greyhndz

I'm so sorry your time with Whitey is growing short. But the quality of life Whitey has enjoyed with you has been a lifetime's worth. Trust in yourself. Trust in Whitey. And know that Whitey completely trusts in you. You were both blessed to find each other.

Cartier continues to improve! Oh, we are doing the greyhound happy dance!!! He ate 3 cups of food today - 2 cups dry kibble Eukaneba straight nothing in it and 4 liver balls of phosphate binding meds and took all his meds. Tonight another cup of dried kibble - will try to get another cup towards the time I go to bed and will give him the meds that day too. Now for the good part: BUN from 63.7 down to 55.7 Creatine from 4.1 to 5.5 (expected to go up because of the kidneys not functioning properly). Phosphorus 9.5 down to 93. Albumin (his norm is 2.0) from 1.6 up to 1.8. The last test was 3 days ago. Then they took urine today they are sending in a UPC test. Should get the results on Tuesday. Electrolytes look good. Blood count normal. The vet is overly pleased with his results today. And if you ask me - I am as Bruce Willis says: "Yippee Cayea" Not out of the woods but he is EATTING!!!!! Dana

Another pupdate, now that the Polished Pooch is home! Cartier came home last night! He is completely hydrated and starting the regimen of KD and UD diet along with some good stuff to get him to stay eating and drinking. He has a lot of meds that he will need to keep taking to sustain him to complete his recovery. His values didn't change the night before being on IV-Fluid, so the Vet felt he'd do better in his home environment with me being there for him. We want to get him back on his feet before we do anymore testing of where he is losing his protein. It is going to be a long road for us but he is home and that's a start. Getting some weight back on him as to where he can take these tests. We don't have a lot of specialists here in Las Vegas, like they do out east. When I adopted Cartier he had this issue with his foot. I don't have a lot of resources to pay for extensive testing to find out what the disorder is on Cartier, so I tried to manage his care with holistic and western medicine. It seemed to be working up through now. His past being in Guam and ridden so hard, so to speak, brings a lot of uncertainty to where his condition spiraled from. No other dog from Guam has had this issue. I have attached a picture of a flair up of his foot. I am a bit overwhelmed right now Jordan. He still isn't right there wanting to eat. It took me 1/2 hour to get 1/2 cup of food and meds in him. With having to work full time, this is going to be a challenge for both of us the next few weeks. I'm trying to gather everything together from everyone and start a plan of attack. But with that I need to be realistic as to my available funds. Right now, I have to get him back up on his feet and then we will proceed with testing. His foot/hock swells and goes up and stops around the knee area. The area is squishy. Yes, it has been asperated several times and nothing shows up in the fluid. It really has everyone stumped. It gets inflamed and warm to the touch but he gets no temperature. His swelling has gone to his other back foot and a bit in his front foot. He has to be mobile otherwise it start collecting and I think with him being able to get up and move around now, that it will go away. They pumped him up with a lot of fluid and that may be part of it too. Since I've had him it has never gone into the other feet. I was warned that this may at some time be an issue and that it was a chronic issue up front. No one else wanted to adopt him and my heart went out to him. I'm doing all I can to keep him here. He is a fighter and we will get through this. That's all for now - I have to go back to my day job Now, to offset his medical bills, I'm having a CARTIER SALE!!!!! I'm offering 20% discount on any purchase from Wild Things for Greys (www.wildthingsforgreys.com). To get your discount, please email me privately and mention CARTIER and you will get that discount! And this helps in a few ways, keeps me busy in my sewing room with my boy close to me and snoozing away, helps with his medical bills, and you get a design from Wild Things for Greys for you grey. So, it is a WIN WIN for everybody! Contact: stealthn@cox.net - FEEL FREE TO CROSSPOST TOO! Dana and Cartier (my jewel)

Good news!!!

Wow! She looks awesome! Good girl! Lots of love and skritches to this brave little girlie.

Update from late last night. The Lepto titer test came back today and was negative. When Cartier came in the room and saw me his tail just started wagging! He was happy to see his mom! His BUN level continues to go down from 76 on Sunday to 63 today; creatine level has gone down to 3.7 and his phosphorus has gone up to 9.5 from 8.3. His albumin was 1.8 yesterday and now today is 1.6. But he ate 2 cans of Hills ID today and drank a lot. He was started back on Doxy and is still getting IV fluids. So happy – Cartier has gone 48 hours without vomiting. So good. He has not had a BM yet while being there. May be tomorrow since he ate twice as much as today than he did yesterday. He ate about 1-1/2 cups of liver today and about ½ cup of tripe. We took a longer walk today than any other day. We came back and he ate the liver and tripe, drank a bit and then laid down. I laid on the floor with him and I actually fell asleep massaging him curled up with him for ½ hour. I spoke with the vet tech that comes in at night to see and check on him and she said she let him just walk around the clinic with her as she was doing some of her tasks and he had a good time last night doing this with her. She said he is such a good patient. The results came back on the Lepto titer test and it came back negative. So, the vet is concerned that his back leg that may be the culprit that caused this kidney issue and just has been brewing for a while. I wasn’t able to see the vet before I left. I was able to visit with Cartier for 3 hours again. So, I will find out more on where we go from here tomorrow. At this point, I have no idea when Mr. C will be able to come home. He is looking better but needs to build more strength and we need to get that albumin level up – somewhere he’s losing that protein. I explained to Dana about proteinuria as a result of kidney disease (protein-losing nepropathy). She's going to talk with her vet tonight - she didn't have much time last night. It's great that he's chowing down! I believe Dana already discussed cerenia or other meds for nausea, ranitidine, carafate, etc. I think she said that he stopped vomiting and is now eating well. One of the problems is the doxy, which as you all know make dogs (and humans) feel pretty yuck. Here's another update from this morning. "Suzanne" is Suzanne Stack. Suzanne said that when he is eating the way he is that he is over the hump! However, the vet and I really think the stem of this whole issue is his foot swelling chronic problem. It is mysterious circulatory issue and no one seems to know what the problem is with his swelling in the foot/hock. Now it is going into his other foot/hock back legs. I'll find out more tomorrow. Thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes for Cartier! I know Dana is deeply touched, and very grateful!

Thank you everyone for the food suggestions! Here's today's update - the liver was a go! (Ew) He really needs calories, though...

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Linda. I'm going to send your post to Dana. I haven't gotten an update yet this evening, but she's probably still snuggling with Cartier. May I just say that renal failure can ? I also feel for Dana, having gone through chronic renal insufficiency and then renal failure with my heart-iggy Lexi. It's a very precarious disease, and it doesn't take much to cause the pup to crash and burn. I do hope, if it is lepto, that his ARF is completely reversible. But if they're able to get him stabilized with diuresis, there are many things Dana can do to keep his renal function controlled, and I'm sure if the vets recommend sub-Q fluid, she'll dive right in and do it. Dana, being the ever-doting mom, sent along some photos of Cartier that appeared in a Guam newspaper (I don't remember if I mentioned that he's a Guammie): 1st article 2nd article

Please send Tina my best, and lots of healing thoughts for Cofax!

Was she a broodmama beforehand, or recently had a litter? I've also seen false pregnancies cause teat enlargement.

Lots of healing thoughts, and a quick recovery! How frightening for all of you!

Got -em! Sent them on to Dana. I'll also let her know about the green tripe ().

Update from Dana: I know so many of you have your failproof "I don't wanna eat" yummy foods that you pull out of your arsenal for a sick dog. If you can send them to Dana or to me, I'll forward them on to her. Thank you!! My e-mail is greyhndz @ comcast . net And here are some photos from the "Polished Pooch" contest which Cartier WON! just hours before he became very ill. What a handsome, elegant boy. Keep those prayers and healing thoughts coming... Dana is very grateful and knows they will help Cartier heal.

Zema, what a beautiful, loved and worshipped girl you were. I'm so, so sorry, Jey. Dog-speed, sweet Zema. :gh_run Over the Bridge and up to the stars...

Yesterday was supposed to be an exciting day for Cartier. He was a finalist in the "Polished Pooch" contest out in NV where Dana lives, and indeed he even won the title! But as she put it, it was a bittersweet day for both of them: He wasn't feeling well, and when she brought him to the vet, they discovered he was in renal failure. He's in hospital on IV fluids, and also ampicillin/doxycycline, as Suzanne Stack told Dana his symptoms (and the literally overnight onset) sound as if he might have lepto. Just heard back: ... they have him on IV fluids and doxy and ampicillin which are treatments for the Lepto. So, he rested the night and I received a call from the vet this morning to say he was very bright eyed and looked like he wanted to eat. So, I'm leaving work early this pm to get him a chicken breast to see if he'll eat for me. I get in the cage with him and visit for a while. He is strong and I really feel that this may be what he has and that he will come out of it. The greyter the prayer circle the better the healing will be. I have made arrangements to leave work at 3:00 pm each day to go and see my boy and see if he'll eat from my hands as he did last week. Suzanne said that even though his BUN and creatine levels were really bad, she said that just having the antibiotics and IV fluids in him a 1/2 day and all night, does wonders and that he will be feeling better soon. I just pray that it is Lepto and not the other, but if it is the other, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Prayers, loving and healing thoughts are appreciated. :candle I'll post any updates Dana sends.

He looks fantastic! You'd never believe, looking at him now, what he's been through in the past 3 weeks. He is such a fighter! (And pretty handsome too) That bed looks awfully comfortable, Manny! You deserve it! (and the cool T-shirt too)

Oh, no... I'm so, so sorry to hear this. Love her. Spoil her. Engrave every detail of her beautiful face in your mind and your heart. Most important, know that you're an incredible mom with an incredible BooBoo.

In human medicine, a CT will confirm spinal stenosis. CTs generally are preferred for visualizing bony structures. However, if the vet is trying to find out if there is nerve root compression (as a result of stenosis, or narrowing, of spinal structures), an MRI or myelogram is the preferable study. I think the one big question you need to ask yourselves is: if the imaging studies do show an operable lesion, is BooBoo a candidate for surgery, and are you able to proceed if surgery is recommended? Surgery usually involves decompression of the nerve root (usually by removal of a segment of bone, or "laminectomy", and/or removal or repair of a disk). In humans, we have other, nonsurgical options for treatment which apparently haven't been studied yet in veterinary medicine. If surgery won't be feasible for whatever reason, I don't think that I (as an individual, meaning JMHO) would go ahead with either CT or MRI. Your vet will have to guide you in making this decision. And as much as I don't want to even mention this word, does the vet feel that tumor is a possibility? That *is* something that should show up on CT, even if the Xrays appear normal. I hope you get the answers you need to take BooBoo's pain away.

Kristin, . This just s*cks, big time. You'll have the best vet team guiding you, and you'll have everyone from GT supporting you. Trust in your love for Sutra, the instinctive bond you share with him, and your dedication to doing what you know is right for him. You are such a wonderful mom. You're not alone.. we're all here for you. Huge hugs to you and Sutra Jordan

It will probably take more like 4-6 weeks before any of these meds will reach their peak effect. You might ask your vet about giving him Xanax (even on a regular basis) to use in the interim. I've had a lot of luck with melatonin, and you can certainly use that even with him on Prozac. It sounds as if his anxiety disorder is quite severe. I hope this brings both of you much relief. The vet behaviorist would probably suggest continuing behavioral desensitization even while on the prozac. Are you far from U Penn, in case you'd like to bring Garry in for an evaluation?

Manny, you are the miracle man! I'm thrilled to hear that he's home, and will be looking forward to hearing about his day-to-day improvement. And mom, I think, after you've caught your breath and Manny is completely recovered, you should contact the CG editorial staff as this story would make an incredible article.

Millie's Mom, did you mention that you needed the clavamox to treat eye infections? Unless it's a raging cellulitis, most superficial eye infections (conjunctivitis, keratitis) are treated topically, with antibiotic ointment specifically formulated for use in and around eyes. The same would go for any humans -- topical tx unless soft tissue infection or severe bacterial infection is present. The only time I've prescribed oral antibiotics for eye infections is if there's cellulitis. If there's evidence of a severe infection of the cornea, and/or marked inflammation of any segment of the eye, these are ocular emergencies, requiring urgent eval by an ophthalmologist (human or vet). The other reason to go to a vet is to determine if the cat also needs topical steroids. For any kind of infection, the key is knowing what organisms are generally at the root of the infection. We in human medicine have lots of resources available to give us this information. I don't know what's out there in veterinary literature. Antibiotic recommendations are also affected by where you live, as people have shown resistance to certain antibiotics in one place, but infections are susceptible to the same antibiotic elsewhere. If an infection is superficial and responds well to a topical antibiotic, I'd always go there first, and save broader spectrum antibiotics (or any oral antibiotics) for when they're really needed. JMHO.

What a beautiful tribute to Bear, who so clearly claimed a huge part of your hearts. You embraced him when he needed embrace, and you let him run free when you knew that, too, was what he needed. But he ran away with a part of your hearts. You'll reclaim that part when you're all together again. to you and Chris.

OMG, Pat... there are just no words. Your soulmate, your heart.. It's not fair. Warmest hugs, my friend. And fly free, sweet Zeus.

Outside of checking out Mexican pharmacies, I know of none that will provide it without a prescription. I've researched this extensively, because I have a dog on pulse antibiotics. I thought generic augmentin (amox/clavulanic acid) would be much less expensive than mailing away to a vet pharmacy for name brand Clavamox. Guess what - it's not. I checked every pharmacy (accredited pharmacies) out there, human and vet, and the least expensive option I found was using Clavamox itself. Augmentin, even generic, is not on any $4 formularies and is astoundingly expensive. But to answer your original question, I know of no legitimate, licensed and accredited pharmacies that would provide augmentin or clavamox without a prescription. The closest you could come would be buying "fish antibiotics" from online pet pharmacies line KV. But no clavamox - only amoxicillin, keflex, bactrim and a couple more.