LBass

That's great news! Home safe and sound with clean teefers.

Sending best wishes to both of you. A dental is in Piper's immediate future and I'm not looking forward to it.

I am so very sorry for the loss of your beautiful, beloved boy.

That's still a pretty good "run" for Henry. Congratulations!

I'm not sure about greyhound knowledge since I had no greys when I used them but there is a husband and wife vet partnership in Summerville that you might want to check with. I can't remember the name of the practice off the top of my head but I can get it from old records at home tonight. If you want to look today, I think you can find them under boarding kennels. They have a great ABK approved kennel with their practice and I think they are still one of the few ABK Assn kennels in the state.

Judy & Mike, sad as blindness is, I join so many other in rejoicing with you that Emmy does not have a life-threatening diagnosis! If any family can help her adjust to her loss and live a full and happy life, it will be you guys and your wonderful family and pack of houds.

Oh Judy, how unnerving. You and Emmy are in my thoughts and prayers.

What a night for you all and Mama Snickers! Congratulations on the babies and special prayers for little girl #2. Hang in there sweetheart. You have lots of people rooting for you and loving you already.

Jeremy, I wonder if the darkening you are seeing is the beginning of bruising. When they do my Piper' blood draws sometimes the delicate boy bruises. If that's the case it is nothing to worry about. Best of luck with your poor Pirate's health. Lucy & epi Piper (12 weeks seizure free)

I'm so glad that the new is good at the moment. There is hope. Piper swallowed a small sewing caddy with pins and needles stuck in it. He was able to pass that. The vet took x-rays in the AM and again in the PM and we could see the pins moving. Then the vet gave me a plastic baggie with the absolutely disgusting fabric caddy and pins in it. I was immensely relieved and surprised too. It is amazing what they can manage to poop out.

Congratulations! I'm sure Hershey will be as thrilled to be home as you will be to have him. Sending good thoughts and prayers to you and Hershey too.

Sending prayers and good thoughts your way.

Hurray for a good vet visit! B&J puppies are so exciting, at least in part because Cathie puts so much effort and energy into sharing the baby cuteness with the rest of us in pictures and stories. Thanks Cathie!

What a lovely post. You are so very right in saying that there is great comfort in knowing that you are not alone. Having the caring support of the GT community has helped so me so often and I am so very grateful.

My Piper and I have all too much experience with seizures meds, including Phenobarbital. Do remember that while liver damage is a possibility with Pb, the vast majority of dogs taking that medication never have liver issues at all. The best approach to safeguarding your dog from liver damage is to monitor liver function through regular testing. The liver is a resilient organ and can do a great deal to heal itself so, if your dog is going to have problems with the PB, you and your vet can catch any issues early by testing regularly and can make medication changes. You should be able to avoid any lasting liver damage even if your dog is one of those who has trouble taking Pb. I have Piper's liver function tested about every 6 months using the older serum bile acids test. It involves 2 blood draws, one fasting and one after a meal. There is also a urine bile acid test that can be used as an alternative (no blood draws). With regular monitoring, you'll be able to catch any possible liver damage early enough to avoid serious problems. The much more common side effects of Pb are lots of eating, lots of drinking, lots of peeing, and some ataxia. Piper always had a couple of weeks of peeing at odd times and not being able to hold urine when he started Pb or got a dosage increase. He also developed some of the hind end clumsiness that is pretty typical for dogs taking Pb. In general, these side effects tend to improve over time as the dog's metabolism adapts and adjusts. Best wishes to you and your hound in managing the seizures. --Lucy and Piper (11 weeks seizure free!)

I'm so glad that Joplin is feeling better.

I'm so, so sorry that you and your handsome Jack are facing that difficult diagnosis. Prayers and good thoughts coming your way that Jack will have many happy loving days with his family. --Lucy

Are you having the phenobarbital level tested? I generally do that every 6 months and more often if things aren't going well. That's what my vet is comfortable with. For dogs taking phenobarbital the other thing that you should consider having tested at least every 6 months is liver function. This is a good idea because in some dogs, sometimes, Pb can cause liver damage. If caught early the meds can be adjusted or changed before the liver damage becomes a health crisis. Liver function can be tested via either a serum bile acids test or a urine bile acids test (newer and less trouble). My vet prefers serum bile acids testing. It involves drawing blood before eating and then 2 hours after eating. By the way, congratulation on having no seizures since April 15! --Lucy

Piper has never had that particular problem but my little Cavalier, Winston, did. He actually had it twice. On the second visit, the vet told me to keep his hoohoo shaved--not so much an issue with greys but it is with Winston. Since I started shaving him (thank goodness he tolerates it well!) he's had no more sheath infections. It sort of points to a cleanliness or hygiene issue so perhaps getting a routine of cleaning that area will help.

Valium (diazapam) is one of the meds Piper takes for his seizures. He doesn't take it daily but it is used when he is having multiple seizures close together. He's taken it both orally and rectally (oh joy!) It's pretty standard to start with 10 mg orally for him and sometimes he is given additional 10 mg doses (per the vet) depending on how the seizures respond. It really doesn't wipe him out. I think dogs metabolize that medication differently than humans.

I ended up removing bark mulch because Piper treated it as another food source. I've replaced it with pine needles and actually like that form of mulch better. Piper still eats any fallen limbs if I don't beat him to them. He eats annuals, perennials, vegetables...you get the idea. I have to research carefully for toxicity issues everything I plant in the back yard. As for your bark issue, my hunch is that one piece of bark, even if treated with chemicals, won't do any harm. If bark-eating is going to be an ongoing issue, you might want to rethink the mulch you use to choose something your hound won't eat. --Lucy

Aw Stanley, I know how much that pesky arthritis can hurt. Hope the acupuncture and the changes in your meds make you feel better.

For Piper's seizure meds I use RP Healthcare. 1-800448-4355. They mail from CA to SC with no issues and the price for his KBr is great. The pharmacist also volunteers on the EpiL-K9 email list to answer questions about meds and seems to have a great heart for dogs. I think his name is John O'connor.

Piper gets Interceptor.