MerlinsMum

I'd get her vaccinated with the intranasal. Seems like that's going to be the safest and easiest solution for you, for her and for Zuri and Violet. Good luck whatever you decide.

I've not used EMT gel but I've heard a lot of great things about it. Planning to purchase some myself. If the tear is deep you're going to want to have a vet - or at least a vet tech - take a look at it in case it's at risk for infection...

I, too, am only seeing this now. Happy belated Birthday, Honey. We miss you, sweetie.

Thank you so much. This really helps to assuage my concerns. Thanks to everyone who has offered tips to better administer pills to an unwilling patient A lot of great suggestions here - I appreciate it! I feel as though I have lots of ideas and options now.

Thank you! I was alarmed and had a mini freakier tonight when I have him the Doxy, as the vet's instructions on the label said to give 4 (100mg) pills wrapped in food every 24 hours. Presumably, since a typical range for dosing (as I understand it) is between 5mg and 10mg per kg, and Sagan is 85lbs (=40kg), he was given the higher-end dosage. Giving him 4 pills at once in Pill Pockets was super stressful for me since, unlike Merlin, Sagan is unused to being given pills and tends to "clamp down" whenever I ask him to open his mouth. I freaked out because the first time I gave him 2 capsules in one Pill Pocket and although I meant to put it at the back of his throat, somehow he clamped down on it and we heard a crunch! I hope he's going to be alright My vet was very insistent that the capsule be wrapped and swallowed properly so that it reaches the stomach before dissolving... which is why I bought the Pill Pockets (which I'd never used before). As I recall, it has something to do with an increased risk of esophageal cancer in dogs that chewed it or something...? I didn't see any powder "spillage" in his mouth when I opened it after I heard the crunch. Let's hope I didn't do any damage The thought of repeating the process for the next 24 capsules fills me with anxiety. I also find it weird that I have to give him 4 capsules at once. Why not 2 capsules twice a day? Does it target the problem faster if it's given all at once, who knows. This is when I wish I'd gone to vet school. If I call my vet to check they might fire me I feel like I pester them as it is...

So I decided to postpone the dental and get his platelets back to normal first. He is on doxy starting tonight. We will re-test in 7 days, although of course it's likely he'll have to be on doxy longer than that. All of your answers helped me so much. I was able to really read up on aminocaproic acid, for starters, and I feel so much more educated now. I have been reading Dr. Couto's team' studies on the subject, and I also found that I was able to order Amicar from Walgreens (tablet form) for $74 - which is way better than $186!! And they can get it for me in 1 business day. After reading your comments and experiences and reading more information online, I have decided that I will be putting the hounds on Amicar for any future surgery they require. Thanks again so much!

Wow, really? Even when no bleeding episode has been experienced in previous surgeries? Merlin and Sagan have had several dentals between the two of them, and they have never been given it. In fact, I'd never even heard of it. There again they've never had bleeding issues. I found this paper by Dr. Couto's team: http://issuu.com/oncologiavet/docs/aminocaproic_acid_greyhounds_amputation_osa_jvecc_ and I haven't had the time to read it all yet. Unfortunately it looks as though you have to have a subscription to the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care in order to download it as a PDF. If bleeding is a particularly greyhound-related issue, and vet offices don't have it on the shelf as a matter of course, I doubt that many greys are being given it pre-surgery... most vet clinics aren't tailored specifically to greys, after all..

Thank you for all your continuing input, it's all really helpful. Just wanted to clarify that they retested his platelets three times after the first lab results. This did include a manual count, which showed just 4-7 platelets per field, and 'giant' platelets (young platelets that have just been released) running low. Amicar is far, far more expensive in tablet form than it is in liquid form. But, as I mentioned in a previous comment, sadly the liquid form is not currently available due to manufacturing problems (although it's supposed to be available any day now).

Of course the vet does the surgery. She has done dentals for Merlin and Sagan before and they have gone swimmingly. She is an extremely competent vet. I have no qualms about that. I think I have gaps in my understanding here though, for sure, and you're right, it's possibly from talking to the vet tech this afternoon rather than directly with the vet (who was in surgery). However, the vet tech in question specifically mentioned a few times that she did not have as much knowledge as she'd like about Amicar, and she checks in with the vet before and after every conversation and reports back. So maybe I'll talk with her again and ask if I can speak directly to my vet, if she is in tomorrow. But at this moment in time, I think you and others are right, I think I am currently inclined to hold off on surgery for now, even if it's just to have a clearer and more comprehensive discussion with my vet over this matter. This whole drug drama and people in this country getting fleeced by greedy pharmaceutical companies makes my head spin. I don't get it, but that's a rant for another day

That's nice to hear. I don't really understand why I would need to be charged for it if they ordered the injectable form. Surely they need to have some on hand at the clinic at all times, in case of a bleeding issue during surgery? So really I would assume that they would want to order some anyway, to have there, once it's available again... regardless of whether they know for a fact that they will need it for a patient. Sounds to me like one of those "just in case, better safe than sorry" type drugs you should have available at all times if you're a vet... I have been looking online and everyone it's expensive or you have to buy it in large quantities, which ends up being expensive .... Thank you very much. That's the problem... the vet says that she can't say for sure whether he needs extractions or not, although at this time they are not anticipating it. But his back teeth are very bad and his breath is nasty. She told me that if it's just a cleaning the Amicar won't be necessary. So I'm not sure why the vet tech mentioned that he would need to be given some before surgery too. What if there are no extractions after all? Is it given ahead of surgery "just in case" when it's available?

And it is a perfectly reasonable perspective, Robin In fact, I have felt more and more inclined to agree with those suggesting I wait. DH has made it clear that he thinks we should just wait and sort out the platelets and not buy these expensive meds that we may or may not need. Even if I could get them cheaply - in which case I wouldn't be averse to buying them just in case I might need them anyway - I am not sure I want him to go into surgery in a condition in which we have to give him certain meds to force his blood to clot because it's not doing it on its own. I mean, to me that's kind of scary. So many things can go wrong. And then there's the fact that, as greysmom said, it's only very recently been used for greys -- and like any meds there can be side effects. I don't know. I will discuss this a bit more with the vet tech tomorrow, and I don't deny that I'm very concerned about avoiding extractions, but tbh I'm more concerned about not having him bleed out on a table. Please keep the advice coming, I so appreciate it and it's really helping me get a sense of the pros and cons. I am open to changing my mind 10 times over if necessary. It's easy to say that I want to go with my gut; but really, I don't. My gut has got things wrong before. There is no margin for error here, I have to get this right, yet there are so many question marks and IFs here, it's not easy.

LuvEarsies, where did you get it so cheap? I have been looking online and even if you buy it more cheaply from a Canadian store, it seems you have to buy it in large quantities. I don't need 100 tablets. The vet tech I spoke to this afternoon spent ages calling pharmacies around here and no one carried it. They could special order it but the cheapest price quoted to her for the amount I would need was $186 at Rite Aid.

I haven't been around much at all, and I'm sorry. Too much craziness in my life at the moment, it's been going on for a while and will continue at least until the end of summer. But I really need your advice, if you have any to give. Sagan was supposed to get dental surgery today, and we rescheduled out of concern that he might otherwise be at risk for post-operative bleeding, due to his platelets being unusually low (yes, even for a greyhound). I am so glad I requested pre-dental labwork. Anyway, without getting into it all, which would lengthen this post considerably, the point is that my vet mentioned that there is medication (aminocaproic acid) that can be administered just before surgery - and then following surgery for a few days - that will prevent bleeding, so if his platelets were still low next week, the dental could still be carried out. The problem is that they don't have this drug in injectable form (apparently it's been off the shelf in that form for some time, and no one locally seems to have it in tablet form either, so it would have to be special ordered. It is a very expensive drug - $200 for five pills. I am now faced with a decision as to whether to spend an extra $200 on medication that I may not even need to use, because it is not refundable. $200 is a LOT of money for me. Merlin's chronic health issues, apart from putting years on us in terms of stress and anxiety, have depleted our savings and we literally can only just barely afford to pay our bills at the moment. The vet tech I spoke to asked me if I wanted to look into possibly obtaining the meds from a Canadian online pharmacy to see if I could get them more cheaply that way. I wonder, has anyone done this before and can maybe recommend a good website that ships fast? You might be asking, Why the rush? Why not wait to see if his platelet count improves before a dental? It's a good point. There are two problems: 1. If we don't do his dental now, we're going to have to wait for quite some time. My vet is not going to be around until possibly well into August. If things don't go as planned, it might be even later. 2. If we wait that long, I may end up spending even more money because he may well require extractions at that point. His teeth are horrible and his breath is awful. The point here, though, is that we really can't afford to spend $200 for "just in case" medication. I also feel that this whole discussion overlooks the main issue, which is that his platelets are low and we need to find out why that is. And if we do, then the whole discussion about bleeding is redundant anyway. Although this all begs the question... what do vet offices do if a dog's labwork is fine and the surgery goes ahead and then all of a sudden the dog starts bleeding out? Do they seriously have to resign themselves to thinking "oh well, we're out of that particular medication that could stop the bleeding, tough luck"? I mean, I can't make sense of that at all. Am I missing something? What would you do?

Keeping Passion and you in my thoughts today! :goodluck

On Monday I found out on Facebook that Spud didn't have osteo after all -- I had missed that post completely. I was overjoyed, thrilled at the thought that you would have so much more time with your Spud. On Tuesday morning I woke up to the devastating news that you had to let him go. I know I've never met you or Spud, Mary Jo, but I cried and cried, and I cannot tell you how devastated I am for you. I know how incredibly close you two were, how much love there was between you... how much love there still is and will always be. I can't believe that we won't see his beautiful, quirky, ridiculous Spudzilla ears anymore... His goofy faces... the photos of the two of you together... There was a recent one you posted to Facebook of the two of you together, both smiling, that makes me cry everytime I think of it. So much love. You can't even begin to quantify the loss when love is so great. I am thinking of you, MJ. I am so, so sorry. :grouphug Rest well, Spudzie. We will miss you forever.

Poor Thunder! :goodluck Sending lots of good thoughts!

I'm so terribly sorry for your loss, Robin You have been very much in my thoughts. :grouphug Rest in peace, sweet Treasure. I never met you, but I will always remember you as the girl with the pretty little front toofers... ... Merlin.

This is what my vet told me too. She said that even if we ever did try budesonide it would only be after first trying pred. I am so glad that Lady seems better!

My vet just told me that they aren't making Sentinel anymore! Aaargh! They are selling Tri-heart now. Grrr. I'd rather buy Sentinel since it agreed with Merlin's extra sensitive tummy better than Tri-heart...

Tears of joy streaming down my face! I am so happy for you and for Aidan and Cinco and the whole gang. Welcome home, boys!!!!!

:cry1 Rest well, Sadie. I'm so glad that you found Deb and John and a pack / family to call your own. And what a family. Deb and John :grouphug :grouphug

That seems strange. When I used to give Merlin FortiFlora, it worked great to firm up his poos It would work within a couple of days. Have you checked for worms?

I'd seen your post on FB but I'm only now seeing this touching tribute and pictures so beautiful that they almost made my heart stop. SO much love. And with great love, now, I"m sure, comes a great sense of loss. I know how much you loved your sweet little man. I am so terribly sorry you had to be parted. I hope you're okay. Thinking of you

So very sorry you had to be parted. Sleep well, Spencer...

Oh no What a shock for you. I am so, so sorry! :grouphug