greyhead

Just my over-active empathy gland talking. I feel bad for him.

Jeez, couldn't they wait a while on that neuter thing?

Okay, he lay down for over 3 hours! Then he got up to eat when he heard his food being prepared, and he took another round of meds with his food. Skip took him out for a short walk so he could work up to doing his business, and that went well. Hopefully, he'll go back to bed now and sleep through the night. Will report back tomorrow. Thanks for all the good vibes! Zzzzzzzz.

Wow, thanks. They'd asked me to call back after the first two hours, which I did, and I asked them about dosage. I guess the one-pill-every-8-hours answer was a stock one. I was wondering what the ER could do that we can't. Later: I called and talked to the vet on duty, who agreed that he sounds really uncomfortable. I'll try a small amount of food, to test how bad he does feel. If we're all suffering just too much, in due course we'll take him to the evet. The vet said they can give him a shot that our vet doesn't have. But then he'd have to stay the night, like Dylan. I'll give it a little more time, trying some food, and then we'll decide what happens next. Thanks for your replies! ETA: He turned down any food. But about 10 minutes later, he has gone and lain down. Yay! Hope he can get some rest.

Thanks, Batmom. He has had both those meds before, so we even have them on hand. But he hasn't ever had them simultaneously like this. I can understand why he might feel a little strange, and pant. But my fear is that his back legs still hurt too much for him to lie down and stay down. Skip wondered if it would help to walk him around a little, to loosen things up. We just don't know.

Shane did a basic hockey stop in the yard today and now has a swelling inside one knee. It looked like tibial periostitis (sp?) in the book Care of the Retired and Racing Greyhound. Called the vets; tech talked to vet and said tramadol and methocarbamol every 8 hours. I also am icing a bit, which they said was fine. (His heartbeat was initially very fast and fluttery, and he still pants intermittently.) Trouble is, he only lays down for 15 minutes at a time, at most, and then stands for an hour to 90 minutes. Both legs start shaking. He's too heavy to lift into the car, and he won't be able to jump in. Anybody have any experience with a dog who can't lie down (until their legs give out)? I asked the tech how long to ice, and she surprised me by saying 5 minutes per hour. Doesn't sound like enough to me! Thanks for any advice.

Sending sympathy to you and all who loved Tornado.

I'm so sorry the time came. You're in my thoughts. Godspeed, Popcorn. You were a well-loved boy. :

I'm so sorry. Godspeed, Tom Sawyer. :

What a sorry shame. I'm so very sorry for your loss.

Negative fecal tests don't mean there aren't any worms, just that the worms aren't shedding eggs that can be detected on that day. With the consistency of this problem and the poor coat condition, I'd be tempted to run another fecal test. And maybe another one after that. Best results may be obtained from lab equipment rather than your vet's. You should discuss these possibilities with your vet and see what he/she says. Good luck. P.S.: It took nine months and three fecals from three different vets before we found that one of our dogs was by then loaded with hookworm. Just sayin'.

How wonderful and fortunate that the three of them could be together with you. I do remember when Lily and Dazie joined you and King, and I'm so sorry Lily had to leave you now. But thanks for posting this lovely tribute. The photos are awesome. And I hope the images bring you good memories and help heal your heart.

It's just not fair. Sending every good thought for Skeeter and Desi and you.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Godspeed, Cobb.

No paranoia that I can tell, just an appropriate level of concern! Glad he's doing better and hope it continues.

I'm sorry Martha had to leave. She was such a beauty.

Just sending you hugs, Jane.

I'm so sorry Buffy couldn't stay with you longer. She won the lottery and landed in your home and heart, if only for a year, and that part makes me glad. Godspeed Buffy.

Oh Lori, I'm so sorry for your loss. Daytona was a wonderful girl, with the best ears ever, and she found your loving home. I'm sorry she couldn't stay longer, but you gave her a good run and released her when it was time. Godspeed Daytona.

Spencer has LSS and disk issues. We started treating him with acupuncture/chiropractic from a rehab vet certified in both, and that kept him in good shape for the first four years! Going into year 5, at age 12, we had to add drugs. But I'm thinking the acu/chiro might be productive for your dog under the circumstances, since getting his back jumped on may have cronked his spine in a way that a rehab vet could address as ours did. (We never did water therapy because Spencer really doesn't like being immersed in water. The rehab vet had recommended swimming in his case, not the treadmill.)

Wonderful update!!!

Meredith, I'm so very sorry. Godspeed, Jackson. You were well-loved.

SO happy to hear this!!! You might give extra thought to the width of the ramp. We bought one, about 17" wide IIRC. But the dog who needs it has a widening stance with his back legs, a function of LSS I think. So he tends to step off the side of the ramp with a back leg while we're guiding his front end up. So we quit using it and just let him do a short jump into the back of our sedan instead of using the SUV with him. Unfortunately, I don't think our experience was unique.

Well said, Batmom!

Yes, it's disconcerting when vets don't aggressively test for and treat worms, especially hooks since they are potentially permanent! We don't know for sure of a necessary connection, but there have been other greyhounds on this board who started with hookworm and ended up with IBD, even without an intervening episode of SIBO like Spencer's.