Saffron

Hello neighbors, I just noticed you were from Boston! Can you contact the adoption group to see if their vet has the path results from the previous surgury? As I understand, Lady is going in for a dental and the lump removal on Friday. We'll be thinking of you. The Brookline Animal Hospital has a good reputation and should give you instructions for after-care over the weekend. Dr Groper has probably removed many lumps! The incision may be bigger than you expect, but wide margins are good. Keeping Lady quiet post-surgery is important, but you should be fine. Once the tumor is analyzed and the path results back you should have a more precise diagnosis. Again, I hope Pilgrim's story is not too frightening because I don't think the need for such extensive surgery it is all that common. She had very wide margins taken with the initial lump removal, but there were scattered cells near the border which surprised everyone. Thus the need for the later quite radical surgery and a long hard recovery. If you need a second opinion locally or (heaven forbid) more surgery, we used Vetcision in Waltham for Pilgrim's second surgery and I'd highly recommend them (although I spent 10 days biting my nails and bugging them for the path results)! Vetcision is the surgical part of the New England Veterinary Oncology Group (NEVOG). link Hope this helps Gillian

I'm so sorry. Pilgrim was diagnosed with Peripheral Nerve Sheath Sarcoma in late 2006. Robinw posted the link to Pilgrim's thread above (thanks Robinw!) I also strongly advise having your vet contact Dr Couto at OSU for a consult on any grey cancer. Just so you know, and don't get too panicked by Pilgrim's long thread, I heard from several people on that thread and privately whose greys have had no recurrence over several years when the tumor was on the leg. The fact that Pilgrim's tumor was so close to the spine was particularly frightening. It was very challenging surgically and, if it recurs, further surgery will probably not be possible and radiation will not be much use. Her tumor was also called HEMANGIOPERICYTOMA by the surgeon if you want to google that. Here is one site with some useful information on various canine cancers link Pilgrim seems to be fine today but we are still watching her carefully! Hugs to you and Lady and please feel free to PM me if you need more information. I'm not on GT as often as I'd like to be! Gillian Catwalk (P's Catwalk) , Pilgrim (Blazing Leia) and now Murphy (Murphy Peabody) --I just failed fostering 101!

Pilgrim had a nerve sheath sarcoma removed from her back last November. It was a teeny tiny (1/2 pea sized) lump, but she ended up with a 9" scar and the loss of the tips of 2 vertebrae. We went a radical surgery route. We are crossing our fingers that it does not come back, although there is an 80% chance that it will, because the location (almost on the spine) is not amenable to radiation. Good thoughts for your pupper, Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim

A good grey savvy vet is wonderful, if you can find one in your area. Grey-savvy or not, find a really good vet who will work with you and listen to your input. IMO these vets are beyond rubies and diamonds!! Just saying: My previous vet was very grey-savvy. A perfectly good vet, and one who "knew" grey things. So grey-savy that he was not willing to think outside his box. But then I moved. And worried about finding a new grey-savvy vet. So, I just found the best vet in my area. She would not claim to be a grey expert even today, although she has several grey patients and is grey-savvy enough now to qualify, IMO. Why is she so amazing? She always listens to what I say, is sweet with the dogs, and consults and researchs on her own time if we have issues. She has no problem with receiving input! I actually much prefer her to my previous "grey-savvy" vet. I think we have had far better treatment from her, because she has been willing to learn the basics and also go the extra mile for us. Bottom line: Find a vet who is willing to work with you and learn. Yes, they are out there! Gillian

Oooh! I've never seen one of those before either! Can you borrow it and let us know how it works? Please? Pilgrim's huge surgery for an apparently tiny lump was on her back, and she totally freaked in a traditional Ecollar. After consulting here, I raced out and got her a bite-not, which worked very well for that particular incision. I have to say this version looks fantastic for certain injuries. . . and I'd really like to know if it works! Also, I'm a bit freaky about eye injuries and close to the eye injuries on the grounds that a tiny nothing in the eye area can turn into a major something. This is probably just a tiny nick, but are you checking it out with your usual vet in regular office hours. Just asking . . . having not seen your hound's nick in real life. Best wishes, Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim

Sorry to hear this, but clean margins is good. Don't panic. You caught it early. Here is another link http://www.caninecancerawareness.org/html/...giosarcoma.html Again, look for dermal Hemangiosarcoma on this site. Hugs to you and Roo, Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim

Fantastic! Hope you have her home soon. The biopsy results might take a few days if they have to send them out. :::Chanting::: "Benign or Clean Margins, Benign or Clean Margins, Benign or Clean Margins" Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim

So sorry to hear this. Roo will be fine under anesthesia, I'm sure, although we all worry at putting our greys under. Good idea to have the dental done too. I believe that it is safer these days so don't panic. I provide Dr Suzanne Stack's article to all our vets, regular, EVet and specialist: [ Pilgrim went under twice 6/7 months ago for a tiny lump (nerve sheath sarcoma). She is doing fine today. Crossing paws here for Roo. She bears an amazing resemblance to my girls! Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim. ETA to try to fix the link. Hope I succeeded!

Try to keep the grey still to slow the bleeding. and I second the pressure with a gauze pad or damp tea bag manually. The damp tea bag does work in coagulating blood, but you will need to add pressure on the tea bag also. Then vet wrap. If you don't have vet wrap, then an elastic bandage. If this is where I think it is, it is actually quite a hard place to have any bandage stay put. The "bra" wrap slips backwards towards the skinnier waist, so if you can wind around a shoulder a couple of times in a figure eight it helps.. Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim

Well, yes, I have some non-grey experience with canine dementia. Sad. Very sad. You said tentative diagnosis of dementia -- and that "tentative" is key because it is so very hard to tell. The owner need to be really attentive because the confusion could be sight or hearing loss in geriatic dogs. These will cause similar disorientation, but can be dealt with. It is VERY hard to work out what exactly is going on, and vets have to respond to owners' reports as to behaviors. I have had a blind and deaf geriatric cocker spaniel without dementia (she coped and so did we), and a dog with dementia that I was late in recognizing. I guess denial has a place. My adored 19 year old JRT had definitely had dementia in her last year. We put her on anipryl (sp?), but it did not seem to make much difference. And it broke my heart. My one regret is that I should have let her go sooner when the anipryl did not work. That said, a friend had her 14 year old Border Collie on anipryl, and thought she saw great improvement. Bonnie the BC had 2 years of good quality of life with a dedicated owner on anipryl. So I just don't know. Gillian

For my greys I get a pill, add a tiny dab of peanut butter or cream cheese, ask for a sit, and fake that the pill is a treat for the sit. Down it goes! A little dab of PB or cheese won't harm them. For my late pill-resistant and pill spitter extraordinaire cocker mix I had to use the down the hatch method. Put pill (peanut buttered or not) as far back in the mouth as you can. Clamp jaws shut with one hand. Stroke doggy throat with other hand, and breathe (puff air) up doggy nose. Result is doggy gulp. Pill taken. Make happy noises with both methods! Gillian

Thanks for all you do. We have had huge support here from the H&M section. Small donation on the way, wish it could be more. Gillian

I had to vote 8-12 times a year because last year Pilgrim had a major health scare and 2 surgeries, but that is not really representative. We do "scheduled maintenance" once a year, and they usually manage one other vet visit each for one reason or another They are quite young. Catwalk is 6 and Pilgrim is 4. ETA: I do not think that greyhounds overall are less healthy than other dogs. Looking back over the years and dogs . . . we had at least 2 vet visits per year per non-grey pooch. More as they got older. Many more. Also, please remember that the people who post here are very consciencious dog owners! Gillian

I am so very sorry, Nancy. Spottydog had the best life possible with you, Amber and Sean. He sounded so sweet. May your hearts heal, and may you share the enormous love you have to give with another grey when the time is right for you. Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim

I cannot even begin to imagine the shock on this sad parting. She was so young. Fly free Willow. What a beauty. I am so sorry. Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim

Fly free, Tigger! What a glorious dog. And Jenn, our deepest sympathies, Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim

I muzzle in the yard -- and yes we do always supervise free runs. We had one tiny nick, and that was enough to have me muzzle them both. I have sometimes wondered if I am being over-cautious, because they do get on really well in the house, but those pics have convinced me that better safe than sorry! I hope healing is going well, I'm so sorry, Gillian

Oh my! I hope that darling heals well! Nasty wound. In the poll I answered - in the yard! But that is my experience only, and it took almost a year to get there. My two seem fine together uncrated in the house. They were not unhappy when crated, and that is what we did when Pilgrim was "new." I wanted them to graduate to being free to play and socialize in the house togetherwhile I was gone. They are fine now. When they race together in the big yard they do get excited. So I muzzle in the yard. Just in case. Catwalk once got a tiny nick in the yard from playful Pilgrim. No biggie, no stitches, but I am very cautious. Therefore, I muzzle in the yard. We do not muzzle in the car, because Catwalk has the back of the SUV and Pilgrim the middle seat. Catwalk does not like to share. They both wear seatbelts in the car. That grey skin is so fragile. I really think that being over-cautious is best. Gillian, Catwalk and Pilgrim.