vjgrey

Did not want to join this club again, but here we are. Diamond will have her back right amp this afternoon. I need to catch up (and try to get ahead) on work before she comes home, do some cleaning/house rearranging and read up on what else we need to do to get ready for her to come home. I'm also DESPERATELY in need of a nap, so maybe that first.

We're home with a Fentanyl patch and an appointment tomorrow morning to talk to a surgeon. Diamond is fast asleep with her head in my lap, and I'm going to sit right here until one of us needs to get up. I just can't believe we're doing this again. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers and all the future advice and support that I know is here for us.

It looks like we are facing Osteo again. I'm waiting for her to wake up from her MRI and then we'll go meet with the surgeons. I feel sick. Our vets had "ruled out" Osteo, so it was not even on my radar this morning.

During an MRI of her back/spine/hips, the neurologist saw a spot on her femur that he suspects may be Osteo. They're getting a closer look at it now, and we may get a FNA this evening. She's had two sets of X-rays in the last two months, looked at by two vets and a head surgeon. None of them saw anything suspicious, so I'm hoping it's not what the neurologist thinks it is. To say I'm terrified would be an understatement.

Something soft (peanut butter, cream cheese, canned dog food, spray cheese) in a Kong?

According to our oncologist, the ONLY definitive diagnosis you can get for Osteo, pre-amp, is through the bone biopsy, but he recommended against it for the reasons you mentioned. We did do a FNA, which confirmed Osteo. In our case, though, there wasn't much question - Gabe had a visible tumor on his leg. I'd definitely recommend consulting Dr. Couto, although it sounds like you may have already? I'm so sorry you're possibly facing this.

Sort of expensive, but if you don't get answers/results, you might consider asking about an MRI to check for neck/back/spinal issues. They can cause a limp if a bulging/herniated disc is pressing on a nerve.

Lucy is on long-term monthly B-12 shots for probable IBD. We went through the dosing, stopping the B-12 and retesting, and hers was still low, so she's now on the shots indefinitely. They've made a HUGE difference in her appetite, energy and overall health. The B-12 isn't expensive, and the techs showed us how to administer it ourselves. It's just part of our monthly routine for her now, like flea and heartworm preventatives. If it's working for him (sounds like it is), I'd just continue the shots.

I was so sorry to see this subject line on the front page. I've always thought he was really beautiful.

She sounds incredibly special. I'm so sorry.

I have absolutely no idea - none - how long your dog spends outside. If you describe the problem as (paraphrasing) "I'm letting him out for 20-30 minutes and he's still going on the floor," then I kind of assume you're actually letting him out for 20-30 minutes.

So glad it was "just" the fall. Lots of pampering and cookies for Lydia!

I'm just not that tough. However, she said that "walks are virtually impossible," with the temps. If the hounds can handle it, and she's already putting Camo out for that long, I don't understand what makes walks "impossible."

He spends 30 minutes outside in weather that's -15F (or colder)?

Tons of positive thoughts for you and your beautiful girl. Hope you're back soon with good news.

Thanks for this. Definitely something to consider.

Diamond turned ten in December, and while she's generally in really good health, we are starting to see a bit of wobbliness in her hind end. She also has a herninated disc in her neck, which is currently not symptomatic but it's still there, since her neurologist didn't recommend surgery. She's still really active, but the disc issue does limit our walks somewhat, since we don't like to do anything high-impact for too long. I've been considering hydrotherapy as a more gentle/low-impact way to rebuild some of the muscle tone in her back end, and would LOVE to hear any and all experiences with it. Is it a good way to build muscle tone in an older dog? Is it better (for this purpose) to use swimming or the underwater treadmill? Any experience with hydrotherapy and pet insurance? Anyone know the best place for this in the DC Metro? I've been looking at Iron Pup 'N Iron in Fredericksburg.

I'm REALLY not a dog park person, so I have zero experience with that. However, in general terms, it's sometimes a bad idea to have one leashed dog surrounded by unleashed dogs. He may've been tail-tucked and anxious because he felt vulnerable. If you're going to leash walk him, I'd take him out of the park.

I probably would've gone in, but then I'm "that" kind of houndie mom. I also know that puncture wounds can be a lot deeper than they look. We took Diamond in once for a wound about the size of a nickel, and it wound up requiring three layers of stitches.

I'm really happy that the x-rays were clear. That has to be a huge weight off your mind, even if you don't have answers yet. However...I have to say that, in my experience with Osteo, the bolded statement just isn't true. It may be true that they feel the pain constantly, but they don't always show it. When my Gabe was diagnosed, his limp was intermittent. Not really even a full limp most of the time - just an occasional "off" gait. Eventually, he had a tumor the size of a golf ball on his leg and was still trying to run (until his nervous mama stopped him) on a regular basis. I just wanted to clarify that, because I see a lot of people here say "It can't be Osteo," or "I'm not going to get X-rays just yet," because the limp isn't constant/consistent. Really glad you've gotten the x-rays to rule that out.

I'm so, so sorry.

If you decide to go the home cooked route, Virginia Tech will consult with your vet and design a diet just for your hound. I think their fee is $150. I'm definitely going that route if/when Lucy stops tolerating dry food.

Lucy has also been diagnosed with IBD (also without a biopsy but by an internal med specialist). Two simple things have worked REALLY well for us, in addition to her B-12 shots: I reduced the size of her meals and feed her three times a day instead of twice. For some reason, she seems to get overwhelmed by a full-sized meal in the bowl, and she'll just walk away from it. I also sprinkle a very small amount of parmesan cheese ("shaky cheese") on her food. It doesn't upset her stomach, and I think the smell makes it more appetizing for her.

Lucy was diagnosed with a grade 2-3 murmur when she was four. She's now six and a half, and the murmur has stayed the same. She sees a cardiologist for an echo every eighteen months and gets geriatric bloodwork every six months. We're extra cautious about anesthesia, and when she needed stitches for a leg injury, the cardiologist recommended intravenous antibiotics. We give her fish oil every day, but so far, no other meds have been necessary.

Maybe one of those assist harnesses with a handle would help you give her more stability? I know the feeling - I've been leash-walking Diamond, who's ten and has disc issues, because my nerves can't handle watching her on icy stairs.