Hawthorn

I'm so sorry to hear that Merlin is still suffering . I don't have much experience of this but will tell you a little story about Charlie, my first greyhound, in case it helps at all. Charlie started suffering from recurrent bouts of bloody diarrhoea when he was 6 years old. My vet at the time called it colitis and I'm really not sure how similar or not this is to IBD, but the symptoms seem very similar. Over the course of about 6 months he had several bouts, which were treated with antibiotics and steroids and a bland home-cooked diet. Each time I would think he was better and then he'd get another bout. I started to do my own research into alternative cures, and discovered aloe vera gel. If you google it, you'll find a fair amount of information about its use in people and dogs with digestive complaints. Anyway, I started giving it to Charlie every day and he never had another bout and was eventually able to eat a normal diet again. I carried on giving it to him for the rest of his life. I hesitated to post this, because I obviously can't be sure that it was the aloe vera that helped Charlie (although I do strongly believe that it was) and one anecdote doesn't amount to much at the end of day, but I decided I would mention it because I know that if I were in your position I'd want to hear about anything which might possibly help. However, please feel free to take my comments with a large pinch of salt ... My continued best wishes for Merlin and you .

Just wanted to add my best wishes for Merlin's speedy recovery . How very scary for you Kerry .

I'm so sorry Josie . Rest in peace Tuffy.

Glad it went well! After your last thread, in which I posted that I had similar concerns about my own spooky girl, Sophie developed a skin growth and it was looking like it would have to be removed under GA. I talked to the vet about my concerns and asked if I could stay for sedation and catheter insertion and to my surprise she agreed. As it happens, the skin growth went away on its own so the surgery wasn't required, but it's nice to know that our vet is willing to listen to my concerns and work with me in this way. Did Nina have a catheter inserted for fluids? If so, did you stay with her for that? I think this is the thing that worries me the most, as last time (different vets) they told me Sophie got "upset" when they put in the catheter and she came home with an inch-long cut in her leg .

As the limping started after a fall, that would seem to me to be the most likely cause. Falls can result in misaligned vertebrae and if this is in the neck, it could certainly cause limping in a front leg. This happened to one of mine. Our regular vet was unable to find the cause so I went for a second opinion to a very experienced greyhound vet (one who sees a lot of injured track greyhounds) and he diagnosed the problem in about 5 minutes. Chiropractic sorted our boy out. If rest doesn't cure the lameness, and your vet rules out anything more serious and can't find the cause, I would see if you can get a second opinion from either an experienced greyhound vet, or a chiropractor.

You could look into something like Zylkene if it's available where you are. It's a food supplement (rather than a drug) which is used to treat stress and anxiety in all its many forms and is available without prescription although many vets do stock it. I've had very good results with it but have also read about about others who haven't, so it doesn't seem to work in every case.

The only thing I can possibly add to this is that you might want to do some research into adding some vitamins/minerals to his diet, if you don't already do this. There's some good information available online, but the B complex vitamins, vitamin C and magnesium are all majorly depleted by stress, so a dog who is constantly stressed may well benefit from daily supplements of these. My Sophie was somewhat similar to Slinky when we first got her. Perhaps not quite as bad, but we certainly had the fear of strange people and dogs and shaking when being asked to get out of the car etc. We tried Zylkene too and noticed big improvements in her, although I think it took 2-3 months to kick in. We kept her on it for a year, during which she made major progress, and then weaned her off it to see how she was and she was fine. Four years on and we have no problems with her at all on walks and she will even on occasion approach a stranger, which would have been unthinkable during that first year. We still have some issues with her at the vets, and she's not keen on crowds, but when I look back on how she used to be, the improvement is amazing.

Of the four I've owned, three have roached and one never did. Currently I have one who roaches on the sofa all the time but never on the people beds, and one who roaches on the people beds but never on the sofa!

I just wanted to convey my sympathy because I have one who is very similar at the vets. Sophie is terrified from the moment we arrive in the waiting room (actually her anxiety starts in the car park) until the moment we leave. She shakes violently and pants and is constantly looking for an escape route. She hasn't ever screamed or reared up during an examination but does try to get away. Over the years we've tried every remedy anyone has ever suggested (rescue remedy, DAP etc) but nothing has helped. I think she is just one of those dogs, as jjng says, whose temperament doesn't allow for a low-stress experience. We've changed vets twice (for other reasons) since we've owned Sophie but this hasn't made any difference at all to her fear. She is somewhat better with vets/nurses who are quiet and gentle and move slowly, but not a great deal. I try to do as much of the handling/restraint as possible myself during the exam, and scratching/rubbing and talking to her to distract her definitely helps. The best experiences I've had are the ones where the vet listens to me and asks my opinion on how to handle her rather than just going ahead and doing it their way. For example, we were just at the vet yesterday for a blood draw (a potential nightmare!) and the vet I saw (who I haven't seen before) was very good with both of us. She totally respected the fact that Sophie was terrified and continually asked my opinion: did I think it was best to use the leg or the neck (definitely leg), is it best not to clip her (yes), does she need a muzzle (no) etc etc. Sophie was still terrified, but there was no struggling and it could have been a lot worse. I totally share your fear about IVs being inserted etc and absolutely dread Sophie needing an anaesthetic in the future. If she does, I think I will do as jjng suggests, and ask if I can perhaps be there while she has a sedative/IV insertion, although I have to say I would feel pretty uncomfortable about making such a request. One thing I've been wondering about recently is if there is any reason not to give, say, 10mg valium to a nervous dog prior to a routine vet visit? It's not something I've ever done, although I always have valium in the house, and haven't got around to asking my own vet yet. I expect there are some instances where it might not be a good idea (?), but for routine visits would there be any harm? jjng - just wanted to say that I found your posts very helpful and informative .

Words are so inadequate, but I am so sorry that this was the outcome . Rest in peace, Harley .

I'm so sorry you lost your boy, and so young too . Rest in peace, Lincoln.

Much too young - I'm so sorry . RIP Aaron

I'm so sorry for your losses ~ rest in peace, Major.

I'm so sorry you had to say goodbye - rest in peace, Pony.

If she's only getting two small meals a day she likely is feeling hungry most of the time. I agree that it would be a good idea to try to find a lower calorie food so that you can increase the volume of food that you feed, and you could split it into three meals a day instead of two. You could also try feeding small snacks in between meals too. If you think she is starting to put on too much weight, then you can slightly reduce the amount of food you are feeding (but not the frequency) until you find the right balance. Mine are on this type of schedule (three meals and three snacks including one at bedtime) and are definitely not always hungry. Always up for a tasty treat, yes, but always hungry/looking for food, no.

Could well be muscle spasms. My boy is prone to neck problems for which he sees a chiropractor several times a year. One of the ways I know he needs another treatment is that he will start to get cramps in his neck. When this happens I can see and feel the knotted muscles at the base of his neck close to his shoulders. Getting him up and walking him around on a lead will make the cramp stop pretty quickly. Chiropractic has been hugely beneficial for us. Painkillers/anti-inflammatories will control the pain to an extent but won't cure the problem if there's a mechanical fault such as a misaligned vertebra. Best of luck.

I'm so sorry for your loss ~ rest in peace, Ladybug.

One of mine does something similar, in that now and then she kicks out rhythmically with one of her hind legs. It's definitely not dreaming because she is clearly wide awake at the time, although these episodes always start whilst she is sleeping. Her eyes at these times are wider than usual and she looks slightly anxious. In Sophie's case these episodes last about 20 seconds if I don't intervene but I can snap her out of it by getting her up and walking her around. Once the episode has stopped she is completely normal again. Sophie's done this ever since I got her at the age of two. I've mentioned it to several vets, none of whom has been too concerned, and have just advised me to keep an eye on it. In four years it hasn't got any better or worse. I don't know if they are seizures or not, although my feeling is that they are. The vets I've spoken to don't know either and said that even neurologists have trouble deciding what is and isn't seizure activity. I do keep valium in the house at all times but in four years have not had to use it for these episodes. I agree with keeping a log, noting down all vaccines, medications she receives etc. By doing this, I was able to see that spot-on flea treatments tended to trigger these episodes in Sophie. In your case I would be strongly suspicious that it was the vaccines or one of the medications that triggered the whatever-it-was. Hope all goes well - I know how worrying it can be.

I'm so sorry for your loss . Rest in peace, Comet .

We've had no success with the desentitizing CDs either. We just put on music to disguise the sound of the fireworks as much as possible and give 10mg valium if necessary.

How dreadful ... I'm so sorry . RIP Kent

So sorry you had to say goodbye to your beautiful girl. Rest in peace, Tatum.

So sorry you had to say goodbye to Tally - he does sound like he was rather special. Rest in peace, Tally.

I'm so sorry - such a terrible shock when they go suddenly like that . Rest in peace, Elly

I'm so sorry for your loss - rest in peace, Gremlin.