JohnF

Peggy is 14 1/2 now and after age 12 doesn't tolerate Meloxicam or similar class of meds (causes bleeds and can harm the kidneys), so she's on Gabapentin and no more than 3x500mg Paracetamol (Tylenol) per day. I also give her an expensive supplement called "Canine Prime" to help keep everything in balance, and add a glucosamine tablet and cod liver oil daily. She managed a little walk in the Bluebell woods yesterday.

That sounds like something I might need to look into, she's still on insurance and they'll pay part of it. If she went off her back legs I'd know I had to let her go, but at the moment there seems to be a positive balance to her quality of life. She went for a little walk in the park late this afternoon, probably just under half a mile slowly. We stopped to look at a big old tree that had just been cleared after the storm brought it down.

Hi, I haven't been on here for quite some time, so I just thought I'd let you all know that my Greyhound Peggy is still with us. She's suffering from arthritis and teeth issues plus some other symptoms of old age. We think she's probably too old to have a general for more teeth extractions (she doesn't have many left after 2 extractions a year and a half ago) so are hoping that the Loxicom, Gabapentin and 2 x 1.5 500mg Paracetamol tabs daily are keeping her sufficiently pain free. Sometimes she can wake up suddenly, shake her head violently, and paw at her face with tail tucked, so it's important the the pain relief is kept topped up. She still wants to go out on little walks even though she has to be lifted into the car when not reversed against a raised pavement, not least because the Gabapentin can make her a bit wobbly. But she's still eating a quality soft canned dog food supplemented by pulled cooked chicken breast, and is managing to maintain a weight around 24 kilos now (down from 30 in her prime), which is probably beneficial for the joints. So it's a day at a time and trying to be mindful about noticing how well the pain relief is working. Those who have been lucky enough to see their greys reach old age will probably know where I'm coming from. If you'd care to share some of your coping strategies it could be helpful.

Yes, I still remember having to go to the the local vets as an emergency on a holiday Sunday to fix up her knee with surgery and all, after a particularly dumb run into a rock that stupidly got itself into the direct route to the squirrel. She doesn't have that sprint capability now and there are certainly a lot fewer teeth. I know I'm lucky she still likes to go out and about even if a mile is now 'plenty far enough'.

This afternoon's dog walk was along the river and I stopped to take some photos. I don't think Peggy (13 1/2) was thrilled to be left waiting and not allowed down the bank... https://a4.pbase.com/g12/54/91454/2/171602108.mPRWkJ5k.jpg But it was a pretty little spot and maybe I did take 10 minutes setting it up

Yes, Peggy's 'lop ear' is one of her special features, but it can fly straight like the other one, all it needs is a cat or squirrel to appear. Apparently we're going back to winter over the Easter weekend, so visitors to the Dartmoor National Park probably won't be quite so numerous. We are more than happy to share the moor with them though as long as they follow the country commonsense code. Definitely no open fires and cheap tinfoil barbecues, or the dry vegetation will all go up in flames at this time of year.

The first really warm day of Spring and the travel restrictions relating to the virus lockdown have been relaxed, so I took Peggy for a walk up on Dartmoor. But who was going to have to sit down first: 13 1/2 year old Peggy or me with an achilles tendon injury that won't go away any better than getting older will? Let's just say it wasn't Peggy

Interesting. My dog has only ever 'got completely better' following a course of Met. after Pred. has been used to stimulate appetite. Also, Pred. alone can stop a non-eating crisis from progressing to weight loss.

Perhaps ask the vet for some steroid tablets to promote appetite get her through this crisis. I've needed to do that with Peggy who now has a very easily upset stomach following a bad parasitic episode early last summer, The steroids kick in after about 2 days and the course lasts just over a week, reducing towards the end.

Depends how much work has to be done and how old/vulnerable the dog is. You could easily be looking around the 1,000 mark.

It is a proven remedy for difficult wounds. Get vet grade Manuka honey or look for the highest strength (eg. 20) you can find in a store. You apply it to a suitable bandage, then apply the bandage to the wound and use elastic vet wrap to hold it in place.

Your photos are working fine now. That's quite a big area of affected skin. It could be from an autoimmune response or I still think it may be a reaction to bug or even spider bites. You could maybe for now clean the wound area with Hibiscrub or similar and wrap the wound with some high strength Manuka Honey. If you just do the worst leg you'll soon see if it starts to make it better. Just as with humans, these skin problems can be a nightmare to fix; but your vet should have seen hundreds of them and have a good idea of what stands the best chance of working.

If he's not nibbling his legs due to intense itching to start the wounds, then it has to be either some kind of bug is biting him there or there's something he's grazing his legs on. Maybe his legs going down behind a gap in some steps or even something in the house, even in his bed. I think you're going to need to turn detective.

So sorry I didn't see this reply before you got confirmation. The way you handled it cannot be faulted. I'd always want an X-Ray if the dog didn't improve over 2-3 days or walk considerably more easily on grass, and always if there was a lump or tender spot on a leg.

So sorry to read that you had to let Charlie go; it always seems too soon but with that diagnosis the timing was right.

What a difficult choice you have to make now. Dragging the foot could be due to a ligament problem or neurological/nerve damage in addition to whatever else is going on. I think I'd still want to try to find out what I was dealing with, and yes I'd ask that they not bring the dog out of anaesthesia if there was obvious bone cancer. Yes, it doesn't help that vets have taken an extreme reaction to lockdown and we cannot be with our pets in their office. At your dog's age there is no blame in considering euthanasia. nor in seeing an 'enough is enough' sign from a dog that you know and love so much.

What temperature is the water? If Peggy goes and drinks the water from the bowl in the garden when it's near freezing she will gag on it too.

So sorry to read that Fort had to leave you under those terrible circumstances. I think if we're honest, we all fear for our older dog getting attacked out of the blue. Sad that the attacker had to be put down at such a young age and hope that it's owner doesn't get another large dog that they can't keep under control.

So sorry to read of your sad loss. I like to believe that we will meet them in spirit at Rainbow Bridge one day too. A strange coincidence happened last week, 12 years to the day after my last one died. I was tidying up a drawer and found an old memory card, and on it were early pictures of my dog that I didn't even know I had.

I don't think there ever is a 'right' time to let them go, and often you don't get an obvious sign because you have been caring for so long and so intensely with your coping strategies that you cannot expect to see the wood for the trees. There is definitely no blame in letting your dog go now as you are seeing a sharp decline in Avy's quality of life. The decline in mental stability, mobility and incontinence are all signs, and If there is kidney failure involved it can make a dog feel very miserable. So I'd say let them go if the kidney symptoms cannot easily be lessened, and when they have refused to eat any food at all for a couple of days, and definitely if they won't or can't drink water any more. You love your dog and the choice you make, even if you can still cope but think the dog is not enjoying life, is likely to be the right one. In my experience when people ask that awful question on line, the quality of life balance started tipping over the line yesterday.

I wonder whether it may be something simple like an itch in that region, or sore anal glands? I thought my dog might be having focal seizures, but it turned out to be fleas!

Don't over-think stuff; it only makes you more stressed. You probably need to allow him in your room for at least a couple of weeks. He needs to be in his own bed there, so get one of those nice big deep ones that keep them cosy. Then you could put that bed back out in the house somewhere (with all the bedding and familiar smells) and put another new bed in your room. Soon you may get some bonding moments, and as soon as "I'm so proud of my dog" enters your mind, the tension usually lifts. Returning a Greyhound when he isn't a fit for your family isn't 'wrong', but you will feel bad about it. I returned one to an adoption agency and didn't even ask for my money back. You could donate a month's worth of food too. So try being less restrictive and give the dog a chance to settle. If by 6 weeks he still hasn't then, sadly, he probably needs to find a different home, perhaps where he isn't 'an only dog'.

There's no reason to want to go out all those times at night unless he has: Gas, IBS, a weak bladder or UTI, toothache, or some other ache. If those, and external noises outside, can be ruled out then it's a habit he has got you into following. Try giving him a Kong with some peanut butter and treats stuffed into with a "Go to bed" command. I'm assuming there is easy access to fresh water at all times?

3M brand is not the best, it's too thin, the glue isn't tacky enough and there are water issues with it. I know because I temporarily mended the padded seat on a chair with both, and it was the Gorilla tape from 3 months ago that still stayed in place. Waterproof? I fixed the mirror housing on my car with Gorilla tape after 3M failed.

It has to be real duct tape, thicker and with much better glue than what they sell in the cheap stores. Either "Gorilla Tape" or "Duck Tape Max Strength". You put just a square piece big enough to cover the corn area, then change it for a new one at night. It might take a month.