PrairieProf

I'm so sorry you didn't have more time with your special boy.

Thanks everybody. I don't know if it's a disc or just muscular -- the vet said he could feel that the muscles were tight. I guess he wanted to see if it responded to conservative treatment before doing anything more seriously diagnostic, since it seems pretty minor (before yesterday she yelped maybe once a day, and not every day). I'm so hoping this is just a passing thing. No yelps today, anyway. I just can't imagine Beth not running for a week or more -- she's got a lot of energy, and gets playful and leaps around on the leash anyway. I've worked so hard to keep her really fit. At least she's used to taking fairly long walks at a brisk pace.

For about a month Beth has been yelping occasionally when raising her head after she's been lying down. Yesterday she yelped once in the car when I braked a little harder and once when she had to come to a somewhat abrupt stop while running off leash, so I made a vet appointment for this morning (I was planning to bring it up in a week or so when she's due for her rabies shot). The vet manipulated her head and felt deeply in her neck muscles and said her neck is slightly sore, though it doesn't seem too bad. He gave her a shot of Metacam and put her on a moderate dose of Deramaxx for a week, after which he wants to recheck her. He also showed me how to give her a deep-muscle massage in the affected area -- boy you could tell she really liked it when he was doing it! And then -- since I know he does acupuncture and I've read it so recommended here for neck/spinal problems -- I asked him if he thought it would be good for her, and we did a session. She was very good, just yelped once when she turned her head and presumably got a little poke from one of the needles. Now she's totally zonked out, which he also said would be likely to happen afterwards (though as I said to him, it's hard to tell with greyhounds). He told me no running for a week, but it's OK to walk her on leash so long as I use a harness (fortunately I have one). Any comments? I'm so happy that even out here in a small city in Iowa I have a vet who does the holistic stuff as well as regular, and it always warms my heart how he and the techs absolutely dote on Beth and tell me what a wonderful dog she is.

Those are very cool! I'm glad he's enjoying it. His face/head look so much like my Beth's, it's kind of uncanny -- noticed that in your recent "mooshies" thread too!

Welcome! This is a great site! A second on the pictures.

I am so sorry for your loss.

Just seeing this . . . I am so terribly shocked and sorry, I can't even imagine. Rest in peace sweet boy.

Glad to hear the good news! I hope Soul keeps improving!

Oh, I am so sorry -- last time I checked this thread it was the good time. I am very sorry for your loss of sweet Penny.

I am so very sorry for your loss.

I am so very sorry for your loss.

Just seeing this now . . . I'm glad Soul isn't in danger, and I'm sending out good thoughts for rapid and uneventful improvement! How very scary.

I adore the picture of his face while being kissed! He looks sooo happy.

I'm in Iowa, use Frontline Plus and Sentinel (what my vet gave me . . . I didn't research the options extensively, but these both seem like excellent products).

Sending good thoughts to Elsie and you . . . that these are just a few lumps in the road!

Scoop is very handsome and looks right at home! "Scoop" is a great name, too. You'll find lots of Gable Dodge-descendent relatives on the board, my girl included. Can you put the crate somewhere he can at least hear you/sense your near presence at night? Beth cried some the first few nights, but the crate was right adjoining my bedroom and I'd just tell her calmly to settle down, and she did. But I stopped crating her at night after a month or six weeks or so, and still crate her when I go out almost a year later (she has a tendency to chew stuff when left alone), and she's fine.

Welcome from another Midwesterner! You'll love it here.

Welcome to GT and the wonderful world of greyhounds!

I brush every day (evening) and also usually give Wysong Denta-Treat in the morning. Raw bones once or twice a week -- but Beth has a slight cross-bite and doesn't chew evenly on both sides, I've realized! I recognize I'm being fairly neurotic/compulsive about it, but the vet who did her pre-adoption dental said she had fabulous teeth and I am determined to keep them that way.

Welcome to GT! What a sweet and very expressive face Sadie has! I look forward to seeing more pictures of her.

I'm so sorry!! But fingers crossed for (and fully believing in) an excellent prognosis!

Welcome! Monarch is beautiful!

I am so sorry for your loss.

You might consider giving Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach a whirl -- fish-based kibbles work very well for a lot of hounds. I fed Beth Pro Plan Selects Salmon (quite similar) until very recently, and she did pretty well on it, better than any chicken or red meat food I'd tried . . . I just recently switched to Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream (also salmon-based) and wow, it looks like her poop is finally getting truly firm. FYI The psyllium fiber never did a thing for Beth except make her loose poop all gluey, and the food I tried that had beet pulp (Diamond Lamb & Rice) didn't work either.