Brooker914

It's a scrotal hematoma-not unusual in a large/giant breed dog. Sometimes it happens if the dog is being too active after surgery, sometimes they just have small bleeders in the subcutaneous/skin layers. Many times this will improve with time, rest, and ice packs, though occasionally it will require further surgery (scrotal ablation) to repair it. I would call the vet he stayed with for a few days to get further instructions and see if he wants to recheck everything to see what the next step needs to be. Good luck!

Giardia can be transmitted by eating rabbit poop.

Sorry for my wrong info--they can get tapeworms from rabbits, not the actual poop.

Yes a typical food allergy trial is 8-12 weeks. I agree with the stool guard to prevent her from eating the rabbit poop-there potentially could be something that could interfere. For the food trial, they really can't have anything else, no flavored heartworm prevention, no rawhides, no treats, etc. Besides, she could get tapeworms from the rabbit poo-yuck!

Did he get the steroid shot already? If so, he could be feeling better from that if he does in fact have Addisons. It wouldn't be the greatest diagnosis, but it can be managed and dogs can have a wonderful quality of life once on medications.

The ACTH stim test will be definitive. And it definitely wouldn't be a bad idea to run the fecal first to check for whipworms before the ACTH stim. Good luck, hoping for the best for you!

Do you know if they sent a sample for a culture?

Yes panting can be a side effect of steroids in dogs. Panting can be from so many things, including pain-but if you think she seems comfortable, it could very well be from the medication. Sending good thoughts to Shelby.

It looks like your vets are doing a very thorough job, so I would assume that urine was checked. Would be something to check though if it hasn't, especially with that albumin level. Good luck, and hugs to Cash

There is a condition in dogs called psychogenic polydipsia where the need to drink is "in the dogs head", so it is possible. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, so the long list of medical problems that can cause excessive drinking/urinating would need to be ruled out first. Has the dog always done this, or is it a new thing? You do want to be careful about limiting water in a dog that potentially has a medical problem that needs the excessive water--I wouldn't recommend restricting it until at least some initial tests were run.

If the culture comes back negative, then your next step will likely be testing for Cushings with one or more of the tests that Jillysfullhouse listed. Diabetes insipid us can be hard, sometimes it's diagnosed by response to treatment, and that's usually why other diseases are tested for an ruled out first. Good luck with everything, let us know what the results are.

I might have missed it, but has he had a urinalysis run? If so, was there any protein in the urine? His bloodwork shows low albumin, which could indicate a protein losing disease such as PLN or PLE.

No the urine culture must be sterile, so a free catch sample won't work-a needle is inserted directly into the bladder.

Definitely needs to be cultured if it hasn't already. Have X-rays or an ultrasound been done to rule out stones? Has any bloodwork been done to rule out liver or kidney disease, and diabetes? If not, that would be the first step before looking into Cushings disease or DI. Do you know what the urine specific gravity has been?

From the Adequan website: "The drug is injected intramuscularly to ensure it reaches the critical parts of the joint. " Some veterinarians do give it subcutaneously, but I am not aware of any studies to prove that is equally as effective when given this route.

Some clinics have a protocol that all "inpatient" animals be vaccinated with certain vaccines such as Rabies, Distemper Combo, and Bordetella unless contraindicated due to disease/sickness. However, if it is their protocol, you should have been informed prior to the procedure or at least at drop-off today. When was your dog last vaccinated with the Distemper Combo-no sooner than 3 years is now the recommended time frame.

It's not uncommon to have heart arrhythmias after the spleen is removed, hopefully the medication will get it under control. Thinking of you!

I would not recommend this. Cotton is something common that CAUSES obstruction. While some dogs may pass cotton balls, feeding several of these would be very dangerous in my opinion. In the event your dog swallows something sharp, I would contact your vet for advice. Bread is something recommended by the ASPCA poison control, while cotton balls are not. Just my two cents, for what it's worth.

If there was no bacteria cultured last time, then it was not a UTI. I would repeat a urinalysis (cystocentesis) with a culture and sensitivity since he's having accidents again. If no bacteria is grown again, then antibiotics are NOT warranted and I would recommend seeing an internist. Bloodwork you posted looks pretty normal for a greyhound. Was anything else on the urinalysis last time found? (pH normal, no protein, no or little bilirubin, etc? Edited to add-was the ultrasound done by a boarded radiologist, or a general practitioner? Not that a GP can't do a great job with them, but maybe the images should be reviewed by a specialist?

Has Pudge had a blood pressure done? I would definitely do that soon if you haven't already.

Ivermectin won't kill the adult worms, only Immiticide will. Ivermectin can be given to heartworm positive dogs to kill the microfilaria (immature stages) in the meantime, but then you'd have to wait for the adults to die, which can take between 2-7 years. In that time frame the dog can die from the heartworms. During the shortage right now, the Heartworm Association recommends treating with Heartgard and Doxycycline, then as soon as we can get Immiticide to kill the adults and cure the dog.

In response to a previous post- Unfortunately there is actually a shortage of Immiticide, the drug used to treat heartworms. It is completely unavailable right now, but the news it that it should be available in short supply at the end of October. There's currently a waiting list through Merial to order the product for currently infected dogs.

In the last year I have had a client that did everything right, and purchased the product from the clinic I work at. Her dog came up positive on this year's test. The company paid for everything. (We have the accounting records to prove it!)T here are situations that come up where the company can "get out" of paying for treatment, and I am not an endorser of any company in particular (I agree that some of these situations the company still should have paid.) I think everyone can buy their preventative wherever they want, I'd much rather all dogs be on preventative purchased anywhere vs. not being on any because it was too expensive for the client to buy. I just think all dog owners should be as informed as possible and make their decision from there.

I took the main point of this to be the fact that the expense for the treatment is coming from the owner's pocket, whereas if she had bought the preventative from a veterinarian, the company would be paying for it. Heartworm treatment usually costs over $1000. If you buy Heartgard (for example) from your veterinarian, and can show you purchased year round monthly preventative, Merial pays for the entire treatment. If you bought Heartgard from an online store such as Petmeds, even if you can show you purchased year round monthly preventative, Merial will not pay for treatment. It doesn't matter if the product was the exact same thing, it has to be bought from a veterinary clinic. Edited to add: You do also have to have heartworm tests done at your vet yearly in order for the company to pay.

Human cuff is much too large, and false readings will occur if the cuff is either too large or too small. Best places to take a dog's blood pressure is the base of the tail, the front leg above the metacarpal pad, or hind leg below the hock (ankle). Their blood pressure should be close to ours 120/80. Here's a great article on how important it is to take blood pressure at home vs. in a vet clinic in Greyhounds: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906144606.htm