DunesMom

I am so, so sorry about Indy. He will also own a piece of your heart.

I'm far from an expert, but Dune had a grade 3 heart murmur and our first greyhound-savvy vet just considered it normal, since his heart was normal on x-ray. He lived 12 happy years after that diagnosis, even though two in-between vets also wanted to put him on meds (I said no and found new greyhound vets). Kipper also has a low murmur, but it's very low and although vets comment on it, they don't worry.

It's fake "chocolate flavor." Dune once ate a bowl of tootsie pops, too, and my vet told me just to watch for some other type of reaction, but not to worry about the chocolate.

Are those Bengal cats? My friends in Florida have them, and they are the coolest kitties I've ever met! Jersey actually plays fetch. Oh, and yeah, I'm trying to figure out how to get it across that their cats shouldn't be loose outside. We've had conversations about it, but they're like talking to a rock. They essentially say they don't want a litter box in their house. So instead, their cats risk their lives and poop in my garden and potted plants. Great.

Kipper loves the lure pole (like a fishing pole with a stuffed toy on the end). The neighbors, who have outdoor cats, can see us play in our yard from their back bedroom windows. They told me I was "teaching" my dog to become dangerous to their cats. I believe that a dog playing with a stuffed critter or a ball is a dog playing, and doesn't make the dog more or less likely to chase and kill another animal. Kipper was already fine with indoor cats but not okay with outdoor cats, so I don't see the point, anyway. (He's also never off leash anywhere but my six-foot-privacy-fenced back yard, so unless your cats are in my back yard, there's no danger to them, but whatever.) DH worries that they're right. What do you think?

Angel Dune was on the couch to snuggle, invitation only (and the invitation was given whenever I sat down), and he knew "off." DH was not pleased with this arrangement and laid down the "no dogs on furniture" rule when we moved in. Dune and I broke it within a week but it remained a point of occasional contention for the next seven years. Kipper's never tried, and seems far less interested in snuggling than Dune. DH is a bit bummed about this. If he ever seems interested, he'll be allowed by invitation, and we'll teach "off." Funny thing about DHs in my experience...when it's not their dog, they have strict rules...when it's their dog, the rules change...hm.

Doesn't sound like enough for an e-vet trip. Wait to see your regular vet. Note specifics of the weakness - exactly how did he seem weak? Stumbling? Sinking rear end? Unable to rise? Any vocalization? I'd consider lumbosacral stenosis in a 10 y.o. grey. It's an easy test; check the Suzanne Stack article information. My old guy lived with it for five years, misdiagnosed as arthritis even though there were no arthritic changes on x-ray. LS can be managed so he lives comfortably. Be sure you explore all the options -- acupuncture worked wonders for Dune, as did various anti-inflammatory drugs combined with tramadol toward the end. good luck! Other resources: www.greyhound-data.com/dir/397/Lumbosacral_Stenosis.pdf forum.greytalk.com/lofiversion/index.php/t170496.html http://www.greythealth.com/

I'm so sorry. She's left a piece of her soul in your heart to guide you the rest of your life. :f_pink

Thanks for all the good advice. We're trying Adequan first to see if it can reduce the swelling. Then we'll try NSAIDs if not. Ortho was confident that we weren't seeing anything other than early onset osteoarthritis, and thinks he was probably injured young and reinjured often, without being given time to heal in between. Thanks everyone!!

We had to move our appt to tomorrow afternoon. No redness or heat on the joint and he doesn't lick it. The swelling is really hard, not mushy like fluid. It feels like bone. I talked to my vet today and she said the ortho was confident that the hardness was thickened cartilege and tissue, and that we wouldn't see a lot of fluid inflammation inside the joint because the inflammation is in the tissues. So she's warned me that we might not be able to get enough fluid for testing. The ortho said that it looked like osteoarthritis on the films and this was consistent with early injury/breaks in the sesamoid bones that had led to bone fractures being reabsorbed (hence, not showing on film) and the soft tissues being chronically inflamed long before we got him. He doesn't think there's fluid accumulation that would mark TBD. Does that make sense? I'll feel better if we test it. We're going to try Adequan starting tomorrow. Has anyone tried subcutaneous Adequan? I read that it had shown equally effective SQ as IM injections, and I'm curious if anyone's tried it -- if he needs this long-term, I'd rather do it SQ at home than IM.

Okay, here are a couple pics. Sorry, it's hard with a flash to get a good pic so you can see how large the joint is. This one might be better: I'll let you know what we hear from joint fluid...thanks! edited to correctly place the pic

Sounds like joint fluid is critical - can any lab do this, or do I need to request a special one? My vet's greyhound-savvy (owns her own & other sighthounds), but her boss isn't, and I get the feeling that she gets pushback sometimes for sending tests somewhere other than her boss's selected referrals. No fever, lethargy, etc. No weight loss but he's still super trim even with free choice kibble (wheat/corn free) and raw supplement in the morning (Satin Balls). He's still at racing weight of 72, and it seems right for him - prominent hip bones but you can only barely see the last three ribs, and his coat is good. I'm trying to upload a pic of the paw swelling. Weird thing is that it's hard, not mushy/soft like you'd expect, and it doesn't seem to hurt when you massage it.

Yes, SoCal. And Kipper was in Tucson before Mex. His Babesia titer was also low, 1:70, and no clinical signs, so he wasn't considered worth treating. Is frequent peeing a symptom? He pees a lot, but never in the house, even overnight. We've never left him more than five or six hours at a shot, though, so he's never been "tested."

You guys are amazing! What did I do before GT?? He tested positive for babesia last November, but not enough to warrant treatment. I don't think he was tested for VF, nothing in his charts. Will request Tuesday. He came in with ticks and fleas, like most of the Caliente dogs seem to. So VF could be it. We haven't drawn joint fluid, I think that's scheduled for tomorrow. I'm also worried it could be rheumatoid arthritis or similar, and that's what's causing the back leg limp. We may try Adequan, since I recall it helped Dune with his arthritis and LSS. On a side note, a human arthritis patient told me that the last issue of a medical journal devoted to arthritis had a controlled study in which the glucosamine effect was determined to be ZERO!! She said the authors attributed the "success" to the supplement industry's biased research. I'm looking for that and will post if I find it. I really thought it worked for Dune, but maybe it was wishful thinking?

If it's not bleeding, I'd clean with antiseptic and let it heal on its own. Try Bag Balm or similar moisturizer with a high oil or lanolin content to keep paws from cracking, especially if you have to walk on icy/salted roads (rinse those paws!). Dry winter air isn't skin's best friend. good luck!

Oh yeah, I always forget to ask about this. Thanks. Will ask our vet to schedule. Do you see any wooziness with the Tramadol? Dune used it during his final months but it made him unsteady and a bit out of it, but maybe his age affected that.

Finally got orthopedic surgeon's report on xrays of Kipper's paws, and no sesamoid fractures, but "obvious" degenerative joint disease in the carpal-metacarpal joints of both front paws. We go in Tuesday for NSAID scrip options. I'm going to start him on the same glucosamine-chondroitin-MSM tabs that helped Dune, plus he's already on salmon oil. QUESTIONS: 1. He's been limping on a hind limb off and on for a month, but no injury/fall/run set it off. It's bad when he first gets up from a nap (no weight bearing), but after a warmup he walks almost normally. After a few days, seems fine and walks normally and will do zoomies and wants to run (which we're not allowing). Then suddenly he's limping again. No swelling (unlike front paws), and no pain on palpation of spine or limb, and he has normal range of motion (using Care of the Racing & Retired Greyhound for testing this). Could this also be arthritis in another joint? 2. Anyone have advice for long-term management of arthritis in such a young dog? He's not quite 2 and a half; I hate to think of him hobbled in pain before he's four.

Lulu is beautiful! I am so sorry to hear about her cancer. The last thing you need now is roadblocks from your vet. My vet's boss/clinic also refuses to fax prescriptions. The owner says they lose time to fax and pay the cost of the fax, in addition to losing a drug sale. (In their defense, their costs are higher for drugs because they can't order bulk quantities like online pharmacies can.) Try calling the online pharmacy. I had the same situation when my souldog was near the end, and customer care had me fax the scrip with a signed note that I was mailing the hard copy. They filled a partial order that day, with the rest when the original was received. It's worth asking.

Kipper's dry dry skin had me considering this, but I worried -- when I put Aveeno on my hands, he comes running and tries to obsessively lick them. Good luck rehabbing this guy. He's adorable.

Kipper has swollen metacarpal joint capsules in two toes, probably a chronic injury from the track. Substitute vet wasn't concerned; no pain, her thought is we will always have some swelling, let's just keep it minimal, and expect arthritis. (NOT my usual vet, who is on vacation.) We are massaging the joints 3x/day after walks. Ice didn't make a difference so after a couple days, we stopped (he hates it). DH is not amused that the 2-year-old pup is already at the vet as much as our 14-year-old was his last year. Should I worry, or just keep massaging him and expect arthritis? Is this type of overextension sprain common/no big deal? Will long-term joint swelling cause other problems? Thanks...if you have Care of the Racing Greyhound, there's a pic on page 5 of what it looks like, only Kip has one on each front foot and they're a bit more swollen most days.

Sweet gentleman Dune, my soulmate on paws. I miss you every day, old hound. Nov 1994 - August 2008

I am so sorry.

okay, a LOT under? Amazon has 4 used listed at $392 & up... Anyone know of other sources?

Iced (oy, not something he liked) last night. Thanks. Today it's much smaller but still swollen and hard. But now it's not alarmingly swollen. Just swollen, and no pain for him (as I type, he galloped up and down the stairs...). So we'll wait until tomorrow to see the vet, to avoid the astronomical ER fees on Sundays.

Kipper put in an amazing display of speed and agility today at the park, jaw-dropping acceleration and some astounding maneuvers to avoid a five-month pit puppy who wanted to intercept him. He was quite proud of himself. Now he has two swollen joints, one on each front paw. It's not the knobby toe joint that sticks up, it's the joint just above it, the one that bends back when he stands. In humans it would be the metatarsals, if that helps. One is really big - like seven times normal size, swollen to the front and hard. The other is noticeable but not as alarming. They're both hard to the touch and he doesn't seem to care at all; no limping, and no pain when I poke or prod (he keeps sleeping off his exciting day). Both of those toes seemed a bit dropped to me when we first got him -- not badly dropped, but the knuckles were flatter than the other center toe on each foot (it's a center toe on each front paw). So maybe it's related? Any ideas? Should I mess with an NSAID if there's no pain and it isn't mushy swollen?