GeorgeofNE

Try not to panic; my last dog (not a Grey) had very dilute urine in his older years. We never really pinned down WHY, but switching him to Hill's K/D was enough to keep him comfortable (meaning he was able to hold it again!). Hopefully your doctor is going to repeat the tests on a different sample? You need more than one dilute urine sample to be sure she's not concentrating urine well.

Oh, what a crummy day you had! Speaking from personal experience, the pred should make him feel better within 2 or 3 days, and he will feel MUCH better. Hang in there.

The article I have says the SG should be 1.020 or greater (Feeman article). Doesn't seem to have actual values for the others.

As much as we rely on and like our vets, a veterinary practice is a business. You have the right to go to whatever vet you want, for whatever reason you want. It would be very thougthful to let your far away vet know you've been happy with them--but you really have no obligation to do anything at all in that regard. I left my former vet because he kept tacking on a $2.50 hazardous waste disposal fee to my visits. Didn't seem reasonable to charge every client a fee for their Sharps disposal waste when they pay a set rate no matter how many needles are in the box. The notion that they were willing to lose my three cats and a dog as patients of $2.50 made me realize that even though they always treated me just fine, I'm a customer to them, not a friend.

I buy mine from a registered pet pharmacy--I would think they're as legitimate as any other place that legally dispenses prescription meds? There really should be a difference between a registered pharmacy and some CheapPetStuff.com retailer...I hope!

Yes! One of my parents' dogs has something similar going on in her mouth. I am so sorry I can't remember what the vet said. Whatever it is, it appears to be something easily removed. Some nice antibiotics, I bet he's good to go!

Your female mix looks SO much like my dearly departed Kramer, it almost made me cry! Check it out: Needless to say, I think she's a beauty! Oh, and your greyhound is lovely too! I'm so sorry about her teeth! I had a cat once that lost almost all of his teeth in one visit. It blew my mind! Ah well, she'll pay you back in love in no time!! Welcome. Susan in Boston

quote name='bobandpolly' date='Jun 22 2008, 08:28 AM' post='3424484' "Thanks all for the warm welcome, and great advice. One question on borrowing a crate. What we have read so far is that the greys can be a bit possessive about the crate, and therefore assumed a used one would be a bad thing due to having possibly been "marked" by a previous dog. Then again, I might be able to answer my own question.... sighthounds aren't big on using the old sniffer so a simple cleaning is all it might take to get rid of the scent. " I don't know where you got the idea that Greyhounds don't use their noses! Yes, they HUNT by sight, but I've never seen a dog sniff and track smells they way my Greyhound does! But as to borrowing a crate--they're not possessive of it in that manner--if a dog was using the crate, and his bed and toys were in it, he might be upset if another dog went in it--but your dog-to-be won't smell the remnants of another dog on the crate and refuse to go in it! A simple cleaning is more than sufficient. Everything in your dogs world will be brand new to it--don't worry too much about the little stuff! My dog found THREE sandwiches in the woods around my building in his first few weeks home! Now, I had NO IDEA we had a tuna bush in our woods, but apparently we do! I guess there are people who believe that when you're finished with a sandwich, you should just toss it in the bushes. The dog moved in and thought he landed in sandwich heaven! They have EXCELLENT noses, use them well, and use them often! I've heard of dogs climbing on top of beds and stealing food off the top of book shelves! I got my crate on eBay, believe it or not. I paid a very low price for the crate, and a really high price for shipping, but the total combined was way, way less than buying it at a pet store! You can often find used ones in the local listings too. Welcome, and good luck!! Oh, and someone suggested Advantix: if you have a cat, you can't use that, FYI.

You got to meet Joe and Logan and Donna and Klaus? I am envious! Congratulations on Buddy! You must be the folks that little Miss Peanut and Miss Janet visited?? Welcome.

Welcome! Delilah looks like a beagle/spaniel mix to me--I grew up with hunting dogs. Truth is, we never REALLY know! My last dog was a mix, and I used to make up new mixes as it suited me since really, there's no way to tell! She's adorable! Welcome, and congratulations on all the neat new things in your life.

Oh dear, do I have experience with this! You bet! My last dog was a mix. He suffered a complete ruputure of his ACL running on a flat grass field. One yelp, and he refused to bear any weight on it, period. I happen to live within spitting distance of Angell Memorial animal hospital, so I called them in a panic. They said I had to see an orthopedic specialist (even the receptionist, apparently, knew what had happened) and could I be there at 8? I said yes, jumped in the car, and drove like a maniac. Got there by 8 AM. Sadly, she meant 8 PM, so had to take him home and wait for 12 hours. I was told that the ONLY reasonable course for him (75 pounds, 5 years old) was TPLO surgery. Long, long story short: he had the surgery. He didn't heal, didn't heal, didn't heal, didn't heal...finally he would use it normally, so I figured all was well. Almost a year to the day from the original surgery, he spiked a massive fever, and screamed if I touched him. Raced him off to my regular vet, who checked him in immediately. Turns out he had a bone infection (which is why he didn't heal--thanks a lot board certified orthopedic surgeon for not realizing that the 6 times I brought my dog back for you to look at). Massive amounts of antibiotics were given, and he was scheduled for another surgery. They took out the metal plate that was put in during the TPLO (the bones were fused, so it was no longer needed) and had to drill into his bone because one of the screws had broken off. They had to drain his joint, etc. Cost of TPLO and aftercare: about $3,200. Cost of surgery to remove TPLO hardware, and medication to cure bone infection: $3,500 This is a very rare outcome--and once the infection was cured, he had many more happy years, and although he did have arthritis, he ulitmately died of a malignant tumor--but could still get around really well. The biggest problem with TPLOs is owners who refuse to limit their dog's exercise as much as the vet tells them to. You should also know that they estimate that 60% of all dogs who tear one ACL will tear the other within a year. I tried to get insurance for Kramer, and the only policy I could get excluded any muscular-skeletal issues...so I didn't bother.

I would have an x-ray done before I'd even discuss an MRI. Am I correct that each one of these episodes involved a ride in the car? I wonder if he's tweaking something getting into or out of your vehicle. Seems odd that it never happens at home.

Is it undigested food, or biley-foaming stuff? It makes a difference...

I don't want to freak you out, but pacing, panting, and vomiting could indicate a serious problem (panting and pacing could equal PAIN) and personally I would call the vet ASAP.

My old dog was bitten by a squirrel; I called the vet in a panic, and he said, "You know those rabies shots that he gets? They work." What you describe sounds like a minor nip versus a serious bite. If it's right near her nose, then she's just going to lick off whatever you put on it, but if it was my dog I'd wash it well with a betadyne solution and give the neosporin a try anyway, and follow up on Monday!

Oh man! I had horses for many years, and Murphy's is the soap of choice FOR RIDING TACK. I've never heard of anyone using it on an animal! Interesting! I use wonderful Nova Pearls shampoo. Remember, a greyhound doesn't need frequent bathing!

You weren't walking with Miss Jennifer by any chance were you. I wonder if she walked on stinging ants or something? Sounds like an allergic reaction for sure. One night my poor Kramer's entire face blew up. He looked like a Shar Pei (this was a pit bull mix, not a greyhound). Wonderful Wonderful Benadryl, and a few hours later he was right as rain.

I paid around $435 for George's dental--no extractions, no serious tartar, some x-rays. I paid close to $700 at the same place for my CAT, who had 16 teeth pulled... In the grand scheme of things, it's more important to find a vet who you're comfortable with and who has the experience to handle the task.

Your vet needs to look at that at this point. It could be many different things--I can't imagine any vet attempting to diagnose a skin problem over the phone. A scraping test is painless and not expensive. Whatever caused the irritation may be long gone, but if the dog is still chewing and licking it, creating a "hot spot," he could have a mild infection brewing, and he might need a short course of antibiotics.

I used it for several years, but the clinic I go to now won't prescribe it--I believe they read some studies that it is not as effective as some other treatments? I can't really remember, but I didn' twant to argue about it either!

No need to see the vet for a little scrape anymore than you need to take a child to the doctor for a boo boo on the knee! Wash it and leave it be. In a few days it'll be gone! George gets marks like that from walking in bushes! Skin like an old woman on prednisone!!

If you're still giving her yogurt--stop. Yogurt gives my dog diarrhea. Many dogs cannot digest dairy. If you said you had already, I apologize!

That's probably enough--but clearly there is a problem with the dog. If the vet needs more urine they can get it themselves! It's a lot easier with one tech walking and the other catching--or they can just go straight into the bladder for it. Poor boy! I hope whatever it is clears up quickly.

Fenway may technically still be a puppy, but he's well past the age where housebreaking should be an issue. You know the problems I've had--I would certainly have his urine tested!

Dogs can be allergic to plenty of things that are NOT food. Itchy feet and ears are classical signs of allergies, but I guess the doggy dermatologist's opinion is worth a lot more than mine! Does the itching stop if you put the dog on a course of prednisone?