Booker_Aye

Here is some great news about Freddy! It's posted on Facebook on Greyhound Rescue & Rehabilitation's page: "Hey everybody, My Dr. friends changed the bandages on my right thigh today. Things are looking really good with that flappy skin but I have some fluid (probably juice) down near my knee. I’m really not supposed to bother with it but I want to so I wear my neck pillow and my muzzle AND they tried to put on an e-collar too. I took it off. HAHA. But haha on me cuz it got stuck on my muzzle. I’m still getting presents which is very cool. I LUV all the goodies so whoever picks me up from OSU next Saturday March 2 better have a BIG vehicle. Did ya read that guys? I’m ready to go on a road trip!!! Yay!! I got to go outside today but a road trip will be much more fun. My secretary, Christine, needs help finding some chauffeurs for me. She thought I could leave OSU on Sat. Spend an overnight with someone in mid PA and then make the trip to Greenwich CT on Sunday. She can’t meet me until 4pm Sunday." Isn't that wonderful! I e mailed Christine that I would do the mid-PA to Greenwich drive, but I bet there are hordes of hound lovers lining up for the job!

This was posted on Facebook from Greyhound Rescue and Rehab the day after Freddy's big surgery: "Hi everybody, I have a little update on Freddy. He's not writing you yet because he's still a little groggy from surgery. Actually, I haven't heard much from him either...he's asked his friend Mo who's taking care of him to pass messages on. Before I forget, someone sent him Fastdog Foodie treats. Those are his favorite and he finished his last bag yesterday. He would appreciate receiving some more, especially the meat ones. That's the truth, from Mo. But The Fredster is already up walking and taking it in stride...no pun intended. The picture you're seeing is Freddy all sewed up. The bulb is part of a drain to pump fluids out of the right leg repair. The left leg has the straight line incision. That's the one they operated on last week. It's doing really well. The other leg, the right, was the BIG operation from yesterday. The flat round surface you see is Freddy's tummy skin that was cut on 3 sides and then STRETCHED over the right thigh wound. I've seen pictures of the operation from start to finish and it was truly awesome. Please keep the good thoughts coming, and the treats. "

Freddy had major surgery this morning. Here is the update from Christine, the President of Greyhound Rescue & Rehab: "Here's an update on Freddy. I spoke with the surgeon about 1:30 this afternoon. Freddy was just waking up after being in surgery for close to 4 hours.. 5 surgeons were working on him. Took a 3x12" piece of skin from his abdomen and flapped it onto the inside of his right thigh all the way down to his knee. He's awake and not happy. Now it's a waiting game. Pray that new blood supply kicks in and the skin flap adheres to the wound. Freddy has to behave by keeping calm and not picking at his bandages or trying to remove the drain. It will be about 3-5 days before the surgeons know for sure what/how much skin is going to take from the flap. The most critical area is around the knee as the movement and tension is bound to cause some issues. You've all done so much but I'd like to ask for another get well card campaign for Freddy. He's still in isolation and has restricted visitors but when he gets mail, they take some extra time to read to him. Here's the address: Ohio State University Veterinary Center Soft Tissue Surgery Dept. Attn: Freddy & Dr. Pugliese 601 Vernon Tharp Rd. Columbus, OH 43210 Keep the good thoughts and prayers heading Freddy's way for the next few days please. Thanks, Christine" It sounds as though Freddy needs all of the prayers we can send him, poor houndie. Let's hope that the graft takes, and he has a complete healing.

Fred, Kimba and I just finished working on a get well card for Freddy. We'll mail it first thing tomorrow. With the holiday on Monday, the absolute soonest he will be able to see it will be Tuesday, and probably a day or two later than that. We'll be hoping that by the time the card arrives, Freddy will be out of the woods. Kimba is a Grehound Rescue & Rehab hound, as were our angels Booker and Polly. We can't wait to welcome Fred to New York! We are sending him all of our best thoughts.

Oh, rats! Well, I'll get started on research and figure out how to proceed. Thanks so very much for your immediate responses!

She has been favoring her foot for a few days, so I took a look and saw this circular place on her toe -- it does not appear to be raised. If it is a corn, I will research the many corn threads on the forum and start to treat her, poor doggie. She is my third greyhound, and I have never had this problem before; I had hoped never to have to face it! Your input is much appreciated.

What are NaturVet Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics? NaturVet Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics is a concentrated enzyme blend derived from vegetable sources that comes in powder form and helps promote a healthy digestive tract in dogs and cats. For: Cats (over the age of 6 weeks) Dogs (over the age of 6 weeks) Benefits: • Strengthens immune system • Normalizes bowel movements • Slows the growth of disease-causing bacteria • Lasts a 50 lb dog 113 days when used at the recommended dosage • There are no side effects How it works: Prebiotics help to support your pet's naturally occurring beneficial bacteria. Probiotics contain a blend of live microorganisms recommended to help support a healthy digestive tract and maintain a healthy immune system. NaturVet Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics will last approximately 113 days when feed twice a day to a 50 lb dog. Cautions: NaturVet Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics is only meant for intermittent use. This is the product description from i800petmeds; as you can see, it states as a caution that it is only meant for intermittent use.

Sometimes it is hard to tell whether it's Fred or Kimba who is having troubles with gas, but the general opinion is that Fred is the culprit. Both hounds have firm stools, and I have tried adding pumpkin and yogurt, which they love, but gas is still a problem. In checking threads, I saw that some dogs were helped by Fortiflora, but when I looked it up on 1800PetMeds I saw that I would have to buy it through my vet, which will, I know from bitter experience, make it extremely expensive. They offered, in its stead, NaturVet Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics, which I found on Amazon.com for very reasonable prices. However, the description of the product makes the point that this is NOT something to be used on a regular basis; I gather that you use it for a week or ten days, the problem gets addressed, hopefuly, and then you discontinue use. However, the comments of the reviewers seem to ignore this recommendation; they say that they use it on a permanent basis. I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with this product as to their success with it, and whether they use it intermittently or regularly.

Poor Annie! No experience with ear infections; this week we are learning about eye irritations with Fred's help, But we all send you and Annie our best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Our old kibble, which Fred was on before he came to me, has been discontinued. I have one 15 pound bag of it left, and I would appreciate some input on a good schedule to transition Fred to the new kibble. He gets 1 1/2 cups of kibble, a half can of wet food (which we are not changing, it's always Blue Buffalo, but different varieties for a change of pace), a scoop of yogurt, and a scoop of pumpkin. So I need to gradually change 1 1/2 cups of kibble 1 to 1 1/2 cups of kibble 2. I'd really appreciate a schedule to make it as easy for Fred as possible. Thanks! Terry

Booker had a perianal adenoma when he was about 8 years old. We opted for surgery at the vet's recommendation and it was not a good recovery. At home that evening he started to bleed heavily so I took him to the e-vet where he was stitched up better, and had a bad reaction to the anesthesia; his temperature shot up and we thought we were going to lose him. It was freezing cold outside, so we made him comfortable in the back of the SUV with the door open so that he would cool down, and the e-vet (bless him, and the assistants, at Katonah Bedford Animal Hospital in NY) trekked in and out to keep taking his temperature and see how he was doing. The cold finally helped him over the crisis and we were able to take him home. This converted me to a "watchful waiting" stance for just about everything thereafter (until he got the soccer ball sized spleen when he was 11, which is another story ...) For a pea sized perianal adenoma, I would definitely measure and watch for the present, as it's benign, unless it was interfering with his ability to empty himself. I hope poor Mork's toe heals quickly and well! Terry

I was looking on dogfoodadvisor.com and I see that Darford went into receivership October 24, 2012. Here is the link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/darford-international-inc-announces-receivership-213600188.html I guess we have to find a new kibble fast! I will read up on Orijen for starters. Terry

I adopted Fred on October 29 from Forever Home Greyhound Adoptions, Inc. in Middleburg, New York. He is such a wonderful, affectionate, darling dog -- I cannot say enough good things about him. The President of Forever Home Greyhound Adoptions, Paula LaPorte, told me that Fred had been eating Darford Zero/G kibble, which is donated by the manufacturer to their adoption group, and she gave me some samples to take home with Fred. I've had greyhounds since 2003, and have tried several different kibbles over the years; Kimba, who came to us in July 2012 eats ProPlan Select Salmon and Brown Rice, and does very well on it. But I wanted to keep Fred on the food he was used to, and since it seems to be a very high quality food, thought I might transition Kimba to the Darford Zero/G when she starts coming to the end of her stored ProPlan. Now, however, I am finding it impossible to buy the Darford on line; there are no stores that supply it in Southern New York State. I was ordering it from PetFood Direct; they are out of stock; a number of other online pet food companies that used to stock it no longer do; I placed an order with Pawtastic Pets, and they later notified me that they could not get it from their supplier and that they thought the company, which is in Canada, was having problems importing the food into the U.S. I finally found a company that says they have some in stock, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the kibble will arrive safely and soon. If I am not going to be able to stay with the food, I'd like to have enough to transition Fred gradually. Does anyone have any information about what is actually going on with Darford? And, does anyone have a recommendation for a grain free kibble that Fred could try instead? Many thanks! Terry

Thank you all for your input! I contacted Dr. Christine Kellogg at OSU who told me that Fred's ALT value was normal for greyhounds. So my mind is at rest! Terry

Yes, that is what I am wondering, too, DesiRayMom. Part of what is so scary is not knowing how seriously to take this value. It's not super high. Were Desi's other values normal, like Fred's? I'll go ahead with the Denamarin, and hope that Fred does as well afterwards as Desi did, but I'll still wonder what caused the higher value, and whether if he didn't take the Denamarin the end result would have been the same. Terry GreyTzu, that will be hard to do. I can give Fred the pill an hour before breakfast, but two hours before will be really hard. The prescribing info says 1 hour before eating. Won't that be good enough? Terry

Fred came home on October 28, 2012, the day before Hurricane Sandy. He had been in Wheeling, WV for about 1 year after coming off the track, because no one wanted a black male, not cat safe, and an adoption group near Amsterdam, NY, Forever Home Adoptions, brought him north in the hope of finding him a home in August, 2012, I believe. He is almost 6. While he was with the foster home parents, for about two months, I think, he ate Darford kibble. I have been feeding him the same food since he came to me, about two weeks ago, with the addition of a half can of Blue Buffalo to moisten the kibble with each meal. I've also been giving him a glucosamine500/chondroitin 400 capsule with each of his two daily meals, since that is what his "sister", Kimba, gets, and it seemed to me that for the same reason she needed it, he would too. He got to the vet for his general checkup on Saturday 11/10, and his results were unremarkable except for a slightly elevated ALT (SPGT) value of 144; the normal range is 12-118. I've read elsewhere that the time to worry is when this level is two to three times the normal range, which is certainly nowhere near what he has. My vet prescribed a month of Denamarine. Is she overreacting? The only other value that was slightly out of whack was his pH from his urinalysis, which was 8.0; normal range is 5.5 - 7.0. That she didn't mention, I imagine because it is too small a rise to be of concern. But she clearly was concerned about the liver values. How worried should I be? That aside, Fred is an AWESOME dog. He is so sweet, full of affection, likes to play and run in the yard, chews his bully sticks and stuffies, and follows the lead of his predecessor in interest, Kimba. They seem to be forging a real bond as she explains to him the ins and outs of being retired. He is very unwilling to learn about stairs, so much so, more than my three prior greys, that I suspect he may have had a very bad experience with them, and I am not pushing them. Kimba, my other grey, is a lively lady, 5 1/2 years old, and has been with me since July 7. In comparison to my first greyhound, Booker, whom I adored, these hounds are incredibly un-neurotic, laid back, and cheerful. But I was hoping not to have to deal with any major health issues, at least for a while. If anyone has any experience with ALT liver enzyme values like these, I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks, Terry

Acting on MarcR's suggestion, I fed Polly some ProPlan Select Salmon & Rice, which she relished, especially after her fast, and has been doing well on since last week. We have a new food. Thanks, Marc! Terry

I have been feeding Polly TOTW for about a year; she and Booker did really well on it. Yesterday when I got home I found that she had pooped very loosely in the living room; then I saw that her dog walker had also cleaned up after her earlier in the day. When I went on line I found out about the recall, and I checked my UPC codes, and sure enough, our TOTW was in the recall. My problem is that I had arranged to fly down to Florida today to bring my father back to NY to a nursing facility. That plan couldn't be changed. So Polly is being taken care of while I am gone by the dog walker, who is excellent, and a family friend, who is also very reliable, but neither will be able to take her to the vet tomorrow or Saturday -- she will have to wait until I get home Saturday night. I fasted her last night and this morning, and tonight she had a little of a different kibble just to see how she would do. She was at her vets for her senior checkup just last Saturday, and all her blood and urine test were good. So whatever this is, it hadn't started last Saturday, although she was eating from the same bag of TOTW for about two weeks, I believe. I'd be grateful for any suggestions on what I could advise her caregivers to do until I can home. Terry

Good news for Booker! The pathology reports indicated that the spleen was benign, so with luck we shouuld have lots of happy healthy time together. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and for your good wishes for Booker.

Many thanks for the advice and good wishes!

Booker had his spleen removed today; it was huge. I can't imagine how much weight he has lost as a result. Now we have to wait to hear whether it was a malignancy or not. Everything else looked good, but they also biopsied his liver while they were there. I know money isn't supposed to enter into these decisions, but this was a hard one for me, involving thousands of dollars that I really don't have. I only hope that Booker will make a complete a recovery and enjoy several more years of healthy life. He is 11 years old now, and very, very dear to me and my children. I'd love to hear from anyone who has gone through a splenectomy with their hound to give me an idea of what kind of recovery I can expect.

What a terrible shock. I am so sorry for your loss.

It does sound like kennel cough, and a visit to the vet is indicated. Here is a symptom description: Symptoms The most common symptom is a dry hacking cough sometimes followed by retching. Many owners describe the cough as having a 'honking sound.' A watery nasal discharge may also be present. With mild cases, dogs continue to eat and be alert and active. Many times, there is a recent history of boarding or coming in contact with other dogs. In more severe cases, the symptoms may progress and include lethargy, fever, inappetence, pneumonia, and in very severe cases, even death. The majority of severe cases occur in immunocompromised animals, or young unvaccinated puppies. Kennel Cough That is the article. It would be reasonable to see this in a dog who has been in contact with other dogs, as your new adoptee certainly has been. Feel better soon, Izzy!

How is Oatie today?

Oh, I am sorry to hear this bad report. I do think you are making a good choice for Cullen, though -- and with luck, the tumor will move more slowly than expected. How is his recovery from the surgery going?