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Exactly. Me too.

Benedryl for now. And watch for signs of infection. Certain insect bites/stings (like from spiders) can turn nasty quickly.

I hate to say it, but the exact same thing happened here too. That's why I was so reluctant to switch to a different brand.

Oh!!! That's great! I hope it makes a lot of money. Let me know of I can help or donate again in the future.

Yes, that was my experience. Henry had a low thyroid on routine bloodwork years ago, and we ran a full panel through Idexx.

Is the swollen part hot to the touch? Henry had a really bad spider bite on his wrist once, and the pain was just unbearable. It became deeply infected down into the joint. I've seen several other cases of spider bites on this board, and it's always the wrist.

Hahahaha! Good luck with that!

Yes and yes.

My boy's tumor was a spindle cell, which falls under the category of fibrosarcomas. His was a little different because the cancer cells spread from the soft tissue into the bone, which is what caused the osteolytic lesions. FSAs are much more common in the face and mouth area. The most important thing with FSAs is to get clean margins. A lot of dogs go through multiple surgeries when the tumor comes back. But for us, that wasn't really a consideration, as we amped the whole leg. It wasn't 100% critical that we do chemo because FSAs aren't likely to metastasize, but due to the unusual nature of the tumor, we did pursue chemo under the oncologist's recommendation.

Over the past few months, Henry has become increasingly slow and picky at mealtime. It's possible that this can be attributed to side effects from his past chemo treatments. We ran every test imaginable, and there was no medical explanation. It just seemed like one day, he just decided he was sick of his kibble. In lieu of continually switching foods or trying different bribes, I decided to first try Barkworthies Bully Flakes, a taste enhancer. The verdict is in... it works!!!!! Before, Henry would eat maybe a handful of kibble before completely walking away from the bowl. Now he wastes no time gobbling up his kibble, and he even hangs around to lick the empties. A little goes a long way, and we've seen no evidence of upset stomach or diarrhea. If you have a picky eater or a senior who needs some encouragement, I highly recommend this product.

Beautiful tribute... Very sorry for your loss.

Short answer is yes. In 90% of OSA dogs, the cancer has already micro-metastasized by the time any symptoms appear.

I made the mistake that young dogs and puppies are always "blank slates" and thus, the most trainable. But a lot of temperament and personality characteristics are genetic, so even with the right training, you don't always know how they'll turn out. I got Truman at 15-weeks-old with the hope that he'd be a suitable candidate for therapy work and advanced obedience. I came to learn that even with an insane amount of training, he is too touchy/jumpy/reactive. At his core, he is not suited for that kind of work. My advice is to go with a dog that has basic people skills and dog skills right off the bat (which isn't necessarily the dog that is the most trainable). Manners can be improved, but being friendly and outgoing is more of a personality trait. It's hard to "train" a dog to do therapy work if they don't already have that intrinsic love for meeting people.

Haven't heard about this CD, but my vet recently recommended a white noise box.

This was my first thought too.

Sounds very promising. A truly high prey dog cannot be easily distracted. They'll lunge, drool, and fixate- it's like they 'zone out.' Even when the cat is removed, they still have a hard time calming down, and they may pace and search for the cat. It's good that you're being careful and keeping your guard up. I wouldn't correct the dog for looking at the cat or wanting to sniff, though. That's a natural curious response. OTOH, lunging, chasing, mouthiness, and roughness are not appropriate and do warrant correction.

Right, but they don't cover heartworm...

The problem with the combo meds is that none of them cover ticks. If you live in an area where ticks are prevalent, you'd have to get a combo (Sentinel, Trifexis) then also a tick collar. I figure, if I'm already buying two different things, I might as well get the broadest spectrum of coverage I can. I use Nexgard and Heartgard Plus.

X-rays. Anytime there's lameness in a greyhound, there is always the possibility of bone cancer. It's a VERY painful form of cancer, and they can go downhill fast. It's definitely NOT something you want to take a wait-and-see approach with. If the films are inconclusive, I'd recommend doing a consult with Dr. Couto. He's the leading expert in greyhound osteosarcoma. http://www.coutovetconsultants.com/

No disrespect to your vet, but IMHO, it's too early to assume a brain tumor. There are so many possibilities of health conditions that can cause seizures- it's a very inexact science. One of my greys is a textbook epileptic who started getting seizures at age 2. But I've known several senior dogs who had late onset seizures, then did perfectly well on medication for years, later passing for a completely different reason. An MRI would answer the question, but it's an extremely expensive procedure (and in a lot of cases, it doesn't change your course of treatment anyway). I'd recommend starting with a full CBC, including a thyroid panel. If you can consult with a veterinary neurologist, I highly recommend it. Our vet was willing to admit that he was not as well versed in seizure medication, and the only one he had experience with Phenobarbital. The neurologist, on the other hand, had a wide range of medication options. We ended up getting lucky with Zonisamide. Henry has been seizure free for over a year.

Another all-IAMS-all-the-time household here.

Just now seeing this... I'm so very sorry, Pam. I always loved Poodle's K-Mart mohawk story.

Worst news ever. You guys were making so much progress... I can't imagine how you must feel. Sending good thoughts that you can enjoy as much quality time together as possible.

Hoping for a good update.

Glad you are making progress! I just want to point out that it's never a good idea to leave one dog muzzled in a pack of other unmuzzled dogs (the same goes with leashes). It creates a dynamic where the other dogs can gang up and target the "disadvantaged" one. It also leaves your dog defenseless should he need to protect himself. If you're doing dog parks, it's gotta be all or nothing.