greyhead

We'll keep Bruiser, and you, in our thoughts and prayers.

:hope

Spencer got more anxious on the tramadol. Normally pretty bomb proof, a lawn mower started up and caused him to bolt to the end of his leash, which led to his falling down and needing staples on the resulting cut! He also panted more on walks (and only on walks), which made me wonder if it increases body temp at all (or just the perception of it). When I take an opoid painkiller for a migraine, I notice that I feel uncomfortably warm if I move around too energetically. Both the panting and anxiety for Spencer have diminished to the vanishing point over the two months he has been on them. Not meaning to hijack the thread but to elicit info that may help the OP know what her dog is experiencing too.

Just wanted to add that our Spencer is on both and started a couple months ago with 300 mg. gabapentin twice a day plus the tramadol. The very first night he was unsteady on his feet, but that cleared up by the next day. We've been able to reduce his dose to 100 mg. three times a day, plus tramadol twice a day, and it's working very well. So I don't know about the need to build up, since we started at a high dose, but I wonder if your dog's getting enough. Just a thought and something to discuss with your vet if there's no improvement soon. Good luck! I should mention that Spencer weighs 75 lbs more or less, and his tramadol dose is only 50 mg. each time. His diagnosis is LSS and three herniating disks in his middle spine.

The very most important thing to me is not to lose them. A collar with tags should be worn at all times, so you have something to grab if she starts heading out the door. And all family members and friends need to be indoctrinated about keeping doors and gates securely closed. It doesn't appear that she has been fostered, as neither of mine were, so it's all going to be completely new to her. We were told to keep "eyes on the dog" for the first 24 hours. The most dangerous thing, I think, is glass, which she'll know nothing about. Many people, in addition to showing the sliding doors to the dogs, put decals on them as a reminder that they are solids! Congratulations! She looks like a sweet girl.

Wonderful tribute to an amazing friend! I'm so very sorry his time came. Show 'em who's boss over that bridge, Rocky boy.

I'm very sorry for the loss of your handsome boy. Thank you for sharing the photos. I see he also loved his Auntie Amber and his cat!

Keep us posted. Hope what you're seeing is one of the easier problems and not an advance in Riley's heart disease.

You must miss your golden boy very much. He had a good and long life with you, and I'm sorry he had to leave.

It could mean any number of things, but you are right to notice this as a change in behavior. I'd run some blood work, perhaps to include thyroid, do a fecal, and have the vet go over Riley with his/her hands to see if there's any discoverable pain anywhere. Lots of things can develop or worsen besides the heart as time goes by, like arthritis, lumbosacral stenosis, thyroid trouble, liver issues...kind of an endless list of possibilities really. How old is Riley, by the way? What did the vet say about what to expect with Riley's heart? I'll just mention that this same behavior change occurred with our Spencer a few months after he came to our home. Some months after that, after two false-negative fecals, we found the hookworm problem, which by then was very advanced. And a couple years later, when he actually started tripping, we discovered the LSS but figured that had had something to do with his long-time reluctance to get up in the a.m. Not saying that any of this correspond's to Riley's situation, but just sharing some of the experience that makes your post resonate with me.

I'm so sorry for the loss of Tessa. Rest well, sweetie.

Godspeed Reuben. You had good friends.

Wow, this is a bigger deal than I suspected when you first posted. Good thoughts for quick healing for your boy!

That's a beautiful tribute, Marc, worthy of The Duchess. I'm so sorry she had to leave, albeit in the most dignified possible way. :f_red

I'm very sorry to hear of Joan's passing. She was much too young.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Rest well, Amaya.

Deb, I'm very sorry for the loss of your princess. She could not possibly have had a better or more loving home. Mary

Hookworms migrate through the body in more advanced cases, not just the intestines, and go dormant and encase themselves in cysts, from which they emerge when they feel like it or something prompts them to do so. (It doesn't matter whether you have a yard or not.) So we have this problem with our Spencer, and finally hit on the solution of giving his monthly wormer (Interceptor) every three weeks instead of every four. That helps, since the reproductive cycle of hooks is apparently three weeks. Even so, we give a couple doses of Drontal two or three times a year. I'm sorry I can't offer more help. It's easier, though, when you understand that some cases of hooks are what I call semi-permanent. It's only the expectation of permanent banishment of hooks that leaves one frustrated. Hope someone else can help with the problem of dosing the liquid.

What a great dog he must've been... Look how much you think of him! My sympathies to you all. He did leave too soon.

I had to go look up that term, also known as a corneal ulcer or corneal erosion. I have had it myself, but that's no help to you. I don't see where breed would have a whole lot to do with it, though my reading suggests that Boxers may have a genetic predisposition to primary corneal defect. But the ulceration arises from an injury of some sort (mine was from a mascara wand), so it could happen to anybody. Someone on GT has had a greyhound with this condition, IIRC, so I hope they see this thread.

Prayers and good thoughts aplenty for you and sweet Lazer!

:grouphug

I don't know a lot about long-term DES side effects, but I don't think it's ever fatal. For some dogs, Proin has been fatal. If you do an archive search here, you'll find more info about it.

Interesting. Given our experience, I'd be tempted to try the tramadol again for two or three days just to see what happened. But our dog didn't do well on Proin, so I'm biased. And I'm not making any recommendations to you, just sharing experience. Speaking of Proin, did your vet not want to try DES instead? It seems to work for many females, and it's not dangerous as far as I know.

How was the pee situation when she was on the tramadol? (I'm personally curious about this whole situation, as Shane's pee problem seems to have disappeared entirely with tramadol and methocarbamol. Not saying that has anything to do with you or Capri.)