gryhnd_adoptee

April 29, 2008

Ohhhhh......My heart just breaks for poor Poptart. I hope you can get this under control soon.

The loss of skin reminds me of a story I read in an old CG magazine titled "Pipers Skinning". He took a very large part of his skin off running under a clothes line....they termed it "degloving". I just did a search and found his story. As what seemed like a last resort, they tried Manuka Honey as a dressing to help heel the wound. Manuka Honey is made from the Tea Tree which is very medicinal. Honey on it's own has healing properties, but the Manuka is especially good.

Give the article a read, but be prepared...the photos are graphic. If it helps to know, Piper's wound fully healed and he now sports a starburst scar on his side.

http://www.aussiegreys.com/Piper's%20Story.htm

April 23, 2008

When our girlie had one on the bottom of her foot between her toes, I was under the understanding that they are an auto immune response and that they can have several over the course of a lifetime.

Our vet likes to treat less invasively first before surgery is even an option. She had two back to back rounds of antibiotics, and he gave me some sort of drops in a really tiny bottle to put right on it a couple of times a day. The drops made it shrink to nothing in a few weeks so no surgery was needed. Fortunately that was the only one she ever had.

I wish I could remember what the drops were!

April 13, 2008

I'm not sure they actually use "Super Glue" for med injuries at the rink. There is actually a medical super glue which is used sometimes in place of stitches. Many years ago, my daughter got bit on her lip and under her eye by our grey. They were both laying on the bed and when my daughter went to get up, she startled the dog from a sleep and she came up snapping. It was nobodys fault really. She did not know the dog fell asleep behind her.

Anyway, in the emergency room they opened a vial of medical glue and glued the cuts closed. My daughter said it stung quit a but until it dried. It peeled off on it's own within a week leaving very little scar. The one concern though is to be certain the wound is absolutely clean or you would be gluing in stuff that could also cause infection.

Strangely, my kids and I were discussing this kind of stuff at Christmas dinner and I asked DD#1 what would be the best thing to do for an injury you knew you had to do something about but not necessarily stitches and she said Super Glue Gel. Apparently it isn't all that different than what happens in the hospital sometimes. We were talking about it at work today too when we were watching the Capitals hockey game and one of the players had a cut over his eye. I guess that is what often happens there too. Who knew.

April 13, 2008

I agree with many others here with regards to the Epsom Salt soaks. We use them here all the time for foot injuries. It really cleans and debrades the wound and promotes healing. I fill a bucket with warm water and salts and as my grey stands with the injured foot in the bucket, she gets lots of sweet talk and belly rubs so she stands still long enough for a good soak.

I also use a turkey baster to help circulate the water between the toes for tough spots. I just squeeze the bulb to create a current near the wound.

I also use baby socks wrapped with vet wrap at the top because I have a licker that will leave nothing alone. When she goes outside, a winter bootie goes over the sock to keep it clean.

Good luck.

March 19, 2008

We have a seizure dog and began titering at the advice of someone in our group who believes certain vaccines can cause problems in especially susceptible dogs. The information that follows is all that I have learned in one visit with my vet when we began to titer this year. It's a lot, but it's my two cents worth.

Our titer tests run about $60.00 when we have them done, but titers should be done two to four times in succession to get an accurate base reading for what is "normal" for your dog. Titering is not an exact science, and just one test will not give good results and here's why.

When the test results come in, the result numbers are compared to a range of numbers on a chart that in theory is what is to be considered "acceptable ranges" for pathogen protection to be in place. For instance if the acceptable distemper range is theorized to be between 70-2200 to be considered adequate, and your dogs first test comes in at 80, some vets would consider that to be on the low end of the scale and vaccinate. But not so fast!

Lets say you inoculate your dog for that low reading, and do another titer test several months down the road and still get the same low number of 80. What that leads researchers to believe is that no matter how much vaccine you put into your dog, 80 will always be this particular dogs "normal" and you have just excessively exposed your dog to too much vaccine because the first test led you to believe it was too low.

For titers to be more accurate, several in a row should be done a few months apart to establish a profile for your particular dog, not some other dog whose normal may be different from your own. Lets say again that the 80 number comes in on the first test. Follow up with another titer in a couple of months and check that number again. If it remains at 80, and continues to remain at 80 for successive tests...this is your dogs normal and you now have a base to go by for future tests. When this number begins to drop, you will have a better idea of when your dog needs a booster.

Now if you get an 80 on the first test, and lets say a 70 on a successive test, and even lower on another test, then the numbers are drooping and a vaccine is recommended to boost protection.

Rabies on the other hand is all together different. Here in NY you have to go through some pretty big hoops to get out of a rabies shot here because I understand the State does not take titers too seriously because they are still thought to be based on a lot of theory. There really are no hard and true guidelines to determine with one test if your dog is adequately protected or not against certain pathogens. Because rabies is prevalent here in the wild population, we must by law have our animals vaccinated against it regardless.

Titering can get expensive, but if you are one who truly believes that we over vaccinate our dogs, then it is a worthwhile thing to do.

Okay, so DBF and I are getting a non-grey puppy this weekend and the breeder doesn't want us to give the puppy rabies shots until he is 6 months old because she says they have enough still in their system from mom and she doesn't want them overvaccinated (understandable).

BUT, dogs are supposed to be registered in the county by 4 months and in order to do that, they have to be UTD on all their vaccinations... including rabies.

So if the vet pushes for rabies earlier (which I'm sure she will) I'd like to ask for a titre. If it comes back that the pup isn't protected enough, we'd go ahead and do the vaccination. If he's protected, I won't worry about it and just won't tell the county we have a pup until he's 6 months and gets his rabies.

So how much did you pay for your titres? Or at least just a rabies titre?

It'll be good to know for the future when Chase gets a bit older and I decide to just to titres for all vaccines other than rabies.

March 14, 2008

When our senior grey had arthritis, we gave Syn-Flex original for pets. The results for her were amazing. It is a liquid which is more readily absorbed than tablet form and we gave it at night in about two ounces of yogurt. She would certainly let me know if I was late on occassion with her yogurt...lol. After a while I even took a dose with her as it is for people and humans and I tell you....I stopped getting out of bed in the morning with achy joints.

Here is where I got mine from, but you might want to check out some other sites. A couple of years ago they were cheaper than anyone, but the prices jumped last year when I no longer needed it so I never bothered to look further.

http://www.earlstation.com/es_info_page_synflex.html

If he has arthritis, he should be on a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement of some kind. You might want to start with Greyhound Gang's Get Up and Go or Springtime's Joint Health. Sugar has some spine issues, along with arthritis, and she has been on Metacam long term, it is supposed to be not as hard on the liver. She has moved on to more serious stuff, but she is 12

March 10, 2008

Our senior grey had a degenerating disk in her neck when she had x-rays for the same sort of pain you describe. It was the fourth disk in her neck and was pressing on the nerve running down her spine causing pain. It got to the point where she could no longer chew on rawhides for extended periods because it hurt her too much afterwards.

A second set of x-rays a couple of years later which were done further down her spine showed some calcification points on another disk in the middle of her back which were like razors to her. When we found this specific disk problem, it was because we took her into the e-vet for a run in injury when she was running with our other grey in the yard. The e-vet "did not" see this additional disk issue! It was picked up by our regular vet the next day on her follow up to the e-vet visit. He palpated her, found where she flinched the most and went back and really studied the x-rays hard. He said it was really difficult to make out the calcifications, but it was certainly the cause for her pain.

We managed her pains in her last years by limited activity, joint supplements and the occassional pain med when she tried to kick up her heels from time to time and just overdid it a bit. We could never ever convince our girlie she was getting older and should slow down!

Long story short, you might want to have the x-rays looked over again really well. Not saying this is the cause, but just relaying added info on how one vet missed a diagnosis where the other caught it after looking a bit harder.

Hope you find out what is causing the pain and that your baby girl feels better soon.

Edited to add - We also took our girlie for accupuncture treatments and they worked wonders for her. The treatment the vet used was needles and current through about half of them, followed by vitamin shots in strategic places between her toes and in her back knees as she was also showing signs of arthritis in one rear knee. I came home with a much more relaxed dog after treatments and swear by them! She started with one treatment a week and went to two a month and then monthly. She was also put on Corydales which is supposed to help with swelling and circulation in a natural way. I believe it's an herb but could be wrong on that.

My sweet girl has been in pain, on and off again, for over a month now (background
hereand here). It's getting worse, and I'm not sure what to do anymore. Here's what we've tried:

1) Rhymadil and steroid shots - The first round worked for a week or so. Second round didn't work at all.

2) Lots of rest and leash walks, in case it was a muscle injury that needed to heal

3) X-Rays - Absolutely clear and perfect. No indications of cancer, no problems with her joints, no signs of a slipped disc. We had a second vet look at them as well to make sure the first hadn't missed anything.

4) Visited a "holistic" vet recommended by my regular vet. She waved her hands over Diamond, apparently "cleansed her ions," and gave me some supplements to give her (Traumeel, Ligaplex and Cardio-plus). I'm very skeptical of the whole thing and since visiting her, Diamond has gotten worse, not better.

The occasional yelps have turned into much more regular screams, and it's just killing me to see her in so much pain. She depends on me to take care of her, and I have NO answers - no idea what's causing it and no idea how to help her. It's heartbreaking.

The holistic vet said she'd expected to do acupuncture but that Diamond wasn't "asking" for it. Should I find another vet who will do acupuncture/chiropractics? Should I see another "regular" vet? What would you do?

February 19, 2008

hmmm....maybe a spring you do not notice in the cushions of the furniture somewhere?? :unsure We had an old old college couch that we noticed that happened with so we tossed it for a new one.

Looks like it could be sore....be sure to keep a close eye on it.

Everything was fine on Sunday when I left to go to church. After church I had to stay for a meeting. When I got home, DH said, "Buddy has what looks like a puncture wound on his butt." Sure enough, he does. No sign of how he did it, or when. DH let them outside when he got home from church, but didn't watch them (grr...) so we don't even know if he did it in the house while we were gone, or outside after DH got home.

Anyway, here is the shot that shows where it is...

And here is a close up. So far it looks pretty "clean", nothing oozing out of there. I have been putting EMT gel on it, or antibiotic ointment. He invariably licks it off, and I am threatening him with panties....

Any other suggestions??

It's always something. Thank God it isn't anything worse....

Oh, and please...nobody tell Buddy I have posted pictures of his bottom online!!

February 12, 2008

One of our girlies has occassional idiopathic seizures, hoewever, after documenting them I swear they are food related. She gets an extra cup of food late at night to carry her through till morning. I also make seizure muffins from chicken and such for her to take with us when we travel. Her routine is upset when we leave home and she often doesn't eat like she should. At least I know she will eat the muffins to help her along.

After reading your post my thought is that maybe he's getting too much of a hit of meds on an empty stomach as they are digested faster without food in the belly. Maybe if he gets a cup of food mid day or maybe a half hour before meds it will help slow down the rapid absorbtion a bit.

It's so frustrating when they cannot tell us what's wrong! Good thoughts coming Carriers way from the hilltops of WNY.

January 23, 2008

My empathy is with you, you indeed have a very bad year!

Our Willa girl left us suddenly in July '07, not far behind my Dad who also left suddenly in March '07. I don't think the pain ever gets healed with time. All we can do is to learn how to live without them physically in our lives anymore. We learn eventually to hold the happy memories close in our hearts which is what keep me going.

Count the blessings you have today, hug those that are with us at the moment, and be very thankful that we had the time we did with all the ones we lost. For it is the love we had with them that makes us what, and who we are today. Without hearts filled with love, we would just...........be.

I've looked at this thread and continued to read it and just haven't been strong enough to post my losses.... I still don't feel strong enough but here I go

2007 was THE WORST year of my life

Jan 8 2007 Dave (Dave S Sport) is the day we said our goodbyes

On Jan 24 2007 Weenie left our lives

and on Jun 1 2007 Cassie also said her goodbyes to join her sister Weenie across the rainbow bridge

My life has been blessed to share the time I have with these 3 amazing hounds and they leave a huge hole in my heart and my home.

Life is just not the same without them to share it with me.

They say time eases the pain and I often find myself wondering when will the pain lessen, cause I'm still waiting

January 20, 2008

LOL...you're not going to believe this...but that's exactly what happened....I swear!!!

When we first got our girlie in '97, DBF was away in England for his job. We did not have a fence at the time and were very dedicated walkers, several times a day...yada yada. So I leash up our girlie who although she never raced; and was never even registered; had a tremendous prey drive and was very very keen. We walked through the back yard heading to the field when a small woodchuck crossed our path running from the field to get under the shed and away from us. Well, I was not paying attention. I was admiring the beautiful spring day as we walked when all of a sudden her leash pulled hard. In the blink of an eye she grabbed that woodchuck and shook it witless in a matter of 3 seconds! I was absolutely horrified that my sweet girlie could even do this. She had parts of this critter hanging all over her...wrapped around her leash...YUCK! Where was the man of the house when one so desperately needed him. I called him in England after the incident and I swear I heard pride in his voice....did she kill it? Was she excited?? All I could do was say SHUT UP already...I was so very grossed out and angry with her for even having it in her to do such a thing!!

Well now...didn't that episode just light her prey drive to high test!!! Luckily this was not when the injury happened, but oh my was she so very proud of herself. She stunk so bad from this kill that I could not even get her farther than the garage without wanting to be ill over the whole thing. I had to call into work that day and give her an all out bath much to her dismay. She had to give up her so well deserved Eau De Dead Critter!!!

So now that she knows what these things are, over the years she has mapped out in her memory where all the woodchuck holes are. Many times during walks, she would bury herself to her shoulders trying to get down into their holes. Now no woodchuck is dumb enough to come out while a big dog is snorting down your front tunnel! One day one was in the field as we approached and it gave a high pitched warning whistle and dove for its hole. Well now....I did not know I could be dragged to a woodchuck hole so fast in my life by a 68 lb dog!!! In a heartbeat she was halfway down that hole after the critter which was certainly far gone by now. She refused to let that hole alone and began digging and digging until the hole was the size of a single car garage...ok...so almost that big. She got so tired from digging that she would lay on her side and dug as she laid down to rest.

Fast forward to a different day while out in the field per usual, the grass was about hip high this time of year, her lead began to shake violently. I could not believe that while I was enjoying the sunshine and scenery on our walk, she was stalking a trail to a woodchuck. She got a hold of it so fast that I don't think it even knew what came up on it. In her haste, she grabbed the back end rather than the end that mattered most. That woodchuck turned around with it's razor teeth and tore her face right open. I did all I could to get her to let the thing go but it was a fight to the end. Then she had the nerve to even think she was going to bring the thing home afterwards! I saw the damage and was sick to my stomach. She was so wired that it didn't even faze her that she was hurt. That was the first e-vet visit for surgery and of course was on a Sunday morning when it costs just to walk in the door and say hi.

One would think that an injury like that would make her think twice, but no matter what we did, that drive stayed with her until she left for the bridge in July. I have never known a dog with such high prey drive as our little girlie. In the last few years that she was with us, we finally did fence in a big portion of the yard to keep her safe, but I'll be damned if the stinkin bunnies didn't think it was more exciting to be on the side of the fence where a greyhound lived rather than on the safe side. Dumb bunnies...some much, much dumber than others!!

So yes, that is exactly how it happened. We are in moo country where there are more cows than people in Wyoming County, NY. It is just breathtaking up here on the hilltop, but here there are way too many woodchucks for my liking. They are cute looking, but they are prolific breeders like rats, and they are so so very mean when encountered. If I was good with a gun, I would shoot them on sight after seeing the damage they can do. I never disliked any animal until the encounters with the woodchucks. Our second girlie has some bit of a prey drive in her, mostly for kitties, and I am ever so grateful that our new girlie doesn't even get excited at a windblown leaf!

So the lesson of the day....BACK AWAY FROM THE WOODCHUCKS!

I never thought about keeping a copy of her records for an emergency visit. I'll get those thanks!

BTW, who gets attacked by a woodchuck?!!? just kidding. Sounds like something that would happen to me. "I was walking and all of the sudden out of no where........a woodchuck attacked." lol What part of NY are you in that you have crazy woodchucks?

January 20, 2008

Many years ago, one of my greys was attacked by a woodchuck on a walk and needed surgery to repair the tears to her face. It was her first surgery at the time and the vet is very grey savvy, but I personally think she was sent home too early. She was very groggy all night long. She got home in the late afternoon, laid on the floor and that's as far as she got. She was out for hours. I was so worried that I slept the night on the floor next to her holding her paw in my hand so I could keep track of her pulse. By the next day she was much better, but still was spacy for a day or two.

Her next surgery years later was exploratory in nature, and I was sure to tell the vet about her prior difficulty after her last surgery and they adjusted the anesthesia for the next surgery. What a huge difference that adjustment made. When I picked her up she was a different girlie from the last time. Be sure the vet records her reaction in her file and remember to mention it in the future just in case she ever needs anesthesia again. Also get a copy of the file just in case she ever needs e-surgery at a different vet and your vet is closed. That happened to us once, but fortunately, the e-vet was able to tie into our vets records via computer as they were affiliated. I never gave it a thought that we might ever need that information one day for anything else, but it turned out we did when she injured a paw and needed stitches on a Sunday.

Healing thoughts from the Hilltops of WNY that Halle is feeling better and on the mend very soon!

Doc called me and said that he's confident Halle girl can come home after church tomorrow. He said they've finally gotten her to walk without/without much assistance. (I wasn't aware she wasn't walking without assistance) He said she's still groggy and still staggering but it's wearing off slowly.

I'm still concerned why this is taking so long. I'm hoping someone posts taht has seen this before. It always makes me feel better when there has been a situation before and we know things came out well and why they happened.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts I know they help.

January 12, 2008

Our bridge girlie had several accupuncture treatments for a degenerating disk in her neck which pressed on the nerves in her spine causing her pain. She had several treatments and came home a different dog after each treatment except for one. The one treatment which was less successful was only because she was a very skittish grey to begin with. We went in and got comfortable and relaxed, but there was a very big, loud dog banging on the wall in the room next to us which made her really uneasy. She was on edge the whole time which made for a stressful session for her all around.

Be sure your vet takes the extra measure to make it a nice relaxing atmosphere. We went into the back where the empty kennels were as it was nice and quiet back there. The vet had a nice cushy pad, but I took along our heavy fleecy crate mats too. I laid down on the floor with her, got her comfortable and soothed before treatment began. Eleven needles were used.....the calming needle in the forehead, several down both sides of the neck. One in each front paw right at the dewclaw joint and I believe one each near her back knees. The needles along the neck and dewclaws were electrifieid at varying frequencies to enhance circulation. The specific placing of the needles were to relax and open the chi channels for healing.

After treatment which was nearly a half hour of actually being connected, small vitamin B shots were placed into the knee joints and in between specific toes on the front and rear paws. She was then placed on Corydalis which is a holistic med which was supposed to help increase circulation and healing in a natural way while also serving as a muscle relaxant.

Our girlie came home very sleepy after treatments and when I bent over her for hugs she just felt much more "pliable" if thats an accurate description. She was so very relaxed and I could tell that just by a full body hug.

I highly recommend accupuncture for pain management and disk issues. I also think the overall atmosphere is a big help too. We were so very relaxed through the whole treatment that she did indeed want to fall asleep during them, but was always wary for any noises at the same time; it was just her inherent skittishness. Also be careful not to convey your own emotions if you yourself do not like needles. Your grey can pick up on that feeling too.

Good luck with the disk issue. Stay ahead of the pain and Teddy will do better overall. One more thing we found out (but the vet did not agree) was that rawhides aggrivated her condition. I swore that for several days after she had a chewie, she could not give me a decent head shake. The constant chewing hurt her so she did not get them anymore. It probably took three episodes of chewie/pain before enough was enough and the connection was clear.

Recap:

Teddy was limping a bit, gail off. He was also holding up both paws intermittently. Had X-Rays done which showed disk issue.

Vet suggested holistic.

Had consult 2 weeks ago. She needed to see actual pictures and wanted current bllod, urine and stool samples. She also wanted a full TBD panel run.

We did all that and today is our first actual acupuncture appointment.

For those who have expereinced this with they hounds, what was it like? What can I expect?

What was your greys reaction?

I was told I would need to hold him still. She said that some dogs relax to the point of falling asleep.

January 10, 2008

I am a worrier and my two cents would to have him checked first just to be on the safe side. If there is something more than a minor injury, the pain med may mask symptoms.

Feel better Cuffy and milk it for all it's worth with lots of treats!

January 7, 2008

Several years ago we took one of our greys in for pain in her upper body. Naturally the vet feared the worst and x-rays were done right away. Turned out she had a degenerating fourth disk in her neck. Several years later when she was 11, it was also found she developed another one further down in the middle of her back which also contained calcification points which pressed on the nerves of her spine causing pain.

But getting back to my point. When the first set of x-rays were done years ago, my vet mentioned that the theory for bone cancer in greys was due to the repeated stress on their developing bones. He said the cancer is most often seen on the right side due to the turns in training and on the tracks always being in the same direction. The theory is that the constant stress on the turning side from the weight shift causes microscopic fractures in in the bones which are suseptable to cancer settling in as they age.

I never did any looking into this theory myself when I heard it, but it certainly sounds like it makes sense. Any one else hear of this?

December 28, 2007

Our Sweet girlie Willa suddenly - 02/1996 - 07/12/07 to be with my beloved Dad who also left suddenly during surgery on 03/05/07. It's been a very difficult year :weep

I miss you both more than you will ever know!!

December 19, 2007

You got it!! Many prayers coming from the hilltops of Western New York!

Just stopping in to check on Roo and her bruise. Any better today?

Yes....Roo''s bruise seems to be better...she is still limping....but coming along...fingers crossed.

Otis is having his ultrasound tomorrow....Think good thoughts.

December 18, 2007

Just stopping in to check on Roo and her bruise. Any better today?

October 5, 2007

Our grey got whipworm once...and was on a regular regime of Interceptor at the time too! Interceptor reimbursed the vet for diagnosis and treatment, but not for follow up testing to be sure she was clear after treatment; that came out of my pocket.

In addition to ingesting them from grass, etc. , I have also read they can get them through the thin skin between their toes as the worms just sorta hang around waiting for a host to come by and pick them up. With wild animals out our way, they can be just about anywhere.

Edited to correct misinformation. It is the hookworm that can be caught from passing through the skin...not the whips.

http://www.petshed.com/articles/what-are-c...-whipworms.html

http://www.petcaretips.net/canine_hookworms.html

Whipworm is prevalent in the area I live in. I keep my dogs on Interceptor which does prevent whipworm. Other heartworm products generally cover just heartworm, hookworm, and roundworm.) If you have your dogs on Heartguard, you might consider switching to Interceptor once things are under control.

October 3, 2007

Just a thought here, but there is a credit card your vet should have information on that is interest free as long as the payments are kept up. What you pay monthly is determined by the total charge amount, and the period of time you choose to pay it off in. There is no interest unless you default on the payments. This might be an option for you.

http://www.carecredit.com/faqs.html

Phillie's ultrasound showed that he has a grapefruit sized tumor (unsure still if it is cancerous) on his liver and an enlarged lymph node in his chest... The prognosis as I understand it is grim. The surgery really isn't an option for me because of the high cost and the uncertainty of a quality of life afterward. I am devastated and heartbroken. Phillie has begun to have some seizuring episodes. Food seems to make him come out of it... thinking that is hypoglycemic...
I was thinking of contacting Dr. Cuoto for some advice... I am at a loss. Is there anything that can be done to help him or at least make him feel better?....

Donna

I'm so sorry Donna. This is exactly what Grainne had. They removed a grapefruit size tumor (cancerous) from her Liver last December. We made a quick and hasty decision on the surgery but have no regrets. It was a difficult surgery for sure but she's a tough girl and came through it well. She's 12 1/2 now and doing well. They did not get clean margins so the cancer is bound to come back but at her age we chose to do no more. At this point I think something else will get her before the cancer does.

Phillie is young enough and would probably handle surgery well, but yes, it's expensive. She was in the hospital for 2 nights. I did contact Dr. Couto, the type of cancer Grainne has (hepatocellular carcinoma) is not common in greyhounds, he'd never seen a case in a greyhound before (though he's seen it in many other breeds). It doesn't respond to Chemo.

It is a tough call. From what I recall, if they can get it all out, the prognosis is pretty good. It depends on the type of cancer I suppose.

Please consider the folks at Angell Memorial that I PM'd you about earlier. Even if just for a second opinion and possibly a biopsy.

Grainne and I are leaving in about a half hour for Dewey and won't have e-mail access but Please call me if you want to chat about it for just vent. My cell # is 508-245-5749.

Hang in there Donna, I'll be thinking of you guys.

Thank you Jen... Unfortunately.. the surgey is just not something that I have the ability to handle financially right now. It saddens me to say that because if I could, I'd do it in a minute! I am so saddened...I feel like I am running underwater... I can't get anywhere and I am drowning at the same time!

July 5, 2007

We are in the same boat as you are today with the fireworks. We live out in the country and many city folks think they can come to the hills for the holiday, shoot their guns, get rowdy and fire off fireworks till all hours of the night. It makes me so angry sometimes as our Willa suffers so badly from thunder, gun and fireworks fears. We would never think of going to their homes to raise a ruckus! This is not to bash city folk as I was one all my life before leaving the city to live out here in the stix. It was a quality of life issue for us as we finally got fed up with a lot of the crazies that just had no respect for their neighbors.

I am sitting here with a baseball game blasting on the radio (and I am not even a fan) to drown out the worst of the noise tonight. I also gave three 3mg tabs of melatonin and it seems to take off the edge a bit. Willa is in her safety closet with her head in the corner, but she is at least not shaking badly as she usually does. We had a vet visit this week and I asked about the melatonin dosage. He said studies are finding that it is safe to give four 3mg tabs every few hours or so. I'd rather give that than drugs being as she is on so much already for spinal issues.

Good luck with your furbaby and hoping things quiet down soon.

Fireworks issue? Start with 25mg. Give it an hour and a half, then give another 25mg if need be. Make sure dogs do NOT have free access to stairs after you give the first dose -- even that small dose can make a large dog kinda sleepy/wobbly, they all react differently.

You can give 25mg 2-3 times per day. If you want to give more than that, best consult your vet.

Yes, I gave rescue remedt tonight so I won't give the Benadyl tonight but I figure the fireworks usally last a few days so just in case, I want to be able to have it ready. This is pitiful and Chloe only peed 2x today. At 6 Am and at 3 PM. No good. I'm going to try and get her out in a few minutes but it's just not stopping.

June 21, 2007

I haven't seen this possibility yet but we have had cases of leptosperosis (sp) in our area. Not sure if this is all over the states or just in specific places. Just my two cents worth.

Healing thoughts coming from the hilltops in WNY

May 24, 2007

I will have to find out about giving it along with Deramax. The vet giving the accupuncture is not her regular vet, and I don't think he sees many greyhounds either. I know that if they are on pain meds, they should have about two weeks to flush from their systems before giving anything else. She is also on a half dose of Proin for incontinence, and gets a daily dose of Syn-Flex in her yogurt for her joints which I swear by!

I was more concerned with managing her current bout with the pain and swelling in her neck with the Deramax as I knew it would straighten her out again in a couple of days. I contacted Dr. Couto about the herb, and he really had no clear advice regarding the herb. He said he had no specific experience with administering it to hounds, but did hear that it can have benefits for nerve issues.

I think tomorrows appointment may decide if we will continue with the accupuncture treatments or not. I just cannot get over how well she did on the first one, but not the second. So far the jury is out at 50-50.

I have no experience with Corydalis but I may give it a try. My boy has very similiar problems & unfortunately did not get any relief from acupuncture. It looks like it's pretty safe. Did your vet say you can give it with Deramax or should it be given alone?

May 24, 2007

My senior grey who is 11 has had an issue with a degenerating disk in her neck which on more occassions than not bothers her from time to time. The disk bulges and presses on a nerve in her spine which causes shaky rear legs.

The past two weeks I have taken her for accupuncture treatments at the advice of her own vet. The first treatment I walked out with a completely different dog. She was so relaxed when I hugged ger after treatment that she actually was very mellow and pliable. The treatment went very well and she even didn't want to get up from her blanket when it was all done. She usually bolts for the door to get out as fast as she can.

Her second appointment one week later did not go as well and she came home the same, if not worse than when she went in. The Dr. was being considerate in taking her to the back area where it was much quieter so as she could relax better, but it ended up just making her more agitated as she had not acclimated to the area for a bit before her treatment began. She was stressed from the start.

Each treatment included 11-13 needles in various areas, along with current through most of the needles, and ended with vitamin b-12 shots in her rear feet and knees. This last visit he also sent her home with an herb called Corydalis which is a natural aid for swelling and nerve problems. Because I was concerned in getting her back on her feet again this week, I went back to giving her her Deramax and she has improved in the past few days. I would like to try the herb, but would also like some feedback from anyone here that has possibly tried it for their greys.

She has another treatment scheduld for this Friday to see how she does overall. I don't think we want to go back into the kennel area again as it just seemed to upset her. She was already relaxed in the exam room, but the vet did try to do right by her so she would not be disturbed during treatment with any unruly dogs coming into the front door.

Any insight if you have had any experience with Corydalis would be greatly appreciated.

November 18, 2005

Every morning is a bark-fest in our house with the two girlies!! After breakfast, they bark out the windows, sometines at kitties across the road, sometimes at deer in the back field, most times just at nothing at all....to hear themselves bark.

Sometimes I bark along with them to get them to roo...we have a lot of fun here...lol

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