greyhead

Yeah, my GT supporter icon is gone since The Big Switch! I'll ask Jeff about it.

Just to finish the story...for anyone else who may encounter this problem: Had complete bloodwork done and the vet said it is "beautiful." The muscle relaxer worked its magic and he was fine after 4-5 days. (Tried halving the dosage after 2-3 days, but it was too soon.) Vet aspirated the bump beside his spine and found nothing but fat in it. She said dogs "just get them." Now we await the TBD test results that all greyhounds should probably have done anyway. But the bottom line is the vet thinks he was just being a "big baby" about some pain, which at least no one doubts he had. I have to think it was a pretty big pain though, because with his many instances of limping and spraining, he has never before complained! Thanks again to everyone who held our paws! (I don't seem to have an option for editing my own first post, either the body of it or the title. Do other people have this problem too?)

What an amazing gal. I'm very sorry for your loss!

{{{{you and Wilbur}}}} And lots of good thoughts! Mary

She is beautiful. I'm so sorry!

Wow, great info! His kidney numbers have been slightly wonky for a couple years now, he hasn't been checked for Lyme, and he started thyroid meds last summer. Will be sure to get some blood work done again this week! He has always had a tendency to overheat easily, but it has improved hugely in the last year. He used to come in from a short summer walk and breathe really fast for up to two hours. And at play group one summer day he had to be hosed down. Does this sound like Lyme too? I was never satisfied with the that's-just-the-way-he-is, default explanation. Many thanks!

:grouphug Mary

Thanks, Tracey, I'll go read your posts. (I notice we can't amend our subtitles on threads with author anymore, so I guess I'll get used to doing first-post updates!) Best, Mary

Eeesh, this is rough. I'm so sorry, hon. Will be thinking of you and Pearl a lot. Mary

Sorry about the delaying getting back to you! We went to the ER today and they gave him 5 days' worth of a muscle relaxer -- methocarbamol 500 mg, to be taken up to every 8 hours. They think his heart rate, which was 164 at the vet, and panting are pain manifestations. There's a little knot beside his spine, which I iced and massaged last night after consulting ER on the phone. After that his heart rate declined to 84 and we got him settled. I slept on the couch nearby, and it was 84 again first thing this morning. Then it went up to 120, the panting resumed, and I said: that's it, we're going. The vet tech on the phone last night had suggested pain as the source, and Monday is just too far away to wait for relief...for all of us! He has had his Vetprofen (like Rimadyl) and his methocarbamol as of a couple hours ago and is resting more or less comfortably. Thanks so much for responding! Our house is heated with natural gas. We do have a gas fireplace with a blower, but haven't used it more than 20 minutes the last two days. I get headaches frequently so that's never a big surprise. DH gets them rarely, and this one I'm suspecting as dehydration-based. He can be a pig about drinking coffee and neglects the water. We're both okay today. Our other dog, Spencer, has had no problems. But he often leaves the room with the gas fireplace shortly after we turn it on. Guess it would pay to have it checked out again. So now it's supposed to be 5 days of rest for Shane and a recheck by his regular vet at that point. I swear, every day is an adventure lately for some reason! We're just glad this "adventure" is no worse than it is. PS: I though a normal resting HR for a greyhound was 55-65 beats/minute. Different web sites say different things. But I was a bit surprised that the ER vet didn't think 120 was high for a greyhound! Of course, we could both agree that 164 was just wrong! What IS a good heart rate for a greyhound?

Thanks so much for the speedy replies. Really. He has substantially settled. Stuck my hand under his chest and could tell his heartbeat is MUCH slower. (pause) Okay, just got DH to help, and his HR is down to 84. Whew! What the heck was that?! We'll keep observing him for awhile. My headache is under control. (DH's isn't.) If it happens again, I'll just call the ER. Thank you SO much for your help. Tracey, if you're still up, what's the story on Chase's heart rate? (I have a soft spot for him, too, cuz that was my maiden name.) Mary

Shane got weird tonight. Let him out and he just stood in the rain, didn't come when called (3 times), so I got him and brought him in. He repeated this 10 minutes later when Spencer went out. In the house he has been mostly standing and looking...well, like he doesn't know what to do with himself. Then he started panting, though not heavily. Checked his heart rate at 180, which DH said seemed to come down a bit when he went to lie down 10 minutes ago. Temp 101. Although he's resting quietly now, he is still breathing through his mouth. Granted, the house has been a little weird tonight, both DH and I having headaches and going upstairs early -- like 8:00. Totally not our routine. Could it be just that, a reaction to change in routine? Could we be that lucky? Or should I be calling the ER vet?

Only one street in our neighborhood has that public ROW configuration, and that's what we use on that street. But it's not long enough for a complete walk for the hounds. Many streets have no sidewalks at all. And the first 3-4 feet of most houses here is technically municipal property because of utility right-of-way (light poles, etc.) although that area is an extension of front yards. So I call that "private property" because it is an extension of a person's yard, but technically it isn't. Point being, though, that unless they do their business on the sidewalk or out in street, mostly "yards" is what we have to work with. We do have a number of routes to choose from, though, so we only take a given route about once a week. That's why I don't worry much about pee damage in the winter. But I draw the line at clawing up the grass! So we'll keep working on it behaviorally. Mary

Thanks for doing everything you could for him and loving him too. Yes, you were his forever home. I'm so very sorry for your loss.

Hmm, okay a clue is coming through. Spencer has always been the alpha, but his status is slipping with his health problems and aging. Shane, the younger, is being more assertive about being first, choosing the direction to walk, trying for the inside spot that Spencer used to *own*! So maybe Spencer is doing this scratching more, and more determinedly, now because he's compensating. He doesn't have to compete for it, but it still has a "top dog" display to it. Yards are mostly what's available to pee and poop in around here. People love us because we always pick up our stuff and because the hounds are so gentle and sociable. Peeing in the rainy season is not very harmful to lawns because it rains *a lot* here, enough to dilute it. Summer, we're more sensitive to what they might hurt and we go elsewhere -- like to a post. So the only thing for it sounds like quickly walking him away as soon as he stops, and then u-turning to pick up any remains. Which means I don't get to space out or look away discreetly. Thanks for the reassurance that we're not alone in this problem and he's just pretty much being his version of a natural dog. It's just amazing how much he gets into it, though, and how he then seems not to understand any version of "no," including *NO!* Kinda like a high-prey-drive hound spotting a squirrel and seemingly going deaf, dumb and blind to anything else!

My 9-yr-old Spencer likes to scratch the ground -- I mean with GUSTO -- after he does his business. At least he does this on walks and most of the time it's in someone's yard. In this wet climate that can do some damage to grass and soil. I've probably confused the issue by allowing it in public areas, as opposed to private property. But he eliminates on private property 95% of the time. I've tried "no", "no scratch," "hey," pulling on his leash, etc. Still he will not stop this behavior. In fact, it has gotten more frequent over time. It feels like asking him to stop this feels to him like asking him not to scratch an itch! He seems to regard it as his natural prerogative. What do you think? Should I keep at it and try to reward him the 1% of the time he doesn't do it for whatever reason?! I should add that he's an entirely cooperative and responsive dog about *everything* else, and we've had him 4-1/4 years.

Very sorry to hear this about Apollo. Sending prayers.

I'm so sorry he had to go. What a beautiful boy. May many good memories and the presence of your many friends and loved ones fill that hole in your heart...or at least shrink it a lot.

A wonderful hound in a great family and the pictures to prove it. I'm very sorry for your loss.

What a wonderful, well-loved girl. Run free, Vixen.

I'm so sorry, Heather. You did the brave and loving thing, from beginning to end. [/url]

A lovely tribute to a well-loved hound. My sincere sympathies in your loss.

I'm so sorry, Judy.

Eating poop, combined with yellow diarrhea/soft-serve, tells me there's likely a bacterial overgrowth that has gone on long enough to impair their ability to absorb nutrients from their food. Even though they're eating, they're not getting enough nutrition. Food won't solve this. Worming won't solve it either. A thorough check for SIBO is warranted, along with a test for intestinal malabsorption. One of mine had this happen and ended up with IBD, lost 20 lbs, needs B-12 shots for life, and can only eat venison. I spent the first three months changing foods, testing for worms, trying pumpking, beet pulp, and probiotics. It was a waste of time. BTW, our SIBO bacterium was Clostridium perfringens, thought by vets only to afflict GSD's. I had to insist it be tested for, based on a vet's article that sounded just like my dog. Good luck, hon.

Good luck, Adrianne, and please keep us updated.