greyhead

That was my thought to, that FMF will be hugely missed on GT. But before thinking that, my jaw dropped and my eyes teared up. I'm so very, very sorry that Frank had to leave now.

If he's doing well on the beef now, I would stay with that! Ask me again if that changes. I wouldn't go back to the chicken just yet or anytime soon. You want him to keep doing well as long as you can, keeping everything constant. If he starts not doing well on the beef too, you probably need more testing to rule out IBD before you keep spoiling more protein sources. (Hope I'm being clear enough. I'm kind of going in too many directions at once this afternoon.) Feel free to PM or email me anytime you want. In any case, I'll keep checking in here. The only thing is I have a new foster arriving Saturday afternoon and may not be back here as religiously as usual.

Same here, hon. Lots of prayers and white light for you and Laser!

What germs or parasites did they test the poop for? I ask because our vet tested twice for worms only. Finally I asked for a culture to look for germs instead and was told that the lab only tests for three germs at a time, usually including E. coli and salmonella. They never test for the germ he actually had unless you order it. Fortunately, I did order that one. So when the vet says "everything's normal," I'd wonder what "everything" consisted of. I always advise people not to jump around among lots of different protein types in these situations. That's because if there's an inflammation in the gut, as in IBD, the dog will develop that inflammatory response fairly quicklly to each new protein you introduce and then won't be able to eat them ever again. (That's why our IBD dog can only eat venison now, which is expensive!) So try not to run through chicken, beef, bison, rabbit, duck, salmon, and all the reasonable things. You could maybe just switch brands and see if that helps. Truly, though, I don't know what to tell you. All I can do is share what happened to us and the long-term implications of it. So hoping things work out for you soon!

It was interesting to read the recommendation of full-fat rather than no- or low-fat yogurt! I was also pleased to note the way they expressed that biopsy is the only way to identify the type of inflammatory cell involved in a given case of IBD, NOT that it is the only way to diagnose IBD.

Oh no, what an awful shock. I could not be sorrier, Ingrid. Run free, sweet Elton, knowing you were hugely loved.

{{{{ Lisa }}}} What a lovely tribute to a well-loved boy. I'm so very sorry for your loss. Godspeed Max

Zoolaine's tip is a really good one, and it's what I did with my dog. As long as it's good and clean to start with, the vet and lab won't be wondering if the germs they're seeing on the poop culture came from the dog or came from the ground, etc. Might as well do it right the first time and not have to repeat it, right? I don't mean to panic you, not at all. But I feel obliged to say that Spencer behaved normally in terms of eating, walking, etc. for a long, long time while he was in fact infected with something that became a big, serious deal. So while I'm glad your dog isn't prostrate, you'll need to be uncomfortable enough to push the vet to find the answer. Oh, and we had some green tinge too, now that I'm remembering, and it didn't mean anything good. (I can't recall explicitly, but I think the green meant that the gall bladder wasn't happy with the whole situation.) Hope you get good help tomorrow! Keep us posted. Meanwhile, lots of good thoughts coming your way.

We've had to do this for our most senior boy, and it helps a lot. Costco has recently had a pack of two battery-powered LED light thingies that can be either mounted on the wall with screws or just placed at the end of stairs to shine up at the wall. We do it the latter way. It was only $10 for the pack. Hugs to you and Frank!

And if you don't find hookworm, look for intestinal infection with a poop culture. A poop culture is like a urine culture, but it's different from a fecal test for worms. If it smells really vile and gets really yellow, those are also clues to infection. We've been through all of this at our house, and ended up with IBD. So don't mess around, like we did, with changing foods, adding beet pulp, or trying sweet potato unless you've ruled out these medical problems. Wishing you the best.

Me too.

I think it has to be something else. I would think a tree being bumped into would create a more jagged gash and there would have been some audible reaction. A cut that is that deep and clean would have had to have been caused by something very sharp. JMO. That's what I'm thinking too. And I'm thinking if it happened when you were present, you would have heard something from her, and it wouldn't be a mystery how it happened. Hugs to both of you.

Adequan is seeming to work well for Shane. Acupuncture/chiropractic haven't been enough.

If it's a sunroom without rugs, I'd say your boy is being very considerate in his choice of locale. And he's getting as close to outside as he can without help. Sounds like he wants to be a good boy. Hope you can get it figured out soon.

And it opened to a big hole farther in? Bet you'd like to know how that happened. I know I would!

Definitely. Some vet offices don't even check their email unless they're specifically expecting something. Our thoughts are with you too.

I'm so sorry for the loss to those who knew and loved her. She sounds like an amazing gal.

Yep, I agree with Miley and Ravenchild. Negative fecals missed Spencer's hookworms for 7 months. By the time they were found, it was a heavy infestation that had also migrated to his lungs. That was 5 years ago. After years of first Panacur then Drontal, he gets Interceptor every three weeks now, per his internist. We consider his hookworm situation more or less permanent thanks to the encysting. ETA: Not all states have vets and techs well-trained in hookworm, as some states, like Washington, didn't have hookworm when they went to school.

A non-GT greyhound owner out here (Seattle area) has a very sick girl with low platelets and losing weight. Being treated with pred instead of doxy, as TBD test results not back yet. She'd like to contact Suzanne Stack but can't find any contact info on her web site. (I noticed that too.) But I seem to remember that someone posted such here within the last year or so. Anybody have the info? It would be hugely helpful and appreciated. Thanks, Mary

Not coincidence. We had three greys come to visit one day for the first time. One of them, Sirius, had a favorite toy at home and found that we had it too. He went right for it, but he didn't keep it. (His mom might have taken it away. IDK, I wasn't watching at that point.) But a couple hours later, our Shane picked up the toy and brought it over to Sirius, dropping it next to his face. Everybody acted hugely surprised, but Shane just wanted to be a good host! Don't greys have the reputation of being particularly empathic dogs? Our first vet, who owns greys, said greys are very intuitive and that that's one of the reasons they're as close as you can get to being a cat and still be a dog!

I'm so very sorry for your loss. You daughter did a wonderful job on the collage of your beautiful girl.

I'm so sorry for the sudden loss of your gorgeous girl. As you say, she's keeping Otis company now.

I'm so sorry. He was a well-loved boy.

Breezy, your dog could use a thyroid test too. Losing hair, ravenous appetite, darkening skin, and seizures can all be tied to hypothyroidism. If it is thyroid, he can be weened off the prednisone as his thyroid function normalizes.