rsieg
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Posts posted by rsieg
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Max is 12 years old and still walks 2-3 miles per day (total over morning and evening walks), no limping or anything, leads the walks at the end while Logan drags behind, and even runs in from the yard once in a while. But I have been noticing that he sometimes groans when he lays down, and he is becoming more reluctant to jump into the back seat of the car in spite of the fact that a walk in the park is his very favorite thing. So I asked the vet today about joint supplements, and got a recommendation of Glucosamine, the human joint supplement (not veterinary branded), 500 mg suggested as a way to save money.
So my questions are as follows:
(1) Does it make sense to start Max on that now even though he is not too bad off?
(2) Any serious side effects I should know about?
(3) Does 500 mg sound reasonable? Should I go with more? Less?
(4) Human-branded Glucosamine ok, or is there some reason I should pay more for veterinary-branded?
(5) Any suggested brands?
(6) Logan is 6 years old, but he slows down a lot on walks though again no limping, so I wonder if he is having joint problems from his racing days (or he may just be lazy/ornery). Any reason not to give him the Glucosamine as well?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts/recommendations,
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Another thing that can help is to get Chas tired out before bed. Can you set up a walking schedule where you walk her shortly before bed (probably not right before bed, since that might make her more restless)? My guys walk about 2-3 miles per day: about 1-1.4 miles in the morning, and 1-2 miles in the evening. if Chas is high energy (sounds like she might be) then longer walks might be needed to really tire her out. If you have a backyard, maybe try to get her into some sort of running game in the early evening (again, not right before bed, you want her to calm down after exercise). If she is tired enough, she should sleep through the night.
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We went through this last fall, Frontline Plus no longer works on at least some strains of fleas. Tried Capstar which works great for one day, but that does nothing useful since the larvae then mature and re-infest. My solution was Comfortis -- the day of the first dose was the last time I saw any fleas. It works for one month. I have them now on Trifexis which also does worms, but not unfortunately ticks. Can't say for sure Trifexis works since we did not have a flea infestation to start with, but my understanding is Trifexis has the same active flea-killing ingredient as Comfortis. Others will surely have other suggestions, but I think there is general agreement that Frontline Plus is losing (or lost) effectiveness.
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My guys each go 2-3 times on a single walk, and we walk twice daily.
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Not to hijack the thread, but what do you look for to determine arthritis? Is it just limping? I ask because Max just turned 12 and one would think he must have some arthritis, but he still walks without limping and actually outpaces Logan on walks. Even if I cannot definitively diagnose arthritis I'm wondering if I should put him on a supplement under the assumption he has some pain given his age.
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What I did with Logan is that as soon as he tried to pull ahead I would stop and wait until he stopped pulling. Do it again until he pulls, stop and wait, and so on. He figured it out pretty quick. As far as weaving back and forth he seemed to stop that on his own.
What I did with Max is, I got him at 10 years old and he was already leash-trained :-)
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Prevention may be better than treatment. I have taken to carrying a nalgene bottle with water in it, along with one of those folding cloth traveling water bowls. Max loves it (I feel bad I have not carried it last year and most of this year), Logan may drink a bit out of it but is not excited by it (Logan prefers to drink directly out of water fountains or lawn sprinklers; Max won't touch those). They don't drink too much (even Max), the most I have had them consume is maybe half of one of the smaller naglene bottles. Two things: water is heavy and the dog probably should not drink too much (bloat risk?), so don't go with the really big (e.g. 1 liter) nalgene bottle; and it is easy to use the cloth bowl as a funnel to pour any unused water back into the nalgene bottle. If you have neighbors watering the lawn you could also obtain refill water from the sprinkler if you run out (not stealing - exigent circumstances :-)
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Max definitely has cataracts, but I would not know how to tell if he has glaucoma; what do you check for visually? Is there anything they can do for glaucoma in dogs?
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That sounds great. 5 min of slooow walking is all I do with my guys when it is hot. They are happy just to get out. And if you do run into a problem less distance to get home. Another thing I sometimes do is go one way, turn around and pass our house the same distance the other way and then back. That way we get four times the maximum distance from our house.
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Both ideas make sense to me. Logan was definitely upset about going in the house. Probably didn't help that I initially assumed Max did it (he is the senior after all), but on the walk Logan ran around frantically for 10-15 min trying to go. He has a hard time normally, and of course since he had emptied in the house it was even harder. He finally got a marble-sized dollop out, and that seemed to relieve him. (Max, meanwhile, had a nice large BM pretty much ruling him out). I did spend more time with them this weekend, only left for about an hour-long shopping trip on Saturday, but he may still have been upset Sunday night.
And, I'm sure he did find the bed comfortable -- I like the reference to "subpar surfaces" :-) Actually, his first use of the couch was like that. I have a ratty green couch I was going to get rid of, but figured when I got Logan I would keep it so that if he liked it that would be "his" couch. But he did not use it for three weeks, stayed on the floor the whole time. About three nights before our bulk garbage day when I was planning to get rid of the couch, I saw Logan start scratching at the living room carpet -- clearly unhappy with it for some reason. Then he turned around and looked at the couch. Walked over to it, put his front paws on it and kneaded it a bit, then jumped up, laid down and looked at me as if to say "Okay?" From then on it was his couch.
BTW, I closed the bedroom door before going to work this morning, so unless he bulls it open (which I will know happened) he won't have access to the bed.
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This one is for the dog whisperers out there. I have had Logan for over 3 years now. He has couch and chair privileges, and has never tried to get on my bed, though there has always been a dog bed in my bedroom, two after I got Max, and he sleeps either there or on the living room couch.
Friday I got home late, just after 8.30 pm rather than more usual 7 pm. I have a dogsitter comes midday. The other difference was my brother, who lives with me, was out of town. So, Logan had done no. 2 in the house. Not surprising, my fault and I did not yell either at him or the situation, cleaned it up and went for the usual walk. Logan was clearly upset about it though. I do think he may have jumped on my bed Friday.
So this evening, I get ready for bed, and go in and find Logan on my bed.I make him get off, no yelling actually thinking its amusing. Go back to finish in the bathroom and he jumps right back on. Happened once more then he went to the living room couch where he usually sleeps.
So my question is, why the sudden attraction of my bed after 3+ years? I actually would not mind him sleeping there except I am on cpap for sleep apnea and do have dog allergy, though no reaction to Logan, so I dont want to get it started. I am thinking it must have something to do with his accident in the house Friday. BTW, he must have really tried to hold it, ended up with about 5 different dirrerhia spots distributed around, really felt bad about it.
Any thoughts on the dog psychology here?
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Max will be turning twelve next week, but he still walks twice a day, usually 0.9-1.7 miles per trip depending on temperature and other factors. He has been panting more during/after the walk and I have been shortening them, and I just bought a Nalgene bottle to carry water along with one of those cloth portable water "bowls".
I can easily understand being nervous about walking Snow, if Max did something squirrelly on a walk like that I would be as well. But you should consider the risk/benefit. It sounds like both you and Snow really like the walks, so if you can go when it is cool enough, maybe start with very short walks and see if she is up to it, it sounds like the risk is low and the benefit is high. I do think Max is healthier because he does walk than he would be if he never got to walk, both physically and mentally. But of course it does depend on the dog.
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Sounds like Snow's response was actually a blessing in disguise, gives you a better handle on her heat limits.
You can't tell which dog will have a problem with heat -- Max is 12 yo and has thick black fur and raced in the midwest, while Logan is 6 and has thin brindle fur and raced in Florida, but Logan is the one that has heat problems. Logan's sensible response to the heat is to stop and lie down, preferably in the shade. He has never done the walking in circles response, though he does drag behind after a while when it is hot. I get annoyed with him about lying down after a while and start encouraging him to get up. (He has stopped panting by this time, he really just likes lying down). What is funny is that Max has now joined in -- when Max gets tired of waiting he will start barking at Logan, and that does usually get him up.
I haven't tried hosing them down, interesting idea -- worth it just to blast them with the hose :-) Logan will actually stop and drink out of an in-ground lawn sprinkler if he is hot and it is running by the sidewalk. I carry a folding dish to catch some of the sprinkler water for Max figuring if Logan is thirsty then so is Max. None of the homeowners have complained so far.
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Your suggestion to walk at night is a good one. For my brindle, he really hates the sun and will walk longer at night even if the temperature is high. For the black dog, well, black fur is a solar absorber, much safer to walk him at night. And, the dogs seem to like walking at night, there are probably animals out that they notice but I miss. They may also like it if you bring some water with you for them, if you are ok with carrying that weight. I sometimes let them drink from in-ground lawn sprinklers, but would probably be better to have water whose quality is known.
On the hypoallergenic aspect, I can only speak for myself. I have some dog allergies, but find I am much better with greyhounds. However, it also depends on the greyhound. I adopted Logan (the brindle) first, and had no reaction at all to him, he might as well be a hypoallergenic stuffed animal from my allergies standpoint. He has fairly "hard" fur with almost no undercoat. On the other hand, when I adopted Max who has softer fur and more of an undercoat I do get some allergic reaction although it is still much better than with most other dogs. So from my anecdotal experience I would say that yes, greyhounds may be better for an allergic person than other breeds but you need to test it for yourself, and also that you may want to look at more than one greyhound in that regard as they have different types of fur/coats. My guess is that most allergic people would be better off with a greyhound with "harder" fur and minimal undercoat, but that could be individual to me.
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A greyhound can easily be a walking partner for 2-3 miles per day. Just remember, though, that the temperature sensitivity is to warm weather as well as to cold. In fact, cold is usually better since they just wear a coat. But especially if you adopt in August, which is the hottest month (unless you are an Aussie?), you will need to work the dog up to 2-3 miles, and some greyhounds may simply not be able to do that much in the hot summer. For instance, it was in the low 90's today in Cleveland and I kept my guys to only 0.75 mile this morning and something less than that in the evening, and even that was pushing it. Keep in mind that most greyhounds do not understand about limiting their walk -- my brindle in particular is stubborn and refuses to turn around, even though he clearly is tiring. So you need to be aware of the dog's condition and not assume the dog will tell you when to stop.
Also, make sure to tell the adoption agency you want an active dog, they can help out a lot there by helping you select the right dog.
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I can't honestly say Logan is happier with Max around. He might be, he might not. They do compete for food and contact, and Logan definitely gets jealous sometimes, so I'm sure Logan sees downsides to having Max around. On the other hand, they get along in the sense that they ride together in the back seat of the car and hang out together in the living room (but virtually never in contact with each other). They greet/sniff each other in the morning (Logan often sleeps on the couch in the living room and Max always in my bedroom, their choices). They are alone from about 9 am to 7 pm with a dog walker coming midday and my brother coming home around 4:30, but I can't tell whether Logan is happy to have the company -- he was ok before I got Max.
I will probably learn more when Max passes and I see how it affects Logan (not to be morbid here, but Max is almost 12 and Logan is 6, so this is the likely sequence). That age difference is also probably a factor in their limited interactions -- when Logan runs in the backyard Max tends to look nervous because he knows he cannot keep up.
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Hmmm, so my guys could be tick-free and minty fresh? Actually that might not be a bad choice, they only go to the city park and stay on the trail (except moving into the brush to smell) so not heavily exposed, and they are already protected against fleas and worms. I recall reading elsewhere here that trifexis might actually also work against ticks, just not for four full weeks. So maybe spraying them with a shot of mint/clove oil about three weeks in would be that extra safety measure.
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Thanks for the suggestions. I may switch to Bravecto when the Trifexis runs out, but I hate doing it now. Besides the cost, since fall 2015 they have been switched from Frontline Plus to Capstar, Comfortis, and now Trifexis. I think it would be better for them to stay on the same thing for a few months. I also get nervous about something that is expected to last 4 months -- if they vomit it back up a few hours later, are they dosed or not? I may try the seresto collar, but I think Logan's problem may be more the physical abrasion of the collar rather than an allergic reaction. I took the preventic collar off him for a few days, the rash healed, then I put it back on very loosely, but the rash came back.
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I have Logan and Max on Trifexis, which handles worms and fleas but not ticks. Plan was to keep them on preventic collars for ticks. But, Logan develops a neck rash from the preventic collar. Max is fine with it.
So, what other tick preventative could I use for Logan? I'd like to stick with the Trifexis since it seems to work and I have a full summer/fall supply.
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I got Max at 10 years old, and he was snarky with other dogs (not Logan) from the day I got him. At his age, I figure its his right, so I don't do anything except try to keep distance. I do point out to him that since he has lost about half his teeth he really shouldn't be getting into it with dogs that are bigger than him, but of course he doesn't understand English. Others will have better suggestions, but I suspect the best thing is to act like it doesn't matter -- if you get excited when he gets excited at another dog it will just create positive feedback for him to do it more.
BTW, I fit two male greys in the back seat of a Ford Fusion, with the seat folded down, so it can be done :-)
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I think your question is slightly misplaced. There is a big difference between getting along with other stranger dogs, and getting along with other dogs in the same "pack". So when you ask, for those that have/had two males together, how do you get them to just get along? - the answer is they usually get along very well - but they may still have problems with other stranger dogs. So I think your question should be: "For those who have/had a male dog, how does it react to other male dogs on a walk?" (Unless you are really trying to convince yourself it is ok to get another male grey :-)
In my case, Logan and Max get along with each other very well. I had a brief (maybe three second) fight about a week after bringing Max home, and then they had things worked out and have never fought again, although as Max gets older he is being more submissive to Logan. On the other hand, both dogs (and especially Max) will often react to male dogs they meet during walks, especially if the dog is large and/or moves toward my dogs. Those dogs are not part of the "pack", and may therefore be a threat to which they feel they must react.
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We reduce distance a lot above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. At most we go about 1 mile in the morning and maybe 1.5 miles at night, if it is late evening and has cooled down and is shady. In the sun I may not go farther than 0.3 miles or less, basically partway down one street. Logan (the young dog) is my "timer" -- he gets tired and lays down, and good luck getting him back up. Unfortunately he does not understand that he needs to turn around before he reaches his limit, and it can be very hard to turn him to turn back -- but if I don't then he tires out and lays down and getting him moving to go back home is near impossible.
Max (almost 12 yo) is actually much better with the heat, and it is amusing that he gets upset with Logan for stopping the walk. I figure that Logan provides a good check -- if Logan finds it is too long it is probably not safe for senior Max.
So basically, for my dogs I would say 70s or hotter with sun we are going 0.5 mile or less. 70's or hotter in shade might go up to a mile to a mile and a half. Needs to be in the 60's or lower before we go up to 2 miles or more in a single trip.
I think the humidity is also a big factor, Logan really hates warm humid air.
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FWIW, Max just went through a similar bout, though maybe not as bad. Initially diagnosed as a sprain, turned out to be a puncture wound that was abscessing. I don't think either would show up on an x-ray, though the vets here may correct me on that. BTW, I have no idea how he got the puncture wound.
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The move to South America -- would that be in the "about one month ago" timeframe?
Glucosamine For Not-Too-Bad Off Senior Gh? And The Younger Guy?
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
Thanks for the comments. I think I am going to go for it with both dogs.
Online looks like most of the glucosomine supplements are 1500 mg, a few lower, with the following ingredients: Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM. Some specify glucosamine sulfate. The most detailed one I found specified 750mg of glucosamine sulfate, 600mg of chondroitin sulfate, and 500mg of MSM. Are any of these additives (the chondoitin and/or the MSM) things that should be avoided for dogs (or especially good for dogs)?
Thanks again,