PrairieProf

I am so so sorry for your losses.

Watching her like a hawk on our midday potty walk, maybe that leg is a tiny bit stiff in how she's moving it -- but not a limp that I'd notice if I wasn't paying attention, and she trots readily. Thanks for the encouragement. It's not a huge thing not to go to the park if we can take nice walks -- although she does tend to get crazy and jump around on leash. I'm going to keep it really limited for a few days at least, and consult further with my vet tomorrow.

No abnormal cells in the cytology. I'm going to start her on laser therapy tomorrow; my vet and I are big believers in that. Started icing it this morning. She's also on Deramaxx. It is clear that I need to be much more conservative about resting this injury than I was initially thinking or the vet suggested this morning, even though she does not seem to be in pain/lame. Damn.

Here is a picture -- I didn't think I could capture it but sideways you can see the outline of the bump. And I think her tendon above it is a bit enlarged too, compared to the other leg.

Last night I discovered an approximately pea-sized bump on the inner back surface of Beth's rear leg -- low down, maybe two inches above her foot. It's not in the skin but felt attached to a ligament or tendon underneath -- doesn't seem to cause her pain to palpate, and she is not lame. She did do the longest, hardest run she's done in a while yesterday morning and seemed very stiff and sore all over last night, but was not limping on that leg specifically -- or maybe a little when she first got up but then as she got moving her gait seemed normal. This is the opposite leg to the one with the toe amputation. I spent a mostly sleepless night worrying and got her to the vet before 8:00 this morning. The vet palpated it a lot while moving her foot and agrees it is in/on a tendon. He thinks that "in an athletic greyhound" it is mostly likely be a tendon injury (maybe an older injury calcified, but I know that bump has not been there for a long time or I would have noticed it). Thank goodness, he says that he has virtually never seen cancer in a tendon, but he did a cytology (wasn't able to get many cells from a tendon though) and I am awaiting the results. It's definitely not an osteo presentation, something even I was able to guess in all my anxiety. He warned me the bump may get temporarily bigger after having a needle stuck in it, and recommended restricted exercise (no running) for at least a few days. Any thoughts or experiences? I know so long as it turns out not be a malignancy and she's not limping it probably isn't anything TOO serious, but I am still quite worried at the emergence of a new problem.

Welcome from Iowa! Great pic with your cat .... I want to see a picture with your rabbit though!

Ha, interesting, I figured the stradding thing Batmom mentions out on my own and was going to suggest it. I don't think I am tall enough to straddle a male hound, however!

My hound had 0.4 for T4 and we did the full panel through MSU and she is absolutely normal. What's going on in your adoption group is just insane and scary.

You should call your vet about an antibiotic. The one for the staph infection might not be the right kind for the toe -- different antibiotics target different kinds of bacteria. I know that with a deep toe infection osteomyelitis can be a concern, too, and there is a particular antibiotic that prevents that.

The obvious thing I would think of is that he got a small foreign body embedded and it's still in there despite the surface healing. Looks like it could have been a puncture to me. I really don't see why everyone is thinking a corn is in any way likely. If my dog were limping and I wasn't sure why (even from a toe) I would not be waiting over a week to go to the vet, personally.

If you're going to feed it, read up on the calorie, protein and especially fat levels in the puppy food vs. regular and adjust amounts accordingly. Otherwise you might be asking for D or other problems if you have a sensitive stomach hound.

Muzzle with stool guard takes care of the licking issue. Beth wore one 24/7 while she was unwrapped at first, except for eating of course.

Re Pawz -- I learned the right technique for spreading the mouth open with my fingers, so it's not too bad, but Beth's amp was a middle toe so it wasn't really an issue. I can see that for an inside toe it might not work as well. Her wrap caused toe sores but then when the fill-in vet had us take it off a bit too soon the stitches ripped out in the time it took us to get home, and it was kind of a nightmare with a large deep area having to heal by granulation. We ended up doing crate rest with the foot unbandaged and then wrapping every single time she went out.

This seems like a straw man (straw kitty?) to me. Everyone talking about "cat safe" is ALWAYS talking about indoors anyway. I think all of us who have even the most minimal greyhound education know that outside is different.

Beth starts panting when the house gets to around 73-74.

Surely your vet could give you some tape if you're taking care of the rebandaging yourself? Though I myself would want the vet checking it. I highly recommend Pawz boots over the wrap for going outside. One size up (purple rather than normal blue) works well.

I asked a very greyhound-experienced vet about her thoughts on the vaccine at a session at GEM this weekend, and she said it's something you need to situationally evaluate -- but she does recommend the vaccine for those who live or vacation in Lyme-endemic areas. I get it for Beth, partly because we go to NY State every summer and also go in the woods a fair bit here.

I am so sorry.

Oh Hot Rod, I miss you too and still can't believe you're gone. Happy Birthday. You will be in my thoughts so much when I visit your grammy's house this week, and I will pay special attention to your memorial stone.

Welcome! Tango is just gorgeous!

Wait'll it snows and gets all crusty and icy with no grass exposed. You ain't seen nothing yet about picky, bwaa ha haaa. Which is just to say, some of them are. Like mine, in certain conditions such as the above -- I want to wring her neck. Getting her used to some habitual spots will help. Beth will also poop very quickly when we go on the local bike trails where there are woods, tall grass, etc. along the path.

Welcome! Moon is very cute, and I love her name. Gable Dodge is a very, very famous greyhound sire, with 10,000+ offspring, so you will find many relatives here -- I see he is further back in Moon's pedigree but on both sides. That's the lineage that is marked in Moon's racing name. Molotov and Oshkosh Racey/Flying Penske and Fortress are also very famous sires in her background -- she has VERY elite bloodlines! http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?z=HdYZ3H&d=gable+moonlight&sex=&color=&birthyear=&birthland= Others here can give good advice about finding littermates. I see above that at least two of Moon's have also been adopted so you could try to get a contact via the adoption groups. My Beth has Gable Dodge and Fortress as grandpas and says hi.

Oh no! I am so very very sorry. I'm glad it was peaceful yet what a sudden loss -- but yes, at least you were there with her, and at the vet's rather than feeling isolated. What a sweet face.

My vet is a huge advocate of laser therapy and has seen amazing results (for both musculo-skeletal stuff and wound healing). Lots of vets all over are doing it now. I would absolutely do it any time I thought it could benefit Beth. I have had laser myself for a knee problem and it did seem to help.

Welcome home to your wonderful boy!