greyhndz
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Posts posted by greyhndz
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Desi takes Cyclosporine (Atopica). When he first came to me, he had lesions around his nails that we could find no reason for
& could never get them to heal. Started 100 mg daily for a couple of months, then every other day.......nails healed perfectly.
2 years later, he still takes 100 mg once every 5 days. I'm hoping to get him down to once a week. No further nail problems.
Just sent you a PM.
Geez louise, Carl wasn't poisoned, he was prescribed. I just hate autocorrect.
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After IBD Galgo Dandi died in July, I thought I was finally able to get everyone back onto a simple kibble diet. Unfortunately, Galgo #2, Teo, has developed a swallow disorder, possibly due to a sluggish R-sided vocal cord as well as pooling of saliva in the back of his throat and inability to form a food bolus before swallowing. (TMI?). As a result, he's had several episodes of aspiration pneumonia and has a chronic cough/yak.
Bottom line is that our Internal Medicine vet recommends that I hand-feed him soft, meatballs because of his swallow disorder. My attempt at meatballs today (I had some previously-cooked burger in the freezer, and added in soft veggies, bread and eggs, then baked) was a big fail -- maybe because the meat was already cooked and crumbled apart.
Can anyone suggest a recipe for something that will fit the bill? He doesn't have a weight issue and loves his food, so I don't know that he needs fatty meatballs, but any ideas for meatball-sized, soft, nutritious meals would be appreciated.
How does everyone get nice little meatballs? Do you use an ice cream scoop?
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This is the oral med rather than the ophthal. drops.
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If any adoption groups or GT'ers have a hound on cyclosporine, would you please PM me?
Thanks!
Jordan
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I apologize if this has already been brought up on the board, but Dr. Couto has a new website up for his veterinary consulting practice. He is continuing to consult on sighthound medicine, oncology and hematology; will have clinical rounding at a clinic in PA; educate and lecture; and continue to volunteer his time by visits to Scooby.
Jordan
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OMG, no..... Sweet little Tessa, who inspired so many with her bravery and unlimited love for everyone she met. There aren't enough words to express the sadness, but there are many words to express the wonderful, happy, loving moments that she brought to you and Mac, and everyone honored to have known her.
Big hugs for you, Ducky. I''m so heartbroken for you.
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Purely from a human standpoint (bone marrow transplant), we often give budesonide and prednisone concurrently. Budesonide is working only on the gut, while we need systemic steroids for other reasons (often long term). With spinal metastasis, I'd be concerned about tapering the pred too quickly.
This.
I'm posting privately to Mary with more detalled info from the literature, but there are few EBM veterinary studies and the ones that I can find have small cohorts so are not as reliable. There are no specifics on exactly how quickly to transition from systemic steroids to budesonide. But the common denominator in all of the human and veterinary studies that I reviewed is that the budesonide is started concurrently with the beginning of the systemic steroid taper, to reduce the risk of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression and other steroid sequleae. And the steroid taper is tapered more gradually (not over 5 days) as the budesonide is titrated up. This is suggested in human literature in the treatment of Crohns, and is what many of the vet studies mirror.
Sadly, I'm sure the pred is being given purely for palliation, not with the intent of cure or even remission. He has Stage V disease with probable spinal mets which carries a very grave prognosis. I hope she can accept this and do what she can to keep him comfortable and happy.
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If any adoption groups (foster homes, galgo rescue, etc.) are in need of cyclosporine or azathioprine for one of their hounds, please PM me.
Jordan
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Dandi is, I pray, in a better place with no more illness, lots of squeakies to flip into the air, and no little barky dogs to annoy him. He's a big boy so needs a lot of space to stretch out And he doesn't go anywhere fast... he plods along at his own pace. Just give him an endless supply of pizza bones, american cheese and ice cream and that will be his version of heaven.
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When they make their journey, where does that journey take them?
Please tell me it won't bring them back to Spain, back to the lonely, miserable, painful existence they once lived.
Back to the tiny crate where Dandi was once left to be picked up with the trash.
Promise me that he will only go to a beautiful place where he will be loved endlessly,
and that the fear so deeply seared into his soul will be forever be gone.
Don't let him feel abandoned because I send him off alone without me, when I've been his life and only trusted person for so long.
Let his galgo friends welcome him, and teach him that he will be so much happier playing, running and enjoying the
company of his friends, instead of being a grump
As Dandi prepares to start his journey this evening, I want to be able to whisper to him about the wonderful things lying ahead for him.
Can you tell me of a galgo who has already past, and who will embrace Dandi and welcome him over the galgo Bridge? I know it would make him feel more secure knowing a certain someone will be watching for him. I don't want him to think he's being punished ans sent back to his tormenters: I want him to know the love I have for him, and all the love I have received from him over the past 7 years will bring him to a world filled with unconditional love.
I will feel so much better if someone could give me a name to whisper into his ear......
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If anyone is currently using, or would like to be able to use budesonide for their IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) pup were it not prohibitively expensive, (my IBG galgo) Dandi's IM vet in Woburn, MA referred me to a human and veterinary compounding pharmacy here in NH (Wingate Pharmacy in Nashua). They are compounding 2 mg caps for $45/monthly supply. This is unbelievable pricing, as the standard human formulation averages about $300-350 for 30 caps. The pharmacy had called by the time I got home, sent it via UPS and it arrived today.
I hope this will be helpful for someone else out there. I was astounded (in a positive way), and at the same time relieved, because Dandi is no longer stabilizing on cyclosporine or azathioprine. Budesonide wasn't an option because of its cost, and now we have the opportunity to give it a try.
Dandi, convalescing
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Tessa! What happened?
I'll do a more in-depth search but so far I haven't found anything in the literature. What signs/sx is she having? Cough?Fatigue? Edema? Arrythymia?
Does your vet want to get an echo?
I'm here if you want to talk about it, Ducky.
J
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Harold, sweetie, you were in heaven the minute you arrived home with Mum and Dad. You've just taken a few extra steps to the Bridge. It took way too much time for it to happen, but you found a family who love you unconditionally and appreciate you for your handsomeness and personality.
Godspeed, and remember: there are no belly-bands in Heaven!!!
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I'm sorry for your friend, Ducky. It's now a quality of life decision, as far as pain control and keeping him quiet to try to prevent fracture, and how he'd deal with limited activity.
As far as pain management, if there's no way at all that his owners can pill him, I can think of two alternatives for when meloxicam no longer controls his pain: the cheaper alternative is codeine (or tylenol with codeine) elixir which can easily be dosed appropriately. The more expensive option would be having a veterinary compounding pharmacy create a tramadol liquid formulation. Her vet should be able to offer options.
My broodie Charming had a similar distal radius OSA, and did develop a pathologic fx (I never knew how -- I came home from work to find her in severe pain). As I was getting ready to carry her to the car, I gave her as much benadryl and tramadol as she could tolerate to keep her more comfortable (with my vet's blessing). I think nowadays, if one of my pups developed osteo, I'd ask the vet for an IM dose of buprenephrine or other potent narcotic to keep on hand for just this type of catastrophic event.
I hope his final weeks are quiet and comfortable, for him and for his parents.
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Oh, not Pudge!
A couple of thoughts, Ducky: I agree wholeheartedly with the pepcid (either famotadine or ranitidine), even when she's off the abx. Also, ask your vet about perhaps adding some subQ fluids, if you're comfortable doing that at home. It should reduce her BUN/creatinine and probably get her feeling a bit better. If she's not drinking it might actually benefit her to get IV fluids...
I'm going to give you a call now -- much faster than typing!
Hugs, sweetie girl!
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Stand back, you've come to the Queen of Pottypads.
My first choice nowadays is:JRS Medical, Invacare pads. They come in huge sizes, too. I use the 36 x 52. If I expect a major flood warning, I'll double up on the pads on the floor. They're clean,, right out of the carton, and frankly are less expensive than the used ones sold by the other dealer. Their shipping is fast and, IIRC, free for orders > $100. I've got stacks of these that are still holding up after about 5 years and multiple washing a week.
This is a place a lot of people have used, especially to buy less expensve used pads. I found the quality to be erratic, which led me to JRS.
Happy shopping!
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When I was pricing out Dandi's cyclosporine 100mg, most pharmacies -- human and vet -- were charging an average of $130-140/month. At Heartland, the same med is $89.95. Looks like many of their products are very competitively priced. They're licensed and fully accredited. They'll contact your vet for a Rx after you price and pay online. Their turnover is very quick.
Hope someone else will benefit from this. Oh, I noticed on their site tonight that they no longer do compounding.
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Ducky, I'm sorry to hear that Harold's renal disease has progressed to this point. Lexi was my first renal failure girl. It was an insidious decline, complicated by her polyarthritis and immunomodulators. But all the signs you describe I saw in Lexi as well and this was the point at which I decided to make her last days good ones. Because she didn't want to eat, I brought in pizzas every few days, which she loved. When she stopped eating that, I found an organic beef chew that she seemed to like. When she turned away from the beef chews, I could see in her eyes that she was tired.
The fact that he's drinking but not peeing suggests to me that either he's very dry or that his kidney function dramatically detetiorated. Labs and a urinalysis will be able to give you the answers.
Many people have seen improvement with daily subQ fluids and maybe you should ask your vet about this (you can do it yourself at home). I brought Lexi home many nights after hospitalization during the day -- and continued her IV fluids for as long as the IV continued to work. SubQ fluids were so traumatic for her that I made the decision to not traumatize her any further. I know my decisions probably shortened her life, but it was more important to me that her time be happy for her, not stressful.
I don't know that pain is an issue as renal failure escalates. It's more a matter of increasing lethargy, depression, inappetance, vomiting, dehydration. Invariably,they will find a way to show you that they're ready to go to a better place.
Hugs to sweet Harold and to you, Ducky!
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So sorry you are going through this. We just lost our grey to lymphangiectasia and I felt compelled to at least reach out to you since we have been through exactly the same thing. I don't have any advice. Even with prednisone our boy had a very scarey 1.2 albumin level for about six months ... fortunately he had no idea he was sick and did not exhibit symptoms until the very end. We ended up getting a sheet of vinyl to cover the carpet where he would be during the day and trying to split his prednisone so he got the higher dose during the day and the lower dose at night so we might get some sleep. He didn't do well on the HA food and we switched to Royal Canin's low fat digestive ... it was the internist second choice but it worked for him. I know it's hard and I hope your sweet boy stabilizes quickly. I'll be anxiously watching for updates.
Yvonne
I'm so glad you posted, and I'm so sorry your pup lost his battle. We were very relieved that he started to show improvement about 2 months after starting the HA, and were hopeful that the diet would be enough to keep him stable. Initially, when he was first put onto the HA, he was also on pred and he didn't care what the kibble tasted like. Then, when he was off steroids, he realized that it was pretty crappy-tasting stuff. Now that I've stopped the z/d and am using just a spoonful of venison, it will keep him interested in the HA but with far less fat.
24 hrs on pred and already he looks awful to me, but both my own vet and the IM vet feel strongly that it's the only way to get his albumin up and keep him stable until the cyclosporine kicks in. I know this all sounds way too familiar to you.....
Jordan, I'm so sorry Dandi has relapsed. It is a nasty, nasty disease. I went through the same thing with Ducky. He did well for a while on the Hill's d/d Venison dry food. He also got weekly B12 injections. I've never heard of cyclosporine, so I don't have any advice on that, but I agree prednisone has some bad side effects. We did have him on a low dose of it toward the end. He was also on Plavix, which was very expensive. As well as a bunch of other meds. I found a support forum that you may find helpful: http://www.savelouie...hpBB3/index.php
Good luck!
Thanks Jennifer! I was fortunate to have found this site last winter. The folks are very supportive and also very knowledgeable, so it's time for me to check in again.
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Oh man.
My heart goes out to you both. I had an IBD girl, and it was a sad and bumpy road all the way to the end. I did find a source for budesonide that was not too out of reach, in Canada, if I recall. Is there any way you can make your dog door easier for him to navigate? I'm grasping at straws here...
: I hope you guys can get some relief (and a new job!!) asap! 
Could you share the pharmacy info so I can check into the pricing for the budesonide?
The dog door. Oy. Let me just say that I've been leaving the slider door open so he can get to the deck and down to the yard easily. He still pees on the kitchen floor. Or he'll go through the dog door to the deck to poop, then come inside to pee on the floor. Dandi has "issues" between his ears.
Well crap-I feel your pain! Have you ever tried tylan powder or B-12 injections?
Sorry he's relapsed-sadly it can and does happen-miserable disease. I never could understand why they would make Z/D with a higher fat content.
Dandi has been on Tylan for years. I really saw a difference for a long time, until his flare last year. He's still on it, but is now on metronidazole for a week in addition to the pred and cyclosporine, and also ranitidine and probiotics which he's been on for many months. He received B-12 injections at the time of his last flare - I'll mention it to Fiona (vet) when he goes back for labs next week.
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If you scroll down a few threads, you'll find my story about Dandi, my galgo. He has protein-losing enteropathy, and lymphangiectasia, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Dandi needs to be on an ultra-low-fat, hypoallergenic (novel protein) diet for his particular form of the disease.
When I read carefully the nutritional stats on z/d canned, I was horrified to see that it is not at all low-fat, and hypoallergenic or not, I'm sure it was a factor in Dandi's relapse. So beware of z/d if a low-fat diet was recommended.
If he's on any type of immunosuppression (prednisone, cyclosporine, etc.) I would not risk feeding raw.
If you can swing it financially, it might really be beneficial to have him evaluated by an internal medicine vet who is comfortable evaluating and managing suspected IBD. Your vet might have an IM vet with whom she's developed a working relationship, and they could co-manage his care so your vet is kept in the loop. This is what we're doing with Dandi: my vet is seeing him, checking labs and doing re-exams, and she calls our IM vet to discuss strategy. Perhaps your own vet would be willing to do the same with an IM colleague.
It sounds as if you've got questions and concerns that are totally appropriate and deserve to be addressed.It's easy to say that you should find a vet more responsive and open to new ideas, but when you're dealing with a crisis you need to feel that you have someone near by who is familiar with his case. It just sounds as if it would helpful to have a new set of eyes involved who can clarify the diagnosis and manage the treatment plan together with your own vet.
I hope PJay begins to improve soon and that he responds quickly to treatment. I do so empathize, going through the same problem with Dandi.
Jordan
I also had an IBD/PLE dog. He was on Hill's d/d Venison food and did quite well. He was also on several meds, and finally predinose which I hate. He was also on Plavix (very expensive though) and got B12 shots. There was a good support site I joined which may also help you: http://www.savelouie...hpBB3/index.php
Good luck!
Yes! This is a site which is devoted to lymphangiectasia. The folks are very supportive and have a lot of good info to offer. It's time for me to check back in again, so I'll see you there.
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About 8 months ago, Dandi (galgo) was diagnosed with lymphangiectasia, a form of IBD and protein losing enteropathy. This thread explains the situation.
He did very well on an ultra-low-fat,hypoallergenic diet until about a month ago, when the diarrhea returned full force. His albumin is now down to a critical level of 1.5 again, and even though his weight is stable, I can see a considerable difference in his condition over the past week. (His albumin was 1.6 last week, and his potassium and calcium were way out of normal range). He has PU PD (large volumes of water going in and coming out) which is flooding into my kitchen, and has several pure liquid stools daily. He's just been more sluggish and isn't playing with his toys as he usually does. He's had progressive hind end weakness -- all resulting from the low albumin. So far, he has not shown evidence of dehydration as was the case last winter. He's eating very well and doesn't have muscle wasting (yet).
His diet has been a combination of Purina HA, an ultra-low-fat hypoallergenic kibble which looks like styrofoam. I've had to use z/d canned food to entice him to eat it, but still remain off any potential allergenic triggers. Unfortunately, I neglected to research the protein level, which is considerably higher than desirable, and he was eating a can a day. This may well have been the source of the relapse. After talking with his IM vet, the z/d has been stopped and he's getting a small amount of a low-fat novel protein (venison) mixed in with his HA kibble now. Only a large spoonful/meal, not 1/2 can.
We started Dandi on cyclosporine last week, but it will take at least 4-6 weeks before we would expect to see improvement. Since he's deteriorated over the week, he's back on prednisone which I dread. He developed muscle wasting after only a week on pred last time, but we have no choice if we want to keep him stable until the cyclosporine kicks in. He's also taking metronidazole for the next 7 days. My IM vet's first choice was budesonide, but the cost is just too prohibitive. I found a good source of cyclosporine 100mg - 30 days for $89 vs around $400/month for budesonide.
You can use your imagination to visualize what the pred is going to do with a dog who's already got PU PD. I'm going to need a canoe to navigate my kitchen. (BTW - Dandi has a dog door to go through, which he will do if I'm down there watching him, but if I'm not, he'll just let go indoors, probably because it's physically difficult for him to make it through the dog door). Or because he's a pickle.
I hope he rebounds soon, and that the cyclosporine proves to be the right drug to manage his PLE/IBD. I know anyone who has taken this journey with their IBD dog knows too well the frustration of getting them stabilized, and of finding a way for them to get the nutrition they need without their gut leaking out all the protein.
Oh, and did I mention that I'm losing my job as of Aug 31?
(yes, again...)
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Dandi is on an ultra-low hypoallergenic prescription kibble (Purina HA) for his lymphangiectasia, but I'd never use it unless I had no choice -- and I have no choice.
For treats, I'm a yam fan. Sam's Yams are great, or you can make yam chews yourself if you have a dehydrator. Non-fat, low calorie and 100% yam.
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Hi Ducky and baby Tessa!
I found that Instinct ltd. ingredient kibble was a nice food, but the protein source available is only chicken or turkey, and that may not be helpful if he's been eating either of these in his food.
Wellness also has several ltd ingredient diets and it seems they've made their formulas grain-free, too.
This is a Petsmart food: sweet potato/salmon
hope you find something that works for Tessa!
jordan
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Thanks for reporting back and sharing your tips for success. I think this recipe is enough to make me buy a dehydrator.
It was far cheaper than I'd expected. I bought this one for around $65.
Brian RKE, I haven't heard about icing the yams after blanching. Do you think this works better than cooking them before dehydrating?
My heart goes out to you both. I had an IBD girl, and it was a sad and bumpy road all the way to the end. I did find a source for budesonide that was not too out of reach, in Canada, if I recall. 
: I hope you guys can get some relief (and a new job!!) asap! 
Soft, Meatball-Sized Food Options?
in Food and dietary discussion
Posted
Thanks, guys! The failed meatballs actually worsened his choking considerably, so I'll pick up regular raw burger tomorrow.
Being a long-time vegetarian, I had to think hard to recall how my mother used to make meatballs. I thought I recalled her using either bread or breadcrumbs and raw eggs for texture. I also don't remember her baking them - she must have sauteed them in marinara sauce. I thought I'd put everything into a crock pot and let them simmer in their own juice. I was thinking about getting beef for beef stew but it would be too tough for him to swallow.
I'll do some cooking tomorrow and hopefully this will work for him. Thanks so much!