MaryJane

Are you feeding a high protein dog food? My Larry has both allergies as well as slight kidney issues and I found years ago that if he got more protein than his body could handle, he would drink up a storm and as a consequence, pee more. The same symptoms would also be caused if he had something he was allergic too (like chicken or noodles).

I have a seizure dog and have been dealing with it for 4 years - she has GM seizures and she clusters (more than 1 in 24 hours). If you are not already seeing a neurologist, then get an appointment with one (non negotiable, you need a neurologist). Make sure you keep track of all the seizures (date, time, and changes in household products used, new foods and so on). Seizure dogs can have a seizure and then have another one too quickly afterwards which can cause "status" (non-stop seizures). The key is to make sure that you have rectal valium (or something similar) that you give after the first seizure is over to make sure the 2nd is not too soon after the 1st. After a seizure, give a little bit of ice cream (good brand that uses real sugar). The ice cream helps to normalize the blood sugar because the convulsions use much energy and the coldness also seems to help calm them. I understand the seizures can be tough will they are going on but, most times they do end and the dog will be fine afterwards. There are a few other seizure dogs on the forum, hopefully they will chime in too. Lastly, if it was a tumor, it usually becomes evident after about 1 to 1 12/ years. If you do go to a neurologist, you really don't have to have the expensive tests like MRI and Spinal (unless you have insurance that covers it) as it does not seem to make much difference in the treatment options that you would likely pursue. For example, most people may not opt for brain surgery. edited to add ... the dog is not suffering .. maybe disorientated after coming out of a seizure but, not suffering.

Have not vetted to see if accurate. See link -- http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=36295

Did you start Amicar ? The Amicar would be to prevent bleeding issues which could be a possibility with 4 teeth being pulled.

I wouldn't give aspirin either ....

I never give my dogs wormers unless one of them gets a posiitve fecal. From my point of view, they have dangerous ingredients and the less my dogs have, the better.

Check out "focal seizures in dogs" on youtube ... many examples. Make sure the ice cream has "real sugar" and not the fake stuff. Applesauce also works to level out the sugar. The cold from the ice cream seems to have a soothing effect for some dogs (like my Lucy). On the blood tests, it is pretty much to rule out anything else. Also ask them if they have done any remodeling work (lead paint can cause seizures) or if they started using candles or anything else with a very strong scent as sometimes scents can trigger a seizure. They should also note the last time they did a flea preventative/heartworm. Also whether their neighbors had any "weed killers" put on their lawns.

My Larry has had his fair share of damaging cuts/severe scrapes to his legs and while most did not require stitches, some did. Late one night, he slipped on the outside stairs and ended up with a gash and I waited until the next day to take him in ... I should have taken him in ASAP as the skin started to die around the edges and they had to remove more of the flap to get a good seam when they stitched.

Larry loves his food and always finishes the bowl. He also has allergies to chicken and noodles so they are not in his diet but you could substitute them in. breakfast - 5 tablespoons cooked white rice, 1 cup cooked mixture of grits (1 tablespoon), 5 minute oats, and quick cooking oats cooked for 5 minutes. The grits has less protein than the oatmeal which is why a small amount is added. 5 level tablespoons (1/4 - 1/3 cup) of either cooked hamburger or chunks of cooked roast (more is NOT better). This gets mixed with almond milk until the consistency is pasty. I used to mix with milk, but almond milk has less protein. Breakfast supplements - 1 calcium pill (500 and NO vit D) and 1 multi-vitamin. He used to get 2 calcium pills but I changed suppliers and I think the new pills are more potent. The multivitamin should not have phosphorous. treat - homemade cookie (rice flour, wheat flour, peanut butter, a bit of cheese) snack - a teaspoon of peanut butter, a few potato chips, and about 1 slice of bread toasted with margarine. Dinner - 2 to 2 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup veggies (green beans, broccoli, carrots, zucchini), and between 1/4 to 1/3 cup hamburger or meat chunks. Dinner supplement - 1 calcium pill (500 mg with NO added vit D) and a fish oil capsule. treat - dog cookie snack - 2 tablespoons yogurt and 1 tablespoon applesauce I originally got this recipe from Dr. Remaillaid who was an Angel Memorial .. since then she has started he own website providing nutritional consults. Larry is now a tad over 13 and doing OK. He's a big boy so has trouble getting around. One important note is to make sure that you get a urine done at least once a year (maybe twice) and it should be a first morning specimen just to make sure nothing changes in the values.

The BUN and Creat are at levels that (to me) warrant further testing ... specifically doing a urinalysis to check for specific gravity and whether there is protein in the urine. The urine should be a first morning overnight specimen. My Larry's BUN was normal with just a slightly high creat but, his specific gravity runs low and because of that, he is on a homemade kidney diet (less protein) which he has been on for more than 10 years now.

Not sure if this would be interesting to you but, the link is to a horse that is having a prosthetic made to support the leg that was damaged but still intact. It might be worth checking to see whether it's possible to make a brace for a dog simply to keep the toes from dislocating worse then they are now. https://www.facebook.com/RosemaryFarm/photos/pcb.10155184723255012/10155184715995012/?type=1&theater

If there were just 2 seizures pretty far apart, the vet probably will not prescribe any seizure meds. BUT, you probably want to consider getting rectal valium, this would be used if your dog ever goes into grand mal seizures and they don't stop. This is not a very likely occurrence, the problem is that if it happens, you don't get a second chance to get it right and you would have to get to the vet within a few minutes and you would have to hope that they know how to handle the situation. Time would be critical and not many seizure dogs come out from this particular scenario in good condition. By the way, this is called "status epilepticus". The rectal valium is used to calm the electrical storm going on in your dog's head (this is an apt description of a seizure). It is fast acting and lasts for a few hours (less potency as time increases) and the intent is that it will stop the next seizure or keep it from happening to close to the previous one. It can also buy you time to get to the vet so they can get an IV of valium going or some other drug. You also need to make sure that if you get this, that they give you the rectal dose and not the oral one - there is quite a difference in the amount given between the two. Note, the oral dose will not have much of an impact to slow or stop a seizure, in other words, pretty useless. I would also suggest that if you are looking to medicate in the future, go to a neurologist as they have a better understanding of all the drugs available and the pros and cons. There is a online yahoo group for seizure dogs that is pretty good - some really awesome people with tons of experience and always willing to help ... the FB groups are not so good.

Actually, chicken is not the safest as it can be contaminated with bacteria much more easily because of the way the chicken is handled (also, the use of antibiotics is pretty arbitrary with chicken). A beef roast is probably the safest meat because the inside has not been touched and you can sear the outside to kill any bacteria. I usually give cooked hamburger to my dogs (except my IBD dog - she gets fish) and they do fine on it. Your dog could have a chicken allergy (one of my dogs has this) and if so, he won't be able to eat chicken or chicken fat. Dogs may/may not be susceptible to the bacteria that you find on chicken - hard to tell whether it will affect them before hand and you don't know what bacteria will be present. So .. you might be dealing with an allergy or with bacteria or maybe your dog can't handle raw protein well.

Check for a UTI as it can cause either an urgency to go or not being able to hold it.

The counterbalance and the leaning requirements have me concerned. Greyhounds have skinny legs and long backs neither of which are ideal for putting more weight on them then they would normally carry -- meaning they are built to just support their own weight. As GeorgeofNE says, maybe there are better dogs out there to meet your requirements - one that comes to mind is a pit bull mix as they are very strong and would likely not have a problem with leaning or being used for balance. edited to add ... I should also add that greyhounds may tend to be more independent than other dogs, actually sighthounds are general are more aloof and independent. These dogs have been bred to act independently and not really be a "partner in working" like a shepherd (for example) would be. Hunters used these dogs and let them go do the catching and then bring the food back - the dogs were on their own. Other breeds would be very happy to learn things for you but, a greyhound is more like .. "what's in it for me" or the "really" look that you can get. You can't do long training sessions as they get bored and start looking around and do not focus on what you want. This is not to say that they cannot be trained, they can .. you just need to decide whether it is worth the effort and the time.

Also, you didn't mention how old she is. Depending on age, you might want to get blood work and a urinalysis to rule out any kidney or liver problems if she hasn't had recent tests already done.

If your vet did not already mention - stop any supplements like fish oil as it has aspirin like tendencies in that bleeding times increase. You may also want to check the availability of Amicar in your area. This is increasingly being used in greyhound surgeries that might have "bleeding" and this drug helps in the clotting. It can be expensive so if it is available, then you have the choice to not get it until you know whether there are extractions or any reason to think that there may be more bleeding.

I'm sorry that you find yourself in this difficult situation. As others have noted, please rethink having an x-ray. One of your objections was the anesthesia and I wanted to mention that in many cases they do not have to put the dog under to do the x-rays. Your vet may be able to give a drug to keep anxiety down to a minimum and for just long enough to get the x-rays.

Looks like he is due in June so he should be at full "immune" strength to combat the Lyme at this time. With that, I wouldn't worry about it. My dogs have been bitten by many ticks and as long as they are current (IMO, within last 11 months) for the vaccine they should not have a problem.

When did he get the Lyme vaccine? When I first investigated getting the Lyme vaccine the vet told me that the effectiveness seems to drop near the last month so while you are technically covered for the year, there might be a slight drop off in the response. Now, this was a conversation a few years ago, so I don't know whether still true. But because of this, I started to do a 11 month cycle on the vaccine. There is also a question of whether this is still true if you have been giving the vaccine for a few years. Hmmm... this really doesn't answer the question of what to do though. So, with my dogs who get the Lyme vaccine .... when I find ticks, I just pull them off and wash the area.

You could try toast (Challah bread) with a bit of butter on it or make french toast from the challah. My dogs love this. I would be careful of the fat though - pancreatitis could be a concern if there is too much fat or a sudden increase on fat.

My dogs have gotten x-rays without being sedated. Reconsider a different vet if you cannot get the x-rays without sedation. Also, bring one of your muzzles as it will be less stressful.

My dogs always get "people food" although not raw. I give the 85 to 87 hamburger - the 72 would have too much fat.

Just wanted to mention that Larry started to get the cold laser treatments along with his adjustments last year and the laser made him noticeably worse. Normally after an adjustment he would sleep that day, the next day I would notice an improvement. When he got the laser treatments, he was worse the next day, like he was more tired. I did the treatments for a few months longer but, he was getting much worse. When I stopped the laser, and just continued with the adjustments, he was like a new boy again. I didn't mention in my previous posts that the reason I do the adjustments is that Larry has a bad corn on one of his front feet and it throws his balance off - the adjustments help to undo what the corn does to his balance. I also make sure that his adjustments are very gentle, nothing drastic. Larry is lucky in that the chiropractor comes to the house - he finds that his patients are less nervous getting the adjustments at home. Frankly, I don't know if I would do the adjustments if I had to take Larry to an office setting.

You didn't mention which state you're from ... is is Florida? It could be a plant allergy if you are having flowering/buds/grasses and so on starting. You might want to try adding some cooked oatmeal into his food - it's great for skin conditions and for keeping them regular.