DaisyDoodle

I'm so sorry. What a terrible shock that must have been.

What a beautiful, sweet boy. I'm so sorry I never got a chance to meet him. Hugs to you.

I'm so sorry. What a beautiful brindle he was.

I'm so very sorry. What a beautiful but tired face in that last picture.

Words can't express how sad I feel for you. You and Ava have always been there for each other. I have quietly admired your devotion to one another. I am so sorry for your loss of Ava. Please take care of yourself during this sad time. Donna

Steroids are out of vogue for spinal injuries now anyway. NSAIDs and cage rest are the medical management of choice now (I know a lot of vets haven't switched over yet, but this is what we learn in neurology now). Also, according to Dr. Couto if a greyhound DOES have a stroke it should NOT be given any steroids and should be given low dose aspirin. This of course makes sense because the cause of the stroke would be a blood clot and steroids actually cause hypercoaguability and aspirin is a "blood thinner" (inhibits platelets and therefore clotting). Given that steroids are out of vogue for spinal injuries anyway, my inclination would be to give an NSAID to cover both possibilities. True enough. I had forgotten that about steroids v NSAIDS. However, the point remains, talk to the vet before medicating so you don't give something that is contraindicated with what the doc wants to use.

Daisy has a compressed disc in her neck which displays as limping in her right leg (or her least her gait is off if it's not a full-fledged limp). Can't tell you how many times that poor girl was x-rayed before we figured out what was wrong with her. Talk to vets before giving meds because prednisone may be the med of choice and it CANNOT be given with an NSAID.

Any word online about suspected problems with your pup's food? Food ingredient problems have started to pop up again.

Found Canine LD50* for caffeine here: http://answers.yahoo...08160442AACwbGx 140mg/kg. So, 60 lbs dog = 27.3 kg X 140 mg= >3,800 mg caffeine According to another site, a T of coffee contains about 100 mgs of caffeine. Four cup pot about 4-5 T? (Coffee scoop is 1/8c=2T.) So, if all the resources and my math are correct, things should be alright. *LD50 means the Lethal Dose for 50 % of those who ingested given amount. In other words, half of animals/people will die if given a dose this high. edited for clarity

How long ago? Don't know if it would increase caffeine absorption, but I'd consider peroxide to force the pup to puke up the coffee.

We did the Spectrum testing with Dr. Radcliffe in Wheeling in November. They do report results for food, plants, tons of stuff. I can't really say I'm impressed. We aren't using the serum. Food list is not necessarily up to date--the NB I mentioned above was on the OK list; also things that had fish oil in them when results say Daisy is allergic to fish. I'm not having any luck with new food trials either. Cal. Naturals Lamb & Rice was a bust (on the list). Dr. Jim wants us to try Royal Canin (sp?) Venison & Potato, but it seemed really expensive (about $70/17 lbs). Even ZD Ultra doesn't seem to be working. ZD is expensive too. June Bazar's son (a vet in PVD--I live in 2 places) recommended the ZD. It sounds like the Heska testing was at least as good if not better than Spectrum. I would suggest that you look at the Specturm list of things they test. If there are a number of things they test for that Heska doesn't, it might be worth it to do the Spectrum test too. This might be interesting. Spectrum has a competitor no-charge retest program. I don't know if this would work with the testing you had done. http://www.vetallergy.com/veterinarians/retest-program/ Here's the list of things Spectrum will test for for the Ohio area.: http://www.vetallergy.com/veterinarians/wp-content/themes/veterinarian/maps/docs/OH_Canine.pdf Is there a lot of overlap with the Heska test?

I have a couple of different ideas, but don't know if any would be helpful. I like your idea of changing dose time. That seems like a good solution. You can also observe his behavior while you're awake also. If you stayed with night dose, would benedryl help keep him quiet? Questions about symptoms--are symptoms consistent throughout the year or are they worse at different times? Are there any other symptoms or just toes? I'm thinking this might be a contact issue rather than a dietary issue. Grass, rugs, chemicals on lawn, snow melt chemicals you or your town use, floor cleaning?? products, something he's being exposed to at your workplace? My Daisy is allergic to 22 things according to Spectrum allergy testing via blood work. Many allergens are plant related. (We didn't do Dr. Dodd's test because it requires dog to chew on rope toy and Daisy doesn't play with toys.) One heads up about foods. The manufacturers can add ingredients for up to 6? months without listing them on label. They often change ingredients permanently without too much fanfare, so that a food that worked suddenly doesn't work any more. This happened to us with Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato when pea protein was added. Peas are one of the things Daisy is allergic to. BTW, looked up the drug's webpage and the soft stool is apparently due to the castor oil in the product, rather than the active ingredient (drug) itself.

Late summer into autumn, I'd say a ground dwelling wasp. (Red wasps down South, but not sure if we have them in southern NE.) They get nasty when food supplies get low at the end of the season. This week it's so ridiculously, unseasonably warm that it could be anything coming out of hibernation with few sources of food. Do you have stinging things that nest in the ground? Don't know if they come out at night anyway. Poor Callan. Wish I had something more useful.

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. How did the vet zero in on mesothelioma? Do they do a lung biopsy? Are fibers found in the lung tissue? I agree with other folks who recommend the Greyhound Wellness Program/Dr. Couto.

I would consider testing for Cushings.

How much did the fluconazole end up costing? Where did you find it?

Aw. How sweet. I'm glad to see he's home with you now.

Our Lucky did this the last couple of years before passing at ~16. Feeding more in the AM and less at night might help. Also, just staying out with them at night and first thing in AM to make sure they poop helps. Of course, that assumes that you can get to the door quick enough in the first place. Also, contact DofSweetPotatoes on GT. He can tell you the type of food they have their disabled non-grey on. It's used to firm up the stool so it's easier to clean up. Finally, I think your DH might have to suck it up a bit. He's either got to agree to pick up poo, agree to feed dogs to meet their individual needs, or clean a poop-filled furry butt (which you'll get if you use diapers or pants). Or, be the one to make sure your poor pup gets out and poops on a regular schedule.

I'm so sorry.

I'm so very sorry.

Hold Arlo's tail down between his legs as you escort him to the door. That should keep him from pooping 'til he gets outside. Thanks to the Sweet Potato crew for that tidbit. Edited for clarity.

I'm so very sorry.

Daisy has been peeing in her sleep. She doesn't get up and ask to go out, there are just spots/puddles under her butt wherever she's laying. Seems it could just be old lady bladder, or the very early stages of kidney disease. Bloodwork normal, UA negative for UTI, but specific gravity was a little low. I started her on Proin, so far just a quarter of the normal dose for a dog her size and she hasn't had another accident since.

I'd call Dr. Jim's and ask what they think. There is someone there 24/7, and he is often there checking on one "child" or another. Do you know the location of the blood draw, was it on the neck?