RobinM

We had to make this horribly painful decision just 2 weeks ago. Polli who underwent a succesful amp, easy recovery, 5 chemos was eating like a champ, putting on weight, screaming at us to move faster when she ordered us around, took a turn for the worse on Thursday night and we made the painful decison on Sunday. We really thought we had several more good weeks. What made our decision was her quality of life. She was misreable. It didn't matter if she would have been ok in a few days for a day or 3. From Thursday to Sunday was more than enough to witness, I couldn't do that to her hoping it might get better. Romeo will tell you. As Mike said, the morphine doesn't take the pain away, it's pain management. Our prayers are with you, DH and Romeo. I am so sorry you have to go through this. An afterthought, when the time comes, see if your vet will come to your house so that Romeo can be in the comfort of his own house. It's worth a try to ask the vet if that is something you would want.

He will be just fine and the infection will clear up and that will be the end of it. This is all good. Mega prayers and good thoughts for your sweet Vinny.

OMG- I am so sorry. I am a nut case when Chloe and Teddy get out there and run, Chloe always looks behind her and not where she is going. This is one of my biggest fears. Do you have any idea of who she is bringing her to? Please update just as soon as you can. Maggie will be on the top of my prayer list.

One of their brothers, Jicky jack (or something similar to that) died of cancer at the age of 2. When we got Beau, we started looking for littermates and were told this by the track he had last been on. I always get completely numb when I am bringing him in for x-rays, first a young sibling and then their mom... so far so good. But we don't know WHAT it is.

Beau is home. Considering he had general and he's had general more times in his 4.5 years of life -- you wouldn't beleive it, he looks GREYT. I mean really good. He is moving a lot better too. She "bit the bullet" and gave him metcam- doesn't like to give it with pred and it seems to be making a difference at least for the time being. She sent the films to Cornell. The cytology of the swelled leg went to be checked out. His fever was 103.8 and the leg was warm to the touch. The foot that was casted is much better- still a little bruised, but much better. Having him home with me just brings tears to me eyes. Even though his eating for today is not good (we document every single drop of food he eats calorie wise, time he eats etc. Where I normally am getting in between 1800 and 2200 calories a day, he only had 840 today which all considering is not bad. We might make it up tp 1300 before the night is over. His weight was 61.9 Fantastic. He''s got to get better. Not really knowing what to do is a problem though. BTW- I was wrong, I said the right leg was swollen, but it's his right foot/hock very swollen. That's where the cytology was taken from.

Beau had 9 races and hasn't run since, even when he has opputunity to run. IE: an open ball build, he pees, not runs.

We can treat with doxy and pred. She is referring to the fever is it is not being addressed by the doxy. To tell you the truth, my head is spinning from all this. We lost our Polli 2 weeks ago today and this started with Beau at the same exact time. We've had no time to address one thing before being blindsided by another. I will ask her why about the doxy being OK but not other antibiotics.

They do not see cancer. They did it under a general (AGAIN) as he was screaming. They did from his neck, all the way to his toes. There is a mild LS. a lot of swelling was seen in the joint of the right leg. They did a cytology of the swollen joints and sent it out just in case. They did a full TBD and gave him doxy as well. Left side looks fine, right has some mild arthritic changes from July's pictures. If it's a bacterial infection (he does have a fever) he will have to come off the pred in order to treat it, otherwise we will have a catch 22 because being on the pred will get in the way of the anitbiotics. Coming off the pred will put him in the throws of a full blown IBD attack and he won't eat again. We can get him at 4PM. Why?

"One thing to be aware of is that if your dog has been on antibiotics or prednazone in the past 6 months, the test can be masked by these drugs, giving a negative response. It's always best to wait 6 months to take a tick titer test to be sure the test returns a reliable response. " Beau is on 40mg of pred to address his severe IBD and can not come off of it, NOW WHAT???

I need a list of whcich TBDs, sometimes not everything is included. Do I just say FULL TBD?

Where exactly should the test go and what exactly should we test for? Please be specific so I can pass it on to the vet.

I woke up to the sound of Beau whimpering as he was trying to shift positions. He was barely able to move. Refused breakfast for the 1st time since the pred. We took him into the vet as planned to have the banadage removed, he was now holding the RIGHT leg up. Upon examination and a lot of screaming, vet saw that right leg was swollen. It was fine on Wed. It was his left hip on Wed. In addition, he is running a fever. I did not ask how much. We decided right then and there to do a full set of x-rays under sedation and now I sit and wait... again. This just can not be happenening. Please, tell me it's not.

And it won't ever be the same. I am having the same problem. We haven't really been able to grieve Polli because Beau is keeping us extremely busy. He used to eat with Teddy and Chloe prior to the IBD and almost like filling in for his momma, he now has very different eating times due to the pred. It's almost like Polli said to Beau before she left, this is how you keep them busy, and since I won't be here, I'm counting on you to do it! Polli is sittingon my night table and every one in a while I look at it and I completely lose it. How can that sweet loving, big mouth, spunky firecracker be reduced to ashes in a box. It makes me sick. I wished I believed in the afterlife and I wish I believed in the rainbow bridge where she was whole again. But I don't. I believe when it's over, it's over. It would be so much nicer to believe otherwise. hugs to you, Blair. I feel your pain.

We give it at both meals.

I posted about Beau's issues on Amer. GH and a very well respected GH person said this: He reminds me of a dog who has run his back off, particularly the way he moves. The way his hindquarters are toeing in so noticeably, there could be some spinal impingement, and I'm going to suggest that perhaps his pelvic area or lumbar discs are involved, and that's contributing to his miseries. I'd have his lumbar region X rayed, for starters. Lots of racing greyhounds have on-again-off-again tenderness in the right hip area, because the right side is the weight bearing side when the dog turns left, as they do when they race. That he is now lame on his left, makes me suspect discs or pelvic suluxation. If there is a good canine Chiropractor near you, you might run him over there for a visit. Just a note....any time a dog is lame, and the reason isn't obvious, start looking at the bottom of the paw and work your way up to hip palpation and manipulation. I emailed this to my vet and we are there tomorrow morning to have the bandage removed. We WILL get to the bottom of this and I WILL get my Beau back. I have to. ETA: Please explain what "run his back off" means.

I couldn't be happier for you guys. May it last and last!

Cast comes off tomorrow. We will see her then. It's hard to believe this is Beau- it's been almost 2 weeks since he has gotten up to do anything including pee, eat, etc. The only thing he will do is move from one position to another although, not very frequently. To get him to go out is a major production and he will eat sitting up in the bed he was laying in. Pathetic.

When the vet checked him Wednesday, she confirned it was the left side of the hip. He did have a knee issue- where it popped out - it was the right side. Did you read what OSU said about the x-rays on the rigth side back in July? This was happenening exactly the same way on the right side. Now, it's the left. It started before the toe incident after we stopped the acupunture. We stopped the acupunture becasue he as recoperating from the open abdominal surgery. He has resumed acupunture 2 times. Next appointment Tues. No, he swtiches sides depending on which bed he is on. If I had to say which side he is on more, it's his right side. Leaving the left side exposed and I am able to get the compresses on that way.

He has been not checked for either.

I am so sorry.

Here is the vidoe- he was already kinda up and it does not show the back end trembling and struggling to get up. he actually looks a bit better today so far. We just did a walkie about 10 houses and back. I had to stop him at the door to put a bag over his sock!

I've tried several times to get the video so I could post but I have to spendso much time coaxing him to get up and moving when he does go out to pee, I can't seem to coordinate the 2. That is the ONLY time this dog moves. When he is forced to go out to pee. Other wise he is catatonic. This is crazy silly loving Beau we are talking about. Re: cast. it's only abut 4 inches now and it was changed on Wed. It comes off tomorrow. We are hoping when it comes off, that will make a difference but we will still be seeing and speaking to vet tomorrow. His labs last saturday were just fine. He gets them done every 3-4 weeks due to the pred and imuran. We are on top of that.

I agree with all of this. My main concern is the hip issues again. He looks like his is a 14 year old dog trying to get up and moving. He is not even 5. That's what is scaring me the most. We are hoping once the cast comes off, he will not be so overcompensating on the back end and that the acupunture will help. The back end was going on BEFORE Polli passed and BEFORE the foot injury. it's just so much worse. And he is depressed on top of this. Who wouldn't be? I guess I wasn't clear.

I feel your heartbreak and I am so sorry. God Speed beautiful girl.