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forevergrey

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Posts posted by forevergrey

  1. I hope Rudy heals soon! It does sounds like a neck/spine issue. However I did have an experience with my hound being misdiagnosed. He was limping badly after running, x ray showed nothing wrong with the wrist. A week later we went back for a re-check and another x ray was taken of his wrist. This time I had a much more experienced vet look at the films and he was able to see an accessory carpal fracture on his right wrist. It was very small and easy to miss, which is why the first vet did not see it. I heard the wrist clink when I moved it a little and that is why I asked for another x-ray. It healed after about 4 months of very restricted activity. Connective tissue formed at that spot and my boy is totally fine, no lameness.

  2. I am SO relieved to hear that Rudy is doing better! I know you are still worried and will be somewhat anxious until the whole thing is resolved and your boy is back to normal which he will be. Soon. I really bet it's nothing more then a bump or sprain. These dogs can be so prone to injuries with their tiny feet, long skinny legs and the speed at which they run-all can lead to minor (and sometimes not so minor) injuries. The important thing is that Rudy is on his way to recovery.

  3. It is probably nothing more then a muscle strain. It can be so many small things that are non life threatening and your boy will be back to normal soon enough.

    I do understand your anxiety. I lost my heart dog to osteo just last year and I am simply terrified of it. Plus I do not handle anything being physically wrong with my animals well at all. I am in constant state of alternating panic and low lever anxiety that does not go away until the issue is resolved. A few months ago my boys were running around this fenced in skate park (mostly grass) and Onyx ran into a low branch and cut his wrist area. Lots of blood, bandages and he was limping for a few days. It resolved fairly fast and he was back to normal. In the meantime I was a wreck. I knew it was illogical, that is was "just a cut" but the fact that my greyhound was limping was a major trigger and I kept thinking 'what if it's osteo". I know how irrational that was, given that it was clearly from a cut, but I just could't help it. Try not to worry about Rudy. He will be fine and back to his usual happy self in no time.

  4. I soak my two greyhounds's feet every night in Absom salt-heavy moisturizer solution. I do this to hopefully prevent dry pads and potential for getting corns, something my past greyhound struggled with for a long time. The two boys I have now have very soft pads and we live in a city and walk allot on pavement. I attribute the soft pads to the 3-5 min. soaks on all four feet. It's time consuming but worth the trouble if it means preventing the evil corns. I also add fish oil and coconut oil to their diet, (in hopes it will help as well).

  5. I am very sorry to hear about Walter. I lost my first greyhound Corky to this dreadful cancer. He too was perfectly fine the day before (good appetite, energy level fine and active). The next morning he refused breakfast and was walking very slowly and had no energy. I took him to my vet, he did a needle aspirate and saw blood and knew that it was cancer in the spleen. My option was to either euthanize right then and there or have surgery done to remove the spleen. I opted for the surgery. I got about 4 months with Corky. He actually did very well during these four months but the last week he started to cough and refused food. An ultrasound revealed that the cancer spread to his chest and I euthanized him. Horrible cancer and a very sad experience. My first greyhound was the most wonderful dog and he was just 10 years old when he passed.

  6. I think Miami looks fine! I see tuck up and back end muscles on him. He is very handsome. Unless you participate in dog sports or you have a place regularly available for them to sprint several times a week-most greyhounds will lose that jacked up look they have when we first adopt them off the track. Yes they do look fantastic in their athletic prime but it's tough to maintain. Some greyhounds are stocker build then others. My Jasper is small for a male, (only 67lb) has a very high tuck up and is stocky. I do not see spine bones or pin bones on him but his last two ribs are visible. He is still quite fit and looks good. In comparison my Onyx is a very long, tall lanky boy. I can always see a little bit of his spine and hip bones as well as the last two ribs. He too is still muscular but he looks more elongated and therefore thinner. All greyhounds will vary somewhat in build. Jasper is out of Silver Jones, his grandfather is Dodgem. Onyx is Flying Penske pup.

    I also agree that too many pet dogs are overweight. Of course some breeds are build to have that extra layer of fat and for a good reason but these dogs are also more prone to becoming overweight. That is not healthy but people are so used to seeing overweight pet dogs that they appear normal and greyhounds and other sighthounds look too thin to allot of people!

  7. I feel so bad for you and Aston. I went through the same thing with my Henry who passed away last year at age 15. He suffered from corns on ALL of his toes for 12 years. My greyhound savvy vet said it was one of the worst cases he had seen in a long time. I tried every treatment under the sun, (surgery, duct tape, all kinds of creams, eventually hulling). They just kept coming back so we settled on hulling, Therapaws, and NSAID's. Plus nightly soaking in Absom salt & moisturizer. I can say that Henry has been limping on and off his entire life and it was very painful and frustrating. As he became older, his back end also became weaker, LS was the standard diagnosis. I have a very strong dislike for prednisone (unless it's only used short-term). The side effects I have seen it have on animals AND people was not worth it. To me it's a last resort drug not a management tool-but I not a veterinarian. Although none of my vets suggested I put Henry on it. I managed his discomfort to the best of my ability. He had good days and bad days. He was a sweet, tolerant soul who took everything in stride. I believe that between the corns, the LS and arthritis which Henry developed in some of his toes-he really needed pain management more then anything so that was my plan-to keep him as comfortable as possible without adding anything that had the potential to make him feel worse in the long run.

     

    Have you considered possibly adding some alternative treatment such as acupuncture, cold laser for the arthritis and hydrotherapy, (expensive but I hear can be very helpful)?

  8. I am heartbroken reading this, which nothing compared to how you feel. You did your very best and made the right choice at every turn and that is all we can do for our dogs. I too lost my exceptional heart dog to osteo last summer. It's so crushing. Take good care of yourself and remember your boy is no longer in pain. For me adopting another hound, (well two hounds since I lost both my greyhounds in the span of two weeks last summer) made all the difference in the world. I hope I am not being insensitive when I say this. And again I am just so terribly sorry for your loss.

  9. Can't begin to tell you how sorry I am to hear this. I have been following your story of Tempo's battle with this awful disease since the beginning and cheered for you with every happy/positive post you made as well as the great photos of your lovely boy. I have no advise, other then I have been through this with my own greyhound (amputation wasn't an option for him) and know how devastating osteo can be especially when the dog diagnosed is young and healthy (just as my greyhound was, still fairly young and very active and healthy). Take it one day at a time. We are all thinking of you and Tempo. Just so sorry...

  10. I am so very sorry Tony for the loss of your beloved Zero. Been there with osteo of my heart dog (also just 8 years old). It's a horrible, horrible disease. The important thing is that Zero spend years being deeply loved and cared for by you. Our hounds know this and appreciate it. Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

  11. I am so sorry to hear about Arrow. I lost my heart dog to this horrible cancer last year. He was beautiful and healthy and only 8 years old but osteo seems to take so many of our beautiful greyhounds. You need to do what is in your heart and what is best for your Arrow. When my boy was diagnosed amputation was not an option so I did allot of pain meds, short walks, the best home cooked meals, etc. When it was time to let him go-6 weeks after the diagnosis I knew it was the right time and I still cry about it a year later.

     

    As far as greyhounds not living past 10, I am not sure if that is true. Including my two current boys who are 3 and 5, I had six greyhounds spanning almost 20 years. I lost two to cancer, hemangio (another seemingly common cancer in greyhounds) at age 10 and my 8 year old to osteo. Two of my past greyhounds lived to be 14 and 15! They were doing really well up until the last few months when they just slowed down. In fact I have photos of my 13 year old Lance racing on the beach and on the river front like a 2 year old! It's really just a matter of luck and genetics. Please do take care of yourself, take it easy and take it one day at a time. Every day is a gift.

  12. Make sure your pet sitter pays your vet bill. It happened in her care. She did not take the dog to the vet nor contact you when it happened. She is responsible for the injury. If it were me, I would make sure she pays the vet bill. For her sake I hope she is bonded and insured and the liability coverage will pay the bill.

  13. Same as with "Mandy's Mom"-I too use Silk Road Collars harnesses, I like the velvet ones. My two are fairly young and thankfully in good health but in the past I lost two senior greyhounds to LS. If theres is even a small chance that using a harness rather then a neck collar will help prevent disk, spinal and neck issues in the future then I am fine with it. The harnesses put no restraint on the dog's back and neck and my two walk nicely on them. Regarding the no pull/front connect harnesses-they are designed to restrain your dog's movement and while these front connect harnesses work on dogs that pull or lunge, they also put pressure on the shoulder area and modify the dog's natural gait. So I won't use them. In my experience a back-connect harness balances out the dog's weight and is better for dogs who have neck or spinal issues. Silk Road Collars harnesses are really nice, they are adjustable at all points, have soft underside and have two point of contact clips, (I use the far back one on my dogs).

  14. I remember using Missing Link ages ago, like back in the 90's with my first greyhounds. It was discussed on greyhound-L so I started buying it. I don't really remember how exactly it effected my dogs but I did use it for a while, (it was so long ago). It may have helped my first greyhound, he was black and did not have a very shiny coat and had some baldness. But then he changed into a very shiny sleek black beauty. May have been the ML that did the trick. I don't remember why I stopped using it.

     

    Wonder if it can have the same effect on people. Pattern baldness is a problem for many. :P

  15. I used laser treatment on one of my greys for a wrist injury. I believe that it helped allot. It was 6 treatments, every three days. Just remember to cover up your greyhounds's eyes because looking right at the laser is not a good idea and can cause eye damage. I used to bring a dark color piece of cloth and just held it over his eyes while the laser was on. Acupuncture worked for some of my past dogs but not on the ones who would become too stressed out at the vets during the visit. The stress pretty much canceled out the benefits of the acupuncture. The dogs who were fine at the vets benefited from acupuncture. Lastly I just read a good article by Dr. Karen Becker on longevity in large breed dogs. According to the article regular chiro adjustments can do wonders and prevent mobility issues in elderly dogs. Friends who participate seriously in agility and flyball with their dogs, (not greyhounds) all do regular chiro. adjustments and swear by it. They say their dogs feel much better and it helps prevent injury. For pet dogs who do not participate in hard sports I was told every 3 months can be very helpful.

  16. Greyhounds sure can be wimpy. Cleptogrey-I completely agree. My Afghan was tough as nails and could run and play on virtually any terrain and he never got hurt. I just can't have the same cavalier attitude with greyhounds. The good news is that Onyx is pretty much back to normal. He is walking fine, putting weight on the effected leg and I have been just cleaning the area with soap and water, and putting a very light gauze/surgical tape bandage on the area. Bleeding has stopped and Onyx is back to being active and happy. Whew! I am extremely relived. Having had hounds with horrible corn problems, a wrist fracture, and having my soul dog die of osteo just last summer, a limping greyhound just makes me very anxious. I really want to keep the current two boys healthy and happy but the skate park is now off limits for any off leash exercise. It really is too uneven, the ground is full of knots, and the concrete skate ramp is not something I want my greyhounds to run smack into. I have to start looking for some nearby ball fields to take them to for some free running. In the meantime I am glad we can just resume our normal 2 hour daily hikes to the park. :)

  17. He looks great in the photo above. Also try to just take it one day at a time, (which I am sure you are doing anyway). Every day is a gift. Life is full of surprises some good some not so good so we never know what will happen in the future. OTOH, there was a discussion on the subject of diet and osteo in one of the greyhound facebook groups I am on. One person said that his greyhound lived for 9 years post amputation for osteo. That is a full long life and that will hopefully will be the case with Tempo.

  18. I agree tbhounds. I will take him to the vet as soon as possible. Trouble is e-vet is nowhere near me and I don't drive so it would be very expensive to get there in a car service. My vet is just a block over and tends to keep cost down when he treats my animals, (unfortunately money is an issue). I have Rimadyl and have been giving him twice a day. So upsetting.

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