GeorgeofNE

Just a reminder if anyone doesn't know, Hope For Hounds, which you may have heard of, also supports Dr. Couto's work at OSU. You'll see different vendors (2Hounds Design, Critter Cozies, Casual Bling) selling various items with a portion of the proceeds sent to Dr. Couto. I had the great treat of presenting a check from Hope for Hounds to Dr. Couto at the Greyhound Expo a couple of weeks ago; I didn't raise the money, I just delievered it for Janet of Casual Bling. He was very appreciative! So next time you see the Hope for Hounds collars, leashes, t-shirts--whatever, know that is who is being helped out!

Silly question: have you tried feeding her more? The only reason I'd be concerned is if you upped her meal size and she failed to gain weight. George weighs less than his racing weight, and you can see three of his ribs, but Greyhounds are SUPPOSED to be slim, and with is spinal condition my vet said he HAS to stay slim for his own health. If I fed him more, he would bulk up, so I don't worry.

Actually, sounds like possible allergies to me. Chronic ear issues are often a sign of allergies. My old dog's ears bothered him so badly he ended up with ear flap hematomas in both ears, poor darling. With an inhalant allergy, the initial symptoms are often itchy ears and armpits. You need a two prong attack; you need to clear up the ears, and prevent the problem! That's the hard part...your vet needs to look at the gunk and figure out exactly what's going on, as there are several different types of medication.

I just listened to Dr. Couto speak for 2 hours, and the thing that hit me the most is that he describes Greyhounds as a dog with "three legs, and a spare." They are so narrow that when they lose a leg, they just scoot the other leg over about and inch, and do just great on three! I hope that's some small measure of comfort to you. Best of luck--

What a GREAT idea!!!!!! Thank you for posting that!

Point your vet to the Greyhound Wellness Program--at Ohio State. He can CALL THEM and discuss your dogs labs as a free service!!! They're fabulous!

Wow. Sounds like a severe allergic reaction to me...but it sounds like your vet doesn't agree at all. Could be something ongoing that continues to react--that's why Benadryl didn't work. I'm so sorry. Believe me, I for one understand about the $$. I wish I had some ideas, but I do think Fentanyl sounds like overkill. If he has swollen glands, it feels weird to him to swallow. It may not actually HURT. I'd get whatever food I can get into him--ice cream, cat food, anything, and keep him hydrated. Then I'd check my yard inch by inch for anything ANYTHING you might not have thought of. Anything new or different-- Good luck!! What a crummy thing to have to go through--for you and your hound.

George developed high ALT (I believe that's a liver enzyme??) when I tried a "natural herbal" supplement to calm him. It took a full month for the values to go back to normal after stopping them. I no longer give him anything like that. I'd stop the Chinese herbs if it were my dog; just 'cause they're natural doesn't mean they don't have side effects! There are two kinds of urine crystals; one kind shows up on x-ray, and the other doesn't. I'd be inclined to repeat the urinalysis before I paid for x-rays. Good luck!!

I am so sorry for your loss. Apparently, in Greyhounds, as many as 40% of bone cancers are not found until a bone snaps! I agree with those who suggested hiring someone just this once. They don't have to clean the whole carpet; just the stain. If this is not possible, you need extraction. Cold water is generally what takes blood out--but you need to be able to pull it out of the carpet. Those machines you can rent at supermarkets (Rug Doctor) work pretty well. Nature's Miracle needs quite a while to work, and you need to SOAK the carpet repeatedly, which is actually going to just make the stain go into the bad and probably the floor.

I just ordered a sling from Fosters & Smith--it has fleece lining, and sort of a "seat belt" where you can attach it to the dog, and handles you hold. I have not had to use it yet, but I think you could use the belly band with it! It's quite adjustable. Sort of like suitcase handles for the hind end! My vet thought he might need some help with the stairs, but so far he doesn't. I wanted to be prepared.

Hey there--a lot of people have already heard this--but here you go! My George had problems peeing in the house for a full year. Antibiotics (assorted, including Cipro) would help--but only for a while. We looking into SA, poor housebreaking, etc., but eventually we decided to try long term antibiotics as my vet had another greyhound patient who they could not stop peeing. Oh, I forgot to say that he was tested and tested and tested and tested for a UTI--all five tests were negative, all blood normal. Anyway...after 14 weeks on Baytril, he has been dry now for over a year!! Can't explain the lack of "evidence," but it seems clear to me and my vet that SOMETHING was infected and now it's not. He never once peed while I was home--but after keeping a log, I realized it was because I let him out way more often on weekends than during the week. He didn't pee every day--and he didn't STOP peeing after wearing a belly band. He just couldn't help it. I feel fortunate that I had a vet who has seen enough Greyhounds to have seen this before.

Any post surgical questions should be happily and cheerfully answered by your vet or one of his techs! But yes, I think it's normal not to have a bowel movement for a couple of days. The drugs, pain meds, etc. can constipate the dog.

Is the vet sure it isn't a torn ACL?

Sounds like her stitches might be pulling. I wouldn't give her Tramadol for that. She'll be fine, but do call the vet in the morning.

A blind dog should do just fine as long as you don't move stuff around. Their other senses are so much stronger than ours, blindness isn't as devastating as it would be for a person.

www.omahavaccine.com has Frontline Plus for dogs up to 88 pounds for about $35 for 3 mo., so that would be $70 for six months. That's where I buy mine!

How old is your St. Bernard? I think a lot depends on that. The giant breeds have notoriously short life spans--which is sad. Only you and your husband know what is right in your dog's case. I thought my Greyhound had bone cancer; he doesn't. But I had already decided against amputation and was going to just treat the pain and keep him comfortable. It's a personal decision based on knowing your own dog better than anyone. You should know that dogs typically do just fine on three legs. It'll alleviate the pain from the bone cancer right away.

That's the kind of thing ONLY my Mom would be willing to do! Your Mom sounds great. And now you can relax and enjoy your trip. I'm sure the dogs will be happier in their own home anyway!

Whooo hoooooo! I was going to weigh in that the Panacur helped George a lot when I first got him, but...maybe not necessary. Good news. Oh, and Meredith? George has L.S. Just thought I should let you know... Susan Aw, poor George. Are you doing depo-medrol shots? No. The specialist I went to said that she won't use steroids for LS since the condition is actually bones pressing on nerves, and that steroids only provide a temporary relief if there is inflammation of the soft tissue, and the side effects on the rest of the body (particulary with a steroid injection) are not worth it.

I also use ASPCA. VPI would not insure George because his creatinine levels come back as "abnormal." They're PERFECTLY normal for a Greyhound, but the little blood testing machine doesn't seem to care what breed of dog it's testing.

Advantix works well, but some people have reported reactions. Also, if you have a cat, DO NOT USE IT. My vet won't even give me a prescription; this stuff is apparently very dangerous to use around cats, and since my cats love on my houndie all the time, the vet won't let me use it.

Whooo hoooooo! I was going to weigh in that the Panacur helped George a lot when I first got him, but...maybe not necessary. Good news. Oh, and Meredith? George has L.S. Just thought I should let you know... Susan

My last dog was a mix, and the ONLY symptom he had when his throid went wonky was that his coat turned very brittle. My parents' English Setter also had a change in his coat, and he is hypothyroid too! Your description is quite indicative of a thyroid problem, and I would also suggest they run a full panel.

Look at the Greyhound Gang stuff--good prices, and proceeds help with their efforts! Plus--no filler junk!!! The vet and I just discussed this today; there is no hard evidence that it really does much of anything, but there is NO evidence that it's harmful, so she said to go for it with George. I've asked myown rheumatologist about it for myself--he actually laughed, then said not to waste my money. I'm using it for George, and used it on Kramer. I can't tell you if it did anything (Kramer had two major ortho surgeries), but it never hurt so I kept it up!

How many vaccinations did she get? My vet prefers to space them out. She may have been nervous, and had a lot to drink when you got home.