feemandvm

Can you list the results of the thyroid panel? A full thyroid panel should include the following: Total T4 Free T4 (ideally measured by equilibrium dialysis) Thyroid Stimulating Hormone There will likely be other measurements of T3 and T3T4 autoantibody, etc. but the above levels are the most important. Also wanted to add that although seizures are listed as a symptom of hypothyroidism... this relationship is actually poorly defined and many internists believe it is an urban legend. Back when this cause/effect was discussed, it was before we had an understanding of sick euthyroid syndrome and that various diseases can lower the thyroid levels without the animal truly being hypothyroid. Alternatively, if you can't post the levels or even if you can... you could have the labs faxed to Ohio State's Greyhound group for a quick consult.

I guess I'm missing something here myself. If the teeth are "in good shape" then a cleaning isn't going to strengthen them. I'm also not sure what was meant by "Greyhounds tend to have weak teeth". They are predisposed to periodontal disease but the term "weak" seems odd to me.

How low was the blood sugar? Low blood sugar can cause a seizure... however, if the blood sample is not spun down soon after being drawn... this can result ina falsely low blood sugar. I'd get the blood sugar rechecked and if still low have the lab run an insulin level. You'll need to do an "Amended insulin:glucose ratio" to determine if the insulin level is significant. If a recheck of the blood sugar is low, email me for more details. I'd also pursue a thyroid panel via Michigan State before diagnosing hypothyroidism.

I think the bloodwork sounds really inexpensive. CBC, profile are often about $100 by themselves. A TBD panel to NC State can cost more than that by the time you pay for shipping, etc. I would question whether or not you need a tick panel. If general bloodwork is good and he is healthy... how would you interpret a positive result? Would you treat w/o any indication that there was actually an infection? Remember the test does not test for infection... only the body's response to exposure.

Fleas won't live outside in the winter (at least not in OH or NY) but if your dog comes across another dog wtih fleas they can still get them. It is less common but we do see it. Sentinel provides you the protection that if your dog gets 1 flea... that 1 flea won't create an infestation.

I recently amputated one of our rescue's toes after a traumatic dislocation and she is doing wonderfully 14 days after surgery.

Even if they are benign... mammary tumors can undergo a malignant transformation and become more aggressive. Our recent senior rescue had mammary tumors removed that were undergoing a "pre-malignant change". The best thign would be to remove them and have them biopsied. Is this an intact female? If not... when was she spayed?

I haven't read it, but from what I got from the links, I wouldn't waste my money on it. In the end you need to find a vet you are comfortable with and you can trust. If you trust your vet than you shouldn't have to worry that they are trying to "rip you off" or doing anything that they wouldn't do to their own pet.

I disagree with the statement "never give Domitor to a Greyhound". Domitor is safe for Greyhounds. Mr. Wolfe's group uses a LOT of Domitor in Greyhounds and they don't have problems. I have some issues with the way they use it, but that is another issue. I've used it on my own hounds and use it routinely as a premedication in patients. I wouldn't use it in a patient with heart disease or one that was debilitated in another way... but I used it as part of a premedication in the 9 year old we just adopted for her spay/dental and she did great and more recently for sugery on her toe and she did great again! An added bonus of Domitor is that it has pain relieving properties as does Butorphonal (aka Torbugesic). Propofol has no lasting pain relieving properties and valium is simply a muscle relaxer/anti-anxiety. I love both drugs as I use them in my Greyhound protocols but neither does anything for pain.

For a healthy Greyhound... the protocol I use is: Domitor/Torbugesic as a premedication Wait 20 minutes Place an IV catheter and give valium IV Induce anesthesia with Propofol IV Intubate and place on Isoflurane If the procedure is going to be painful I will give an injection fo Rimadyl either with the premedication or at induction. I can give exact doses, etc. if needed. As mentioned before... the "best protocol" will depend on what your vet is used to using.

His THS was 10 and his T4 was 11. I still worry that I didn't do everything I could have for him His TSH was normal... it is unlikely he was hypothyroid. There are a LOT of Greyhounds on thyroid supplementation that don't need to be. If you would have supplemented him and he would have gone down hill anyway... you could argue that the unnecessary supplementation could have contributed to a focal stroke or hypertension that made him worse more quickly.

We know that hypothyroidism can be a contributing factor to LP... but if you did a panel and the TSH was normal... the low T4 (even for a Greyhound) was likely "euthyroid sick". Any significant illness can suppress thyroid hormone w/o a dog truly being "hypothyroid". If the TSH was high and the T4 was low... then he was definitely hypothyroid but even starting supplementation earlier might not have made a difference.

Ask for a "urine protein creatinine ratio". If the test is <1 then you don't need to worry about the protein in the urine (or the microalbumin). What was the concentration of the urine (urine specific gravity)?

Urine protein sticks have a lot of false positive results in concentrated urine so take the findings with a grain of salt. If you want to know if the urine protein is "significant"... then ask for a urine protein creatinine ratio. A value of >1 is abnormal and should be discussed.

They are separate companies.

My vote is to get your x-rays and to see an orthopedic specialist at a veterinary teaching hospital or at a referral facility. A lot of regular hospitals have a vet that does orthopedics but before I would go to the extent of an MRI... or even probably for a full course of acupuncture... I'd get a 2nd opinion from a specialist. I have no problem with pursuing acupuncture and am a big fan... I'd get the 2nd opinion to make sure something isn't missed. In Ohio I'd highly recommend Jon Dyce. I know there is another orthopod that does a lot of Greys but I am blanking on his name... I think he is in Pennsylvania and a lot of GTers rave about him. he would be another option. I don't know any orthopods in NY though.

If you have a good vet... then obviously I am not in anyway implying that you should change... but keep this in mind. There is a lot of information about vaccinations on-line and you can research it and then go with a plan b/c you know that the vet at Banfield is going to recommend over vaccination (harder to sell the health care plans as a "bargain" when you decline $100 worth of vaccines). However, knowing that banfield over-vaccinates and that their entire structure is made through corporate and is designed to generate revenue first... how will you know when other recommendations will be over-the-top, unnecessary or even potentially harmful? You have time to research vaccines and you already know what you want. What will happen when your dog is sick? If they recommend radiographs, bloodwork, urinalysis, etc. will you question whether that is really necessary or if they are simply trying to generate revenue? Remember, the entire reason they created the health care plans is not to try to save money for owners, it is because their research found that owners on the plan will spend more than owners that have to pay for a physical examination b/c once they get you in the door they can do a lot of testing and then prescribe medications. So... when a dog is sick and they recommend testing... are they doing it b/c the dog really needs it or b/c that is the Banfield way? Again... I am not trying to talk you personally out of going to your current vet. If you are happy there... by all means stay. I just put this scenario out there to owners b/c if they will try to get you on one thing like vaccines... what are the odds that it is the only thing that they are "over doing"? Can Banfield practices save you money? Possibly. However, when you delete out the unnecessary vaccines the health care packages are not such a great deal. If you know which diagnostics you "really need" and which you don't and which medications you "really need" and which you don't then you probably can save a good amount of money. However, most owners in most cases are not able to determine which things are really needed and which are not so in the end Banfield wins out 9/10. One last example (can you tell that corporate veterinary medicine is a pet peeve of mine?) I have a friend from college that has a little dog that has allergies. He ignored my recommendation and went to a Banfield b/c he thought there health care plan was a deal. So... his dog is scratching and has a mild skin infection so since his exam is "free" he goes into the vet. Vet recommendations were as follows at Banfield: 1. Skin scraping: $35 2. Injectable anti-histamine: $30 3. Injectable antibioitic: $30 4. Benadryl prescription filled at Banfield: $20 5. Antibiotic prescription filled at Banfield: $40 6. Medicated bath given at Banfield: $40 7. Medicated shampoo to go home with dog: $25 8. Fungal Culture: $40 9. Examination: $0 So for what he deemed a minor issue walking away out $260 seemed steep so he went for a second opinion. Saw another vet who looked at the dog and with the history given realized it was a mild skin infection secondary to allergies. 1. Examination: $30 2. Oral antibiotic: $40 3. Medicated shampoo: 25 The owner already had oral antihistamines at home so the vet gave him a dose of Benadryl to give (the Banfield vet just wanted to fill the Rx and didn't ask). The owner also had no problem bathing the dog but again the Banfield vet didn't ask, just recommended a bath at Banfield. Banfield vet with "free exam": $260. Regular vet w/o free exam: $95. This is a real case that happened. The antibiotic and anti-histamine injections are completely unnecessary IMHO as the owner could start oral and an injection isn't going to "jump start things". Those are simply things to pad an invoice. Banfield highly encourages vets to go on "production pay" so they will generally earn about 18-25% of what they "generate". So in case #1 was the vet recommending all of those things because he felt the dog really needed them or because of financial motivations? Banfield will argue that all of the tests and treatments are reasonable and necessary... but IMHO it they really aren't. It would be like if you had a headache and went to the doctor. One possible cause for your headache could be a brain tumor so the doctor recommends comprehensive bloodwork, x-rays and an MRI. Are those tests wrong? No... it could be a brain tumor but could you imagine teh cost to our healthcare system if everytime someone had a headache this was actually done? OK... coming off of my soapbox. : )

Most are "fully equipped".

I haven't seen all the research... so this is only on clinical experience but I would say that they don't appear to have a higher risk of other types of cancer vs. other larger breed dogs. We see more hemangiosarcoma in Goldens than other breeds (of course we also see a LOT of goldens).

Bilaterally symmetrical swelling is actually less likely to be infection. Lymph nodes "drain" from certain areas of the body so it is unusual for an infection to cause equal swellings bilaterally. He'll need to get to the vet and if the glands are truly enlarged he will need to have them aspirated to determine if they could be cancerous. Keep us posted once you get him in.

We see less osteosarcoma in AKC Greyhounds... not sure about other types of cancer. Also don't seem to get the corns in AKC Greyhounds.

It sounds like she is too critical right now to pursue acupuncture. I am a big fan of acupuncture, but it doesn't sound like she is stable enough to be leaving the hospital.

It sounds like Wally had a vaccine reaction and his swelling and stiffness likely had nothing to do with being lifted on a table. The swelling was painful and you mentioned he reacted quickly to an anti-inflammatory. The vet was not at fault in your dog having a vaccine reaction and thus I can't see why they would be responsible for an e-vet bill. If you go to a bakery and buy a peanut butter brownie and you have an allergy to peanut butter... can you sue the bakery? Vaccine reactions are a risk of vaccinating and in this case is not negligence or malpractice which would be the primary reasons the vet would be responsible for the bill. Happy to hear your pup is better but IMHO sending the bill to the vet is inappropriate.

The pay scale at a banfield practice is similar to those of other practices... associates may be compensated with salary, or as a percentage of what they generate financially. They will often try to set up their health care plans as drop offs so they can put the dogs in a cage, work on other cases and just get to the health care vaccinations when there is time between other things. Of course the health care pups generate minimal income to that vet at that time so if there are 2 vets working who are financially motivated, they will try to see the sick animals and try to avoid the health care pups (I know of vets that have worked in a Banfield where this would happen). As for waht kind of vets would Banfield attract? Well... in some cases very good ones. One of the best vets I know works at a Banfield. For all of my issues that I raise with the company... they spend a LOT of money training their owners and associates how to answer them teh "PC" way. When you discuss vaccines they have a set speech about "prevenitive medicine" and their approach to it. When you broach the health care plans and their reason for offering them is b/c they have found they make more money with them on each client they will simply say "it is better medicine". While it is good medicine, they reason behind it is financially motivated. One last thing... I believe if you buy a health care plan on Jan. 1 and your pup dies Jan. 2... if I'm not mistaken I believe that you are still responsible for paying the rest of the year. Nice way for the company to remind you of your pup's passing.

NC State is the best way to go as they are the most complete and accurate. Protatek is nice b/c they have discounts for Greyhounds... but they have problems with false positive test results and do not do PCR testing.