RileysLegacy

do you think it sounds like it could be DCM?

Diane, what were her symptoms? I have been reading up on it and while most of his symptoms fit, it seems like it's been going on way too long for it to be DCM. Though some sites say that in breeds other than Dobermans it can be years before it's severe enough for a diagnosis. His u/s is scheduled for Thurs. I am really scared but hopeful that it will at least finally give some real answers.

update: cardiologist thinks he may have dilated cardiomyopathy :( I am scheduling him for an ultrasound of his heart.

My vet said she prefers to use valium for short-term, immediate anxiety relief in dogs. She gave me some for Puzzle (IG) when I took him on a plane with me. It worked GREAT. He is an extremely anxious dog around strangers, and I can only imagine how he would have been at the airport, having to go through security, etc, if he did not have any drugs. With the valium, he was still a bit scared, but nowhere near as bad, and he slept the majority of our 12 hour trip. I would def give valium a try. I gave Puzzle a bit less than the dosage the vet told me to, since I could always give him more if needed. Puzzle was also on a longer term anti-anxiety med (a human antidepressant) the first year I had him, for about 4 months. But that was totally different. Xanax and Valium work quickly and do not need to build up in their system so they are for specific times you know your dog will be stressed. A longer term medication can take the edge off long enough to give you a chance to train and work with your dog to be less anxious in general.

No, I totally agree with you guys. That is why I was going to say no to the week long heart monitor testing. I think they are thinking that while he does have an arrhythmia, something else must be going on w/ his heart when he exerts himself to cause the episodes of collapsing, so figuring out what that is is necessary for proper treatment. I'm not totally clear myself, and will be discussing it further w/ my vet once she has talked to the cardiologist again. Basically nobody has any idea why he is doing what he's doing, and none of the vets have ever really witnessed a serious episode, even though I have plenty on video that they've seen. He's been seen by numerous specialists, including a recent $300 consult w/ a neurologist who said there was absolutely nothing abnormal he could find about his back end, spine, etc. That neurologist was the one who finally picked up that he had a heart condition. Of course, anything is possible, since Legs can't talk & he has not had an MRI done. But the neuro told me that he didn't recommend an MRI at this time. It's all very confusing & frustrating. I just want to know what is wrong w/ my dog so we can fix it!

I talked to my vet more in depth yesterday when I brought Jabari in. She's still trying to touch base w/ the cardiologist. She told me they had a heart emergency patient yesterday that was still there on oxygen. I think she is now taking Legs' case a bit more seriously. She agreed that it is not a good idea for me to take him home & purposely make him have episodes for a week. Instead, we are going to make him have one near the vet. There is a dog park right down the street, or I will just take him for a jog. She said that way they can get him on oxygen and see exactly what his heart is doing in the middle of an episode. It is still scary but a lot better than me doing it at home! So the saga continues...

The thing with the week test is that the whole point is to get him to have episodes (you push a button when he is in distress that turns the monitor on). His episodes seem to be getting worse & scarier, so what if I do this, and he drops dead? There is another dog park right around the corner from my vet, so I am going to ask her what she thinks about me taking him there and then directly to see her. But doing it for a whole week? Not to mention it is a thick neoprene vest that even with our winter weather will be hot for him to wear for a whole week. I don't know... I will talk to my vet again for sure. Thanks everyone. All of your posts mean a lot. My vet seemed to think the meds would help pretty much immediately, if they were going to help at all. I will look into those supps, thanks. And yes, I do make sure to try to engage him in other ways w/ lots of chewing time & time lounging outside, and bringing him with me places when I can.

My gut feeling is that it is his heart. Of course, I know nothing about anything. He threw up a few more times during the night, so maybe the puking was just coincidental. There was a small piece of something weird in the last pile. I'm feeling so hopeless about him. This is a dog that LOVES playing, loves socializing, loves playing fetch, etc. it just seems so unfair. My last greyhound would have been totally content laying around all the time, and for the most part Legs is too, but this isn't the life he deserves. I guess he's getting older anyway (turning 8 soon), but it sucks. And in the summer months it's even worse.

He's done this before. Usually only after running. Sometimes back legs collapse too. He also gets all clammy & shaky. I've seen just about every specialist in Hawaii, some more than once. My vet did mention there is a blood test for exercise induced collapsing, so we will do that next. Other than that, I will not be letting him run or exercise strenuously anymore. It's really sad but i dont see an alternative. He is pretty happy being a couch potato. I take him to work sometimes which he loves. Oh and yes, he's thrown up before too. I attributed it to him eating grass at the park, but today he didn't eat any grass. When he is leashed walked & has an episode, he's never thrown up.

omg you guys, I just almost killed my dog I took him to the dog park to see if he would do better now that he's been on the heart medication for almost 2 weeks. The vet told me to "test" him out. The weather has been a lot cooler & it was late enough that the sun was down, so I thought he would be ok. He walked around, visited everyone & all the dogs for maybe 10 mins. No running at all. Then he chased the other dogs for less than 1 minute, running fast but def not full speed. Then he came back over to me, he was bowing, laying down, getting back up, bowing again, etc and panting like crazy. So I immediately took him to the car, where he threw up. He won't drink water when he's like that. I was so scared. I wasn't sure if I should rush him to the e vet, but he's done all this before so I decided to take him home (2 mins drive) & see if he would relax. He was ok once we got inside and he lay down, but I think I might be the one having a heart attack now! I'm so bummed. I was so hopeful the meds would help I know my vet is going to suggest the week long test, but I'm not even sure what the point is. He can't do any strenuous activity, period. I'm not willing to keep making him have episodes & testing him, one of these times he's going to die! I don't know what to do from here... Thanks for letting me vent. :(

yes, just a dead layer. He sure has had a lot of strange back leg issues.

I forgot to mention something weird - the skin on his back legs is peeling off in huge chunks. Like if a human got a bad sunburn. He is rarely in direct sun since he overheats so easily, so I am not sure what this could be from??

Thanks so much everyone! I ended up not going away this weekend so I started his meds this morning. He seems totally normal - but how can you really tell if a greyhound is drowsy I am really hoping this med helps bc he would really hate to wear the heart monitor vest for a whole week. It's way too hot here for that.

FINALLY an update. The cardiologist confirms that Legs has an arrhythmia. She also thinks when he exerts himself, his heart beat is changing/something else is going on to cause numbness and weakness in his back end. She wants him to do a trial of Sotalol, which is a beta blocker. She said it will make him drowsy for a couple of days, but then he should feel normal. I am supposed to test him to see if he will still have the episodes while on the medication. If he does, he needs to do the week long test. For that test, I push a button whenever he has an episode so it will only record at that time. Supposedly the cardio has a lot of experience with greyhounds, so that is reassuring. I am going away this weekend so I am going to start him on the meds on Monday. Thanks for following along w/ Legs' story. Hopefully we are now on the right track. I'm a bit scared of putting him on such serious medication but my vet said he really shouldn't have any problems other than being extra tired for a few days.

thanks tbhounds. I'm pretty confused. The neuro specialist we saw did seem to think that all Legs' symptoms could be from a heart problem. So my vet said she would consult with him as well. I don't think this will EVER be over. Legs will be old & gray by the time anyone diagnoses him! He gets so sad when I have to leave him home all the time

:lol Thanks Wendy!

Thanks guys! I have some cream to put on his penis 2x/day for 5 days. If it's not better, I will bring him back for a sterile urine culture.

Ok guys! Just as I was leaving w/ Puzz the cardio faxed the results to my vet. She just looked it over quickly & said he does have an arrhythmia, BUT the cardio said the symptoms of snapping at his back and then collapsing do not fit The cardio did recommend meds, which doesn't make sense if he thinks his symptoms doesn't fit... so my vet promised she would call the cardio today to discuss & call me back later. She mentioned having him wear a heart rate monitor for a WEEK, but I don't think I will do that. What is that going to show that the 24 hrs didn't? Hopefully she will get in contact w/ the cardio today....... ugh

Not sure how it's good news. From what I understood, the cardiologist has the actual box Legs wore, but hasn't read the results yet. I'm pretty annoyed, to put it mildly. I'm taking Puzzle to the vet today, so at the very least I will be able to talk to her in person and figure out what is going on. I know she's extremely busy, but it's been a ridiculously long time.

Thanks guys! He's my special little guy... he comes with me everywhere. To add a little cuteness to a gross topic... On Sunday I snuck him into a restaurant. shhh. It was a last minute decision to go out to eat, so I wasn't well prepared, but he is SO good I was pretty sure it would be no problem. This backpack was a bit small to hide him in, but it ended up being perfect Puzzle camouflage! I had his head all the way in with just the tip of his nose out for air, but it was such a relaxed place that I let him stick his whole head out once we were at the table. Believe it or not when we got back to the car he wanted to stay in the bag, he liked it! Anyway thanks for the good thoughts. He HAS to be fine. I'll update tomorrow.

My poor guy, I woke up to spots of blood in the sheets. He has a vet appt tomorrow. He isn't acting like he's in pain, but it can't feel good to be bleeding from your penis. I have been flushing it out, and there's no smell or anything, but I guess I haven't been doing a good enough job. I hope that's all he needs from the vet. He CAN'T have anything seriously wrong. :(

Oh Jay, my heart sank when I saw Cody's name. I'm so sorry for your loss. Cody was such a sweet and beautiful boy. I have pictures of us all hiking somewhere, I will have to look for them. Thinking of you.

My vet emailed me. The cardiologist has the test results but has not interpreted them yet. I have no direct contact w/ the cardiologist. So I wait...

I'm guessing they don't have the results, b/c my vet is usually very good about calling or emailing me. The receptionist did not see anything when I called yesterday. It better come today, b/c my vet doesn't work Fridays.

no :flip