ramonaghan

Chris always has great advice, so I don't have much to add other than that sometimes racing injuries are undocumented and symptoms may only resurface as the dog ages and the site becomes arthritic. We went through that with Sweep and spent a ton on diagnostics and therapies for a limp that appeared when she was almost 6. She's now 10 and we have been able to manage it with Previcox. With any NSAID, Clover will need to have bloodwork done every 6 months to make sure everything remains normal with her kidney and liver values. We only give it as often as needed to keep the limp at bay; depending on the time of year, that can be daily or not at all. Believe me, we tried every kind of natural alternative, but only the NSAID has worked to eliminate the limp. Keep up the joint supplements and definitely get the xray if you have the means to do so. I'm in Nashville, and $300 seems high to me. We pay $75 for an x-ray (one view) at the regular vet, and $55-80 at the specialty clinic plus $79 for a board certified radiologist to review. I'd expect ATL to be a little higher than here, but not that much.

I'm so very sorry for your loss. Rest well, Penny.

Sweep can be rather opinionated too. Glad everyone enjoyed their adventure!

Will do! These are the lights I ordered if you think that might help in your situation. (There's a plug-in version too, but we don't have any outlets in our stairwell.) I think I've determined it's not Sweep's vision though--we did some tests at home by throwing treats in a dim room and she went right to them, without having to sniff them out. She must have psyched herself out about something. These guys are so sensitive; it could be anything! She came down a *little* better this morning, so I'm hopeful we're making some progress. She also had to do the steps to the basement today because it's stormy and she's a thunderphobe, so that's always been her safe spot. The more she does it without anything bad happening, hopefully the more confident she'll feel. Anyway, good luck with your boy too--please keep us posted!

Exactly! I so wish they could talk.

Your tribute was as beautiful as she was. I am so sorry. Rest well, Lorelei.

Just ordered some battery-operated motion-sensing lights for the stairs.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Rest well, Moody.

Thanks, all. We've just come back from the vet and he doesn't think it's pain-related. He stretched her neck in all directions and checked her spine thoroughly and she wasn't reactive at all. Her hind end strength is good. He said there are no obvious issues with her eyes, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be vision-related. We tried laying a trail of treats for her and turning off the lights, but she headed for the exit door every time. She's no dummy. So we'll do some experimenting at home, but the working theory is either vision or psychological (maybe she slipped/tripped and is now freaked out--she's never been graceful on those stairs). Now I have to decide whether to push forward and make her do it or sleep downstairs with her for a few nights and see if that "resets" things.

No issues since you did whatever you did.

Thanks, me too. It breaks my heart to see her struggle. Yes, we do; we saw him a few times years ago when trying to get to the bottom of her limping. Good idea, thanks!

The past few days, Sweep has been reluctant to come downstairs from our master bedroom in the morning. She tries and backs up several times, eventually frustrating herself to the point of whining and even panting. She has come down in the mornings and back upstairs at night for years now, so I'm not sure what's happened. This staircase is steep but there's a stair runner and plenty of light. She still does the outdoor steps and jumps into the car without issue. My only thought is maybe depth perception (she turned 10 in October) and I thought about putting a strip of painters tape at the edge of each tread. Any other theories or suggestions? Thanks!

Sweep used to do this and we have successfully managed it with the command "look at me" (or "watch me" if you prefer). I always carry a bag of treats on walks and as soon as I see another dog in the distance I will hold the treat up to my face while saying "look at me" and that distracts her long enough to get us safely past. I still allow a wide berth if possible, stepping off the sidewalk and putting several feet between the dogs. She now looks for her treat as soon as she sees another dog. (Of course this will only work if your dog is sufficiently food motivated.) I don't take the chance anymore of whether she will be okay with a dog or not; we just avoid them all unless they're other greyhounds, which she's always happy to see. I would also suggest switching to a harness if he's pulling to the point of choking. Sweep used to do that and a chiropractor recommended that we switch. The Freedom No-Pull Harness is a good one.

Same here on my MacBook Pro.

Handsome guy!