greysmom

Yeah Polli!!! That's super progress!! greysmom

Yeah Polli!! Yeah Mommy and Daddy! Yeah EVERYbody!!!!! greysmom

Copper VooDoo Cash

Many of your questions are about medical insurance for amputees, and I doubt you will get very many answers to it. Pet medical insurance is still very new here in the US and not very many people insure their pets. I have 7 companion animals (3 greys and 4 cats) and none have medical insurance. I would imagine that it would be harder, if not impossible, to insure an amputee. Particularly if the surgery was because of cancer. It might be less of an issue if there was a bad break or something not disease related that necessitated the amputation. I'm sure there are statistics about the length of time cancer amputees survive, but I don't know them. Non-cancer survivors would have the same expectations as non-amputeed greys I would think. There might be more of a chance for muscle and skeletal issues, but if the owner is diligent in keeping their dog in shape and generally healthy, it shouldn't impact their length of life. I wouldn't hesitate to adopt an amputee - or tripod - greyhound. These dogs adapt remarkably quickly and are happy and content. greysmom

Oh, I'm so glad Polli is home and doing well! I came on the Board tonight just to make sure she did! When mine won't eat - even after all the tricks and songs, chicken and boiled hamburger and rice - we go out and bring home a plain hamburger from one of the fast food places. They LOVE take out and just mob us if they see we're bringing home a paper sack. It'll usually spark an appetite. Sometimes Ensure works too. Continued good thoughts for all your family! greysmom

One day at a time and one thing at a time. She's doing great overall it sounds like and if not eating is her normal MO then she's acting completely normal! Hopefully they'll let her come home to you before they have to see her eat/go potty. Thinking and chanting for everybody! greysmom

You and your DH and your entire pack are in our thoughts! (chanting... chanting... chanting) As others have said - GT is the place to be! - whether you want to cry or rant or get a multi-state group hug or talk about Polli's chemo or strategize what happens next and next and next. We'll all be waiting for updates, but will certainly understand if you need some quiet and time to brood. White light... greysmom

You can have the test read by the greyhound gurus at Michigan State University and Dr Couto. There's also a TON of general info on their website here: http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/FAQ/Endocr...roid_Canine.php Some people have also emailed their results. And Dr Couto is really good about answering grehound specific related question. I don't know his email address but someone else might have it. greysmom ;D

Tuesday!? That seems a bit much, IMHO. Lots of good thoughts and white light for your girl! greysmom

Dude broke one of his middle toes on his hind foot and because of how it fractured we had to amputate. He was splinted, he did get sores, he had a month of weekly bandage changes. Here's a picture: He's perfectly fine now, and runs and plays like normal. If I had to do it again (please God no!) I would make different choices. The amputation was a given in our situation, but I think I might try and manage him at home otherwise. If you're comfortable doing that then you should consider it. greysmom

Some people have reported that their greys chip migrates. It's because they have less fat to hold it in place. I'd start with going back to the place where he got the chip or your vet. If it's moving around that much and being painful it may need to be removed. I don't know if they can reinsert them or if you would need a new one. greysmom

You don't say how long you've had him, but it can take several months for a new non-racing coat to come in for any grey newly off the track. Some are in beautiful condition, but some are also horrible. The flea allergy is probably what's causing most of the trouble, and when that is under control his coat and skin will come back better than ever. Regular grooming and brushing can also help by getting rid of the old coat and stimulating the skin to turn over. My favorite tool is a rubber Zoom Groom - long rubber comb-like things that are really bendy and get the undercoat out slick as a whistle. My dogs also LOVE it as it feels really good to them I guess. All three come running and jockey for who gets first brushies when they see me get it out! You can try adding in EVOO just not too much or he'll get the runs. A raw egg mixed with his food can help, and also supplements with omega-3's.

Oh, dear! I'm so sorry - I know how scary seizures can be. Our Bridge girl Libby was a seizure dog and we managed her for quite some time before she started clustering and had to go on pheno. Hopefully this will control it for Henry as well as it did for Lib-ster. Lots of good thoughts and white light! greysmom

She might have had a corn or callus that got torn off while playing. Or she could have abraded her pad on something at the dog park. If it's not bleeding or raw or open-wound looking, I might just rub some soothing cream (neosporin or Bag Balm) on it and cover it with a sock for a bit so she doesn't lick it too much. If she's still limping tomorrow a vet trip might be needed to make sure she didn't injure something inside her foot. Hope she feels better soon! greysmom ;D

Call the vet. Ditto, ditto, ditto. greysmom ;D

No words from anyone can make this better or easier - it's the hardest thing to do in the world - but I'm glad you posted your story so we can all tell you you're not alone. How much you love your girl comes across in every word and I'm sure Cherry knows she is cherished. Hugs and support are coming your way. greysmom

Eyes are so tricky - as you know. I'd opt for the vet sooner rather than later. If it is a problem you can catch it before it gets any worse. greysmom

A little background: VooDoo (aka Da Dude) came to us in 2005 already on thyroid supplementation. It never occurred to me to question that he should be on it until I found GreyTalk last spring and began reading about everybodies experiences. He was on a pretty high dosage and we had actually increased it about 18 months ago. He's always been a hyper, attention-deficet grey - always bouncing off the walls. He was very skinny and weighed 68-69 lbs (he's pretty tall so you could see every rib and most of his spine at that weight) and I could never get any weight ON him. The clincher for me was after one of my other greys began an obedience class. I started using what Cash and I learned in class on VooDoo and Copper. Cash and Copper picked up their new behaviors very quickly, including the important "watch me" where they learn to look at you for a treat. Dude couldn't do it at all. So I knew something was going on. That something, after more research, appeared to be his thyroid rx - he had the classic symptoms of hyper (too much) thyroid. Six weeks ago, after talking to our vet and having her confirm my suspicions, we stopped giving him his Soloxine. After 10 days, he began gaining weight and calming down. After 2 weeks he could finally concentrate enough to learn "watch me." He was initially a bit depressed, but he's bounced back and is our happy, bright, celebrating boy again though without the uncontrollability. I took Dude to the vet today for his 6 week post-no-thyroid bloodwork like the fine folks at MSU suggest. In talking with the vet, we decided that we wouldn't do the $150 test (that tests 6 or 7 thyroid hormones and concentrations) at this time. Dude is so much better and not exhibiting any symptoms associated with low thyroid. He's maintaining a healthier weight (up 5 lbs to 76) and not gaining massive amounts. His hair and skin are fine - silky and thick, no hyper-pigmentation, no dryness or flakiness, no odor to the skin. His heart, eyes, and ears look great. His toenails are growing like mad with no splitting or cracking. The testing may or may not have confirmed anything regarding how low or high his levels are, as many people here know from dealing with their own greys thyroid difficulties. So long story short - we're doing nothing right now but continuing to monitor him and watch for any significant changes that would indicate a problem. (And saving the $150!) Part of me wants to know what his numbers are, but the other part knows he's healthy and happy and I should just go with it! For now anyway, Dude thyroid saga is officially on hiatus! greysmom

Seizures vary greatly in length and severity. And they can occur close together or several years apart - especially if they are mild ones. If he suffers no ill effects, and they don't happen except every 4 years or so, I might not worry about it terribly. Seizures are always more traumatic for us then they are for them! If you are really concerned I might ask for a referral to a neurologist. But unless they can examine him during a seizure there might not be anything for them to say other than he's having sporadic idiopathic (of unknown origin) seizures. greysmom

Dude does this all the time and I can never find what it's about! I'm thinking charlie horse or cramp, sometimes he pokes himself in the ear with his own toe! greysmom

Sending good thoughts and lots of white light! greysmom

You know, I have been wondering about this, too. In humans, it is once a day--first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. And we had a crazy time stabilizing Whistler's thyroid, too--the dose that finally worked for him? 1.3 twice a day (a .7 and a .6). I've never heard of anyone else on that kind of dose, but it was what he needed. Dude was on two different amounts, too. A 0.8 in the morning and 1.2 (.8 + .4) in the pm. This was clearly too much for him, but his levels were still below "normal." He goes back in for his recheck this week and we'll see what's what. greysmom

Sounds about right. It can be a tad cheaper if the vet tech does it vs a regular vet, but with the sedation, possible extractions, and the fact that greys teeth are usually pretty yucky, it can be up to $300. We only have to go about every 18-24 months for ours. They get nice crunchy kibble and a teeth cleaning chew every night and that seems to be working pretty good. greysmom

I will be very interested to hear about Dude and his test results. Flashy was so sad off his meds...all he did was sleep and shiver and drop clumps of hair. I could NOT believe the weight that he gained and that 6 weeks was a long 6 weeks. He still has some very dry skin on his tummy that is peeling like what a sunburn would peel. He feels SO MUCH BETTER! Please let me know what you find out and hug Dude for me. I am glad he gained the weight he needed. Will do! I'm very interested to see how they come out. He was skinny, hyper, had no hair (well, he still has no hair! ), and never gained an ounce no matter how much I fed him. He's put on a nice bit of weight, has not lost any hair, and seems much more able to control his excitability. I need to do some more research about sending his blood in to Dr Couto's place, or just go with the lab here. greysmom

Yeah! Dude goes in this week for his 6-weeks-off-soloxine test. He GAINED weight going off it - which was what he needed, he was a VERY skinny Dude! We'll see what happens, but I'm thinking he may need some level of supplementation. YEAH, Flashman! And good for Pave' too! greysmom