Sundrop
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Posts posted by Sundrop
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Hi all - we brought our boy home on Saturday and he has a couple of wounds on his face (apparently from trying to remove his muzzle too vigorously!). He came home with some antibiotics to help with any infections, but the poor guys just keeps breaking open the same wound over & over as I think it's starts healing, then it itches and then he scratches. It scabs up overnight, but by the end of the day, it's just an open wound (not deep) that bleeds and gets all over the side of his face.
He has a vet appointment on Thursday afternoon (just a "get to know you" appointment) and I'm going to have them look at it then - but is there anything we can do in the meantime? I'm afraid he's going to have to get an e-collar (arg!) - we've been able to stop him from scratching a few times, but we can't catch him every time. We've also been applying a little Neosporin.
Anyone have any ideas? Here are a couple photos - you can see he had a couple other spots that healed up in the first photo, and there is one main one that he just keeps breaking open. Sorry the first one is blurry, he won't hold still long enough to get a good shot!
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ARG - what a SWEET face on that boy! Love him!
Congratulations, Sid, on finding your family! It sounds like you'll be very happy there!
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Congratulations, Eleanor, on finding your family!!!!
P.S. I think you're right about the border collie.
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Thanks!
Are "gentle" walks okay if he is up for it? We take our girl for two walks per day, but we don't go far with her, or too fast, because she's an old lady and she just can't move like a young'un anymore! If he settles in okay and is able to walk with us, would that be okay?
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We are (hopefully) picking up our new boy (no name yet, see that thread: "Help me choose a name!) on Saturday. His appointment to get fixed is Friday.
Now, assuming all goes well with his surgery on Friday and we are able to bring him home on Saturday - what can we expect? Both of our other hounds were fixed well before we brought them home, so this is our first experience with a newly-neutered dog. The director of the adoption group told us that he will need to go out more frequently because it might "burn" or be uncomfortable for him and it might prompt him to go in the house. I work from home, so I can let him out whenever (was planning on every 1-2 hours?).
I also read online that he might lick his stiches? Do we need to get him a collar so he won't lick or just keep an eye on it? Also, I know we need to try and limit his activity so he doesn't rip a stich.
Will we need to clean the incision? How should we do this with a dog that doesn't know us? Should we make a follow-up appointment with our vet? Will they be dissolvable stiches, or will he need them taken out? Are there any other considerations that we haven't thought about?
Thanks!!!
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No judgments coming from me at all! I've done the same thing, let the dogs out, go upstairs to get a little more work done (I work from home) and forget that they're out there. I once even left the gate open in the backyard - luckily both our greys come when they are called, as they were both wandering outside of the gate when I went back out to get them. I didn't even realize the gate was open, as our backyard is all fenced in and I can't see that gate unless I walk out on the deck. I didn't even realize it was open until I walked on the deck to call them (since I couldn't see them) and they both ran back into the yard from the side. I had a mini-breakdown thinking about what could've happened! That side gate is now padlocked and never opened!
May sound corny, but I just always remember, "When you know better, you do better." But we're human and we all make mistakes!
I hope Gracie's ear heals quickly.
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Definitely hoping that it's just a soft-tissue injury that will heal in a few days!!!
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I'm so sorry for your loss.
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We brush every night. Our older girl never liked the bones too much and though our boy liked them, they used to make him sick (even small ones). They actually wait by the bathroom door after we let them out at night, waiting for the tooth-brushing to commence (though...they do get small treats after brushing!).
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I'm so sorry to hear about Iceman.
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We muzzled our boy for the first couple of weeks when we first got him when our two were home alone. Our girl had no interest in playing/running/competing for toys of any kind in the yard - but we always supervise them when they're outside. Once we got to know our boy's personality and how our two interacted with each other, we started taking the muzzle off. His problem was getting bored and trying to eat anything within his reach - so we learned how to doggie-proof EVERYTHING really quick.
So - it's really not just about what your greys/dogs will do to each other -- it's what they can get into when you're not home!
In four and a half years, we never had one issue between our two and they were never muzzled after that initial first couple of weeks. Our boy learned that our girl was never going to play with him and he quickly learned that toys were way more fun than she was - and she doesn't have a dominant bone in her body, so anything he wanted that she had - he got without a struggle from her. Though, he wasn't very dominant either, so it worked out wonderfully.
However, since our boy recently passed - if we get another grey while our girl is still with us, we will muzzle until we feel comfortable. If we never feel comfortable...we'll always muzzle.
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Our two get fed dinner at 6:00 and almost every night (I kid you not) , like clockwork, our boy would come upstairs around 5:40 (if he wasn't already up here) and 1-2 minutes before 6:00, he was on his feet talking/whining/being silly to get my attention. He did the same in the morning if I slept too late. He had an amazing internal alarm clock.
Our girl would sleep through everything if we didn't get her up.
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We walk our two (well, one now, since we lost one last week) twice per day, every day (unless the weather is really bad). Walks are controlled, they get certain times to sniff/pee, but they always stay at our sides, slightly behind us. If they get ahead of us or pull, they get gently corrected. They are celebrities in our neighborhood because they are so well-behaved and walk at our sides, lol. Walks are normally 15-20 minutes each.
Our pups live for walks. Our girl is almost 13 and she still runs to the door, though she can't walk nearly as far as she used to (or as fast) - but she insists on her two walks per day!
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My thoughts are definitely with you and Demon. I hope you get good news.
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Thank you all SO much.
I've been looking through all of my photos, looking for him when I found this one that I just had to share...so you'll understand why I don't laugh as much without him. He used to love to shred paper, so once in awhile we'd throw him some. This time, it was wrapping paper...and this is what we came back to. How he got that bow on his head, I'll never know (no, we didn't put it there!)...
So everyone, PLEASE kiss your goofy hounds on the head for me tonight.
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Wow, I am just overwhelmed by all of your kind words. Seeing his name here...and seeing all the responses has brought me to tears. He was truly a unique pup and he made everyday, even the very worst ones, a bit better. All the memories flood back and they almost all make me laugh, which of course, makes me cry. I am so grateful he went quickly and in his sleep - but it has left such a deep scar in my heart.
Thank you all so much. This really means a lot to a newbie here.
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Tuesday was like any other day - you were at my bedside bright and early, barking and talking to let me know I'd slept too late and you were ready for breakfast. You ate and cleaned every morsel your sister left behind (what a silly girl she is). Later that morning, your ears perked when I said the magic word..."Walk?" and you wanted to go further, but happily turned around to come home because you knew your sister couldn't walk as far as you. You played with your favorite toy...the skunk that chitters when you chew him. You RAN to your bed on the deck when you went outside in the afternoon and immediately dozed off...sunbathing...happy...dreaming. I'm glad I let you stay outside a few extra minutes, even though it was so hot.
At 6:00, on the nose, you ran upstairs to let me know it was time for dinner (do we even need clocks in this house?) and you were ready and waiting for your evening walk an hour later. You happily walked through your neighborhood, sniffing everything, ready to walk as long as I'd let you - but dad had to work late and it was just me on the walk, and your sister was so tired...so we came home. "We'll take you on a long walk tomorrow, I promise, buddy!"
You greeted your dad with elation at the door, jumping and barking and accepting the ear scritches with a deep and contented groan. Those feel so good! That night, you let us brush your teeth...and even got an extra treat (don't tell dad) and then I gave you a pat on the head and said goodnight. Your sister and I went to bed, but your dad wanted to watch tv, so you followed him down to your man-cave, where his "tv watching" turned into "sleeping on the couch" within about 2 minutes. At around 2:00 in the morning, you woke your dad with a bark - he looked, you were sleeping. He heard your soft dream-barks - content that you were okay, he turned off the tv and came upstairs to bed.
Wednesday morning I woke to the alarm at 7:45. I got out of bed...you didn't run upstairs when you heard us stirring. "Odd," I thought. I went downstairs and look in the living room, not there, either...where are you? I look to the bottom floor and softly call your name, "Keota." Silence. I take a few steps down and say a little louder, "Keota, buddy, time for breakfast!" Silence. I step into the family room and there you are, sleeping peacefully in the corner, "Wake up sweetie..." but you didn't stir. I leaned down to gently nudge you (I know how you hate for people to touch you when you're sleeping!)...
But you were gone.
And now the house is too quiet.
And I don't laugh 20 times a day anymore.
And I hated sleeping in until 8:30 this morning.
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Thanks so much everyone. These first few days have been tough and our remaining grey is pretty confused, as our boy was the more dominant of the two (she keeps standing at her food dish looking around, I think waiting for him before she'll eat). I'm working up the guts to talk to the vet...though I don't think I'm ready yet.
I very much appreciate all the comments and advice, it's been a comfort to me.
Thanks again to the GreyTalk community.
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Thank you so much, everyone. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to read all of your responses -- I would've done anything for him and even asked the vets at NCSU if would could get his leaky valve replaced, but it wasn't an option. He was my big goofy boy and the house is so quiet without him...(he was a talker, too). Our other grey keeps walking from room to room and sniffing the air - it's just heart-breaking to watch.
I've read so many of your posts throughout the years and I knew this would be a community that could offer good advice. I very much appreciate it. To lose a dog that was so happy and full of life is horribly bittersweet...
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I hope I am posting this in the correct place. I have been a longtime (years!) lurker of these boards but I never registered until now...
The past Wednesday morning (June 24) I woke up to feed our two greyhounds. Our girl sleeps with us (she will be 13 in October) and our boy (9 in September) normally hears the alarm or hears us upstairs and comes running up waiting for his breakfast. On Wednesday, he didn't do that. I went downstairs to look for him, didn't see him - so I went down to the next floor (we live in a split level) where he normally sleeps and turned the corner and there he was. I called his name...nothing. Called his name again...nothing. Went over to gently nudge him...and he was gone...died in his sleep.
I am so heart-broken and this is difficult to even write - but I just wanted the opinions of others who may have been in this situation before.
Our boy was almost 80 lbs (big guy) and we got him when he'd just turned 4. We found out upon his first vet visit that he had a heart murmur. I believe they classified it as a grade 3 and we started him on Enalapril. A year or so later, they told us his murmur was around a 4 or 5 and started him on Amlodipine and bumped up his Enalapril. We then made an appointment to take him to a cardiologist at NCSU veterinary college and had an entire work-up done for him. All in all, he had a grade 5-6 murmur, a leaky valve and hyper-tension. He also had an enlarged heart, though nothing of note since a lot of ex-racers have enlarged hearts.
The vets all told us to watch for symptoms to see if his heart disease was worsening -- coughing, fatigue (special intolerance to exercise), swelling of his abdomen due to fluid retention, loss of appetite were the main ones. We watched him like a hawk. We had him checked out every 6 months. We only gave him food/treats with no or very low sodium. About 6-8 months ago, the vet found that he had high protein levels in his urine - could be a sign of his hypertension damaging his kidneys...or could be because of all the medications.
Tuesday was a totally normal day for him. He had been balking a little at his breakfast for a week or so, but he was still eating it. Both our hounds have done that in the past and since he was eating fine at night and eating breakfast fine once he got started (we'd sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese on it) - we thought they were just getting bored and it was time to switch foods. He took his morning and evening walks that day, he was actually tugging at us to walk further (we've been taking shorter walks because of the heat and b/c our other grey is slowing down and isn't able to walk as much). He was playing with his toys -- no signs of distress at all. No vomitting, no diarrhea, not even any grass eating.
When I found him on Wed morning, he was still in a sleeping position on his bed. The only thing out of the ordinary was that his tongue was blue.
My husband did not want a necropsy done and now it is too late as he is already at the crematorium. Could this have been a heart attack in his sleep? Or heart failure? I'm just so perplexed because he showed none of the symptoms - no coughing, no fluid retention, still wanting to exercise and play, no illness, etc. and from what I have read, heart attacks in dogs are rare. Though I'm grateful that he went in his sleep and happy that he didn't spend his last days ill - I'm just so shocked. I haven't spoken to the vet yet. Does any have any experience with this? We are assuming it was his heart, as the vets have all told us his life would be cut short because of his issues. But is it unusual to be asymptomatic like this and still go because of the heart?
I miss him so much. I keep going over his last days in my head over & over. Sorry for the long post. I'm just grieving and trying to make sense of this.
Wound On Face
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
Thanks, all! I just ordered the EMT gel AND spray and we're going to give him some Benadryl - I don't have a baby sock, but I've been thinking of trying to put a sock on him - so I'll definitely try that, too. I really appreciate it - every time I hear him start scratching I just cringe!!