PatricksMom

Murphy just turned 9. But the way he dances when he's happy--mommy came home, dinner time, walks, he seems like he could be much younger, although he's got an old, distinguished face. One of the ladies at the office took a whole bunch of pictures of the 4 of us, so we have some with DH and I in them.

Assumming we get a couple of days of Murphy feeling well, here's what's on his list: 1. Visiting the office ladies every day and getting fussed over. 2. Visiting my friend's yard to run after balls 3. Going to get icecream and getting fussed over by people. 4. Walking downtown Saturday and getting fussed over by people. 5. Apartment pool party and getting fussed over by people--the staff have told us he's getting a surprise. 6. Probably a steak if I can figure out how to cook it for him. 7. More new toys to destroy in 5 minutes. 8. All the loving we can give him. If you haven't seen the theme, Murphy lives for love and petting, even more than food and treats. Nothing makes him happier than leaning in while some stranger figures out how wonderful greyhounds are or lying in my lap and getting petted. It makes me so sad that after a life of not being loved, he's only had 4 months for us to love him, but I hope he's only remembering the last few months.

Prednisone stopped working and he was uncomfortable. The oncologist switched us to Dexamethasone 4mg/day, but the swelling in the abdomin has not gone done and one of the lymph nodes in his throat has increased in size. Either the new drug or the increased tramadol is keeping him comfortable for now. For right now, he's still a happy boy who eats with gusto and enjoys life, but these are not good signs. If things keep progressing, I think we'll have a wonderful weekend and the vet will come Monday. Please keep our sweet boy in your thoughts.

Oh Pam, I'm so, so sorry. PM me if you want to talk or have questions about what the next couple of months might be like.

Fish oil, but just being in a home may cause him to improve. What color is he? The dark hounds are stunning, but they show the flaky skin a lot more while you're sorting things out.

Here's the email I sent the oncologist--I'd appreciate thoughts from anyone w/experience with Lymphoma and/or Prednisone: "Murphy continues to do well--he is an active, happy boy. The last couple of days, we have seen the abdominal swelling resume. He does not appear at all uncomfortable and gentle belly rubs + gasx seem to be helping him keep everything moving. But we are wondering if increasing the Prednisone would be helpful in the longish term vs. the risk of increased side effects. He currently takes 30mg/day in the am. The only side effects we have seen are: 1) increased appetite and weight loss (the weight loss has stopped with substantially more kibble and two extra meals of boiled chicken breast and pureed vegetables) 2) loose bowels, and 3) increased drinking and urine output--concentration appears normal."

I don't intentionally feed garlic, but I don't panic if they get a bite of something with it either. Avocado is safe only if you want insane begging every time you attempt to eat one thereafter.

Thanks for the doseage. I gave him one last night after he ate half a loaf of bread. I've also been rubbing his tummy which helps and he loves.

I ended up risking a very gentle tummy rub which he loved, and it was smelly but did the trick. I did buy the Gasx though, I'll try that next time we need it.

Thanks--I bought the 125 mg. tablets--does anyone know how much I give him?

Murphy's experiencing periodic swelling of the organs in the abdomen associated with his lymphoma that causes the intestines to be out of place. I've noticed this makes him really gassy and I'm worried he's uncomfortable. Any thoughts on whether some gentle massage of his tummy is likely to make him feel better or worse? He's very stoic when actually hurting, so I'm nervous about making him worse and not realizing it. Any other ideas that might help?

Reporting tortilla chips have made a big difference here--still not great, but given the predisone a big help.

At that age, with medical issues, you do what you have to and be glad they eat.

I'd take him in, and definitly no asprin in the meantime. Hoping it's nothing serious.

Make sure you're switching foods slowly, even a food that would work can cause trouble if you just switch to it one day.

I'm so sorry to hear this, life is very unfair sometimes. Gentle hugs.

That's the best explanation I've heard for Henry yet.

Henry did this once with Murphy's dish when Murphy first arrived. At least he had perfect aim and it was easy to clean up. Hopefully your girl will stop this on her own soon.

How awful, hoping that the new antibotics help Henry feel better soon. What a nasty spider

It did, thank you for taking the time to answer so throughly. I'm curious on the other side too, why most human doctors seem to pay virtually no attention to weight (even when a person might weigh 1/2 to 3x the average weight in a clinical trial) but that's a question for someone else. I know there is begining to be a discussion of this issue with birth control efficacy, but I haven't really seen it elsewhere.

Berkkila, My already underweight boy acts like he's starving on Prednisone. I checked w/the vet and she said a small lunch of lean protein and some vegetables would help--so he's getting a small serving of boiled chicken and cooked peas. He's still acting like he's really hungry at bed time (and not just dogs always wanting food hungry) so we're going to start adding another small serving of chicken and peas. He won't be with us long though, so perhaps the advice would be different for your girl--have you asked your vet? If you need lean protein, boiled chicken is good and I've never seen a dog turn his nose up at it. If you need more fat, cooked ground beef, turkey, or chicken is good, just keep an eye to make sure it's not too lean.

I've always fed twice a day, never had a greyhound who was particular about an exact schedule. Murphy's eating a light lunch, now but that's because of the predisone and because there's no risk at this point of him gaining too much weight.

I've wondered about this for a while but the latest threat brought it back to mind. Why is it so dangerous to (potentially) slightly overdose the dog using the human brand. I'm asking, because I mentioned to my BIL who works for a pharmaceutical company that I usually ask doctors to start me on the smallest possible dose of anything possible, because I seem to need less medication than average and he pointed to my fairly low weight. But that doesn't seem to be a standard consideration for human doctors and they don't do it unless I ask. Are vets more careful on the whole than human doctors? Are dogs more sensitive than people? Are some drugs just a bigger deal--Meloxicam, benadryl, etc.? Is it because dog weights obviously vary more than people weights so the issue of weight is thought about more? Something else I haven't thought of? Anyway, curious to hear from any vet/vet tech/medical types/experienced people who want to chime in.

Hoping it's "just" an infection that can be treated by medicine. Poor Cash, at least you're on the path to some answers and getting her feeling better.

I'd take him in for pain relief, if nothing else. Hopping for the best.