greyhead

Thanks for those links, John. I'm forwarding the second one to my DH, who always wants to let the dogs do what they seem to want to do, sometimes including walking too far!

We had a dog with mild seizures before his hypothyroidism was diagnosed. Our group recommended using a half-dose of flea med instead of a whole one. Worked fine.

I think you have to be a Greytalk Supporter to have privileges like editing. And after 20 or so posts, you can send and receive personal messages (PMs). I hope someone pops up here who has some experience with that kind of leg shaking.

Yup, Shane has a white-tipped tail! And today we found an actual littermate in St. Louis! That Wendy's a cutie too!

That happens with our LS dog, Spencer, when he's overdue for an acupuncture session. It mainly shows up if he has stood in one place too long (e.g., 10 minutes) while I yak with a neighbor while we're out on a walk. Maybe your vet should evaluate him for LS. Good luck!

I don't know about Ehrlichia; we just have Babesia in our house. But here's the URL for the tick list and it's worth looking at. You can look up posts about Ehrlichia in the archives. http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/tick-l.html

How much weight is too much weight?! I'm told there's an Irish saying that says doing _fill in the blank_(something difficult to impossible) "is like trying to put weight on a greyhound." Putting weight on an IBD greyhound is downright miraculous! You may find that Stripey will lose a couple pounds now and then without your trying and when you don't want him to. Just sayin'. It's wonderful that Stripey is doing better! Please tell him that his Auntie Mary is lookin' out for his caloric interests and that his buddy Spencer sends his best!

With all the cat-and-dog problems I've had in the last 20 years, I've learned that the most important quality in a vet for me is that they be curious and willing to learn new things. I don't care if they know it all to start with; and if they think they do, that's a bad thing! What's important is that they enjoy researching what they don't know and that they be analytical enough to reason their way through a process, not just memorize the textbook and apply it without thought. And they have to respect me too, which just takes a little time. However, the one time I actually had to interview a vet in advance, I think he really respected me right away for doing that, and he was a great vet. (It was a CRF cat who was really sick, had just traveled from NO to Seattle, and wasn't in any shape to be dragged around to vets who weren't even going to try to help him.) So maybe the fact that you're interviewing will shorten the respect-garnering process! Good luck!

Funny how we ended up in oppasit cornerz ov da country! Mayb sumday we can meet in da middle, which I guess wud be KS or OK? U sound like me cuz I'll eat just about anything! Do I hafta look at greyhound-data.com to see yur pictur? Yur mom needz a siggie! Shane PS: OK, u hav lotza nice picturz on greyhound-data. It was worth the trip, cuz you ARE as cute as me! Justa lot smaller!

Our internist as well as some people on GT recommends against giving anti-diarrheals of any kind to dogs whose diarrhea has lasted more than a couple days. Ongoing diarrhea is pathological and whatever is in there -- germs, toxins or worms -- needs to get out! Just have to find the underlying cause and treat that. If you google "hookworm in dogs" you'll find some pictures of hookworms. Very interesting to see. Sorry I can't just copy them here, but it's not allowed.

Interesting question, because my understanding is that hooks are not visible to the naked eye. Yet the eggs are visible if shed in fecals. I don't know if they use a microscope to find the eggs. I'll poke around and see what I can find out. http://peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2090&aid=747 Okay, this site says adult hookworms are 1/2 to 3/4 inches long but are rarely seen because their teeth are pretty well sunk into the intestinal wall. The eggs are viewed microscopically.

Wow, what a guy. And what a greyt pair you were! Perry had a fabulous life with you. I'm so very sorry for your loss.

I was modifying my post above while you were writing this one, so please read it again. I don't know if whips have teeth, but I don't think so. My (current) vet and I never trust a negative fecal! It never means that there are no worms; it only means that any worms that may be present are not shedding eggs at that time. The fecals only detect eggs, and eggs are only shed from time to time, on a cycle. Especially if it was the worst case they'd seen in a while...well, you get the idea. The first two vets that examined Spencer for his abdominal rumbling and everything produced negative fecals. The third vet only did another fecal as part of a standard initial exam and luckily found them. Beyond luck, he also had equipment that makes it more likely that eggs will be found, as it spins the material. Most places don't have equipment that expensive, though labs do. It sounds like hooks to me. As others have mentioned, there may be more than that going on also. And it does sound like the hooks have resulted in some intestinal damage, which makes infection and IBD more likely. An ultrasound may still be a good idea. But treating the hooks may really help the dog and, most importantly, will not hurt him even if I'm wrong. Not treating the hooks, on the other hand, if they're present will most certainly hurt the dog.

Wow, okay, that rings bells. I haven't even read through the last few posts, but here goes. Spencer did that before he was diagnosed as being "loaded with hookworm." He would bite at his side sometimes when lying down. And he'd snap his head back toward his side as though something sudden had happened back there. When walking he'd sometimes actually jump away, like something had bitten him. As you may know, each hookworm has six teeth. Apparently, the dog can feel them. And they can do quite a bit of damage, carving chanels in the intestines. I know more about this than I want to, but don't get me started. Get the medicine! Hit them with it aggressively, not conservatively. And then put him on a monthly wormer like Interceptor that at least helps control hookworm. By the way, especially with an IBD dog, you can use Drontal, a pill, instead of the Panacur. The Drontal is easier to administer to a sensitive eater. It's a little pricey but worth it. Some smart people actually follow Panacur treatment with Drontal just to make sure they get any worms that may have developed resistance to Panacur. Unfortunately, hookworms encase themselves in cysts, in the body and in the soil, and can be impossible to get rid of totally and forever. But you have to keep trying. That's why we do Drontal twice a year in addition to monthly Interceptor.

I'm thrilled to hear that your vet wants to do a C&S on the poop and even has an idea what to look for. It becomes a very big deal if there's a bad germ in there that goes undetected for months. We stopped the water additive when we noticed that our IBD dog does worse with it and it contains Xylitol, of all things! Best of luck to you and Sid.

I'm so very sorry for your loss.

I second the vote for ultrasound. It's non-invasive, doesn't require anesthesia, and is very revealing about the state of the internal structures. I'd also suggest that someone do a culture-and-sensitivity on his poop. Our Spencer came with hookworms, which didn't get treated for nine months thanks to 50%-accurate fecals! A couple years later he developed SIBO and IBD. Although metronidazole will kill many germs in the intestines, it doesn't get all kinds. Spencer's required several rounds of three different antibiotics. The only way to know what germ and what antibiotic is with a C&S on the poop. Look for an internist with an intestinal specialty, would be my advice. And I wish you the very, very best. I know how hard this is. If I hadn't spent months searching the Internet for info and getting lots of help and support on GT, Spencer wouldn't have come out so well. We don't have all the answers, but we sure will share our best ideas.

Continued good wishes for you and Stella!

Thanks much, Susan. I know at some point Spencer's going to "graduate" to needing something besides acupuncture. I mentioned those shots to his IBD internist but she just shook her head and told me to walk him as much as possible. Well, that's only going to go so far too. So I'll talk to his regular vet about pain relief when it looks like he needs it. Thanks again!

Michelle, I was just thinking about you the other day and wondering how Dutch was!!! So glad to see you back and to see that all is well. Congratulations on the additions to your beautiful family. Dutch's brother Spencer sends his best regards.

A nurse told me that digitals read about 1 degree lower than mercury. So if one knows that, they can interpret the reading accordingly.

I don't know the answer to your question, Adam, but some things occurred to me that would matter. Are you in a humid climate? Will your dog be coming back to air conditioning? Will your walker/runner be hanging out with Italy for a while after returning from the walk? Does she carry water on the walk that your dog can drink? What time of day does she take Italy out? I don't know, but 85 sounds a little high for running. I don't run mine over 72 or so, but Seattle is humid and mine are ages 7 and 9. Hopefully, others will have good advice for you. GT is greyt for that ETA: Even the running we do in the low 70's is brief wind sprints, less than a minute, then at least 5 minutes walking, and so on. And much depends on whether the sun is shining or it's overcast.

Hey Lyca! I'm yur haf-brudder! We hav da same dad. Anyhoo, when I needed low-fat food my mom gave me Wellness Core Low-Fat. It duzn't hav any grain either. Hope dis helps. An hope u feel bedder soon! Luv, Shane

I think the reason urns tend to be tightly closed is so they don't spill easily if knocked over. Your location also is probably not humid enough to worry about moisture. I imagine the plastic inside that beautiful wood box will be just fine. But those are just my thoughts. Maybe someone else knows otherwise.

Thank you for this wonderful tribute and a *beautiful* photo of Jax. What a gorgeous coat he had, not to mention that face! : :