Jester

Use panty liners turned sticky side out wrapped around the legs under the vet wrap. That will keep the vet wrap from moving. I used that when i had to wrap Chad's legs and it works perfectly.

There are actually acupuncturists in my area, believe it or not. I was leaning more toward the Chiropractic care because the reading I did suggested that was more effective long term for the sciatic pain (licking lower extremeties) than acupuncture. VOSM is closer to me than the Chiropractor and I will call them. Melinda is the other board certified chiro in Maryland (2+ hours from me); the ones in Virginia are actually closer to me than she is. I will wait and see what the Equine vet thinks before I check with her.

I'm with you, Jen, on attacking when I don't feel my vet is helping. Unfortunately, it is over an hour's drive to the closest specialist so it is not an easy thing for me to do. My current vet, and the second vet I went to did nothing for this, not even the spine check Dr. Stack outlines. The second vet is at least interested in options I find and will talk to me respectfully, but the first one sat me down and actually told me to accept that Chad is terminally ill and will slowly lose all control and I need to come to terms with it. She told me there is no treatment for a dog his age (12), only ways to manage the pain. She won't do the steroid injections and is "disinclined" to put him on long-term oral steroids. No vet has discussed anything other than previcox as a solution to manage the pain, and MRI/surgery to fix it. I will have to look into the gabapentin because the previcox really isn't cutting it anymore. For people, they actually talk about the steroid injections, chiropractic care, various types of surgeries and arthritis treatments, and acupunture. I didn't pay much attention to the medications because I know not all will translate to dogs. They note that the acupunture helps manage the pain, but is temporary. They noted that chiropractic care can be corrective for some causes of the disease. I will ask Meredith for the contact info and give it a shot. I contacted the Equine vet and the receptionist is going to ask the doctor if she would be willing to see Chad (she used to do dogs but no longer has all the equipment) and get back to me. Thanks for the lead on the specialist. I think that the second vet I saw would at least be willing to take the specialist's recommendations and run with them. Chad licks at all of his legs obsessively, but his rear left legs are the ones he will mutilate. He tends to lick the upper parts of his front legs, up where they attach at his chest, and the lower parts of his back legs. It has definitely gotten worse over the last 5 years.

done

Yes. There are only two listed in Maryland on their site, one is an Equine specialist and the other is more than 2 hours from me (3 with traffic).

So... I did a ton of reading about LS in people and in animals and learned some interesting things. It is not necessarily degenerative and there are a lot of things they do in people for it that aren't mentioned in the articles about pets. The other thing that I found interesting is that it can cause sciatic pain in the lower extremeties (read that in an article about people). About 5 years ago, Chad started licking his lower legs to the point of self-mutilation. I was told by multiple vets that "some dogs just do that" and it was behavioral and that there was nothing wrong with him to indicate anything else. If I wrap his legs in vet wrap, he doesn't do it. Seems to me that wrapping them helps the sciatic pain. Anyway, the documentation for people notes that chiropractics can help with the sciatic pain so I started to look for a canine chiropractor for Chad. The closest one I can find on the 'net is in Stafford, VA (2 hour drive). There HAS to be one closer somewhere in Maryland, has anyone heard of one? On another note, I just need to vent. The idea that Chad has been suffering for 5 years just hurts my heart. I am angry that the vets wouldn't listen to me when I told them that something was wrong and I didn't think it was purely behavioral. I am angry that none of them noted that the way he twists his feet when he walks is indicative of a lower back/neurological problem. He has ALWAYS twisted his feet when he walks, but no one else seemed to think anything of it until I noticed that his back was bothering him and he had trouble doing steps from the pain. The thought that someone could have put this together 5 years ago and we could have done something for him makes me want to scream. This isn't a rant about vets in general or anything like that, this is purely me venting on behalf of my poor dog. The only buddy I have left. He trusts me to take care of him and I've let him down

That's my girl! Her nick name was "fastest black dog in the house." Thank you for that and all the work you put into finding/digitizing/posting them for us. Yet another occasion when "thank you" just doesn't seem adequate.

I'm so sorry PJ. I know how special he was to you, I wish you had more time together.

Bella passed away on Monday. I'm not sure that I can call it sudden because she was diagnosed with a terminal illness last year, but she was such a strong dog I don't think I would have ever been ready for it. The story of Bella's Life When we adopted Maisy, we quickly realized that she was just a great dog. I looked into her history and found that one of her 10 littermates, Bella Ann, was still racing. We used to watch her races (she raced at Hinsdale) online and realized that we would like to adopt her. I called her owner and chatted with the wife for awhile. I found out that they had whelped Maisy and Bella's litter at their house and the puppies lived with them and their infant in their house until they were weaned at 12 weeks (can you imagine a litter of TEN puppies in your kitchen?!). She eventually told me that they planned to breed her because she was a good racer. I asked her to keep my contact info and let me know when she was done breeding because we would like to adopt her. I hung up the phone and not 2 minutes later the husband called me back. I will never forget that conversation: Me: Hello? Owner: You want Bella Ann? (THICK New England accent) Me: Uh, yes, we'd like to adopt her when she's done racing and you are done bree-- Owner: I want to get out of the business. It's been a nice run, but I don't really want to raise another litter of puppies. I don't know what my wife is thinking. I'll retire her now and you come get her. Me: uh... uh... OK, but she's racing really well and I don't want to take money from you. I can wait until she retires. Owner: That's fine too. I'll call her trainer and let him know. A few months later at 730 in the morning her trainer called us. I'll never forget that conversation, either: Me: Hello? Trainer (his name was Wayne Wright, how funny is that?!): You wanted Bella Ann, right? Me: YES! When she retires. Trainer: Well, she's retired. She raced this week and just isn't having fun anymore. She used to be so excited and now she's just "ho hum." We figured we'd retire her before she gets hurt or something since she has a place to go. Would you like to meet me somewhere this weekend? Me: Uh, sure! Let me talk to my husband and get everything set up and call you back. It took my husband and I about 30 seconds to decide to call in to to work for two days and just drive to New Hampshire to get her. It took a lot of coordination because the track she raced for required all dogs to go through their adoption program which sent ALL of the dogs to groups in Canada. They would not give her to GEGR. The only other way for dogs to leave were to be on trucks going to other tracks or the breeding kennel, or for their owners to check them out. Luckily Bella's owners lived near Hinsdale and agreed to meet us there. We caused quite a stir driving into the kennel area with our van covered in Greyhound Rescue stickers. They were watching us from the tower and sent a security guard down to see what was going on. He yelled at the trainer telling him he couldn't give the dog to us. Wayne looked that guard in the eye and said he was giving her to her owner and walked right out of the compound and handed the leash to the owner saying over his shoulder, "I can't influence her choices for her dog after that" and the owner instantly handed the leash to me. The security guard was so flustered, but he really couldn't do anything. We introduced the dogs and I swear Maisy took one sniff and said, "of all my littermates, WHY did you pick HER?!" Bella being brought out by her trainer At that moment, I realized that we really didn't have a well thought out plan here. We were staying in a hotel with no crate with three greyhounds that didn't know each other. I have no excuse for that, we had probably fostered a dozen or so dogs by then and really did know better. We got to the hotel and settled our stuff in and the brought Bella in. As soon as i took her leash off she jumped onto one of the beds and then leapt across to the other one. Then she saw the mirror above the dresser and jumped from the bed across the dresser to get to the dog on the other side. She was so shocked when she saw the nose print! To say that first bight was an adventure would be an understatement. But. we all survived and made it home. At the hotel Over time, Maisy and Bella grew to like each other and really did have a strong bond with each other. They had such different personalities but they were both just incredibly wonderful, sweet, friendly, kid loving dogs. From Bella, I learned what "small animal hostile" really meant! We were at a meet and greet and I knew Bella wasn't good with small animals so I had her plastered to my leg while I was talking to an interested person. A lady walked in with a toy poodle on a flexible lead paying no attention whatsoever. The poodle ran right up to Bella and jumped up into her mouth. I swear I couldn't make this up! Bella was so shocked and excited! I screamed and pried the poodle out while the owner stood there embarrassed and mumbled that she was sorry. Bella was fearless and incredibly intelligent. It was a pleasure having had her as part of my family. I feel such an intense loss knowing she won't be there to chatter at me and run her face through my hair, snuffling my face (Bella kisses were very hard to come by) anymore. The story of Bella's passing I traveled to California on Monday and when I got off the plane and called home to check in, I found out my stepdaughter had rushed Bella to the vet because she suddenly couldn't move her back end. I immediately called a close friend, and God bless her she dropped everything and went to the vet to find out what was going on. They conferenced me in and we decided to see if steroids would help. My friend offered to take Bella home and care for her because my stepdaughter and husband couldn't. While within a few hours Bella was able to stand on her own, but a few hours after that she passed away. I think she had nothing left after fighting her illness for so long. It made it so much "easier" to handle knowing that friends were there for me and for Bella. I don't think I can express the depth of feeling I have for them as friends. I got more than a dog when I adopted from GEGR; I got some of the most incredible friendships; people who have meant as much if not more to me than my family. I don't think a Thank You is adequate, but I don't know what really is, so all I can say is Thank You. Some pictures: We call this pose "flat dog" She would always lay so absolutely flat that you could barely see her Always on alert: Runnning on the track at the Wonderland Pet Expo: All my girls. I can't believe they are all gone

My vet won't diagnose LS without an MRI. She hasn't said it flat out, but she implies that she thinks Dr. Stack's assessments and treatment protocols are those of a quack. I asked her to humor me and do the LS check that Dr Stack recommended and she said, "Oh, he will absolutely collapse if I do that" and wouldn't do it . I asked her if she would try giving him the depo shot to see if it helps and she didn't refuse outright, but doesn't want to. She launched into a vet-speak laden discussion (that I only understood half of) about how the steroid shots are "contraindicated" for long term care and blah blah blah (there was more to her argument). Chad is 12 years old... what's long term?! Anyway, it's a bit moot for Chad right now because he has a tail wound that we are trying to get healed and adding any steroids right now will make that worse. What we decided on was doing laser treatments to get his tail to heal and to go ahead and do the laser treatments for his back at the same time. She told me she'd like to do the laser treatments on his back long term if they help. He just had his 5th treatment and I'm just not sure how I feel about how it is helping. He still is very stiff getting up and down, and has to adjust himself to get into a poop crouch, but he LAUNCHED himself into the back of the SUV after the last treatment, so it must be helping (before he was 50/50 on his attempts to even get into that car with his front feet without help). I have also been working unusually long hours for the last week so I'm not seeing him all day to really see what he's doing. On a side note, I am taking Chad to a much closer vet's office for the laser treatments and I asked the vet there for a second assessment. She wouldn't do the check on his back (the other vet already said he'd fall), and also agreed that "long-term" steroid use probably wasn't a good idea. She is a much older vet and commented that she used to dispense steroids a lot in her younger years but that new developments indicate it might not be the best choice. I gave her the same schpeal about Chad being 12, and seriously what's "long term" at that age and she didn't really have an answer. When his laser treatment was completed, she came back into the office and sat down with me and told me that she had taken some time to think about what I said and agreed that in a 12 year old Greyhound, "long term" steroid use really wasn't the problem, and quality of life should be a bigger consideration. She agreed to do the shots if I wanted them once his tail wound is healed, but she agreed with my current vet that the laser treatment may be just as effective and safer. I don't really know if any of that helps you, Jen, given that Zuri is much younger but these are the things I've been told. Maybe the laser treatments would help him. I'm (as I said) on the fence about it and they aren't really cheap. We are doing 2-3 treatments a week for his tail and it's $40/pop at his regular vet, $300 for a 6 treatment package at the closer vet. They just charge me for one session each visit even thought it's three locations each sitting (1 tail, 2 on the back). I don't know if that's normal or not. I feel a little trapped with it all because I'm working so much and can only drive so far and I don't have time to "research" the laser stuff. I can tell you that its effects on his tail wound have been dramatic. After two weeks of trying to get it to heal on its own normally with no change, the wound is now 1/2 the size with 5 laser treatments (1.5 weeks). It also just looks 1000x healthier.

When we met Miss Maisy for the first time, she wasn't the dog we were supposed to meet. We were supposed to meet a dog named Cassie, but during the day the family that adopted Maisy returned her and adopted Cassie instead. Maisy was a wild beast that night (I think she was happy to be returned). The kids and my husband met her as she ran around her foster's living room, jumped OVER the coffee table and then across the couch. My husband looked at me and said, "I want that dog." I wasn't convinced, but I was outnumbered. We couldn't take her home that day because Hurricane Isabelle had taken out our fence so her foster kept her for us for a week. I went to her house every day at lunch time to work with Maisy because I didn't want to take a wild child home. Day 1, her foster mom let her out the door and she ran around the house, doing about 4 laps before she came to me to give me the time of day. I had cookies in my pocket and I quickly taught her to Look at Me. The next day, her foster mom let her out the door and she came running down the steps about to start doing laps when she saw me. She came to a halt and trotted over to me and looked me dead in the eye to get her treat. I just stood there holding the treat to see what she would do next. She looked at me, looked at the treat, looked at me again and then *WHUMP* down went her butt into a perfect sit. Her foster mom asked me how on Earth I had taught her to sit so quickly. Turns out that Maisy was just incredibly smart and had been watching The foster mom's dog Reuben do tricks to get treats and put it all together. Maisy loved to play soccer, loved to play frisby, loved to bark at me when I used the corded phone in the kitchen and couldn't get away, loved to go visiting, and loved everyone. She really was a smart dog and she never used her powers for evil. She never once shredded a thing and never once put her nose in the trash. She really was the sweetest, cuddliest, friendliest, happiest, and just most wonderful dog of any breed I've ever had the pleasure to be with. I never wrote stories about her, but I loved her with all my heart and I really miss her so much already. She was the Best Puppy Ever, Maisy the Mouse, Maisy my Puppy, Mouse. I'm so sorry I couldn't cure your tumors, sweetheart.

I think the biggest issue is the amount of liquid. 7ml is A LOT to just toss down her throat at once (tried that and she choked) so I do it in thirds which just prolongs the agony. I will try the PB idea tomorrow... kind of a "carrot/stick" thing.

OK... Tried that (vet gave me a huge syringe with no needle). Squirt it in the back of her throat and she spits it out / throws it up. Squirt in on her tongue with the same result. This is day two and she's already running from me... not a good long-term solution.

The vet has prescribed some medicine for Bella that she has to take twice a day, 7ml each shot (not a trivial amount). Bella does NOT like the taste. Any ideas?! This is a long term thing.

I never taught Chad recall; he is just glued to me and in tune with me. I have called him off prey in mid hunt and he comes back to me. It's a special bond more than training. Ask anyone who has seen him with me

Pheno will do that. It will also cause excessive drinking/peeing. The goal is to get the dog on the lowest dose possible to keep the seizures under control while minimizing side-effects. You may also want to consider Potassium Bromide. None of those side-effects but it is more expensive so most vets don't start with it.

Thanks, everyone. I just miss my dog.

Lizzie had quite the eventful life. I've never told her story before because it was in her best interests to be icognito, but I will tell it now. She came to my adoption group (GEGR) as "Tammy" in 2004. She was adopted straight from the hauler to a lovely, older woman who renamed her Alice. She lived there for about a year when her owner passed away. She came back to GEGR and was placed in a new home, with a new name: "Ginger." She lived with that family for a few years and got into all kinds of trouble. She attacked their neighbor's little dog and put it into ICU. She also occasionally bit their young son. A few months later, she bit another neighbor's dog's tail off THROUGH the fence between their yards. That signed her death warrant - you see she was living in Virginia, and two attacks to companion animals there gets you labeled as a viscious dog. We found all this out when her family had to make a choice - pay for the extra home owner's insurance, place placards all around their property, and keep her on leash/muzzled anytime she left the house, or have her euthanized. They called me (it was the week of Christmas) to let me know they were going to have her euthanized. My husband and I quickly asked them to give her up, back to the group instead. They agreed without hesitation (they felt they had failed her) and my husband drove to the vet's office in Virginia immediately to get her. His telling of that story is much better than mine, and is much better in person so you should have him tell you when you see him. In a nut shell, when he let the folks behind the counter know he was there to pick up "Ginger" they responded in hushed silence, with a cold stare, and then emptied the waiting room. That's right, it was the end of December and they made everyone take their pets outside. They then brought a belly-crawling, terrified "Ginger" out of the back room sporting a bright red bandanna. My husband said the sight of it all made him laugh. He signed the release papers, removed the bandanna and then took her outside and mingled with all of the people from the waiting room until "Ginger" calmed down. He brought her straight home and we began the process of deciding what to do with her. We (GEGR Board of Directors) discussed putting her in doggy "witness protection." Basically, we would send her back to the track where they would obliterate her ear tattoos and "lose" her (send her to another group in another part of the country). We talked about euthanizing her. We talked about rehabilitating her, too. The final decision was to give her a week at the Wainwright boot camp and assess her and then make a decision about what to do with her. I quickly determined that she was just a very sensitive dog who needed the right mixture of firm and friendly in an owner. We kept her for about 2 months, working with her on basic training at home and also taking her out and about to socialize her properly. After those 2 months, I mentioned to my husband that I thought it was time to put her on the website and find her a home. After all, we knew what she needed in an owner. He disagreed. He actually looked me straight in the eye and said, "I think she'll need to be here for at least a year before we consider adopting her out, and if she needs to stay longer than that she can." I was dumbfounded. I told him that there was no way I was prepared to keep her that long. We bickered back and forth for about another month until his birthday - I adopted her and gave her to him. It was a match made in heaven. We decided then it was time for her to have a new name. We tried on lots of names, but the one that stuck was Lizzie Borden. We thought that was pretty fitting given her checkered past. Her nickname became Lizzie the Monster, and then was shortened to just Monster. I do think we called her Monster more than we called her Lizzie Over that next year I believe that she bit everyone in my family except me. Kids really aren't very smart, but I'm not sure what my husband's excuse was. Oh there were certainly times that she *wanted* to bite me. She would get frustrated, pull her head back and bite the air off to the side (making sure I knew that she wasn't *actually* going to bite me, but that she was mad). In the last few years I found myself calling her Elizabeth rather than Lizzie or Monster. She really did turn into a sweet, fun, happy dog. She was one of those pups that would whine just to hear herself whine, which drove me absolutely insane. She knew it, too. I would tell her that I didn't like her, I didn't want to adopt her (My husband made me do it), and that she was just a meanie. She would look back at me with a twinkle in her eye, wag her tale, and let out a YOWLING whine. Damn dog. This past weekend, Lizzie suddenly got very sick in the course of a day. I thought it was just a stomach bug, but after about 5 days of nursing her back, I took her to the vet's office today and we discovered that she had a rather large mass in her abdomen. While we were discussing possible courses of action, Lizzie had a very intense, full body seizure. I made the decision to let her go, and I know it was the right one. Lizzie, you damn dog -- I'm miss you already.

My thoughts are with you and Lily today. :

Sorry, too late, no more entries

OK, I think this is really, really simple. You note that she was silly and playful until last week, which is when the weather got nice and she wanted to spend more time outside. I think she's simply worn out from extra exercise. Greyhounds are LAZY.