claudiav

i didn't disagree that anxiety is a "real" medical condition that should be treated with meds.... in dogs or people.... my problem was with treating it immediately after coming off the track...

i do wish people would READ before they write! don't skip that step before judging.

that pic.... he looks like he's smiling.... you're always in our thoughts

I take drugs when I'm sick. I have no problem with drugs for mental health issues either. I take those too. what I have a problem with is putting a dog fresh off the track on Prozac b/c he barks when owner leaves. he misses his owner. he shouldn't be medicated for it. owner cares more about neighbors complaints than dog, if three weeks off the track he is to be medicated for nothing more than barking. he clearly has SA and if he is going to be an only dog, this is not the right home for him. He needs to be in a home with another greyhound, or where he won't be medicated simply b/c he barks. I've read the rest of this thread, and I would let him out of the crate, get a second greyhound to keep him company and solve the SA right off the bat, or move. but that's just me. the OP clearly doesn't have these choices available, so I would take him off the unnecessary meds immediately and bring him back. he doesn't need them when the only "undesirable action" is barking and the neighbors don't like it. My dogs go above and beyond my neighbors.....

take him off drugs and return him. you should not put a perfectly healthy dog on Prozac simply b/c he barks or whines when you leave. He is missing you and that's normal. He should not be drugged for this.

just watched Pitbulls & Parolees this weekend and Tia's daughter lost her senior pit to brain cancer... same symptoms... have you checked with neuro? praying for you and Ruby...

Thank you Scouts_Mom! I had no idea how serious this disease it. I hope you have it under control. Thank you so much Silverfish!!! You brought me to tears with your kind words. And Batmom..... that article read like it was written about Sarge. It is EXACTLY what he dealt with for too long... and exactly what his three ultrasounds and biopsy showed... all of it: "Protein-losing Enteropathy, severe muscle wasting, severe inflamed and thickened intestinal walls, pitting edema and wound seeping, the duodenum was grossly abnormal with a patchy granular appearance, the lacteals were severely dilated and there were areas of yellow fibrinous material adhered to the surface, the duodenum bled easily and had erosions" Unreal.... these were exactly his symptoms and the same mentioned in the article, which also states how severe this diagnosis is... I am feeling better about not causing his disease or death.... but so saddened that he obviously showed symptoms of it 5-8 yrs ago, yet his former owners did not take it seriously and help him.... he had such a horrible hand dealt to him.... makes me so sad for him.... he deserved so much better.... poor pup.... I know how bonded he was to me, and how happy to not be caged/contained, and we had some good months.... but he had a hard life and it will forever haunt me.... :crying Thank you everyone for your input and kind words... as someone else on here says all the time: "hug your hounds" ........ and don't sweep symptoms under the rug... diagnosing them early on can give them a fighting chance....

one more thing that kills me with the vet records... this one, and the vet he saw when he was returned to the rescue (before I adopted him), both wrote in big block letters, and circled "MUZZLE FOR NAILS"..... yet I trimmed his nails myself every month, while he slept thru it... how ridiculous is that?

Looking at the former vet record, he was 78 lbs in Jan '07 (same as his racing weight in late '06). In June '08 the vet note separation anxiety, though doesn't write anything about medicating it, and weighed him at 75 lbs. In Sept '09 we was down to 70 lbs. There are no more weight readings after this, as I'm guessing he maintained his 70 lbs. (He was 70 lbs of skin and bone when I adopted him in July '13). There are only annual shots after this, and Prozac was started in Oct '12. I don't understand who takes their dog to the vet once a year for shots and nothing more, if he has separation anxiety the entire time.... and dropped 8 lbs in 2 yrs. My belief is that he was crated while the owner(s) worked b/c he absolutely DID NOT like being contained, and his teeth were so ground down, his canines were little more than stubs. His teeth were the worst I have ever seen in my life, and he definitely had separation anxiety if you crated him, or even kept him in a room with the door shut. So I dealt with it by leaving him out in the house, free to chose where he wanted to lay down, and weaned him off the Prozac. He was perfectly happy being out, and sat on the same dog bed in the living room the entire time I was at work (I watched him thru my internet camera). He did not display anymore SA symptoms, but the IBD did rear it ugly head after the first 4 days, and it never went away. So you think the initial 8 lb loss in the first 2 yrs, was an early sign of IBD that went untreated? And 5 yrs later, when he lost his home, the stress of it all progressed his IBD to acute stage? From what I can tell in the biopsy results, there is no trace of any type of stomach cancer, or lymphoma, which the internist thought was likely. How could acute IBD kill him in 11 months??? Is that normal or did I contribute to his speedy downfall??? :brokenheart :brokenheart

Sarge had a biopsy/endoscopy on 5/27. The results came back after TWO WEEKS, but I lost him in the meantime. Still trying to understand exactly what he had. Internist didn't explain it well, and she caught me while I was getting ready for an interview... so I couldn't take notes. Can someone decipher the medical jargon and explain in laymen's terms what he was dealing with? He was throwing up for almost three weeks. He was leaking bloody diarrhea for two weeks. One full day after the biopsy, he was worse than before and had to be hospitalized for 3 days, given iv meds and fluids, but nothing helped. He was was getting no protein, lost too much blood, and was finally too weak to stand, when I had to help him cross the bridge... but I still struggle with wondering if there was anything I missed... anything I could have done to save him... mostly: I wonder how he could have lived in his former home, for 7 yrs, with almost NO vet records to speak of, and developed a severe case of IBD within 4 days of coming to live with me. his former vet record is half a page long, for 7 yrs total... it looks like he went once a year, and for Prozac for separation anxiety.... went he come home to me, I weaned him off Prozac over 10 days, but he started the diarrhea and inappetence right away... and I couldn't do anything to improve it.... was he perfectly healthy for 7 yrs and did I make him sick by taking him off prozac??? did I kill him??? what the hell happened to him??? how could he have no sign of IBD before he came to live with me, and overnight develop symptoms that would haunt him for the rest of his life, until his body could fight no more (almost 11 months)??? This is his 7 yr vet record..... insane??? This is page 1 of the Biopsy results And this is page 2 of the Biopsy results Any ideas as to what happened to him? any input would be welcome.... the best I can tell his biopsy results say he had severe IBD.... and that's what caused his doom for 11 months??? that's it??? how can that be??? with all the drugs we treated him with, putting the feeding tube in b/c he wouldn't eat... and did it come on suddenly, out of nowhere, when he came to live with me??? all I can tell from his old records is that he lost 1 lb per year.... but nothing else is mentioned about food habits, inappetance, vomiting, or diarrhea... why did it all start with me??? did I cause it??? did I kill him???

You sure do know Jan. I loved reading about Seamie and seeing his pics and I hoped Sarge could live as long as Seamie... but at least he was happy and loved here, and he was certainly a heartbreaker... There was not a single soul he met that he didn't endear... he was loved by everyone, and he loved everyone (two legged, four legged, etc)... old dogs are the best!!!

too bad it's not pasted in the message like I used to do... thank you for the tip greytpups. I've been out of touch here since April 15

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p553/shakasmom/Sargesmilingears_zpsaa087c47.jpg

My Sweet Sarge is now an Angel at the Rainbow Bridge. His frail little body could no longer fight the IBD or cancer that infiltrated his GI tract. Yesterday, he lost all color and was likely bleeding internally. He was not absorbing any protein from any food he was getting. He'd lost so much blood over the past two weeks that he was anemic and at the point of needing a blood transfusion. Even though the biopsy results are still not in, the vets are certain that his body could not benefit from chemo or any further treatment. He was so weak he could not stand, so we ended his suffering and let him cross the Rainbow Bridge, where I am sure he is healthy, eating with a voracious appetite, and chasing bunnies with Remy & Shaka. (why can't I paste photobucket pics in here anymore?)

oh no!!! I am in shock and disbelief. I haven't been on GT since my own senior boy went into kidney failure, on April 15th... I had no idea GT lost the sweetest gentlest soul and my biggest idol... I am so so sad... Doubly sad since we also learned of sweet Nell's passing today....

I can't even think.... much less speak.... that is the worst news I've heard in a month, since my own senior went into kidney failure. Nell, you were loved by so many... I am crying and I never even met you... I'm so sorry sweetheart.... you gave it one hell of a fight.... run free now and wait for your mom, dad, and sister at the rainbow bridge, where you will meet again... god bless, sweet Angel :weep :weep :weep

I feel for each of you with picky eaters and compounded health problems. I adopted Sarge 9 months ago. The first 6 months were torture. He has never eaten anything for more than 3 consecutive days. He had recurring diarrhea and dehydration due to constant food changes. There was NOTHING I could get into him with any measure of consistency. Vet diagnosed him with IBD without biopsies as I never wanted to put him thru that, @ 11 yrs old. He raced at 78 lbs, was a bag of bones @ 70 when I adopted him, and was losing more and more weight. Anything we found that worked and helped him, would not last . It was a constant roller coaster of emotions. I spent about $10K on several hospitalizations for severe dehydration, countless tests, meds, 5 different antibiotics, steroids, appetite stimulants, etc.... The last awful flareup @ the beginning of the year landed him in the ER for 4 days. The ER vet suggested a feeding tube. No one had previously suggested this. I didn't know anything about it, so I came here and asked for advice/experience. No one had experience with feeding tubes either, except for Dunquin who had lost majority of his lower jaw. After two full months, I can truly say the feeding tube saved his life!!! He will continue getting weekly B-12 shots, stay on Budesonide, Sulfasalazine, Sulcrafate, and another med for life, which all work on the GI tract. But feeding him is not the horror, torture that I endured for 6 months. He stays on the Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Blend HIGH ENERGY food, but it gets blended into a liquid and pushed down the feeding tube by syringe (without needle). He was down to 59.5 lbs at the beginning of the year @ the ER, when I almost lost him. He was up to 70 lbs the last vet visit, exactly one month ago. He is looking better than I could ever have imagined and must surely be close to 80 lbs now. I have to take him to a Petsmart and weigh him to satisfy my curiosity. His coat is smooth and shining. His eyes are bright and full of life. He finally looks like a greyhound, not a stick figure. He has energy and stamina, which he didn't have when he was so sick. He is vocal and curious and follows me around the house, and cries if he can't see me. I invested in a $400 Vitamix blender to adequately puree his food, so it could go down the tube. The feeding tube has literally changed his life, and mine. It is placed on the side of the neck, and it stays covered all the time, so no more neck collars. He wears a harness to go for walkies. I clean the incision and surrounding skin, and change his bandage once a week, to ensure there is no infection. The actual feeding takes 15 minutes, 3 times a day. He gets 1500 calories/day and that's how he has gained weight and his GI tract started absorbing the nutrients form the food and working properly. There was no other way I could have reached this milestone with him. I am stunned that no one had experience or suggested this as a viable option. Short- or long-term. The feeding tube does not interfere with him eating. If he wants to eat, he is perfectly able to do so. Unfortunately, he is the same picky dog I have known since adopting him 9 months ago. He liked the kibble for a few days, then refused it. He liked the canned food for a few days, than refused it. We tried mixing it up and surprising him, thinking he needs variety, but that didn't last more than a few days either. If/When he ate regular prescription food, I would adjust the liquid food, making sure he remained at the 1500 calories/day limit. He pretty much has stopped eating dog food. He eats treats sometimes. Mostly, he wants what we're eating, but he can't have that with IBD, so he just gives up begging and sits down eventually. The actual feeding via syringe, is a pleasure. He doesn't look at it like force feeding. He's sleeping thru it. I'm half watching tv while pumping liquid down the tube. There's no fear or resentment, and no begging and pleading with him to eat. If he ever decides to eat his food on his own, we can always take the tube out, but I don't see that happening. And it's fine. It will stay with him the rest of his life. At least it was the best solution to getting him healthy, and I don't mind blending his food every nite, and pumping it into him 3/day for the rest of his life. When he goes, if won't be for refusing to eat, or not getting nutrients into him. I am thankful everyday for that ER vet suggesting this option, and still dumbfounded that vets don't recommend it more when nothing else works. I wish you all luck in finding something that works for your pups, but know that there is this option out there, and I am available as a resource ANYTIME. Claudia

My Sarge has IBD and just had a feeding tube put in 10 days ago. The feeding tube saved his life. He is picky and stubborn. He likes something for 3 days, then doesn't like it anymore. all the different changes made things worse, but when he can't afford to lose anymore weight, I would give in and try anything to get him to eat. This past week has been so much better! He has returned to his old goofy self. He is getting up and following me around, getting on the couch to look out the window... all things that he was not doing when he got back from his 3 night stay at the ER vet. They stopped his prednisone abruptly, and he developed an internal infection. When we started Zeniquin (antibiotic) and reintroduced Pred, he improved overnight. He is doing very very well now. He is even eating on his own. What he can't finish, I blend into liquid form and put in his feeding tube. This is how I know he's getting the nutrients he needs. He's eating Royal Canin Gastro-Intestinal High Energy prescription food. It is high in calories, but good to his sensitive tummy. It is actually an IBD food. He eats about 2 cans of the wet food and 2 cups of the wet kibble. Like I said, whatever he can't finish, we blend and put down the tube. I can tell he's gaining weight. We go for weekly bandage changes and weigh in. I will find out how much he's gained this week, tomorrow. The tube saved his life... truly! He raced @ 78 lbs, I adopted him 5.5 month ago and have been unable to get his out of the 60s. When he was admitted to the ER vet Sunday the 5th, he weighed 59.5 lbs. I thought I was losing him that nite. He gained 2 lbs last week, and I know he's gained at least 2 or 3 lbs this week. he's doing so much better than the prior week. Prior to the feeding tube, I had tried sardines, parmesan cheese, canned tripe, cat food, etc... nothing worked long term, and possibly caused the major flareup that resulted in his 3 day hospitalization. Good luck to you.

Sarge is no longer sporting his underwear on the outside. He doesn't need them anymore. He has no more sludge or diahhrea. He's getting his regular feedings via tube, but they are so small right now, that I don't even know if he's pooped anything... Today, we started increasing the amount of food, so we shall see tomorrow if he has any BMs. He's back to his old self... getting up to greet everyone, sleeping on the bed with me, going outside thru the doggie door, going upstairs and downstairs with me by his side.... he just doesn't drink as much as he used to... so I give extra water in the tube... vet checkup this morning went well. Bandage was changed and no infection at the incision site. When we finish the meds from the hospital, my vet will work out his maintenance medicine protocol. We are very happy here. My boy is back!!!! :beatheart

Thank you Racinmason. I do have another thread going about this http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/304396-feeding-tube-any-experienceadvice/ ER vets who put the feeding tube in and sent us home with 5 cans of CliniCare, which is already liquid and ready to syringe into the feeding tube. It's convenient, but it did give Sarge the runs, an awful dark brown sludge that poured out of him uncontrollably. It kept me up the whole night when I brought him home Wednesday, cleaning after him constantly, but Thursday morning, out of desperation, I gave him 2 Immodiums, and 4 hrs later, when my friend came over to give him his noon feeding, there was no sign of further diarrhea. He also got diapers but the immodium, and maybe his system having gotten used to the food, seems to have stopped the problem. I am still leaving diapers on him, until we use up the 5 cans and after we switch the food to Royal Canin gastrointestinal blend, until we make sure his tummy is ok with the new food. But it seems we have overcome the biggest hurdle and are only going up from here. I am loving the tube feedings, though our vet told us to feed 5 times a day, which works out to every 4 hrs.. We also don't seem to be going as slowly as you were, in pushing the plunger... though we aren't flooding it by any means... just not as slow as you... for example, I gave him 70 ml of food and about 100 ml of water in about 15 minutes... I give him extra water b/c he doesn't seem to be drinking as much as I would like on his own, and I do not want him to get dehydrated again... that's 2 60 ml syringes and 5 10 ml syringes, one after the other, lasting about 10-15 minutes... I have gotten better and the prep and fill all the syringes at one time and bring them to the bed, so I can continue without getting up and coming back all the time... it works and Sarge is sleeping thru the entire thing... As the food amount increases, it will take longer, and when the food changes, it will take longer to prep as I will be putting the canned food in the blender with water, and blending it to the liquid consistency, but it will be so watered down, that it will require more syringes... I'm just elated to not deal with his picky, stubborn ways, refusing to eat anything I give him, and constantly worrying that he can't afford to lose anymore weight, of if he's going to get dehydrated again and end up in the hospital... that's been my nightmare for the last 5 months, and I feel like we have finally found a solution that works... now I just have to be patient and watch him, make sure his tummy agrees with the food, his poops get healthy, and he hopefully gets well enough that he will want to eat the canned food on his own, so we don't feed by tube for the rest of his life... he needs to gain 20 lbs at least... but who knows if that will ever happen... He's allowed to eat by mouth, so I gave him some small milkbones. He ate them happily, and stopped when he had enough.

Sarge is sporting some manly diapers If superheroes can wear their underwear on the outside, so can Sarge! I'll have to take some pics and show off my hero he's doing well... after the 2 immodiums this morning, he leaked no more... let's hope it's a sign of things to come feedings are going very very well... so easy... I can't believe I ever forced food down his throat, and begged and pleaded with him to eat... this is such a sweet option... no fuss, no muss... he sleeps right thru it... love it!! now, I just have to make sure he doesn't get an infection at the incision site... things are looking up!!! I couldn't be any happier!!!

just got some light at the end of the tunnel.... the vet that has been so great diagnosing Sarge, finding his intestinal infection and trying all meds to treat his IBD, who knows him very well, just told me the liquid food he's getting is causing the sludge... so tonite i'm going to break out the blender and use the Royal Canin vet food he did well on, when he liked it, and puree it, 1 part canned food and 2 parts warm water, to feed him thru the tube... she said within 24-48 hrs, I should see the sludge disappear.... YAY!!!! She made my day!!! I love her!!!

picked up Sarge from the hospital last nite... he seemed out of it, understandably, but is tolerating the tube... tube feedings are so easy... I wasn't expecting them to be so easy... right now, my concern is that he keeps leaking sludge and doesn't even feel it... I cleaned him twice before going to bed in the LR with him, and slept for 3 hrs before I smelled it again, and got up to clean him again... he slept thru my entire cleaning and more sludge just kept pouring out as I was cleaning... he needs doggie diapers right now.... I just don't know if he'll need them long term.... I don't know if this is a symptom of the liquids that have been pumped into him for three days straight, the liquid diet he's on now for tube feedings, or if he's lost the ability to control his bowels... it's worrisome, but first thing I need to do right now is get him in doggie diapers and wait... hopefully it will work itself out... will keep updating... does anyone know what could be causing this constant leakage? hospital vets said to give the Flaggyl a chance to work and bring him back if it doesn't.... I just paid $4500 for this 3 day stay, and I can't pay another $1000+ for them to watch and clean him, and pump more fluids into him.... but since they still don't know exactly what he has, they can't offer more advice.... their priority was to rehydrate him and stabilize him, and x-rays didn't show what's wrong... they wanted me to do an ultrasound and biopsy/endoscopy but their internist is out for two weeks... I didn't want to transport him, and my priority was to get the feeding tube in so he could get some food in him... otherwise, he would have died of starvation... he wasn't eating anything, for anyone... now that he has the tube in, I want to feed him and stabilize him before taking him to our regular vet and doing an ultrasound, or further biopsy... I just hope the leaking sludge is a temporary setback...

Thank you Riverhound. I posted a message in that topic, in the hopes that racinmason reads it... with only 11 posts, they cannot PM... Sarge update: My luv is supposed to come home this afternoon. He had the feeding tube put in yesterday and was fed twice, with success. Surgeon didn't want me to visit him last nite... he wanted him to remain calm and relaxed after the procedure... today, he said he seems depressed... my heart is aching... I miss him so much and can't wait to get the ok to pick him up... He still has diarrhea, but it's not out of control, as it had been for two nights... he has swelling and edema at the iv site, so they switched legs yesterday... they are bringing liquids down slowly, in anticipation of a release today... worried about what to feed him long term... ER vets don't know enough about that and their internist is out for two weeks... my vet is out sick today, but I'm sure I will hear from her tomorrow... and the ER vets will send me home with SOMETHING short term... worried about his IBD and finding a food that will work well for his tummy, that will bulk up his stool, and that will put some desperately needed weight on... counting down the hours till I see his beautiful grey muzzle and kiss it raw

HI racinmason, I was hoping you could give us some advice on tube feeding... Sarge is coming home today with a feeding tube, and I was encouraged to read that Hill's A/D is soft and liquidy so it will go down the tube easily... I have a blender and will blend also, but concerned about a food that will be good to his tummy.... he has IBD and can't eat a lot of foods without risking major diarrhea and upset tummy... he will be able to eat regular foods too, but he is one stubborn, picky eater, and he doesn't want any dog food...