MaryJane
-
Posts
3,298 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Store
Articles
Everything posted by MaryJane
-
Great to hear this about Tanzi! I hold my breath too ...
-
I emailed Dr. Couto and their # is 1K on WBC and I'm going to talk to the oncologists at Tufts about this. Is this the hemp oil ? https://www.innovetpet.com/products/purcbd Otherwise, Adam is doing good - he is starting to find his inner kangaroo ....
-
Adam was due for his 2nd chemo today but, his white count was too low -- 1.8. We have another scheduled for next Monday. Discouraging however, his new harness (Julius k9) has been pretty good minus some small issues.
-
I'm sorry that the harness is not working out well for you. The harness also starts to twist on Adam but, I do not have to adjust it that often. When we have been out, I might need to adjust once or twice. My main concern was having the handle so that I could use it to provide more support and that works excellent.
-
I got the harness 2 days ago and have used it for walks - loved it. It is exactly what I needed for walks as I no longer need to take his harness. If he gets tired, I can lift him a bit with the handle which I think is located perfectly. Since he is missing the front shoulder, the harness is a bit loose and I think as Neighsayer suggested, adding a thick sock will do the trick to provide a better fit and to cushion his chest. Adam's booboo is better in that the toe is not red and inflamed except that now - the nail that was causing the irritation looks cracked - not sure how that happened. Good to hear that the green tea worked for Bowie. I do get the random GSOD from Adam lately - not sure what he is trying to do when it happens, so can't investigate it further.
-
Adam is doing OK. He has a slight sore between two of his back toes and it's not too bad but watching it to make sure it does not get worse. I'm trying to get him out for short walks every day and he is doing real good - the surgeon said he needs to start exercising daily. I'm being careful as I don't want to get him tired or overheated - the new harness is not coming until the end of this week/beginning of next week. His next chemo is Monday, What are the ingredients of the green tea saline rinse - it might help Adam's sore.
-
Kidney disease will result in an ammonia smell to the breath - you might want to get a urinalysis (first morning catch) and some bloodwork to rule that out. An infection could also cause a foul smell to the breath - the vet may need to examine each and every tooth to see if there is a possibility of an infection.
-
How is Bowie doing?
-
When I looked at all the options that were listed - it started to look like the center of gravity for the Web Master was the middle of the body and that follows with what you were saying -- it would work better with rear amps. At first the Ezy & the Julius looked like they were not big enough to provide sufficient support however, after looking at them for more than 1 hour, I realized that I wanted the handle right near the shoulder blades like they had them. Whether it will work - don't know yet. It may rub against the suture line and cause irritation. My Onyx (about 15 years ago) was a rear amp and it is a bit different in the adjustments that you make for daily functioning. For example, the front amp has the bobbing head and Adam had on a loose buckle collar with his tags - noticed today that when he is hopping, he is closing his eyes - the reason, his collar is moving too much and the tags are hitting near the eyes as the collar slides up and down his neck (one bad mom here - should have noticed that before).
-
Thanks for all the suggestions - I thought I had my mind made up for the Web master but the other suggestions were really great andit made the final decision that much harder. I finally decided on the Julius harness as I'm intrigued by the front tilt but, it was a close decision between that and the Ezy dog. I already have a sling and have used that for the first weeks however, Adam has progressed past that. I wanted something to support his front weight just in case he gets tired on a walk and looking at the Web Master - that support was too near the middle of the dog. Turns out the Ezy and The Julius were exactly what I was looking for in that the support is closer to the shoulder blades. Here is the link to what I decided on (and again, thanks for the options) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9X5ZOO/ref=twister_dp_update?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
-
Adam had a front leg amputation about 4 weeks ago and is ready for more exercise. I want to be taking my boy for some nice walks but want the ability to help him if necessary (handle) and to make sure it is comfy (cushioned chest). With that in mind, I'm looking for a harness that has a handle and a cushioned area for the chest. I looked at Ruff Harness and not seeing exactly what I would like. Does anyone have any suggestions ? Thx.
-
Antibiotics - With Or Without Food?
MaryJane replied to Roo's topic in Health and Medical discussion
You can also try some yogurt. One of mine used to love yogurt and cheerios after he had chemo - only thing he would eat. -
It takes time but, they will eventually get into the routine of the house - these dogs are all about routines. Most of my fosters would try and wake me early and I would take them out and settle them back in bed after. They would eventually realize that getting up earlier does not mean they get fed earlier. Having an alarm clock might help as they will learn that the alarm going off means that the "humans" get up. Also think about starting to use code words like "too early" or "go back to bed". This is all new to them - give him time to settle and get used to his new home.
-
Adam had his first chemo this past Monday and all went well. He got Cerenia to control any upset tummy and that helped keep his appetite steady. He's due for bloodwork next week to access the impact on his WBC.
-
My Old Greyhound Struggling With Sleeping Downstairs
MaryJane replied to a topic in Training and Behavior discussion
When this happened to my older dog, I slept downstairs with him. I bought a cheap mattress and put it in my dining room. -
I feed mine home-made but, if I foster I usually have a bag of this around. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MGAIDI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-
The 2 weeks from hell is over... and Adam is getting used to the adjustments that tri-pods need to make, laying down and getting up much easier, and back to eating but, still fussy - he turned the corner on Tuesday. He's scheduled for Chemo on Monday.
-
Diarrhea And Hookworm Questions
MaryJane replied to macoduck's topic in Health and Medical discussion
I would suggest that they remove the salmon - as someone mentioned, it is an oily fish and can cause loose poop. Instead, have them try white fish like tilapia. The hamburger should also be lean as too much fat cause result in digestive issues. Consider adding some tablespoons of well-cooked brown rice to the white rice mixture as that has more fiber than the white rice - a caution here, do not do too much brown rice as it might be hard to digest in the beginning. Also add some cooked and mashed green beans - that has fiber as well. -
Thanks for the information ... Based on what you have all said, I will still be continuing the pain meds at least into the weekend which would be about 9 days. He had some edema in the good front leg but that has come down significantly yesterday and no longer builds up again during the day. He sleeps fitfully and if I am not right next to him during the night, he will get up and want to move. If he sees me, he re-positions and goes back to sleep. During the day, if he wakes and can't see me, he will go looking for me, so he is able to get up and down and get around. Very little edema or bruising at incision site and I have to thank the amicar and the med student (she was icing his chest every few hours). He gets around both inside and outside but, still very tired supporting all the weight on one front leg.
-
Adam had the leg removed last Thursday and while I might have taken him home Saturday, it ended up being Sunday as there is a national shortage of oral Amicar and even the equivalent Tranexamic was not in stock in most places - I only found it at Costco after checking many other pharmacies in my area. Sunday night, as expected, difficult as he had a hard time finding a comfortable position & place and would come over to where I was sleeping and we would move to another room and bed for him to see if it worked better - this was happening through the night. Monday night was more manageable and I found if I slept right next to him so he could see me, he didn't need to get up. He also started sleeping on the incision side yesterday ... I didn't expect that .. maybe it is different with front amps. Bruising, so far, is much less than expected. He was on Amicar the morning of surgery and he has his last tranexamic today. He is managing to get around, I still help with a sling going up and down the ramp to the outside yard. He did come home with the other front leg swollen and bruised however, it gets better overnight and then as he uses it during the day, it starts to accumulate fluids. As expected, he is very tired having to support weight of front part on one leg. He does not have a fentanyl patch, instead they put in pain control at the site (relatively new) which lasts for a few days. The first night was the worst for the pain and I have dropped the dosage since then from 2 Tramadol & 1 Gabapentin every 6 hours to 1 tramadol & 1 Gapabentin every 8 hours. I do not want to drop the pan meds too quickly however, it looks like he doesn't need as much or as often. Would appreciate if anyone can remember how long before their dog was weaned off pain meds.
-
Tanzi's 7Th Ampuversary Checkup
MaryJane replied to MP_the4pack's topic in Health and Medical discussion
Great news ! -
FYI -- I forgot to mention that when I had the consult with the surgeon at Tufts, one of the options was a limb-sparing procedure. It might be an option in dogs where the affected bone is near the wrist - they cut the bone and fit a metal piece to take it's place. It seems to be an option that is used in large dogs that cannot do the "hop". Survival statistics are not well known. Adam's surgeon did not recommend it for greyhounds as their skin is so delicate and it looks like they are prove to more infections from this procedure than other dogs (however, no stats on that). The odds look better with amputation and chemo however, for people looking for an another option, this supposedly removes the pain as the infected bone is gone and I think (not 100% sure) it can be followed up with chemo. I remember back around 2004, the only place that was providing this was Colorado State University as part of their research.
-
I'm sorry to hear about the results. I'm not familiar with osteo in the toe - would there be an option to remove the toe and continue with Chemo ?
-
I recently had this diagnosis for my Adam (7 1/2). He will be going in for his amputation this week. Heartbreaking but, you make your decisions and move forward. My intent is that I will deal with it daily rather than trying to figure it all out beforehand .. As someone already suggested - read the osteo thread (there are about 8 of them). The threads have great information starting with pain medication dosages along with what you can expect after amputation and things you need to do to prepare as well as some stories about people that have done pallative treatment. What really helped with my decision is someone provided videos of their dogs 1 to 2 months after amputation - they were running in the yard. Good luck in whatever you decide. The osteo thread is here -- http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/318606-osteo-thread-part-9/
-
Good to hear that you seem to have the nausea under control.