a_daerr
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Posts posted by a_daerr
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Sending good vibes and prayers that our Twiggy stays indestructible and bulletproof.
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Cancun Heat ran the day after Christmas. Seventh place.
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I doubt there is, but it's a PITA to take an unneutered dog anywhere that neutered dogs are mingling around. We go to a lot of greyhound events and meet-ups. In the past, we did dog parks and obedience classes. Every once in awhile, there's a male who isn't fixed (could be a perfectly nice and well-behaved dog), but something puts off bad vibes to the others. Almost always results in snarkiness. And the people! Until Truman was a year, I dodged so many people asking, 'Why don't you get your dog neutered for X, Y, and Z reason?' It was very annoying.
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Oh he's adorable!
He must be an AKC puppy with those light eyes. I had my Truman neutered at exactly one-year-old, and I don't have any regrets about it. A lot of AKC people will tell you 18 months or later, but at the time, we were doing lots of advanced training. For us, I wanted him neutered ASAP for behavioral reasons. IMHO, there is some truth in that, but after a year, it comes down to your personal preference. FYI, greyhound puppies take a long time to fully grow and fill out. They don't start looking like "real dogs" until 2 or so. -
You can tell that I am KNOT the domestic type.
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Oh okay, you do it the night before. I've been doing it right before they eat.
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Does the water have to be boiling?
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Wolf isn't having poop issues, but even with four cups of kibble a day, he always seems insatiably hungry. He's just a little guy- 59 pounds! I figured I'd try some Olewo carrots to add something to his meals to help fill him up. Truman is more picky with food, but I wanted to offer him some too.
I'm curious, how do you guys prep your Olewo carrots? For two dogs, I did 2 tbsp + 1 cup of water, nuked it for 30 seconds, and let it sit for 7-8 minutes. I skipped the oil this time. The consistency fine, but may have gotten dry if I let them continue to sit any longer. I was going to do two cups of water, but I was so skeptical that those tiny pellets could soak up that much!
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This is a very strange behavioral anomaly, but I'm familiar with it because my Truman does the EXACT same thing. Moving hand = perfectly okay. Still hand = yelp and growl. I've tried counter conditioning him to accept being touched with a still hand (rest hand gently for five seconds whilst rewarding with treats), but have only made minimal improvements. There's something about it that makes him very uncomfortable- I think it may have to do with not wanting to be restrained. He hates vet procedures, nail trims, stuff like that. He is absolutely fine with having his face/head touched, but his body is a different story. A lingering hand on his feet and/or belly make him the most anxious. We share the bed sometimes, but don't really "cuddle."
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Sad day today... Happy birthday to my sweet Henry at the bridge. You would've been 8 today.
We got our first snow of the year the other night, you'd have loved it.
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I know!! It's very hard to decide! I have cats, so he'd have to be moved through a group.
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At this point in his career it is hard to tell how long he will race because he is a closer. There are no 660 yard races for maidens and that is good because most trainers don't want to run young dogs more than 550 yards.
It looks like as long as he breaks a little and makes the turn 4th or better he will run good from there. If he is near the back of the pack at the turn he probably isn't going to run well.
Have fun watching him.
He started pretty well yesterday, then broke way too wide. Finished fourth overall. I'm going to put out some feeler calls to Lester and Casey Alves (strictly informational!)
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So sorry for this news. I was really holding out hope for a better outcome.
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Thanks for the insight, Dick. Out of sheer curiosity, how does pre-adoption work? Cancun is with Velocity Racing Kennels. Do you typically get in touch with the kennel or the owner?
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Wolfie's littermate is still racing at Daytona, so I decided to join the W&W thread.
Probably just "watching" because he's currently a D grade, and the other seven pups in the litter of eight washed out early. He probably won't race for very long. Admittedly, I don't know much about greyhound racing and hope to learn something new. He did win his first race on Monday, though! Here's Cancun Heat (Craigie Whistler x Dubai Majesty). He runs in the 11th race this afternoon too, so good jingles are appreciated!
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Yep!!! Use it and love it. I know they won't cover me if my dogs get heartworm, but that's what pet insurance is for.
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You could consult with a veterinary nutritionist
Given that the W/D is already a weight management kibble, I might be concerned that the diet isn't 100% nutritionally balanced. As consumers we complain about it, but that's the main reason why commercial kibbles have so many other ingredients added in- to ensure there's balanced amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, protein, carbs, etc. I know there are people on GT who do homecooked diets for their dogs, and when they say "homecooked," it's much more complicated than boiling a protein and rice or pasta. They're grinding up eggshells and cooking down bones in the crock pot to get the right mineral ratios. I'd probably speak with a professional before taking that leap, just because nutritional deficiencies can cause permanent, irreversable problems (liver, kidneys, behavior, all kinds of crazy stuff).
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There is a powder called PlaqueOff. It did absolutely nothing for either of my dogs!
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Whatever you decide to do treatment-wise is an entirely personal decision. If you don't want to pursue amputation, for whatever reason, that's your choice to make. I've always said that if cancer hit in my AKC boy (Truman) instead of my other dog, I'm not sure if we would've gone the amp route. He's so sensitive and jumpy. He freaks out if you touch him the wrong way, so as you said, all the repeat chemo appointments, bloodwork, chest x-rays, everything. It would've been a rough road.
I agree with the others, though, and echo the idea that you need a new vet. I've never seen a vet allow a dog with a suspected bone tumor to go this long without a definite treatment plan- whether it be amp and chemo or palliative treatment (pain management, bone-strengthening meds, radiation, herbal remedies, and eventually euthanasia). There has to be some type of way to sedate her so that she can be comfortable and you can get a definite diagnosis. I don't think you have been offered enough options by your current vet.
If she has a decent policy with pet insurance, my idea would be to find a really good oncologist. As Tracy said, it will probably be on the university level. Ask if they'll do a phone consultation with you. Explain everything and see what they recommend. I certainly wouldn't make any rash decisions until you know something for sure, but on that same token, I also wouldn't let it continue much longer (especially if she's no longer using the leg).
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If she's avoiding using that leg altogether, it is safe to say that she is in an incredible amount of pain.
All of the research I've done on bone cancer (from reports of adolescents and adults with atypical cases) say that it is by far, the MOST painful type of cancer anyone could expect to have. Bones are the foundation for the body's structure and movement. Because the cancer is weakening them and eating them away from the inside out, it becomes difficult to adequately support the body during routine things. Literally, every step, even the smallest of micro movements can feel like torture. Henry stopped using his leg for about a week, just as you said. He was still running around and acting normally, but carrying the leg as if it were a piece of dead meat. He wouldn't use it at all. In fact, this was a precursor to me making the decision to amputate- he did so well maneuvering on three legs, I knew he'd adapt just fine to being a tripawd. After we did the amputation and got through the initial healing process (two weeks or so), he looked and felt a million times better. The oncologist said you'd be surprised that's how most canine amputees are. They're not traumatized over the missing leg- they're really just happy the pain is gone.
Anyway, sorry for going on such a diatribe in the other direction. In a roundabout way, what I would recommend is upping the pain meds and trying to make a decision ASAP on what you want your course of action to be. I tell people in the Osteo Forum all the time that unfortunately, bone cancer isn't one of the types of cancers you can "wait and see" with. Our oncologist gives her clients a weekend to decide- schedule the amp, or schedule the euthanasia. She explained that the reason why she does this is that too many people take the dogs home and try to let them live out the final weeks/months of their lives. Yes, they might get a little bit extra time, but many end up passing suddenly and agonizingly after a catastrophic break.
Still thinking about you guys and sending hugs that it's another weird one-off thing and not the dread O-monster.
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It's certainly a hard decision to make, especially if you have no conclusory evidence of cancer, other than a "strong likelihood" from x-rays. Typically, they would do a biopsy or FNA (fine needle aspirate) to get cells from the mass. That will at least be able to tell you if the mass is benign or malignant. It does sound somewhat abnormal for another "mass" to be appearing on the outside, but what you could be seeing is all the residual fluid build-up from swelling. Or, it could be a type of cancer like fibrosarcoma, that starts off in the soft tissue and cartilage, then eventually work their way into the bone. Even though I'm sure your vet is perfectly competent, my advice would be to seek a specialty clinic with an oncology department. As I'm sure you already know, OSA is extremely painful, and isn't really the type of cancer that you can "wait and see" with.
Best of luck to you and Pal. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good update.
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Agree with everything that has been said... five cups still seems like a lot, though. Truman is my AKC gargantuan boy (33 inches at the chest). When I take him to greyhound events, people remark that he's the biggest greyhound they've ever seen. He only gets four cups.
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Definitely agree with Krissy about the joint supplement. Cosequin, or even something like Fresh Factors joint formula might give her a noticeable improvement. Whenever Henry lost his leg, another GT'er (tripawd Maggie Mae's dad) told me, "The one thing we wish we'd done was start her early on a joint supplement." Even though she beat the cancer, she struggled all her life with arthritis. Even a small, seemingly insignificant injury can be aggravated by arthritis, especially during certain times of the year.
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Wow, can't believe it's been a year. She was one of the good ones. Love that picture of her and Seamie.
He must be an AKC puppy with those light eyes. I had my Truman neutered at exactly one-year-old, and I don't have any regrets about it. A lot of AKC people will tell you 18 months or later, but at the time, we were doing lots of advanced training. For us, I wanted him neutered ASAP for behavioral reasons. IMHO, there is some truth in that, but after a year, it comes down to your personal preference. FYI, greyhound puppies take a long time to fully grow and fill out. They don't start looking like "real dogs" until 2 or so.
Probably just "watching" because he's currently a D grade, and the other seven pups in the litter of eight washed out early. He probably won't race for very long. Admittedly, I don't know much about greyhound racing and hope to learn something new. He did win his first race on Monday, though! Here's 
Experience With Dr Buzby's Toe Grips?
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
I used them for Henry, and he was much more steady on the hardwood floors. I still kept his nails trimmed quite short, but these definitely provided more support. The first ones I tried were a little too big, so we got the smaller size (green, I think?)