MP_the4pack

Some dogs show no symptoms until their legs break.

Sometimes limping shows up before something shows up on xray..........praying that's not the case.

My Diamond also had an infection, and it needed to be cultured to get her on the right antibiotic. But she too cleared up quickly then. She does look very comfortable on the floor. What a very lovely lady you have there.

And Nell is just a few days post op. Maybe a week? So you can follow her journey, if it helps make a decision. And remember, whatever choice you make, it's not the wrong one because you are doing it out of love. Good luck in whatever path you take.

Chad, don't automatically give up the amp route just because of age. Nell is 10.5 and just had her back leg removed. http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/305045-unclear-diagnosis-opinions-welcome/page-1 I had a front leg amp done to a 12 yr old. I had Dr Couto look at my Diamond because at that point he had seen so many greys. He said age is but a number and said my 12 yr old was closer to a 7 yr old. She handled it quite well. unfortunately 6 months later OS returned in another leg. But those were 6 very happy and pain free months.

To lose two pets so close together is just unbearable.

She was still too young to leave, even if she was officially a senior. She sounds like she was absolutely perfect.

Meds react differently with different dogs. You probaby will have to try a few before something works for you. My Onyx had an adverse reaction to Valium. She was giving some at the vets, started screaming, slipped her collar and was running around the clinic. Luckily no other clients opened a door to the outside. Big note was put on her chart, NO VALIUM. I had Jade on Clomicalm and she did ok on that but wasn't strong enough for her thunderphobia. So we tried all different typed of doggie prozac. Same kind of drug just slightly different. None helped with her phobia but increased her hunger to the point she was dangerous. She jumped into my lap to get a piece of food I was eating. It had not been offered to her at all. Also that meant that she could start eating/chewing anything in sight at home while I was at work. So we stopped all those. So you will just have to see what works for your dog, and make sure you're home when you give him the first few doses.

She looks absolutely terrific!! I hope the infection clears up quickly. She reminds me so much of my Onyx who lived to 15.5. (she wasn't the OS amputee I mentioned earlier in your post, that was Diamond)

She sounds like she's doing great. Her whining can also be from her pain meds. Some seem to cause anxiety. That's where a lot of the "2 week point" advice comes from. That's when most pain meds are done.

Print out all the responses and give it to them. I'm sure they'll appreciate all the outpouring of love and sympathy. Godspeed Lynne

He really does sound like he was God's gift.

Brad, another thing I just thought of.....when she comes home she will most likely try to get back to her usual routine immediate and actually try things she's not ready for. An example, my Diamond, first day home tried to take the 6 stairs down to the back yard. She didn't wait for me and JUMPED!! She lost a front leg and I thought for sure she just broke her one remaining front leg. She didn't and decided the ramp I built for her was a better way to get down to the yard. So keep a sharp eye on her, you may have to chase her around the house.

Oh poor baby. But I'm glad each day brings better news. to you and Nell.

I received this from the head of my local CART. From WSB TV News: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/owners-blame-700-dog-deaths-trifexis/nb5B4/ ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News has discovered the number of dog deaths pet owners blame on the popular pet medication Trifexis outnumbers the cases involving the Chinese jerky treats. Elanco, the company that makes Trifexis, refused repeated requests from Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland to turn over its data. Strickland filed a Freedom of Information request with the Food and Drug Administration and got the agency's data instead. It showed that since Trifexis hit the market, every 36 hours, a pet owner reported that Trifexis killed their dog. Trifexis is the most popular flea and heartworm pill of its kind with more than 50 million doses dispensed. Most of the dogs on Trifexis are fine. Strickland spoke to one of Elanco's top veterinarians at the company headquarters near Indianapolis less than a month ago. It was the first time the company agreed to speak on camera about the issue. At the time, Dr. Stephen Connell said that Elanco just wanted to make sure the full extent of the story is known. Still, he would not divulge how many complaints of deaths and illness have come into Elanco's response center. Elanco is required to report those complaints to the FDA. According to FDA records, pet owners have reported 700 dog deaths. That's 120 more than the deaths linked to Chinese chicken jerky treats. Like the treats, Trifexis is suspected, but not the proven cause. Connell did tell Strickland, "Everything we have on file is within expectations. We remain convinced that the value and benefit of this product still far exceeds the rare risk of these things happening, as unfortunate as they are." Barrow County resident Chris Smith believes wholeheartedly that Trifexis killed his dog, Kinzie. "I tell everyone I know who has a dog, don't give them Trifexis," Smith said. Kinzie was an agility-trained athlete. She died three hours after getting her first dose of Trifexis. A necropsy showed hemorrhaging from several organs. Read her necropsy report here - it's a PDF file: ; http://www.wsbtv.com/documents/2013/nov/26/kinzies-necropsy/ The FDA numbers also showed 259 of the 700 dogs that died were euthanized. That was the case with Hall County resident Beth Timms' dog, Gizmo, earlier this year. "Her fever had gotten to 106. They had to give her an ice bath. (The vet) said, 'We need to make a decision, nothing we're doing is working,'" Timms said. "We had to let her go. We had to have her put to sleep." The FDA website still only posts 31 deaths, the number Strickland originally reported. Strickland learned that number only included complaints mailed to the FDA, and not any emailed complaints.Complaints filed on paper include 48 deaths. A FDA spokesperson told Strickland the agency hasn't updated the numbers, because it is updating systems. The new numbers also show a huge jump in the cases of dogs reported sick after taking Trifexis. Forsyth County resident Amy Thornton's dog Ivan is one of them. She gave the pug two doses of Trifexis and didn't have any problems. Thornton said it was after the third dose that Ivan lost control of his back legs. She took video of it to share with her vet. "Exactly six hours after I gave it to him, he started acting really weird, lethargic," Thornton said. "I was scared to death. I thought he was dying that night." The FDA numbers posted online for lethargy is just above 600. The updated number Strickland got from the agency showed it's actually nearly 8,000. The numbers on the web for vomiting is at 2,200. Updated figures revealed it's closer to 30,000. "We have not been able to identify with all of these reports any specific trends we can link directly to the use of this product," Connell told Strickland last month. "That said, it is an ongoing evaluation that we do and we feel it is our responsibility." After Strickland's initial report three weeks ago, the Georgia Veterinary Association released a statement saying news reports like this show how important it is for pet owners to talk to their vets and discuss their options. Every vet Strickland spoke to stressed the importance of heartworm prevention, and urged pet owners not to boycott the drugs altogether. Watch for updates on this story coming up on Channel 2 Action News beginning at 5. Read the original WSB-TV investigation on Trifexis http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/dog-owners-question-link-between-meds-and-deaths/nbpSg/

GO Nell!!

I absolutely had to chime in. I chose amp for my gir l Diamond. It was a front end amp. She was 12! I brought her to OSU for Dr Couto to meet personally so that he could determine if she was a candidate since she was so old. He said age is just a number. The first two weeks are incredibly rough. Not so much them getting around, but getting over the surgery. Pain meds do make them anxious. And they do seem to be in pain, but once the meds were stopped Diamond improved in leaps and bounds. She lived 6 HAPPY months before OS showed up in another leg. Remember give at least two week before thinking you made a mistake. GOOD LUCK!

My Heart, My Soul. I still miss you every day my beloved Pearl.

He sounds like he was a very loved boy.

What a beautiful girl. I always figured that if any of my babies made it to 13, they're past the OS possibility. But that horrid disease doesn't care who it gets.

Even though I'm in Ringoes, I've been to Brick Vet (for their dentist). I have been impressed with them. But I don't know how they price revisits.

Deb. that first picture shows his true feeling for you. Look at the bright, happy look in his eyes. That smile. Always keep that in your heart and he will always be with you.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{ Jeannine }}}}}}}}}}}