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PrairieProf

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Posts posted by PrairieProf

    Teddi And I Could Use Some Good Vibes!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Hers was on her ribcage so N/A. I've not heard of wrapping but mostly they're not on the feet. You're just trying to prevent it from being knocked open or getting infected, right?

     

    I was wondering, what about a thin layer of Musher's Secret paw wax or something on it to give it some protection? It seems a lot to wrap the whole foot to prevent abrasion on one small area, and I'd think the wrap would tend to rub on it itself. But I'd ask the vet.

    Teddi And I Could Use Some Good Vibes!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by PrairieProf

    Yup, that reminds me of how Beth's look as it began to shrink. It took several weeks but I could see changes little by little. It looked crusty or creased at times as it regressed. I also read online (read every experience with histiocytoma I could find!) people reporting that sometimes rupturing did seem to trigger shrinking soon afterward.

    Slick Is Having His Toe Amputated Today

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by PrairieProf

    Good luck to Slick; please keep us posted! My best advice is to *really* restrict activity to a bare minimum the first week or so, like crate rest. My girl got bad abrasions from the wrap on her foot which led to other complications. (The foot changes shape with the amputation and the wrap rubs in places it wouldn't normally.)

    Teddi And I Could Use Some Good Vibes!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by PrairieProf

    At least he'll need the foot wrapped and restricted activity for a week or two. Probably a muzzle with stool-guard. I had complications with healing and it was stressful for several weeks. I wish I'd done crate rest right at the beginning; the healing probably would have gone better. I ended up day-boarding Beth at the vet for a couple of weeks so my days were free and they could keep an eye on her; she loves it there and I'd do that again any time I felt she needed more supervision than I could offer. There are lots of threads in the archive on toe amputation experiences.

     

    Make sure they do a cytology ... I looked at your original post and it still looks like a histiocytoma to me, in which case it will go away on its own if you can hang on -- the hemorrhaging might be a problem though. But of course I'm not a vet, and obviously I don't know what the slides showed.

     

    I don't know that an amputation would require any more aftercare than a surgery on a toe with wide margins. The issue is that greyhound toes have little skin and poor circulation to healing them is never a picnic. There will certainly be much better options for suturing etc. with an amputation. But you are lucky you can go to the experts, so trust whatever they recommend!

    Hills I/d... Anything Comparable?

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted · Edited by PrairieProf

    Beth has stayed on I/D for about a year and a half now and I'm not planning to change despite the high price. It has been fabulous for her in every way. And frankly I feel much more confident in Hills' quality control standards than most other companies, few of whom manufacture their own foods.

     

    Non-prescription Science Diet Sensitive Stomach is somewhat similar in formulation and has great reviews from people who've actually used it (i.e. on petco.com). It does have a higher fat % than I/D though so I haven't wanted to try it as we've figured out that's an issue for Beth (she went on the I/D after having a pancreatic issue).

    Something Strange On Teddi's Foot?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by PrairieProf

    Looks just like a histiocytoma. Especially common in younger dogs. If that's what it is it's a benign growth, will very likely regress on its own after/within a few months. Beth is just getting over one near her armpit -- it appeared in early August, got bigger in mid-September, and over recent weeks has been decreasing and is about 90% gone now. However Teddi should go to the vet for a needle biopsy/cytology to confirm that's what it is (quick and easy, done in-house). There's a lot about them you can read online, as I found out.

    Growth

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Beth got a small histiocytoma near the bottom of her ribs by her armpit in August and in mid-September it got larger. Now it's slowly shrinking. You should get a cytology to confirm, but if it's a histiocytoma you don't have to do anything but wait.

    "stinky Fish"

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    And sardines packed in oil are using soybean oil which is packed with Omega 6, which dogs (and humans) get too much of already. Avoid. Water or tomato sauce is OK.

     

    Beth almost got pancreatitis from fish oil (in which the Omega 3 oxidizes really easily BTW), but does OK with modest amounts of sardines.

    Pet Insurance?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I just signed up for Petplan for Beth. The tech who handles insurance at my vet said she'd done research and it was the best, and she'd found them easy to work with. She said VPI is bad!

     

    It's not cheap. You can adjust the level of coverage, your deductible, and what % you want paid, but for my six-year-old greyhound it's about $55 per month. But I wish I'd signed up years ago (I spent thousands when she had her toe injury and amputation). Really love that specialists and holistic care are covered, and treatment for chronic conditions (so long as they're not pre-existing when you sign up).

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