rascalsmom

racindog, yes, the chiropractor did tell us we could see a bit of a setback after an adjustment. He told me to bring her back in two weeks, unless she seems worse; then bring her back next week instead. The appetite thing is killing me. I am so frustrated with that!! Thanks for the appetite-awakening-prayers...I hope they work. I've been praying for that, too.

Ruby had her chiropractic adjustment yesterday. Since then, she seems to be uncomfortable. She couldn't seem to settle last night, after we went to bed, and I ended up getting up, letting her out (she pottied), and then of course I couldn't get to sleep till after 2:00. She still does not want to eat. Well, I guess she wants to eat SOME stuff, but not 'good' stuff. Last night we grilled some chicken, and put wing dust on it--she LOVED that, believe it or not, and ate a bunch. But this morning, she only ate a few bits of the Natural Balance dog food roll, then quit. I also bought some frozen Bil-Jac yesterday, and she won't even consider it. Fortunately Jack and Rascal seem to like it--they aren't eating well either. Now, I think this could be various things. --She still isn't feeling well--the vet suggested her liver values were a bit higher than normal, her bilirubin was up; and there was the possibility that she had pancreatitis, although the bloodwork didn't really indicate that. Should I get the bloodwork rechecked? Although it does seem odd to me that if she doesn't feel well, she'd eat WING DUSTED CHICKEN! --Maybe she is just getting spoiled. Oh, big shock there, huh? Giving a dog anything she'll eat might tend to 'spoil' them for dog food... --Maybe she is enjoying the attention. After her chicken-fest last night, I felt we should give her something else. So we made up some baby food oatmeal and syringed that in. She took it all quite willingly--more willingly than my kids ever did --as my husband is squirting it into her mouth and saying, "goo goo ga ga, eat up little baby bird", and me laughing the whole time. --We thought maybe the antibiotic she was given, for the possible UTI, was upsetting her tummy. She took the last one yesterday morning, so she's not had ANY pills today--I did not give her the Pepcid or the appetite stimulant because neither of them seemed to make a huge difference in her appetite. I was SO hoping she'd start eating more, not having any meds in her stomach. So, possible solutions to the above are: --Recheck blood values, to rule out (or in) any liver malfunction --TOUGH LOVE--eat the dog food or don't eat. This is kind of scary, since she is still very thing. --Keep force feeding her until she decides she's had enough and starts to eat on her own. Any thoughts?

When we first moved into this house, we were not using the screen door, since it was winter. Just the regular french door, which has mullions, like this. He learned to go in and out when that door opened. Once the weather got nice, we were having the door open to let air in. The dogs had never seen a screen door like that, and I knew it would require some 'teaching'. Jack, being a dog who does not enjoy spending too much time outside, is always in a rush to get back inside. I was standing there when he approached the door, trying to get him to stop, and see it was NOT open--he slammed right into the screen. Anyway, we want them to learn that they have to WAIT to go in and out, since we want to be able to have our door open in nice weather. Then, a couple of weeks later, Ruby tried going through the screen as I was reaching to open it. Her result was not nearly as pain-free as Jack's, but Jack was right inside the house, and I am sure he witnessed all of it--her falling, me screaming to my husband that Ruby wasn't breathing, the frantic rush to try and call our vet, taking Ruby to the e-vet. Then, later that same night, my DH was outside the door, again trying to get Jack to STOP before coming in--Jack barreled right past him, fortunately hit the screen at the corner where it was already popped out of the track, and went RIGHT THROUGH IT into the house. Taking him out on a leash, and in on a leash, might be something to try. It is very hard to control an 85 pound dog when he isn't on a leash.

Haven't had his vision checked, but he seems to see just fine. He is 5 years old.

As for going to the door and going out, when I get him to the door I say, "good boy, Jack" very calmly. Open the door, let him out. When he's ready to come in, he is afraid to approach the door (can't really blame him there!). I go out, get him to come near me, hold his collar (or he'll dart into the yard again), calmly approach the door, open it, praise him. I don't make too big a deal of the praise, because I want him to realize this is NORMAL, going through the door. Same for the basement. We try not to make too much of it, just act like it's normal to be there. Of course since Ruby got hurt we've not been going to the basement anyway.

First, a bit of background. We brought Jack home right after Thanksgiving, in 2009. He was a foster dog. Of course by the end of that year, we adopted him. He was great--one of those "good out of the box" type of dogs, didn't seem to have any issues at all--we could hug him, cuddle him, he was the perfect dog. It was our habit to spend the evenings in our basement family room, and he joined us down there every time. All three of the dogs did. Last fall sometime, he suddenly did NOT want to go downstairs. He acted afraid. We would bring him down with us, only to have him bolt up the steps; so we then just let him stay upstairs. At the end of February we moved. I was hoping that, with a different house, he would not be afraid to go to the basement--our new house has a fabulous family room in the basement, it even has a door leading outside, so it doesn't 'feel' so much like a basement. But, the only times he's been down there is when I made him go down. The last few times we took him downstairs, we blocked the stairs so he'd be forced to stay with us, and he did calm down, got on the dog bed, and went to sleep. He still will not go down willingly, though. He also had an incident where he slammed into our screen door--he did not get hurt, but that spooked him, and he was suddenly afraid to go outside. He HAS to go out through that door, it's the only door to the fenced yard. Then, two weeks ago, Ruby tried going through the screen, and got hurt quite badly. (Her thread is in H&M.) She spent two days in the hospital. During those two days, Jack rarely came out of my bedroom. He didn't eat much, and I had to MAKE him go outside to relieve himself. When Ruby came home he seemed much better--he'd hang out in the living room again. He still acted afraid of the door. He was in the house when Ruby got hurt, so I know he saw that, and heard us flipping out (she wasn't breathing, so of course we were flipping out!!). Anyway, he is once again spending his days in my bedroom. Both he and Rascal have not been eating well, but especially him. He still does not go outside willingly. I am at the end of my rope. I don't know what to do for him, to help him overcome these fears. The thing that's hardest to reconcile is that he was PERFECT for the first 10 months or so that we had him!! He did not have these strange quirks! I am probably going to call the 'behaviorist' our adoption group uses, talk to her and see if she's got any insight. A friend of mine also knows of another behaviorist, and used her when she adopted her first greyhound, who was very fearful. But I figured that GT'ers might have a few suggestions, too.

OK, here's the very short video. Just remember, two weeks ago, she could not even stand up without help!! My link She can even make it across those bumpy "cobblestones"!

Here is what my husband did with the screen door (after he replaced the screen). We knew it was going to get warmer this week, so we needed an instant solution (not something we'd have to send for). He found this screen guard at Home Depot, put it up, and then added a few strips of surveyor's tape, just to make it MORE visible to the dogs. We'll take the tape off once they get used to this. I took a short video of Ruby walking around outside, but it's taking forever to load to Photobucket...

Today's Ruby update. --Today Ruby is able to go from the house out to the patio. It is only one step down, but until today she was unwilling (and I was afraid to let her!) to do that step. She can also get back into the house. --She also was quite resistant to her syringe feeding this morning, which I expect is a good sign! --She ate about 1/3 of a can of dog food (chunks in gravy) this morning, standing at her table. She did not eat very much of the 1/2 cup of kibble I put under it, though. --At lunch she ate about 1/2 package of deli chicken (those little prepackaged tubs--Hillshire Farms). --She also pooped today without any support! --She is up and walking around in the house a LOT more than a few days ago. She is once again following me from room to room. I am still concerned that she's not eating enough. However, she IS pooping at least once a day--not as much as she used to, but pooping nonetheless. That's a good sign, right?? The first week she was home she only pooped THREE TIMES the whole week. Maybe I am just impatient, I want her to eat eat eat so she can regain the weight she's lost. Not to mention, with her not too interested in eating, the other two dogs aren't eating as well, either. Ruby's recovery has been, to me, nothing short of amazing. To think that two weeks ago, she was in the hospital, unable to get up on her own. I want to thank every one of you who have followed her story, and given me encouragement, and sent prayers for my sweet Ruby. It means the world to me. I am also very grateful to our vet, who tolerated phone calls at home from me, who patiently explained things to me...she is more than our vet, she's our friend, too. Also, I am grateful to Ginni, the woman in my bell choir, who suggested that we take Ruby to the chiropractor; she told me about him while Ruby was still in the hospital, and then the following Sunday she again URGED me to give it a try. Without her repeated urgings, I am not sure Ruby would still be with us today. I will continue to update this thread as she progresses....tomorrow night she's going to the chiropractor again, so hopefully we'll see even MORE improvement after that--and hopefully an improved appetite, too!

Ruby is amazing. She is doing so well! We are now two weeks since the accident, and while she is nowhere near where she was prior to this, she is SOOO much better! Things she can do: --gets up on her own --walks around the house on her own--she's even following me room-to-room again! --goes and gets a drink on her own --we are no longer using the slings outside (or inside either!). She does need a bit of 'steadying' when she poos, and she's still not crazy about that idea (no privacy!), but otherwise she falls into it. She is fine to pee on her own. --she is actually trotting around the back yard! I think she's trying to get away from us, to have some privacy...but whatever! --she willingly eats, but only certain things. We are still doing a bit of syringe-feeding (canned dog food+baby rice cereal or potatoes), because she has gotten so very thin. --yesterday, for the first time, she actually ate about 1/4 c. of kibble with some canned food on it! --she is even eyeing up the couch, although she's not at all ready to get up and down from there! It truly astounds me. Two weeks ago, I was sure she was dying before my eyes. What a horrific experience that was. I am so thankful that she is getting better. She has seen the chiropractor three times, and is to go again one day this week. I really think it is the chiropractor who has helped her get this far. Some might say it was just time, but up until we went to see him, she was really not making a lot of progress. We were seriously considering euthanasia. He tells us she still has a vertebra that is rather jammed up, and that's why she's walking sort of sideways (especially when she's tired), so hopefully he'll get that resolved in the next treatment or two. My little girl is, as my friend used to say about her mom, "a tough old broad". Thanks so much for asking!

Ruby has always loved gingersnaps...and I figured they might help, if she's got an upset stomach, because yes, ginger is used for that. Donna, the vet did tell me to be cautious about too much of the 'critical care' food--because of the possibility of pancreatitis. She is too weak to stand up for any length of time--about 10 minutes is it for her--so she is eating in bed. When we syringe feed her she is generally on her side. She doesn't seem to be in any pain, and is able to move her head around pretty well....even better since she's seeing the chiropractor. The vet really feels that she doesn't want to eat because of some GI issue. We just aren't sure what that issue is.

I'm going to ask the chiropractor if he has any advice, but he is NOT a vet. He is a 'people' chiropractor who also treats animals. I agree, if her liver is struggling, she really needs to eat! She has gotten so thin.... I guess a bit of good news is that she has pooped each of the past four days---that's got to be a good sign, right??

She prescribed cyproheptadine as an appetite stimulant. We got a Pepcid into her. One more question....if anyone knows. How often should I be syringe feeding her? I forgot to ask the vet! Right now I am doing it twice daily, and trying to get 6-7 ounces of wet food into her each time. That isn't a lot of food for a greyhound! We offer her snacks throughout the day. For an idea of what we are giving her, here's what she ate yesterday: 1/2 (large) can dog food 1/2 piece of toast with peanut butter 10 little pieces of chicken 3 ginger snaps 1 fig newton about 15 Cheez-its 1/4 can dog food 4 or 5 "slice and bake" dog food 'cookies' 3 pieces of DH's beef jerky I realize a lot of it isn't great, but those are the things she eats WILLINGLY. The dog food I have to syringe feed. Does that seem like enough? It doesn't to me, but then again she's not burning many calories. Ruby was always the one I could count on for a clean bowl, so her not wanting to eat is very disturbing....

Just talked to our vet. She is calling in a script for an appetite stimulant, and said to give Pepcid, too. She feels there's something else going on. Ruby's liver enzymes were in the normal range last Saturday, but "higher than they usually are"; and her bilirubin is elevated. She thinks she could have some organ damage from when she was without oxygen; she said it can heal, but it takes time. Also, there could be some 'low grade' pancreatitis--the blood work didn't indicate it, but it could still be there. Also her ggt was elevated. Not sure what that means. DR. B. said Ruby should be eating on her own by now, that's why she feels something else is happening.

I agree, I am very weary of trying to get her to eat. I hate to see her getting even thinner.... The question remains--how long do we (I--because I do it most of the time) go on syringe-feeding her?? She has been home from the hospital for a week and two days now. And does her lack of interest in food mean something else--that maybe this is all too much for her? The poor old girl, I am sure this is harder than any race she ever ran...and she is almost 12.... She is amazingly better, as far as walking goes, still nowhere near 100%, but at least she can ambulate on her own, but the eating thing is driving me nuts!

Yes, I heat the food. I have also hand-fed it, but that is even more of a mess than the syringe. She will eat certain things, but the really NUTRITIOUS stuff--the stuff she NEEDS to get stronger--she will not eat willingly.

Now that Ruby is starting to navigate on her own more, HOW DO I GET HER TO EAT??? We are still syringe feeding her, and it is really getting tiresome. She will eat some things willingly--last night we gave her a few gingersnaps, and a fig newton, two things she really loves--and she ate them happily. She will NOT eat dog food (canned) at all, but will take it from the syringe. SHE NEEDS REAL NUTRITION!! I made her an egg (sunny side up) this morning, and she would not touch it. I am very frustrated with her unwillingness to eat. I cannot syringe feed her indefinitely....any ideas??

Took the bandage off last night, no bleeding. Put it back on this morning, just to keep her from licking at it.

Cautiously optimistic....yesterday while we were getting things ready for the second trip to the chiro, Ruby GOT UP on her own, and WALKED about 30 feet, from the living room to the laundry room!! AMAZING!! She is managing a whole lot better, still a bit wobbly, unsteady, and weak, of course, but she can GET and WALK now!! This is day 10---and I think she's gonna make it. I am beside myself with happiness! My DH says, "she will live to cost me a few thousand more..."--kidding of course, because he, too, is very happy with her progress. She still isn't eating great, but hopefully that will come as she feels stronger. WOO HOO for the chiropractor!! We take her again on Thursday, and he'll give us his opinion as to whether or not it's fixable--I think we may already know the answer!

Thank you for the "slice and bake cookie" suggestion! I never would've thought to do that! I made some today--8 cookies--Jack ate one, and so far Ruby has eaten all but one of the remaining 7!

Whew, good news on both counts! Thank you!! I may wait till bedtime to take the bandage off anyway... We have had quite enough stress lately!!

As if we don't have enough on our plates, with Ruby and her neck injury, this morning Rascal came in from outside, tracking blood all over. I found that she has a toenail on the back foot that is broken off pretty close to the toe. It was bleeding like crazy, so I bandaged her up. My question is, if I take the bandage off, how likely is it to start bleeding again, once she walks on it? It is an outer toe, so I guess that is in our favor--not so much a weight-bearing toe. I put flour on it to help stop the bleeding, before I bandaged it.

So far we've not found too much that she'll eat on her own. My daughter gave her a couple of graham crackers last night. This morning I had to syringe feed her again. I'm going to cook some chicken breast today, and if she doesn't take that willingly..then I don't know what to do. Yesterday we took her to a chiropractor--he works on humans and animals--who came highly recommended by someone I know. He told us to bring her back again tonight, and then on Thursday, and he says that on Thursday, after three sessions, he will be able to tell us if he thinks he can get her going again. He told us she is in better shape than most of the dogs he sees, so that was a little encouraging. He said she's definitely got something going on with her C-5, but her whole spine is very flexible, which is in her favor. If he doesn't give us a good report then, we are running out of options. We can't, and won't, keep doing this--syringe feeding, sling-walking--because it isn't fair to her, or to us. I don't have a good feeling about her prospects. On the way there, she actually stood up in the car--and then pooped. Are we having fun yet??

Thank you for the photos, Jey. She was so beautiful. And she looks so much like my sweet Ruby....

Not sure it's the antibiotic, as she wasn't eating BEFORE being on the antibiotic. We've given her the antibiotic yesterday and today, and we got some food into her (syringe) along with the pill.