GreysInSA
-
Posts
19 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Store
Articles
Posts posted by GreysInSA
-
-
The surgery was last Tuesday. For 3-4 days you could tell she was not feeling well even with pain meds. Eating sporadically and not very active. Over the weekend she seemed to get her groove back. She is eating better and back to her happy, playful, bouncy self. I knew she was feeling better when she roo-ed at the answering machine Friday night. Yup, still have one of those. Its had the same outgoing message for about 15 years when my then 5 year old daughter told people to leave a message. I'm really not sure why but she has always roo-ed when it went off and has taught several other greyhounds to do the same. She and my other greyhound (9yo male Rhone) will sing for a couple minutes after the message goes off.
-
Well it was indeed Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Had surgery to remove the tumor last week. The vet got all they could and lasered what they couldn't. That one tumor seemed to be it right now. Considering Lizzie's age (11.5) I'm leaning against any radiation or chemo. From what i've read that probably wouldn't significantly increase her time with us anyways. I feel like i'd rather enjoy what ever quality time she has left and not go to drastic measures that also increase her suffering.
I would certainly appreciate any advice y'all could offer.
-
I'm so sorry to read your dog has this. Unless it's Aspergillosis it could be a rare-in-dogs SCC or some other kind of cancerous lesion. I think something like 8 out of 10 of them are cancerous and survival rate is 6-18 months with appropriate treatment. Obviously I hope your dog doesn't have cancer there, but please see your vet as a matter of urgency.
That was far less optimistic than i'd hoped for but I appreciate the honesty. What I was able to google agrees with what you say in that nose/nasal cancer in dogs is rare but with very poor prognosis. What is "SCC"?
-
Hi All,
A couple days ago I notice a pink polyp/bump/tumor/something in my 11yo female's nose. It is just inside her right nostril. It doesn't seem to bother her or be painful. No problems breathing. No coughing or sneezing. No nasal discharge or bloody nose. At first i thought maybe she stuck her nose someplace it didn't belong and got a bee/spider/ant type bite. But it hasn't gone away. I plan to take her into the vet next week but thought maybe somebody here might have some insight. Links below to a couple photos. I couldn't figure out how to directly insert from Google Photos.
Thanks,
Gary -
UPDATE: Both dogs have ehrlichia.
Every year at their vet visit the have the simple blood test done. Lizzie in August and Rhone in December where both clear. Lizzie and Rhone after they started showing symptoms in mid to late March were clear with the vet test. The internal medicine specialist sent Rhone's blood off to a lab in one of the Carolina's for more detailed analysis (sorry but the PCR/Titters talk is foreign to me) which took a week but showed Ehrlichia. Took them both back to the vet earlier this week and now both show positive at the Vet's quick test. Both are now on a month long Doxycycline treatment (150mg twice a day).
How? I would love to know. My dogs get NexGard the first of every month. I live in a typical suburban home. Lawn (mowed), with trees and landscaping. But i've never seen a tick on me or the dogs. And that's the only place they've been other than walks around the neighborhood and unless the ticks are jumping off the sidewalk onto them... Nor have they been around any other animals. The exception is they were boarded the last weekend in February (~2-3 weeks before they started showing symptoms) when my daughter and I went out of town. I contacted the boarder and they said their dogs were fine and they didn't know of any issues.
The reading i've done says Ehrlichia is only transmitted by tick bites. So they both got bit by and had their NexGard fail at the same time?
-
Rhone update: Some of his bloodwork came back and he is positive for Babesia and Erlichia. The vet said while some of the symptoms (loss of appetite, depression, lethargy) are the same as what he was showing the liver issues are not typically. So there may be two things going on. My dogs are on NexGard religiously every month (Frontline Plus before NexGard came out) and I don't take them to the woods and haven't ever seen a tick on them. The vet said he may have had it in the past and just carries anti-bodies now but we are doing another round of antibiotics just in case. Rhone has a follow up for bloodwork tomorrow to check his liver levels. Lepto results are still pending.
Both dogs are acting more like normal now. Energy levels are not where they used to be but the playfulness is there. They are enthusiastic about eating again although not back to pre-illness amounts but the vet said that may take a month or two. Now I need to take Lizzie back in and get her tested for Erlichia and Babeshia.
-
Glad to hear he's doing better! I feel your pain on the specialist bills, but they are worth their weight in gold. Is Lizzie back to normal?
Most inportant thing is that they get back to normal, but darn the mystery is driving me crazy! And of course you want to know so it doesn't happen again.
Lizzie was never as bad as Rhone. Which makes since if its a toxin as Rhone will eat anything and everything without a second thought where Lizzie is more finicky. She is off all meds now and eating fairly well. Not back to normal but getting there. No longer showing any signs of distress or discomfort.
Unless one of the two remaining tests come back positive I fear I will never know what caused it.
-
I picked up Rhone last evening from the Urgent Care/Internal Medicine clinic after he spent 36 hours there. Not cheap. New floors will get put off another year. Anyways... They did IV therapy and antibiotics. Over the 36 hours his liver levels improved significantly. Sent us home with a number of meds including an appetite stimulant. They took him off the Denamarin as they felt having an appetite and eating was best at this point. And he is eating. Not like normal but better. Results from the lepto and tick panel won't be back until early next week. As of this point we still don't know what caused it but the vet feels its probably a toxin. They could maybe confirm with a liver biopsy but didn't feel it was justified with the improvement he was now making.
-
They don't get any vitamins or supplements. And no essential oils.
No bird bath (or any other standing water) they can get into.
I didn't realize all history with the chicken jerky until I started doing research this past weekend. Guess we will be avoiding that from now on. Too bad as its probably their favorite treat.
-
First of all, do not get rid of the food you've been feeding! Switch them to something else, but keep the old stuff in case a recall happens at some point. I might also call the manufacturers and ask if there have been any reports of adverse events recently and report yours. It takes time for things like this to be connected to a food issue and the food to be recalled. What canned foods have you been feeding?
I personally don't think I'd be spending my money testing for all kinds of infectious diseases that aren't also contagious (like TBDs) as it seems very unlikely to me they would both get sick in close proximity like that. And treating with the ABs would address TBDs and Lepto anyway. Logically it seems to me you are either dealing with a toxin or a contagious disease.
Do you walk them or just turn them out in your yard? Are they supervised while in the yard? Not sure what the weather is like where you are - are there mushrooms springing up? Any neighbors who would want to harm your dogs? Are you *positive* they didn't drink the toilet water? Do they tend to eat things off the ground when you're out or not? What about animal feces? Any animals that could be toxic where you are? Bites to both would again be so unlikely but what about toads for instance with all of the rain? Some are toxic if licked though I would expect vomiting in that case.
I still think this is most likely food related. If you haven't already, change everything. Don't feed anything at all that you were and if it was food related they should improve.
The food they were eating when they got sick is already gone and a new bag started. And now they are on Hills Science diet Liver from the Vet. Canned food varies but usually Alpo or Iams. And one can goes for 4 meals so they aren't getting a lot of canned food.
They get both neighborhood walks and turned out in the yard. Sometimes they are supervised in the yard and sometimes not. They often like to go out in the spring and fall and lay in the grass and sunbathe. We live in San Antonio. No mushrooms in the part of the yard they access. I doubt the neighbors would intentionally do something to harm the dogs. I'm on good terms with all of them. I talk to one neighbor to see if he had used pesticides or fertilizer recent and he hadn't. Still need to talk to the people behind me. I couldn't swear they haven't drank from the toilet but the lids are usually down and they have shown zero interest in doing sot for the 6+ years i've had them. Lizzie is picky but Rhone would eat anything if he thought it was food. But they aren't allowed to pick up stuff on walks and i regularly patrol the yard and haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. We do have plenty of squirrels and the occasional possum or raccoon wander through. No toads/frogs.
Rhone had another vet appointment this morning. As he wasn't improving the vet sent us to an internal medicine specialist where he will spend the night getting IV therapy and have a bunch of tests run including tick panel, lepto, and a couple others I can't remember (don't have the list in front of me).
-
New plant in the house, did they get into your vitamins or pills, when was their last trip to the dog park, what contact did they have with other dogs period, eat a mouse that was poisoned? Just throwing things out there. You might never know, but a good antibiotic is a good start. For what it's worth, lepto loves water, wouldn't necessarily wash away.
No new plants. Vitamins/medications well out of their reach. Can't go to the dog park because Lizzie is terrified of any dog that is not a greyhound. I use traps for mice (no poison... lost a cat that way many years ago).
I appreciate the ideas. Maybe somebody will come up with something I haven't.
-
I hate jumping on bandwagon stories from the news and social media - but in 2013, Costco did recall its Jerky treats. Wonder if something is going on with them again. So strange that they both appeared to have gotten a toxin.
Have you used any new household cleaners or detergents on their beds/blankets?
I missed that Costco recall back in 2013 but did see it last week when I did a search to see if anything I currently give the dogs has a recall. I agree that a toxin seems the most likely considering the timing of them both getting it together. But i'm baffled as to what. The only thing I can think of new inside the house is using Arm & Hammer carpet deodorizer but I used that after Lizzie was sick. And a couple weeks ago I accidentally got the blue toilet tablet instead of the color free. But the dogs don't drink out of the toilet bowl and the lids are usually closed anyways. Can't think of anything outside either. And we had 4" of rain last Tues, Wed, and Thursday so if there was a toxin hopefully it would be well washed away. I've made numerous trips around my yard (including mowing) and can't find anything. I suppose how long it would take a toxin to be flushed out of the body depends on what it is.
-
I talked with my vet and ran by some of the things you guys have mentioned:
Tick Panel: They get one done as part of their annual so have both had them in the last year (Rhone in December, Lizzie last August). Vet said it may take 12-18 months for a dog to get sick from a tick bite so they may have been fine at their annual and just gotten sick now. Although unlikely since they both got sick within days of one another. Just to rule it out we are going back in tomorrow for another tick panel.
Denamarin: Vet agreed that it may suppress appetite and was fine with stopping it for a couple days to rule out if the appetite loss is due to whatever ails them or the Denamarin.
Amoxycillian vs Doxycycline: Vet agreed that doxy is a more broad spectrum antibiotic but that Amoxy is better with liver issues which is why he went with that.
Leptospirosis: Its part of their annual vaccination although vet did say that the vaccine isn't for all strains and, much like you can get a flu vaccine and still get the flu, they could still get it but he didn't think their lapwork and symptoms indicated it was the issue.
-
It makes sense to rule out as much as you can for sure, I was convinced mine didn't have it, and he even tested negative for it (although he did have a trace because he was vaccinated for it a year prior.) We were out of options though, so my vet sided with trying to treat and target Lepto specifically with a very general and well rounded antibiotic (2 actually) and after that things got better. Will never be certain if it was Lepto or not. If your vet is willing to work with you, I'd suggest getting them on a different antibiotic for a longer period of time. As an aside, how are their teeth? Dental health can also play havoc with not only appetite but also with liver values.
I think it's more important to get them to eat, than it is to get a supplement (that does about a week to start yielding results too but will be more responsive if the offending issue is gone out of the system first). I assume you've also been giving that on an empty stomach for better absorption? I'd stop the denamarin and see what happens.
Lastly, be sure your vet understands that blood values for greyhounds differ from normal pups. What might be considered high or low might be completely normal for your dogs.
Their teeth are good. The vet did check their mouths very carefully. Lizzie's teeth have always been good. Rhone just had a dental in December.
Yes, i try to give the denamarin on an empty stomach. Not too tough considering how little they are eating.
Their vets are very greyhound savy. They used to be the vet for one of the local greyhound adoption agencies and they've been greyhound owners themselves. When going over the labwork with me they'd say stuff like "yes the report lists that as out of normal range but its normal for a greyhound."
-
Have vet run tick panel - to check for anaplasmosis, erchlichia, lyme, babesia - the low platelets and wonky chemistries are common with tick diseases although, there may not be antibodies yet if the infection is new - takes awhile to get the antibodies. I think current treatment is doxy (antibiotic) for 3 to 4 weeks.
Also check with neighbors - they may have put pesticides down and it also covered some part of your yard. Check your yard foot by foot - someone may have thrown something into it.
Throw out the dog food and treats that you have ... could be a bad bag and you don't want to take chances.
Check your dogs over as carefully as possible for any types of bites/rashes - your dogs may have been bit by something.
Also, have you used any new detergents, oils, candles, or sprays in the house. Maybe new beds for the dogs or new furniture - "new stuff" gives off vapors that is usually not harmful unless someone is more sensitive.
How long is "awhile" for the antibodies to show? At this point i'm approaching 3 weeks with them sick.
Was already nearing the end of a bag of food when Lizzie got sick. Have already switched over to a new bag and Rhone is on the Science Diet so all new food. Chicken Jerky is new. Dog biscuits are old but they had been eating them for a month before they got sick. And aren't really eating them now.
Will give them another look over for bites or rashes but I haven't seen anything. How long after a tick bite until symptoms show?
I can't think of anything new in the house. They are overdue for baths and dog bed covers to be washed but i've delayed since they aren't feeling well.
Without fail, every time I gave Denamarin when my boy was sick, he went off his food within days of starting. I had a 2 week break and he started eating again, added the Denamarin and 2 days later, nope, no interest in food. I know it sounds counter-intuitive because you need to help the liver, but it might not be helping the appetite. Sometimes we never really narrow down the cause of why they get sick, but continue a course of antibiotics that has a general overall range. While Amoxicillin is good, I'm not sure it's the right antibiotic because you don't know what you are fighting.
It is extremely odd that both your pups are sick. Have they been tested for Lepto? One quick lick of infected urine from a wild animal is all it takes.
What you say about the Denamarin makes sense. They both initially started eating better after some Previcox but stopped again after the Denamarin. Should I stop for a couple days and see what happens?
I don't believe they've been tested for Lepto. But I looked up the symptoms and they don't really fit the profile. But if I take them back in for a tick panel I might as well get it done as well.
-
Since both dogs have the same symptoms, first thing I would suspect is a contaminated bag of food or any of the treats, especially if it was a newly opened bag you were feeding from. Check the treats to see if any of them are "Made in China." Second is the dog flu that's been going around. Third is something that somehow they picked up out in the yard. There was a alert in a dog group I'm in about someone somewhere in Texas (I don't remember exactly where) was deliberately poisoning dogs. Fourth is always Tick Born Diseases - lyme or others. Did your vet run any tests for those?
Hope you can figure out what's wrong. Good luck.
I will check the Kirkland food and treats to see where they are made. The chicken jerky treats say "sourced and made in USA".
I doubt it is any of those food items. The dry bad usually last 3+ weeks and we were 2+ weeks into it before they started getting sick. Been on the same box of treats and bag of chicken jerky for a while as well. The can food I supplement with changes but if it was that then multiple cans were tainted.
What are the tests run for ticks/lyme? The vet ran HemaTrue and DriChem. And I didn't even know dog flu was a thing. What are the symptoms and treatment?
-
Quick question, have your dogs been tested for tick borne diseases, such as babesia? That's always my first thought when results that aren't quite adding up or not responding to treatment.
No I don't believe they have. And they're on HeartGard and NexGard But have only been in a suburban yard mostly and I haven't found any ticks. Although I will ask as i'm sure we will be back at the vet soon if things don't change.
-
Hi all. I’ve been an off and on long time lurker here. Got my first grey back in 1997 and am on my 4th (Lizzie, F, 10) and 5th (Rhone, M, 8) now. I have something weird going on with my greys that I hope somebody might have some words of wisdom for.
Long story with a lot of detail so bear with me here.
I feed Kirkland Mature (blue bag). Some in the morning and some at night. At night I usually mix in a little can food just for variety. The can food varies but the dry food and treats have been the same for years. 2.5 weeks ago (Friday March 16) Lizzie didn’t eat her dinner. She will sometimes skip breakfast but rarely dinner. She didn’t eat at all from her bowl all weekend. Had little interest in the Kirkland dog biscuits but did eat the chicken jerky from Costco. When she stood she panted and acted distressed and out of sorts. Monday (March 19) morning I took her to my regular vet (long time family vet and grey savy; used to vet one of the local greyhound agency’s dogs).
She had a fever (104.something) and vet thought her belly seemed warm. Abdominal and chest xrays were negative. Vet said her blood work indicated liver issues and wondered if she might have ingested a toxin. I haven’t fertilized this year and don’t pesticide my yard or house other than to spot treat for ants but haven’t done that in many months. Nothing has really changed in the house so don’t know where she might have gotten into something. No vomiting. Stools are semi-solid although a weird orange color. Going down the steps on the way to the vet her rear end was wobbly but I attributed that to minimal food for 3+ days.
Lab tests that were out of norm (if actual numbers are helpful I have those):
Little low: WBC
low: PLT, calcium
little high: HCT, MCH, creatine
high: RDW%, HGB, AST (GOT), Total Bilirubin, Potassium
Vet put her on Amoxicillin in case she had an abdominal infection and Denamarin for the liver. Also gave us Previcox to ease her distress which seemed to help. While she is eating some it is only a little and nothing near normal.
Wednesday (March 21) Rhone stopped eating. And this is a dog who never passes up any meal, food, or treat. He will eat anything and everything. He didn’t eat Thursday either and now he has the same distressed panting as Lizzie did. Stools also a strange orange color. Hind leg is sometimes shaky when standing. Call the vet the next day. Vet says try him on the Previcox and see if it helps. It did calm him some and he ate a little better but often vomited it back up. The following Wednesday (March 28) I call the vet and make an appointment as he is just not doing any better. Go in Thursday. His temp is normal but his labs are worse than Lizzie’s. Xrays negative.
Very low: PLT, total protein, albumin
Little low: calcium
Little high: HGB, MCH
Fairly high: glucose
Very high: AST (GOT), GGT, Total Bilirubin
Vet said he was borderline needing hospitalization. Gave us Prednisone (20mg), Cerenia (for the vomiting), Tramadol (for the distress/pain), Amoxicillin, and Denamarin. Also put him on Hills Science Diet L/D (liver) food.
Both dogs still aren’t themselves. Not playful and little interest in toys. Still a little distressed. Eating a little but not much. Although they do eat human cold cuts enthusiastically. Any advice or help would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks,
Gary
Nasal Polyp? Tumor?
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
I thought I should come back and close out this thread. So they removed all the tumor they could in early March. A couple weeks later it was back. A couple weeks after that it had doubled in size. By the end of May it looked like her nostril had exploded and turned inside out. In spite of all that, she continued to be her normal happy, bouncy, playful self and ate well with only mild pain meds. About two weeks ago it was clear she wasn't feeling well so we increased her pain meds. That didn't really help so we increased them again. It helped a little and she was eating again. But the last couple days it was obvious she wasn't doing well. So today we made the so very tough decision to say goodbye. This is the third greyhound i've had to send over the bridge. It keeps getting harder.
Thanks everyone for the advice, encouragement, thoughts, and prayers.
Gary.