greyhead

Don't apologize for that update being long. It is delightful! Not to mention fascinating.

The smell of cedar is much more intense when wet maybe. Can you leash-walk her away from the mulch until it dries out?

Welcome home, Wabi!!! And congratulations on the good news, even if it's preliminary!

I remember you as Tanner's dad too, and I'm so sorry for your loss. Even if it's to be expected, it hurts.

Prayer is focused attention, and my attention is focused on Wabi waking up fine and getting all better! Maybe it could be seen as arrogant to have a preferred outcome and say so. But how weird would it be not to? Please deliver these to Wabi when she wakes up! And a hug for you, Xan!

Don't blame you a bit for feeling panicked about leaving tomorrow. Any chance you have any vacation time coming or could take a sick day? That's the first question. Second is, do you have a strategy for finding a better vet for this situation? Please let us know if there's anything any of us can do to help. We are so there with you on this, even though we're not. I don't know what you might be doing right or wrong; but I know a wonderful, dedicated GH mom when I see one. ETA: Just saw your last post. We'll be thinking of you and watching for an update.

Oh man, I am so sorry you've had such hard experiences. As others have mentioned, I hope you will find insight about PLN, help, and support here on GT and elsewhere.

You sound like you're in very good hands with your vet(s), Lorinda. Needless to say, it's wonderful that Lazer is doing so much better! I don't know if this will help you at all, but we have a dog with some kind of kidney issue that we can't identify. But he leaks a lot of urine when he's on "regular" food, and it stops almost completely on "kidney" food. Having experience of CRF in cats, I hold with those who don't rush to the lowest possible protein right off the bat. So we use Royal Canin's MP (medium protein) food, made a little more interesting with gravy made from canned food and water (l tbs of the former, 1/4 C of the latter, per 1.5 C of food). It's not cheap but he loves it and it works, so... For whatever it's worth.

I clicked on his link. He's a beautiful pup! He's only slightly over two years old, and greyhounds are commonly considered puppy-like until they're three! (Some never seem to change, lol!) So, yes, he probably has much more energy and curiosity than are being constructively channeled. Not only may he need more exercise, but it might also help to give him a Kong filled with kibble or peanut butter when you leave so that he has something to work on. Best of luck with your gorgeous boy! ETA: Seeing your last post now. I wouldn't walk a black dog at noon in Texas in the summer. Can you make that morning walk earlier and longer?

You fought impressively for Ruby's recovery and comfort. She knew she was a well-loved girl. I'm so sorry she couldn't stay.

Every ailment seems to feel worst at night, for both humans and pets. Have run this by a couple of vets and they both confirmed it.

Is he still on the antibiotic or has it run out?

A "fecal test" is where the test the stool for worm eggs, and the results are apparent within a half-hour or so. A "fecal culture" is like a urine culture, in that fecal samples are put into dishes to see if any bacteria grow; by counting the number of particular bacteria, they can determine if there are many more than should be present and, thus, whether there is an intestinal bacterial overgrowth. So no, they aren't the same thing. But in your last thread about big-D, I think you said they did a "fecal culture" and thereby ruled out "parasites." I guessed that what you meant then was a fecal test for worms. If it was a culture for bugs, do you know which ones they tested for? Our local lab would only test for three bacteria at a time. They'd test for more, but one had to pay for another set of three. (Ours tested for E. coli, salmonella, and I requested Clostridium perfringens. It turned out to be Clostridium perfringens.) I don't think you're worrying too much. But again, you're hearing that from a worrier. Having taken our dog's yellow soft-serve and big-D too lightly for too long, we wound up with big problems. So I can't in good conscience advise anyone to take things casually. What's also important is that your vet take things seriously.

Sorry I can't help, but Shane is still on the twice-a-week part of the program. The once-a-month part starts next week, and I'll let you know how it goes. Shane started on Adequan once before, months ago, briefly. His UTI recurred and, while there was no connection between the two things, his rehab vet thought we should knock out the UTI before pushing his rehab. So that's what we did. If you see her regressing with the once-a-month shots, just tell your vet, and perhaps you can make them more frequent. We had to do that with our other dog's B-12 shots, which followed a similar decreasing protocol. He has intestinal malabsorption and will need the shots for life. I saw a real decrease in function (e.g., physically, cognitively), told his internist, and she said yes, he can have them every two weeks instead. Hoping Peace and Shane both keep making progress on Adequan!

I'm so sorry the barky girl with pretty feet had to leave now. She will be as missed as she was loved. Godspeed Nikki.

Many good thoughts and prayers for Hewlett and his family.

I'm so very sorry. I have to add that I so admire you for doing the necropsy and sharing the information. You're amazing.

Spencer's liver got wonky a few months ago, after two years of meds for his IBD. On the vet's recommendation, we gave him one SAM-e pill per day (Nature Made 200 mg, from Costco), a half hour before food, and his values soon went back to entirely normal. Granted, he wasn't turning yellow, but it was still scary and needed to be turned around. We could probably have given two pills a day or more without hurting him. Maybe this would help Jacey? Continuing to hold you and Jacey gently and hopefully in our thoughts.

Well... I don't want to be negative. And every dog is an individual case. But our Spencer's gut flora got out of balance after just two weeks on Clindamycin, post-dental. And I guess because we didn't realize the implications of yellow, soft-serve poop in our dog, we missed the possibility that this wasn't just temporary post-anesthesia weirdness. So by the time we diagnosed it, he had developed a vast overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens in his small intestines. On the other hand, he took it again recently, before his dental but not after, and came out of everything fine. Then again, we have tylosin and Flagyl on hand for his IBD, and they tend to nip bad things in the bud. (He also had 2 extractions with this dental.) So I guess I'd say to be alert for yellow soft-serve and to consider using yogurt, probiotics, and even some raw food to see to it that the intestinal flora stay balanced. And I'd ask the vet now if he/she knows of any down side to four weeks of Clindamycin. I don't mean to be Debbie Downer here, but I think it's good that you get an idea of what to watch for!

Lovely tribute to a beautiful girl and a beautiful plan to send her and Otis on their way.

So glad to hear that!!! One of these days, I hope you'll tell me how to use essential oils! Hugs, Mary

Hope you and Jacey get some rest tonight and have a better tomorrow.

Just read your thread in T&B. I see he has only been treated for hookworm with Interceptor. As Batmom said, he hasn't been treated for hookworm. All Interceptor is intended to do is keep up with new threats as they occur, not wipe out an original infestation.

I wonder if his thyroid values should be looked at again. That .7 dosage may have become a little high in his older years. Just a thought.

Just so you know, Skip above is my DH, and we'll be discussing the same dog. We've been through hookworms, SIBO, and IBD with Spencer. It took weeks for me to get the vet to test for SIBO using an actual poop culture.** Before that, they just kept testing for worms and coming up negative. When it turned out he had a vast overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens, they did a sensitivity test too and recommended the anti-b's that would work. Hooks actually can do permanent damage in the intestines, which then sets them up for other problems. Vets don't jump to culture poop because there are so many bacteria that live in the tract naturally anyway. But the lab can tell by counting the number of bacteria whether there's an overgrowth or not. If nothing else pans out, I'd insist on having them check that. (Not many vets have realized how much more common Clostridium has become. Mine rolled their eyes when I requested they test for it along with the other bacteria they normally do. They sure were embarrassed when that's what it turned out to be. ) ** In case you don't know, SIBO stands for small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Wishing you and Jacob the best of luck with this. ETA: I love love love your siggie!