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WHanson12

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Everything posted by WHanson12

  1. Our senior girl, Molly, was diagnosed with pannus several years ago & was under the care of OSU's opthalmology dept. She is very sensitive to many eye meds & did not tolerate cyclosporine, tacrolymus using 3 different base oils (corn oil, mineral oil & one other) & even certain brands of Dex 0.1% (Bausch & Lomb). She has some lipid deposits forming, but for the most part her pannus is controlled on a generic brand of Dex 0.1% (Falcon manuf, their generic is Savon--cheaper to buy at human pharmacy)). She is also on an artifical tears 2-3 times a day. Her pannus flares up during the spring & summer months when the sun is stronger, even though I don't allow her to lay outside in the sun any more. Pannus LOVES ultraviolet light, so I was told to keep her out of the sun as much as possible (especially during the spring & summer) or be religious about having her wear doggles. At this point for Molly, the lipid deposits developing as a result of the long term Dex use are the least of her many problems...
  2. Tbhounds, I'm still considering that option. Molly loves to go for car rides (especially to the park!), but would have more difficulty traveling such a distance--we would just have to take frequent breaks to stretch, although she has difficulties getting in & out of the van now & I'm no body builder type who can lift her in & out... KennelMom, thank you for your suggestion. Those vet specialists in Greenville sound awesome!! I will definitely keep them in mind. Have any of you grey owners experienced negative/poor quality care from the Orthopedists at CVS?? So many of their reviews are horrible!! I haven't had any issues with their Opthalmology dept, but that's the only one we've had to utilize so far...
  3. Our 12 yr old Molly has major painful orthopedic issues that have worstened over the past week. Has been under the incompetent care of a vet @ VMC of Fort Mill who does not return phone calls, etc. I've involved Dr. Dyce, Director of Ortho @ OSU's VMC who reviewed Molly's radiographs (Molly is a former patient of Ortho Dept @ OSU). Haven't spoken directly with him, as he's asked me to speak to the vet at Fort Mill whom he spoke with 2 days ago. Still no return call from Fort Mill vet to me! Dr. Dyce did email me that there is no evidence of malignancy in Molly's bones, which is always good news, but there is still something VERY wrong. Molly is VERY uncomfortable even on the max dose of Tramadol. Won't go into all her symptoms right now. Can anyone personally recommend an Ortho Vet in the upper SC or south Charlotte area--other than Carolina Veterinary Specialists (CVS)? (unless you have personal knowledge & Dr's name there who provided your grey with quality care). If it wasn't a holiday weekend, I would drive to OSU... Also any referrals to an emergency clinic in same area, other than CVS? I pray it doesn't come down to that. Thank you greytly for any recommendations you can offer.
  4. I've used Kirklands Healthy Weight for our girls & they both initially liked it. After several weeks, our senior girl started having consistent puddin' poop (which was not normal for her) & got dehydrated, plus she no longer would eat it. Our other younger girl still does fine on it. However, what I don't like about it is that it contains "millet," which is a filler which means a lot of poop, but our younger girl's poop is usually very firm on Kirklands (what some of you have called designer poop??). I'm still looking to change both girls to a lower fat senior diet that they can both eat without my having to take a loan out to buy it! (like the prescription Iams I'm currently feeding our senior--pricey). Thanks for the suggestions for some low fat foods!
  5. Does anyone have a recommendation for a low fat (8% max or less) dry kibble for a finicky, sensitive stomach senior grey girl? She used to like Costco's Healthy Weight (lots of filler, makes lots of firm poop especially for our younger grey girl) but refuses to eat that any more; she loved Canidae Platinum but it gave her puddin poop every time. Now she's eating (& liking) a vet-dispensed intestinal prescription diet by Iams that is VERY expensive (5# for $16). Any suggestions would be greytly appreciated! P.S. Exactly which Iams type are y'all calling the "Green Bag?" I looked on Iams' site & there are lots of their varieties in green bags...
  6. My 12 year old Grey girl, Molly, has puddin poop, sometimes formed when she initially poops then turns into diarrhea the last bit. This symptom was part of her gastritis or mild pancreatitis she developed a week ago, coincidentally (?) after starting a new bag of Canidae Platinum for seniors which I've since discontinued. She has been to the vet a couple times last week for bloodwork, fecal, fluids & meds. I've been feeding her the bland diet all week. She's been on the Flagyl all week & a probiotic made by Iams called Prostora Max (expensive! $26.25 for 15 tablets at the vet!!) with limited results. Can the probiotics generally aid a Grey's digestive process? Is it worth keeping her on it long term? Is there a better brand than another & are any of them sold over the counter? I was also researching the use of slippery elm bark to help firm her poop. Any opinions on this herb in Greys? Effectiveness? Powder form or loose, dried leaves you brew as tea & mix with their food? Dosage of powder form & tea mix? Any specific brand or place to purchase it from? This is the first chronic loose poop our senior girl has ever had that didn't clear up. I've added a small amount of pumpkin to her diet daily which she likes. I'm not confident in the vet's Greyhound competence, although diarrhea treatment is probably the same in any breed of dog. But the vet said that I shouldn't give Molly people yogurt for the probiotic purpose as their intestinal flora is different than humans. But the probiotic in Canidae Platinum is the same as what's in the human yogurt (non fat, plain)...Makes me question the vet's overall knowledge--maybe not a fair conclusion, but we've probably all been there before, right? Thanks for any feedback y'all may have--I greytly appreciate it!! (sorry for the novel!!)
  7. I switched our Grey girls to Canidae Platinum a month or so ago since their California Natural low fat lamb & rice got recalled. We're on the second 30# bag of Canidae & this week our senior girl started vomiting with diarrhea (pudding consistency). She's had all the usual gastritis, pancreatitis testing done & has not had any Canidae all week, but has been on the boiled chicken or hamburger & rice diet. Vomiting has stopped, but poop is still yellowish, pudding like. I've read some horror reviews about Canidae today with those same symptoms. Our girls have never been fed a food with probiotic in it, although I had been giving them some yogurt once a day until all of this occurred. Now I'm researching an alternate dry food for them--preferably low fat. I've read most of the food posts here with many, many recommendations & realize that what works for one Grey may not work for another. Not looking forward to starting the hunt for a different dry food again so soon... Has anyone else experienced gastro-related issues from Canidae or a food with probiotic in it? The first 30# bag of Canidae Platinum our girls ate, there were no gastro issues at all--in fact, their poop was an even better consistency. Thanks for any feedback!
  8. One of our girls has storm terrors/anxiety. I give her 6 mg of melatonin which takes the edge off for her & doesn't knock her out or leave her dopey. Per another GreyTalk member, the most effective brand is "Finest" available at Walgreens, which is also what I use. Your girl sounds so miserable wearing the collar!Is the collar necessary or is the wound in an area that could have a sock taped on instead, hoping she wouldn't tear it off. I try anything first to hopefully avoid using the "lampshade" they hate so much!
  9. KF in Georgia & Batmom, thanks so much for your suggestions. I will continue to give Molly the famotidine then. Her OSU vet advised it was ok to give her 20 mg in the a.m. just once a day, rather than 10 mg in the a.m. & again in the p.m. Thank you again! To all the grey owners who have K9's with IBD, God bless you & your greys; I pray for successful treatments & recoveries for all! They (& you) all deserve it!
  10. A little different question relating to long term use of antacids in greys please. Ohio State Univ VMC started our Molly, over a year ago, on a low twice daily dose of Rimadyl along w/ Gabapentin, with 20 mg famotidine daily. They never said to reduce or discontinue the famotidine, nor has any vet after them mentioned it. Molly has been experiencing some looser poop (not always though) in recent weeks. Does anyone recommend that she should be weaned down & off the famotidine?? If so, would she have to be weaned off it gradually?? Thanks for any suggestions or experiences you may have.
  11. Our girls, Molly (red fawn) & Mae (medium brindle) are both shedding excessively this summer too. I was attributing it to our move from OH to SC a few months ago & possibly from being in & out of the air conditioning.Molly's has slacked off some, but Mae's thicker coat is still shedding LOTS--more for both of them than any other time. I'm expecting them to soon have the greyhound baldness syndrome all over their body too! ;[
  12. Our Grey girls HATE having any such topical applied, although Frontline Plus seemed to be more irritating. I switched to K9 Advantix II which they didn't mind as much, but if I didn't apply it every 30 days (not even a day or two later!), the ticks would latch on again quickly.I switched back to FL Plus again & bought it online (have had no problems with its efficacy).I've also tried "Pet Gard" (their version of FL +)at Sam's Club which seemed to work fine too. The ticks are thick here this year!
  13. Our Molly is 10 years old & was diagnosed within the past year by OSU's ortho dept as having a nerve issue in her neck which is causing symptoms/problems with her hind legs: weakness in her hind legs, abnormal gait & walk frequently, but no audible sounds of pain. At that point rather than opting for a $1500 MRI of her neck (no pet insurance), we're trying the conservative route of Gabapentin & Rimadyl which seems to give her some relief. She still plays with her squeakies & occasionally will run with our other Grey girl. Molly's advancing age is probably a contributor. Tramadol is a human pain med that is also prescribed for K9's (very effective), although I'd consult the vet before administering that with the other meds Molly is on currently.I don't recall Molly having any injuries in the past several months. Hope Bella is doing much better soon!
  14. I agree with several posts above: have an ultrasound performed to rule out a spleen tumor problem & continue to have his bloodwork monitored regularly, particularly the platelet counts, PT, & PTT values. I also agree with consulting with Dr. Couto at Ohio State University--he's also an oncologist who specializes in Greyhounds in all areas of their health & well being. We lost a dear Greyhound, Thumper, 3 years ago while we lived in the Columbus, OH area. Thumper was diagnosed by Dr. Couto as having ITP: immune-mediated thrombocytopenia; an immune system disease where something in Thumper's body was destroying her platelets. Her first symptoms were bruising, esp in the abdominal area & inside her hind legs & low platelet count. Dr. Couto treated Thumper with various drugs, including some IV & oral chemo, steroids, etc--everything that should have helped her improve. She lost the battle after 6 months of treatment when there was nothing more they could do for her once her spleen enlarged. ITP is not common in Greyhounds from what Dr. Couto advised us. I don't mean to scare you, but excessive bruising is not something to take lightly. Listen to your instincts & get a second opinion if the vitamin K doesn't help, preferably with a more Greyhound savvy vet (no offense to your vet).
  15. Thank you, y'all, for your referrals! Sounds like there's a couple good possibilities! Does anyone recommend an emergency facility that has Grey experience? Does Carolina Veterinary Specialists have a competent reputation? Amy, our Molly girl looks very similar to your Maddie! I luv them all! ;o}}
  16. Our Grey girls had been under the care of OSU & one of their dental specialists before our recent move to SC. Molly has the chronic bad gum/teeth issues.They recommended an all natural (no chemicals) water additive called HealthyMouth which is clinically proven to reduce chronic ginigivitis & tartar buildup, along with a good oral hygiene program. Our other Gry, Mae, has great teeth, but also drinks the same medicated H2O. They love the taste & I do see some improvement.It is on the expensive side though.The product also comes in a gel form (tube) that you apply to problem areas, but in my opinion is cost prohibitive & the gel doesn't always dispense easily from the tube. Read all about it: www.healthymouth.com. For Molly's problem mouth, I've also used a CET spray with Chlorhexidine (Nolvasan) in it--good bacterial disinfecting properties.
  17. Greyt greetings to Everyone, We recently moved to York, SC with our 2 Grey Girls, Molly & Mae. I'm looking for a Greyhound savvy vet hopefully closer than 30 miles one way. I reviewed the vet listing on this site & found no one closer. York is close to Rock Hill; the NC border is not far at all, although uptown Charlotte is a ways for us. We moved here from the Columbus, OH area a couple weeks ago & were spoiled by the expert Greyhound care by Dr. Couto & his staff at the OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Can somone also recommend a competent, good after hours emergency hospital (close by?) for Greys? I like to be prepared before something happens with our Girls. Molly is 10 years old with some worsening health issues & Mae is 7 years old in good health. Thank you for any referrals you can provide! I'm excited to join this wonderful group of Greyhounds lovers! So much info to read, I don't know where to start! ;o}} Wendy
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