Robin1017

He actually seems to feel a little bit better now that he's gotten whatever it was out of his system. At least, he's laying down, and I think he took a nap while I was out this morning. We went outside and he laid down, full out, to bake in the sun, and he seemed happier. Just had more liquid messiness a few minutes ago, but it was outside, at least. And now I'm home and can hang out and keep an eye on him until our appt. I think I'll probably still bring him in, but hopefully it'll cost less now that he's improving... Hopefully we're already on our way to recovery

I wish I had some advice. But I wanted to say that I hope she feels better soon. What's her name?

The good news: I got a decent night's sleep! Yay! Which I think means Robin must have slept most of the night, too. Yay! Unfortunately, I woke up at 6:00 to poop all over the bedroom and a very startled and worried-looking greyhound. Some was solid, but the rest was not. We went outside, where he took a pee and then did some liquid and some straining. He then wanted to eat grass with a vengeance, which I only allowed for a minute, since I didn't want him to eat too much. Then I came back in, cleaned up the poop, almost threw up, and put his blankets in the washer. Now he's standing around again and pacing, which wouldn't surprise me anyway because I had to take his bed and blankets away, so he has nothing to lay on, even if he would settle. (He usually has two beds, but one died recently and I haven't decided what to replace it with. I just drag his one from room to room.) I feel bad because when he's had the occasional accident in the past, which usually involved him holding it too long because he wouldn't go in the bad weather, he feels really bad and seems to need reassurance that he's a good dog. Which I've been trying to do. I just had to stop typing and go pet him because he was smelling the "accident area" and looked sad. I suspect more is to come, given the straining. We'll see. I'm glad we have a vet appt later... Maybe this is running its course....

Thanks. I did read about that, but since I was out of pepcid and these episodes are so rare for him, I decided to try just a little of the pepto as a last resort. I did go out and stock up on pepcid today, though, so that I'm not in that situation again. Shhhhhhh...... He's sleeping......

Sigh... He was better this morning, and even appeared to get some sleep. Then I left for an appointment and a few errands for a while, and when I got home, I could tell he had been up pacing while I was gone. He ate fine, and even had a normal poop, but he's still "off" this evening. At 5:00 I called the vet, and the tech seemed to think that it sounded like he's in some pain...whether from his arthritis, a swollen joint from a lyme disease flare-up, an upset tummy, or something else...and he can't get comfortable. They recommended that I bring him in so that the doctor can try to figure out what's hurting him. Unfortunately, though they were open until 8 tonight (which I knew when they called), they can't see him until tomorrow at 3:40. So I booked it, and we'll wait and see. There's a 24-hour evet near me if I get really worried overnight. What's weird about this incident is that he's not doing the usual "I'm in pain" behavior. No crying or squeaking or even panting, really. He just paces around, stares at me, puts his head in my lap, tries to lay down, gets up, and starts the whole thing again. Hopefully this means that if he is in pain, it's minor. I don't want to keep him in pain, after all. I will keep watching for changes. The good news is that, as I sat here typing this out, he just laid down and had his eyes closed. He seems to have found a comfortable position. I hope it lasts! The poor boy is tired, I think. Oh, and I did thump his tummy. Doesn't sound like a drum, and doesn't feel tight. Thanks for the tip! I couldn't figure out how to tell if it was distended or not. Cathy

Me, too. Glad he's home. Hope he feels better soon!

Update... At 2:30, I got desperate and read online that I could give a little bit of pepto bismol, to try to give the poor guy some relief. Of course, he didn't like the flavor, so I had to soak it in some bread and trick him into eating it . I think it worked, though, because he did settle for a bit. Unfortunately, he still couldn't get comfortable most of the night, but this time I think it was the bed--he kept getting up, turning around, and nesting ALL NIGHT LONG!!! He kept me awake all night. The last was at 6:30, after which he must have settled, or I must have crashed, because I slept from then until 9:00 without even hearing my phone Thank goodness I'm off for the summer and had that luxury. He's had breakfast and is now sleeping in the living room. He seems better. Though I'm now awake for the day. Ugh...

It's 2AM. We're still up. I definitely think it's an upset stomach. Nothing life-threatening, just rest-threatening. Oy.

Gross.... ...... We have it confirmed..... ...... It's gas. Maybe I WON'T be able so sleep tonight.

He did eat a bit of grass, but that's normal for my little cow-doggy , so it's hard to tell. I was starting to think it had something to do with an upset stomach as well, because that would explain some discomfort that's not GSOD-worth. I tried to find my pepcid, but I think I sent it with DBF to Taiwan (don't ask). So I stopped my movie, which I had only gotten through half of in all that time anyway, took him out one more time, and went through our bedtime ritual. He wanted his nigh-night cookies, but I only gave him a couple, and it convinced him to get in bed. And he didn't pop up after the cookies were gone, so that's a good sign. He seems to be settling now, along with me. Thank goodness. We BOTH need a good night's sleep. I hope he's not sick tonight.... Thanks

So for the past 4 hours or so, Robin has refused to settle in one place for more than 5 minutes. By now, I'm sure that something is up, but I can't tell what. We've been away at my mom's house for over a week, but he's been fine and normal all afternoon since we got home. Until I took him for a short walk at 8:00. At first I figured he didn't want his bed--he wanted the couch (which mom lets him sleep on nonstop), but I offered him the couch and he won't take it. I've tried different combinations of bed and blanket (usually, it's just that something isn't perfectly the way he wants it), but he won't lay down. Now he's panting a bit, but it could be that it's hot in here. So I just put him in the bedroom with the AC to see if that helps. But that's usually not his normal behavior when he's hot. I've been trying and considering everything. Poops were normal, I think. He's not dehydrated--I checked his gums and its all normal. He isn't hungry. No throwing up or other odd behavior that might indicate bloat. I've taken him out, and all he did is lay in the yard (which is a really strange thing for him to do at night). I can't see any signs of pain (I know panting is a sign of pain, but he's not doing much--it doesn't compare to other times when he's been sore after running, for example). It could very easily be emotional. Maybe he misses my mom's house? Maybe coming home has made him realize/remember that Chris, his daddy, is out of town, and has been for two weeks? I'm going through a lot right now and am easily weepy. Maybe he's picking something up from me, even though I've been mostly fine this evening. Well, I started this post in the hopes that I'd realize something I missed by typing it out. I can't think of anything obvious. Is there anything else I could consider? I liked the checking the gums trick, but that's the only one I knew. He's just acting like he's trying to tell me something. I wish I spoke greyhound...

Let's see if I've got this right... Robin weighs 80 pounds, and I think I want a therapeutic dose right now because I'm hoping it will help his newly-found arthritis and we're just starting the oil. So that means I want to give him 2400 mg of Omega 3s a day? If so, can I do the math any way I want for the pills I find? For example, I have some in the fridge that are 720mg for 2 capsules, so he would need about 7 capsules a day...so maybe 3 in the AM and 4 in the PM... ????? I think this kind may be the cheap, not-potent stuff, though, so I may do some shopping tomorrow while I'm out. But for a grey without stomach issues, does that kind of calculating sound about right? I get so confused...

Hi! Does anyone know the appropriate (or recommended) EPA and DHA to look for in fish oil? In particular, I'm interested in getting some capsules for simplicity's sake, and since I'm traveling a lot right now. I was told that some kinds may not have the right amount, regardless of the mg in the capsules. Thanks! Cathy

That depends on how much fish oil and what you are feeding. Fish oil caps vary greatly in the amount of EPA & DHA they contain. You need to look at the label, not go by the mg of fish oil per capsule. I give over 4000 mg of high potency fish oil per day, so I add 100 IU Vit E daily if I am feeding dry or 400 IU if I am feeding raw. There is a fish oil with Vit E in it that I have heard good things about. It provides more EPA & DHA than most other products. I am am going to try it when mine runs out - Link - FYI, this is the manufacture's web site. I have found it online for less than $100 per gallon. I know about the Grizzly Salmon Oil that you can buy, but when you guys are referring to "fish oil capsules", do you mean the kind you can buy for humans at the drugstore?

Thanks. It could even be something totally weird, like he prefers the meals with supplements in them (he only gets them for dinner). Who knows. He's not in danger of wasting away right now, that's for sure. He's a healthy boy. Maybe I'll start writing it down, to see if there's a pattern or anything. It's probably just something minor, like the heat, or with just getting a little older, I guess. He's 8 1/2, and he doesn't do happy dances for his meals anymore, either.

Has anyone ever heard of glucosamine or chondroitin or msm supplements causing a suppressed appetite? I was talking to someone yesterday who said that it had suppressed her greyhound's appetite, and that she had tried it herself and felt the same thing. Robin has never had appetite problems in the 6 years we've had him--quite the opposite. However, we've noticed random times where he won't finish his breakfast. He just leaves either a few bites, to as much as half, in the bowl, and goes to take his after breakfast nap. He eats fine otherwise--it doesn't carry to dinner or anything, which is good. And it's infrequent. I can't be sure if this has totally coincided with the arthritis diagnosis and the beginning of the supplements, but that discussion got me wondering.... Robin has been on the Get Up and Go supplements since the beginning of May, and it's possible that it could be related. Though I can't be sure it didn't start earlier, really. So has anyone heard of the supplements suppressing appetite? Just wondering....

:f_white

Hi there, I know this is fairly short notice, but we are looking to do a short trip sometime between Saturday, July 10 through Tuesday, July 13th. We would probably be gone for only 2 nights, and would need someone to watch Robin in your home during that time. We are just outside of Boston. Robin is up to date on all of his shots and everything, and he is very friendly and easygoing, as any Greyhound Adventures people could attest to. Is there anyone who might be available during that time, or knows someone who would be? If so, could you let me know your location, days of availability, and rates for petsitting? You could either post here or pm me. You'd be doing us a HUGE favor. Thanks in advance! Cathy

He was Robin's half brother by Molotov. Godspeed.

Thanks everyone! It's great reading all the positive information. Yesterday, Robin got all excited and did crazy zoomies (despite our efforts to stop him), causing him to twist his sore arthritis leg, so he's all gimpy. That's making it hard to judge the arthritis vs the soft-tissue injury he's got going on right now. We started the Get Up & Go supplements from the Greyhound Gang a few days ago, so I guess we'll keep on those now that I've got them in order to see if we see a difference. It's frustrating, though--I want him to be better now! Yesterday after he got hurt, my boyfriend was all said, saying, "He can't run anymore." I reassured him (and me) with the stories I've heard in this thread and elsewhere on GT, which lead me to believe we've just got to get it under control right now. So please keep 'em coming if you got 'em! It's definitely helping us.

It's been an hour, and no change. He is getting tired, and has tried to lay down, but when he does, he squeaks in pain and gets back up. I gave him 2 50mg tablets of tramadol, which is what it said on the label. Shouldn't he feel better by now? This sux.

Thanks. Tramadol and Pepcid are in the system. Hopefully he will lay down soon.

If I just gave a rimadyl an hour ago, can I give a tramadol if there is still obvious pain? Can they be used together?

Update: So since my earlier post, we ordered the Get Up and Go package from Greyhound Gang, which came Saturday, and decided to keep an eye on Robin and have him take it easy. But what was previously an occasional soreness and stiffness after a bout of running has now become a slight limp every time he gets up from laying down for a while. This has been going on for about a week and a half now. We tried one of the Rimadyls our vet gave us a few days ago, but didn't really notice a difference (he's so stoic, and I think it was evening, so he was settling in for the night instead of getting up and down). It hasn't been too severe, but it has been more frequent. So we were hoping to have him take it easy for a while while we use the supplements and hope to see an improvement. The problem is that we can't convince Robin that he has arthritis and should take it easy. We were just out now, and despite being on leash, he kept trying to play and race around, and he ended up hurting his "bad" wrist. So we got home and gave him a rimadyl, and I'm hoping it takes effect, because right now he's just standing around panting--he's definitely hurting. So my questions, for those of you who've "been around the block", so to speak, are these: How does arthritis work? Does it just "flare up" and need to be reigned back in by use of medication and/or supplements? I'm trying to figure out why he's suddenly acting like an infirm dog compared to a couple of weeks ago. Does Rimadyl, or other nsaids, work best when it is used consistently for a few days, rather than an occasional single? I'm thinking maybe we just need to do a "round" of the meds to help get this under control for him. Right now, we have a sample pack of Rimadyl--three days worth. He really wants to get back to his old self again, as evidenced by his craziness on leash this afternoon, and we want that for him. I guess I'm looking for sooner results than the two months it will take for him to have the effect of the supplements. Any suggestions? I wish I knew more about how arthritis works, and my online research is being surprisingly unhelpful right now. TIA

Hi everyone, We went to the vet with Robin last Wednesday for his annual checkup, and we mentioned to the vet how he has been limping on his right leg after longer walks, or after zoomies, and how in general he gets stiff and sore after exercise, much more than he ever has. He felt around, and manipulated some of his joints, and based on this, he seems to think that Robin may be getting a little bit older and a bit arthritic. So he gave us a free sample of rimadyl (7 75mg pills) to try for a few days, and some pamphlets about rimadyl and about Cosequin (glucosamine). Based on what I've read about early stages of arthritis, it is quite possible that that is what is going on. Robin is 8 1/2 and still loves to run whenever possible. I'm wanting to find out as much information as possible and to know if this is severely life impacting, etc. We don't want to tell him he can't run anymore. But what is best for him? We'll do the glucosamine for sure, but as for a medication, and whether to use it on the spot or regularly, we don't know the best plan yet. Will probably consult with the vet again soon, but wanted to check here as well. So I'm looking to hear from those of you whose greys have arthritis, especially those that are on the "younger" side, like Robin. How was it diagnosed? (Were there x-rays involved, or just a once-over?) How is it managed? What is the impact? And does the medication just manage pain, or does it help slow the progress of the arthritis as well? Thanks for any info! Cathy