MaryJane

Do you know if they ran an amylase test? It's not specific for pancreatic issue but, can be suggestive of pancreatic issues based on other findings. Just a note, decades ago this was a pretty standard test to detect pancreatic issues in people but, I don't know if it is still used as heavily now.

18 months is a big milestone - glad to hear that he's doing well!

Give her about 1/2 cup of cooked oatmeal (5-minute cooking type) at her first meal and add a bit of molasses in. Decrease the kibble by about 1/4 cup. Most of the commercial dog foods that are "sensitive stomach/skin issues" contain oatmeal so she is unlikely to be sensitive to it but, it could happen. If she gets diarrhea within 24 hours of eating her first meal of it then it would probably be from the oatmeal. Ad a side bonus, I find that oatmeal firms up the poops since it has fiber in it.

I would suggest three things - get a culture of one of the pustules - she could have a staph infection and if so, you might need to get a culture and make sure she is on the right antibiotic. Next. try adding some oatmeal to her food - oatmeal can help keep the skin from being itchy and it can help to grow hair - my dogs get it every day. Third, try switching to Z/D - it is a food for dogs with allergies. You can see after a week if the Z/D and oatmeal have made any difference and in that time, the culture would be back.

I'm so sorry.

This is great news! I'm glad that you hung in there and that everything seems to have worked itself out.

I did the consultation form about two weeks ago but haven't heard anything so far. I also made a contribution which I was very happy to do, even without the consultation request. At that point I just had questions and was unsure how to get the films to them. I think the doctors here are confident about what Ben has. Scott and I talked about the free chemo but we didn't feel right asking for it because we have insurance. We thought perhaps OSU could help someone without insurance. We are regular hard working people with not very deep pockets but I know the gift of free chemo would be a god send and make a difference in some lucky pup's life who isn't insured. Of course free chemo would be wonderful but it just doesn't somehow feel right to ask for and accept it. If you haven't heard in two weeks - submit it again, they got back to me in about 2 days on an x-ray I sent to them.

Get him tired. I'm using one of the rope toys for my new boy Adam who just turned 2 (returned for some not desirable behavior) and he plays with it himself by tossing it in the air and then running at full speed in circles trying to pick it up. I take him out in my back yard for this twice a day and he does it for 10 to 20 minutes. If you can, you also want to walk him at least 40 minutes a day.

IMHO, this is sounding more like an allergic reaction rather than dry skin. You could try adding some oatmeal into his food - sometimes it can help soothe minor skin irritations. Also, oatmeal seems to be great for growing hair .... It could also be a reaction to laundry detergent or softener - maybe use the scent free and hypoallergenic ones.

It all sounds like an infection and since the surgery was relatively recent that would be my first thought that here is an infection inside - as someone mentioned, maybe the sutures breaking down or something was not closed well .... The blood and protein in the urine also needs to be addressed but, not sure whether this is the cause for his current problems. I suggest seeing a specialist or getting a second opinion about whether this could be from the surgery.

Some of my fosters that had this issue ... She might have sensory overload and in that case - you might just need to stand outside (maybe your driveway) and not go anywhere until she loses her fear of that spot. If she can do that move to a spot that has a bit more distraction and just stand there and watch the world go by. Next, just move back and forth a few yards and see if she keeps up. Is this a new dog or is it a new problem with a dog that you have had for awhile?

If you are not seeing mange on the dog - I wouldn't treat. Years ago one of my friend's dogs got mange on his face and the treatment he underwent was either a cream or a shampoo to get rid of it. If you check online, you might also be able to find a "natural repellant" for it. I'd would also do a google search on this as it seems that you really need to wash all the bedding and so on because of the possibility of re-infection.

She doesn't have to be put under to hull the corn - they can do it while they are standing up. I usually put a muzzle on them but. if done right -- the dogs don't usually make any fuss. There is a video online somewhere that a vet put together that shows how to hull it while they are awake.

IMO it was most likely the treat. I found that if the food was upsetting enough to cause diarrhea the first time they had it then it would happen between 4 to 24 hours after eating. With my foster dogs I also found that the "1 cup" point was when many would start getting the loose stools if it was going to happen again.

That's great -- has the ophthalmologist thought about writing a paper on it since there was such clear improvement?

I would probably drop off a urine for a urinalysis if you are concerned as she could have a UTI. IMO going for any Cushing tests are probably not warranted at this time.

Sometimes a "simple" walk can work wonders. You're together but, don't have to interact if neither of you feel the need to.

How sad. She seemed like a sweet girl from her first picture.

Thanks, it was a "first morning catch" or as close to it as possible. He got me up around 3:00am to go out and I got the sample when I let him out at around 7:00am so there had been about a 4 hour time period when he didnt go, but he had not been drinking water during the night so I think I got a pretty good sample. I may ask you for your home-made diet if we determine thats what is causing it. Actually, it seems like your vet is trying to get the protein level down to see if that could be the cause of the excessive drinking. IMHO, this seems like a reasonable diagnostic step to take to rule out protein as a factor. If you don't like the k/d (about 14% protein), try the z/d dog food - it has about 19% protein and I think that this dog food would also help to rule out food allergies which could also cause excessive drinking. As a note, the only way to determine whether the protein level or type of protein in the dog food is the problem, is to change the diet and try it for awhile - that becomes (in effect) a diagnostic test because if your dog does better and stops drinking as much, then the diet is likely to be the problem and you can continue with an elimination diet from there to determine what in the diet is the problem. Remember, many of these dog food companies have moved manufacturing to China or they are sourcing materials from China and the quality control in developing nations is not at the same level as it is in the developed nations.

The wound looks pretty tough - must be painful. Hope he's doing better today. No advice about how to keep it covered except that you might not want to get fleece near the wound because some types of fleece might pill and actually catch on the area. Might be better to go with cloth diapers if it is going to be near the incision.

I agree with this, see a neurologist please.

Was the urine a "first morning catch" ... if not, it could have been more dilute than normal. I suggest that you catch the "first morning specimen" and have the specific gravity rechecked. Larry runs slightly higher on the creatinine which by itself in a greyhound is not unusual but, with a lowered specific gravity the situation becomes more murky (Larry's specific gravity is also on the low end). After discussions with my vet at that time, we decided to keep Larry's protein at the lower end but a higher quality protein (which is more usable) and with that in mind, I had a home-made diet formulated for him. He has been on the diet for years and he seems like he is doing OK .. at least for now. There are some dog foods that run about 19 to 20% protein which my vet had also recommended. Larry also has food allergies that have gotten worse over the years. I have noticed that if he is allergic/sensitive to something in the food he will drink much more and then as a consequence urinate more. I'm not sure if the allergic reaction is somehow irritating to the kidneys but, that is what appears to happen. Also, if I increase the amount of protein in Larry's food to what would be a "normal" or "high normal" amount, he starts to drink more and of course will have to urinate more. This is not to say that Frank doesn't have an infection, that could also be responsible for the problems that you have noted. As an elimination step in diagnosing, I don't think it would hurt to be on K/D for a week and see if it decreases the amount of drinking (and urination) and if it doesn't help, then you could go back to a regular diet afterwards.

You mentioned that he does not want to walk but, you didn't say whether he is peeing in the morning before you go to work. If he isn't, then that is likely the problem. You might need to change the routine a little bit to see if that is the issue - maybe go to a different place. You might also want to check to see if there is any construction going on in the area - something out of the ordinary that might be getting him upset.

Great news! Glad it went OK

I don 't give bones -- it's a good way to get a broken tooth.