Graciehound

This sounds very much like when my Gracie had a stroke almost 3 years ago. I'll see if I can find the old thread and post the link to it. Long story short, Gracie made a wonderful recovery, but it was about 3 weeks before she could stand/walk independently.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had experience with gingival hyperplasia with their greyhound, or other breed for that matter. Gracie has been experiencing hyperplasia for the last couple of years and it is definitely time to intervene. Research has shown a correlation to GH in dogs taking certain medications including calcium-channel blockers. Gracie has been on Amlodipine for hypertension since her stroke almost 3 years ago. We believe the GH is due to the medication, but it may not be the sole factor. Yesterday she had a visit and her blood pressure was excellent, despite the fact that she was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane and showing obvious signs of stress. Taking this in to consideration, we are starting to wean her off of amlodipine and maintaining her Enalipril to see if she still needs both meds. Our vet is consulting with the head of the dental department at UWVMTH to see if they recommend scalpel excision or if they would prefer to use laser. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this? What treatment did they recommend and how did your dog recover from the procedure? Any information would be greatly appreciated!

I was thinking the same thing. Gracie's meds are substantially cheaper at Costco than other places. When Gracie had her MRI and spinal tap last year I called her shaved spot her 'kissy spot'. Every day I'd give her many kisses in that spot to help to heal her little brain from her stroke. Whatever you decide to do, MRI or not, I hope you get some answers that help to make Rainey happy. She is such a wonderful dog and I know she loves you, Bruce, and Nuber Duber dearly. Please tell her that I am going to be looking for her at the Gala so I can give her some love (and a little lecture about scaring her momma!) Please keep us posted on how she is doing.

I'm glad to hear that Isis is doing so well. My Gracie had a stroke last June, and there is a thread on here somewhere about it. I'll look and post a link. Her's was due to previously undiagnosed hypertension. She is now on blood pressure meds and has recovered quite well. This summer, almost a year to date of her stroke, she had a TIA. Her recovery from that was much much quicker - like 12 hours from onset to recovery. Maybe Isis had a TIA? It's like a mini-stroke with a much quicker recovery. Edited to add: Gracie's first thread; Gracie's update thread; Gracie's second update thread

I can't see any picture, but from your description, it sounds like a sebaceous cyst. If it pops, it will probably be a waxy type substance in it. Gracie has had those before. Sometimes they go away on their own, sometimes they've popped just from being handled.

04/28 Update! My husband talked with our vet yesterday. Vet called to say he read the information I sent him (Thanks, Batmom!) and he thought it was very interesting. Since her WBC were trending up, he thought we'd wait a month since the last blood draw and check again. Gracie seems to have more energy lately and is not appearing depressed anymore. We're still on hold for the dental, since it is an elective procedure and we want to make sure everything is fine with our puppy dog. Thanks again for your information!

Yes, they did a CBC differential. Thanks for the reassurance. I'll talk with my vet on Monday and probably stay the course of a repeat in 2 weeks. And Batmom - yes, it's great to see Gracie doing so well after her medical issues last year. She's known as the 'miracle dog' on the GPA-WI forum. Many people there were following her story and know her just from her ordeal. Today we had a heartworm clinic at a local vet, and one of the other owners there said "Oh, it's the famous Gracie!" Never met her before, but she knew my dog from her story. I'll post an update after talking with my vet and also when the next round of bloodwork is run. that Gracie is worrying her momma just because.

Thanks for the quick response. I will pass this information on to my vet to keep in Gracie's file. As for the RBC, he did say it was a little higher, but in the normal range for a GH. I'm not sure of the hematocrit or platelet counts. When I go in again, I'll ask for a copy of the full panel done on 04/13 and the CBC on 04/20. For now, this helps to settle my mind a little. I know that my stress level is up right now, and I think I'm just overreacting and nervous. After thinking we were going to lose Gracie last year and seeing her pull through so wonderfully, I am so aware that our time with her is limited, as it is with any pet.

Good morning! I usually lurk a lot in the medical forum and have learned a LOT over the years. Last year, Gracie had a stroke due to undiagnosed high blood pressure, and the support I received here was phenomenal. I'm back again looking for more suggestions, input, advice, etc. Anyway, I had Gracie scheduled for a routine dental cleaning but canceled it because her pre-anesthetic blood work came back a little wonky. The only significant change was her white blood cell count. Here are the details: - CBC in 2009 (shortly after her stroke) showed 8,300 for WBC - Low end of normal range for WBC is 4,000 - CBC on 04/13 showed 2,700 for WBC - We did a short course (5 days) of broad spectrum antibiotics, thinking she might be fighting something viral and that would help bump up her WBC - Recheck of CBC on 4/20 showed 3,100 for WBC - Count did go up, but is still below normal, and not as much of an increase as we expected My vet (who I trust enormously) thinks she might be fighting something viral. He does not think she is septic because we don't see other signs. She has been a little more lethargic/depressed, but I think that is due to all of the changes in the household lately. I'm pregnant and my due date is 2 weeks away. We've been busy moving our toddler to his new room, getting baby's room ready, lots of doctors appointments, etc. I've made a point to spend time with her each day before Travis wakes up and after he goes to sleep, but I know she can sense an impending big change in the house. She's really in tune with me and might be picking up on my stress. Anyway, I talked with my vet about some of my concerns (leukemia/lymphoma) and he doesn't think I need to worry down that road yet. He wants to wait until May 4 to repeat blood work again (two weeks after last draw) to see where we are at. He said that at that point, if she is still low, we could pursue an ultrasound specialist to look for signs of inflammation or infection, or possibly look at bone marrow. In my limited reading/research, I've also seen that TBD can be a cause of low WBC. Gracie has had the heartworm SNAP 4DX test every year, which I understand looks for Lyme's and one other TBD. However, I know there are others that could be the cause. Oh, a little more medical background in case it is pertinent. Gracie had a stroke in June 2009 and also experienced hyperthermia at the time. The hyperthermia also caused some pretty severe seizures. She started to show signs of disseminated intravascular coagulation, but she recovered thanks to fresh-frozen plasma. She underwent a MRI which diagnosed the stroke in the mid-brain (I believe). She was completely laterally recumbent and blind for several weeks. She regained her vision, learned how to stand, walk, and run again. She has very minimal neurological deficits as a result of her stroke. Her blood pressure is well controlled on Enalapril and Amlodipine. She also takes levothyroxine for thyroid. So, I guess my questions are: - Are we barking up the right tree? - Should we wait 2 weeks for a repeat CBC? - Should we be testing for a specific TBD? - Have others had this experience? If so, what was the cause/outcome? Thanks in advance for any information people can supply. I love my little girlie so much and I hate to think that she might be ill and unable to communicate what is wrong. I honestly don't know how I mentally survived Gracie's ordeal last year. I am not mentally prepared for another medical drama, but I'll do whatever I can or need to help my bestest friend.

Just checking in for an update on the beautiful Ms. Pearl. Hope she is tolerating the chemo well and you'll be sharing those "YAYS!" with us soon!

Gracie had a stroke in June of this year due to undiagnosed high blood pressure. She is now on Enalapril (15 mg 2x a day) and also Amlodipine (5 mg 2x a day). She has had no side effects from either medication. Enalapril is a common med used in humans, and it is becoming more and more common for animals. Gentle hugs to you and Chase as you go through this journey.

The baby mattress cover is a good idea, but I don't think it is made to absorb as much liquid as the adult human pads do. If the issue is only a little leaking, I think a baby mattress cover would be fine. If it is all out peeing, I don't think it would absorb enough or quickly enough that it might run off. Here's another link for used, washable pads. I probably would have ordered these for Gracie, but they were gone on vacation at the time and I needed them ASAP. These are VERY inexpensive, but they may have some wear or staining. To me, that wasn't in issue. I just needed something to absorb urine.

When Gracie had a stroke this summer, we found the need for something bigger than the traditional pee pads you can find in the stores. I ended up purchasing 4 pads that are 34" by 52" from JRS Medical Supply. This way it covered most of her bed. I'd think two of those might cover a couch, as well. I believe I received them 2 days after I ordered them online. They launder very easily and absorb quite well. Now that Gracie is better, we have one in the back of each vehicle to help with the inevitable muddy pawprints.

Hoping today is the day she gets to come home with you! Still sending prayers for your fighter-girl.

WAHOOO on the GREYT update! Glad to hear some of her lab values are starting to respond to treatment. Gracie was without her collar most of the time she was at the UW Hospital as they took it off of her when she was admitted. She was unable to even stand, so they weren't too afraid of her running away. The day I picked her up, I put on her "Believe" collar. I whispered in her ear that I believe she can make it. Each and every day she wore that collar, and it reminded me she needed me to believe in her. Just this week (over 4 months after her stroke) I had the strength to change collars. I put her pumpkin collar on her and told her that even though she isn't wearing her believe collar, I still believe in her. If you would like to borrow Gracie's Believe collar, I'd be more than happy to mail it to you. My strong fighter girl is recovered now, and she is more than willing to share her strength with those who are still fighting. Jaynie sure sounds like she is a fighter, too! Here's a picture of her collar:

Mary - I still have some from when Gracie had her stroke. If you PM me your address, I can get them in the mail to you right away. I've been following Jaynie's thread and saying prayers for her health and for guidance for her vet every day.

Sounds like it could be seizures or TIA's. My Gracie, only 7 years old, has had several TIA's in the last year. We weren't sure what they were at the time, but looking back, it's now clear they were TIA's. This June she had a stroke that left her completely immobile for about 2 1/2 weeks. She was also blind in both eyes for a while, recovered sight in her right eye, and eventually recovered partial or most of her sight in her left eye. She had to learn how to walk again. Thankfully, she has recovered to about 95% of her pre-stroke status. Strokes are a scary, scary experience! After Graice's stroke, we found out that she had undiagnosed high blood pressure. So, I second the thought of monitoring Charlie's blood pressure. Hope he is doing well!

Sending prayers out to you. Our Gracie was non-ambulatory this summer after a stroke, and I know how scary it is. Please keep us posted on how she is doing and how the vet appointment goes. Gentle hugs to you at this scary time.

Oh no! Tell Sheryl that we're pulling for Kyra. Sending white light and prayers for her.

What a beautiful picture! Sending more prayers and white light your way.

Adding to the prayers for Butkus. I've been thinking about him a lot today and hoping to hear good news when he comes out of surgery.

Sending prayers for Beau-Blitz and your entire family. May today shed light on a treatable condition with a quick recovery for Beau-Blitz.

As some of you may remember, Gracie had a stroke 2 months ago. She pulled through suspected DIC, suspected cerebral edema, status ellipticus, and many other concerning medical issues. She was completely blind and was laterally recumbent for about 2 weeks. ( Gracie's first thread; Gracie's update thread) Since then she has made a miraculous recovery. She still is blind (or at least partially blind) in her left eye. Her coordination is wacky some times. She needs supervision on the stairs because of her coordination and compromised vision. However, she is doing GREYT! Last week Gracie attended her first post-stroke meet and greet. She did great! People meeting her were surprised she had a stroke as they said you couldn't tell it. She was wiped out by the end of the 2 hours, but she loved all of the attention and petting. (You'd think we never gave this girl any attention!) On Thursday, my friend Renee came over with her dog Lexy. Lexy and Gracie are best of buds. (In fact, Renee came to visit with Lexy during Gracie's recovery. When Lexy got in the door, Gracie tried to stand to get to Lexy. She stumbled forward and I caught her, but you could tell she was happy to see her friend.) So, anyway, Lexy and Gracie got to play in our yard together on Thursday. We finally finished our new fence (old one came down in May) and this is the first time Gracie got to enjoy the fenced yard since her stroke. We weren't sure if she would be able to run considering her vision, but she did great! She wasn't able to turn on a dime like she used to be able to, but WOW! To think that less than 2 months ago we thought we were going to lose here. WOW! Thank you to everyone on GT who lit a candle for my girl, said a prayer, or just kept her/us in your thoughts. The support I received here helped me make it through this ordeal. On to the pictures! A picture of Gracie in the hospital, unable to lift even her head First day standing without assistance A surprise package of healing Burpdog Biskies and "Red Hat Attitude" pillow from her friends Rainey and Nube Running with Lexy on Thursday My girl has got her groove back! Gracie and her buddy Lexy, a couple of years ago

Sending prayers for you and Bumper. I know all too well the stress of the ups and downs. Gracie had a stoke just two months ago. Stay strong - BumpMan needs you!

I have no advice about her mindset with peeing in the house, but I can recommend some pads. I have the washable ones from JRS Medical Supply. After Gracie's stroke, she was having problems with peeing and not even realizing she was doing it. I bought 4 of the 34" x 52" ones and they fit perfectly on top of her beds. It's much easier to wash one of the pads instead of washing a bed or having to clean up the floor. Good luck!