greyhead

Just seeing this, Xan. Holding good thoughts for you and Pogo and hopes that he's already improved by morning.

Ditto. That's a long time to have to fight to get up.

Shane took all the black off the top of his nose one day in his run at the vet's. He had had big-D in there -- twice -- and was trying frantically to cover it up with the bedding, bless his heart. The vet said to just dab some antibiotic ointment on it once or twice a day and that it would grow back. And it did! It did take a few weeks, though. Scritchies to sweet Abel!

I'm very sorry for your loss. Godspeed Fern.

I'm so sorry, Amber and Soul. Godspeed to the well-traveled Archie! :

Thank you so much for getting him out of the kennel and giving him a loving home. I'm crushed that he had to leave it so soon. :

Well, thank you very much, Sheila! That'll be much cheaper! I like your term "water strike" -- very apt! Pam and Stripeyfan, I'm giving it straight too, but I'm mixing it in with his food. He won't just drink it any more than he'll drink plain water. I'll give him more B-12 today and see if that helps again.

I'm so sorry some people are being so rude to you! I don't see anything untoward in what you've said. Your posts are being nit-picked. You never said that melatonin should be used to counteract or treat hypothyroidism. You said "if vets use it" for that purpose, etc. I've been caught up in my own dog dramas for days or I would have shown up here sooner. Sorry.

Spencer has IBD and takes an immunosuppressant to deal with that, the side effect of which was hair loss. The internist wouldn't let me try melatonin to get his hair back. Apparently it can have a negative effect on the tummy. We can't take chances since IBD is a big deal. But in the absence of that kind of problem, it might be that starting slow with a low dose and gradually increasing would work okay for Timo. ETA: Spencer is hypothyroid too. Changing from generic medicine to Soloxine did result in hair growth in spite of the immunosuppressant. Lots of people swear by Soloxine as the best thyroid treatment when hair loss is a big part of the picture. Though it doesn't sound like this is Timo's situation, I thought I'd mention it for others.

What a wonderful life Parachute must have enjoyed with you! I'm so sorry he had to leave now.

Bill was a well-loved boy. I'm so sorry he had to leave.

:grouphug

Just catching up to this and sending lots of good thoughts to you and sweet Bella.

Thanks, everyone, for the good wishes and very interesting replies. I wrote a reply an hour ago, a random flick of my touch pad lost it , and then it was time to walk the dogs. But I'm happy to now be able to report that Spencer continues to do well today, though not drinking much until we did the walk. After the walk he drank an appropriate amount. Yay! For those who wondered, I assure you he was given lots of fluids during and after his dental Thursday and was nonetheless distinctly dehydrated last night. But since the fluids and B-12 he has been much better, just slightly dehydrated. (When I said "neck" earlier, I meant down where it joins the shoulders. I don't care how much extra skin might be there, it shouldn't stand up in the air for more than five seconds! ) He probably should have gotten fluids ahead of time too, so I'll ask the vet about that. But of the five dentals Spencer has had, he came out of this one the best by far! He was able to jump into and out of the car unassisted two hours after the procedure, was able to eat soft food four hours after that, and had no digestive or stomach distress at all. Also no whimpering, whining or restlessness except the slightest hint when he needed a little Tramadol. The refusal to drink has been his only issue, and it seems like he's not the only hound to do this. Have any of you given Pedialyte? Do you use it straight or mix it with their water and food? A local friend suggested it but didn't specify that. Thanks again!

Yup, he had 200 ml of fluid, 1 cc B-12, hunkered down for a little over an hour, then asked for food. Mixed water into his food and gave him half a Tramadol (for pain from his dental) and, after a trip outside, he came in and drank a respectable amount of water! Yay! Now I can sleep!

Jennifer and everyone, Spencer can't have anything chicken-based because of his IBD. He can't have anything bug venison and white fish. IIRC, I'm not even supposed to give him Gatorade, and I'm just lucky that he can handle Ensure! Earlier today I mixed water in with the Ensure, but he has already gone past his quota for that. (He gets big-D with too much.) So I'm just going with the sub-q's. Thanks again, though. Those are great suggestions for anybody but Spencer and his IBD buds Kelly and Beau! These guys can't even have chicken-flavored tooth-paste!

From my experience with CRF cats, I'm warming the bag in a basin. I hope i'm correct that greyhounds would prefer water warmer than 70 degrees too. They didn't warm them when the vets administered fluids a month ago, and he didn't like it! I'm wondering if having his B vitamins washed out with the fluids during the dental affects his perception of his thirst. He has intestinal malabsorption, for which he gets a B-12 shot every 2 to 4 weeks. There are definite neuro deficits that ensue when B-12 is low, as I noticed before he was diagnosed and the shots started. So maybe that's what it is, and his thirst-regulating mechanism isn't working right because of it. I'll shoot some B-12 into the drip line, in any case, and hope everything's better tomorrow! Thanks so much, guys, for your suggestions! Nothing lonelier than having a punk puppy on the West Coast late Friday night!

I've been lifting the skin around his neck, and it's staying elevated for five or more seconds. (I haven't checked his gums to see if they're tacky.)

Spencer had a dental yesterday, lost two molars, but has been doing great since he came home. Except he's really dehydrated and won't drink. He drank a lot last night in the wee hours, apparently, but hardly anything since. He has even been on two walks and isn't drinking when he comes home! What can cause this? Seriously, I want to know. I'm concerned enough that I got a bag of fluids from the vet, since we're heading into the weekend and I don't want this to turn into an e-vet event. She agreed. I'm mixing lots of water in with his canned food, but it's not nearly enough. I took his water bowl to him and asked him pretty-please to drink, and he took one lap just to be polite, and then he kind of choked on it as if it had gone down the wrong way. So I'm hesitant to syringe water into his mouth too. Some of you may recall that his liver values have been significantly elevated lately, probably from the meds he takes for IBD. So leaving him dehydrated doesn't sound like a plan, and I guess I'll have to give the sub-q fluids, but I wish I understood why he's not drinking water. Especially since he's drinking Ensure just fine! (He just can't have too much Ensure in one day or it messes with his digestion.) Thanks for any ideas you may have to share. ETA: He had a bile acids test that showed his liver functioning fine, though he's probably lost some cells from his drugs. AND I should mention that I had to give him sub-q's (500 ml over a weekend) about a month ago when he also was dehydrated and not drinking water. So this isn't just an artifact of the dental.

All my sympathies to you, your mom, and her BF. It's a hard thing to have to let them go. Run free, Nick.

I'm so sorry, Hilda. I'm sure it's never long enough. Godspeed, Gabby.

Just catching back up to what has happened since the end of May. I'm so sorry for all you've been through. And I'm glad things are looking up, but I can just imagine how deeply tired you are. Here's hoping Albi continues to improve.

My sincere condolences to all who loved and cared for Jules and the Trio. I'm very sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry your beautiful girl had to go.