greydad92
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Posts posted by greydad92
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Hi All,
Very sad news. I had to put Zero down this past Monday 08/05/13. About 2 months ago he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left shoulder area. I wanted to keep it private and didn't want to go online with the news. He had developed a limp, I was concerned, took him in for an x-ray and the diagnosis was osteosarcoma from two different doctors, two different hospitals. I decided not to amputate, but just had him on pain medication: Tramadol, Rimadyl and later Gabapentin. The disease progressed w/ good days and bad days, but eventually turned into a string of bad ones. It got to the point where he was on the maximum dosage of pain medication, was limping a lot, when standing still would hold his paw up & was whimpering occasionally during the night. He was eating ok, but while laying down, and was pooping & peeing ok. At that point I said enough was enough. On his last day we went to his favorite stream were we sat quietly and I pet him for an hour or so. It was a very peaceful moment. We then went to his vet, who took another x-ray and showed me how much the cancer had progressed. The rest I'm sure you all familiar with. He was nine years old (eight years and almost four months), too young.
I adopted Zero four and a half years ago. He was my first greyhound and the first dog I ever had to put down. He was my best friend, my brother, my son. My house is quiet and my heart aches. I feel him inside me and know he's in a better place, whether it be heaven, the Rainbow Bridge or whatever. I'll find that out when it's my time to cross over. You all have been there for us through thick and thin with good comments and suggestions (thank you) and some not so good. Regardless, I hope you all can say a prayer for Zero and send him best wishes in his new and forever peaceful home. May he rest in peace.
Sincerely,
Tony (Zero's daddy)
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Zero still limping, not sure what to do. I'm worried, but I think it's only natural. So he's been limping since last Sunday morning. When we go out for a walk and he gets warmed up he does better. I just hope it's a muscle thing.
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Hi All,
Zero doing better today, still has a limp, but not as bad. Vet took a thorough look at him and gave me some Tramadol. Thought that was the best for him for now since he seems to be getting better.
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time for bed, thanks all for your positive thoughts...it means a lot
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Upon further investigation, the only area where Zero seems to have pain in his left upper leg area where it meets his body, probably in the joint area, hence the limp, etc. I'm not sure why, because he's had no incidents that I'm aware of. I guess he could have fallen off my bed when I was at work or something, unlikely though. We'll go see vet tomorrow.
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Thanks all, extra tummy rubs and taking it easy today. I'll keep you posted.
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Hi All,
So this morning Zero is having a real hard time getting around. This past week he had a tough time doing down the stairs, going one step at a time. I took him out to go pee this morning and he's limping on one of his front legs and just has trouble getting around in general. He peed. pooped and ate his breakfast, now laying on my bed. I don't know what is wrong. He was diagnosed w/ Lyme two years ago...perhaps that flaring up? His eyes aren't darting around, so I don't think it's vestibular. Again, just has trouble getting around - walking. It appears that his front legs are very stiff. He was doing so well and boom, overnight is having troubles. I hope my buddy is ok. If it doesn't clear up we're going to the vet tomorrow.
Thanks for listening. Please say a prayer for Zero.
Sincerely,
Tony (Zero's daddy)
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Hi All,
Quick Zero update. He's doing great
Trotting along with me on walks. He does not like the hot weather though, anything over 70 degrees and he slows way down on his walks. It's been a nice cool Spring though which is great for the both of us. Thanks for all your positive thoughts, suggestions and prayers. I owe you all some pics. Will get those up soon. Sincerely,
Tony (Zero's daddy)
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Hi All,
Just posting an update. Zero is showing improvement. He is showing more pep and seems to enjoy his walks, though slow and easy for now. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Love goes a long way as far as healing....plenty of tummy rubs too
Tony (Zero's Daddy)
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Hi All,
Thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers & suggestioons. Keep 'em coming
This morning Zero and I went for about a 1/4 mile walk, maybe a little more, nice and easy. He pooped & peed and sniffed around a lot, just being a dog. Not much of a change today. I'm going to the store today to get him a nice bone that he can chew on for a while. That will make him happy.
Sincerely,
Tony (Zero's daddy)
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I'm sorry to hear that about Zero - hope you get to the bottom of what the problem is.
Larry had something similar about 1.5 years ago and he would have been about 10 then. He was loosing muscle mass on one back side and he was having trouble with one of the back legs. He had pulled a muscle previously and he did have some problems with his front feet all of which may have caused some instability at the back, and .. he was tiring on his walks. The concern was LS - make a long story short ... I ended up going to two neurologists (my regular vet really thought it was LS - hence the two opinions) and both said that it was not LS. Since it was not an LS issue, I decided to try a chiropractor treatment (from a chiropractor licensed to do animals) - he gets monthly adjustments since then and it seems to keep him "loose". I was also going to try acupuncture but, it turned out the adjustments have done what I hoped.
Angel has a great neurologist, Dr Sisson and there is Dr Silver at Mass Vet Referral in Woburn. Larry saw both of these vets, in addition, Dr Sisson at Angel is Lucy's (one of my other greys) neurologist for seizures.
A positive thing about Zero is that the vet said he had excellent muscle mass. My vet also suggested the neurologist in Woburn as well. Thanks for the suggestions.
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Hi All,
I wish I had better news, but Zero is not doing so hot. Last weekend he was having trouble with his hindquarters, sometimes stumbling on his right leg, but quickly correcting it. He was also moving slower. All this past week he's been moving a little slower as well. I took him to his vet Thursday, whom I think is excellent. She said she suspected that Zero may have some cervical instability and possible stenosis. A while back I forwarded that online article to her about lumbosacral stenosis (LS), which she found very interesting and informative. She didn't think Zero specifically had LS and didn't notice any pain in his lower back during the examination, however she noted "stenosis" in her report. I'm not sure what the difference between stenosis and lumbosacral stenosis is. She basically thought he looked well enough for me to keep an eye on him over the next couple days and said that if this progresses that she would recommend me for a neurological consult.
Today we went for a walk after work. He started off ok, but at the end of about 1/2 mile he really started to tucker out and his hindquarters were unstable.
I'm very worried to say the least. He's eating ok, drinking plenty of water, peeing and pooping ok. It's just that at the end of his walks he really goes down hill. We're going to take it really slow this weekend, but I'm afraid I'll need to make another appointment with the vet next week. He's such a good boy and my best friend. He just turned nine in April, so he's really not that old. Please say a prayer for him. I'll keep you all up to date on his progress.
Sincerely,
Tony (Zero's daddy)
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You might consider adding fish oil and see if that helps too.
Riley is a young whippersnapper but already has arthritis in his hips from an injury. He is also on Dasuquin, but he gets a 1,000 mg salmon oil softgel twice a day as well (I drop them into his food and he gobbles them up). I get human fish oil from Sam's Club, checking the label to make sure that it has been distilled to remove mercury. If you choose salmon oil, you also want the label to specify wild caught. It makes a big difference. Farmed salmon is bad stuff.
I have noticed an improvement since adding the fish oil as opposed giving Dasuquin alone. It also has done wonders for his coat.
You might consider adding fish oil and see if that helps too.
Riley is a young whippersnapper but already has arthritis in his hips from an injury. He is also on Dasuquin, but he gets a 1,000 mg salmon oil softgel twice a day as well (I drop them into his food and he gobbles them up). I get human fish oil from Sam's Club, checking the label to make sure that it has been distilled to remove mercury. If you choose salmon oil, you also want the label to specify wild caught. It makes a big difference. Farmed salmon is bad stuff.
I have noticed an improvement since adding the fish oil as opposed giving Dasuquin alone. It also has done wonders for his coat.
The Dasuquin (like most joint supplements) can take several weeks to really make a difference. It has to build up in his system. Make sure you are giving the loading dose shown on the bottle. Once the loading period is over you can cut down to the regular maintenance dose.
I actually give him fish oil for breakfast adn dinner and have been ever since I adopted him. 1000IU per feeding I believe. I also give him lots of fresh veggies as well
The Dasuquin (like most joint supplements) can take several weeks to really make a difference. It has to build up in his system. Make sure you are giving the loading dose shown on the bottle. Once the loading period is over you can cut down to the regular maintenance dose.
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We had a real good walk last night and this morning, short, but he was trotting well. Walks weren't long....1/4 - 1/2 mile, but he seemed happy.
I know you from our walks!!Robin has some rear end weakness like you describe. When he gets tired on a walk, he starts dragging his feet more, and if he stands still for too long his back end starts to droop. My vet did an exam and he felt that it was not neurological, but more "structural". Meaning, when he did the "flip over the back foot" test, he sensed it instantly (neurologically sound), but couldn't get it over very quickly (something structural). He felt that Robin's arthritis may have spread into his back.
Robin's arthritis showed up three years ago, when he was 9. It started in his right wrist. By now, it appears to be in his back, hips, and wrists. Back then, I started Robin on Get Up and Go glucosamine supplements from the greyhound gang. It took two months, but all of a sudden, Robin was doing zoomies again and bounding around in a way I realized he hadn't in quite a while. I hadn't even noticed the lack of energy/mobility until it was back. It was wonderful. Over the past three years, we have occasionally tried cheaper human-versions of the glucosamine, and I noticed it wasn't working nearly as well. Now we are back on the Get Up and Go, and we've added Grizzly Salmon Oil, and Robin is much better. The rear end weakness is still there right now, but the overall is better.
I guess what I'm saying is, it could be arthritis in his back. And consider the Get Up and Go supplements. They are completely pure, and reasonably priced too! I'm not going back to anything else--this definitely works.
Next time we're on a GA walk together, we will have to get the boys together and compare butts! I mean rear ends......
Cathy
My vet just made the observation that it "could" be neurological. We're gonna keep an eye on it
I know you from our walks!!Robin has some rear end weakness like you describe. When he gets tired on a walk, he starts dragging his feet more, and if he stands still for too long his back end starts to droop. My vet did an exam and he felt that it was not neurological, but more "structural". Meaning, when he did the "flip over the back foot" test, he sensed it instantly (neurologically sound), but couldn't get it over very quickly (something structural). He felt that Robin's arthritis may have spread into his back.
Robin's arthritis showed up three years ago, when he was 9. It started in his right wrist. By now, it appears to be in his back, hips, and wrists. Back then, I started Robin on Get Up and Go glucosamine supplements from the greyhound gang. It took two months, but all of a sudden, Robin was doing zoomies again and bounding around in a way I realized he hadn't in quite a while. I hadn't even noticed the lack of energy/mobility until it was back. It was wonderful. Over the past three years, we have occasionally tried cheaper human-versions of the glucosamine, and I noticed it wasn't working nearly as well. Now we are back on the Get Up and Go, and we've added Grizzly Salmon Oil, and Robin is much better. The rear end weakness is still there right now, but the overall is better.
I guess what I'm saying is, it could be arthritis in his back. And consider the Get Up and Go supplements. They are completely pure, and reasonably priced too! I'm not going back to anything else--this definitely works.
Next time we're on a GA walk together, we will have to get the boys together and compare butts! I mean rear ends......
Cathy
We'll def. have to compare "hindquarters" Thanks for the info -
Symba experiences this as well...but our vet also says arthritis and he is quite healthy 100 pound greyhound....may I ask what is the name of the glucosamine your vet prescribed? It does take awhile for supplements to kick in unfortunately....hoping and praying it is just arthrities....Zero is just gorgeous..............
Dasuquin by Nutramax
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http://www.greythealth.com/lumbosacral.html
Might be LS. Maybe ask for a referral to a neuro just to see what s/he thinks?
Yikes, I hope not. I forwarded article to my vet. Thanks for the info.
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Hi All,
I haven't posted anything in a while. Zero will be 9 years old this April. Next month will be the 4th year aniversary from when I adopted him. My how time flys. He is my best friend, my buddy, my son. A few weeks ago he got his annual checkup which went mostly well. The vet noted that he has a fatty cist on his rear right leg and his hind quarters showed that he was a bit pigeon toed and possable neurological issues. Zero has always been pigeon-toed in his hind quarters since I adopted him, but it seems to be getting worse. Perhaps an old track injury? On walks his rear paw nails drag every couple of strides, but I've noticed that for over a year now. I do the reverse rear paw test to see if he corrects it, which he does. There may be a slight delay there if any.
Lately I've noticed that he occasionally trips / slips over his rear paws. He doesn't fall or anything, just his rear hindquarters droop down which he corrects. We were out playing fetch this morning in my yard and he was being very playful. After playing his hindquarters seemed "tired" for lack of a better word. The weather in Massachusetts has been warm and rainy the past couple days, so I'm sure that doesn't help. On his last vet visit she put Zero on a very high quality glucosamine. My vet says that you really get what you pay for with glucosamine, and this stuff isn't cheap. He's been on that for about two weeks with really no difference. Maybe too early to see a difference.
Anyway, I'm concerned to say the least. I want what's best for Zero. For a greyhound he's very healthy and his vet agrees. He's medium sized, 72 lbs., his teeth are in excellent condition which the vet noted. I brush them daily. He's also got good muscle tone. I pray this hind quarter thing doesn't quickly decline. I'll keep you all posted. Have any of you had simillar experiences?
Sincerely,
Zero's Daddy
P.S.: I'll post a recent photo of him tonight
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Do you have any idea why he's anxious when outside? Is he always anxious outside? Has something happened when he was outside to scare him? My first thought is that if he wants to be you, let him if it isn't a big deal. Ben will whine if we are outside because he wants to be with us, so for us it isn't a big deal to let him out because he just lays down in the grass.
I was wondering if he's anxious outside if perhaps setting up an xpen while you're outside will help, but it depends on the cause of the anxiety.
I think he just knows I'm out there and wants to be with me. As I said, I tried bringing him outside with me while I was mowing the lawn and he just panted, drooled and barked. I guess that's better than destroying my house. I was considering an xpen as well.
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anybody else?
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thanks all for the advice
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Hi All,
Zero's daddy. He recently put a decent sized gash in his top upper front paw area from severe anxiety-based pawing on his baby gates. I'm guessing this is how it happened. For the past few days I've been putting hydrogen peroxide on it, Bacitracin, gauze and medical tape around the gauze. I also spray Bitter Apple on his paw so he doesn't try to lick or chew bandages off while I'm at work (ten hours a day). Today I came home and low and behold he chewed the bandage off and I found blood stains on my guest bedroom cot. Any tricks of the trade or ideas? I've got to stop him from doing this.
Sincerely,
Tony
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Hi All,
Zero's Daddy here. First off, I'm a single guy, live with Zero, no wife or kids.
Zero is home 10 hours a day Monday through Friday when I'm at work. He's baby-gated between my bedroom & guest room. He does great during that time.
If I am home, but separated from Zero, like outside doing yard work or snow blowing, he goes nuts. He barks, drools and tries to chew through my window cills, frame, etc. This has been going on for years and is getting worse. At this point I'd say he's done a several hundred dollars worth of damage. Lately he chewed through a power cord that was unplugged because I take every precaution to make his environment safe. The cord was near the window, I thought he might go for it so I unplugged it. He recently cut his paw (top side) and put a pretty good gash in it. I'm guessing he did that pawing at the baby gates.
Things I've tried (none of which have worked):
-Putting generous amount of Sour Apple spray on windows cills & frame. Sometimes it works, but more often it doesn't.
-Closing shades so he can't see me through windows
-Tried leaving the house exactly how I leave for work, not making a big deal or anything, calm & relaxed. I leave him with his Kongs with peanut butter and cookies inside.
-Tried bringing him outside with me, but he just barks, pants and drools like crazy outside. I live right next to a golf course and I don't want him to bother the golfers by barking loudly the entire time I'm mowing my lawn. Plus, can't do that in Winter.
-Took him for a long walk & tried tiring him out before working outside.
Unfortunately I'm at the point where I will probably have to resort to anti-anxiety meds because I'm honestly out of ideas. I don't know if even they will work. I just don't want Zero to hurt himself.
Help help help.
Sincerely,
Tony
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So because the greyhound place near me is booked I'm going to board Zero at a very highly rated "pet resort". The local greyhound rescue recommends them. Zero is getting a "deluxe sweet" which is a very large fenced in area with a bed, rugs, toys and all sorts of extras. They take the dogs out for walks five times a day and because Zero is in the "deluxe sweet" he will be getting extra love and attention.
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4.) I took him to a local greyhound rescue for a night and they said he did fine in the crate with other greyhounds around. It's just that I left him alone in a crate in my Mom's house once and he actually got out of it and could have killed himself in the process, than God he didn't.
There's big difference in being crated alone at your mom's house and being crated among other greyhounds. Why not try letting him spend another night at the rescue and see if it goes well again?
Yup, I could try that
Trotting along with me on walks. He does not like the hot weather though, anything over 70 degrees and he slows way down on his walks. It's been a nice cool Spring though which is great for the both of us. Thanks for all your positive thoughts, suggestions and prayers. I owe you all some pics. Will get those up soon.
Zero R.i.p.
in Remembrance
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Hi All,
My heart is warmed by all your wonderful posts. Thank you so much for being there for me. My house is quiet. Zero's giant 52" diameter bed is still right next to mine.
I can't see him, but I know he's right there next to me. When I get home from work and open the garage door I can still hear him barking with excitement to see his daddy.
As sad and lonely as I am, I am happy that he is running free with my previous dog Echo and pain free. Zero had a very strong soul which will last forever. My heart goes out to the rest of you who also lost your best friends. We will all be reunited with them someday, I feel very strongly about that.
Thanks again to all of you who took the time to express your condolences. It means so much.
Sincerely,
Tony