feemandvm

I'd go for the root canal myself... but only if a dental specialist did it. If I couldn't get to a true board certified dental specialist... then I'd have it extracted.

RMSF causes acute life threatening disease... it is not a TBD that lingers and causes chronic disease like some of the others can. Dogs get RMSF get sick and pass away or they get treated and live. Dogs with RMSF show DRAMATIC improvement in just a few days to treatment (normally Doxy or a fluroquinolone). Most dogs with RMSF will have a low platelet count. Was one checked? What lab was used for the test? I don't actually see much RMSF at my practice so if your vet is not used to seeing it, it may be worth contacting the lab where the test was run to consult on the case. If the test was run at NC State then the TBD specialists can help you determine if the elevation is "significant".

Not true. If a dog has MH it will produce a life threatening hypERthermia every time it is exposed to the gas anesthesia triggering the episode. A lot of GHs are misdiagnosed as having malignant hyperthermia when they truly have non-MH. See below for the difference: http://animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com/lib...yperthermia.pdf Is the mechanism different in dogs than in humans? I'm not challenging you; I thought the mutation was the same in humans as in other animals. The reason I ask (emphasis mine): http://anes.usuhs.mil/mh_primer.htm "The ability to recognize a clinical episode of MH is complicated by its rare occurrence, nonspecific signs, lack of non invasive screening test and by the fact that susceptible patients may not trigger with every exposure to triggering agents." (Sheila M. Muldoon, M.D. Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences) From the NIH: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?...ene.chapter.mhs "Of note, an MH episode may not occur with every exposure to "trigger" agents. Clinical manifestation may depend on genetic predisposition, dose of trigger agents, or duration of exposure." ( Henry Rosenberg, MD, Professor, Saint George's University, President, Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States) From the J. Anesthesiology: "Some of the complexities in the presentation of MH may be caused by the heterogenetic nature of the disorder. [7-10] Not only have several mutations been identified in RYR1 that may cause various phenotypes of MH, but as many as five chromosomes have been suggested to encode proteins that potentially cause MH. [10] Furthermore, certain factors can modify the expression of the syndrome, because heterozygous humans, [11] and even swine homozygous for the porcine MH mutation, [12] do not exhibit the syndrome at every exposure to a triggering anesthesia." (May, 1999: ATX II, A Sodium Channel Toxin, Sensitizes Skeletal Muscle to Halothane, Caffeine, and Ryanodine.) I really can't say anything about humans as I don't know much about MH in other species. However, in dogs we do know that the underlying cause is an autosomal dominant trait and should trigger with each anesthetic episode.

You need to clean out your in box... I tried to PM you back but your box is full. Here was my reply: Nothing jumps out at me as being "diagnostic". Dr. Kellogg really likes dermatology issues so she would be a good person to see! It doesn't seem like a corn to me but w/o an examination it would be hard to guess what else it could be. I'd get in to see Dr. Kellogg and then go from there!

Several thoughts: 1. Ask your vet if your pup could be at risk for Lepto in your area. In NE Ohio it si a risk. It is not a problem throughout the US. 2. Lepto vaccines are only good for 1 year at most. This isn't going to change with more research unless they figure out a way to improve the vaccine. 3. Vaccinating your dog for Lepto cannot protect against every strain of Leptospirosis. There are species that can cause disease not included in the vaccination. 4. Lepto vaccine has been implicated as being more reactive than other vaccines such as parvo, distemper, etc. 5. Lepto is zoonotic and not only potentially fatal to the pet but spreadable and potentially fatal to humans in the house. 6. Lepto is normally treated with both Amoxicillin and Doxycycline.

Larger teeth including molars and premolars really should be sutured if at all possible. Sometimes if the gingival recession is really bad there may not be enough healthy tissue to suture but that is really the only good reason not to suture (I suppose there may be others but not many). Humans are not always sutured because we can use things like water picks, etc. to keep sockets clean. Dogs will get food, fecal material, etc. wedged up into a socket and not allow it to heal or worse heal over it and create an abscess. When premolars and molars are removed bone is often drilled away and the sockets can be packed with material to encourage boney healing but it is only effective if it is sutured into the pocket. When left open the material would simply fall out.

Not true. If a dog has MH it will produce a life threatening hypERthermia every time it is exposed to the gas anesthesia triggering the episode. A lot of GHs are misdiagnosed as having malignant hyperthermia when they truly have non-MH. See below for the difference: http://animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com/lib...yperthermia.pdf

http://animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com/lib...y%20Failure.pdf

I wouldn't recommend "masking" down a dog. It is more stressful for the dog as they fight it at the end. I know a lot of vets used to think it was the best protocol b/c there is no injectable to "wear off" and you only have the gas but what they found is that it is actually more dangerous and harder on the heart. If you want a shorter acting anesthetic, substitute Propofol for the Ketamine/Valium. I still like to use a premedication b/c I think the dogs go down and wake up better than with gas alone or with Propofol alone followed by gas but that is just my own preference.

I'd get him to the vet personally for a good thorough abdominal examination and a baseline x-ray. I agree with your vet about corn cobs being notorious for obstruction. We've seen them several times. Any prominent abdominal pain, unproductive vomiting, etc. would warrant a trip to the ER ASAP.

Several things: 1. The blood testing you can do for food allergies is VERY inaccurate so I would basically ignore those test results. The environmental allergens are likely significant and would need to be addressed. 2. I would consider a trial of hypoallergenic food, my personal preference is for Hill's SD Z/D or Purina HA. Many other options exist but I really like the hydrolyzed protein diets. 3. Try to control the itching with medications such as fatty acid supplementation (give 10mg of EPA per 10 lbs. of body weight... I normally use 3V HP caps to accomplish this), anti-histamines, shampoos and rinses. If these combinations are not working you can ask your vet about Atopica which is an effective but very $$$ treatment option. : ( Sounds like he did NOT do well on the steroids! 4. If possible, you may want to consult with a dermatologist to help decide if you think the skin problems are related to a low thyroid level. The problem is that the test results could be compatible with hypothyroidism or a non-thyroidal illness that is suppressing thyroid function. A skin specialist may be able to help you sort that out a bit easier. 5. Side effects with Soloxine are generally rare. Here is what is listed in the drug book: Adverse Effects/Warnings When administered at an appropriate dose to patients requiring thyroid hormone replacement, there should not be any adverse effects associated with therapy. For adverse effects associated with overdosage, see below. Overdosage Chronic overdosage will produce symptoms of hyperthyroidism, including tachycardia, polyphagia, PU/PD, excitability, nervousness and excessive panting. Dosage should be reduced and/or temporarily withheld until symptoms subside. Some (10%?) cats may exhibit symptoms of "apathetic" (listlessness, anorexia, etc.) hyperthyroidism. A single acute overdose in small animals is less likely to cause severe thyrotoxicosis than with chronic overdosage. Vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity to lethargy, hypertension, tachycardia, tachypnea, dyspnea, and abnormal pupillary light reflexes may be noted in dogs or cats. In dogs, clinical signs may appear within 1-9 hours after ingestion. If ingestion occurred within 2 hours, treatment to reduce absorption of drug should be accomplished using standard protocols (emetics, cathartics, charcoal) unless contraindicated by the patient's condition. Treatment is supportive and symptomatic. Oxygen, artificial ventilation, cardiac glycosides, beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol), fluids, dextrose and antipyretic agents have all been suggested for use if necessary. It is recommended to contact a veterinary poison control center for further guidance. 6. With all hte changes that you described in your PM... I would consider thyroid supplementation in my own dog if I were in that scenario. Obviously I can't diagnose him on-line but if seeing a dermatologist wasn't a possiblity... then I would likely opt for trial therapy. PM me back if you have more questions. I replied to the message board b/c I needed to review his thyroid panel.

Here is Carol Macherey's article. http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/osteosarcoma.htm

I would be very hesitant to pursue a raw diet for a dog on chemotherapy. If you decide to do this it is something that your oncologist would need to know about!

The thyroid results as a stand alone are unremarkable for a Greyhound for me. What you need to know is how many signs does the hound have that can be attributed to hypothyroidism and how sure are we that hypothyroidism is the primary cause? Now you are starting to see why this diagnosis in hounds can be very hard!

http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=575 This link should get you started with some basic information.

I AGREE. I would not rule out hypothyroid and would keep him on the meds to see how he does. If it the meds work, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY!!!!! Well, it DOES matter what the numbers say, to a point. I could give any healthy dog a supplement of soloxine and probably see improvement in hair growth, stamina... because that's what the drug does. But why give a dog not hypothyroid something it doesn't need? Bauer was diagnosed hypothyroid, and ended up dying shortly after of hemangiosarcoma. His numbers weren't super low, but we saw what we thought were some 'symptoms' - lethargy, etc. I can't help but think now that the low thyroid was only a symptom of the cancer - and while the soloxine made him feel bettern on some counts, it did nothing for the ACTUAL problem. Had we really paid attention to his numbers, instead of finding something that worked for some symptoms, we might have dug a little deeper and found the real cause. What I'm saying is that soloxine will cause certain results that will make people think it is "working". But that's NOT a real indication that the dog needs the medication in all cases. Which is why hypothyroidism is so difficult to diagnose and treat. I'd say in Monty's case, given everything, there's a good chance he is hypothyroid, but it always helps to rule out any other possibility. Great reply and I couldn't agree more. The numbers really do matter! Here is what makes this a tough case. Monty does have low thyroid levels, however not so low that they couldn't be in line with what is normal for a Greyhound. Also, his TSH is normal and his cholesterol (not listed above) was normal. A high percentage of dogs that are hypothyroid will have both an elevated TSH and cholesterol level. If I was only given this thyroid result with no history I would say not hypothyroid. The tough part is that not every dog that is hypothyroid will have an elevated TSH or cholesterol level. So although some Greyhounds may have "normal" levels compatible with Monty's numbers... what if Monty's normal levels are actually in the normal range for other dogs and now they are low because of hypothyroidism? Several of his signs COULD be compatible with hypothyroidism although as noted above maybe they are related to something else. This is where things get confusing... how do you know? Well, Monty has already seen teh dermatologist which is the most logical next step. If the derm vet says it doesn't look like hypothyroidism then I would pursue testing recommended by the derm vet (likely skin biopsy/culture). If the derm vet says a trial of soloxine is indicated... then I'd likely pursue that as a next step. Clear as mud, right?

Here is a video of a tripod following front leg amputation (actually taken at OSU). http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/2108.htm They really do amazingly well. As others stated, ask about Artemisinin and when/if to start it. Depending on the chemo protocol you may see vomiting, diarrhea or anorexia although these only occur in about 20% of patients receiving chemotherapy. My own greyhound did have some anorexia and diarrhea wtih chemo that we treated and got him through. There truly is no better place for a Greyhound with cancer than Ohio State. Some owners travel all the way from Florida and even further to see Dr. Couto. He is truly the best vet I know, the most Greyhound savvy vet I know and one of the nicest people I know. There really isn't enough good things to say about him!

I know we discussed things earlier in PMs but don't completely rule out hypothyroidism yet. The bloodwork for me was also normal for a Greyhound but it doesn't mean that he couldn't be hypothyroid. Not every dog with hypothyroidism has an elevated TSH. One of the biggest things that I see as a difference between your hound and so many others that I read about on GT that are diagnosed is that your hound actually has signs that could be attributable to hypothyroidism. The derm vet should have been able to give you a pretty good opinion on if that was likely or not. A skin biopsy is certainly a viable option but if it is unremarkable or indicates an "endocrinopathy" I would still consider a trial of thyroid meds to see if signs improve. I'm not on GT as much as I used to be so feel free to PM me if this doesn't make sense.

Remember not to take these blood values as gospel! The commercial lab we use has normal thyroid levels of 0.5-2.0 for ANY breed of dog... so a creatinine of 2.2 in a Greyhound at our lab would be perfectly in line with their normal levels. http://www.animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com...y%20Failure.pdf

The most critical tartar in an animals mouth and I would also assume a humans's is the subgingival tartar. Humans go in and get their teeth cleaned every 6 months and it is a true "prophy" to some extent b/c most humans don't actually have calculus on their teeth or periodontal disease with each cleaning. We call them prophys in veterinary medicine but the term is inaccurate. No-one actually gets their dogs teeth cleaned when it would actually be a prophy. We wait until they develop mild periodontal disease (we hope not severe) and then clean them. Now anesthetic free cleaning will clean under the gumline. So by cleaning the crown of the tooth you lull yourself into a false sense of security because the teeth "look good". Therein lies one of the real dangers in these cleanings. As for humans and their teeth... honestly I am not qualified to answer questions on human disease or cleanings but I would also assume that subgingival tartar is also very important... just that it may be less of an issue in SOME humans as we brush 2-3 times/day, floss daily and get cleanings done every 6 months.

If I rescued a female I would spay her at any age. I would much rather spay a healthy 10 year old female Greyhound then spay a sick and septic 11 year old Greyhound with a uterus full of puss. Will 100% of intact females go to a pyo? No. But a high enough percentage will that I wouldn't risk it unless the dog was such a poor anesethetic risk that I wasn't comfortable anesthetizing them for any reason. spaying at this age won't prevent mammary cancer but it will prevent ovarian or uterine cancer and it will prevent pyometra.

Many things can help with keeping the teeth clean: 1. Daily brushing 2. Water additives such as OxyFresh 3. Various chews (raw meaty bones, greenies, etc.) 4. Dental diets One thing that should not be on anyone's list are anesthetic free cleanings. If you are interested in whitening your dogs smile then by all means pursue this option. If you are interested in the medical benefits of cleaning your pet's teeth, do not! Anesthetic free cleanings are NOT able to clean under the gumline where the most important tartar is accumulating. You cannot accurately probe or examine teeth to look for periodontal pockets or other evidence of disease in an awake animal no matter how good they are. On the surface people want to pursue these options out of a fear of anesthesia or a lower cost. People are mislead to believe that this is a good alternative to a true cleaning in an anesthetized patient. In reality the cleaning makes the teeth look bettter while leaving the most important tartar behind. The benefits of longer life, lower incidence of kidney/liver/heart disease, etc. are completely missed by an anesthetic free cleaning. If people truly understood what they were getting with this procedure, no-one would pursue it. Here is the real kicker... not only does an anesthetic free cleaning leave behind the most important tartar but it also scratches the tooth making it more suseptible to disease in the future unless the person cleaning the teeth spends a good amount of time doing a good polishing on every surface of the tooth. Final point... I would have a real problem subjecting my own hound to a procedure that every specialist in that field felt was bad! If every veterinary pharmacologist said that Rimadyl was dangerous I would never use it on my hound. If every veterinary internal medicine specialist agreed that Brand X vaccines were harmful I would never use them. Every board certified veterinary dentist believes that anesthetic free cleanings are a bad idea so why is it again that they are done? If the argument is that "Well I've done it for years and never had a problem" then my reply will be that I've heard that line from owners as to why they will continue to feed Ol Roy or Kibbles and Bits. I heard that same line from another owner that periodically gave their dog ADVIL for arthritis. I tried to show this owner that it is TOXIC (in some cases in a single dose) but she's "always done it and never had a problem". A member of GT has in their signature that "the plural of anecdote is not data" and I can't think of anything more fitting in this case! http://avdc.org/position-statements.html#cadswa

A free T4 of 0 would certainly be suggestive of hypothyroidism regardless of breed. HOWEVER, keep this in mind from a peer reviewed veterinary reference: Thyroid Function Testing in Greyhounds Sm Anim Clin Endocrinol 12[1]:4 Jan-Apr'02 Review Article 0 Refs C.B. Chastain, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM (Editor) & Dave Panciera, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM (Assoc. Editor) Sm An Clin Endo Gaughan KR, Bruyette DS.; Am J Vet Res 2001; 62:1130-1133 CLINICAL IMPACT: This study shows that serum T4 and fT4 concentrations in greyhounds are considerably lower than in non-greyhound dogs and clearly demonstrates the difficulty in diagnosing hypothyroidism in this breed. The lower limit of the reference range for T4 and fT4 concentrations in greyhounds is near the lower sensitivity of the assays. Therefore, it may be impossible to establish a diagnosis of hypothyroidism based solely on these hormones. Because the serum TSH concentration was similar to that of other breeds, an elevated cTSH combined with T4 and fT4 concentrations at the low end of the reference range combined with appropriate clinical signs is necessary to diagnose hypothyroidism in greyhounds. Dynamic testing using TSH or TRH stimulation testing may also be useful, but less practical. Testing when appropriate clinical signs are present is of particular importance in greyhounds. Caudal thigh alopecia, common in greyhounds, is not caused by hypothyroidism, and infertility is likely to be only infrequently caused by hypothyroidism in female dogs. Exogenous testosterone used to suppress the estrous cycle does not appear to alter basal serum concentrations of T4, fT4, or c-TSH, but responses to TSH or TRH stimulation may be increased by testosterone administration. One of the keys of this paper was to show that a NORMAL Greyhound thyroid can be as low as some of the tests are even capable of detecting!!! Also, if there are NO clinical signs to monitor, how will you know if she is benefitting from treatment? In my opinion, if there are no clinical signs I wouldn't treat. I could make an argument that 0 could justify treatment but I wouldn't treat my own hound unless they also had an elevated TSH or clinical signs that fit with hypothyroidism. Just my $0.02!

We know that hte recalled food does not cause a protein losing nephropathy (PLN) (the type of kidney disease that your pup has). However, it may have worsened her kidney disease since the kidneys were already compromised. Does that make sense? We also know that Erhlichia can cause thrombocytopenia and PLN so was her Ehrlichia titer treated? http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1352

How low were her platelet counts? What are her kidney levels? If she only got some food here and there of the recalled food... her "kidney problems" may have nothing to do with the food at all. Was a urinalysis performed?