GreytNut
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Posts posted by GreytNut
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How is treatment going?
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I had only previously known of cases in humans where this bacteria invaded wounds and caused highly lethal gas gangrene. If it involved limbs it could be treated with a combination of penicillin and surgical debridement or amputation. If it involved the abdominal cavity it could be treated with a combination of penicillin and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
It might seem weird to stuff a dog into a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, but the reason for it is that C. perfringens is anaerobic (can't live in the presence of too much oxygen) and forcing oxygen into the tissues helps kill it off.
Perhaps your vet might investigate the option of penicillin + hyperbaric oxygen? Don't know if it works the same for dogs but maybe it's worth a try?
Didn't know you could get C. perfringens from food as well as soil-contaminated wounds. Scary stuff.
Poor pupper. I hope she's OK.
ETA: Found the info on hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
"The oxygen saturates the infected tissues and thereby prevents the growth of the obligately anaerobic clostridia. The growth of C. perfringens is inhibited when the availability of oxygen is equivalent to a partial pressure of around 910 kPa (compare to 45 kPa in venous blood under normal conditions, with 1113 kPa in arteries and 21 kPa in air at sea level), so if the treatment is started early, this condition can mostly be cured."
- Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology, 12th edition, chapter 44, Physiological issues in deep sea diving and other high-pressure conditions
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Thank you! That squares with what I had guessed looking at his history. He also raced until age 4 (like Sarge) and I didn't think they'd keep him running so long if he wasn't paying the bills.
I see a muzzle keeper in his future....
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Would you mind checking out Finn (Atascocita Agust)?
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Likewise I suspect it was probably an undiagnosed heart / cardiovascular defect. That's just a guess without a necropsy being done.
My Riley recently died quite unexpectedly and I think it was likely the same cause. He went to take a nap on his favorite rug and just never woke up.
It sucks to lose a greyhound under any circumstances, but especially with no warning or time to prepare. But for the hound it's probably for the best. No pain, no suffering.
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That's a Gable Dodge descendant or I'm a purple people eater. He looks just like our first greyhound Argus.
Sounds like you're going to be having a second Slumberball joining the family as well?
Congrats, Deacon is gorgeous!
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Yes, he did completely steal our hearts.
Riley had a great love for stuffies. He always took at least one and often several toys to bed with him.
Alas, sometimes he loved them to death. If a toy sprung a leak it didn't matter how much he liked it. He couldn't resist pulling the stuffing out.
The only dog that ever managed to dominate him was our foster hound Jasper. He was an enormous red boy, still ripped from the track and allowing no disrespect. Riley kept testing him and pushing his buttons until one day when he tried to sneak over during mealtime and steal Jasper's food. Jasper turned on him with a roar, fangs bared, and came after him. Riley tucked his tail between his legs and ran for his life. After that Jasper made a point of reminding Riley who was in charge. In this photo he's plopped himself right down in Riley's occupied bed. Riley is miserable but he doesn't dare do anything about it. He was so very happy when Jasper was adopted. You'd think he'd learn how it felt to be bottom dog and show some tolerance toward his "inferiors" but... no.
Sometimes he got himself into situations that he couldn't get out of, like when he stole this cup and stuffed his face into it, only to find that it was wedged onto his head such that he couldn't get rid of it. After we laughed at him we rescued him.
What he did to Sarge.
He took a beating too. Here he is at the vet, leaning on DH and wearing a lovely coral shirt to protect his wounds, with sequins no less. He actually loved going to the vet because it meant people were going to be fussing over him. He didn't care about the needles as long as petting was happening.
Wearing his stylin' jammies and reluctantly modeling them. I'm not a fan of dressing up dogs but South Dakota gets COLD.
Doing his impersonation of Emperor Palpatine. In a Happy Feet penguin blanket.
How could anyone resist this face? Dang, I miss him.
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Our white and brindle hound Riley is gone at age 9. He went to sleep on his favorite rug and never woke up.
He was a holy terror to other dogs. He would try to take treats from them because he thought he was entitled to said treats on account of his clear superiority. If he met with resistance he would attack and he was ruthless. He grabbed Tiny by the throat, nearly killed Sarge over a Greenie (Sarge fought back and they did terrible damage to each other). He tore off part of a neighbor dog's ear, though that was provoked. He relentlessly bullied little Lora. We had to be constantly vigilant. Perhaps not surprisingly, neither Sarge nor Lora care that he's gone.
But boy, was he ever a people dog. He lived for human attention. He was the ultimate greyhound ambassadog, mugging for pets and lovies everywhere he went. If he saw a stranger who hadn't yet petted him he turned on the charm full blast, pushing his head under their hand and grinning from ear to ear as he danced and wriggled, tail in full helicopter mode.
He was also wicked smart. If there was something he wanted he would figure out how to get to it. He also liked to play the Kleptomania Game, which entailed him sneaking up on you like a ninja and then snatching whatever you had, spiriting it away with obvious glee back to his bed to guard. On one occasion I was working in the garage and he stole my box of nails, running through the house like a loon and leaving a trail of nails behind him. On the flip side he was super easy to train.
We will miss him. Despite his sociopathic tendencies toward other dogs, he had a tremendous rapport with humans that made him a rock star everywhere he went. And I will miss his bunny-soft ears, his head tucked under my arm and that keen intelligence.
Will find some good pics of him to post. There are lots.
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Tiny (EL Tiny) lost at age 8 to osteo
Argus (Gable Republic) lost at age 7 to osteo
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The problem with peanut hulls is that they are often contaminated with a carcinogenic mold called aflatoxin. If you are going to feed them to your dogs or eat them yourself and you find one with black stuff on it--even a tiny spot--throw it away. Don't eat the hull or the nut inside.
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I feed it with each meal. Two of ours have poo and gas issues and it's worked magic for them. We feed twice a day so I take a shot glass full of pellets, put it in a cereal bowl and fill with warm water. When it soaks up all the water I slice it into four portions, feed one portion to each dog and put the remainder back in the fridge for the next feeding. Easy peasy!
We get the 5 lb. bag from Amazon and it lasts for months.
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I've had great results with the Pure Alaska Omega wild-caught Alaskan salmon oil sold at Sam's Club (and other places; it's not exclusive). The capsules are 1,000 mg each and I give them twice a day, one with each meal. If you're looking for the very best and price is not a concern, Andrew Lessman's Maximum Essential Omega-3 from ProCaps Labs is the bomb. I take that for my psoriasis and it has worked wonders. If I could afford to also give it to all 3 dogs I would.
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Agreed. And what about YOUR medical bills? His dog bit you too.
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Thanks for the link Pam. We haven't had a lot of luck with stuffing-free toys in the past but for the price it's worth another try. Usually they don't destuff their toys. Sarge had Mr. Hedgehog for months. But once they spring a leak and the stuffing peeks out, they can't resist. I think that's what inspired Lora's homicidal rampage.
I just get regular 3% hydrogen peroxide (Wal-Mart sells some with a squirt top, which makes life much easier). I take the dog outside, tilt the muzzle up, crack the jaws open--getting a good grip on the dog first, and leashing if necessary because you won't catch them again if they get away--and then pour several glugs of peroxide straight down the gullet. It tastes awful and they will try to spit it out. I keep the muzzle tilted up and hold the jaws closed until I see the dog swallow. If they don't throw up inside of 10 minutes I know I have to do it again. I'm sure from the dog's point of view it seems barbaric, but it beats the alternative when they've eaten something that could potentially kill them.
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I've found some interesting items while shoveling poop.
I ended up calling the vet just to be on the safe side, and since at that point it hadn't been too long since Lora had eaten the stuffing he had me bring her out to the back yard and pour some hydrogen peroxide down her throat to make her throw up. He said it was safer for her to vomit it out than to poop it out since the latter posed a risk of intestinal blockage along the way. She hoarked up all of the stuffing and actually there was an awful lot more of it than I had thought.
Sarge is looking forlornly for Mr. Hedgehog. We will have to purchase some clones.
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I would guess she ate an amount equivalent to the size of a baseball, but not densely packed.
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Lora brutally murdered Sarge's favorite toy, Mr. Hedgehog. She also ate a bunch of polyfill stuffing. Should I be concerned?
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Raven did that a few times and it always scared us awake. It was eerie - we called them "ghost howls."
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FWIW my crew have loose poo for about a day after they get their monthly Heartgard, then they are fine. Most likely culprit is the ivermectin, according to my vet, and nothing to worry about unless it's really severe.
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Every dog that's come through our house has "talked" in his or her sleep and that's what it sounds like Murphy is doing. My sleep aggressive dogs (5 out of 9) all have reacted to stimuli by lunging upward while growling and sometimes snapping. They get this look on their faces somewhere between anger and fear and they appear not to know where they are or what's going on for a few seconds. In those few seconds you could be badly bitten if you were within range though. After a moment they're fine. We give everyone a wide berth while they are asleep, even the non-reactive ones, because there's a first time for everything. An acquaintance ended up with stitches from his ear to his chin after the hound he had been sleeping with for 6 years bit him when he accidentally rolled over on her so it can happen even with a normally non-reactive dog if you unwittingly find the magic button that triggers a response.
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I use a regular cordless Dremel, on the lowest setting, with 60-grit sanding bands.
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I agree with what has been said above, but wanted to add one thing:
The killing of the mouse and bird is normal canine prey drive. Nearly all dogs will go after such small creatures, especially outside. Even dogs that are cat safe indoors will often go after cats outdoors. This isn't viciousness or aggression - it's just the natural predatory instinct of a dog. Although it can be upsetting (I'll never forget when my dogs got a rabbit) it's not something you can reasonably expect to train out of them.
Good luck. I am so glad you're willing to make the effort to help your girl.
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When I came home from the vet after putting Argus down due to osteo, I reached for the doorknob and there was a big fat black widow sitting there. They're uncommon in this area. I took it as a sign that he was deeply unhappy with me until I got into the house and smelled gas. There was a problem with the furnace and it was leaking gas and carbon monoxide. The utility company shut it down and red tagged it. I realized that the black widow was a warning of danger and poison. He was looking out for us, not rebuking me.
Shortly after Tiny had to be put down, also due to osteo, I dozed off on the couch and half-woke to feel his head in my lap. I petted him for a while before I woke all the way up and he was gone.
For weeks after I lost my cat Sapphy (she and I grew up together and she died at 21) she would appear at random around the house. I would see a flash of light almost like a sparkler, then I would clearly see her for a few seconds. Then she would disappear. The first time she appeared on the counter where I had given her sub-q fluids. She caught my eye, jumped down from the counter (I even heard the thump of her landing) and then was gone. After a while the appearances stopped. I think she just wanted to check in and make sure I was OK.
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They do sometimes get what appears to be dementia. Raven started acting confused in her advanced old age, like she wasn't quite sure where she was or where she was going. One night during a horrific blizzard she wandered out the pet door and walked aimlessly in circles in the dog run until I woke up, realized she wasn't in her bed and went out to rescue her. She would have gone in circles until she froze to death. When she started to appear frightened and confused all of the time that was a factor in deciding to euthanize her. She also had incontinence, severe arthritis and hind-end weakness.
I'm glad Tibbie is still happy and enjoying life despite her challenges.
Desperate For Advice - Anal Issues
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted · Edited by GreytNut
I had a cat with persistent anal gland issues. It wasn't enough to simply have it expressed. She needed antibiotics because it got infected and she eventually had the problematic anal gland removed.
If there's foul-smelling yellow discharge there is an infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics ASAP.
I agree that the cause *could* be as simple as a food allergy. You might try one of the limited ingredient formulas (Natural Balance makes some good ones) with novel proteins. Some dogs are allergic to chicken, for example. You might also try a grain free formula as wheat, corn, etc. can commonly be allergens.
ETA: Another idea is to add fiber to his diet. One of my greyhounds had issues with soft poo which resulted in impacted anal glands. I bought a bag of powdered beet pulp and added a bit to each meal. She never had problems after that. The bag lasted just about forever as it's usually sold in giant sizes as a dietary supplement for horses. You want the plain, unsweetened stuff. She also had a wheat allergy which was solved by switching to grain free food (in our case, Taste of the Wild High Prairie).