krissn333

Oh Twiggy She was so loved, by Wendy and by all who met her. What an inspiration. So many tears here...big hugs to Wendy. My heart is broken for her.

I noticed the title of the thread says "vaccination for heartworm"...I know many people have had good luck with the heartworm preventative vaccine, but, I've also seen quite a few greyhounds get ill from it or die from it, so I wouldn't recommend it. Heartgard is our monthly chewable preventative of choice.

I wouldn't necessarily say it had a sedating effect for Clarice. However, it kept her from wigging out about her incision and kept her feeling comfortable. She was fully functional. Maybe a LITTLE more restful than HER usual, but, she's an extremely energetic little greyhound Conversely, it has a sedating effect for Ozzie, which came in handy during fireworks season here.

I'm personally a BIG fan of trazodone for things like this. It was SUPER helpful when Clarice was recovering from her vulvoplasty. Kept her chilled out and quiet

Ozzie lost 7 teeth during his last dental. I just took his kibble and crushed it up in the blender. Then added some water to it. Voila!

We had the same issue with Clarice. When she was on antibiotics she was fine. But she would pee otherwise, and pee a TON. Have you had the vet swab her vulva for bacteria? Clarice's vulva was hooded and it contributed to SO many issues. She had a vulvoplasty last month and other than a somewhat difficult recovery (she had to wear the cone of shame), she is GREAT now. No accidents, no antibiotics.

My friend's boy recently had his spleen removed because he had a VERY large tumor. Turned out to be benign He does eat a special diet, but, other than that he is just fine I have another friend whose girl had a 7lb hemangiosarcoma. Total splenectomy and chemo (Carboplatin, 6 treatments), and she lived at least another two years, happy as can be (on a home cooked diet). I think eventually they lost her to kidney issues but it couldn't be determined if the Carboplatin had anything to do with that or if it was just old dog kidney issues Best wishes for good news for Rudy! Edited to add - I just read the news! (helps if one reads the entire thread before replying, sorry!)

It's truly amazing how fast they adapt For her skin where the adhesive was, Bag Balm is your friend

You can use baby oil/mineral oil/vitamin E oil on a washcloth to help peel back the patch so it doesn't pull her skin. Just get some of the oil up under the edge, then continue to wipe at the underside of the patch while you pull on it. It'll come right off

Often Rimadyl has a kind of sedating effect (at least that's what has been my experience). Pinky slept a lot, would pant and whine when she needed to go out. It was like the idea of the effort she knew that getting up and going out was going to require made her a little bit whiny. She allowed me to help her though. If the restlessness and panting continues, I'd ask about getting the Fentanyl patch off of her and getting her onto oral meds. Be aware that tramadol might cause the same effects though, if she's prone. We had Pinky on Deramaxx and tramadol. You might ask about gabapentin too-helps with nerve pain, and also can have a sedating effect. Obviously you don't want her so sedated she's loopy, but, if it will help her rest comfortably so that her body can work on healing, that's always good. Might also ask about trazodone. Clarice had a vulvoplasty two weeks ago and it was a GODSEND for keeping her chilled out about her incision. Are you checking her temperature regularly? Keep an eye out for an elevated temp...often your first clue to a post-op infection.

I always add water to their kibble. I have two gobblers who will choke, sputter, and SHOOT kibble from their throats if it is given to them dry. The extra burping is likely from gulping air while eating. Going forward, I would add enough water so that the kibble almost floats in the bowl. That's what I do with mine. Clarice still eats in about 30 seconds. And she always has a big burp. Sometimes I burp her. No joke. They make all kinds of special dishes for voracious eaters. Or, I just saw someone on Facebook the other day who literally scatters the kibble across the kitchen floor and her dog eats it like a scavenger hunt. Unorthodox? Sure. But it works

When mine did it, it's because their neck/spine hurt. They were basically afraid to move. My friend's dog was recently doing this and she was diagnosed with LS.

She's cone free!

One more sleep and she gets her stitches out. I hope she won't need the cone anymore, but, she might need it for a while longer.