greyhead

I'm not sure I'd use Rimadyl to determine that the issue isn't pain. It's an anti-inflammatory, which can help with pain, but it's not a pain killer per se. Our dog has been behaving like yours, we had him thoroughly imaged over the last month or two, and he's doing very well on the following: gabapentin, tramadol, methocarbamol, and melatonin if more sedation is needed. (We did a straight week of melatonin to start with, to get his sleep/wake cycle back on track.)

I'm so very sorry. Your tribute, though, may have persuaded me to get a pet rat someday.

Too young, too soon, but he was loved. I'm so sorry he had to go.

Metronidazole can make everything taste bad, so we put ours in capsules. And, sure, the sheer quantity of meds can mess with appetite. We also used budesonide for IBD because prednisone causes weight loss in that condition, and he didn't have it to spare. That's because he also had a SIBO infection to start with; a culture and sensitivity test of his poop revealed exactly the bacterium involved (Clostridium perfringens, kind of unusual), so we knew which antibiotics to use; it took 3 a/b's, but we gave them one after the other, not all at once. It's also not a great idea to be giving pred and azathioprine or any other immunosuppressant if there's an intestinal infection that hasn't been cured yet.

It matters not only where they raced, but where they were farmed. One of our Kansas racers was raised in OK and turned up with Lyme and Babesia. I have a friend with a Valley Fever GH here in WA. I'll ask her to chime in about meds.

Billy looks and sounds like quite a guy. I'm sure you'll miss him a lot, as I know I would! But I'm so glad he landed with you and settled in eventually.

Just seeing this and sending you every good thought. Tbhounds will be a great help to you, as she was with our IBD angel.

I'm so very sorry she couldn't just stay forever. She had such an amazing life with you, and you with her.

You might want to relabel your thread "sam-e" so people know what you mean. Hope you get some good responses!

Jen, I just have to ask: I know your vet suggested the gas possibility (IIRC from checking your old threads on it). Was there any smell that made her think of that? Reason I ask is that Shane was doing this, it didn't seem to be the carpenter ants, so we went with Gas-X treatment 3 times a day, and the problem resolved. Other than jumping up suddenly from time to time, which I guess could be from trapped gas, there were no other signs of gas, and particularly no smell or sound. Was that also true of Neyla? SO glad missecho's dog is doing well, and I hope this isn't a hijack!

Yes, I think so. There's also the complication, though it's not what we've been discussing here, that the pituitary may not be doing its job well and isn't prompting the TSH to elevate as expected in the presence of low T4. This is why some of us don't believe TSH reading should be considered totally trustworthy in all cases.

Totally agree with both statements. And the critter can actually look the opposite of what's expected for hypo symptoms (e.g., low weight)! (Wish I could make the multi-quote feature work for me!)

I don't have the definitive answer (and I doubt anyone else does either). Yes, it would concern me. Yes, I'd have a full panel. I'm always concerned that there are signs and symptoms that are so interior to the dog that we don't observe them, so it may be a mistake to assume our observations are the end of it.

If I could take a stab at it, Jen, since grey_dreams doesn't seem to be around just now... People/vets have accepted T4 values of 0.0 - 0.2 as normal in greyhounds because the dogs appear normal from the outside and have low TSH values. If, however, the TSH values were high (and, I always add, if the dogs could actually tell us how they felt), then we'd define that level of T4 as too low. But we've accepted the non-specificity and low accuracy of the antibody to greyhound TSH, so we've accepted those low T4 values as normal for greyhounds. Thus, some hypothyroidism in greyhounds is missed. If I understood correctly.

I'm so sorry. She was a well-loved girl.

And yet they've existed.

With all due respect, Michigan State is not the only lab that includes TSH in its profile. Perhaps that sentence in the Ohio State piece is outdated.

The reason I asked, Ron & Ann, is that we just went through something similar with Shane, and it turned out to be remedied by Gas-X! I got the idea from another recent H&M thread called Peculiar Behavior Unusual Behavior and the posts/video by Neyla'sMom. Seriously, we went through tranquilizers, pain meds (which he needs for musculoskeletal stuff, so we have them on hand), etc. He was also eating less and less. It was weird, but the gas wasn't perceptible to us, leading some to suspect a blockage. His vets recommended another abdominal ultrasound, when I told them of the GT thread I just mentioned and whatnot. But he just had one in January, so I thought we'd try the Gas-X first. And, yes, the symptoms were mostly at night, certainly worst at night. It was so bad, we had to take turns sleeping on the couch, to give him Benedryl when the panting, shaking, standing, restlessness became too much. He has been susceptible to heat stress for the last year, any time he's unsettled, so we can't let that kind of thing persist. But before a week was out, it got to where even the Benedryl wasn't working! So I'm not saying that's what's going on with your dog, of course. But we were astounded at the immediate, drastic improvement, so it's something you might consider. And I have to repeat, it looked a lot like dementia to me. Good luck! ETA: Shane was doing the comatose thing too, during the day. We concluded in the end that that was due to no sleep at night, perhaps exacerbated by his meds.

How are the various aspects of her functioning? For instance, has her appetite changed? Does she wander and look over her shoulder? Is she enthused about leaving for walks? What are the behavioral changes?

I agree that you should have a full panel done. Disagree that MSU has to do it.

Shane loves Royal Canine Renal MP (Medium Protein) kibble and Purina NF canned food.

So sad. Holding Carol's mom gently in our thoughts.

We too lost one suddenly, when he was given ill-advised drugs for an investigative procedure. It's such a shock, and I'm deeply sorry for your loss. But it strikes me that she was in the best possible home for 10-1/2 years! What a blessing for you both. Take care, and know you were loved. Rest well, beautiful Fiona.

I found a carpenter ant in the dogs' room this a.m., and one outside on the wall two days ago. They're active at night, especially in spring, and do make a sound in the walls if there's a nest. Calling the pest guy now! Here's a link to the most informative thing I found in my internet search, even though we're in WA and it focuses on MN.

She was a beautiful, well-loved girl.