MaryJane

Did they do a urine -- it would be interesting to know what is the protein and specific gravity is.

Keep it simple, don't use any combination killers. I use Iverheart which is for heartworm. My dog gets the Lyme vaccine every year so I worry about ticks but at least she is safe from Lyme. Some of the yard sprays may contain rosemary which can be a trigger for seizure dogs.

I did hospice care for a greyhound that had lymphoma and the owners were not going to pursue any treatments. The diagnosis was for less than a month. She was with me almost 6 months and the only thing that I changed was doing a cooked home-made diet which was easier to swallow so, I would be very careful changing the diet. She was not in any pain during this time and she was happy. She loved sitting outside on my porch watching the world go by. The last few days, the lymphoma caused neurological issues where she would suddenly fall to the side but this was very infrequent and there was no pain associated with this. After the incident, she would be confused for a few minutes and then be OK. I have a seizure dog so this was not necessarily alarming to me. However, the incidents increased and the owner made the painful decision that it was time. I got a bit wordy but, my intent was to convey that she was not in any pain and she was happy until the last day - her quality of life was good. Her owner continued to visit frequently which made her even happier. This greyhound was a very pretty little girl. You can check with the oncologist but, this type of cancer is not like osteo which is extremely painful. There is a database that has all the clinical trials that are currently going on - that would be new treatments that they are testing. I will see if I can dig up a link on it. The link is https://ebusiness.avma.org/aahsd/study_search.aspx

My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

I have never limited the water intake of my greys however, they do not usually empty the bowls. I have noticed that dogs that I have fostered might tend to do this for a week or two until they adjust to the new surroundings so, it could be that the dog is nervous. However, as others suggested, check with the vet.

Two of my dogs that had osteo had the leg amputated and had some great months after - the pain was gone with the amp. If you are not considering amputation, then the pain can get very bad very quickly - it seems about 6 weeks (maybe 8) by about when greyhounds seem to max out the pain meds (but that is just my opinion) and they no longer control the pain. The osteo leg is also prone to fracture which adds another concern. There are other options like radiation and infusions to strengthen the bone that may also help with the pain but, you still have the issue of a possible fracture.

As others have noted - why is your dog on a low fat diet? Also, I find that getting a volume amount that your dog can get a day works better than a percentage. For example, if a dog is on a low protein diet and, they are eating a 20% protein commercial food, it really doesn't tell you how many grams of protein they are getting each day. Whereas, knowing how many grams your dog can get each day and then how much protein is in a 1/2 cup (for example) allows you to fine-tune the dietary needs. You can do the same thing with oil - maybe your dog can have 1/4 teaspoon a day (or maybe none). If you want to give Omega, then maybe flaxseed but, that also has oil. I provided a link to ground flaxseeds and the ingredients notes that 2 tablespoons have 6 gram of oil but, you might be able to give 1 teaspoon (or 1/2) for 1 gram or less of oil a day. As noted in previous, check with the vet to see if any additional oil cen be given and if yes, may go with a product where you can control how much you are given like the ground flaxseeds. https://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Essentials-Organic-Ground-Flaxseed/dp/B00DOKFLYI/ref=pd_cp_325_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00DOKFLYI&pd_rd_r=485fad4f-6c0b-11e8-b33d-c9c11baedd41&pd_rd_w=LPnIO&pd_rd_wg=BIrRy&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=80460301815383741&pf_rd_r=WDMR0X2AB7WBX0A2H624&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&refRID=WDMR0X2AB7WBX0A2H624&th=1

Since the barking is after he wakes up, I would think it is his way of checking whether anyone is around.

If you read the whole article, it is specifically looking at grain-free and boutique foods.

I did another search and found that Mass is moving gabapentin to Class 5 - 1st phase was 8/1/2017 and 2nd phase is 8/1/2018 - so people in Mass might be having more issues with refills after August this year. http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/states-starting-to-respond-to-gabapentin-abuse/pharmaceutical

FYI -- I was surprised to see that Gabapentin has been classified as a class 5 drug in Kentucky meaning that prescriptions are being monitored. There is some question whether this change of classification will spread to other states. I know some people have their greyhounds on this for pain, seizures, anxiety and these are just a few things it has been used for. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/americas-heroin-epidemic/health-officials-are-sounding-alarm-drug-gabapentin-it-s-not-n861111

Pulling a piece of grass out of a dog's butt might actually cause a pain like a paper cut - so it could cause a dog to react. I am always extremely careful if I have to pull a piece of grass or hair and do it very, very slowly.

The chemo will lower the circulating white blood cells in the blood however, the bone marrow is always creating new ones. Most times, the white blood cells are high enough at 3 weeks after the chemo treatment to have another chemo treatment but, greyhounds tend to recover slower so the white cells might not be at a high enough level at 3 weeks so, their treatment could be pushed out to every 4 weeks or so. When there is a low white blood count, there is more of a susceptibility for infection as the white blood cells fight infections so, if their count is very low, the oncologist may prescribe antibiotics. Another note is that greyhounds run lower on the white blood cells normally so, this also needs to be taken into account when identifying the level of white blood cell count where it will be OK to have another chemo treatment.

There are many threads about spooks so, I will encourage you to check those. I would like to make two comments - one is that I would not take this dog to an off-leash area as you have very little control over her now and having her off-leash is not safe. Along the same line, other dogs in this area could be making her more anxious and resulting in over-stimulation. I would probably take her for walks in relatively calm areas with very little going on. Taking easy walks while you talk to her will let her start to bond to you. The second comment is concentrate on having a bonding process with one person (you) and leave your husband to the side for a week or two - wait until she starts to go to him and eventually, if she feels safe she will start to investigate her territory and the people in it. Please remember, this new life is confusing for her and maybe by limiting the amount of stimulus, you can get her to calm down and not go into "panic mode". I would not have her meet people for a few weeks (maybe longer) unless you can watch her like a hawk and see if she is giving you some signals that she is ready to react badly - unfortunately, the signals might be hard for you to spot. When I used to foster dogs and they first came into my house, I would let them make the decision as to when they wanted to interact with me, I would wait until they approached me ... it could take a few days. In the interim, I would talk to them and use their name as much as possible. I would take them for walks (usually with harness and leash) and depending on the dog, I would either walk quickly (if they were willing) or go very slow, or in some cases, just stand there. It depends on how the dog was handling the situation. As already noted, spooks are not for everyone and only you and your family can determine how much you can take on. edited to add -- I forgot to mention that the biting seems to occur at the door - because of that I would suggest keeping her away from other people at the door - maybe the area is tight, maybe the doors scare her (some greyhounds are scared of doors), maybe the lighting is different - could be a range of issues. In other words, iIdentify where the problems occur and try to limit her exposure there to keep the problem from happening. This is not to say that you will not work on theproblem at some time ... just not now.

That's great!

You might be able to get off the pain meds now although, the stitches might make her a bit more sore. As to walks, shes going to get tired more easily when she is hoping however, they do not seem to tire as much if they are trotting/running. I might suggest getting a harness with a handle to help on walks - I have posted a link previously in this thread on the ones that I have used. Make sure that she gets the Cerenia shot and pills for the nausea when she gets the chemo. As to taking away one of her legs -- maybe adjust your thinking so that you understand that there were 4 paths - either do nothing and have her in pain and euthanize her in anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks (risk of fracture), or use radiation to control the pain but increase the chances of a fracture (unless bone strengthening is also done, or lastly - remove the cancer pain by amputating and then lastly, use chemo to kill remaining cancer cells. The pain from the cancer is the worst and is not easily controlled as people that have done amputation begin to realize when they see their dogs pain free. If it is a toss-up between a leg and a life, the choice is easy.

I searched this on google and cannot find anything suggests this except statements from a "raw food maker" that do not appear to be backed up by studies. Would appreciate links that you might share ...

Greyhounds seem to be more susceptible to pancreatitis when they are fed high fat diets. Recent studies seem to pull away from the low carbs for cancer as it seems that research is now identifying that protein is used as much if not more than carbohydrates by the cancer cells to grow,

For my dogs - I found a few stairs was OK but, not a whole flight.

The harness that I used when I took my boy for his vet appointments or for walks was a Julius harness that was placed over the front shoulders. As noted by others, the harness will slip around. Even with that, I found that with the handle, I could help him if he got tired and I could make sure that he didn't slip on the animal hospital's waxed floors. I might suggest that you wait until after the first 2 weeks to see if you need to make an investment in a harness like this. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9X5ZOO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The sling that I got about 14 years ago for my 1st dog's amp has served me well through another dog's amp -- https://www.walkaboutharnesses.com/products/walkabelly-support-sling it is fleece-lined and fastens with velcro. Very easy to put on and take off. The handle helps to lift some of the dog's weight through the hops. As to chemo - it is not just the cost of the chemo drug - it is the bloodwork that has to be done each time, it is the vet tech's time, doctor's time along with the day stay at the hospital and may include the Cerenia shot (nausea) and the meds to take home . It may even include x-rays. I suggest that you check with Purdue and find out the details of the cost. Is Purdue doing any clinical studies that your dog might qualify for, that might help to alleviate some of the costs. Also, talk to the Greyhound Initiative - they pay for the carboplatin drug but, you have to be a member. Dr Couto consults through this organization and with a membership, the consult fees are reduced. https://www.greyhoundhealthinitiative.org/

She has to learn how to move by hopping and that does not come naturally at the beginning. I used the sling to help my dog hop - helping to lift his weight at the front in a hopping motion. It is still early, as Greysmom noted. sleep in shifts and give the meds when they are due. The pain meds might cause more anxiousness (crying) but, they need the meds to keep pain under control which is usually for 7 to 10 days (as I remember). You may also have to sleep right next to your girl as my boy would get very anxious if he woke up and didn't see me - it was much easier to just lie down next to him during the night. Take each day at a time for the first 2 weeks - you may question your decision but, please remember, it gets better and very quickly after the 2 weeks of hell.

The towel should work to be able to get her in and out to pee and poop. It helps if she is lying on a bolster bed rather than a regular bed and you want to make sure that the weight is distributed such that the remaining front leg is not being kinked in any way - I would usually lift my dog at the shoulder a bit and settle him into the bed in a better position. While your dog is going to need to sleep and rest - maybe plan on getting your dog up about every 3 to 4 hours and outside and moving a bit. You may need to use the sling to help her hop along. The pain after amputation is controllable unlike the pain from the osteo - keep to a regular schedule for the pain meds so that the pain does not get ahead of you.

The first 2 weeks are hell after amputation but, the recovery after that is usually astounding. They are usually out of pain and they are feeling so much better - it just awhile to get used to hopping. Make sure to give the amicar for the 5 days as they recommend and make sure it is the proper dose - you can check with Dr. Couto on the amount to give.

Your dog is biting another dog at the dog park, That is a problem. Don't take him to dog parks anymore or the next incident may not be minor.