greyhead

This is wonderful to hear and you must be thrilled! After all the bad stuff we hear about, thanks for sharing a good story of things going so well! Gentle hugs to Arlo.

You're doing a good job of keeping it together, Sherry! And you know we're right there with you, in spirit. Here, you deserve some of these!

The dog's age probably should be taken into account when considering weight loss and the ease or difficulty of regaining lost muscle. Spencer was 8 when his troubles started and almost 9 before we had a diagnosis and started budesonide. The weight loss from everything, including his very brief time on pred, drove me crazy. So I don't blame you, Sher, for being concerned about it.

Is it possible to switch from prenisone to budesonide? Targets the gut and leaves the rest of him alone. Also doesn't promote weight loss.

I'm so sorry for the too-sudden and too-early loss of such a fine boy! You gave him a wonderful retirement. :

When Spencer started doing it at age 8, it turned out he had intestinal malabsorption (and later we found a Chlostridium infection in his small intestine). Giving him B-12 injections under under the skin stopped the poop-eating. Our Shane, also 8, just did it for the first time a couple weeks ago, on a walk. He has a UTI and is pooping a large amount relative to the amount of food he eats. So I think his behavior is health-related too. But others will swear it's behavioral. I just can't see it as something they do for fun. But whatever.

So sorry he had to leave, hon.

From personal experience, I think it's important not to be too quick to categorize a problem as age-related. Even if it is, things can be done to help. I'd go to a good vet for an evaluation. If it's a pinched nerve, acupuncture/chiropractic can do wonders to keep her going. Are there any vets near you who do that?

Has anybody suggested B-12 injections? We had to do that with Spencer, when he had trouble getting up, and it fixed him right up. (His IBD also entailed inability to process B vitamins in the gut from his food.) It's just a sub-q injection you can give at home, and the vet can sell you a bottle of B-12 cheap. You've probably already talked to the vet by now, and I'm hoping you got some help.

No, Sherry, you're not a nut. You just have an IBD-type dog! By all means talk to the vets and report your experience. But just to share mine, the progress isn't linear and unfailingly upward. It's like when you're dieting and things are going great, and then you hit a plateau. Harley has some ground to make up, but it probably won't be steady improvement every day. But you have no idea what to expect, and it's good that you share what's happening with us and with the vets. We don't all have dogs with exactly Harleyl's condition, so the best we can do is tell you what happened to us. But that may help some. I hope so anyway. Get some rest if you can. If you're sleeping nearby, you'll know if Harley needs you. ETA: Don't let me give you the impression that no freaking out ever occurred in my house! It surely did. And two years later Spencer is doing really, really well, but I still watch and evaluate every change he makes. But the need for that kind of hypervigilance gets much less over time, and it will for you too.

Well, Bag Balm is not something they seem to want to ingest a lot of, fortunately. And the little bit they may lick off doesn't seem to hurt them. At the risk of igniting a firestorm, I'd suggest you have his thyroid tested. The gakking could be from stomach acid and/or from a thyroid gland that swells and makes him feel like something foreign is in his throat. Since his poops and digestion sound fine, I'll hazard that it's not a digestion problem. Not all hypothyroid dogs or people have GERD-like symptoms, but some do. I did personally and one of my hypothyroid dogs did too.

This is astonishingly awful, Belinda. "Sorry" doesn't begin to cover it. Please take good care of yourself and lean on others as much as you can. :

We're thrilled for you and Goldie, Dee! And if your case doesn't persuade people to advocate that their greyhounds' thyroids be attended to, I don't know what will. Which reminds me, has anyone heard how Rainey is doing?

Prayers for you and Marx. And hope that whatever it is, it can be easily handled!

Is there anything unusual in his behavior? It would be helpful to know if there's a bigger picture. You seem to be saying that it has been an ongoing process to get him settled in. It can take a while for some pups, but what has it been like specifically? (One of my dogs had redness to his belly that came and went at different times of day, most often in the evening, due to a type of inflammation. He also, btw, came to us at almost 5 years old, but the redness didn't happen until lhe was 8.) We've had good results with bag balm on the pads for dryness and cracking. But we have to use it at least twice a week because we live in a really wet place! Other than the pads, is your dog's dry skin limited to the place below the chest that gets red, or is it elsewhere too? Welcome to GT!

Soooo happy for you and Wendy!

I'm so glad the swelling is starting to diminish and hope it continues in that direction! Our IBD dog Spencer developed an inflammatory response to chicken -- along with beef and buffalo -- which is what he was eating when we knew he had SIBO but didn't yet know about the IBD. I'd be very suspicious that Harley has done the same thing. At least I wouldn't be quick to dismiss Harley's reaction as due to negative association with vomiting it. Rice is another thing some IBD dogs can develop inflammation toward. For us, getting to a novel protein and sweet potato for the carb was key to Spencer's recovery of the ability to eat well, gain weight, and do as well as he has. Well, the medicines were also crucial! But we learned to trust Spencer's judgment when he rejected foods. YMMV.

Oh Adrianne, your big lovely heart is getting more than its share of disappointment, to put it mildly. RIP Mama Cat.

I'm so sorry. She was blessed to have found her home with you.

Tally had a long, wonderful life with your family, and I'm so sorry for your loss. Please also convey our condolences to your dear husband.

I posted to your H&M thread before I saw this one. And then I went back to see what you'd said and thought about around the time of her diagnosis. So here I just have to say that you were a wonderful family for Tatum and you are greyt friends to Greyhounds. Tatum must be very proud of you. I'm so sorry she had to leave you now.

Lovely tribute to a beautiful girl. I was fighting tears the whole time, partly because that's who I am and partly because I didn't want to miss anything. Which I guess is my little tiny tribute to Tatum and to you. I'm so very sorry for your loss. But what a fine life she clearly had with you. :f_pink

Sure will, hon. And I'll be hoping they treat her pain so she doesn't feel it too much.