KF_in_Georgia

Someone on GT posted guidelines for making their own boots: cardboard cut like a footprint to shape the socks being used for the boot, the shaped sock being dipped into something that then dried on the sock and held the shape. Padding could be put in the boot. The boots don't last a long time, but you could be sure of getting a good fit if the cardboard was cut right. And the person made several socks at one time. Holey moley! I can't believe I found the thread here!

Okay, funny question. Do you have a picture of her butt? Is the larger muscle on her right leg evident from looking at the outside of her leg? Or is the larger part on the underside? If it's on the underside, it might be a torn gracilis muscle. See an earlier discussion here. A lot of people have used glucosamine (on their dogs and themselves) and not seen any improvement. Others have reported definite improvement. I might be inclined to keep her on glucosamine until the current bottle is finished, paying particular attention to her movements as I neared the end of the bottle; then see if I notice problems quickly after the meds have stopped and use that as a criterion for whether or not to continue. Actually, that's what I did. My dogs and I are in the "don't see any improvement" group, but then my dogs don't have much visible stiffness that's attributable to arthritis. Does your girl limp more on hard surfaces than on soft? More on concrete than on grass? If so, it might be a corn, especially one that hasn't broken through the surface of the pad. Search for a corn thread here on Greytalk--there are dozens of them--and you'll find photos and advice on how to determine if that what's going on. A corn would explain why she's so stoic about having her leg manipulated. If you're holding that painful foot off the ground while you move the leg, there's nothing to make her react. There's really no good way to diagnose osteo from symptoms, and having any one or two of the above problems doesn't mean there couldn't be osteo as well. You're really going to need the input from whoever the x-rays were sent to. You also can send a copy of the x-rays to Dr Couto for a consultation. Contact information for him is on the first page of the current Osteo thread. Four is very young for osteo. It's not at all young for a torn gracilis or a corn. Either of those could have interfered with her running and thus curtailed her racing career.

One issue to consider: how much of our vet bills go to "hurt" vs "sick". Greyhounds get hurt often: they stub toes, run into trees, and for all their grace, they exhibit a general klutziness that is truly astounding. (I've never had a greyhound who paid the slightest attention to where he was planting his back feet.) Two items contribute to higher vet bills for greyhounds here: thin skin and high speed. It's not breeding that's the issue, it's the breed itself, and in large part it's the stuff that draws us to greyhounds--that super soft, easy-care coat, and that blazing athletic speed coupled with general looniness. You're not ever going to have a Pekingese ripping its side open as it races past a low hanging branch, or fracturing its toe trying to take three stairs with one leap. Shorthaired sighthounds are going to be prone to these injuries; those of us who generally manage to avoid the injuries are the ones with no fenced backyards for our dogs to run in (although we still get dogs dinged at parks, walking on the street, chasing plastic bags through a field, or just practicing zoomies in the living room). Our dogs are athletes, and athletes get hurt. Also consider: how much of our "sick" bills are for something that happens just as frequently to other breeds. Bloat, pancreatitis, liver failure, cancer. All those things happen in dogs "fortunate" enough to live long enough for diseases to catch up to them. Osteosarcoma rates are high in all the long-boned breeds; one site estimates that large dogs like Great Danes and Scottish Deerhounds may be as much as 200 times more likely to develop osteosarcoma than toy and small breeds (who have their own special ailments). Other breeds get other cancers. Golden retrievers get hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma. One site says, "Cancer rates are nearly twice the rate of cancers in all other breeds and studies show that 60%-72% of golden deaths are due to cancer." Hemangiosarcoma is a common cancer in all dogs that live longer than middle age. On this forum, we see horrible and too-frequent diagnoses of fatal cancers in our dogs, but other breed forums--and general dog forums not dedicated to purebreds--see many cancers, too. An article on Nature discusses the specific health problems of purebred dogs; greyhounds, of course, make the osteosarcoma list--with six other breeds. Back issues? Skin allergies? Eye problems? Those are common ailments in Pekingese. Jack Russells have eye problems. Miniature Schnauzers have eye problems, pancreatitis, and skin problems. And for an example of where breeding has gone wrong, check out what can happen when merle dogs (of any breed) are bred to other merle dogs. Breeders who breed for a certain look can cause all kinds of problems in their breeds. But greyhounds have been bred to be healthy runners, and I think that has limited the breeding missteps--that, and the ability of breeders to track a dog's ancestry back for dozens of generations. A Woman's Day article on the 10 healthiest dog breeds included Greyhounds at #9 on the list.

Toni, I'm so sorry.

When there is improvement, it might take Scotch a little time to believe it himself. I had a boy with back problems. When it was really painful, he'd yelp when he tried to stand up or lie down. After a while, he'd yelp when he even started to stand up--sort of I know it's gonna hurt-I know it's gonna hurt-I know it's gonna hurt... Gabapentin often takes about 48 hours to get up to speed, and in dogs it will wear off in less than 12 hours. It's a generic that's available inexpensively in people pharmacies, but you do need a written prescription. Greyhounds can safely take 900mg a day; 100mg capsules are a good choice since they make it possible for you to give less than 300mg if that's enough to work. Tramadol you know. It's also available at people pharmacies. Methocarbamol is the generic for Robaxin, a muscle relaxer taken by people. It, too, should be readily available from a people pharmacy. My vet prescribed a loading dose of two pills, three times a day, for two days, followed by half that much as a regular dosage. I emphasize the people-pharmacy part because that saves money and can save time. Also, people pharmacies keep longer hours than most vet's offices, and if you use a pharmacy that's part of a chain, you often can locate a 24-hour pharmacy to get refills on short notice (like when a hound knocks the bottle out of your hand and the pills spill into the wet sink). My nearest pharmacy is a Walgreen's with a drive-thru window and a Prescription Savings Plan; less than a mile away, and they're open 7 days a week. My vet's office is 25 minutes each way--8 miles of Atlanta traffic--and is closed most of Saturday and all of Sunday. Give Scotch a cuddle from all of us...

A comment from a local grey-savvy vet when a local adopter asked about Nexgard: The "official" statement says this: If I'm reading this right, it doesn't kick in against fleas for 48 hours, then is effective for 30 days. This means, I think (someone correct me if I've got it wrong), that the first dose might not immediately be effective against ticks, but your dog should be protected by future doses as long as you're not late with the dose. Of more concern to me, the labeling says it kills the American Dog Tick (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and tularemia) but doesn't mention other ticks--blacklegged tick (anaplasmosis and babesia), lone star tick (erlichia), etc.--the TBDs that are more prevalent in my neck of the woods. A review on DVM Magazine says: All sites warn about using with caution in dogs that have a history of seizures, but I'm pretty sure that's a standard caution that accompanies all flea/tick preventatives.

Will Kipper eat oatmeal? Or is that on his allergic-to list? If he'll eat it, you can put the manuka honey in it while the oatmeal is warm, then let it cool down enough to be safe to eat. When Clem was sick week before last, I'd cook oatmeal last thing at night, then dish it out in the morning (both dogs liked it), make another batch and set it aside to cool for lunch, and keep doing that all day. (The vet had said to give small meals frequently.) I suppose it's too much to hope that Kipper would eat his namesake... (I saw a movie the other night with kids excited about kippers for breakfast...)

Is he getting any dairy--like yogurt for good intestinal bacteria? If so, can you try eliminating it? I've suddenly learned that "lactose intolerant" can mean a happy, bouncy dog that lurves cheese and throws up everywhere. (Just one episode, but I've learned my lesson.) Between the bouts of vomiting were moments of eating all the grass he could reach. And apparently lactose intolerance is more common in dogs than it is in people. (This is my new boy, Clem.) And my angel Sam--he of the chronic soft poop (I used to follow him with a paper plate so I could clean up after him)--Sam wound up on a maintenance dose of flagyl because every time we stopped the flagyl the soft poop came back within four days. (All his fecal exams were negative. But two weeks of flagyl meant less runny poo; four days without flagyl meant a blow-out.) Sam got half a pill every other day and actually wound up with good, formed poop. Also, we've gone to a topical heartworm preventative around here after repeated, predictable outbreaks of soft poop and diarrhea at the first of every month. It wasn't major, long-lasting trouble, but it was bad enough that I didn't give the meds on rainy days because I didn't want all of us standing around in the rain. Any source of even short-term diarrhea that I could eliminate was worth the effort. The problem with the Heartgard Plus was the flavoring ingredient--not the ivermectin itself. (These days, Advantage Multi--a topical.) Finally, if you're brushing Kipper's teeth with a commercial toothpaste, can you change over to baking soda? Sounds silly, I know, but I'm growing suspicious of ingredients added to make things more palatable to dogs. Clem's former foster sister was allergic to canine toothpaste--to the point of winding up in the ER--and little things that you've used all along might have been little irritants all along. (Allergic girl is safely on baking soda now.) There's also a Greytalker whose dog's IBD can be triggered by toothbrushing with a commercial dog toothpaste. Maybe try making a list of all the little common things--toothpaste, heartworm meds--and see if there's a common ingredient in there that your vet might test for...

If you ever need to board Peace--maybe in an emergency situation--she'll probably be required to have the vaccination or titer paperwork from the vet. (Most boarding places do not accept titers, but you may be able to board her with a friend or with her own vet.) I wouldn't get the rabies vaccination the same day as the Adequan injection. I like to spread out that sort of thing (a couple of weeks between) so that if there's a problem, I can identify the likely culprit. I'd ask your vet for a recommendation for Peace, and ask if the vet knows the consequences for you and Peace if you get caught without the vaccination (if it's just a fine and a quarantine in your home, it might be worth the risk). I've always figured animal control was a bigger danger than rabies itself, but just today, this turned up on my Facebook wall: http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/local/10382026-113/rabies-cchhs-litter-disease

Oh, Denise, I'm so sorry to read this, and I know you must be reeling. Hugs and best wishes to you...

Next winter, or maybe even now--this spring--you might want to try to find someplace that does hydrotherapy. That would be good for building or maintaining muscle mass without relying on his ability to stay on his feet for a lengthy period, and it wouldn't be interrupted by inclement weather.

I'm with Aston's mom: no chiropractors without full spinal x-rays in advance. Even with x-rays, Sam's two sessions were painful (I don't think we had enough info about his lower back). In the second session, Sam came the closest to biting anyone that he ever did before or after. Even worse, the "improvement" after that second session lasted less than two weeks, and he was back to crying out every time he laid down. I couldn't put him through the chiro again; that's when we added methocarbamol to his tramadol.

Add Dr Couto's contact info for consultations, please: Website: http://www.coutovetconsultants.com/

According to Google, a quarter of a teaspoon is 1.23223 ml.

Does Sadie like sweet stuff or fruity--things like flavored yogurt? If so, grind some of her regular kibble in a food processor and mix it with the treat. That way, she'll "accidentally" get the nutritional stuff while she's lapping up the good stuff. At my house, ground kibble was mixed with yogurt (blueberry or strawberry and banana), with rice and a bit of chicken broth, and with oatmeal (maybe sweetened with a bit of honey) and even with vanilla Ensure. My angel Sam had a spell of a couple of months when he refused hard kibble, but would eat the ground-up stuff. I'd grind three cups of kibble every morning, then dump a scoop of the crumbs into whatever treat he was getting (and I was feeding him 4x day).

My Jacey went from healthy at a well-dog visit on a Tuesday to dying by that Friday. Her platelet count dropped from 200,000 on Tuesday to about 18,000 on Friday morning. And spleen and everything else were fine when they ultrasounded her at the hospital. They never found a cause for her problem. And a friend, whose dog had his spleen removed a couple of years ago, came home about 10:30 at night to an apparently healthy boy. But when he came back in later after a trip outside, he was stumbling, his gums were white, and he died in my friend's arms just after midnight, before she could get him to the ER. He was 5 years old. Apparently, whatever caused the hemorrhaging that cost him his spleen a couple of years ago reared up without warning and took her lovely boy. My guys get the same thing Batmom's dogs get. They get it every year, and I usually schedule any surgery (a spay for Silver, or a dental for whoever needs it) to take place a week or so after all the lab work so the regular lab work can serve as pre-surgical lab work. So--I'd say keep up with the routine office visits and routine lab work. Beyond that, know when your dog is "off"--know what her gums look like when everything is well, know how she moves when she's not feeling well. I've lost two girls who were 8 years old--and in both cases, they saw their vet for well-dog visits just days before their deaths. (I got to the point where any dog who had a well-dog visits was virtually swaddled in cotton for days afterward so we could break that pattern.)

Wendy, I'm hesitant about the rabies vaccination, too. Twiggy's immune system is chugging along just fine, and I don't know if you want to take the risk of jiggling it. But I realize that it's not just whether Illinois would accept titers: it's an issue of whether a boarding facility would take them (if you had to board her in an emergency), and also an issue of whether titers are acceptable anyplace you might travel with her (say, to a greyhound get-together out of state). Also--something showed up posted on Facebook a few weeks ago and scared the bejeebers out of many greyhound owners. But we all worry about our dogs under anesthesia (I lost Oreo under anesthesia, and Silver was sick as the proverbial dog after her spay), and this article presents something that might be an influence on whether trouble happens. The good news is that it's nothing you need to do differently, and nothing your vet really needs to do. It's just something for the vet to consider as a possible contributing factor if something does seem to be going wrong, with a suggestion of how to cope with the issue. Silver needs a dental sometime soon, and my vet will be getting a copy of the article. Beyond that, all you can do is whatever you think is best for your dog, and know that you're doing it out of love. And with your fingers crossed...

Clem has spent most of the last two days asleep with his head in my lap. He doesn't seem to feel bad (he still hops across my living room). Sleeping-touching-mom is normal for him. (His former mom--he was a bounce when her work schedule changed--said he was "clingy". Glad Cling Wrap is "clingy"; Clem is a whole different thing they don't have a word for yet. He lived here for 11 weeks--8 of them on meds--before I could leave him and not find pee or poop on my return.) I think we've dodged the diarrhea. In fact, I was worried that we'd gone in the other direction, but he finally pooped today. He's happily eaten rice, chicken, and/or oatmeal for a day and a half, and we went back to his regular kibble today. For safety's sake, I'm going to assume that this may be lactose intolerance. He routinely has been getting about half a teaspoon of yogurt frozen into the end of his Kongs without a problem. But Tuesday he got about a quarter of a stick of string cheese (cut up as training treats), eaten on an empty stomach before dinner, and he was throwing up about 5 hours later. The cheese is the only thing that was new to his diet. We'll resume training this weekend--with chopped up turkey franks as treats.

Kim, I'm so sorry you've had to say goodbye to your lovely boy.

Yeah, they had the bottle in the fridge, and we still got this reaction. I'd hate to think what would have happened otherwise...

Collar and leash on him as well as his muzzle, and secure the leash to something to prevent running. Once he learns a successful defense (like running to his "safe spot"--his crate), the battle will really be on. It'll be better if you can completely prevent him from fleeing. (And you don't ever want a battle at or around his crate. That really should be his "safe spot," where bad things never happen.) At my house, the favorite "don't move" location is the leash hooked to a post in my carport. (It's not flea and tick issues here; it's making sure each dog can eat a turkey neck without interference from the other. Their leashes are hooked to posts about 12 feet apart.) I've also known of people in apartments who closed the car door or trunk on the leash to keep a dog stationary. I'd set up my gear where I planned to tether him: flea/tick meds, muzzle, and peanut butter. I'd collar and leash him and walk him there. I'd give peanut butter to lick. Then I'd muzzle him with a big glob of peanut butter in the muzzle to occupy him. Then I'd put on the flea/tick topical, then give additional peanut butter. Remove the muzzle, more peanut butter. Then undo the leash and take him for a walk. (You want to give the topical a bit of time to soak in before you let him loose in the house, to roll on the sofa or carpet.) Angel Sam in front, Silver in back

Silver had to have Cerenia when she couldn't stop throwing up after her spay. She's my Drama Queen, so I wasn't surprised when she let out a yell heard throughout the vet clinic. But Clem would pause to take a breath, we'd all think he was about to stop, and he'd just start screaming again...and again. At least we know that he's not remotely stoic about pain. He was asleep here by 2pm and didn't budge until I got him up at 5pm. I took him out to pee, brought him back in and gave him half-a-cup of cold oatmeal (which he swallowed in one gulp), and he's been back asleep (snug under a blanket) for more than two and a half hours. Temperatures are dropping fast, and I hope we can avoid the predicted diarrhea, at least until tomorrow. I've got a lot of work to do tonight, so I'll be awake if he needs to go out. Fortunately, I work from home, so I won't have to leave him alone at home until Saturday (Silver and I have a R.E.A.D. session at the library). I'm hoping any gastric distress is well under control by then.

Poor lad. I don't know who's the most traumatized: him or the vet staff. He was angelic for x-rays and an ultrasound. The Cerenia injection, on the other hand, produced a good, long minute of outraged screams, with the techs apologizing to him and him wanting nothing to do with them. He buried his head in my chest for comfort, meanwhile rolling his eyes back and looking over his shoulder to be sure the techs weren't coming near him--and screaming all the while. (Think of a little child having a screaming fit, peeking between his fingers to see what reaction his screams are getting. I got the giggles watching him. Mean momma.) No bloat, no distension showing on the x-ray. There was one area that looked unusual (but not something she could clearly identify as a foreign object); she also saw lots of liquid and gas and general irritation. She's predicting diarrhea soon. (Oh, joy!) Pancreatitis is unlikely; with that, the dog usually feels bad, and Clem clearly feels fine between bouts of vomiting. We're stopping the Perio-Support for now--not that she thinks it's at fault, but it's one factor we can take out of the equation. She wants small meals, bland food. I brought him home and gave him some chicken. I've cooked some rice and some oatmeal, and they're cooling in the refrigerator for later meals today. I'll probably not give him any more cheese training treats (or any dairy stuff) for a few days, until things are all settled. (If I want another training session, I'll chop up some turkey franks for him.) If things don't improve, we'll go back, probably take another x-ray to compare and see if the unusual area is in the same place. Meanwhile, he's settled at my side, sleeping off his noontime adventures.

I'll be off to the vet at noon today with new-boy, Clem. He's vomited at least three times since dinner last night. What comes back looks like his food (no sign of any blood). He had a little more than a cup of kibble before 6pm, another half-cup a little after 10 (bedtime treat). He threw up before 11pm and ate it all back down (yech--but he wanted the food so I didn't fight him--but what he'd eaten at dinner was there as distinct pieces); at this point, I thought he'd eaten his bedtime kibble too quickly. But he threw up again about 4am and again about 8am (these were just digested kibble). My first panicked thought was bloat, of course. But everything is still moving: he's peeing and pooping (and vomiting) without straining, and he seems to feel fine--between occasional bouts of "'Scuse me, mom, I've got to go barf on the doormat." At this point, I'm guessing he's eaten something that's irritating his stomach, not going through, but not causing an actual blockage. (Last week he ate the cellophane wrapper left from a package of crackers. He brought that back up a day or so later. I'm pretty sure he hasn't gotten another wrapper since.) Aside from his kibble, he gets one fish oil capsule. He's getting some obedience training, and the training treats have been bits of string cheese (but very little of it--we only train for a few minutes per dog because I have to crate the other dog to keep her out of the way). He's also been getting something called Perio-Support for his teeth (can't tell if it's working or not--he's been getting it for two weeks). His kibble hasn't changed; in fact, we're coming to the end of the bag and he hasn't had any trouble. (Poops are all nice and firm--Iams green bag.) And the girl dog gets all the same food/treats/powder/capsule stuff, and she's fine. Clem (left) with Silver Neither dog has had any breakfast this morning. I'll leave breakfast for Silver when Clem and I leave for the vet's. P.S. I fostered Clem from 11 November to 22 January, when I adopted him. He's 6 (7 in April).

Since home remedies haven't helped so far, I'd want the vet to take a look. The vet might be able to determine what's going on and also alleviate her discomfort. I know rock salt and the like can be hard on a dog's paws and also cause stomach upsets if licked, but this may be more than that.