feemandvm

Keep checking in on the site... it is a glitch that it says registration has closed. It will "open" sometime soon... I"ll try to post an update when I get one.

Copied from the GreytVet list: Just saw this posting at the Ohio State's CE website - https://vetmedce.osu.edu/ceactivities/confe...p;eventID=39027 Greyhound Health and Wellness Conference 3/6/2010 8:30 AM The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine The First Annual OSU Greyhound Health and Wellness Conference will present valuable medical and surgical information for Greyhound owners, adopters, trainers, and for veterinarians involved in the care of Greyhounds. Topics will include idiosyncrasies in Greyhound lab work and imaging (X-rays and ultrasound), anesthesia, and bone cancer (both from the owners' and oncologists' perspectives), among others. There will be a joint morning session for the whole group; the afternoon sessions will be separate for owners/adopters and for veterinarians.

You really only look at a urine creatinine in a "Urine protein/creatinine ratio"... not as a stand alone level. Greyhounds have higher blood levels of creatinine than other dogs but this does not influence urine creatinine levels. Thus a Greyhound UPC ratio would be the same as any other dog. : ) Hope that helps!

Definitely get her BP checked. My old rescue has GN and I treated her hypertension, her UA and bloodwork normalized. : ) (knock on wood). She is on Enalapril, Spironolactone, fatty acid supplementation and I did have her on a low protein food (kidney diet) but had to change her due to food allergies and she now eats Z/D. She also gets Dasuquin once a day and Duralactin twice a day (both non GN related). The link above is the one I always share from veterinary partner. Great link!

When ever you read a paper on ANY Greyhound lab abnormality (low thyroid levels, low WBCs, low platelets, high creatinines) these are trends and not hard rules. A Greyhound MAY have a level of WBCs as low as 2,000/ul and still be normal... but that is not to say that EVERY Greyhound with a WBC count of 2,000 is normal. If the dog is otherwise healthy then it likely is normal and a simple follow-up may be all that is required. A WBC count of 2,000 in a sick Greyhound with a 105 degree fever would be very concerning to me. Same thing with hte other lab values. A drop from 6.9 to 3.69 does not imply a "problem" but I would likely repeat the WBC count in another few weeks just to see if it is "stable".

Best vet I've ever had the privilege of working with and/or learning from. He is a brillant vet but an even better man and father. Really there isn't enough space to write all the good things about him. : )

You could try a "DAP" collar to see if that helps with some of his depression. Any recent bloodwork to see if anything has changed? Also if he is still having ortho issues... Dr. Dyce at OSU is the best I've ever seen. If you believe in them... you could always have him evaluated by an animal communicator if there is a good one in your area. Wish I had some earth shattering idea but it sounds like a tough one.

I read this email in the Yahoo group "Greyt vets". It was not made by anyone affiliated by OSU: Hello fellow Veterinarians, Veterinary Technicians and Greyhound Adoption Volunteers, I am emailing the group as an appeal to keep the OSU Greyhound Health & Wellness Program alive and thriving. Rumor has it that the money in the program is at an all time low. This is not surprising due to the state of our economy and budget cuts across the board for all Universities in the country. I personally could not imagine greyhound practice w/out the use of this program and the assistance I receive from Dr Couto and his staff at OSU. As I searched the OSU Greyhound Health & Wellness site I found out just how easy it was to make a donation to this valuable program. All I had to do was click on the site below, fill in the info and the donation comes right from my credit card. Please join me in keeping this program alive. https://www.giveto.osu.edu/igive/OnlineGivi...amp;Fund=310050

You could certainly increase her fatty acid supplementation. Most of the 1000mg fish oil capsules only contain about 180 of EPA when you look at the label. A dog could take 1 capsule per 10 lbs. of body weight as a good dose. Problem is they get a lot of "extra" stuff taking that many 6-8 capsules per day so I prefer to stick with more concentrated or balanced products like 3V caps, 3V HP caps or Nordic Naturals cod liver oil. There are many other good supplements such as Wellactin but I don't have room to list all the good ones. You just have to be careful not to go out to Sam's and simply shop for the best price on vitamins or supplements b/c they may or may not contain what is reported on teh label. If you want to use a supplement, stick with a company you or your vet trusts and maybe pay a little extra if necessary. Personally... I think vitamin supplements are a waste if the dog is on a good quality kibble. Glucosamine or fatty acids are different, however.

I used the Artemisinin from Holley Pharmaceuticals as well and have recommended it to others. To date we really don't know if it helps or not... we only know it works against cancer in the lab... not proven in the dog yet. But I figure it can't hurt so why not???

How old is she? Has she had x-rays? In a lame greyhound with pain over the femur you want to make sure there is no evidence of osteosarcoma.

In theory, fish oil supplements are thought to be less likely to contain significant levels of mercury then eating real fish... but that doesn't mean that they could not. Clearly if companies are willing to put products on the market that fail to contain what their label says, it wouldn't shock me to find out that a company cut some steps out in trying to save money and COULD allow higher levels of mercury. Again... the government does not regulate these types of products the way that they do prescription drugs. So for me if I am dealing with vitamins, glucosamine, fish oil, etc. I am going to use a company I trust and prefer for them to have research on their own product vs. generic fish oil or generic glucosamine research. Consumber labs does a good job of testing various products and their finding also echoed the lack of mercury toxicity in fish oil caps... but again they only tested 51 products... and there are probably thousands on the market. http://www.consumerlab.com/results/omega3.asp I also take a fish oil product myself... but I did a lot of research before deciding on what product I would use. Just a quick note from a recent vet journal: "Regulation of animal dietary supplements is in "disarray," according to a new report from the National Research Council. Teh report, requested by teh FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, says the growing use of such supplements has raised several concerns, including the safety of specific supplements and approaches to determine their safeness."

Both DES and Proin can have serious side effects although the significant ones are rare (at least if you dose the hounds at a lower level for PPA). http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=487 http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=614 http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1724

Just remember that this is only theory... no data to support it. Not saying you are right or wrong... but some veterinary immunologists argue that senior pets need vaccines more than young adults b/c their immune system is not as strong and they are more dependent on active circulating antibodies stimulated by vaccines. If you think about the flu vaccine, it is highly recommended for the young and elderly moreso then young adults. On the other side of the argument, an animal that has been consistently vaccinated should have plenty of "memory" cells and the reminders really may not be all that beneificial. To further support that argument, I've never diagnosed parvovirus in a senior animal. So... for now I vaccinate mine q 3 years and while I do wonder if there is a "cut-off point"... b/c we don't know... IMHO the risk of vaccinating every 3 years is very low and the risk of stopping is really unknown (maybe higher maybe lower). Until we know, I guess I'm sticking with what we know for sure is safe. Again not saying I'm right or wrong (there is no right or wrong on this subject)... just explaining the other side of the argument.

If you feed a good food, vitamin supplements are not necessary. The only things I will generally add outside of teh diet are fatty acids and glucosamine. With any vitamin/glucosamine/fatty acid product you have to be careful about the source you are using as the government does nto regulate them the same way they do prescription drugs. Many substances do not have in them what is guaranteed on teh label and when you are dealing with fish oils you have to worry about mercury levels as well. When using Fatty acids I prefer to stick to companies I trust and products like 3v caps or 3v HP caps (made by DVM), Wellactin (made by Nutramaxx) or Nordic Naturals (this is actually where i get the fatty acid supplement I take personally). I would ask your vet if they think adding a fatty acid is worth while or if the IBD would have them recommending against it.

You probably won't want to give your dog your husband's medication if insurance is helping with it. Odds are they won't find out but if they did... it could be considered insurance fraud. The big plus is that you don't need your husband's insurance to get Meloxicam for $4. It is on Wal-marts and I'm sure many others $4 prescription plans. All you have to do is ask your vet to call in a prescription or write one for you. Then you have no worries and everything is legit and you are still only paying $4 for a much longer than 1 month supply. The primary downside of human Meloxicam vs. the veterinary liquid is dosing. Meloxicam has a very narrow dosing range so you don't have much flexibility in dosing. It is always safer to underdose a drug vs. overdose it so a high percentage of dogs will get 60-80% of the dose that they could receive if they were on the veterinary product. Doesn't mean it isn't worth using the human product... just explaining the difference.

Depends on the drugs and protocols being used. IT could range from a few hundred dollars for oral only less effective chemotherapy to thousands of dollars for IV chemo.

How human pharmacies decide to charge for medications is beyond me. They lose money on the $4 prescriptions b/c by the time they pay for the drug, pay someone to fill it, stock it, etc. they are already in for more than $4. However, they have some prescriptions like Ciprofloxacin that is one of the cheapest antibiotics on the market that cost over $100 for a short prescription. ???? Most veterinary pharmacies have flat mark-up rate above the cost of the drug to pay for expenses and generate a profit. Human pharmacies clearly no longer apply a similar formula but why they decide to lose money on one prescription and then turn around and mark another up from $5 cost to $120 charge is beyond me. As for the comments above... what did the $450 estimate include? Preanesthetic bloodwork? IV catheter? Extractions? Dental x-rays? Propofol anesthesia? Simply looking at a dollar sign to decide whether or not to pursue a teeth cleaning is a HUGE mistake. Not all dentals are created equal. Just because one is more expensive doesn't mean it is better either... but you need to find out what is incorporated into each estimate. This is going to sound harsh but I think it needs to be said. If your attitude of "If that is how much my current vet charges, then I guess my dogs are never getting a dental" is real then you should consider owning a breed other than a Greyhound (or maybe not owning a pet). Greys have notoriously bad teeth and not taking care of them with appropriate cleanings if needed is unfair to the animal.

So was his tCO2 (bicarbonate) 27? Normal at our lab is 17-24. A level of 27 wouldn't be overly concerning but I would recheck the level in a couple of weeks. If ti was persistently high or getting higher then I'd consider working thingis up further.

Thank you Dr Feeman. The manufacturer only asked questions of the owner and of the veterinarian and to my knowledge did not make any suggestions. If the vet contacts them... they will be connected to the medical services dept. and they should be able to answer if any other similar problems have been reported.

As previous poster noted... black stools would indicate an upper GI bleed (stomach or upper small intestine). That is a very serious and potentially life threatening problem. The fact that she cannot maintain a normal body temperature is also very concerning. It is good that x-rays were done and ruled out an obstruction but there is still cause for other concerns. What should be done? 1. Baseline bloodwork: CBC, profile, PLI (this is a test for pancreatitis). An elevated BUN and low red blood cell count would be typical of ulceration. 2. Medication: without doing an examination it is hard to comment specifically... but I would strongly consider Carafate (already on) 1/2 tablet 3x/day given 30 minutes before Famotidine. Famotidine 2x/day (this is generic for Pepcid AC) Metronidazole 2x/day antibiotic for diarrhea Cerenia 1x/day for nausea/vomiting IV fluids and heated cage until able to maintain body temperature 3. Get a 2nd opinion at your vet. Not saying the 1st vet did anything wrong, sometimes just getting a 2nd set of eyes on a case is beneficial. We don't use Vectra at our clinic but I've not heard of any reactions like that. What did the mfg say?

Was it a Banfield practice? Rabies should be given every 3 years. I would be surprised if NY requires annual. There is no good reason to give an annual rabies if your state allows 3 year rabies. The other vaccines do depend on exposure. I would still do the DHPP every 3 years and the Lepto annually if at risk in your area. A lot of people decide not to vaccinate at a certain age... keep in mind that there is no evidence anywhere to support the idea that an X year old dog is "immune" to distemper, parvovirus, etc. Could the dog be OK? Sure... but you are "flying blind" as there is no evidence to support that and some immunologists believe (like in people) vaccines are more important in very young and very old patients. In my own pets... I don't have any "cut off dates" for vaccines age wise. I simply practice the extended vaccine protocols recommended by pretty much every veterinary university and most veterinary organizations.

Greyt post! Would really echo my initial questions!

How "high" was the result? Was the pup fasted for 12-18 hours before the blood draw?

That does sound pretty steep to me. I would keep a copy of your invoice and take it to your regular vets so they know what their clients have to pay when they are out of town. In the future, maybe they would be willing to hire a relief vet to see appts. instead of referring. Just a thought.