Jump to content

JJNg

Members
  • Posts

    2,044
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by JJNg

  1. That simply isn't true. As several others have stated, if a dog is hypothyroid, the TSH should be *high*. TSH is "thyroid stimulating hormone". When the feedback system in the brain detects that blood levels of thyroid hormone are too low, the pituitary gland produces TSH which tells the thyroid gland to make more thyroid hormone. So when thyroid levels are too low, the TSH will usually be high. If you want a definitive diagnosis, I'd recommend submitting blood to Michigan State for a full thyroid panel with endocrinologist's interpretation. But in most cases, simply doing the T4, FT4, and TSH through a regular lab, like you've done, is adequate. With a low TSH, hypothyroidism is unlikely, especially if he doesn't really have many of the typical clinical signs. Btw, I work at an old clinic where we have a fax machine but no clinic email. For clients who want bloodwork or forms emailed to them, I use my personal email address.
  2. Were all 3 growths that were removed hemangiopericytomas? To determine whether or not to do chemo, I would want to look at what grade the tumor is, and also how good the margins were. Hemangiopericytomas are a type of soft tissue sarcoma, and they are graded based on how aggressive the abnormal cells look when examined microscopically. Grade 1 or low grade tumors removed with clean margins rarely cause any further problems. Grade 3 or high grade tumors have a higher chance of metastasis and are much more likely to recur even if the margins are clean. Also, "clean" margins can be narrow or wide. Narrow margin can leave cancerous cells behind even if they appear to be clean. The wider the margin, the less chance of recurrence. In the locations you describe, it probably wasn't physically possible to get very wide margins. Before committing to chemo, I would want to find out from your vet whether all 3 growths were hemangiopericytomas, what grade they were, and how wide were the margins. Also, I'm not sure what kind of chemo your vet is planning to do. "Metronomic chemo" is low dose oral chemo that is given long term, usually daily or every other day. Injecting small amounts of chemo at the site of the tumor (or the scar where the tumor was) is a different type, often called intralesional chemo. Dr. Couto recommends this intralesional chemo with a drug called 5-FU for soft tissue sarcomas with narrow or incomplete margins. Given the description, maybe that's what your vet is planning to do? I have a whippet who had a low grade soft tissue sarcoma removed from the side of his elbow. Because of the location, the margins were very narrow, so we followed with the 5-FU injections under the scar. That was 2 years ago, and he's had no further problems. I had a foster greyhound who had an intermediate grade soft tissue sarcoma removed from his wrist with incomplete margins. The oncologist tried to do the 5-FU injections, but the skin was too tight to effectively administer enough chemo in the area for her to feel that it would be effective. We chose to put him on metronomic chemo to try to prevent recurrence.
  3. 1) It sounds like your dog already had basic bloodwork (chemistry and CBC) done. To be thorough, it's also a good idea to do a thyroid panel as well as tick-borne disease testing. 2) I'm not aware of any holistic treatments that are effective. 3) Seizures in greyhounds are treated no differently from seizures in any other dog. Most dogs that start to have seizures between 1-5 years old have idiopathic epilepsy. 4) It never hurts to consult with a neurologist, but IMO, not every case of epilepsy needs to see a neurologist. Straightforward cases that respond well to anti-seizure medication can be managed by a general practitioner who keeps current on the latest recommendations. If you're not getting good seizure control, having a neurologist on your team can be invaluable.
  4. I'd start with your regular vet and see what they recommend. Does the specialty clinic have a board certified vet dentist on staff? If the tooth is causing problems, the least expensive way to address it would be extraction. If you're interested in considering other options like a root canal +/- crown, you'd need to see a dentist, but that can get very expensive, and whether he's even a candidate for those options depends on the status of the tooth.
  5. Looks like a slab fracture, although a fairly mild one, relatively speaking. Slab fractures are when they shear a flat piece off the outside of the tooth. Sounds like the 'scale' that fell off a month ago may have been part of the tooth. It may be ok if the pulp cavity isn't exposed. A vet dentist would probably recommend addressing it, but I tend to be more conservative, and a lot of dogs don't experience any obvious problems from these. If there is any discomfort or infection, he would probably need a root canal or extraction.
  6. There are no guarantees when it comes to dog behavior. Some dogs are more sensitive to stress and change, less trusting of people they haven't bonded with, and have a lower threshold for what triggers them to bite, than other dogs. You can help dogs like that learn better coping mechanisms and improve their association with things that make them uncomfortable through positive reinforcement training. You can decrease the risk of future aggression through stress reduction and management. But you can't change the dog's underlying temperament, so if faced with stressful situations, or circumstances beyond their tolerance level, there will always be the potential for the aggressive/defensive response to resurface at some point in the future. Given that no one can guarantee that the behavior can be permanently 'fixed', I think the bottom line comes down to a statement you made in your original post: "I really believe I cannot be the mommy of a people aggressive dog. Whether right or wrong, it is the one thing that I felt (in advance) I could not manage. .... Sadly, if he cannot stop being aggressive toward people I am not the right mommy for him." It's a personal decision regarding what you are prepared for and willing to manage. Living with a sensitive, lower threshold dog requires a long term commitment and may require making some adjustments to your lifestyle, schedule and living arrangements to keep stress low for the dog and keep everyone safe. One of our local adoption groups recently had a greyhound who was very similar to what you're describing with Raylan. The group is a small one who did not feel equipped to manage him as a foster or place him in a home, so they returned him to the track adoption kennel where he originated. There's no shame in admitting he's not the right dog for your situation. As long as your group is an experienced one, they should be able to evaluate him and place him in an appropriate home if you decide not to keep him.
  7. While some of the more common anti-anxiety/antidepressant meds have been used in dogs, Wellbutrin isn't one that I've heard about being used in veterinary medicine. Most of the long-term anxiety meds that have been found to be helpful in veterinary medicine target serotonin levels. From what I can find, Wellbutrin works differently, and hasn't been tried much in dogs.
  8. I've seen this mentioned a couple times on here, but I haven't come across any info to indicate that there's an absolute contraindication for using pred and MSM together. When I did a little research into the source of this concern, what I was told is that MSM has some COX-2 inhibitory effects like NSAIDS and can interact with pred. However, it doesn't seem to be a problem for all dogs, and perhaps just for a small percentage with sensitive GI tracts. From what I can find, it doesn't seem like it's been proven that MSM has much COX-2 effect and if it does, it's pretty mild compared to NSAIDs.
  9. I agree that ruling out anything medical is a good idea, but given that he is young and newly adopted, this is probably more likely to be behavioral. I think that it's always important to look at the big picture, so there's no such thing as too much info! LOL Everything can be relevant to a dog's behavior, as anything that causes stress in a dog's life will increase reactivity and the potential for aggressive behavior. Has anything changed in your household routine or schedule recently? Even changes that seem insignificant to us can be a big deal for a dog. Why does he have to "down" before walks? Had he been offering that behavior happily and voluntarily without treats up until the last 1-2 weeks? Can you think of anything that's changed? You mentioned that, "It now takes a good 5 minutes to get him down." How have you been responding to this refusal to down, and how do you eventually get him to do it? You've mentioned taking away his food bowl and and correcting him for growling. These are also things that can increase stress levels and suppress warning signs. Taking away the food bowl can actually create or exacerbate possessive behavior. Imagine how you would feel if someone randomly took away your dinner while you were eating. For the growling over treats, I'd work on tossing him something better when you approach and working on trading exercises. And keep in mind that growling is not a bad thing. It's simply a form of communication, and the only way a dog has of telling you he's uncomfortable. It's possible that the night time growling episode may be related to previously being corrected for growling. What kind of voice and body language were you using when you were correcting/speaking/saying his name during that episode? If you were using a confrontational approach, that can exacerbate the situation by making him feel uncomfortable and threatened. Many dogs use calming signals before resorting to growling, but they're easy to miss if you don't know to look for them. Here's a good article on calming signals: http://www.greenacreskennel.com/dog-behavior-and-training/canine-calming-signals-and-stress With a newly adopted dog, the most important things to work on over the first few weeks is establishing a consistent routine and building trust. In those first few weeks, I do very little training and do not pressure the dog with any expectations, other than going outside to potty, and crating for meals and when I leave. It's simply a time to allow the dog to settle in, get to know me, and get comfortable with our daily routine.
  10. Trazodone is somewhat related to SSRIs, but it is in a slightly different class (SARI), so it's not really accurate to say that it's "essentially an SSRI". Trazodone does work when used on an as-needed basis for situational anxieties, although, as with any anxiety medication, it doesn't work for all dogs. As others have mentioned, acepromazine is not a good choice for anxiety. It essentially immobilizes the dog without reducing anxiety, and has also been shown to increase noise sensitivity, all of which is consistent with your experience using it for your dog. I would have to say that a vet who still prescribes ace for anxiety isn't keeping up with the latest research on behavioral medicine, and I'd be skeptical of his opinion about some of the newer meds being used too (Iike trazodone). Here are a couple studies that support the use of trazodone on an as-needed basis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19072606 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25029308
  11. Can you find out what antihistamines are available in Croatia? We use a lot of different antihistamines here in the U.S. and most dogs tolerate them very well on a daily, long term basis. Some of the common over-the-counter antihistamines commonly used in dogs here are: diphenhydramine (Benedryl), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton, Chlor-tabs), cetirizine (Zyrtec), clemastine (Tavist), and loratadine (Claritin). Hydroxyzine is also a good option for some, although it's a prescription product. Have you tried oral steroids? Using steroid pills allows you to customize the dose to get a good response with fewer side effects than injections. When treating dogs with chronic, allergic bronchitis, I've found steroids, like prednisone, to be a lot more effective than antihistamines. Especially if euthanasia is the alternative, I wouldn't hesitate to put a dog on long term oral steroids if it provides relief from the clinical signs.
  12. Looking at a dog's overall health and clinical status is always a good idea, but I would have to say that platelet counts aren't directly affected by whether a dog is eating or not. Simply not eating will not cause a dog's platelet count to drop, although if they are sick, the same problem that's giving them a poor appetite could be causing the low platelets. And if there's a problem affecting the bone marrow's production of platelets, or increased consumption or destruction of platelets, eating won't make that count increase.
  13. What long term medications is she on for the bronchitis? How does she respond to steroids? It comes down to whether there are any meds that help her, or any other reasonable options you can try, combined with what her quality of life is. I thought it might be helpful to include a link to your previous thread: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/298618-chronic-respiratory-problem-any-advice/
  14. Any updates? Has his sheath been thoroughly examined with a scope? Foreign material deep in the sheath can't always be seen even with a sedated exam. Was the ultrasound done by your regular vet or a specialist? If your regular vet, are they experienced enough with ultrasound to be completely sure the prostate is normal?
  15. I agree with MaryJane. It might just be a lab issue. I'd recheck a CBC and consider doing a manual count on a blood smear before getting too worried. If the platelets are persistently low, I'd recommend doing a tick-borne disease panel, and maybe even just treat with a course of doxycycline. Ehrlichia can cause low platelet counts.
  16. One question...has she come across any other greyhounds since you've adopted her, and how did she react? As greysmom mentioned, most greyhounds are fine with other greyhounds, even if they don't appreciate the attentions of other dogs. When they meet other greyhounds in public, it's often like seeing a long lost friend. However, there are some greyhounds who adjust to being an only dog and prefer to keep it that way. If you're not sure about another greyhound, maybe consider fostering for your local group and see how it goes first? Or at least talk to your group about your concerns and schedule a meeting before deciding whether to adopt or not.
  17. If you have the patience for it, you can desensitize and counter-condition her to the car. Start with the car parked at home, and just hang out in the car playing games and giving treats. Macoduck's suggestion to feed meals in the car is a good idea too. Once she's completely relaxed and happy in the car, start the engine, while you're giving treats or feeding her. Then just back down the driveway and come right back. Then just take a quick trip around the block. Gradually increase the length of the ride. How long to stay at each step just depends on her reaction. You want her to be happy and relaxed before taking the next step.
  18. So sorry to hear about Magnus. Did your vet mention the possibility that bone cancer was what caused his leg to break? IMO, based on your description, osteosarcoma is the most likely explanation for what happened. Dogs don't get weak or brittle bones just from age the way people sometimes do, and playing shouldn't cause a normal bone to 'explode'. Even if you had discouraged his play sessions, I suspect something similar would have happened with normal activity. So this probably wasn't anything you could have prevented.
  19. I just heard about this a couple days ago and sent an email to the company asking for more information. I got a fast response, and they said the safety and efficacy studies are being finalized for release. I also asked about it's application for greyhound bleeding issues and whether the suspected increased fibrinolysis (breakdown of clots) would affect how well their product works. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they are actually working with Dr. Couto. Can't wait to hear more about this product and for it to be released!
  20. Here's a good website about corns in greyhounds that includes pics so you can see if this is what you're dealing with. Vets who aren't familiar with greyhounds often don't know about corns as they are rare in other breeds. http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/corns.htm And this page is linked from the article above and shows the procedure to remove a corn. If what your dog has looks like this, you may want to print this out, or direct your vet to these links: http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/corn_hulling.htm
  21. She'll need to be weaned off the thyroid medication and be off for at least 6 weeks before retesting. Honestly, I wouldn't have started a sick dog on thyroid supplement. I would have treated the tick disease first and waited to see if she has any signs of hypothyroidism after she's recovered from that.
  22. I think whether or not to routinely use flea/tick meds depends on your location, lifestyle, and risk of exposure. Various risk factors would make it more prudent to continue using flea/tick products on a regular basis, such as living in an apartment, walking your dog often in areas frequented by other dogs, having neighbors with outside dogs, or having stray/feral cats or wildlife that come into your yard. I don't use flea/tick control on my dogs on a routine basis as they're mostly just on my property and occasionally come to work with me. I do treat them if we're going to be traveling and staying at hotels.
  23. It's not about controlling the supply. They weren't able to keep up with demand for the drug, and the company has taken a lot of criticism from the profession about it. Lots of hype and marketing, but then they weren't able to meet the demand and were already backordered within a month of launching the product. For a while, they were limiting sales to vets who'd already started using it, but weren't always able to fill even those orders in a timely manner. While it looks like a good product, and I was excited when I first heard about it, I honestly haven't started carrying it yet, and probably won't until it looks like the supply is going to be more reliable.
  24. Laparoscopic surgery is less invasive, so post-op discomfort is less and healing time is faster. However, it's *much* more expensive, at least in my area. The only place that does it here is the specialty hospital, and I was quoted $2000. Most dogs recover just fine from traditional spays.
  25. Yes, this is correct. All of the current heartworm preventatives, and most of the prescription or veterinary-marketed flea/tick control products, are safe to use for greyhounds. And as Susan stated, any individual dog can have a bad reaction to any particular product, but that's pretty rare with most of the newer products.
×
×
  • Create New...