathe, and his legs went out from under him. We took him to the vet this morning, and x-rays show a possible torsion of the middle lobe of one of his lungs. We're waiting on the results of a needle biopsy to rule out infection or a tumor, but the torsion appears the most likely diagnosis. If it is torsion, we have to decide in the next day whether to have the surgery, or set him free. We hate the thought of letting go, but it's also our responsibility to decide for him when enough is enough, and whether the suffering will be worth it. Any knowledge on the prognosis among greys (especially seniors) with this procedure would be welcome. As would be your good thoughts.

Regarding kids, it depends on the dog (as does everything of course). Fergus is terrified of kids; Petra thinks he was chased/tormented by kids while loose on the streets. Whomever you adopt from will be able to help you find a dog apprpriate for your family. Good luck!

(Jeff, feel free to move this to Off-Topic if appropriate.) Our neighbor received a tentative diagnosis of osteo in her 6-year-old Rottweiler. (Apparently, osteo diagnoses are about as common in rotties as in greys.) she's applied for a clinical trial at Penn, but hasn't heard back. I've read numerous threads here where posters suggest sending the test results to Dr. Cuoto forr a second opinion and consult. Does he do this for non-sighthounds? If so, what's the procedure/cost? If this is not possible, our neighbor will explore other avenues, but I offered to check. Thanks!

Welcome to the club! Greyhound Welfare sometimes holds meet-and-greets outside of Baltimore (Catonsville, Ellicott City). I'm sure other posters in Baltimore will have additional suggestions. Hang in there, the 11th will be here eventually, ...

PetEssentials probiotic, JointStrong, Vital Vities (pm only) and flax oil (pm only). Declan (9-3/4) gets a full scoop of the JointStrong and Vital Vities; Fergus (5-ish) gets half a scoop.

Welcome to a fellow Marylander! Tito's a fine cowdoggy

I'm so sorry. Graham was so lucky that he finally found his forever home with you. Your struggles to decide the right thing to do are like what we went through with Charlotte (and so many others have experienced). The medical issues differ, but the question remains the same: when is it time? It hurts so much, but better to save the pup the pain and take it on ourselves. Godspeed, Dancing Boy. Charlotte and all the other bridge babies are waiting to dance, chatter, and groan with you.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Corbyn looks a lot like our boy Declan (Iruska Enzo), although Declan only lost about 6" off his tail. Run free, baby boy.

You did such a wonderful job with Symbra, and gave her a home, a family, and love. You allowed her to blossom into so much more than the spook who everyone thought might never get a home. She's now running freely and without pain with Charlotte, the other GW pups, and all the other bridge babies.

I'm so sorry. You have them for so long, you know it's going to happen, but it's never time. Run free, Gracie girl. Charlotte and the other bridge babies will run with you.

It can be a short or long process, depending on the animals. We adopted two kittens about 3 months after adopting our second grey, Declan (and 2 months after the death of Emily the 5-lb spawn of Beelzebub ). Charlotte had been thoroughly trained (cowed) by Emily, but Declan was a bouncy 2-year old. We introduced them in stages. First we kept the kittens in the basement (with their litter and food). Then we extended their area into our back room, with the dogs on brief supervised visits (leashed and muzzled). Then we removed the muzzles, then the leashes. The next step we let the kittens have the run of the house while we were home, but shut them in the back when we were out/at work. Finally, we let them all run together. We definitely erred on the side of caution, and both dogs had been tested as cat-safe before adopting. We also had the advantage of a house setup that allowed all the stages. Good luck! Hopefully, you'll eventually have blackmail pictures of dogs and cats sleeping together to share!

Thanks. We do have Declan; the Irish name can be hard to catch/remember. Today's his first day alone, although our walker should have been by just before lunch.

She ran over 100 races. Then they said she couldn't win anymore. I wish I could still watch you. She came to us after bouncing from her first home. I wish I could still hear you. She had goofy ears. One would go forward and one would go back, and sometimes they would both tilt to the left. I wish I could still see you. She was afraid of loud noises. Thunder, fireworks, and dump trucks made her shake and pant. I wish I could still comfort you. She didn't like crowds. After a while at meet-and-greets, she just wanted to leave. I wish I could still take you. She could be aloof. She didn't often come onto the bed to cuddle. I wish I could still hold you. She was tired and stiff and unsteady and hurting. She could no longer see where she was going. I wish I didn't have to give you peace. We had her for 7 years and 350 days. She has our hearts forever. Run free, Charlotte Gracie Annabelly Welly, with your brothers and sisters and all the other bridge babies..

Charlotte Grace (Carolina Mandy) 6/26/00 - 6/29/13. Her body just wore out, so we gave her our final gift.

The Thundershirt helps, but not a cure-all for our thunderphobic girl. We evolved a multi-mode approach: - walk to minimize the contents of Charlotte's digestive system (i.e., avoid having the poop literally scared out of her) - 10 units of Calm Gel (K9Granolafactory) about 1/2 hour before the expected fireworks/storm - Thundershirt on at the same time, if possible - crate with door closed (muzzle if extreme) - music (usually jazz or classical) - one of us lying/sitting at the foot of the crate (this also helped keep Char from trying to open the crate door) - another 10 units of Calm Gel - soothing encouraging words in between cursing at the storm/noise It wasn't perfect, but it got us through without lasting damage. Good luck!

I second (third?) recommending the Thundershirt. With Charlotte, it helps, but is just part of a system that's resolved over time. We also give her Pro-Calm gel (www.k9granolafactory.com), close her in her crate, and put on music. When things are really bad, one of us ends up sleeping at the foot of the crate Good luck!

No experience with harnesses, but I second the tag bag suggestion. Maureen at Long Dog Leather has a pretty good selection, and they eliminate the jangling/dangling entirely. You can also check her collar offerings -- I think she has some tapered leather Martingales.

Meredith, we're so sorry. There have been all too many (greys and non-greys) leaving us this year. Know that Turbo is running free from pain, and waiting for you.

Nah, just tell him to donate to GT . Fingers crossed for Steak.