MP_the4pack

A cardiologist can look at the heart and let you know if it is serious or not. My regular vet told me that Pearl had a murmur and asked if I wanted to see a specialist. Since I had just lost my 8 yr old to cancer and my 5 year old to liver disease 2 years earlier I jumped and said yes. Pearl did not have a normal 'athletic' heart murmur. She has a bad mitral valve. She went on enalapril and lasix and digoxin (because her heart rate was way too fast even for a nervous vet visit). During one of her regular cardio visits they said her heart looks good, but I told them she wasn't feeling that well. They did a BP. It was over 200. So she went on norvasc and phenoxybenzamine. We still had trouble with her BP. Through some rough times and misdiagnoses, we found she had an abscessed tooth. Since she had uncontrolled hypertension, we couldn't anesthetize her safely to remove it, so we managed it with monthly antibiotics. Her hypertension was still giving us problems so I decided to take the chance and put her under for a CT of her adrenals and removal of the abscess. No adrenal tumor. Bad tooth removed. Turned out that the bad tooth had given her kidney disease, which was causing her hypertension. The kidney is not improving but is not worse. She was put on aspirin along with everything else she's on. Her hypertension is now under control. Her appetite is fantastic (which it hadn't been in years) and she made it to her 10th birthday last Oct. She was diagnosed with heart disease 4 years ago. If anyone came to my house they would need to ask me which dog has the bad heart. You can't tell by watching them play outside. In a nutshell.........see a cardiologist if you're that concerned.

Good luck! Although I haven't had osteo yet in my pack (hemangio took my Brindle), I have often thought of what I would do. If it hit Onyx several years ago, I wouldn't have hesitated to have an amputation. But now that she's 12 and I see her with minor hind end weakness and arthritis, I probably would not do that for her now. Pearl is not an option. Not with her heart disease and hyptertension. Diamond I would have to look at the cost because she didn't get insurance. She was turned down due to her ehrlichia. She is also 10. Brat, at age 3....probably would go for the amputation. So, as you can see, I had to look at each of my girls for a decision. Only you can do that for Dempsey. But whatever decision you make. It IS the right one for you. MP and the 4 pack

Although it could be other things, and I think a chat with a vet is in order, that looks like what gravity does to a hematoma. If there is an injury/bruise blood will drain down. In this case, from the neck to the chest. This has happened several times, and is especially noticeable in my Brat who has little fur on ther underside. Since there was an obvious bruise in the neck area.....this is most probably what it is. I might have been more concerned if there were nothing else at all.

This was also my thought. Hope he feels better soon.

Paryers coming your way.

Farewell Master yet not farewell Where I go ye too shall dwell I am gone before your face A moment's time, a little space When ye come where I have stepped Ye will wonder why ye wept. God speed sweet girl

Dang, the tears have started even before I got to write this: When I adopted my two greyhounds (May 1995 and April 1996) I thought I'd get to have them in my life for at least 10 years......they were both only 2 1/2 at the time of adoption. What a shock it was when only 3 years later my beloved, white and black clown died on me. Topaz was 5 days away from her 6th birthday and 9 days away from Christmas. Five year old dogs don't die. They are just starting to live. Just starting to have fun. Just starting to........ She died. One month earlier she was diagnosed with liver disease and I was told she had about a year to live. They reinforced that prognosis just 4 days before she died. She was such a clown. Her left ear sat on top of her head making it look like she was always in a crosswind. She would playbow for a butt scritch. One day we walked down the hall from the bedroom to the den. Not a long hall. She bowed, I scritched the butt. She took a step and bowed, I scritched her butt, she took a step and bowed, I scritched her butt. Must have taken 10 minutes to walk down that 12 foot hallway. Another time I came home and neither dog greeted me at the door. Why? They were both stuck outside. Topaz tried to get her teddybear out the dog door and it got stuck. Heaven knows how long they were out there. There was a huge field that a farmer planted wheat in....it was an enclosed field, so safe for her to go off leash. The wheat was taller than her, but that didn't stop her from leaping up and clearing the wheat. She started to do that because she thought she heard critters. But when she realized that she got me laughing, she started to do it just for me. Luckily I got pix of that. But no video. My friend with the video camera forgot to charge the battery. Here she is looking at me in the wheat field Leaping in the wheat field. That "spot" is Brindle. My first greyhound that I lost exactly 1 year and 11 months later. The both died on the 16th of the month. She's just walking in the field. Oh babies......no matter how much time goes by, I still miss you. Topaz and Brindle, forever in my heart.

Oh no......... Farewell Master yet not farewell Where I go,ye too shall dwell. I am gone before your face, A moment's time, a little space. When ye come where I have stepped, Ye will wonder why ye wept.

It's not an emergency, but you should now deworm all of your pets. It is contagious. And make sure to pick up all poop too or they can reinfect themselves right away. You shouldn't have to visit your vets, just pick up more wormer.

I'm really very sorry to hear your girl has so much trouble with her heart and with weird swelling as well. were both of her legs edemous? where they pitted edema or regular edema? I have read that regular bilateral edema is also not normal and indicitive of heart problems.. did your vets mention that ? I can't vouch for the internet sources where I get my info, so I think you are wise to bring her to a specialist next time. As much as we all love our hounds and try to protect them from harms way, such is life, isn't it? We do the best we can and hope for the best and wait to see what lies ahead. I agree and so did my regular vet.. i have transported Bella to a internist and asked them to contact OSU which they were very willing to do. Bella's RBC is steady rising and she was up to 36 yesterday. I am waiting to hear from the new vets this morning. admittedly 36 ain't great but it's better than 25. The good news is that there are no tumors in her belly or chest, but her kidneys look slightly abnormal. Her urine sample taken from the bladder looked blood red, and they pulled some clear fluid from her abdominal cavity. The new vets are doing Tick serology, von Willebran factor test, testing her abdominal cavity fluid/ cytology, urinalysis and a coagulation profile. Bella was 5 lbs underweight on Tuesday and she didn't look as skinny as she does now. Now with all the swelling she weighs 63 pounds again... which means she is probably carrying more then 5 pounds of fluid in her legs. my poor girl. Bella's spirits are up tho, She is obviously exhausted and uncomfortable but she doesn't appear to be in any pain and she is bright and alert. if her RBC improves today she may come home, which my wallet will thank me for b/c overnight in ICU tops out at around $700. I have no idea how I am going to pay this all off. I was already looking for a second job... i guess i had better go FIND one now. I want to thank all of you GTers for your support. I do not post often b/c i feel i don't often have anything to contribute, but I see now how even a few kind words really helps, plus the experience of GTers and the vets that patrol these posts... it's been a great source of comfort, knowledge and support and I am grateful. The swelling was at different times, different legs. And the first two times, to the left leg it was an obvious injury involved. However, the injury itself shouldn't have caused that amount of swelling. The last time, just a few weeks ago, it appeared to have been a bug bite on the right. So, there is an underlying problem. We still don't know if it is heart related or another problem. She doesn't have edema without an insult to the area, but there's a problem that results in severe edema when there is an insult to the area. I hope this help.

Just because the dog doesn't scream doesn't mean it doesn't hurt! While staples do not result in uncontrollable pain... they do hurt. I would challenge every poster on here that declines any sedation or local for staples to 1st get the same number of staples themselves. If you can take 4 staples in the hand or leg and tell me it doesn't hurt, then I guess you can continue to get staples without sedation or a local. On the other hand, if you tell me that it actually hurts and you would prefer not to be stapled again then you will see why this vet recommended or demanded at least a local. As for the argument of the local causing as much pain as the staples/sutures... I would disagree. If you use bicarbonate to neutralize the pH of the lidocaine, it takes 90% of the bite out of the lidocaine. To me the argument of "he doesn't appear to be in pain" is why an animal's pain with MANY procedures was ignored for so long. We know physiologically that they feel pain by the same pathways that we do. Instinctually animals will try to hide pain and typically will tough out much more than we do but that doesn't mean that they are not in pain. Recently there was a vet in there 60s or 70s that lost their license because the vet did not provide appropriate pain relief to a dog after performing back surgery. What was his defense? "The dog didn't appear to be in pain". He lost his license b/c he failed to show how a slipped disc and the surgery to repair it could NOT result in signficant pain. I think preventing/controlling pain is one of the most important things a vet can do so sorry if I rambled a bit... just kind of a soap box issue. I agree with this and there is also another point to think about. Yes, the initial sting of lidocaine can be equated to a staple, but once it's done, the area is numb and pain free, whereas if you staple without the anesthestic, the pain of stapling remains as does the pain of the wound. At least for several hours the area is pain free with the anesthetic.

I would take her to another vet. THings just aren't jiving there. And normal RBC for greyhounds is in the 60's not 40's. (which is why they make such terrific blood donors) So 20's is majorly low. Now, I have a girl who has had 3 episodes of edemedous legs. Two were cause by injury, one is uncertain but there was a bite or rash in the area before the leg swelled. She has a very bad heart and is on a plethura of meds. Since I have been able to clear up the swelling with antibiotics and wrapping I haven't pursued it much other than contacting the vets initially. But the next time it happens she's going to a specialist. But unfortunately it could be related to her heart problems and decreased circulation. I think injury can cause the swelling but because there is another underlying problem.

Farewell Master, yet not farewell. Where I go, ye too shall dwell. I am gone before your face, A moment's time, a little space. When ye come where I have stepped, Ye will wonder why ye wept. Rest in Peace Barbiejade.

Many lacerations are already numb from the impact. If you get to the vets early enough, they won't feel the lanocaine. Now, you might ask, 'if the lanacaine doesn't sting, then why use it for suturing?" Because, as I have stitched up my girls I have found pockets of areas not numb. When you inject lanocaine, it numbs the area around it, so that you don't end up with any spots that hurt. I do simple suturing on my girls all the time, no one holds them. (except Brat, um I mean Opal. She's a little wiggle worm)

VPI is a stinker on pre-existing conditions. My 3 yr old had ONE laceration. Lacerations are excluded. She had one visit for a tummyache. Gastritis is excluded. However, my Pearl has a heart condtion and hypertension diagnosed after I got insurance..............they probably wish I'd never got insurance with them. I have maxed out with Pearl for the last three years. Although I have not maxed out with Onyx (my 12 yr old), her insurance has definitely paid back her premium. VPI will finally get some money off me with my 3 yr old. But I won't wait because every vet visit will result in another exclusion of some sort. By the way............WELCOME!!

Phew....she made it through surgery! I'm glad everything's looking up and will continue to pray for a quick and full recovery.

Ouch poor baby. That's a nasty break. When is her surgery to repair it?

You have all my sympathy. I too was blindsided by hemangio. Brindle was fine in the morning, at the Bridge that night. Farewell Master yet not farewell Where I go, ye too shall dwell I am gone before your face, A moment's time, a little space When ye come where I have stepped Ye will wonder why ye wept.

Farewell Master, yet not farewell. Where I go, ye too shall dwell. I am gone before your face, A moment's time, a little space. When ye come where I have stepped, Ye will wonder why ye wept. Godspeed William.

Oh this angers me to no end. If I say anymore it'll lock this thread. Run free sweet Sari. There are many good people down here that wish you had been with them.

How's Valliejo? She's gotta be up there in age by now. She was around when I had both Brindle and Topaz.