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GreytMom

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Everything posted by GreytMom

  1. Thanks for the info everyone. I do appreciate your concern. NeylasMom - correct, there are no vets closer to me than the one in Tucson and then the group in Phoenix. Next would be the group I used in California with my other greyhound before moving to AZ. I know time is of the essence. (But, as a provider myself I also understand that when the schedule is full, it’s full. Although you can usually squeeze one more patient onto the schedule. 😊) I actually think if the local oncologist knew it was me, she might work us in as my last hound lived the 2nd longest of any hound she had seen with osteo. So, I think she’d remember my handsome Duke. I also had his amputation completed within 4 days. With Brin I am very concerned about a fracture because of the weakness in her other back leg. I absolutely don’t want that to happen. I am definitely one to push when the situation calls for it, but I think I am seeing I am also willing to accept defeat when the situation calls for that. We are still contactless also, but (and here come the tears) with the current rules at my vet I will be able to be with her for euthanasia. Even the mobile vets weren’t allowing that, but as of now my regular vet is. I’ll be with my girl one way or another when the time comes. I actually am somewhat hopeful Dr Couto can make some treatment recommendations that my regular vet may be able to institute. So, I’ll push on my regular vet to get him the access he needs to the X-rays. That is taking too long and should have been done last week. Not Dr C’s fault, seems to be a hold up at my vet. Again, I haven’t done a fine needle aspiration so the exact type of cancer may not be able to be determined. If I thought it would impact treatment I would do it, but all the types of cancer he is suspecting are aggressive and best treated with amputation. Just an additional bit of info - I actually wonder if it is in her throat already. She is sort of half-yawning sometimes (sort of like when I try to pop my ears) and choking a bit on her food. She has had some swallowing issues for years but there has been a definite change recently. I guess when I add it all up... it explains why I'm starting to accept that the end is not too far in the distance for my precious Brin. 😢
  2. It’s a shame that some of you are suggesting hopeful possibilities - but I can’t get her in to an oncologist to pursue any of them. So frustrating. I have an appointment here 7/28 and I am on the wait list. I called today to see if they had had any cancels. They hadn’t. But I’ll check in weekly and maybe that will help. I also called Phoenix (about 3 hours from me) and can’t get in there until 7/13. Clearly we need more pet oncologists. Or, better yet, less pet cancer. As for pain control - she is on 100 mg Gabapentin am and 300 mg pm - it makes her very tired so she only gets the larger dose at night. That is more for the back pain. We also added 75 mg Carprofen am and pm to address the cancer pain. I also have Tramadol left from another pet and have the ok to add that on if she seems to be in pain. She seems ok for now, but I have noticed she isn’t roaching anymore. Not sure what that means but it’s just something I’ve noticed. Hopefully in the next day or so I’ll have Dr Couto’s best guess as to the type of bone cancer. In the meantime, she is being spoiled rotten. 😊
  3. Wow. You’ve clearly done your homework. I got my last grey through sagreys but I’m close to Tucson. Maybe I would make that trip to Dallas after all. Good luck.
  4. There are hounds available here in AZ. In fact quite a few have been coming in recently. Where in AZ are you? One issue with that type of road trip in this area is the heat. And, as has been mentioned, many groups don’t like to adopt out of their area. There is a group near me who, for politics regarding racing reasons, can’t get hounds. If you are working with them, obviously try another group. If it were me I wouldn’t wait but wouldn’t necessarily go to Dallas either. There are California groups with hounds also. Good luck. And, welcome to the club. 😊
  5. Thanks for the encouragement Tracy. I haven’t ruled it out... I just can’t get her in. So frustrating. I’ll call the oncologist again tomorrow. I’m on cancel list but... they said that was a 2 month wait also. Maybe I’ll get lucky.
  6. Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. Here is an update... I am mid-consult with Dr Couto. I say mid because he wants the X-rays in another format so he can see things more clearly. But, based on the files I did send... although it could be osteo he did suggest three other possible types of bone cancers it could be. Because... not only is there destruction of the bone (like osteo) there is also some proliferation of the bone (unlike osteo). I am scheduled with the closest oncologist who I saw with my other osteo guy, but she has nothing until late July. I don’t think Brin will be alive by then, honestly. I could possibly get her in to an oncologist 3 hours away in Phoenix, but I’m concerned about the possibility of a break as she rides that far in the car. Unless necessary for some type of cutting edge treatment, I don’t see the sense in a fine needle aspiration to determine the type of cancer at this point because amputation is the solution regardless, and that’s not possible. So, I guess I have mostly accepted defeat. 😢 Oh, and her chest X-rays are clear. Yet, I will continue to hope for a solution and am off to look into the Colorado study now. If it is a one shot treatment we could try and make the trip, but if it’s something you have to be local for it won’t work. Again, thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. It is heart-breaking. Two hounds, two bone cancers. And my third was just diagnosed with a (hopefully benign) tumor on her ear. I adore this breed but my heart may not be able to handle them. 💔
  7. Just curious whether you have seen a specialist... like maybe a neurologist. The neuro did some tests the regular vet didn’t do which helped diagnose my girls limp/not using her R rear leg. It was her back, which we suspected, but a thrust test decided it and helped distinguish between a neurological problem or an orthopedic problem. Well, actually it’s a neurological problem caused by an orthopedic problem. 🙄 But that meant gabapentin was the drug of choice. Not a NSAID. My neuro was great and didn’t even have to do any imaging, just hands on tests. It just seems odd that it’s getting worse but can’t be replicated. I’d think about getting another opinion if you haven’t already. I was concerned about osteo also, as I lost my first hound to it. But it wasn’t. Yay! Unfortunately, now 2 years later, it looks like she does have it in her L rear leg 😢, but that wasn’t the initial cause of lameness in her R rear leg. Hope you get it figured out. Good luck.
  8. Didn’t work well for me for my needle nose kids nor my terrier, but for my sister with a (umm.. err... hefty 😉) lab it works well. I needed something wider for my hound - so made a soft pillow that was wider but not as thick that attached to his collar so it didn’t slip off and he couldn’t shake it off. There is also a soft cone but that was kind of heavy. So, I had to drag out the sewing machine. If that’s not ❤️. 😂 Best of luck to you and Cletus.
  9. Thanks greysmom. My research suggested the new vaccines were for post amp also. I’ll try to get into the onco, but I know she is busy. Hopefully since I’m a repeat customer... 🙄. Sadly given her other health issues I think I can’t push too hard and just have to go the palliative care route. But damn, cancer sucks.
  10. Well, my sweet 10.5 year old girl Brin looks to have osteo. She is my second greyhound - and my first one had it also. 😢 He was younger and strong so we amputated, did chemo, all the things. And he got nearly 3 more years post diagnosis. So, sadly I’m not uninitiated in dealing with osteo. Different scenario this time, however. My girl is older, has some back problems which causes her other rear leg to be somewhat weak, so unless there is something new treatment-wise, we are going to just have to move to palliative care. But, I wanted to ask the collective wisdom if there was anything new I may not be aware of that could be useful. BTW - I said “looks to have osteo” because we don’t have a certain diagnosis. As background, she has lived most of her life in southern Arizona where Valley Fever exists and can cause bone damage. We have done the blood test for Valley Fever, the test was negative, so unless by some chance it is a false negative, it is likely osteo. Chest X-rays haven’t been done yet, next week, and those may help determine a definitive diagnosis. I can’t take the chance to do a bone biopsy because the bone is already damaged and it could cause a fracture, and that would be the end. I have also not consulted with Dr Couto yet, nor seen the oncologist I saw before with my other hound. I just got the bad news last night so am scrambling a bit here to see if there is anything to do ASAP, or if the only goal is to keep her as comfortable as possible for the next month or two. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
  11. I had a similar reaction in my hound. First time was the middle of the night so I gave her Benadryl. As I recall I gave her one and then about an hour later a second one. Next day my vet said he had never seen that reaction but thought if the Benadryl helped it was a good solution. It hasn’t happened since the first 3 day course of Panacur. And there have been many since the first one. 😕
  12. Good advice. Thanks. My neighbor is a dog and horse PT so if she needs that I’m in luck!
  13. Just to add... I have her on olewo carrots - just about a teaspoon with every meal - to help her stool.
  14. Whew. So glad to hear. My rescue recommends Bayer Advantage Multi for the hooks as well as Panacur. But I hate the Bayer product because of the smell. I’m a year and a half in and still dealing with hooks - but my girl was a good racer so then had a litter of pups and I read that causes it to get in the mammary glands... and the deworming process continues. Good luck with yours.
  15. Hi all - my 10.5 yr old girl is starting to really show some looseness (?) in her right hock. When she is walking toward me, I can see it sort of swing out. I remember an old vet telling me the right (?) rear hocks are often problematic because they use it so much to push, because they race to the left. Or do I have that backwards? 🤔 Anyway, it is her rear right hock. I’m thinking I probably need to brace it. I’ll try to get her to vet but it’s challenging given the pandemic. Where I am we can’t go in with the dog. Anyway, anyone had an issue? What was the solution? Have you used a brace? This girl only raced 84 times, my other girl raced 194 so I’m concerned I may really have a problem with her. She’s only 6 though so hopefully not for a long time. Thx in advance for any help and suggestions.
  16. Have you tried Olewo carrots? They are a wonder supplement for my dogs.
  17. I’ve got a girl with chronic hook and this does *not* sound like what I have experienced. I don’t want to panic you but I’m pretty concerned so hope you can get her examined by vet asap. Not eating or drinking is concerning. When you say bubble gut do you mean sound or look? I’m thinking you may mean she looks bloated - thus my concern. Please read about bloat and make sure you can rule this out. It is an emergency. But, when mine eat grass, yes, they will gurgle loudly for a short period of time. Hope she is ok.
  18. Hoping for a positive update. I’m so sorry for what you and your sweet Luna are going through.
  19. Welcome! No real advice re insurance as I’ve never carried pet insurance... I’m kind of a gambler that way. I just cough up the money at the time as necessary. And it has been necessary... with various dogs (not all greys) I’ve paid for multiple back surgeries, an amputation and chemo, a ruptured ACL repair, a rattlesnake bite, and the list goes on. Thus, I’m not sure having no insurance is a good gamble! 🙄 There are other threads on insurance that might be helpful but I guess your question is... is $7500 a lot. On the face of it - yes, it is a lot. And yet.... these days I would say not really if you want to do everything possible. Given the advanced imaging that is sometimes needed (which can be thousands just for that), the advanced surgeries/neuro-surgeries available, etc. you can quickly exceed $7500. My grey’s amputation, chemo, and complications exceeded that. My thinking... if you save the extra $60 a month in an emergency fund you might have the extra money needed in excess of $7500 *if* it ever is, and if it isn’t then you haven’t paid it out to an ins co and it’s yours to keep. Or, there is always CareCredit. I would never pay $256/mo for pet ins. but again, that’s me and insurance. I have 3 dogs, 2 older and from your quotes I’d be paying ~$700-800/mo for all of them. No way. To me that’s nuts. (But then I lived in Southern California and didn’t carry earthquake insurance - so there ya go! 😂) I’m a good saver so I would rather save and pay if necessary, than pay and never benefit from it. 🤷‍♀️ You could probably google costs of imaging and various surgeries, dentals, etc in your area to get a better idea of potential expenses. But... what I really wanted to say was CONGRATULATIONS! And welcome to the greyhound family! I love the name you’ve chosen. Regal and fitting for this awesome breed. Hope Greyson settles in well. I’m excited for you. Wishing you the best.
  20. Hi all - my 10 yo pup has some known lower back nerve issues and she is on Gabapentin for that which manages her pain well. However, on our mile or so walk she is dragging her rear feet such that the nails are being worn down. (Most of our walk I can keep her on dirt but not all.) Anyway it’s ok that her nails are taking the scraping on pavement currently, but her pads/toes are going to be next I’m afraid - so I’m thinking I will need to put her in rear boots to protect her paws. Any suggestions? I honestly believe she probably won’t walk in them, but she is either going to have to or not join my other grey and I on our leisurely retired-racer stroll. My vet does acupuncture so I may try that once the current quarantine is over to see if it helps, but right now doesn’t seem the time to take her to the vet multiple times a week for treatment. Any thoughts will be appreciated. 😊
  21. Symptoms sounds somewhat similar to my 10 yo girl’s symptoms. She has no history of corns. Neurologist said based on his exam her symptoms were/are due to nerve pain in her back. Said this was common in greys. She shakes/trembles after standing for a period of time because her back is in pain. Toes are also a bit splayed on front foot to compensate as the pain radiates down a rear leg. Presentation was shaking in her right rear leg and some lameness, not using the leg much, holding it up at times, etc. I certainly thought it was a leg issue - but it is a back issue. Gabapentin has helped a lot, as has limiting the length of her walks/time spent standing. Best of luck.
  22. Oh gosh... you get Ginny through her issue and get hit with this. 😕 My dog and I were lucky... dealt with a hemangiosarcoma but it was attatched to her spleen. Vet said 90% (if I recall correctly) of the time those are malignant but in her case it was benign - and able to be removed. When she trotted out after surgery I noticed how pink her tongue was once it was removed and her blood was not being diverted through the mass. Here’s hoping for some good news, but you will make the right call - whatever it is. Good thoughts heading your way.
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