greyhead

You gave it all you had, Jake, and were very well-loved. So go play with your friends now, free of all pain and limitations.

My condolences to all who loved Bertie. He looks like quite a guy.

Diane, I'm so very sorry for your loss. Godspeed Isaac.

How very hard it must be to lose Rex at all, much less without warning. I'm very sorry. But I'm happy for the warm, safe, happy life he shared with you. Godspeed Rex.

I'm just cutting/pasting the reply I made to another poster today with a similar problem: In your case I'd emphasize that you need to put floor coverings on areas where you Freddie needs to walk, right away. Some greyhounds can't handle bare floors even when they have no particular musculoskeletal issues. I'm not aware of anything you can put on his paws that would help. Even if you put on traction boots of some sort, would you really want him to wear them 24/7 forever? Good luck, and please don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions. Hopefully, you'll be picking up info from the other threads about this issue also.

Our 12-year-old has had LS for several years and has responded excellently to acupuncture/chiropractic treatment once a month (more frequently at the very beginning). A year ago we found he has three bad disks at his mid-back and have had to add gabapentin and tramadol, which have also worked quite well. But he's had other medical issues for years and is now quite thin, and we've found that adding Adequan injections, which we give at home, makes a world of difference. In addition to all that, we have carpet or floor-covering everywhere he needs to walk, including the deck and stairs outside. He prefers the ortho beds around the house. And it is helpful to have the beds raised a bit, by whatever means, so that he can somewhat step off them with his front legs and thus have to work a little less hard to lift his back end. Oh, and reasonable-length walks to keep all his muscles in good order is very important, as that's what supports all the bony parts that are misbehaving. Good luck, it's doable.

The only time we had trouble with refusal of morning meals specifically was when one of our dogs had hookworm and we didn't know it. He wound up having to be wormed multiple times. Each time we wormed him, the a.m. eating problem stopped.

What a beautiful tribute. I'm so very sorry for your loss. It's huge, I know.

But it's used for other things besides EPI. Our dog has IBD, for instance, but not EPI. And I'm sure it's used for lesser, temporary GI problems that involve diarrhea.

Our 12-year-old was diagnosed with LS at age 8, but we then realized that he'd been showing more subtle symptoms since age 5 that we just didn't know enough to think meant anything. Since 8 he has been successfully managed with acupuncture/chiropractic. A few months back he also developed some disk problems in his mid-back, which is not rare for greyhounds, and we had to add gabapentin and tramadol. They worked wonders, and we have found that monthly Adequan shots make things even better. No reason to give up on him without trying something like this, IMHO. Sometimes, I find, we just have to tell our vets what we want. Good luck with your decisions.

Outstanding!

Spencer has been taking Tylan for years (he has IBD). We find that the "00" size gel caps from the health food store hold about 1/8 tsp -- close enough, anyway. It is *very* bitter stuff.

Snapping at flies that aren't there could have been seizure activity. The vet should definitely be told about all the specifics of these incidents.

Oh Donna, I'm so sorry this happened. She was indeed a gorgeous and well-loved girl.

I think you're right to say "never again." No way would I give him Rimadyl again after that kind of reaction! Batmom has posted elsewhere, I believe, that you don't need a wash-out period if you give Tramadol instead. You only have to wait to give another NSAID. I'm sure she'll correct me if that's wrong.

LS is entirely workable. We have one grey who displayed symptoms from age 5, was diagnosed at 8, and is still with us at 12. Treatment was acupuncture and chiropractic by a vet certified in those practices, and only recently have we had to add tramadol and gabapentin to the mix, along with Adequan. Although the Adequan is pricey, it's amazing! Good luck to you and Sparky. Please update us.

I'm so sorry for your loss. That was a beautiful tribute to a well-loved boy.

I'm so sorry Watson couldn't stay. He was certainly a well-loved boy.

I'm so sorry Kia had to leave so soon. Godspeed, Kia.

I'm so sorry but glad you could be there with him. Godspeed, Billy.

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

I'm so very, very sorry, Judy, Mike and Kevin. Jilly has been a huge presence in your lives, on GT, in the world! Thank you so much for sharing her with us all these years. I hope your vast catalogue of good memories will come to ease your broken hearts. Godspeed, Jilly.

I don't know if this is really Otis' situation, but sometimes dogs, including ours, will run around the yard to stimulate a poop. In that case it's not really "playing." If there's gas in Otis' system for whatever reason, perhaps he sought to move things along, so to speak. Just a thought. Mainly wanted to point out that even dogs who don't feel well may find a reason to run around.

Godspeed Pugsley.

Glad to hear she wants to stick around, Judy. She's quite a girl!