greyhead

In addition to what others have said, I'd test for TBD's through Protatek. We found Shane's almost two years ago, when he was 7. I requested it after unexplained symptoms like apparent but unlocatable pain and panting, etc., and also after I found out that he was born and raised in Oklahoma, a hotbed of TBD's. He was positive for Babesia canis, and having him treated changed his life. I don't know if there's a connection, but he has also had iffy kidney values for years, and previously lots of drinking and peeing. ( He ended up with a UTI that went undiagnosed a long time because his vet said it was incontinence. The moral of that story was: don't be satisfied with a good-looking urinalysis, request a urine culture! ) In any case, a TBD doesn't necessarily manifest with florid symptoms. It can just lead to a variety of things, like easy overheating, panting and diffuse pain, that really lower the quality of life. And if later on something does arise that requires a drug like prednisone, taking the prednisone will put them in graver danger as it will take the brakes off suppress the immune system that has been keeping the TBD in check. (Edited because what I meant was the pred takes the brakes off the TBD! )

Good thinking. We learned through an MRI that our Shane's protruding pin bone was not a leg problem, as first assumed, but the result of a previous pelvic injury. His great leg muscles had kept everything in reasonably good alignment until we dieted him down a few pounds. The cure for all this was more food, rehab-type exercise, and adequan for the arthritis. So, yes, thinking more of the whole leg-shoulder system is a good idea. (Oh, and importantly, Shane's prior fracture was on the opposite side from where the hip bone was elevated.)

Hope everything gets straightened out for poor Denise. I too think you should be talking to the vet. Welcome to Greytalk, and we're glad you found us! Hope you'll let us know how things go.

That's great to hear, Chris. You'll be back in your bed in no time, I'm sure! Looking forward to hearing about the test results, and hoping they will be helpful.

This might be a good time, too, to ask for a fuller follow-up conversation with whatever vet(s) evaluated her before, to ask what those "further problems" would look like. I've sometimes been able to arrange appointments (or phone calls) just for discussion between me and the vet, reviewing the chart and providing new observational info, without having to drag the animal in for the appointment at the same time. The animal can always be seen later, after you and the vet discuss whether a specialist is in order. I just tell them I want to make an appointment, or get a phone call from, Dr. So-and-so, to discuss Animal-X. And I don't let the receptionist tell me that I have to bring the animal in. (I've done this with cats and dogs whose age and symptoms made it appropriate.) Good luck, and let us know how you and your girl are doing.

I'm so glad to hear this, Chris. Believe me, my heart is with you, as I well-remember getting up to let Spencer out four times every night, then living on the Internet every day, trying to find out what was wrong with him! But it's beyond gratifying when they start to improve!!! And sleep is heavenly! Hugs and scritches, Maryellen and Spencer

Is it formed poop, soft serve, or big-D? Has he been having any back-end weakness, shakiness, falling sideways when he pees? Any chance he could have lumbosacral stenosis? In that and some other conditions, they lose a degree of sensation, so poop comes when it comes. Whatever is behind it, the coffee probably didn't help. But I doubt it was for spite.

You did the right thing. She was a beautiful girl and a great dog, and I'm so sorry she had to go.

: :

When this occurs in a cyclic way like this, it does suggest worms. A negative fecal test doesn't mean there aren't any worms, either; it just means that if there are worms, they aren't shedding eggs for the test to detect. So the test may have to be done at intervals to hit the time when they can be detected.

Holding you and Matlock close to our hearts. :heart

I'm so sorry to hear this. Just soak each other in today.

Praying for a better night for you and Dorie.

Sorry you both had a bad night! FWIW, I gave our IBD dog omeprazole yesterday evening, and he has had diarrhea three times since 4 a.m. this morning. Don't know if there's a connection, but I'm going back to Zantac! (Meanwhile, I'm restarting the metronidazole and upping the frequency of budesonide. He had been getting soft-serve anyhow in recent days, and I've been concerned.) I'll just mention that when they put Spencer on prednisone, he dropped 7 lbs in three days. Of course, he had a yet-undiagnosed SIBO infection, so pred was the wrong thing to do. But that's a not uncommon reaction to pred, and several of us with IBD GH's have done very well on budesonide instead. It's not cheap; but if you decide to go this route, Xan and I (and probably others) can give you tips on getting it cheaper perhaps. (We started with 3 mg., which is a standard pre-made dose. When we reduced the dose later, we started having it compounded, which is more expensive, but still worth it.) But your vet will probably want to continue with pred just because that's what most of them start with.

I'm not a vet, but that doesn't sound like nothing to me. If she does it again, maybe you could grab a video to take with you to the vet? We'll keep you and Ivy in our thoughts and hope the next few days are uneventful.

Thank you for sharing this splendid tribute to a stunning boy. It, and he, and you are amazing. And I am so very, very sorry that Harrison couldn't stay longer with you.

We give ours subcutaneously at home, and I don't know if it's similar to your protocol at all. But ours started at 1.7 ml, and I can't remember the frequency. Our dog got a UTI that disrupted his treatment for arthritis for months (because the vet was very slow to diagnose it). When we started again, it was 1.56 ml twice a week for four weeks, and once a month after that. We love the stuff!!

I wouldn't wait a week either. You could take in a sample of stool to the vet and request that it be sent to a lab for a fecal culture. Best to catch it straight from the dog in a clean container; that way, no confusion about the germs they find being from the ground. Many vets resist doing this. I had to ask mine three times before it got done for Spencer. Turned out he had a raging Clostridium perfringens infection that could have killed him! I think the vets' reluctance is that many germs, like Spencer's, occur naturally in the GI tract. And in vet school they learned that they had to send the sample to Texas A&M to be analyzed for toxins. However, our local lab counted "way, way, way, way" more of the bacteria than would normally be present. From that it could be assumed with 99.99% certainty that the colony was big enough to be producing toxin. And the sensitivity part of the culture showed precisely which antibiotics would kill it. (There were three, and it took all three to do the job.) If your vet can't get his/her head around this fast, find an internist with a strong interest in GI stuff. But I think your instincts are on target, that this has gone beyond the point of wait-and-see. I would add that I know of several GH's, Spencer being one, whose intestinal infections were preceded by lengthy hookworm infestations. Hookworms dig channels in the intestinal walls that, I believe, make the intestines more vulnerable to the ravages of bacterial overgrowth. And these dogs end up with IBD if the other stuff is allowed to persist too long. So I think your vet is probably right that what you're seeing isnot just hookworm, but he needs to move on and find out what it is now.

You and Dorie are in our thoughts and prayers today! The hydration she was getting should make the anesthesia experience easier. Will be waiting for a greyt update!

What she said. And hugs from here.

I'm so very sorry for your loss and for how hard this has been on you. He sounds like a fabulous dog who found a fabulous home.

I'm so very sorry that Traveler's time came. You did everything you could for him, including releasing him from a fight he couldn't win. Remember the good times. : :

I'm so very sorry for your loss and grief. You did the right things at the right times, and you'll realize that as time goes by. It's just a shame that these amazing creatures can't stay with us longer.

I'm so sorry Vera had to go. She had a full and well-loved life with you.

I''m so very sorry for your loss, and so soon after your mother. But knowing how much you graced each other's lives just makes my heart leap! Thank you for sharing her story and pictures. You gave her the best time of her life.