rascalsmom

Well, that IS great news!!

Same thing happened to Buddy a few years ago. DH accidentally caught his tail in the storm door, and it was actually "skinned" in the midtail area. TOok him to the vet, they x rayed it (not broken) and put a dressing on. BE SURE to change the dressing DAILY....the vet told us to wait a few days, and by then the dressing was STUCK FAST. It was not easy to get it off, but we did with my sister's help (she's a nurse). After that we changed it DAILY. It took awhile to heal but it did. Best of luck to you...just keep after it!!

Congratulations....saw that on GHG's website, that he got adopted by you folks!

Thanks for sharing that beautiful tribute with us, Judy. There's no doubt in my mind that Jack knew you loved him....if it's obvious to us from reading your tribute, surely it was apparent to him. You were blessed to have him, and he was blessed to have you. My dear friend lost both of her greyhounds within a month of one another, so I can just imagine how devastated you are....my friend still has a hard time dealing with it, and it's been over a year for her.... My deepest sympathies to you on your loss. I've not had to deal with losing a dog yet, and I am already dreading it.

I'm so sorry, Judy. There's nothing more to say...

Buddy is feeling MUCH better; thanks for asking! Yesterday was a huge improvement for him, probably because we were more successful in getting the pills into him. Now we have the cream cheese pill balls all ready, along with a couple of pieces of chicken...we pill him, then immediately give chicken and loads of praise...repeat the process then, as we have six pills to give in the a.m. and four in the p.m., and I only put 2 or 3 in each cream cheese ball. If we could only get Rascal and Ruby to understand why BUDDY is the only one getting the goodies! I fear he may never eat plain dog food again, but I don't even care! Oh, and some more great news: the poo is becoming more normal! Can you tell how happy I am to have my boy feeling better??

Judy, I'll be praying for Jack, and for you and your DH, too. I'm so sorry to hear about this.

Agreed, it's wonderful to hear GOOD news!

It sounds a lot like Buddy's recent problems. Buddy is currently on tramadol, rimadyl, and neurontin....I also have an appointment for later in the month to look into acupuncture, as I've been told that usually helps a lot. Best of luck; it's so hard to see them in pain like that!! I know!!

I did make some satin balls...I used Judy's (jillysfullhouse) recipe. I was using it to hide the pills, and just said to DH at noon that maybe he'd eat a few of them plain (NO PILLS) for a snack. He did have his bowl of cheerios and ensure at lunchtime, DH also gave him a ritz cracker and a fig newton. You know, all part of a bland diet.... But WHATEVER WORKS is my new motto. Oh, and 37 POUNDS???? Wow, you must've been scared out of your mind!!

This morning we got all the various pills into him: 2 tramadol, 1/2 rimadyl, 1/4 gabapentin (neurontin), and 1 1/2 simplicef. SIX total. The thing that worked the best was to put two pills into a cream cheese gob, which I rolled in parmesan cheese so I could handle it; DH sat on the ottoman, Buddy beside it, and opened his mouth; I put the gob back as far as possible, and he swallowed it. We may be on to something....I think the positioning was helpful, too....DH had more control of Buddy sitting next to him like that, so I was able to shove the gob back further. The cream cheese delayed the melting of the pill in his throat, and I would much rather force something down his throat two or three times, than SIX times. He ate a good breakfast afterward: chicken, cheerios, a little kibble, and a little Ensure. Yum yum!! Rascal and Ruby are jealous. Although they did get a couple of bites of chicken, too. He will no longer take a "goodie" from us. He is too suspicious for his own good. And if I put it in his food he won't eat. So down the throat it goes. He HAS to eat, to gain back some weight!!

Yeah, good old braunschweiger. Buddy doesn't even like that WITHOUT pills. This could be because I used it once for that purpose. That's a sure way to turn Buddy against a food.... Thanks for that info, Trudy....I did try getting the tramadol down his throat last night, and he would NOT swallow it. I am going to thaw out a couple of hot dogs....

I will try offering him some graham crackers. He does like those. The pills he is on are tramadol, rimadyl, simplicef, and gabapentin (Neurontin). I have no clue how much taste/smell they have....I was thinking if only I could get them all into one glob, and pill him ONCE, instead of SIX times (two tramadols and 1 1/2 simplicef, so a total of SIX things)....maybe the molasses is an idea. SHould I try giving him some plain first? Or would that make him suspicious? Thanks for the ideas! Edited to add, I did get the Neurontin into him, using the pill gun. Tried it a second time with rimadyl, and he REFUSED to have his mouth pried open, and ran from me.

Sometimes hand-feeding will help. That's how we got him to eat on Saturday. Today it's not working, though. The itty bitty peanut butter sandwich used to work. Not anymore. I think once he's feeling a little better, the pills won't be such a huge issue; but I hate to give him a boatload of pills on an empty stomach. I talked to a dear friend about Buddy, and she suggested an Ensure-type drink; she used to give it to her SharPei when he was sick, to stimulate his appetite. Also, the neurologist mentioned that his parents had a greyhound with colitis, and they fed him chicken and Cheerios! So, I combined those two ideas, went to the store, and just fed Buddy a bowl of Cheerios with vanilla nutritional supplement on them! He ate a cereal bowl full of cheerios, and about 1/2 can of the drink (vanilla, of course). It's a start. Now to get some pills in.

Buddy's neurology appointment went pretty well. The doctor gave him a very thorough evaluation and took a detailed history. We expressed our concerns about his weight loss, as well as his back end weakness and overall poor condition. Bottom line is that the doc is pretty sure he has "lumbosacral disease/cauda equina syndrome". He claims that without an MRI you can't definitively diagnose it, but he's pretty sure that is what it is, based on the exam. I asked him about the injection, and he said he's never done that, and doesn't know many vets who do. He did do x-rays of Buddy's lungs, to rule out tumors that could be causing him to lose weight; he is mystified about the weight loss, too. The x-rays were good, just expected "old dog" changes. What he wants us to do is continue with the simplicef (finish the course, as he does have a slightly swollen lymph node in his neck); the tramadol, and the rimadyl; he also added neurontin to the mix, for nerve pain. Then, in a week or two, if he's doing better, we may decrease and then discontinue the tramadol. He also wants to have us recheck his bloodwork in two weeks (liver enzymes and kidney values) and get a urinalysis. He suggested doing the urinalysis today, but I pointed out that they had asked me to withhold his water today, so the concentrations might be off because of that, and he agreed.... Here's the problem. He doesn't want to eat. I offered him rice and ground beef when we got home, and he walked away from it. He did eat about 2/3 of a can of tuna, and DH gave him a couple of triscuits with peanut butter on, and a fig newton. But that's it. And we are having a hellacious time getting pills into him; I hate to force them down, most especially on an empty stomach. So what to do?? How do I get him to eat?? And how do I get pills into him when he won't eat, and is suspicious of EVERYTHING we try and give him? I did get a pill gun, but the freaking pills stick to the end of it!! And because of his bad teeth in the front I hate to force his mouth open.....

Yes, tomorrow (Thursday) at 9:45.

Buddy's pannus developed after he had a corneal abrasion. That kicked his system into overdrive, and that's why it developed. You could always ask your vet for a referral to PVSEC (Dr. Bagley), if you think he might have pannus. Also, I think maybe the vets at Tender Touch check for pannus....

The specialist is in the surgery department at the "specialist hospital", and our vet wanted Buddy to see a neurology specialist, so he's going to see a neurologist. We are thinking on the same lines, as I was going to sit down and make a timeline of how this has progressed, and take it with me. Also, I already have the LS article printed. I agree, I might not want to hear what they might answer, but at this point ANYTHING has got to be better than this up and down, up and down.

Umm .... Find another vet. No, really. Basic check for LS is simple, takes seconds, and is noninvasive. There's no excuse for not doing it. See here: http://greythealth.com/lumbosacral.htm Second, I'm wondering if part of the rollercoaster is that he's not getting his meds at consistent times each day. I know you're having a hard time with this. Are there any friends nearby who are good at pilling dogs who could come over and give it a go? Sending more hugs. Over the weekend, he WAS taking his pills at consistent times, and doing well.....all the more mystery of why he was worse Tuesday morning; until that time, he had gotten EVERY pill, at normal times. And if it turns out he has LS, I may indeed look for another vet. I like my vet, but I DID mention this to her......and she did brush it off.

Well the rollercoaster just goes on and on. Yesterday Buddy seemed to feel better as the day went on. My DH was again able to get his pills into him, although the things he used weren't the best things for his digestive issues: sausage balls and summer sausage. He really, really seemed better again by last night. This morning, however, he seemed to have taken two steps back. Not as bad as yesterday morning, but still not as good as he was last night. Since DH was at work, he couldn't work his pill-giving magic, and I tried hiding them in the raw medallion food that I have been giving Buddy for MONTHS with DGP pills in it (and he's always eaten it). He found EVERY LAST pill....and as a result didn't eat most of his breakfast. So here is where we stand. --In September he was 74 lbs.; last Friday he was 66. I really think it's been a gradual weight loss, not all in the past week or so. We just didn't notice since we see him all the time. A couple of months ago his nail trimmer lady mentioned that she thought he'd lost a little weight. --He has been having a hard time going up stairs for probably a year, and it's been a LONG time since he tried getting on our bed, which he always used to do. We attributed it to him getting older, etc. --The diarrhea started BEFORE he ever went to the vet and got the antibiotics and pain meds. He had that for the first time probably the day we took him to the vet. He's been on a bland diet (rice, boiled ground beef and chicken) since last Friday. Well, except for the sausage balls and summer sausage. --Up until yesterday morning, he was making WONDERFUL progress; getting all the pills, steadily getting better and seeming more like himself. So why the sudden setback yesterday? Then the rally, and again a slight setback this morning. --I mentioned LS to his vet. She said it "could be", but seemed to sort of brush it off. --She agreed that acupuncture and/or chiropractic might help, AFTER we get him through his acute phase. --She sent a referral to the specialist, so is she giving up? --Will the specialist consider, as silverfish has experienced, EVERYTHING? Weight loss, loose stool, occasional vomiting, as well as spinal issues? He IS a specialist, and of course you'd think he would be concentrating on that area. I am sure you all are getting sick of me by now. I am so stressed about this, and of course money is an issue, too. I don't work outside the home, so I DO need to respect my husband's wishes as far as how deep we go moneywise. He loves Buddy very much, too, but he does tend to look at the financial side of things, too, which we have to do. We are fine financially (otherwise I would be working!), but we aren't wealthy. Thank you all for being there. It really helps.

Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. My own son, age 24, is out on his own, and it's rather nice. He, however, is still nearby. And I still have the 12 yo dd at home...but I appreciate the offer!

Wow, Bev, that is FABULOUS news!!

Thanks, Nancy, and everyone else. It doesn't help that I have to go back for further testing from my annual mammogram....that's tomorrow. When it rains, it pours. I am really more worried about Buddy than about myself. I've had to go back for 'second looks' in the past, too, so I'm not too worried about that. It's more of an inconvenience. And that my beloved daughter, graduating from college this May, is hoping to move FAR AWAY (South Carolina, possibly), and calls today to tell me she may have an interview for a job there....while I am happy for her, I selfishly want her CLOSER. Overall it's been a sad day for me. I did make an appointment with the specialist (at PVSEC). It made my head spin....$115 to walk in the door, if they want to do an MRI or CT scan, plus surgery, it could go as high as $1500 to $3500....they like to go straight to surgery from the scan, to prevent having to sedate them twice....now I am doubting even taking him there. He is 12 years old!! Not real sure I'd want to put him through surgery on his SPINE at this point in his life....he got totally stressed out going there (PVSEC) for his eye problem a couple of months ago! How much do you do??? I really struggle with this. I want to do what is right, I want him around as long as I can have him around, but on the other hand we are not made of money. I feel that since the vet referred us to the specialist, she feels she's done all she knows to do. But what if it is something else, in addition to his back/neck issues? Why has he lost so much weight? Why is he having diarrhea and throwing up? (The diarrhea PREDATES the antibiotics and pain pills). I just don't know.

My DH got most of the pills into him at lunchtime. He's taken the 1/2 rimadyl, and two of the three tramadol that the vet wanted him to have. He is so suspicious of anything we try to offer him, though. Too smart for his own good. We do the "decoy", then the real treat-with-pill, then another decoy...he tends to inspect everything. But at least he got some of them down. Now I will wait to see how he does...if he doesn't seem better it's back to the vet.

I've used it on Buddy for awhile. I was giving him 1.5 tablets twice daily (he was 74 lbs), and it seemed to help him. Not hugely, but a bit. However, he is now on tramadol/rimadyl due to recent issues....and not doing well. He's down to 66 lbs.