Xan

A thought on the cysts, in case they return. I don't know if this is the same thing, but Katie (a borzoi) came to us with interdigital cysts which resisted long courses of antibiotics of various kinds and prednisone, epsom salt soaks, and various other topicals. I did some searching online, and kept reading silica salts as a treatment. Picked them up at the natural food store, and give them to her on a maintenance basis, morning and evening. No cysts in over a year! Bonus: her formerly gooky eyes also cleared up. If I run out for more than a day, the eyes get goopy again, so I know it's doing something useful in her system! Brilly's front inside toe comes off tomorrow, so this is all pretty important info to me. ( GT!) KennelMom, no bandaging sounds pretty good to me, since a broken toe bandaging fiasco led to permanent scarring from sores. I think I'll risk the not-wrapping, too. A question for fans of Pawz: I bought some (the purple size), but the mouth of the bootie is so tight it means really having to maul the foot to get them on. Have I just got a bum package, or have you not found this to be a problem? I do have a bunch of IV bags, but I'm liking the moldable ease of KennelMom's press-n-seal .... I hope all the toe-amp pups are feeling well and getting to healing!!

He does, kinda, huh? Thanks! Yeah, that does help. It's good to hear all these "eh, it's just one toe!" stories. Thanks for all the good thoughts!!

Thanks, Robin!

Okay, we have an appointment on Thursday, and here's our plan: x-rays up the leg and of the chest: if no further tumors are found, proceed with digit amputation - send to histopathology dental I'll be a mess that day, of course. He's on pheno for seizures, he has unilateral laryngeal paralyses which was inflamed by the intubation during his last dental, he's a little weak in the rear and here we go taking off a front toe. Poor ol' dude! Well, I'll keep you updated! Thanks for all the support, info, and kind thoughts.

Ah! Okay. Yes, I thought gabapentin took a neurologic approach to pain, rather than anti-inflammatory. We've had to use it for Katie's neck pain a couple times. Okay, smaller doses, more frequently. Good to know.

Oh, good point about the needle biopsy. They'd have to have some good imaging either going on during the operation or maybe several views beforehand, to triangulate well. The toe is probably going. I can't actually think of a reason not to take it off, unless this miraculously turns out to be a bruise. Yeah. Not too likely. I'm glad Dr Kellog was available to look at this, then! I do think I've read her name here before. As for his pain. Question: Should I be expecting or hoping to see him put full weight on that toe? If it's functionally impaired (doesn't bend properly, say), wouldn't total pain-removal be ... I don't know ... either impossible or not a good idea? Seems like he'd have to be one numb pup to not feel that. Or not care about feeling it, which is how I recall being on pain medication, myself. I do not want him to feel any more pain than we can avoid, but it seems like there might have to be a delicate balance between too numb to walk or enjoy life, and too much pain to walk or enjoy life. We might even have some gabapentin ... No, I think it's used up. I'll ask about it. Thanks.

BauersMom, hm. Yeah, I see your point. Everyone is an individual, huh? Batmom, so you're thinking that "biopsy" was referring to taking a chunk, rather than just sticking a needle in and pulling some stuff out? I'm sure Brilly would prefer the needle approach!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Robin}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} The good news strikes as randomly as bad news, doesn't it? Well, we'll just have to test and see. I don't want him on pain meds for too-too long, so some resolution will be good.

Thanks, Ducky. So glad for you and Gracie!! Brilly's toe doesn't show any surface lesions or weirdness, beyond the hard swelling at that joint. Not conclusive of anything, I don't suppose, just an observed difference. Got the consult back from OSU: Anyone know the reason for aspirate rather than biopsy? I'll have to look up the difference. *edit after searching* Hm. That's what I thought! Aspiration is the method; biopsy is the point (collect and examine). Well, okay. The point was she suggests "aspiration biopsy: biopsy in which tissue is obtained by application of suction through a needle attached to a syringe." It's encouraging, I guess, that it doesn't seem like OSA from various perspectives. And that it's relatively slow, whatever it is. So, mystery not yet solved, but slightly less worried about OSA, anyway! One thing I noticed in the forwarded email was that my vet had described his "Left prescapular lymph node slightly increased in size." She didn't mention that to me at our appointment. : My vet is getting an estimate ready, and we'll proceed from there.

Thanks for all the good thoughts and chants! savvytwh, his inner toe on his left foot is swollen at the large joint, the middle one, between the phalange attached to the nail, and the long one on top that attaches to the "wrist". He limps on it, particularly after first getting up, and on hard surfaces. At worst, he doesn't want to put any weight on it, but doesn't hold it off the floor entirely. I think he would if he felt more secure in his rear, which is also a bit weak. The x-rays show ... well, heck, I don't know! I couldn't tell much, lay-person that I am. But the vet said the bone had some vagueness, and some fluffiness or shapes that didn't look like arthritis to her. Two full days on pain meds, and he's much calmer. There had grown to be a lot of whining, unsettled pacing, shaking off (not quivering, but doing that big full-body shake), a couple panting episodes, especially in the evenings and then off and on through the night. The swelling doesn't seem to have decreased by much, which makes sense, since most of the swelling seems to be bone material, from what I could tell looking at the xray, but he is a little more comfortable moving. Of course, I feel like *#%>! for the pain he's already experienced for way too long, but we were beyond flat broke for months. The vet made a point of saying to me on Monday that, as we are "established customers" (that's for sure!), that they will treat our animals, and work with us on the bill. They've been great, really! Anyway, that's not what you asked about, was it? So glad YOUR hound was only dx'd with arthritis! Not that that's a fun situation, but it's not likely to kill him/her! : Oh, and we got an auto-response from OSU saying they'd respond within 3 days. So. tick ... tock ...

Aw, thanks, Patsy. Yeah, me too. Every single dandelion is an emblem and reminder of Wabi, and her sunny, humble, and mischievous personality.

Okay, that sent me on one of those google image searches that makes you so grateful for the health you and your loved ones DO have! 8~/ But thanks for that info. My vet wrote this morning to let me know we should get the results in a day or so. tick tock tick tock tick tock . . . . . Isn't that cute? Holly/TheUnrulyHound made one of each of my hounds that year. I don't know if she's still going to offer them, but check out her website for more info and goodies. (We artists have got to stick together! ) tick tock tick tock tick tock . . . . .

I'll look her up, too. Thanks, tbhounds!

Thanks, Cynthia! I asked Suzie about Maggie, and she said her cancer was in the metatarsal, above the toes, and Dr. C recommended taking the leg all the way to mid-femur. I haven't heard back from my vet, so I probably won't until tomorrow, anyway. It was her day off, after all. I should look into amicar, since Brilly did bleed a lot after his last dental ....

Oh! Maggie Mae ... I'll ask her! I can't remember where hers showed up. Hm. Though she did have a total leg amp ... Djsgreys, That's such a sad story! Now I'm really champing at the bit to find out about the toe, and get chest xrays if it is OS! I'm sitting on my email inbox waiting to hear from my vet about the xrays, but its her day off .... Meanwhile, Brilly is flat on his side in the long soft grass of the dog-yard, getting some outdoor air therapy.

Yeah, avoiding jail is probably a good call. You know. Timing is everything. It's hard for us on our side to take it in stride when vets/vet staff make mistakes, with so much riding on it! I hope for all the other critters' sake still under their care that the mistakes weren't deep incompetence, anyway.

Thanks, Kyle! You have read of this? Can you recall where?

Ugh. Scary!! Sending more good thoughts for you and Thunder! No more seizures, no matter what, no matter when!! :bighug

Thanks, Chris! My biggest concern is how hard even a small surgery, just the anesthesia, will have on him. He had a bunch of teeth out last year, and I swear he hasn't been the same since. (He also drew the crap teeth card, poor ol' dude!) Yes, if we do get a dx of osteo, chest xrays are next top priority, then a decision about the toe amp. Blergh.

Hey, I hope you're over beating yourself up for this!! My boy Pogo had a bunch of things-that-could-be-hemangiosarcoma, which we had removed while he was under light anesthesia for other reasons. We didn't even test them, since treatment is remove and watch in any case, and we're always on the fine edge of broke. Then, one showed up on the white of his eye. That one, and a few others, were all removed at one time, and we had that and the most suspicious other spot tested. The skin one was benign, but the eye one was hemangiosarcoma. That was last June, so it's been nearly a year, and while skin spots have come, and even gone (one after getting all scabby and nasty), we've seen nothing more on or near the eye, despite one vet's opinion that he "expected to see the tumor return on the optic nerve, and be pushing the eye out in 3 to 4 months." (Mr. Bedside Manner, eh? ) Anyway, cutaneous hemangiosarcoma isn't necessarily a quick death sentence, or even a death sentence at all. Hang in there! You did the cautious approach, and removed the one spot that turned out to be a problem, so your instincts actually are pretty darn good!

Update May 30: Path report came back and there was no cancer! The toe still had to go, as the bone was proliferating and chipping off due to some trauma somewhere along the line, causing pain and chronic inflammation. So, no toe; no more toe pain! WHEW!! :confetti _____________________________ We don't have a diagnosis yet, and x-rays are headed to Dr. Couto today (hopefully). Brilly, 11 next month, our first greyhound, Mr. Easy-going, has a swollen toe that he's been limping on for a few months. He's broken a toe (finally healed after removing all bandaging) and sprung a toe in the past (never seemed to bother him, and healed on its own), and we were in a scary-broke phase (already owed the vet ~$400), so we took a watch and wait position 'til some money came in. Yesterday, the vet talked me through the xray, showing me a suspicious cloudiness around the joint in question. Despite how unusual it might be for OSA to show up in a toe, it has to be considered. So, I told her about Dr. Couto, sent her the contact info, and now we wait for news. In the meantime, I hit GT to search for anyone else with a similar experience, but didn't find anything. Does anyone know of such a dog? Brilly also has epilepsy (controlled so far on pheno) (knock on wood!), increasing hind end weakness and unilateral laryngeal paralysis: he'll be getting palliative care 'til it's time to let him go. We talked about removing the offending toe as part of that plan, and that may happen. Nothing is clear yet, of course. We all had a quiet night's sleep last night as the vet gave us both tramadol and meclazine. He's clearly been in more pain than we thought, besides limping when he first gets up. I haven't been on GT so much since FB took over but isn't this the way it goes? Something bad happens, and we reach for help where we know we can find it, along with the supportive community we've come to trust. And now, the obligatory pictures! SO unimpressed with his stocking portrait! Our first days together! My handsome boy, looking all heroic and pretending to think deep thoughts.

When Pogo was a youngster, he considered a walk near any kind of plant-life just a moving feast. We corrected, muzzled, and let him eat grass and dandelions, and eventually he grew out of it. Now he sticks to the approved plants. Maybe your Peggy will grow out of it, too. In the mean time, if you're even the slightest bit in doubt, muzzle+poop cup! She won't like it, but she'll get used to it, and best of all, she'll survive it.

Oh lordy! Sending healing thoughts for you, Betty, and your dobie. What a plate-full of scary you got dished up! I don't have any protection advice, but I'm certainly reading it avidly as it shows up here.

So glad you're both enjoying and LIVING these precious days.

Aw! His tummy-warmer! So glad to hear he's feeling better!! I'm going to hold in my mind the pictures of him having such a good time at the beach, strutting in the sunshine, cuddling with his kitty ......