ripley488

Lets try this... Lincoln on his 1st birthday in March. His incision on the day I brought him home - no bruises. My sister in the pen with Lincoln.

OK - now I need help with uploading photos. I have them in photobucket - sized to 320x240. I copied the IMG link & pasted it on a new message & hit UPLOAD. It looks like GT is loading the photo, but after about 10 mins it is still downloading. I know that is not right as I have uploaded photos before - but not from photobucket. Any idea what I am doing wrong?

Yes - Dr. Couto set everything up, but Dyce was his surgeon.

I picked up Lincoln Friday afternoon. The doctor was quite happy with himself. He came into to show me the xrays & he said "Now we know how to do this on a Greyhound." The surgery could not have gone better. When they finally brought him out I couldn't believe his incision. It is only about 5" long & not even bruised. He came home with a bag of drugs, but will be off of all of those this week. I also got a 4 page instruction sheet on what to do & what to look out for. For the first 30 days he can have 3-5 potty breaks a day, but that's it. He must be xpenned all the time. He will walk with a sling to keep him steady, so he doesn't injure the hip. (That takes some getting use to for the humans involved.) His surgery was the cement-less type & in the first 30 days the bone will start to grown in/around the implant holding it in place. It is essential that he not get bumped or fall, so he has be kept seperate from all the other dogs. They hate that as much as he does. My foster girl was laying outside his pen last night - they are pals. At the end of 30 days we add 3-10min walks a day. At 60 days they increase to 3-20min walks. At 90 days he goes back ot OSU for followup xrays. If everything looks good - he will have no further restrictions & can resume his normal activity. Its only 84 more days, but whose counting! For the next couple of days he will still be getting his pain meds 3x a day. Those do help to make him sleep. However, he is already bored stiff! He has been getting filled Kongs (but I don't want to give him too many since he can't exercise) and some bones to chew. I also bought him some new toys, but Lincoln doesn't play well by himself - he likes to play with the other dogs. So - any suggestion on what I can do to occupy his time while he recooperates? He doesn't watch TV & sadly has not learned to read. He is 13mos old & full of energy that can no longer be expelled in the traditional manner. I have taken some photos, but for some reason I couldn't get them to upload. It kept saying they were too big even though I reduced them. I will try again tonight. If everything goes on schedule he should make his Bionic debut at the Greyhound Festival of the Bluegrass. His 12 week schedule ends 3 days before the Festival begins.

OSU calls me twice a day with updates & so far so good. I am told is doing much better than expected & he walks on his leg just fine (when on a floor with traction.) His incision is clean & he has not bothered it at all. They tried an e-collar on him, but he pulled it off twice. Since he is leaving it alone he has not needed it. He is being released tomorrow at 2pm - that is the appt time anyway. He will be on several meds & will come with his sling for use on slick floors if needed. They will go over everything else with me tomorrow. Tonight the xpen (aka Puppy Condo) will go back up. I don't know how excited Lincoln will be to call it home again, but that is where he can be found for at least the first month of his recooperation. Thanks for everyones continued support.

I got my AM call from OSU & all is well. She said Lincoln is great & everyone is surprised at how well he is doing. She hand fed him last night, but this morning he ate on his own. He didn't finish his bowl, but he did eat. They took him out this morning without the sling - she said he already barely needs it. She said they cannot release him tomorrow because of the surgery schedule. I can pick him up at 2pm on Friday - they have to get their morning appts done first. She said they will meet with me & go over all his meds & stuff. Then I can get my bionic puppy home. My lab/corgi mix misses him terribly - George hasn't eaten since Lincoln left. They don't know yet - but no more wrestling for quite some time. Thanks everyone.

Kristen - my student - called me about an hour ago. She said the surgeon said everything went "surprisingly well." The surgery lasted just over an hour. This was her first THR & she said Dr. Dyce is very quick - he knows exactly what he is doing. They offered him food, but he wouldn't eat which is no surprise. The staff will take him out again at 10pm for a potty break. He will come home with his leg in a sling as he will not be able to put weight on the leg for a while (she wasn't sure for how long.) Lincoln is on painkillers, anti-inflammatories & antibiotics. She said he also is on something they only give Greyhounds post-op to help with the muscles. She wasn't sure what it was - but something about "acid." They did post-op xrays which looked great. Dr. Dyce is "really happy" with everything. She will call me in the morning with an am update. She is going to talk to Dr. Dyce about releasing him, because she thought I was picking him up tomorrow. I told her he said he wanted to keep him until Friday. She also said they don't release until 5-6pm & I asked her if we can negotiate that. It is a 3.5hr drive home & I don't want to come in late with a dog in a sling. With all the other dogs & having to settle him - it would just be too hard. She asked when I wanted to get him because they have surgeries again on Thursday & are busy all day. I told her I had to take off work, so Friday morning would be ideal. She has to find out what the doc will do and will let me know in the morning. Thanks to everyone!

Finally got the call... He just got out of surgery, but is still sound asleep. They have moved him to recovery. His student said the surgery went well & she will call me tonight with all the details. Thanks for the thoughts & prayers!

Thanks everyone! Long day... We got there at 11am as scheduled. They took Lincoln back for the Ortho to exam him again before meeting with me. When he got me to talk about Lincoln he made me very nervous. He mentioned that he has pain in his toes & knees -so more damage than originally discussed. He reminded me that this surgery had never been done on a Greyhound and with his other joint issues would probably not be 100% after the THR. He said he wanted to take more xrays & asked that I return at 3pm. I went to lunch - same place boondog & I went last time since I recognized it. I spent the entire time on the phone with friends discussing my nervousness. When the Ortho met me in the afternoon he showed me the new xrays & said it was no worse than it was 3 weeks ago. I just asked me if he felt trepidation with the surgery. He said his concern was he has never done it on a Greyhound & could not tell me what to expect. If he were a lab he could tell me how the surgery would go & what would happen with recovery. He doesn't have that knowledge for a Greyhound. With Lincoln's other joint problems he is concerned he may need both hips done and/or that he may need long term anti-inflammatories to give him relief. I told him I am not made of money, but I want Lincoln to have the best quality of life he can have. If the THR can give him that then I want to try it. He said with just pain mgmt he would not be able to walk in a couple of years. I asked if there is a chance his toes will quit hurting if he walks better - he now walks on the toes of high right feet. He said it might, but no guarantees. They normally keep a dog overnight with a THR, but he wants to keep Lincoln until Friday. He wants to be sure there are no complications & his meds are right before he releases him. For at least the first 4 weeks he will be leash walked only & kept in an xpen. We will have to see how he does & play it by ear from there. I saw Dr. Couto before I left & he asked how it went. I told him the surgeon made me nervous because Lincoln is a guinea pig. He said surgeons always strive for perfection & to not worry. He said Lincoln was in the best hands available. He also asked me if he could send some blood to Cornell who is currently doing research on hip dysplasia. The control group in the study is Greyhounds since they are not prone to the disease. I hope Lincoln doesn't bias their research. They let me go back & say goodbye to Linky. He was still groggy from the xrays. The nurse caring for him just carried on about how wonderful he is. Several people commented on his beautiful black brindle coat. I know - they say that to everyone, but it helps when you are nervous. Another 3.5 hr drive home. Lincoln's student called tonght to tell me he was awake & had eaten his dinner. His surgery will be either late morning or early afternoon tomorrow. She will call me post-op to let me know he is done. Then she will call me later after their surgery schedule is complete to give me all the details. So tomorrow is his big day. He will breech some unchartered Greyhound territory. I will post more when I know it.

Prayers your way!

You may remember my post a few weeks ago about Lincoln being diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia at OSU. Well...I got the call Friday afternoon at 3:30 that they could do the surgery on Tuesday. I guess they don't give you a lot of notice. So tomorrow morning I will be driving him back to OSU. They said tomorrow they just do intake on him & his surgery will be on Tuesday. I should be able to pick him up on Wednesday to come home. It is a 3.5hr drive there and unfortunately I will not be able to stay for the surgery. I hate to leave him so faraway, but he will be in good hands. But...he has never been away from me since he was 11 weeks old. He is now 13mos old. So...please send good thoughts his way on Tuesday. When I pick him up on Wednesday he will be Bionic.

www.greythealth.com You should probably look at finding a more Greyhound savvy vet OR spend the time to educate yourself, so you can educate this vet about Greyhound specifics.

What a long day! Lincoln & I left home at 6am & did not get home until 11pm. Within 20mins of our arrival we met Regina our assigned student. She took Lincoln in the back to be examined. She said as soon as they had looked over Lincoln, Dr. Couto would talk to me. About an hour later we met & he told me Dr. Dyce with Ortho had already seen Lincoln. He wanted to do xrays & tap his knees. The one thing he knew was my dog is in a lot of pain. I pointed out to him the underdeveloped hip muscles Lincoln has & he he has almost no muscle tone. He told me he had a meeting in the afternoon, but should be ready to meet with me about 3pm. Julie (boondog) thankfully picked me up for lunch, so I could get out for a bit. We had a great Mexican meal and sadly she had to go back to work & I had to go back to waiting. The weather was yucky - rain most of the day - so even taking a walk was not an option. By 4pm I had no new news, so I asked at reception for an update. Literally running, Regina came from the back apologizing for not getting with me sooner. She said they had just tapped his knees & the fluid was being sent to the lab. Dr. Couto wanted to discuss the xrays with Dr. Dyce before getting with me. As soon as he knew something he would get with me. About an hour later Dr. Couto came out with an update. He said Lincoln has luxation in both hips, not just the right one. He said there was no evidence of arthritis in his knees - although his xrays did show fluid there. He said Dr. Dyce wanted a few more xrays, so they were sedating him again (he is in pain, so manipulating him without sedation is not an option) to get those done. Dr. Couto also mentioned he was doing bloodwork. He said Lincoln has a lot of lumbar pain & there is some very rare infection which can cause the pain & ironically could cause luxation in the hips. Later Dr. Couto came out & said Dr. Dyce wanted to meet with me. So the docs, Regina & myself went into a room with a computer to look at Lincoln's films. He showed me where both hips are out of joint. He noted the lack of hip muscles Lincoln has as well. (I knew that but it is very graphic to see his xrays compaired to others.) He said for lack of a better word, he has hip dysplasia. His bones are in good shape - he does not have the flattened sockets of like a Lab with HD. For some reason his joints will not stay in socket. We talked about options. He said FHO is one surgery, but it is not recommened for such a long limbed dog. The best option is Total Hip Replacement. He showed me xrays of dogs who have had the procedures & followup xrays as well. He noted the way the muscles develop once the hip is repaired. In 80% of dogs with THR, fixing the worst side will also help the other limb. I asked if he had ever done one on a Greyhound & he said one that was from trauma. He has not done one on a dog as young as Lincoln. I asked lots of questions & they had lots of answers. We looked at bunches of xrays. We got to the bottom line & I asked what a THR cost. Dr. Dyce said for a dog his size it was $4,000. Immediately Dr. Couto said he has money to help with vet bills & he could help me with the price. I am exhausted, Lincoln is still somewhat sedated & my head is spinning, but they released him & we head out for a long drive home. Regina called today & said all his bloodwork is normal, so no infection is present. She is going to have Dr. Couto get in touch with me about pricing & timing. She said they do offer a payment plan. So right now I am waiting to hear back from him. The money is certainly not in my budget right now, but if we can work with it - it may be doable. I want what is best for him, but also have to watch my money closer nowadays. If it can all be worked out - I guess I will have the Bionic Puppy. Oh - we will be having a Raffle to benefit Dr. Couto at this years Greyhound Festival of the Bluegrass. That has already been worked out.

My vet didn't - Dr. Couto suggested it from his history & xrays. We (me & Lincoln) and meeting with Dr. Couto & Dr. Dyce (his ortho) on Monday. He said we would redo the xrays to get a better view of his hip. They will also tap is knee joints to see what is going on in the fluid. He mentioned a tick panel - which I have run - but there was one TBD I hadn't heard of & he said they would run that Monday too. I can't remember the name of it & his email is on my home PC. So...he hasn't been officially diagnosed yet, but that is Dr. Couto's guess based on history & xrays.

No definitive diagnosis yet, but from Lincoln's history & the xrays that is his best guess. He said if he has Immune Mediated Polyarthritis that could cause the luxation in his hip. He does have fluid on his knees & they will tap his joints to see what is going on there. So Monday Lincoln will be seeing Drs. Couto & Dyce at OSU to get a thorough screening & hopefully a diagnosis. Polyarthritis is not the best diagnosis for a 1yr old puppy, but it is treatable (with steroids.) Now we just wait until Monday.

They have not yet. We originally treated it as a trauma - hoping that limited movement would tighten the muscles & repair the laxtation. We gave it 4 weeks, but no change. Both vets say it is early HD - at this stage it is a sub-laxtating hip as the hip pops in & out of socket. You can feel it if you hold your hand over it while he walks. They suspect it will deteriorate with time. At this point it only effects his right hip, but could progress into the left. He already has arthritus in both knees.

I heard back from Dr. Couto this morning. He said he has heard of a Greyhound with HD, but has never seen one. He said he would be more than happy to look at his xrays & offer advise. So...I have a call into my vet to get a copy of the xrays to overnight tomorrow.

I will contact Greyful Greys - great idea. I have seen the xrays & I don't feel it is a misdiagnosis. His hip joint is out of socket by at least 1". He is very scrawney & you can feel the femer head if you put your hand on his hip when he walks. That is one of my concerns about the FHO - he does not have very good hip muscles. Lincoln's 2nd xrays have only been seen by my vet at this point. I just met with my vet at 5:30 on Friday, so this is all new. I am dropping of the xrays to the local board certified orthopedic tomorrow for his review. He saw the first set as well. I have also contacted Dr. Couto, but have not gotten a reply. It was late Friday night when I sent the email, so he may not have seen it yet. I will contact Greyful Greys - great idea. I have seen the xrays & I don't feel it is a misdiagnosis. His hip joint is out of socket by at least 1". He is very scrawney & you can feel the femer head if you put your hand on his hip when he walks. That is one of my concerns about the FHO - he does not have very good hip muscles. Lincoln's 2nd xrays have only been seen by my vet at this point. I just met with my vet at 5:30 on Friday, so this is all new. I am dropping of the xrays to the local board certified orthopedic tomorrow for his review. He saw the first set as well. I have also contacted Dr. Couto, but have not gotten a reply. It was late Friday night when I sent the email, so he may not have seen it yet.

Lincoln was an Oops puppy, so I don't know his lineage. I was able to track back to who sent the pups to KY, but he didn't have the name of the parents. I know one of the littermates is in Louisana & 2 were placed in the Florida panhandle. I will report when I hear from Couto.

I have a 1yo Greyhound - Lincoln, born 3/21/08 - that has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. He is an Oops puppy from Florida. He & his brother were brought to KY for placment by an all breed rescue & immediately neutered. The rescue realized they were over their head & asked us to take the pups. I got the dogs at just 11 weeks & I adopted Lincoln. About 3mos ago I noticed him limping, but didn't get too upset. He is a lanky puppy & trips a lot. Later he started having difficulty getting up. About a month ago he went in for xrays. The vet called & said he has hip dysplasia. I told her 'Greyhounds don't get that - try again.' She said she knew that, but that is what the xrays show. When I saw them I was shocked. His right hip is indeed out of the socket. She consulted with the local ortho & he said he had never heard of a Greyhound wth this problem, but to consider it possible trauma (ex pulled muscle.) He was on limited activity for a month to see if there was any improvement. Yesterday he got his followup xrays & no improvement. I am taking the xrays to the ortho on Monday for him to look at. My vet feels he is going to want to examine Lincoln since he has never seen this in a Grey. My vet said we have 2 options - Total Hip Replacement or an FHO. The Hip Replacement is no where in my budget. She said for him to have any quality of life something has to be done. I emailed Dr. Couto last night & am awaiting a reply from him. I am curious if he has seen this before. Lincoln already has arthritus in both knees & the vet said his joints are going to be a problem the rest of his life. I have been reading online that perhaps the early neuter could be a contributing factor. Right now I am focusing on what to do to make him comfortable. Lincoln is still a baby & stays active. He is hopping around the yard today because it is so pretty outside. I am anxious to hear what Couto has to say and will hear something from the local orthopedic early next week. Ironically is littermate is going in next week for a limp on his front leg. In my almost 12 years with Greyhounds I have never heard of one with hip dysplasia. Has anyone else?

Another vote for the Greyhound Gang. High quality...reasonably priced...Claudia is availble to offer advise...and all money raised benefits Greyhounds. What more could you want? Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement

I adopted a retired stud dog back in 1999. He lost 21 teeth during his first & only dental. Motorcade had no problem with the missing teeth. He actually ate much better once they were removed because the pain in his mouth was gone. He was back on his kibble based diet the day after surgery with no problems Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

I have lost 7 and 5 had cancer. Brody - Thyroid cancer & Osteo Rachel - Thryoid cancer that spread to the lungs Noah - Thyroid & Pancreatic Motorcade - Osteo Pecoe - Osteo Helen died of Kidney disease Bleu had Congestive Heart Failure Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville KY

Congratulations Karen!! That is a great story. I am glad Arco has sent you a new friend. She is a beauty. Jennifer

Healing thoughts your way!