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Tentatively, the plan is for Henry to go forward with chemo. Assuming he tolerates it well, he'll do five rounds of Doxo. Each time, they'll do bloodwork and chest x-rays, then administer the Doxo over a 30 minute IV drip. They're going to give him meds ahead of time to prevent nausea and diarrhea. Dr. Urie was a real pleasure to deal with. If for whatever reason our pet insurance doesn't cover the chemo, she has agreed to refer us to the hospital's nonprofit for payment. Henry's been going on walks for the past few days, and getting out and about has really seemed to boost his energy and confidence. He jumped into the Jeep yesterday, and he's also started going up the carpeted stairs. He had a great birthday yesterday, and we're looking forward to many more.

Yes, my Henry acted this way the first and only time we boarded him. It took a few days, but he eventually came back around. We only do petsitting now, usually GT people. We've had great experiences that way.

Oh. My. God. How cute are they???!!!

Good question. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. I've heard of the 5FU (fluorouracil) injections being used for spindle cell sarcoma, but I believe that's mostly for post-op dogs whose tumors had incomplete margins. Because the tumor was on the tibia, and we amputated the entire leg, I imagine that the margins had to have been wide enough. So because of that, I'm not sure if she'll want to go that route or a more traditional one. I think for most types of soft tissue cancer, they start with adriamycin.

Henry's oncology consult was originally scheduled for January 4, but Dr. Urie wants to see him sooner. We're going in tomorrow at 9:30. She said even though it's a fibrosarcoma, the plan will still most likely be chemo. There's a chance the cancer could behave like osteo, in which case, they want to be aggressive with treatment. Poor Henry has to go to the vet on his birthday!

I was thinking about Casper yesterday. Glad to hear his chemo went well.

A lot of these supplements have Omega 3 (especially the combination ones for skin and coat, plus joint health). And Omega 3 acts as a natural blood thinner. So because he still has some draining from the abscess, I wanted to wait until all that has been resolved before starting anything new.

After Henry is 100% healed from his amputation, I'd like to start him on a joint health supplement. I understand that arthritis and problems with gait are more likely in tripods. I did some tentative research, and so far, I'm completely overwhelmed. Should I be looking for glucosamine and chondroitin? What about Cosequin and Fresh Factors? Are there stronger formulas that my vet would need to prescribe? Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

It sounds like your boy is space guarding. Resource guarding is a little different, usually when the dog refuses to give up toys, treats, bones, or some other tangible reward. For a resource guarder, "trading up" is a great method of training, but probably not helpful for your specific problem. The good news is that both types of guarding are EXTREMELY common in greyhounds. The vast majority get better with time and training. Both of my greyhounds started off snarky on the bed, and now, I can shove or jostle them in every way imaginable without so much as a peep. As the others have said, your best bet is to revoke furniture privileges immediately. I'd do this for awhile, at least a couple weeks. If you're not there to supervise, close your bedroom door or gate it off. If you catch him jumping up on the bed, respond with a verbal command (like "off"), then lead him away by the collar. If he's snarky, you may want to have a leash close by so you can clip it to his collar and remove him that way. You want to do this as calmly as possible- no yelling or physical corrections. During the time that he's "banished" from the furniture, it's a good idea to implement some basic training, either formally or informally. Many people on this forum recommend NILF ("Nothing in Life is Free") training because it helps establish roles and boundaries. If, in the future you feel comfortable allowing him on the bed again, be consistent. If he snarks, then immediately respond with your verbal command and remove him. Eventually the dog equates growling and snapping = me getting kicked off, and that's punishment enough.

Mhalton... wow, you have been hit so hard in such a short amount of time. So sorry to hear about Dutch and Libby. Hoping Casper's chemo goes well tomorrow.

This is exactly what we get. I love Sam's, and I love green bag.

Just wondering, wasn't Kebo's cancer spindle cell?

We made it through the first two weeks! He's still having some "off" days, both from the abscess and weaning off the Tramadol. But I'm still pretty happy with his progress. Oh, and Henry turns 6 on Friday! First birthday on three legs!

Sorry, but I'm not seeing or understanding where the problem is here. His tail is wagging, and they're both play-bowing and jumping toward each other. This is exactly how my guys play with each other and other greyhounds. They bark and sometimes make snarl-y noises and mean-looking faces. It's been typical chase-and-be-chased, bitey-face play behavior. One grey that we petsit from time to time (GT'er jenniferk's Django) will actually bark in my dogs' faces and not stop until they run with him. OTOH, I've definitely seen my guys in tense greetings with strange dogs. When this happens, it's clear they're uncomfortable and the signals are very clear. Growling, warning snap, whale eye, trying to get away. They would never wag their tail or play-bow at a dog they were scared of. I wouldn't be too concerned about this.

Henry is doing better. As I was cleaning up that spot last night, I pressed a certain way, and A TON of gunk came out. The draining has really slowed down since then. He's making some more strides behaviorally- went down the stairs and out the dog door on his own today. He even played in the yard with Truman for a few minutes until I put the kibash on it. He's still sleeping 80% of the time, but his energy and personality is coming back in small amounts. What a relief. Some more questions. Now that we're close to two weeks post-amp, can I start scaling back the Tramadol? The vet recommended I start doing this once it became apparent that his pain was lessening... only, he's pretty stoic, so I have no idea how much he still needs. He's currently taking two Tramadol every 8 hours. If I scale back, should I dose in the same increments, but half the amount? Or same amount, but less doses (maybe just once or twice a day?) Can I just stop cold turkey and continue with the Rimadyl? Is there a likelihood of him going through a withdrawal period? I have no idea if dogs can become dependent on opiates like humans can. Also, he is going down stairs like a pro. No problem at all because he gets a good momentum and he doesn't have to overthink it. But he really hesitates going up. I can't get him to budge. Can a dog with a rear amp eventually re-learn going up stairs? If so, any tips to re-train would be a big help.

Owww! I'd probably go to the e-vet and get it put back together. Sorry you're going through a bit of a rough transition with these two.

He had an abscess. They drained it and sent a sample out for culture. We should know in a few days if it's a type of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. He actually seems to be feeling better today. I saw his first ever tripod roach! And he chewed on a bone for awhile.

Handsome boy! My Henry came from Steel City as well, back in 2010. We're from the Pittsburgh area too.

Huh! How cool about the vac-therapy! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Henry has an abscess that can be drained and treated with a different oral antibiotic. It seems like whatever it is is kicking his butt because he had another 'off' day today. Poor guy.

Called the vet, and the surgeon wants to see him tomorrow. He's been on the Cipro since Monday night, so it should be getting better, not worse.

Highly unlikely that she was abused or mistreated. Most anxious/nervy greyhounds are that way due to (1) genetics, or (2) a lack of socialization. I wouldn't read to far into it. Most greys have lots of scrapes, scratches, nicks, when they come home from the track. And if they don't, they're bound to get them at one point or another. My AKC hound came home at 15-weeks. He's only two now, but he has tons of imperfections from minor injuries. Your friend's dog probably wasn't abused either- a lot of people like to automatically assume abuse when it comes to the racing industry because of stuff that happened a million years ago. It's usually bogus.

This is a really good idea. We have an appointment for Tuesday, but I'll call and give them a heads-up if we should need to come in sooner. I think the surgeon prescribed the Cipro as a backup in case he developed an infection that Cephalexin didn't cover. But I think I'm more concerned about the possible need for IV antibiotics if things don't start improving. I flushed the wound this morning and applied warm compress, and more bloody whitish discharge came out. I talk to Henry while I'm fixing him up. Today, I said, "Henry, your mom really must love you, because she is ready to puke right now." DBF had a good laugh.

This is Day 2 of the Cipro. He's been on the Cephalexin for over a week. I'll give it a few more days of hot compress and ABX. If that doesn't work, we'll head back to the specialty vets.

I think we're dealing with an infection. Thicker, whitish bloody discharge coming from those two little holes. He's already on Cipro and Cephalexin. I'm flushing it 3-4 times a day with sterile gauze, Chlorhexidine, then prescription ointment. Hopefully it clears up soon, lest he end up back in the hospital on IV antibiotics. He seems a lot more subdued and sleepy today. Those of you who dealt with infections post-amp, am I missing anything? At what point do I take him back to the vet?

Yeah, I started thinking that too! I asked the surgeon, and she said no, we did the right thing. It was still malignant cancer, and there was no way to excise the tumor (which was on the tibia) without doing an amputation. Many times, this cancer will appear as a lump. They'll excise it, but then it keeps coming back since it's hard to tell if the margins are wide enough. With a full amp, we probably won't have to worry about that happening.