greyhndz
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Thank you, everyone, for your kindess and understanding. Gigi wasted no time is sending us a special gift: Malta, a beautiful black galga, is arriving on 8/26, and Margot, the little galga who was going to be coming in Sept. or October, may be arriving a day later.
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The blueberry.... that is a powerful trigger, but doesn't it just capture her essence?
My deep condolences on Suki's crossing. What a fantastic mum you've been to her, both during her life and when making your very unselfish decision to respect her dignity.
Suki was a very wise lady to have picked you as her mum.
Perhaps she and Gigi met up along the path to the Bridge....
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I lost mine yesterday too. My heart goes out to you especially because I know how terrible it feels. She's beautiful. <3
I'm so terribly sorry for you... and send a virtual hug sharing your loss.
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Jordan, of all the strangest things, I was thinking of you today. I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl.
Wow, that is so strange, Irene. I think it's the connection that longtime greyhound people have.... we may go months or years without speaking but there's enough of a bond that we just "know" sometimes.
Your kindness always means so much to me. -
Thank you, sweet Ducky..
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Gigi -- Giselle, Baby G, whatever you called her, she was delighed to answer to.
I lost her today to an apparent adrenal tumor. She had a rough few weeks into June, and a great surge over the past 6 weeks, but it came to an end, and it would not have been right to put her through the extreme stress of critical care again when it almost certainly would happen again. Her eyes told me she was ready, and everybody understands "the eyes". No turning away from them.
My vet came, it was quick and peaceful, not even a movement. And now she's on her way to be with Mafi and Teo and Dandi and we're here feeling the pain and emptiness.
I do believe it's true that the greatest way to honor a dog is to rescue another, and we do have another galga coming to us in the next month or two. I may not be able to wait, though, and am giving serious thought to adopting locally (a GH female) while we wait for our galga to arrive. Tim is so sad, and was so attached to Gigi that I'd like him to have a companion now. But since the dogs we choose are always chosen for us, we'll go with the flow and see what sails our way.
Je t'adore, Giselle.....
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Truly a beautiful and very special girl. 
Ducky, I thought you'd like to know that she was wearing Niña's jammies to keep her warm on her journey.
(Taken a few weeks ago)
Thank you, everyone for your kind thoughts and words. Actually, Mafi was with me for 13.5 years! Probably one of the first crazy Mafi stories was getting to Dewey, and trying desperately to find Anna Clements of SOS Galgos, who had brought Mafi over with her from Barcelona. I'd been waiting 4 months for Mafi, so I was desperate to finally meet the two of them. After hours of missing each other, I finally got the message that Carla Trottier had her, and they were over at the "Secret Pals" party a few blocks away. (I'm sure there are still some SPs floating around out there who could describe what these parties were like...) I walked in to find a large group of people hanging out, a waft of alcohol and smoke hitting you in the face when you opened the door. People were pointing to the centre of the room, and there, in a small clearing from the smoke, was Carla holding the tiniest little brindle girl I'd ever seen. I could't get to her, so someone picked her up and passed her along until she got to me. (I would kill to have photos of that night if anyone had any.)
That's when I knew life with Mafi was going to be very interesting...
Taken at Dewey the day after we were united:
A friend made her a "senorita" outfit. In the photo below, Mafi is standing with Anna Clements, probably begging to be taken back to Barcelona so she wouldn't have to wear stupid outfits. You can see how tiny she was - 45 lbs at her heaviest.
Anna was giving a talk on Galgo rescue, and Mafi decided to offer her input.
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It hit this morning, when I awakened, and the first thing I did was look toward her bed to be sure she was sleeping and safe. She wasn't there, and without thinking, I started to rise, thinking she might have gone downstairs to potty. She was very frail and unsteady, after having had several strokes and a very unsteady hind end which crumpled easily. But dignified and independent as she was, she insisted on doing it by herself.
I'd built a new ramp for her last fall in preparation for another rough winter. She was much more secure, and liked going up and down to the yard by herself. Thankfully it was the winter that never was, so, with mom running out to shovel snow as it accumulated, and sanding it when it got slippery, the ramp was her lifeline. How ironic it was, that the onset of spring brought on tougher times for her body, which just could not keep up with her spirit.
Mafi was not in her bed this morning, nor was she navigating downstairs or down the deck. She was transitioning from the Queen to Angel after her journey began last night with the help of our beloved vet, lying on the bed from which she reigned. Today was a very quiet day, her absence both silent and overbearing.
She was an enigma in many ways, and one day I'll be able to share thousands of amazing, funny and touching stories. Right now is time for contemplation and acceptance. But it's also time to relive the celebration of 10 years with Mafi.
Adopted 10/8/2002 - 3/16/2016. Please celebrate her life and her radiance. More of her story is on her video page.
Thank you all.
Jordan
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THat sounds like a great idea, especially if you use seasalt, though it could indeed be a comforting leftover behaviour from the trauma. Just curious - do you ever give him anything to interrupt the behaviour? A marrow bone or some sort of long term chewie thing or a filled kong? Also have you tried sometimes interrupting the process by, as soon as he starts, slipping on a leash and taking him for a quick 10 minute walk? Or even a grooming or body massage? You can also try soaking his feet in warm water with a lot of cider vinegar in it. In case his feet are itchy, it could help with that. While his feet are soaking you could also give him a wipe-down with a damp cloth. Make it a happy experience.
all great ideas. His foster mum told me that she would lie next to him, and, while he was relaxed, gently massage down his legs to his feet, and I've been doing that. Redirecting his attention is an excellent thought, and I'm glad you reminded me about doing that.
Timmy is entirely on his kangaroo diet now, and, between that and using loratidine instead of benadryl, I do think I'm seeing improvement. He's chewing less and also doing it less vigorously. Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions!
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We spent some $ trying to cure itchy foot syndrome before discovering by happy accident that the dog was allergic to FISH and FISH OIL, which are in almost every commercial dog food and which we tend to give for skin and itch problems .....
Before we solved the problem, the thing that helped most was Genesis spray. Oral meds were useless.
A true elimination diet -- single ingredient -- would be worth the $ and time.
Fish... very interesting! How did you figure that out? The Kangaroo diet is in the process - no fish or chicken products, eggs, oatmeal, potato, grains, etc. The fish allergy could explain why his symptoms persisted while his foster mom in Spain had him on a fish diet.
I would try a change of foods (fwiw- my boy can't eat fish without having an allergy flair) and try a different antihistamine. I find Benadryl rather ineffective for environmental allergies (better for acute reactions...bee stings..). You can try Claritin, allergra, Zyrtec. Just like Benadryl their dosings are much higher than human dosings. Finally, if neither seem to help you may need to try a short course of a corticosteroid. Typically pred or temaril p will be dispensed. If the steriods help that rules out behavioral issues.
Thanks for the heads-up about the antihistamines! I'll switch over the zyrtec or claritin, both of which I have on hand. I'm keep steroids at the end of the list, since putting him on it would preclude getting a valid biopsy specimen if needed. Same for the behavioral eval -- I have no problem at all having him on psychoactive meds if needed -- first GH Kody was one of the original Prozac patients, and Dandi was on clomipramine for years. It's all about quality of life!
Thanks, everyone, for great advice!
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You could try epsom salt soaks to try and calm things down. Also, a short course of prednisone, though that may have more negatives than positives. In all the diagnosing and vetting has there ever been a biopsy or scraping done of the skin of his feet? If it is behavioral, you'll need some sort of anti anxiety med. A behaviorist might be a good resource if your vet isn't comfortable prescribing them.
You can try having a strong helper hold him off the ground for nail clipping. That will work with some dogs.
There hasn't been a full diagnostic workup, yet. It's really just over the past, say, 2 months that this became very noticeable, as I was coming home to puddles on the rugs and on my bed and didn't know what was going on -- thought someone was incontinent. But I finally watched the extend to which he was chewing and realized that the puddles were from his licking.
The only correlation I could think of was a switch a few months ago to a different food -- Merrick's "Backcountry Raw Infused" red meat/lamb/rabbit. I have been introducing Zignature Kangaroo over the past week and it will be the only diet by the end of the weekend, and hope that will reduce his symptoms. He's actually seen my vet only once for this problem so we're trying out a few basic changes before moving on to sampling or a derm consult. I do think that the epsom salt soaks, if I could get him to cooperate, would be helpful.
Wish I had someone who could lift him up to work on his nails, but he's probably a 3-person dog for clipping.
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If it is allergies, the thing that has really stopped Rocket's itching and chewing is the Springtime Skin and Coat Oil. His seasonal allergies had him constantly scratching. A few weeks after starting the oil the itching completely stopped and he is bunny fur soft. 1 Tsp of oil on each meal.
http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/Skin-and-Coat/All-Natural-Dog-Supplements
Thanks to Jan at Camp Greyhound for putting me on to this product!
Sounds like something to try for all my guys. Thanks! Were Rocket's symptoms limited to his feet, or was it generalized?
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Just a thought -- do you live near the ocean? If yes, can you take him for walks through the salt water. Salt water might help to ease any inflammation and heal any sores.
No, Mary Jane -- we're not too close, at least not close enough to get there often. That's a great idea, though! Maybe I should set up a baby pool filled with salt water?!?!
(might not be a bad idea -- if he'd cooperate) -
Hi all (long time no C)
Timmy, galgo arrived from Spain 5/15, has had an ongoing issue with licking and chewing his paws. This is a constant issue, and is compounded by his extreme aversion to having his feet handled or his nails clipped. The vet took a look a couple of weeks ago and felt he has pyoderma, possibly from food allergy, some type of environmental allergy, etc. He completed a course of keflex and was on benadryl for a couple of weeks, which I stopped because it had no effect.
No SLO -- nails intact. His paws are inflamed but no obvious sores or skin lesions. I'm transitioning him onto a Limited Ingredient diet (Kangaroo) to try to narrow down the source. I may have to get him to a dermatologist, but in the interim I'd like to get his nails clipped down -- the vet held off the first day to let his feet quiet down with the antibiotics, though there's been no change.
Interestingly, I've been talking with his foster mom for > a year, and she went through this as well. She had him on a fish diet, and had him evaluated by the vet without a diagnosis. He continued to have the problem until he came to the US. She began to suspect that this is actually OCD, given his traumatic history and fearfulness. A vet behaviorist may be our next stop if no skin disease is found.
Anyone been-there-done=that, with either a behavioral source or skin disease? I'd like to hear about treatment plans which have been effective for you.
I could also use suggestions of how to manage his feet and nails: he becomes agitated and combatitive when his feet are handled. I may wind up bringing him in for a dental under anesthesia, and have the vet closely examaie and biopsy his feet, as well as clip down his nails.
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Do not make the mistakes I did... I will carry the guilt to my ashes as they float onto the waves of the Nantucket Sound.
For several months, Mafi (Galga Queen, approx 14) had been licking at her L front leg. She was not lame on it and it was neither swollen nor warm, So I continued to watch it. Then, about 2 months ago, she became depressed, not eating, hunchy, and just wanted to be upstairs in bed. My gut told me this was Lyme but I didn't listen to my wise gut. This episode lasted a couple of days, and therein was my grave error: I did not bring her into the vet for testing. She improved and returned to her baseline.
About 3 weeks ago, she became dead lame on that left front, and I whisked her into the vet. Xrays negative, no temp, and I found out that my gut was right all along: Snap 4 was positive for Lyme.
Stupid, stupid human. I practice medicine. I *know* better, after researching TBD for years. Yet Mafi suffered because of my ignorance.
Because she is very difficult to pill, and was not eating well, I spoke with my vet and researched options. Decided on Convenia (cefovecin), an injectable cephalosporin with long-acting effect -- she received 2 injections 14 days apart. It took about 10 days for her to stop limping and return to her baseline. (The maximum dose of Convenia is the 2 injections, and I want to extend her course beyond 4 weeks, so will see if I can slip her Amox now that she's eating again.)
There's a HUGE moral to this story: Lyme, Anaplasma, Babesiosis and other TBDs are endemic here in the Northeast, along the Atlantic seaboard, and migrating west. Have a low threshold for having them tested and treated as soon as symptoms crop up. Mafi is an oldster now, frail, and has lived through a couple of strokes and vestibular disase. Lyme devastated her. In this area, I should have assumed Lyme and begun treatment immediately and I did not. Luckily she is recovering nicely so far, and living it up on chicken, beef stew, and hot dogs. She's the Queen in this house, and I will forever be her humble servant. (Frankly, I was doing this before Lyme, too.
)Thanks for letting me guilt out...
The Queen
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I am TOTALLY in love! What a sweet goofy but beautiful face! He's hit the jackpot, Ducky. He was walking the streets in Florida looking for you.
Can't help it, but "Percy" always makes me think
He is definitely a Ducky Dog!
Congrats to both of you!
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I'm so sorry to read this, Irene. I hope the surgery will relieve her pain and give her lots more time and love with her family.
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Wow, that's got to be one special birthday party up there! Happy birthday to all of the Angel littermates
and a big hug for their loving mom and family, -
He was meant to be here. To say it was fate would be an understatement. His arrival was so well-plotted that from the time I put in a call to Anna Clements (of SOS Galgos) in Barcelona, to the day he arrived in Pittsburgh (courtesy of David and Marci Anderson, who happened to be in Barcelona at the time fate went into action) only one week had passed. And within 24 hours of posting in search of a GUR crew to get him north from Pittsburgh, the run was completely filled. Yes, Teo was definitely destiny!
Teo had two very distinct personalitiies: his public persona was of a fearful, unsocialized and mistrusting hound; in reality (and you have to take my word on this as no one ever witnessed it) he was an outgoing, euphoric, happy, wagging, leaping-in-the-air, rooing, eastie-westie, tippy-toeing fuzzbucket. An "I'll get behind you so I can nose you in the butt while you're walking down the stairs" kind of guy. Afraid of the world, but in the safety of his home, with his mom and pack, the world was his. He was a tremendously loving and brave brother to Mafi and Gigi, but had an adversarial relationship with Dandi, with poor Teo usually being on the losing end. But since Dandi died 18 months ago, Teo came into his own, and became the core of the pack. Always happy and exuberant, he sparkled as the pack settled into its new order.
I could never imagine Teo anything other than the funloving pup he'd always been, so it took a while for me to recognize that he was changing. The boy who literally climbed the walls when I arrived home, no longer did so. Medical challenges arose which at times affected his ability to do what he loved, and over the course of a short couple of days, he trusted me with his soul, and told me what he needed. The only gift I could give in return for the blessing that was Teo, was to listen.
Please joins us in a special "Celebration of Fuzz"
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If anyone is currently using this (5mg) for their hound, please PM me.
Ditto furosemide, aldactone, enalapril
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Teo couldn't make it until Friday, the day set for his journey. My dogsitter came by Wednesday and it was clear to her that he was ready. He wouldn't eat, had fallen and cut his lip, and couldn't stand and walk. I came home and he could not get up to greet me. There was no question any more. I called and texted Fiona (our vet) and she came over in the evening. I curled up next to him, held him, and told him every way possible that he's my hero, my angel, and has always been -- and will always be -- adored and worshiped. Everything I wanted him to know about how wonderful he was, and how much he was loved, was said.He just slept, and barely noticed Fiona was doing anything. It was blessedly peaceful -- he deserved no less.
I will post more in tributes, and thank all of you for your loving understanding.
(I lurk for months on end and reappear with unhappy news. I just need to talk it out with friends who will know...)
My sad revelation is this: we come to the realization that our pup is declining. We watch their eyes closely, know this will be our gauge for knowing when we have to make a painful decision. We hope they will trust us enough to know we will be listening, though of course we hold out hope that his eyes will continue to laugh, and in so doing, allow us to put the decision in a drawer for a long while.
But suddenly, without warning, there it is. A complete blindside. Things were going along pretty well, but we seem to forget that "pretty well" for us is not always "pretty well" for our pup. And the instant that you meet his eyes, you know. And, yeah, you're so grateful that he turned to you knowing that you would hear him, and you do. And you know it's time to take the decision out of the drawer and do the right thing for him. So you separate yourself into the rational side -- who recognizes the decision and makes arrangement -- and the heart, who is reeling and overwhelmed by the message you have been privileged to receive.
It's humbling. But I've been reminded in a way I have never been before, of the lightning bolt of sadness that strike when eyes meet and you know.
Teo (the fuzzy galgo) has had a tough year. Last year he developed a chronic cough and stridor, which we suspected might be LP. He was scoped by my IM vet who found that he didn't have LP but did have a swallow disorder and abnormal pooling of secretions, which caused his cough and foamy drooling. It was controlled fairly well with softened food and famotidine but his symptoms worsened late summer. He'd already had a couple of episodes of aspiration pneumonia but this was not going away. His CXR showed an enlarged heart (not present a year ago) which my vet thought might be cardiomyopathy, and his murmur had progressed, so he was seen by cardiology. His echo showed severe valvlar disease, the worst of it being severe mitral regurg and pulmonary hypertension. He was felt to be in mild congestive heart failure at the time. The cardiologist started him on Vetmedin, enalapril, lasix and spiranolactone, and he did improve quite a bit. (Forgot to mention he'd also had 2 probable strokes, with vestibular-like symptoms and ataxia.)
Over the past week or so, he's gone from happily inhaling his food to barely being able to swallow small pieces of chicken. He's drooling on his R side and actually is now regurgitating water after drinking. This is starting to sound more like megaesophagus, but with his valvular disease, there aren't many treatment options.
Teo is definitely not Teo, and I see in his eyes that he is very unhappy.... I hate when that realization hits, but I can only honor him by setting him free of the problems that have taken away his goofiness and spirit and love of life. I knew that the heart disease would limit his time, but I don't even think that's what's making him so miserable -- I think it's more that he can't eat normally, he's ataxic, he doesn't feel well enough to leap into the air and scratch at the walls when I come home.
I didn't think Teo would be next... and I think this is going to devastate both Mafi and Gigi. And me.
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Re "other pill", If on high-dose steroids, could cause behavioral changes, but I'd always rule out underlying organic disease before attributing biting behavior to meds.
>>Peeling nose has never improved.
May never entirely clear... IME, waxes and wanes seasonally. Worse in winter because of dry air, heating, etc.
>>He does have sleep/space aggression.
"Bam". Under what circumstances is he snapping? Are they applying topical ointments to his nose, which might make him defensive? Just getting too physically close? An exact desription of the events leading up to the snapping behavior would be helpful.
>>What could contribute to the new aggression?
Other circumstances, stressors or issues in the house? I'd have hoped this would have been explored by the behaviorist.
Any of your guesses could be factors, but as far as DL itself as the cause, unlikely.... however, systemic lupus would be another story.
Additional work-up needed, I'd say, if the situation at home is safe.
<Hi Ducky!
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Ducky, check in with Roberta (3greys2cats), whose GH, Sara, lived with GME for several years. She had an amazing outcome, although Roberta lost her 2 years ago. She can describe the diagnostic and treatment plans.
One of the authorities on GME is Dr. Alan Sisson at Angell Memorial Hosp in Boston. I brought Lexi to see him when she was quite ill and we were concerned about the possibility of GME. He is an extremely sharp cookie, and after spending a short time with her, and hearing her symptoms, he ruled out GME as her problem, and correctly diagnosed her with immune mediated polyarthritis.
This is a very active yahoo group They post many articles and publications by Dr. Sisson and provide support as well as their experiences utilizing different types of immunosuppressive treatment.
Actually, I just came across this link to an article by Dr. Sisson. Hope this will answer your questions!
ETA: leflunomide is a chemotherapy Dr. Sisson often recommends. Lexi was on this for her IMPA, and really did not have any problems while taking it.
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Can you add thick-it to canned dogfood to thicken it to the right consistency? Or soak the kibble and add a filler to get what you want?
I tried several things: I put him onto an all-canned-food diet, and didn't really see a difference in his symptoms, with the expection of having globs of canned food flying in every direction because he doesn't form boluses normally. It's helpful for me to stand over his bowl and use a spoon to relocate the food to the center so he can grab it, but when he has to turn his head to get to food on the sides of the bowl, food seems to drop right out of the side of his mouth.
My next venture was suggested by another hound friend: grind the kibble in a coffee grinder, then water it down into a slurry which he should be able to tolerate. That created a few problems: It was so dry that I had to continuously water it down for hm to be able to swallow it; he also had trouble getting to food on the sides of the bowl causing food to fly out of his mouth again. I think the texture just exacerbated his problem.
So, I went back to watered-down kibble, left to moisten well. This was a bit better but still was choking on kibble occasionally.
I tried to create little balls out of the canned food. The texture was a bit challenging for creating meatballs, and I was pretty sure I was going to hurl just from the sight of what I was doing, so that can't be an option.
Today's attempt was raw burger mixed with raw eggs, bread crumbs and veggies. They're in the crockpot, and I'll see how it goes.
I'd probably add the extras to bits of pure canned meat (dog food). It's usually wet enough to make meatballs.
Just FYI, if you leave stewing beef in the slow cooker long enough (~8 hrs), you can shred it. It won't stick together to form meatballs though.
Oh no! Now she tells me!!!! Off to check the crock pot!
Teo has no other dietary restrictions - this is all strictly to find a way to feed him and reduce risk for aspiration. He might need a barium swallow if nothing is successful. So it shouldn't be a total loss, I discovered out pill-hider of the week: cheese danish. My mother would have been proud....
Your kindness always means so much to me.
Truly a beautiful and very special girl. 
(might not be a bad idea -- if he'd cooperate)
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and a big hug for their loving mom and family,
>
Christmas Miracle
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
Bummer alert:
This is potentially very exciting news, but it's going to be a while before it will be available outside of the designated study group:
As required by USDA to progress from conditional licensure to full licensure, Aratana plans to conduct an extended field study in a clinical setting and anticipates initiating the study in early 2018. Initially, the therapeutic will be made available for purchase at approximately two dozen veterinary oncology practice groups across the United States who participate in the study.
So, it's been conditionally licensed for the purpose of conducting a more extensive clinical study. If you'd like to find out where they will be recruiting participants, here's a place to start:
http://vetcancersociety.org/pet-owners/clinical-trials/
The new clinical study for 2018 is not yet listed. The previous field study, however, is, and though recruitment ended 2/2017, contact info for the trial investigator is supplied. The study to search for is AAHSD000419. Hopefully they can provide specifics for the next phase of testing. Realistically, the vaccine may still be a long time from full licensure, and will depend on the results of the clinical study once completed.
Jordan
Tim and Tessa (galgos) & Jesse and Buddy (iggies)
Missing lots of angels, most recently: Galgos Dandi, Teo, Mafi & Gigi