greyhndz
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Posts posted by greyhndz
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I used to keep an eye out for sale flyers for CVS and other major pharmacies, as they would also have 2-for-1 sales. I may actually still have some here (in it's original foil pack) if you'd like it.
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Nancy, have you done the diazoxide route yet?
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A lot like human side effects, Nancy (though humans usually can restrain themselves from leaving a puddle on the kitchen floor
).I've noticed, in addition to what everyone else has mentioned, urinary urge incontinence; iggy Buddy would squat and pee on the stairs, because he just couldn't hold the other 30 seconds it would take to get to the door. (This usually happened on a full bladder.)
I've also seen hair loss/thinning, muscle atrophy, cushingoid changes, and personality changes -- aggression, challenging, vocalization.
Not to mention, long-term effects on the kidneys and liver.
If you're looking at long-term steroids, and it's at all possible to transition Lottie to an immunomodulator, have a serious chat with her vet about it.
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My big boy galgo Dandi has been on clomipramine for about 4 yrs for fear aggresion and anxiety disorder. His dose is 100mg twice daily. He was evaluated and his meds managed by a veterinary behaviorist. (He'd originally been on prozac but it wasn't as effective and caused diarrhea.). He weighs about 80+ lbs. He's tolerated this dose very well, without side effects. His liver and renal function are perfectly normal and I'm not aware of repercussions of long-term use, though I'm sure there's always the potential for this to occur. But checking liver function tests on regular basis should be performed.
The one thing to be aware of is that with clomipramine, prozac, amitriptylline or similar medications, there is a risk of developing "seratonin syndrome" if combined with another medication which increases production of seratonin; one such drug is tramadol. Be sure your vet has a full list of all medications your pup is taking.
Whether or ot to think about weaning off in the future is something you should discuss with your vet. I don't know if there are studies showing that the positive behavioral changes will remain after clomipramine is discontiued. But if you've tried multiple modalities to control his SA without any success, it might just be that, for your pup's quality of life and for your own peace of mind, Bernie should stay on clomipramine indefinitely. I'm sure your vet or behaviorist will lbe able to guide you.
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Well, poop -- they don't carry the variety I need. But I got a response a day after I posted to them, and the CSR said he would pass on the request to their product manager.
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Yes, I use them!
They are wonderful to deal with, and the customer service is EXTRODINARY!
I think you will be happy with them, and they should be able to get the food you want!
Good Luck!
Thanks, Dee! I e-mailed them, asking if they could carry the Avoderm variety I'm looking for. Hopefully I'll hear back Monday.
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Petflow looks like a very interesting option for ordering food online. They have a huge assortment of foods (though, my luck, they don't have listed the ONE variety of Avoderm I need for Dandi's sensitive stomach) and shipping is either free or very, very low-cost. And unlike most of the online delivery websites, their prices are very competitive.
They're based in NY and ship out of a warehouse in NJ. The deal seems to be so good, I've written to ask if they could get the Baked L&R Avoderm so I can start ordering from them.
Has anyone used this service?
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I'm never one to be happy about hemangiosarcoma, but the fact that amputation will be curative is great news!
I'll definitely be sending lots of healing thoughts for James tomorrow. He's with the very best people caring for him. We'll be waiting for a good-news update tomorrow!
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This is the sealant used. (Sanos). It lasts for 6 months.
But boy, does it *stink*! (Either that, or it's Jesse, but he didn't stink before he went in.)
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I just read a thread on this from a year ago, and am interested in hearing follow-up or others' experiences.
Iggies' teeth are worse than greyhounds, and Jesse had his dental today with my go-ahead for sealant. Can anyone provide some feedback from their own experience with dental sealant? Yay or nay?
If you did have sealant applied, did it decrease the need for regular dentals?
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I recently went through this with Galga Mafi. I found that I had to keep her tail well-covered for several weeks after surgery, or she'd be all over it, yanking out sutures. Here's what I devised that worked very well.
I covered the tip of her tail stump with a newborn-size cotton sock (if it's oozing, you can always put a small dressing inside of it). I then bandaged over it (to keep her from yanking at it) and several inches above it with Co-Ban (Vet-Wrap). I then used Elastikon tape (like an ace wrap but with adhesive) to tape the top of the bandage to the top of the tail stump.This held it on very well, and it was fairly easy to remove. If the hair is shaven, it's even easier.
Here's the sock:
Here it is with the Co-Ban wrap covering it. I had not yet put on the Elastikon but the arrow points to where it would go. (I used the 2" Elastikon.)
This is Elastikon, which your vet should be able to give you. You can also buy it either at a medical supply store, or in any pharmacy where the athletic wraps and splints are kept.
And here's Mafi's feeling about the whole thing:
I hope this helps!
ETA: I agree with having the vet check the stump for any signs of infection. The other thought would be that the wrapping was too tight, causing the tip of the stump to swell.
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Bandit.. you will always have a big piece of Mummy's heart. You finally found the love you'd been searching for when you were reunited with your wonderful Ducky Mummy. You got to experience heaven on earth. And now you're at Bridge-heaven with Niña.
Fly free, without pain, sweet Bandit.
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If you don't mind driving about 45 min north, to Epsom, Fiona Reeve has opened her own practice and is phenomenal. But yeah, Hudson is a lot closer.
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Autoimmune disease - I have more knowledge than I'd care to admit.
But first, I'm so excited to see jjng on GT! I first met Jennifer early in January, 1998, when she brought a very special delivery all the way from home in SC, to Boston. She'd been a freshman at MIT at that time. On one of the coldest nights of the year, I went to Cambridge to meet Jennifer, because she'd brought home my new iggy Lexi.
Lex is also servng as the face of a dog who lived with autoimmume disease. Even though I lost Lexi to immune-mediated polyarthritis and renal failure in 2009, and even though I lost touch with Jennifer for many years, she's always been Lexi's godmother. Now, she's been a vet for a number of years and has also been converted to Greyhoundism.
Jen, you're a very welcome member of GT, and I know will be a greyt resource!
I am living with autoimmune disease myself, and shared Lexi's journey with her own IMPA, by working with a vet from Angell to stabilize her polyarthritis. I can tell you that it's a challenge reaching the correct diagnosis, ruling out any underlying infection, and then playing the steroid game. As in humans, the goal in autoimmune dogs should be remission with a steroid-sparing treatment plan. Steroids often have to be used during the acute stage, and for disease flares, but given he many potential side effects of steroids, getting the dog off steroids,and onto a different type of immunosuppressant/immunomodulator/ These meds include azathiaprine (Imuran), cyclosporine, leflunomide, cytoxan and"biologic"agents,such as Remicade and Enbrel. It's not that these meds don't carry the potential for serious side effects of their own, but they're still superior over steroids.
Autoimmune diseases can be challenging to manage. They require frequent bloodwork and follow-up, It can take a while before the right regimen is found. But if you can achieve remission off steroids, that's the optimal goal.
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A size XL Storm Defender coat (and also a size M greyhound coat) is being donated by a former Greyhound owner here in NH. The coat sounds like it's in near-new condition. Unless you're local and can pick it up, please help the donor out by paying the postage.
If there is a greyhound in need (perhaps a hound awaiting placement, or still in a kennel, or other special circumstances) please PM me. It'll go to the first thunderphobic dog who comes out of the closet long enough to raise his paw.
I don't mean to be a smart-*ss, I only wish the SD had been available in the 1990's, when my Kody was jumping over fences and trying to break through windows....
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To give you a better idea, this is the dressing - vet wrap, with the mitten under it. I found I didn't need to use tape to hold the bandage on. I used the fabric tape initially, but Elastikon is a better choice -- more secure and easier to remove.
Here's the bitty mitten. At Target they were selling 8 for around $3-4.
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I found a very simple but effective way of protecting the fragile tip of the tail stump after amputation (Mafi is 2 weeks out from surgery - I'd expect that more protection would be needed immediately post-op).
In the baby section at Target, I bought a packet of 8 little cotton mittens (the ones used to protect newborns from scratching themselves). They have an elastic band and are not at all bulky. The mitten easily fits over the tip of the tail, and then I use 2" vet wrap to cover about 4" up from the tip. It's light, not bulky, and just enough to keep her from getting to the healing wound.
I'd like to leave it uncovered, but Mafi starts gnawing and licking the wound, and I want to be sure it's completely healed before letting her at it.
Still haven't gotten biopsy results. Will have to call my vet this week.
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Joslin, check your e-mail. I'm sending you some literature.
I'm so sorry you're going through this....
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I'm so sorry, Pat. I know how special he was to both of you...
Godspeed, sweet boy.
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I hope you're feeling many, many arms holding you, as you hold Princess so tightly. I can't imagine a more loving way for her to start her journey.
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Mafi is one week out from tail amputation. The wound is healing very well. I've kept it wrapped for the past week, but thought it could probably go uncovered at this point. However, the second I removed the bandage, she was licking at it as if it were a Tootsie Pop.
I immediately re-wrapped it, but since I'd like Mafi to have a bare tail again, I'm looking for a less bulky way of keeping the wound covered, and also suggestions for keeping her mouth off it. I was actually thinking of a finger cot (a small latex finger covering), but don't want to risk her ingesting latex if she decimates the finger cot. Any tried-and-true ideas?
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Any news on Mr. Fuzz? Hope it turns out to be something simple and curable.
Keep us posted when you have a minute!
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Ducky, tbhounds has great advice and the experience to back it up.
Oldsters are all very different -- I've had 12-13 year olds who acted like seniors, and others who had excellent quality-of-life, and appeared far younger than their true age. I've approached medical care differently for each one. I've had dentals done on super-seniors if I thought they had dental disease or pain that affected their quality of life, and they could tolerate light anesthesia. (Here's where the need for complete confidence in your vet comes into play. Being able to give good., hound-safe anesthesia with quick recovery is essential.)
Is your vet doing the CXR only to r/o lung mets - he wasn't planning on doing the CXR as part of routine pre-op screening, was he?
Speaking only for myself, this is what I'd consider:
1. Have a good sit-down with your vet before to find out what he has in mind, and why. Does he think Bandit really needs a dental because of dental disease or pain? If Bandit isn't able to eat comfortably or has dental infections, and my goal is to keep him comfortable above all else, I would probably agree to go ahead with it unless there were other risks that outweighed the benefits..
2. Ask your vet why he feels it's necessary to sedate Bandit for the CXR. Ask him to at least attempt to do the film without sedation. Of course if you're definitely planning on doing the dental regardless of what the CXR shows, it probably makes sense to let him go ahead and sedate him, then immediately do the dental afterwards.
Even if you know you would only do palliative care should he turn out to have osteo, if the vet feels that the dental will improve Bandit's quality of life and his comfort, it might be worth doing.
D*mn -- sending positive, healing thoughts to both of you.
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Oops! Sorry 'bout that. The Galga Queen is doing fine. The TP tube is gone, and I'm just putting a bandage over what's left of her tail. She's not wagging, but because of her long, skinny, sweeping tail, her wags have been slow and long -- more like a swipe. Hopefully she'll figure out a new wag style. She's already maul...er, hugged me several times. She's been good about letting me handle her tail-ette to rebandage it. The wound looks good. The biopsy report should be in later this week.
).
I immediately re-wrapped it, but since I'd like Mafi to have a bare tail again, I'm looking for a less bulky way of keeping the wound covered, and also suggestions for keeping her mouth off it. I was actually thinking of a finger cot (a small latex finger covering), but don't want to risk her ingesting latex if she decimates the finger cot. 
Sensation Or Freedom Harness?
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
The Sense-ible harness is made by the people who make Sensation. It's a little less expensive, but otherwise there's no difference. It's a marvelous harness, especially for pullers or dogs who need a painless reminder to walk nicely. It worked immediately for my very strong galgo - a dog hard to place in Spain because he was a terrible puller. It's comfortable and stress-free. It works similarly to Easy-Walk (Premier) but I found Easy-Walk has a buckle on the girth that falls right behind the elbow -- that looked like a sore waiting to happen. But Easy Walk works for my iggies.
Sense-ible is a great harness, and I have only good things to say about it.