ripley488

I have an Italian Greyhound with Lupus. She has not had vaccines since she was diagnosed. Your vet can give you a letter of exemption that you can use in place of a rabies certificate. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

Wow! My oldest Greyhound is 14.8yo. She has no health problems expect some weakness in her backend, but she is a retired brood Mom. She only takes Glucosamine. 10yo is just the start of senior years, but borrowed time??? Not really. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

I have the same diagnosis on my 11yo Whippet mix. I took her in for a dental last summer. Her presurgery labs indicated an increased ALT. We initially tried a round of antibiotics, but that didn't help. We then tried 30 days of a med I had to get at the pharmacy. I don't remember the name & it didn't help either. Summer has no symptoms, but I did run the dex test & the bile duct test which both came back normal. The internist mentioned a biopsy which I refused since she has no symptoms. My reg vet recommended trying Denosyl which in one month lowered her level. We are going to continue her for several months on the meds & retest. She may have to take them the rest of her life or it may improve - we dont' know. She still has never exhibited any signs of liver problems. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

I just get the plain old Ensure - Vanilla flavor. No additional Protein. I have a boy who has a vascular anomaly (constricted esphogus), so he often regurgitates food. He eats only pureed food, but is at risk of aspiration pneumonia. The Ensure seems to help push his food down & the additional nutrition helps him when he does have a bad day eating. I have a 14.7yo who gets a can of Ensure after each meal. She has become very picky & it helps keep the weight on her. When I can't find anything she wants to eat - I usually try 3-4 things before giving up - I will give her a can just for the nutrition. She never passes on her milkshake. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville KY

Yeah - at Fantana's age I do not want her losing weight. This week she has been doing pretty good on a can of Mighty Dog for breakfast with Parmeasean cheese. Had to be the chunky kind. On Wednesday - no go. So I tried a little can of Ol Roy - the pastey kind; warmed with Parm cheese. That she ate with gusto. This morning it was a big can of Alpo beef chunks and she licked her plate clean. I have never really had a picky eater, but at 14.7yo - Fantana can have whatever she wants. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville KY

In my experience - after ruling out medical - older dogs can become very picky with what they eat. My oldest is 14.7 yo. She was never a picky eater - I adopted her at 7.5yo. About 6mos ago Fantana decided she only wanted canned food & not the same food more than 2x in a row. So...I buy many different varieties & brands of canned food. I sometimes have to try 3 -4 different ones before she eats. I have found she likes it warmed in the microwve & sometimes I sprinkle canned chicken or Parmasean cheese on top for her to smell. I never let her miss more than 2 meals. She also gets a can of Ensure (nutritional supplement) at each meal. She never passes on her "milkshake", so even if she skips a meal she still gets nutriition. At her age I don't want to take chances. Pedialite is also a good idea. If she won't drink - syringe it into the back of her mouth. She has to have fluids. You might want to try feeding her at different times too. Some of my seniors have likes to eat later in the day/evening than earlier. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

My dogs are kept on prevention year round, therefore my vet only does a HW check every 2 years. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

I have a similar issue with my Whippet mix Summer. She had pre-surgery bloodwork in the summer for a dental. Her liver enzymes were elevated. She had no symtons, just the bloodwork. We did a round of antibiotics - no change. Ultrasound came back normal. We did the dental - no change. Put her on a one month round of a liver medication (can't remember the name) - her enzyme level increased. Still has no clinical symptons, but I did the Dex-test - normal. Did the Bile Duct test - normal. (Both are just bloodwork, so not invasive.) The internist recommends a deeper ultrasound to see inside the liver or a biospy. I am not doing a biopsy since she still has no symptons. The vet recommended a round of Denosyl - another liver drug. I retested her blood yesterday & her enzymes are down 300. We are going to continue her on the meds for another month and see if that trends continue. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

My 3rd Greyhound had it as does my Whippet mix. My Greyhounds was stress related more than diet as she was a spook. She had several bouts with it & was hospitalized several times. The Whippet mix was diagnosed about 2 years ago after eating canned dog food (I ran out of my homemade mix & tried to improvise.) She ended up in the hospital for 3 days. Once we knew she had it & got her better she is now on a low fat diet. No problems since. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

Really depends on the dog. I have had 11 Greyhounds. The most active (and I have adopted from 3mos to 9yo) was a 9yo retired brood Mom. Rachel ran every single day until she died 2 months shy of her 14th birthday. Snow, rain, heat - didn't matter. She ran laps every single day. The 2 retired stud dogs - neither cared to ever run again. A trot was a lot for them. And the 2 Greyhound puppies I adopted couldn't hold a candle to Rachel.

The first time is the worst. It takes no time to get the hang of it. I gave sub-q to an IG for 2 year & he was so easy. The vet kept telling me how lucky I was. I saw her try to train a woman who had a MinPin. The dog wanted no part of the procedure. The stick is the worst part. Once the fluid starts flowing just sit the dog, pet them & talk to them. I tried to make it quality time. Houdini would be very tired afterwards, so I would just cover him up on his bed for a nap. You have to remind yourself you are helping them. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

I have had 2 retired broods & one non-brood with spay incontinence. I have used Diethylstilbestrol (DES) on both with great results. My vet - a sighthound vet - will not use Proin because of the side effect. With Pecoe she got one DES every 3 weeks & it controlled her problem. I currently have a 14.4 year old retired brood. She has trouble holding her bladder when I am at work. So, when I am gone she is gated in the kitchen which is covered with area rugs (as sometimes she slips.) That way if she has an accident - which she frequently does - it is very easy to pick up. Please bring your dog into the house. That is very cruel to ostrasize her particularly at her advanced age. She didn't do anything wrong & needs your love & support at this time. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

I always stay with my dogs - staples, sutures, blood draws. shots, IV's or euthanasia- regular vet & the ER. They are my responsibility & want to know what is going on with them. I am not squemish, so it has never been a problem. I have held my dogs for xrays on several occasions - always wearing a lead apron. I have been with my dogs for ultrasounds & EKG's. I have held my dog after a seizure as the vet douses them with alcohol to get their temps down. I never considered not being there & I think at this point the vets would be surprised if I didn't. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

My Ben has been on daily cans of Ensure for almost 4 years. He has a birth defect & cannot eat solid foods at all. He has never had any problem from Ensure or from his liquid diet. I can't remember him ever having diahrea. I did try switching him to a diabetic formula without sugar, but he wouldn't drink it. He is also at risk of aspiration pneumonia. He has aspirated many times, but it has never developed into pneumonia. I watch him & can tell when he has - then we just start massive doses of antibiotics. It is a daily struggle sometimes, but Ben is worth it. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

I have a 9yo IG with Lupus. Her's is in her joints - it can manifest in different forms. She has arthritus in her hips & her wrists would swell to 3x their normal size. She would be unable to walk because of pain in her hips. Over about a 8mo period we tried a variety of drugs and even acupuncture. The ONLY thing that gives her relief - and the ability to walk - is 2.5mg Prednisone daily. If I try to go every other day - she can't walk. With her it was a quality of life issue, so we are sticking with the Pred. Of course now she eats like crazy (went from 11 to 14lbs) and drinks/pees like you would expect a dog on Pred to do. All in all she could be worse and at least we have found something that gives her relief. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

May I ask, how can you tell when he has aspirated anything? I know to look for signs of pneumonia (fever, lethargy, labored breathing, "wet" cough, etc), but how do you know he's aspirated before the pneumonia signs start to show? And what meds do you use to stave off infection? (don't mean to hijack, but just had a laryngeal tieback done on one of my pups last week...) It happens after he has been regurgitating. He will re-eat it if you don't catch it & pick it up. Ben has learned that if I see him regurgitating I pick it up, so he will leave the room in hopes you don't find him. When he aspirates I will normally notice the symptons a couple of hours after the regurgitation stops. He will curl up and hold his head up - with his nose pointing up towards the ceiling. He breathes through his nose with his mouth closed. The vet said that the actual infection takes about 24hrs to set in. When I notice Ben doing the above I start his meds. (All my vets have said they have never seen an adult dog survive a Vascular Anomaly, so Ben has kind of been a test case. Others may have different responses.) You have to wait a while until he settles or the pill will come out too. He gets one 20mg Prednisone. Then he will go on a broad spectrum of antibiotics for 5 days - 1 Baytril a day, Flagyl 2x a day & Cephalexin 500mg every 12hrs. In the early months he did this more often. Ben has only aspirated once in the last 6mos. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

Claire, I have a Greyhound with a Vascular Anomaly. It is a birth defect - a constricted esophagas. The results are very similar to Megaesophagus. After running many test & meeting with several vets I finally got a diagnosis. The surgeon said most pups with Ben's condition are either repaired by 14 weeks or put down. We got Ben from a shelter when he was 10mo old. He was diagnosed at 14mos as he kept regurgitating his food. The trick is for him to keep food down - same as Megaesophagus. We tried grinding kibble, soaking kibble in water until it was soaked - none of this worked well. What we worked out is pureed food. Ben is only 64lbs. He gets 1/2 can of Eukanuba Low Residue, mix with about 1/4cup of water & puree in a blender. It will look like gravy. Then I take about 1/2 can of Merrick & do the same. I just pour the Merrick on top as it smells better than the Low Residue. When he eats I hold the bowl up as high as I can so he can reach it. This helps to stretch the neck which can help with flow. You can also position them on a staircase - like put the bowl 2-3 steps up - if you have stairs. After Ben eats we then burp - we call it dancing. I put his front feet on my shoulders & burp his left side, just behind the shoulder, where the esophagus is. I try to get him to "dance" a bit as movement can help the food go down. We do this twice a day. As long as the food goes down (you can see it when it backs up on him) I follow up with a can of Ensure after each meal. Again - I hold the bowl as high as I can. This helps to push any remaining food down & helps with nutrition. It is not great for his teeth, but you can't have it all. Ben just turned 5 & is in great shape. His weight is perfect. His vet (and the surgeon) are amazed he has thrived the way he has. He goes through spells where he will have a few bad days and regurgitates a lot. When he does we skip a meal (to let his system recover) & start over. Greyhounds can loose weight very fast, but they can put it on fast too. Ben has aspirated several times over the years, but has never developed pneumonia. I am lucky - I know Ben & I know the signs when he is getting sick. I keep all the meds at home & have always been able to head off an infection. It's a lot of work, but he is worth it. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

Me either, but here is the page on 1-800 Pet Meds http://www.1800petmeds.com/pdetail.asp?SK=...P=dog&WT=87 Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

One of our adopter asked me about Advantage Multi for their Greyhounds. They said their vet is recommending it. Honestly I don't know of anyone who uses Advantage, much less Advantage Multi. So what do you think? Is is OK for Greyhounds?? Thanks, Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

In 2006 Greyhounds: Fantana age 13 - 1x wellness, 1x ER Ben age 5 - 1x wellness, 1x ER Reagan age 3 - 1x wellness Becka age 5 - 1x wellness IG's: Houdini age 10 - 1xwellness, dental, 1x bloodwork Honesty age 9 - 1x dental, Multiple for Auto Immune problem (Traditional & Holistic vet) Summer age 10 - 1x wellness, 1x Pancreatitus (hosptial 2 days) Borzoi: Romanov, age 6 - 1x wellness Poodle: Maddie, age 5 - 1x wellness Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

Heather, So sorry for your loss. Jennifer

Buck just entered our program on Saturday. He had been with his family since he was a puppy. He had SA & the families new schedule was not working for Buck. Their son had adopted one of our Greyhounds, so they asked us if we could find him a new home. They really agonized about giving him up - we have been discussing it for a couple of weeks. They told me the best thing for Buck would be to have a home with another dog. I picked him up Saturday morning & took him to his foster home. He loved the families Greyhound & seemed to settle in quickly. Last night the foster called & said Buck wasn't eating. I suggested boiled chicken & rice which they tried. This afternoon they called to say he was straining to potty & was vomiting. His abdomen was very tender. They took him to our vet who guessed it was a blockage. Xray didn't indicate anything. We opted to open him up to see if we could find the problem. Our vet called me tonight and said his abdomen was full of cancer. We could have woken him up, but he didn't expect him to last 24 hours. We let him go. I had to call the foster - this was their first - and tell them Buck was gone. I also called the family we got him from to tell them what happened. All were heartbroken. His family offered to pay all the expenses (which was not why I called.) When I got him Saturday he gave me lots of kisses. That will have to be enough. Goodbye Buck! I wish we could have done more for you. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

Brody - osteo - 10yo Rachel - thyroid tumor - 13yo Helen - kidney disease - 12yo Noah - pancreatic tumor - 10yo Motorcade - osteo - 9yo Pecoe - osteo - 11yo My Fantana turned 13 on June 10th and appears to be very healthy. The first puppy our adoption group placed died at 3.5 from epilepsy. One of the oldest - a 10yo we rescued from a medical research facility - died at 16. I really think 10 is a more average number for life expectancy, but it really depends on each dog. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY

After having lost 4 of my own Greyhounds - and helping far too many adopters with the loss of theirs - I can tell you their is no right way to grieve and no proper length of time to wait to add a new pet. Each person is different and everyone deals with the situation differently. When I lost my first Greyhound - my heart dog -I had 3 other Greys at home and an Italian. If I had not had them to go home to that day I don't think I would have made it. Just knowing I had someone else to focus on and help made it easier for me. They went through a grieving process as well and being there for them was important. I wasn't alone in my sadness. At the time I felt that was it - no more for me. We would bring in beautiful dogs that all needed homes, but not for me. I wanted him back and if I couldn't have him then I didn't want anyone. About 6 months after his death I was on the phone with a breeder we were working with to get 7 dogs. In the process of the conversation she mentioned a stud dog she had and the hair on my neck stood up. I said tell me about him and she said he was not available. I didn't know him name, his color or anything but I knew he was suppose to be mine. For the next several weeks I pushed and finally about 2 months later she said I could have him. She had found his owner in Florida and pushed him to release the dog to adoption. On my birthday he came to Kentucky and to his new home. Ironically enough I lost him 10 months later to the same disease - osteo - in the same location that look my first Greyhound. But, in that 10 months he had a home to live in, a nice soft bed and toys which he loved. Each time that is how it has happened for me. I never go looking for a new dog, one just seems to find there way to me. Sometimes you just click with a dog and they are meant to be yours. If I had been actively looking for a new pet I don't know that I would have chosen the ones I have. I know in my heart though that they were suppose to be mine. I even had one who adopted me - much to her fosters amazement (but that is another story.) I have had adopters that want one the very next day, some that want time to adjust to the loss and a small number who choose not to get another pet. If someone would have told me that by 2002 I would have had 7 Greyhounds, 2 Italian Greyhounds and a Borzoi come through my home I would have told them they were nuts. All 10 of them were special and were meant to be a part of my life. I don't regret having any of them and feel fortunate to have had them in my life. In the end, it is worth the pain of losing them to just be able to share them for a short while. Sorry this is so long. Pet loss is something very dear to me. Jennifer Watkins Shamrock Greyhound Placement Louisville, KY