XTRAWLD

Continue your alone training and freeze up a kong or two with peanut butter and some kibble within it for him to concentrate on. You'll get lots of help here but those are the two I'll offer for now However, is he going to be crated while you are gone?

So. Hmmm, I thought I'd post this since I just don't know. This morning while making breakfast Kasey started to chatter - very unusual. He was shaking. I put a sweater on him and then fed him and he seemed fine. What I'd like to know is this - was he cold; was he excited for food; both; or is this a side effect of gaba? His last gabapentin was at 11pm at night, and he received his next dose this morning after brekkie, and I haven't changed his dosages over the past week so this "shaking" was new. He does get gaba a little more regularly time wise over the weekend so the meds are better spread out since I'm home. Thoughts?

Oh dear Nancy my apologies. Sweet girl. I'm so sorry. I was smiling today thinking about your recent thread about her. Yes, you truly did care for her.

Win for Kasey!!! He's gots an appt next week at Caledon Mountain Hospital, with Dr. John, who consults with Dr. Couto!!! Hang in there for one more week boy!

Certainly a wealth of info here and my go to for help. Good for you for reading up and getting her some meds. She'll be good as new in no time!

This is helpful, thank you! I'll try to get in touch with them. Maybe I can get a 2 for 1 deal and throw Ryder in there too! I've been fortunate that there hasn't been any incontinence, but I'm ready for it......webcam and all - and I WON'T run the Roomba when I'm not home. Kasey had a terrible day yesterday. On another note, I tried contacting another vet clinic for a second opinion (I really am a little lost with this whole thing, I don't know what I'm looking for but I feel shortchanged and this is getting a little rapid), and of course that vet is away today so I sent along an email. I just feel like Kasey is not getting the level of care I want. I shouldn't be telling the vet what to do...... Also, I set up a chiro appt tomorrow......without clearance, but hey, I've been making every other decision on my own, I'm making this one too.

Hehehhe, they pick you

Just got off the phone with the vet. She did speak with a neurologist about the Depo shot. She did suggest to use it as a "last resort" especially since Kasey is responding to the Gabapentin right now. The shots' long lasting and strong effects worry her from the side effects standpoint - risk of onset of diabetes, kidney/liver failure, as opposed to the injection site etc. We agreed to visit it at a later point in time. I asked her about a muscle relaxant and she said it could be tried but she's not sure of how much benefit he would really receive. LS is caused by compression and not necessarily tense muscles, so a relaxant wouldn't necessarily alleviate what's happening, and on the flip side, could actually cause more harm, if he's trying to get up and use those muscles and they are relaxed and kerplunk. So another avenue we might think of later, but not right now. I asked if I should consider increasing his pred usage and she agreed. So I'll try twice a week instead of once a week dosing that I've been doing. She agreed that the pred is definitely something that would help the spinal issue and inflammation. That's about all I've got so I guess it's case closed until Kasey stops responding to these two meds. I've found a few areas around home that have some gradual elevation changes on grass that I'll take him to daily to keep his legs not on flat ground all the time. That's about all I have left....

Honestly, it depends on the area you live in. If the demographic in the geographic area tends to be more ethnic than mainstream you will typically find certain cuts of meat/bone/organ for food. Do you have another town or city close by you can visit that would have better accessibility for odds and ends in the meat dept? I used to live a half hour away in a mainstream area, I was lucky if I could find bones for a stew! Go to a heavily European influenced area for example, and the meat department is drastically different because the demand for those items are there.

I've gone through 3 all together (they've gone through 5 - each got them done upon adoption so I don't know how well they went). I voted good, because for the most part, the dentals have been perfectly fine, but two had moderate complications. I try not to put them through it if I can avoid it. I think I'm done with all the dentals though for both boys. Absolutely friggin' nerve wracking.

Yeah, i concur with the "nasty play habits." We stopped going to dog parks long ago, and seldomly attend grey runs. Kasey is such a troublemaker. But the labs - they can take it

Thanks. I'll continue with the pred and gaba. The vet simply said she's limited to what she could give him regarding pain med because of being on pred. She also suggested that getting him off pred and onto an NSAID would take care of the allergies (I don't believe that - since we tried everything in the book) and would also provide the anti-inflammatory and pain meds that he would need. I'm comfortable keeping him on the pred and gaba. I will ask about the muscle relaxer when I hear from her today/tomorrow. He had a GREAT DAY on Sunday. He trotted for a long while on our walk, and seemed pretty upbeat, so the gaba seems to be working for now!

Can someone explain something to me? He's on pred which is a steroid - I understand that can't be used with an NSAID - but why exactly? Also, do NSAID's contain steroidal properties? Does his pred offer any inflammation reducing characteristics that aid in his pinched nerve issue? Wouldn't I want to continue using pred and gaba together instead of switching to an NSAID all together? Just trying to think of a benefit to get off the pred, and I'm having a hard time figuring out why I should.

Thank you 3greys. I think I'll do the twice a day 200mg dose each time for now and see how it goes. It's tough - having him for 10 years (seeing all these life cycles) - but I'll do everything in my power to keep him comfy.

Thankfully spring is nearly here and there are a few small embankments around landscape shrubbery that we will navigate. That will be his hill . Ive looked up water therapy but he hates water lol so I'm not sure how helpful an aqua treadmill would be. So far no luck on acupuncturists here. Hope he's cleared for chiro, as I do think that's a benefit that I could do. He's good so far today, we'll see how our walk goes. Can't wait to get the harness though, its been ordered. He hesitates for a pair of stairs up to our door, but knows and accepts help readily. He's always been good about understanding people are here to help him and is accepting of it always, whether its picking a booger out of his eye or holding him still for blood work.

Indeed, she suggested because it's so flexible the "half" dose is an option....I just thinking to give it with his meals as it's easy to remember and if i need to do three a day it would be before bed? I don't know how to do 3 if he would need it....is 530pm and 10pm and 730am ok for spacing? I don't really have access to specialists like therapists, etc. that are within an hour of me, other than the chiro I have about 20 mins away. I will try to find an acupuncturist though.

So, back from the vet. The lady that was going to do his appointment (that owned 2 greyhounds) had to leave to tend to her daughter at home, but she spoke with us in the parking lot and concurred with what I thought was LS causing the issue. She pushed around on his spine and watched him walk and move and sink..... We went inside and another vet did x-rays of his spine. The gap between the vertebra's are not very definitive. But his symptoms certainly are. He became very weak as we gabbed at the office and agreed it's LS. I asked what her secondary diagnosis would have been if I didn't suggest LS and she said, something else neurological.... I let her read the article of Stack. She said that she is not comfortable giving an injection, and the owner of the clinic has never apparently heard of depo for this issue. She suggested we see a neurologist and that the only remedy is surgery. She will speak to the neurologist and get his take on depo and will get back to me early next week. I refused surgery. We did get gabapentin. She suggested to give him 1.5-2 capsules 2 to 3 times a day. Capsules are 100mg. Side effects apparently make him either really sedate or really excitable. Anything else I should watch out for? He's had his first dose tonight. It obviously won't stop the weakness, but I guess it will make him more comfortable. Is the dosage and amount correct? I've actually never had to use any pain meds to manage pain.....how do I know he's not in pain - when he's weightbearing after 5 mins when he wouldn't have been in the same situ yesterday? If it doesn't stop the sinking, how can I tell? I can't fix this and I feel a loss of control. The good news is there is no sign of arthritis (I don't know what to think about that, I think I would have preferred that answer because that is pure pain management). He's the best looking 12 year old greyhound many have seen. He's alert, not incontinent, and still has pretty decent walks. I think I've caught this at one of the earliest stages it could be caught. While he's always had some evidence of this problem, it's only come to the forefront over the past couple of months. When I mentioned the vitamins, etc, he's been on, she seemed to allude to the fact that they weren't necessary because they wouldn't help this LS issue.....but look at his condition otherwise - if I didn't give him vitamins etc., would he still be the best looking 12 year old you've seen? Sigh. Thank you all for your help. Seems I didn't need a vet at all, well maybe just to get the meds. What's next? I want to convince them to do a depo injection.....what do you guys think? Pros, cons? Also, should I suggest them to give me muscle relaxants? I also asked for an all clear for a chiro treatment. She was hesitant and asked me to hold off a little longer and she'll get back to me after talking to the neuro dudes. I don't want to exacerbate the issue. Sigh

Have you looked at satin balls or liquid meal supplements like Boost?

I second this. If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for them, and also agree on the injection of stuff in the chicken. Grocery store meat though isn't a cheap way to feed that's for sure. Good luck!

Thank you. I have heard of people giving shots to their dogs, but that completely and utterly terrifies me! When we were investigating his allergies, one of the options was to inject him with a cocktail of what he was allergic to in an effort to build more of an immunity.....you should have seen the vets trying to convince me I was capable! Again, I will certainly mention it today. Thank you all. I feel better armed with info to talk to them today. He's doing well today - seems to do better in the morning after a night of rest, but he doesn't seem to be able to stand for long periods of time, and has slowed to a snails pace on walks.... will keep you updated!

I'm going through this right now. One vet years ago (at the same location) said they won't do x-rays without sedation......I called to ask the other day since I want them for Kasey and the vet called me back and said "I don't know who told you we don't, the majority of our x-rays are done without sedation". So go figure, my same vet even gave me two differing trains of thought over the years. It's of course easier for them to manipulate the dog into position for xrays when they are sedated, and I'm sure not all x-rays can be taken if they aren't sedated, but I've certainly heard both ideas of have to be sedated and don't have to be sedated.

This is very helpful. Thank you all. He's going in for x-rays NOT SEDATED!!! Friday night. I've been told of course I'm not allowed in the room while they do this, sigh. I'm going to bring some cut up hotdogs for the vet techs so they can encourage him to lay down a bit easier. I wonder if they will let me just get him into position and then I can leave? Any tips here? I will tell the vet all of these medical suggestions. She actually has owned 2 greyhounds and has been this aging pricess - and corns! so that is rather comforting to me. She also suggested that he may have micro fractures on his rear legs that could be bothering him now as he's aging. And of course arthritis and lets not say the other dreaded thing. Upon the vet's go ahead, he's scheduled for a chiro appt Sat morning. I've used her for years with Ryder and I'm looking forward to hearing her assessment of Kasey. I don't think I'm anywhere close to an acupuncturist nor a massage therapist. I do want to try the pain med route, as yesterday was the first sign of him not bearing weight on one back leg while staring at me waiting for table scraps. It's time to help him out. I'm ordering the harness this morning since I just measured him and he was stretching and walking about just fine. Seems like rest helps him feel good, but I do very much agree on the keeping active part. Keep those legs limber. He goes for 3 walks a day, (will be 4 when the weather really gets nicer) since I don't have a yard - which is just as well I guess since he might do something and really hurt himself! Please keep more suggestions coming if others have similar experiences and I will look up the Stack column. Have any of the pups been on pred and you've had to switch out to something else for a better pain med?

My oldest boy pretty much had a bare belly at the age of 3 - but that is a common occurrance for greyhounds. A rash might be a bit worrisome, depending on how bad it is. My boy developed allergies shortly after moving, and had them ever since (environmental and food based - he hit a trigger and that was that). A bath once a month might be excessive but if you are using it to control flakey skin, or allergies, that might be a different story. Pics would be helpful.

OK, so I've had about enough of Kasey's weak hind end. Vitamins & fish oil did the trick for a couple years but now I need something else. I'm purchasing a 24/7 harness to help with his getting up and if he falls to easily pick him up. What are my next steps? He has a chiro appt for an assessment on Saturday morning and I've called the vet to ask if I can get x-rays done on both back legs without drugging him. He is showing no sign of pain from what I can tell, but does have a reaction (just the leg moving, no growling, etc.) to me massaging his back legs, from the toes to the knee. For the most part both back legs are weight bearing, he walks fine, but often when waiting for meals I notice that his full weight is not on his right back leg which is the only one of the two I can tell he would be favouring. He often uses that foot to pivot, and when it does give out to him unexpectedly, down he goes. The recent splits he's been doing hasn't been helping to repair whatever ligaments have been stretched. In regards to pain meds - if it would be beneficial to him - he is on prednisone to control his allergies (10 mg, once a week), which I understand doesn't work very well with pain meds. A month or so ago in anticipation of eventually needing pain meds, the vet did suggest we try a different med to control his allergies that would work more favourably with pain meds - I'm guessing with Metacam. I do not want to go down this new experimental route for what would control his allergies better. We've been there, done that for years before finding out what works. How do I approach this aging greyhound ailment? I need a bit of guidance. Today's fall on the ice outside rattled me.

I'm so sorry to read about this. God speed Opal