RileysLegacy

I know, I am really pissed about that vet. At the time it seemed reasonable b/c Ry had been laying on the table for 2 hrs, and was relatively calm at that point. We thought we would come home and he would lay down and pass out from the meds. I should have trusted my instinct. I really, really hope my regular vet can see him asap, she is wonderful.

Yesterday evening Riley was excited about going to for a walk, and raced down the stairs. When he got to the bottom he fell and did the splits 2x. He was doing the death scream, couldn't stand, and in obvious severe pain so we got him in the car and to the e-vet since my vet closes at 5:00. 2 hrs later, the doctor comes in, feel around and says he doesn't feel anything broken so wait 2 days for an x-ray. I kept asking if he was sure, and he said that's what he would do if it were his dog. He also said he used to work w a lot of greyhounds in Chicago and they are drama queens so don't worry. I tried to tell him that Riley can be a drama queen, but w real pain he is stoic. He gave him a shot (can't remember the name, starts with B ) and Rimadyl and sent us home. Riley was completely freaking out when we got home... would not lay down but could barely stand or walk. His back legs are all shaky and he will put no weight on his right front paw. He was panting so hard it was crazy, and shaking , and just generally as miserable as could be. I called the vet back & they said he could be having a reaction the the shot, & to call back in 2 hrs. Finally my BF got the idea to put him in his airline crate, which I had totally forgotten about. We got him in there, and after about another 30 mins he lay down and stayed there, panting, until 5:30am. This morning I took him out to pee, and he is no better. He is still in so much pain and now his front paw is huge. He will not touch food or water so I had to give him his Tramadol and Rimadyl on an empty stomach. I got him back in the crate and he is laying down now in a very unnatural position and just panting like crazy. My vet doesn't open for 2 hrs, but I will try to get him in asap for an x-ray and hopefully better pain meds. I have never seen him like this, and it is just horrible. It is the worst feeling in the world seeing him in so much pain and not being able to help him at all. I feel lke the trip to the vet last night just made things worse, and I hate that we have to bring him back today and stress him out even more. Please think good thought for Ry, this is not good.

Oh no! I am thinking tons of good thoughts for Moose. He is so adorable, I can only imagine how scary this is for you guys

I have one greyhound and two Italian greyhounds. I had my greyhound for about 1.5 yrs before getting another dog. He was totally fine. He is very independent and happy to be the center of attention. My two IGs, on the other hand, cuddle ALL the time. They really seem to enjoy having another of their kind around. My greyhound cuddles with them also, but it is only when they come to him. If you are gone from the house long hours, I do think most dogs enjoy having company. I don't think it necessarily has to be another greyhound though. btw, I would definitely have more than one greyhound if I had unlimited space and money

That's what I've been thinking. I'm going to call my vet and see if she can give me contact info for the surgeon. I hate the thought of putting him through surgery, but if it will improve the quality of his life, then it is worth it.

Does anyone else have thoughts on when the surgery should be done? Like how severe should the symptoms be? I am sure it's b/c we now know what it is, but Riley seems to be panting so hard, all the time. Last night we went out for a walk after dark, only about 1/2 mile and slow, and he was scaring us. I put a wet towel under his belly and armpits when we got home, and then draped it around his neck and that seemed to help. But it couldn't have been more than 70 degrees.

omg, this is so scary. I'm so sorry about Tessie. Thank you for posting her story. This, along with DofSweetPotatos' story, is making me re-think surgery. I dont think Ry's case is that severe yet, but I also don't want to take any chances. I want to do what is best for him, but I don't know what that is... this really sucks.

I wanted to ask those of you familiar with LP a question that I forgot to ask the vet. Riley and I usually have a little "singing" session at some point in the day. I sing to him and he joins in with rooing/barking. Not longer than a minute or two. Should I stop doing this? His favorite song is Happy Birthday, btw. The neighbors are probably wondering how we can have a birthday at our house every day Jenny, please come visit us soon!! There is so much to catch up on!!

No worries Kristin. This thread has been so helpful and informative. A few days ago I'd never even heard of LP, and now I feel like I am much better prepared to deal with Riley's issues. He has had the hacking thing for quite a while, and the breathing thing to some degree for a while too. The breathing has definitely gotten worse this summer, but I am hoping once things start to cool off a little he will feel better. He lives for walkies, car rides, trips to the park, and playdates, so I will not completely cut those out from his life. We will just be more aware of the temperature, his excitement level, and the amount of time away from home. I refuse to take away all the things he loves. The surgeon my vet talked to seemed to think it was better to wait until he absolutely needed surgery to do it, but I don't know what other vets think about it. It would be great if all of you who think your dog might be in the beginning stages of LP could post what your vet has to say. Kisses to all of these older babies

Aw man, I didn't know Sparks had it too Yeah, we have greatly decreased Riley's exercise. I'm pretty bummed b/c walks are his most favorite thing in the entire world. Sometimes we just walk him around the block, so he at least gets out of the house. Thanks Lynn. Do you give it when he's breathing heavy? I have Pred in case he has a really bad episode, but it would be nice to have something to give him when it's not that severe. I am excited about the air conditioning though The vet was surprised that we agreed to get it for Riley. I would do almost anything for my boy, and this benefits both of us!

They had to look down his throat, so he had to be put under anesthesia. That's really all I know, sorry. I'm sure someone else can give you a better explanation...

I just heard from the vet - it is LP. I can't thank you all enough for mentioning this because we would not have known to test for it otherwise. The surgeon did not recommend surgery at this time as he thinks the possible side effects could be worse than the condition itself. He says to only walk or exercise him at night when it is not as hot (which we have been doing) and to try and get an air conditioner if we can. We have talked about getting a/c in our bedroom, so we will go ahead and do that now. We will continue to monitor him closely and if he seems to be declining at all we will re-evaluate having the surgery. I will have some steroids on hand in case of a particularly bad episode. So all in all I guess this is good news, though I do feel a little sad that he will continue to have trouble breathing. It is definitely a positive to know what we are dealing with. Thank you all again. Kristin, just saw your post. They did a test of the larynx and esophagus, and also x-rays of his chest.

I will. I really like my new vet, and she seemed very familiar with LP when I mentioned it to her. She asked that I bring Riley in 1 hr early tomorrow so she has time to hang out with him and make him feel comfortable before starting the procedure. I thought that was really nice. If he does end up needing surgery, I will definitely make sure she is the best one to do it, or ask for a referral. She was awesome with Jabari's dental and is very aware of sighthound sensitivities, so I trust her.

Thanks Deanna. That makes me feel better. Riley is scheduled for the diagnostic test and chest x-rays on Thursday.

Thank you so much for posting the video. First of all, how cute is he?? But yes, that breathing is exactly what Riley does ALL the time that has us concerned. How was the surgery for Frazzle?

What do you guys think? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA_sFmUltqk...player_embedded

Sorry guys, I totally forgot that I had not updated you. Thanks so much for caring about my boy! The vet did not find anything obviously wrong. She did some bloodwork and nothing came back abnormal. Right now he is on Previcox for his hind legs,in case the pain was causing the increased panting. I have not noticed any difference but it's only been a few days. I wish I had come back to this thread sooner, b/c I did not know to ask about laryngeal paralysis. I did some research on it, and I think there is a good possibility that he has it. He does a crazy loud throat clearing noise multiple times a day, and has for awhile. I am going to call the vet tomorrow and ask her about it. I am trying to get a video of him doing the noise, and if I do I will post here. Thanks again, I promise to be better about updating!

My BF and I have become increasingly concerned about Riley's heavy panting. He is 10 1/2 now and he does it pretty much all day long, even when it is not hot. He has always panted a lot, but it has definitely gotten a lot more intense lately. Very short walks or trips in the car make him pant so hard that I get scared. He is going to the vet today for a check-up and we would appreciate good thoughts. He's such a good, sweet boy and we need him here with us for many more years.

I'm so sorry.

Chrissy, I don't know what to say. To be honest I read about Speck over the weekend but was just too shocked and sad to post. I hope you are doing ok. We are all here for you, and as you can see by all the posts we all loved Speck. I am happy I got to meet you guys at Dewey once. Take care, Lucy

Man, this was not the news I was hoping to hear. But, it is great that she seems to be feeling better. You know I am always thinking good thought for you guys... give the girls all a big kiss from me.

I'm so sorry.

When I first got Puzzle (my iggy), he was SO terrified of everything that he absolutely would not eat anything.He would be interested, but hear the littlest noise and spook. This went on for months and it got to the point where he was scary skinny. I literally had to put the food in the back of his throat and shut his mouth, like I was pilling him. A lot of the time once he got a little bit of food in his stomach, it seemed to stimulate his appetite enough to get him to eat some on his own. Satin balls are great for this method. Just some thoughts... I am hoping that Ms. Polli starts eating more regularly. I know how stressful it can be. I have been thinking of you guys and will continue to look for updates

Just catching up on all of this. I know how scary it is to see them pooping nothing but blood. Thinking good thought for you and Soul from Hawaii

Riley's had a swollen wrist on and off for the past few months. We did xrays and everything and nothing showed up. He appears to be in no discomfort. The vet thinks it's arthritis. We tried Previcox with no change and he was on glucosamine/chondroitin (now he has been having stomach issues, so I stopped that for awhile). It seems to go up and down - some days it looks totally normal, other days it's quite swollen. I was panicked at first, but since it has gotten no worse in the last few months and he still does not seem to be in any pain, I am not stressing about it. I hope Alimony just has arthritis or something treatable.