ahicks51

Oddly, no; that's right up the street from me. She's at the Veterinary Neurological Center, near 40th and the I-10: http://veterinaryneurology.com Three board-certified neuro vets and three veterinary neuro interns, something like 15 staff and an in-house MRI. The vet has been very explicit with the vet techs that Minerva is to be on two leashes on potty breaks due to the potential and risks of escape (they don't have a fenced-in run). My understanding is they're the only ones with board-certified neuro vets in the Valley. Their training and background is on their website, and- wow. Just- wow.

We got a call at 8:45 this AM from the vet who said she's doing well- eating like she always does (anything that's put in front of her). We bought several cans of food including the smelliest canned tripe you can buy, with specific instructions NOT to use it unless she won't eat the other stuff. She's normally raw-fed, and I didn't think it would be too convenient for them to refrigerate her usual fare. She's happy, wagging her tail- still some pain turning her head to the left; I didn't inquire about that, but hopefully between the surgery and elapsed time that will go away. The vet recommended another day in their care because of the soreness in her neck, so we're planning on picking her up at 9 AM tomorrow. I have a friend with a GMC Yukon; I'm debating whether to bring along a crate so we can anchor it down with some Nylon webbing and have her stay safe in that for the trip, or just to bring some cushions. She NEVER sits down on drives, but she's never been drugged up like this. I suppose I should bring the crate just in case we want to use it; it's about 15 miles to my home, and I just want to make sure she's safe for the trip.

Out of surgery as of about 4:30 this afternoon, and awake within 15 minutes afterwards. We've been told it went well, and that they took out some pretty serious chunks of material, relieving a lot of pressure on the spine. Providing nothing happens overnight, we get a call sometime between 8:30 and 9 AM; best case scenario is we are told we can come get her then- the day after surgery, before it's even 10 in the morning. Next best case would be same time the next day. Other, more complicated scenarios involve increasingly longer periods of time. The vet sounds optimistic that the procedure is a success.

Surgery got put back 3 hours due to an emergency that took precedence. I expect a call sometime in the next 30-60 minutes; she's in surgery right now.

No cast required; there's no bone injury or damage- it's all connective tissue. So, nothing really needs to "heal" by binding itself back together so much as the sutures need to hold. There'll be a two week recovery time, over which period she'll have to be kept from acting like a goofball, but between the tramadol and keeping her on a leash for potty, I don't anticipate serious problems (other than aggravating my sister who wanted to come visit Sunday).

Lung cancer per se is quite rare in dogs; they do not receive the environmental damage (smoking, asbestos, etc.) that humans do in order to inspire such disease. However, the lungs make very good "filters," and it is common for metastatic cancer ("mets") to be found in the lungs. First suspicion should be there is cancer somewhere else, and (unfortunately) the first suspect in all large breed dogs is osteosarcoma. If there has not been an attempt made to find tumors in the legs or shoulders, that should be first.

She's 6-1/2; she's at the vet right now, and has probably had her MRI. Turns out the clinic has three board-certified neurosurgical vets, as well as three vets training in that discipline. The vet generally agreed with what Dr. Yocham said, and the next step is either management with steroids and other drugs, or surgery. Surgery would require an MRI beforehand, so that was a given for today. Once we get the results back, we'll make a decision. Surgery is done with a ventral incision, i.e.: from the throat, pushing aside the larynx. Going in from the dorsal aspect would require cutting through a lot more muscle and- more to the point- the spinal cord is in the way. The surgery would be fenestration of the disc between vertebrae, to remove the calcified inner material (which is used only during development- it's no longer needed after that) through a "window" that is made. The surgery requires general anesthesia for the owner as well, due to the financial pain exacted. ETA: Aaaaaaand the vet called, stating she's out of anesthesia and surgery is the best option. She's a very good candidate, and there's a better chance than average that she'll be back to herself once those bits are removed. Looks like surgery first thing tomorrow (Friday) is what will be done. We're going to go in tonight to see her, and drop off some canned food for her as kibble doesn't agree with her too well.

If it's bone-on-bone, she might consult a vet that does stem cell work: http://www.vet-stem.com/ http://www.vet-stem.com/smallanimal/currentuses.php

A few weeks ago, I posted how Minerva was yelping; we had thought it was a soft tissue injury, but when it didn't really go away, we took her in to the local go-to vet for greyhounds. He shot some films, and there's calcification of two disks in her c-spine. We're looking at about $5K in surgery, but that was his estimate as he sent us in the direction of a neurosurgical specialty vet. We have an appointment at 10 tomorrow. Hopefully some answers will come in before then, but- Anyone had this surgery done on their grey? Any pointers? Anything to ask? What's the recovery time like- would we get her back same day, or the next, or...? (Assuming it goes as planned, of course.) We only have a sedan, and the a/c isn't what you'd call ideal for Phoenix summers, and I'm worried about getting her back home, so I'll need to bum a ride off someone with a bigger vehicle so I need to call in a favor but need to know when and now I'm rambling so blah. On the bright side, when we came in to have films taken, we also had blood tests run for TBDs and Valley Fever; she trained in Alabama, and I've always been worried about latent diseases. The results came back negative for everything, which is of immense relief from a surgical perspective. I have no idea how good a rep the specialty vet has, but he's the only one in the city, or at least he's the best, I dunno. Can't be too many neurosurgeon vets in Phoenix.

Pain meds and antibiotics (among other drugs) can knock back an appetite, too. It may improve with time, or you may need to give additional meds (OTC or prescription), or change the drugs used. Give the t-shirt a whirl if it's abdominal or thoracic.

Something I found very effective for a grey we had that was shy about the nail clippers- the first one we've ever had, amazingly enough. If he didn't see what you were doing, you could clip his nails if you were fast enough. So, he'd be lying down and I'd rub his face and eyes with one hand, and get the clipper on the nail and- SNIP- with the other. Then I'd stop, and (amazingly) he'd ask for more. So, I'd go back to rubbing his head and chin, then briskly move to the eyes- and SNIP. Repeat until all done. I confess it requires a bit of agility, but getting drops in the ear might be do-able if he enjoys the rubbing, and you act fast enough.

Could be an FCE (fibrocartilaginous embolism), where a chunk of cartilage breaks loose and acts as a plastic embolus. For some reason, it frequently gets stuck at a point where it paralyzes the legs, although it can be much "higher" than that. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1663

I'd suggest a broadcast, prilled fertilizer- which means anything that comes in a bag promising miracles of growth, without any herbicides or pesticides. There's nothing special about TurfBuilder itself- it's just an urea-based prilled fertilizer. Urea's nice and cheap, as it comes from (surprise!) urine. I suppose they have to make it on an industrial scale these days, and skip the urine, although I honestly don't know.

Would it be unreasonable to have Dr. Cuoto weigh in?

I know this one guy with two of them, and he's pretty goofy. So, I'd consider fewer to be better, but that's just an opinion.

The best vets are always willing to learn from their clients- be they human, canine, feline, or whatever. I know there are some out there that claim to know everything, but have yet to meet one personally who does.

Not at all "small." Bacterial infections can quickly get out of hand, and be severely debilitating- even fatal- if not acted upon promptly. I'm glad the clindamycin and Baytril seem to be effective. Glad to hear he'll still nibble on something- keep it up!

Whipworms (Trichuris vulpis), in all likelihood. Odd that she got them while on Interceptor; to get mature worms, it takes about 3 months. Look familiar?

Welcome to GT. If you Google up 'greyhound kidney values,' the first two hits will be from Dr. Feeman, who has written on the subject. The third hit may be more useful: http://www.recycledracers.org/FAQ/greyhoun...html#creatinine Greyhound norms for creatinine is 0.8 to 1.6, but that probably depends upon the norms for the test. So, a 1.8 is a touch higher than normal, and reason to monitor, but probably not actionable unless BUN goes out of whack, too. Something you can do is pick up a box of urine test strips, the 10SG stuff off Amazon or eBay or whatever. MUCH less expensive than at the local pharmacy! http://www.amazon.com/Multistix-Generic-Ur...E/dp/B0006U307O And then do your own dipstick tests every now and again to put your mind at rest.

Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, for what it's worth. Also known as Bactrim. Low on the side-effects, but very easy for bacteria to form resistance to (like all sulfa drugs).

Note that there's more than just one hookworm that afflicts dogs. Most common is Ancylostoma caninum; seen less frequently is Uncinaria stenocephala. A. caninum is 10-12mm in length (males), or 14-20mm in length (females): http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site...ma_caninum.html Uncinaria stenocephala is a bit smaller, maxing out at 12mm length. Both are thin and quasi-translucent, so if they DO happen to pass, they'll be tough to see. Try feeding a bit of whipped cream; the nitrous oxide knocks them out, and they lose hold. Works in humans, anyway. Doesn't guarantee they'll ALL drop off, of course, but some of them might.

Something very interesting from the Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentoxifylline "It is also a known inhibitor of Tumor necrosis factor-alpha.[4]" TNF is important from a standpoint of tumor recognition (as the name implies). Drugs for humans used to manage rheumatoid arthritis (among other autoimmune disorders) such as Humira, Remicade, and Enbrel, are specifically designed to block TNF alpha. Of course, lupus being an autoimmune disorder- no big surprise there. However, the list of caveats for all drugs that block TNF is pretty hefty. I don't think pentoxifylline is as effective at blocking TNF as the "biologics" mentioned above. But it's something to bear in mind; knocking back TNF using Humira, Remicade, and Enbrel increases the chances of certain cancers, as well as infection- particularly that from fungi.

You might be able to see actual worms on some occasions, but the main manner in which colonization is recognized is from the presence of their ova (eggs). The worms are very good at hanging on, so there is little chance they will accidentally lose their grip and be expelled.

"Turf Builder" is a pretty broad term for lawncare stuff. Ortho (under the Scotts brand) makes all kinds of stuff- Turf Builder with Summer Guard, Turf Builder Plus 2 Weed Control, Turf Builder with Halts Crabgrass Preventer, etc. Their regular stuff- nothing kinky- is urea-based fertilizer, no herbicides or pesticides added: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-b...amp;id=19026008 I would qualify that as being safe for animals. Turf Builder Plus 2, OTOH, has 2,4-D in it, which is generally recognized as being a carcinogen in pets. http://win14.american.edu/safety/au/vault/000/000275.PDF So- I'd have to know which brand you're talking about. The Safer brand fungicides are pretty safe; one is sulfur-based (safe for pets), another is copper-based. http://www.saferbrand.com/store/garden-car...-control/fungus Their fungicide concentrate boasts efficacy on rust. Dunno- never tried it.

You might try a probiotic, just on the off-chance it'll kick-start something in his gut- particularly after the courses of antibiotics. The Purina FortiFlora Canine formulation has been mentioned a couple of times.