christinepi

Tracker, who is 10.5 years, started to VERY intermittently have cough/retch incidents; a day or two, or sometimes a week or more can go by w/o anything. When he does have an incident, it's usually one to three at a time. There's a sometime connection to eating grass, and mostly there's no connection to anything. This started in the fall of last year. A vet who saw him then for something else said since this is so intermittent it might be allergies. About three weeks ago, I finally took him to another vet to have him checked out more thoroughly, since the incidents had become somewhat more frequent, plus he's become more heat sensitive and started having a somewhat rasping pant when hot. She did a laryngoscopy and took a lung x-ray. She found no evidence of this clearly being established laryngeal paralysis (though she wouldn't fully rule out early LP), nor any tumors, thank God. She noticed, though, that there wasn't as much motion during breathing in the larynx as she expected. She's not Greyhound savvy, so her theory is that since he IS a Greyhound, and therefore has an athlete's body, his trachea and larynx are so huge that the larynx's motion simply wouldn't be as noticeable as in "normal" dogs. What do forum members think? I'm just curious. We still don't know what's causing this occasional cough/retch. I will get Hemopet involved to check for allergies and take it from there. But if anyone has any insight into the mysterious retch episodes, whatever caused them, that would be great. If it turns out not to be allergies, maybe he really IS in the beginning stages of LP. Sure hope not.

Laid out like that it makes total sense and it really helped me make my decision (to see the neurologist). Thanks!

Would it make sense for me to go straight to a neurologist, even if, say, it's something else, like arthritis or non-neurological thing, causing this? I can't figure out what doc to see.

I posted this a few days ago: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/320550-weakness-in-back-or-whats-going-on/ Based on what was suggested, I sent an email to a specialist who has seen Tracker before on other issues. I wanted to know whether she could perform the palpitation and injection as mentioned in Dr Stack's article (link above), because if she didn't, I would end up shopping around adding to T's and my stress trying to find another doc; if I knew she didn't I could move one and try to find another vet who did. She wrote me back: If Tracker has changes that you feel are consistent with lumbosacral stenosis, he should be seen by a neurologist. I would prefer he be seen by our neurology service either in Redwood City or in Campbell rather than myself so that he can get the best neurologic assessment possible. To diagnose something like lumbosacral stenosis, it is much more involved than just simple palpation; a full neurologic exam is best. I would agree with Dr. Stack that Greyhounds are different than many other breeds of dogs; however, I would prefer that you see someone who specializes in neurologic issues of the spine so that you don’t have to end up with two appointments. At the appointment you can then discuss options for Tracker based on the neurologist’s findings. Dr. Stack’s article is interesting; however, it’s best to start with Tracker having an evaluation and then discuss his signs and your options based on findings. Would members agree? I'm not opposed to anything she is saying at this point, it's just that according to Dr Stack the best way to diagnose this IS with palpitation and I really don't want to subject Tracker to a ton of x-rays etc if I can help it. I also have not taken him to our vet here in town, who knows nothing about Greyhounds--I like her a lot, but she's a generalist and can't be expected to have the knowledge of a specialist plus we have next to no Greyhounds in town. She would probably just x-ray him or send me to a specialist anyway (who would then take x-rays etc). I feel kind of stuck right now. Tracker hasn't had any more incidents since I posted, his tail wags happily, but I know these guys are stoic and I don't want him to be in any pain if there's any chance. I'd also gladly take him to the suggested neurologist, if forum members would feel it makes sense. It just makes me leery that she doesn't trust the palpitation method.

Thanks for those links. Very helpful!

This has only happened twice, so maybe I'm being alarmist, but Tracker is 10, and therefore of the age when things can start going wrong. Anyway, a few days ago, when I gave him his usual pre-morning walk scritches on his hips (when he was standing upright), his hind end all of a sudden kind of started "sagging", for lack of a better word, meaning his rear end started moving forward and downward as if he were about to poop. This only lasted a second or two and he stood back upright. The front stayed where it was. Then this morning, as he was actually producing his first morning poop and was squatting, a somewhat similar thing happened: from the squatting position his rear end caved forward very abruptly as if he were stumbling or falling. The front end, again, stayed in place. Two seconds later he was upright again. He's been having the very occasional hind leg shakes when lifting his legs and peeing or when standing too long in one place. No idea whether there's any connection, just thought I'd mention it since it's also hind end related. Any suggestions? Of course I don't expect a diagnosis, but maybe pointers to cause and urgency. If I see this a few more times, we're off to the vet.

No, no back end sagging or tripping (no more than the usual klutziness) or dragging the back legs. Yet, anyway. Yeah, I resent getting old, too, for him and for myself. All these aches and pains...

Tracker is 10, and has had some minor hind leg trembling issues when lifting one leg to pee or when standing around for too long. Sometimes that happens in the front, but rarely. We just went out for a brief potty walk, no running or anything strenuous at all. When he waited in front of our door while I was picking up his paws to clean them with him standing on all fours, his legs started trembling all of a sudden, and all four of them. He clearly was a bit unsteady, which is no surprise when your legs turn to butter, I guess. Within 15 seconds or so the whole thing was over, he walked normally into the house and continued his nap. Any thoughts on what that may have been? He's never had this before, and never was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Thanks for everyone's input. I tried the collar Tracker wears regularly several times again now, paying close attention, and he was fine. If it comes back, I'll take him in (now that I know where his lymph nodes can be found, I'll check there first...).

I dug up one of the old ones that form a much bigger loop that doesn't even touch his face, so that seems to be working. I wouldn't know how to check for that but if this issue persists, I'll certainly take him to the vet.

No, no coffee grounds. The head turning seems normal and no zoomies were run lately (his zoomies are of the more "sedate" variety anyway, he's 10). Of course, I get the occasional crick in the neck from doing nothing in particular. We'll see.

Today, for the first time, when I was putting Tracker's martingale on him (which I always do very carefully), he kind of jumped up slightly, snapping his teeth ever so slightly, but without sound. I thought that was weird and that maybe I had not been careful enough. Then, when I tried taking the collar off, carefully, he gave me this grave look of concern and I tried my best, and while he seemed uncomfortable, he was cooperative. Obviously I'll manipulate the collar for now so it's huge when going over his head (and then tighten it again), until I see the vet, but what I'm wondering is what this might be: a tooth infection, or something in the ear? The ears look normal, but of course there's only so far one can look.

My vet suggested allergies (apart from kennel cough) when tracker showed these symptoms. It is spring time, so maybe pollen?

I was just wondering whether there's any chance your dog experienced something frightening (not necessarily abuse) while at the kennel so that her confidence dropped a lot? Not sure how you'd find out if the kennel hasn't told you anything, but it's a thought...

Tracker is going to be 10 soon and I've noticed he's become more set in his routines and wants everything just so. If something is not to his liking, like dinner appearing at 4:45 sharp, or in other situations, he'll start barking. Not incessantly by any means, but you'll know someone's miffed. He's not done this in the past. He's always been on the quiet side. Is this age speaking? Have others experienced this, too? It's not a problem, I'm just curious. He's my first dog, so I wouldn't know.

That makes me think Tracker's new habit of stopping and just looking for minutes at a time may just be a newly acquired quirk. Not that I thought it was anything to worry about, but I wondered whether any other greys are doing this also. Hi to a fellow German, I just noticed your location!

He's missing a center front toe, and over time the knuckles have become enlarged, looking arthritic. He's always limped a tiny bit on that foot, ever since we got him at age 3, so I put a boot on that foot 6 years ago and all is well when we walk. I put him on Cosequin 3 months ago to see whether that would help. It made no difference. The boot is what works for him. He's had some shaking of the hind legs when standing and sniffing; I had his PT work on him and it's really made a difference. It's almost gone. I also got his CBC and thyroid tested last week, no results yet. His regular vet will see him in 3 weeks; I'll have her check specifically for age. I also will switch him to a higher protein diet once his current food is done. He seems happy all in all, no major issues; just less energy. He's my first dog, and my heart just aches already at the prospect of losing him. Feisty, I noticed that heat issue, too. He hates it more than ever. Where we live it's extremely rare for temps to go past 70, but even the average 61 we have here (with sunshine) are too much now. He's black, that doesn't help, but still.

Tracker is 9 1/4 and has slowed down a bit. His walks are about half the length or less of before. He still does small amounts of zoomies with gusto. One thing I've noticed is that when he comes to a point in our walks where he'll probably want to turn around and go back, he'll always stand in one spot for a good 3 minutes and just LOOK. Where we live in a rural area, there are not many obvious things happening, but who knows what he sees. It's just kind of interesting to me. He's never done this in the past. Is this common? He'll also suddenly sleep with is eyes closed a lot more. Last evening, when I was trying to rouse him for his last potty walk, I noticed his eyes were closed, too; I gently touched his neck, and he very slowly opened his eyes, and then just stared straight into my eyes for a long time. It was almost eery. He didn't move at all, just locked into my eyes. As if he had just returned from very far away.

Which reminds me: we've stopped 6 years ago taking him to outdoor cafes/restaurants. He would just stand there, until the legs trembled, and pant. It's kind of funny because he ADORES car rides and going to new places where he can shower every square inch with his urine and sniff in one spot for 10 minutes each, but of course we also go home after that.

We lead very reclusive lives and have not taken Tracker to many visits in the time we've had him for a range of reasons. Initially, when we visited with someone for an afternoon or evening, he would settle in after the initial excitement and then go to sleep. This was 5 years ago (he's now 9). Over the years he seems to have grown to like visits less and less, which he expresses by taking forever to settle, if at all, and has taken to standing there, looking at us, whining and sometimes barking. It's the change over the years that I've noticed, which is why I'm posting this. It's not a problem for us--we generally try to spare him visits because it's frustrating for us as well as him, so we normally get a house sitter and that suits him just fine. But sometimes it can't be avoided to take him with us, and then I feel bad for him. Fortunately, this only happens ca once a year or less. So I'm just wondering: is this something others have experienced also? Is it an age thing? Lack of exposure? I'm not trying to fix it, just to figure out (if this is even possible) where he's coming from. For what it's worth, we only took him to M&Gs twice years ago and he so clearly hated it, we never did it again. It seems to me that these days in particular, he's so set in his routine that any change just throws him for a loop. He stares at us as if to say: where's my sofa? Where's my bowl? Why am I here????

Hm. So what is one to do? Apart from his loving them, the irony is that they're good for the gums...

Tracker never had a Nylabone, however, he's had a ton of bullysticks. Could they cause this?? I sure hope not.

Tracker just had his 4th pre-molar removed due to slab fracture. I never give him marrow bones, just the occasional raw chicken feet or necks. God knows what caused the fracture, but once he's healed, should I lay off feet and necks? They seem such tiny, easily crushable bones, and it would be a shame to deprive him of that, but if he could fracture other teeth, of course I'd stop giving them. Thoughts?

Tracker, who is almost 9, somehow managed to injure his right front triceps mid June 2015. I noticed because he would always limp there after getting up from lying down. He'd limp a few steps and then the limp resolved. He never limped outside on walks. I was seeing a PT at the time for his achilles tendon, so she examined his right leg and could feel the triceps problem (knots and stuff). The first few weeks of PT on that spot I didn't restrict his walks at all and let him trot when he desired (stupid me, in hindsight, but the PT also didn't tell me not to). Things did not improve. Then, 5 weeks ago, she finally told me to not let him trot and keep is walks to 10-15 minutes. Still things didn't greatly improve. He doesn't limp much in the house anymore, only here and there, and I've slowly increased the length of the walks to 20 minutes over the course of 2 weeks as per the PT's instructions, but every now and then I still see a limp. This is making me crazy--the poor dog can't go with the dog walker b/c the walks are 45 minutes, meaning he never sees other dogs anymore, and the walks I give him have to be short, and he can't run zoomies etc etc. He's not complaining, but I can tell sometimes he's itching to run. I'm just wondering: is this normal for muscle injuries to take THIS long (I know they're slow, but this slow?)? I put heating pads on him, and massage him, etc, but I'm just confused. Do I just need to be patient?

cleptogrey, I cleaned all of the bedding. Not the car, though (yet). Don't have a yard, so that's good. We'll see. I don't doubt it, but I just don't get how re-infestations can happen when the dog gets treated regularly. How can they survive on pads etc w/o food? Nasty things. I sent an email asking my vet yesterday about the timing (whether 2 weeks is too soon), so if she ok's it, I'll go ahead.