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vjgrey

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    Osteo Thread Part 8

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by 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.

    Positive Thoughs For Diamond, Please

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    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.

    Positive Thoughs For Diamond, Please

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    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.

    Recommendations For Diagnosing Possible Osteo

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    A CT scan would likely be determinate, but they are prohibitively expensive for most people. The problem with FNA's is that you must get the needle in exactly the right place inside the bone - not too high or low, not too far in, not too shallow. Otherwise, the results could be off. I don't believe there are any lab tests or bloodwork that can detect cancer in dogs as of yet, but I don't know about fungal or bone infection. Likely there would be an elevated level of white blood cells, but tons of things could cause that.

     

    Bone biopsy is generally recommended against because of the chance of it weakening the bone further and causing a catastophic break post-procedure. But it probably has a better chance than an FNA of obtaining a valid sample for testing.

     

    You can always send digital copies of your xrays to Dr Couto for his opinion. http://www.coutovetconsultants.com/for-ownersadopters/ Though I think he would most likely say that if it looks like it might be osteo, then, given the statistical prevelance of it in greyhounds, it probably is.

     

    FWIW, I don't think many of us who have dealt with osteo have had a definitive diagnosis of it prior to deciding on a course of treatment. The diagnosis has most often come after the tumor has been sent to the lab following amputation. Alicia's Henry is the only one I know of - at least currently - who was NOT diagnosed with osteo, though he did have another type of cancer. The amp he had was probably curative instead of palliative, in his case.

     

    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.

    B-12 Shots

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by vjgrey

    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.

    Seriously Fed Up. :(

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    I would basically treat him like an untrained puppy. He is with you and supervised at all times or else in a crate. The more he does it, the more it will become a habit, you need to catch it each time and bring him outside.

     

    BTW (to the above post) we always do walks in the cold weather. We just did a 30 min. walk at -15F and the dogs are fine. They have warm coats and we keep moving. :) If we didn't we would never get out and they would go stir crazy.

     

    I'm just not that tough. :hehe

     

    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."

    Seriously Fed Up. :(

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Hi,

     

    I have had Camo since the end of February last year and he isn't house broken but I think it's more than that...

     

    He will spend sometimes up to 20, 30 minutes outside, play, pee, run after whatever... Then, he wants to come in. I open the door, and the minute I change rooms, he poops or pees again, right in front of the door that goes to the back yard.

     

    My two angels, Billy and Astro NEVER did that. Neither does Whippet. Astro could hold it for upo to 23 hours! (It was -40 degrees once and he would not go outside so he held it until he couldn't anymore and decided to go outside after almost 24 hours).

     

    I am at my wits end... Camo is ruining my wood floor... :( I don't really care about the floor itself but I do care about the pee that goes through the cracks... gross...

     

    I have installed a huge plastic (8 X 6) in front of the door and a thing that absorbs liquids. I have two of those and I don't have enough, I wash them everyday. :( Most of the time, his angle is okay and the quilt absorbs the pee, but sometimes, he pees too far from the quilt, the pee runs off the plastic and goes into the cracks of my wood floor. The house is starting to smell like a dump.

     

    I am lucky, I am never away from home more than 3-4 hours at a time so I can let the dogs out often but even if I let them outside really often, Camo always poops and pees in the house.

     

    I don't know what to do anymore.

     

    Can anyone help me?

     

     

    At this time of the year, walks are virtually impossible. It's a "warm" day today... It's -26°C so about -15°F... We have crazy temperatures this winter. :(

     

    In the summer, I am home all the time (I am a teacher) and I have a screen that the dogs can go through without my help so it wasn't a problem last summer and last winter, well, he did it too, but I blamed it on the fact that it was a new home.

     

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

    Hydrotherapy?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I take Sid to hydrotherapy and it's really been very good for him. He loves it, too.

     

    However, for a herniated disc in the neck and a wobbly back end I personally think the underwater treadmill would be better for Diamond.

     

    Hydrotherapy is great to wear them out a bit while still being gentle on them, and substitute for a walk without putting too much strain on injuries or old joints, but it's not as good as the treadmill for building muscle tone. You'd need to go about three times a week for that. Also I would worry a bit about Diamond's neck, since they have to hold their heads at a slightly un-natural, elevated position to be able to keep their heads above water.

     

    Sid wears a neck support, but though he has no spine issues, I do worry sometimes about the angle of his neck, which is SO different to the way he holds his head when he walks. It's not been a problem for him actually, but with a herniated disc in the neck, I might think twice.

     

    Thanks for this. Definitely something to consider.

    Hydrotherapy?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    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.

     

     

    10-Year-Old Limping

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by vjgrey

    Smitty had the x-ray yesterday. The vet said it looked perfectly normal. While he was at the vet's office, they had a hard time seeing him limp. They told me if it was bone cancer nothing would make him forget about the pain. He was out running a bit in the snow today. He's still limping somewhat and will see an orthopedist if it doesn't resolve in a couple of weeks. I'm trying to get him to rest it but he loves the snow so it was hard to keep him quiet. Guess I should probably take him out on a leash. Thanks again everyone.

     

    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.

    Picky Eater With Ibd

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by vjgrey

    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.

    I Knew My Girl Was Sick

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    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.

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