GeorgeofNE

Rimadyl makes many dogs terminally ill and can cause rapid death from internal bleeding. SOME dogs have become ill and died from Rimadyl. Most of those dogs had undiagnosed underlying conditions. That's why they now do routine and periodic bloodwork for dogs on Rimadyl and Deramaxx. Many drugs, including Rimadyl, can cause upset stomach. And so can supplements. There are no scientific studies that prove nutriceuticals do much of anything. I'd be included to stop both and see what happens.

Tramadol should be enough for one tooth IMHO, but I don't think it matters if you give the Deramaxx with it or not. The two drugs work in totally different ways. If the prescription says to give one pill, I would not split it in half. The dose is calculated to the dog's weight. George takes it daily, and the prescription says once a day and the dose. It think splitting it would just make it weaker and less effective? Like taking one Tylenol instead of the normal dose of two!

Those foam beds with the cover do NOT last, so accept it now--he's going to ruin it! You need something much more durable with a nester. I find that the Costco (Kirkland) beds are pretty durable and dirt cheap. So I don't get bent out of shape when he inevitably ruins it. I give George a blanket or a comforter to "fluff" and that seems to satisfy his urge to nest. On the plus side, it's probably a sign that he's feeling more and more at home!

George got no anesthesia for his x-rays. Most greyhounds will stand still enough they don't need them. He had x-rays and then the vet insisted they be repeated in two weeks, and she said if there was any change at all in that period, she'd want them again in two more weeks--but only because he's a greyhound. Thankfully there was nothing on the first two sets, so we moved on to other possibile issues and discovered it was "only" a spine issue.

That's interesting, because the vet who diagnosed George, with specialized training in surgery and pain management, said the opposite. That the steroid shots do nothing except reduce inflammation AROUND the spine (which doesn't actually help the compressed nerves inside the spinal column) and that the potential for serious side effects are simply not worth the temporary relief. Once you've injected the steroids, there is no way to "turn them off" (like you can stop taking pills). She was more than wiling to read about the procedure--but she'd already heard of it and said it was "outdated thinking." I tried to sway her with the old "but everyone else is doing it!" and she was not impressed!

My dog was confined to an x-pen for months with his initial (bone cutting) surgery, but when he had his surgery to remove the plates, the orders were along the lines of no jumping off furniture and leash walking only, but that was mostly because he has about 27 staples in his leg closing the incision. He was more sick from infection that the broken screw, and once the infection started to get better, he was a new man! He made a full recovery, although he did have arthritis when he got old.

That's tough--but I'm a big believer in doing what is right for the dog. As my vet told me, she's never had a client contact her after a euthanasia and say "I did it too soon" but she's had many ask "Why did I wait so long"? Clearly you love them both very much. I would base MY decision on their quality of life. If they're equally ill, then perhaps you have a vet who might come to your home and let them both go? I'm very sorry, and I know how painful the decision is to make.

That's a lot of dog for you! You will hear varying opinions. but there is a reason sled dogs and draft horses wear harnesses; it enables them to PULL. Yes, you can get a "no pull" harness (Wiggles Wags & Whiskers--good harness!) but a standard harness will not only free his biting part, it'll put all his power right where he needs it to pull harder! Check out the WWW harness at 2Hounds I imagine they make other sorts of no-pull devices, but this is one that I have. Having said that, I find a properly adjusted collar FAR more effective for training a dog not to pull. I see many people with their collar adjust way too loose. It should ride up closer to the head, not down at the "bottom" of the neck. Keep the leash short, and start training your big boy to heel. He has probably never been trained how to properly walk on a leash. I know mine certainly wasn't!

10-15 minute walks? That's not really much exercise. While you don't want to endanger yourself on unplowed roads, you COULD play with in in the back yard! You're going to have to trample down the snow any way. I know some folks actually snow blower a "race track" in their yard! I don't have a fenced yard, and I live in New England, and I walk no matter what (other than if I'm very ill). But if I had a yard I'd probably choose to find something fun for the dog to do out there. Recognize you'll have to go out with him! Could be anything--hide and seek with dog biscuits? Maybe he'll run after a stuffy? Be creative!

I see you say he had "severe mange." I wonder if it's not sleep aggression at all, but his skin is sensitive and he's reacting to pain?

The world holistic is WIDELY misused as a synonym for "all natural." That's not what holistic means! This is what holistic really means!

I don't. If the pills are bitter and he won't just eat them with food, I go old school and stick 'em down his gullet! And then give him a biskie!

I've had three vets refuse to do this-- George has a "probably" diagnosis of LS. I don't have the $2,000 (minimum) the MRI would cost me to get the "for sure" diagnosis, and I certainly would not be able to afford surgery--so we are simply dealing with the occasional pain with Deramaxx. I've been told not to let him jump on things, or let him go nuts (although he does do on-leash butt tuck zoomies from time to time). Also to keep him slim, and keep him muscled by taking him for daily exercise walks.

All the "adopting a greyhound" books cover this. Two DAYS??? LOL!!! I worked on stairs with my dog for months! It was brutal!!! Moving his paws, one by one, up three flights of stairs (I lived in a condo, and for emergency use, we had stairwells with metal stairs (closed back, thank goodness) that were painted black). Over, and over, and over, and over. Finally after about a month, he tried to go up himself. Fell, his skin split open in the three places, and we were back to square one. I put liverwurst on the stairs. Nothing. I had a friend help me. Nothing. I finally screwed up my courage one day to try going DOWN (I assumed up would be easier for him), and darn if he didn't prance down like a debutant descending the stairs at a cotillion--all three flights without even a pause. I couldn't believe it. He still wouldn't go up! We moved to this new condo, also on the third floor, but NO elevators! We got here, and the movers started up the stairs first, and the darn dog just went them!!!

This! And the carpets!

To medicate or not? It's really a quality of life issue to me. Yes, all medications have some level of risk. But a 12.5 year old dog with arthritis pain is better off, IMHO, with pain relief. My Kramer took Rimadyl for several years with no ill effects, and George is on daily Deramaxx for his LS. As long as you have blood work done before starting, and a few months later to make sure all is well, I personally feel the risk/reward is on the side of giving meds.

Uhm, yeah, and it's as simple as it looks! And I'd do it again! When I was about 13, I took stitches out of my horse's jaw. It was WAY easier than trying to hold him for the vet, who he was TERRIFIED of. Went nuts just seeing the vet's truck! Took about 30 seconds total.

I've actually never seen George act or look cold. Then again, he looks so darn cute in his jammies and coats he might never have had the chance to get cold! I think they're like people and have different tolerance levels. I have a brother who can go out in a blizzard in a t-shirt and down vest. I'm cold almost all of the time. George melts if it's over 70, but seems totally impervious to cold!

I would not personally spend my money on thyroid tests for a dog exhibiting that sort of behavior unless she has common symptoms of thyroid problems such as coat/skin problems, weight gain or loss. That's a very strange situation--have you tried letting her just sleep where she wants to sleep? Does she go into the crate on her own when the door is left open? Where in the house is your bedroom? Does she panic ONLY in the bedroom? Did her behavior chance, perchance, when you turned on your furnace? Did ANYTHING happen in that room? Anything at all? Sometimes a seemingly silly thing can set off odd behavior. My last dog was thrown from a moving car as a pup. What was he afraid of? Ironing boards and Hassidic Jewish men (there were a bunch of them in my old neighborhood, and the dog was terrified of them for some reason). Not cars. Go figure! Just tossing out some ideas for you to consider. I have no answers other than--if it's ONLY that room, I would stop trying to force her to sleep there.

Well, I don't know for SURE, but since Dr. Couto considers them "three legged dogs with a spare," meaning they do brilliantly missing a LEG, I assume missing a toe might be a bit awkward at first, but no real big deal.

I second this! Good way to 'try out' dog ownership without making the lifetime commitment yet. Plus you get to play a really cool role in a greyhound's life teaching him or her about living in a home! It doesn't seem to me that someone who can't be home much with a dog is the best person to foster, at least from the perspective of the dog... This is a bit off-topic, but I never quite understand the advice to people brand new to dogs to foster. I mean, I understand the principle behind the advice, but it seems to me that someone who takes a dog straight from the kennel should either be fully committed to that dog and working through whatever bumps in the road there may be with its adjustment to a home, or else an experienced, involved greyhound person who is used to helping dogs adjust. Not someone with no experience and uncertain about the whole business. Besides, it seems like in other threads, people are telling newbies to get a dog who has already been fostered or is a bounce, etc. As someone whose group does not foster and whose kennel dogs do just fine with their adopters I tend to think that's really not so important, but still. I totally agree, and wrote as much, but then deleted it! George would have been better off in the track kennel than in his foster home. I think foster homes need to know MORE about Greyhounds than adopters, not less. Do we really want to encourage people who aren't familiar with their quirks and their early adjustment issues to be fostering them?

Just cosmetic!

No, and I've never known a dog that doesn't ALWAYS seem hungry!

Ohhh. I'd be concerned about a bone infection, but only because my last dog had a TPLO (tibial plateau leveling ostomy?) and month after month after month he wasn't progressing. I went to the vet over and over and was told stuff like "he's a slow healer" and finally the vet basically said my dog was probably a wimp. Nearly a year to the day after the first surgery, he spiked a horrible fever and screamed when I touched his leg. Raced him to my regular vet (his surgery was done by a board certified orthopedic surgeon) who admitted him immediately for IV antibiotics. Blood work revealed a raging infection, and x-rays showed a broken screw. More surgery to drain the joint, remove the plate and screws, and about three months on two antibiotics and he was OK, finally!

Does he have lumbar stenosis? George does. My treatment plan includes walking to keep his muscle strong. Of course I don't have a yard, so walking was on the menu anyway! Aside from exercise that he can tolerate, no, I don't think there is much you can do about it. And George also takes a daily Deramaxx. Actually, half of one!