Are Your Greys Having Medical Problems?

[GoPups]

Dangit. I messed up. Just vote "other" on the first question if your dogs have no problems.

 

I was inspired by a thread in EEG on what reasons people give to not adopt a greyhound. One of those reasons was coming to GT and seeing all of these dogs with medical problems. This has come up before, so I wanted to make a poll to see how many of our dogs are doing just fine.

 

Greyhounds, in general, tend to have inherited disorders bred out of them and have less problems (in my experience) than most breeds do. I think the reason there are so many problems in the Health and Medical forum is that very rarely do people come to post about how well their dogs are doing. Most people that post here have questions or need well wishes for their dogs.

 

Keep in mind that every dog, at some point in its life, is going to have some sort of medical issue no matter what age, breed, sex, or where it came from.

 

Thanks guys.

Edited June 5, 2006 by KinfolkinGrey

[smday]

No problems here - 4 dogs - 2 are greyhounds.

[Gryffenne]

The big D... it is a minor/temp problem that is already slowly going away

[PatricksMom]

I voted other--Patrick has a thyroid disorder, but it's well in hand, so I don't really think of it as him having an ongoing problem.

[Guest D_MansMommy]

I voted other and other. No present problems now. D-man was very sick about 2 years ago to the cost of $4000.00 but he's in perfect health now

[HopeForHounds]

Since Foxy's brush with cancer all of our pups are healthy. Praying that continues for a long, long time.

[Guest Jokertx]

Mine have more sensitive skin and GI tract than other dogs I have interacted with but I would not consider it a problem. I just feed them sensitive stomach food and that clears it all up.

[Guest KennelMom]

Harmony (4) just re-opened her Happy Tail about 20 minutes ago (its been 'healed' for almost 2 years). Hopefully this is a short term problem!

 

Caesar (12) has pannus and lumbosacral stenosis, both of which are ongoing/long term but currently successfully managed.

 

Annie (14) has low thyroid and corns, both long term/ongoing but managed well with meds and dremelling.

 

Grandpa is on doxy for the rest of his life to manage side-effects from Ehrlichia.

 

Other than that, everyone is healthy!

[robinw]

loca's broken toe is a minor, temporary problem. her broken leg a couple of years ago was a major, temporary problem.

phene had and was treated for babesia, which i consider to have been a huge problem.

Edited June 5, 2006 by robinw

[Guest gleigh78]

Among the three greys my fiance and I have, we've got:

 

Ajai -- recently diagnosed low thyroid, and is doing very well on meds. I found a lump on his leg two weeks ago which is yet to be diagnosed.

 

Charley -- tore his ACL last spring, recovered nicely only to get corns on both back feet. They're doing slightly better recently with TheraPaws, KeraSolv and dremeling, but they have been ongoing since last summer.

 

Finny -- wildly hyperactive unless he's on Clomicalm (to the point where he NEVER sleeps and whines and pants 24/7) and also has thyroid issues. We've tried weaning him off one or the other, but he gets all panicky/crazy, so that hasn't worked so well.

[RSS]

3 Greys no problems

[Guest Catti]

Sting had a bad leg break (rear hock) on the track, and so one of his hind legs is misshapen. The foot on that leg is also misshapen, because the hock joint malformation has affected the way he rests it on the ground. So, he walks more slowly, sometimes limps, and his endurance for walks isn't great. He NEVER goes faster than a slow trot on four legs, if he wants to go any faster, he lifts the bad leg and "does hoppy dog" (as I call it). I take it easy with him on walks. He gets glucosamine/chondroitin every day. I also keep an eye on him for signs of inflammation/pain.

 

I think one of Sting's front legs was also injured badly at some point. He has a large scar on the "forearm" just below the elbow on the front of the leg, which he seems to lick at a lot. I've noticed that leg is thinner than the other front leg as well, not as muscled. I wonder if he might have suffered a break there too.

 

Eagle seems to have eye allergies. Frequently the membranes at the corners of his eyes get red (though not swollen), and he gets a small amount of clear or whitish discharge from the eyes. This doesn't happen every day and he doesn't seem distressed by it. I keep close watch on it in case it gets worse or shows signs of swelling or infection.

 

Eagle also has a tendency towards bad breath. I brush his teeth regularly and he gets a raw marrow bone once a week, which he loves, and it does a wonderful job making his breath better.

[HooversMom]

I voted "special needs" because Hoovie is epileptic, but (thank God) his seizures are well controlled so far. Bloo has a touchy tummy every couple of months, but I don't consider that an ongoing problem. Border collie Lacy has Cushing's and is on meds, but it is also well-controlled and not a problem right now.

[Guest kbone]

For the longest time I stared at the poll wondering what to vote! Anyway no issues.....right now!

[Guest Leilani]

I have had two Greyhounds long-term, and several fosters. None of them have had ANY injuries or structural problems. None had any heart, eye, or thyroid issues. None had tick disease, and none have had teeth problems.

 

One suffered chronic IBD that we never could cure. He died of bone cancer at a young age.

 

The second, Lani, is very healthy, but does have some skin and coat problems. It's under control, but she has to eat expensive food and be routinely bathed. Otherwise, she is top notch. She has no digestive problems, and all her bloodwork and her heart are in great shape.

My three fosters were all healthy dogs.

 

The first one was a pup in glowing health - no problems.

 

The next was a middle ager who had serious spook issues (otherwise we would have kept him ourselves, but he couldn't adjust to our lifestyle) but was physically in perfect health.

 

The third was suffering from neglect (by his previous pet owner, NOT from his racing days) but recovered quickly and is in good health.

 

That said, I think the first dog with the serious problem is fairly unusual. I have lots of friends with greyhounds, and most all of theirs have NO issues at all.

 

Of my Golden fosters (at least two dozen over the years, if not more), EVERY single one had a major health problem. Most were crippled with hip dysplasia, and those that were not had serious heart conditions, epilepsy, and almost all of them had chronic skin problems and needed special, expensive food.

 

I think compared to something like Goldens (at least rescued ones, which are poorly bred for the most part) adopting a Greyhound is not a big risk at all for health issues!!

 

In my experience, ESPECIALLY compared to other dogs available for adoption (ie shelter dogs, backyard bred purebreds that end up in most breed rescues, etc) Greyhounds are probably your best bet at adopting a rescue dog in good health, and most of them are far healthier than backyard bred purebred puppies.

 

I would say adopting an adult Greyhound would be comparably risky to buying an extremely well bred puppy of a notoriously healthy breed. In otherwords- a pretty safe bet for a happy, long lived companion.

 

Two of my well bred dogs purchased as puppies are VERY healthy, with no allergies or other problems (Whippet and 'zoi). Another died horrifically young of a genetic disease. There are NO guarantees!

 

Also, remember WYSIWYG with adoption Any serious issues would be visable in most cases!

[sacha]

We are still trying to figure out what is bothering Egon. He still has his skin infection that we have been battling since August of last year with a side of ringworm

We are now trying to find out why he is bruising so easily. We have done pt/ptts which are high, thyroid is okay, ACT never clotted the first time, the most recent clotted right away, we even did a mucosal bleeding time which was fine. What the vet has been thinking is Ehrlichia, von Willebrand factor, and something else I can't remember right now. We don't know where to go from here. Our vet has been great, she has been searching for answers for us.

On the bright side, Egon seems to be doing just fine otherwise. He is a happy man, who loves his bananas and destroying stuffies.

[scullysmum]

The four dogs I have owned:

 

Zoe (Non Grey): No ongoing health problems...pts due to Colon cancer

 

Greys:

 

Mulder...no ongoing health problems...pts at 8 years old due to congestive heart failure, he was only ill for the last two weeks of his life

 

Scully: Epilepsy...started at 5 years old, kept completely under control by drugs...pts during operation to remove a tumour at 9 years old

 

Sadi: no ongoing health problems

[DocsDoctor]

The vet described Doc as a 'magnificent specimen' when he went in for his first checkup, and five months after his adoption we've had no problems at all. Bright eyes, cold wet nose, glossy coat - he bounces around radiating health and happiness! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this may long continue...

 

One of the things that initially attracted me about adopting an ex-racing greyhound was their general health and strength - that these dogs don't suffer from the genetic problems now plaguing many pet breeds following misguided or unscrupulous breeding, tendencies to hip displacement and breathing difficulties and so forth. There is the bone cancer issue of course, but the jury seems to be out as to whether that's genetic or caused by the wear and tear of racing or a bit of both. Anyway, as you say, inevitably people will come onto the forum for health advice only when they have a problem, which may skew the picture a bit for new adopters. Hopefully your poll will help put things straight for them!

[silverfish]

I voted other, after thinking about it for some time.

 

Renie is perfectly healthy and has no issues at all - never has had, not since she recovered from the injury she retired with. OK, if she charges around like a mad thing (which basically she never does) she might be very slightly lame on that foreleg for a short while but I don't think that's what is meant here.

 

Jack is perfectly healthy apart from normal ageing issues (he's on glucosamine/chondroitin/etc supplements). He has a mild intolerance to turkey but that's such a minor nuisance that it's hardly worth mentioning.

[gazehund]

Everything is A - OK here. 4 greyhounds, ages 5 years to 11 years old. Two females and two males.

[Guest CygnetC]

Other than his toothless mouth and bad breath issues Wally has no complaints. He's one happy and healthy little bastard.

[Jester]

4 greys, all completely healthy. We have the occasionally accident in the yard (Chad is a dangerprone-Daphne). Greys are extremely well bred and I don't know that I would chance another breed.

[Ragsysmum]

I voted no problems because, although mine has mild megaesophagus, as long as we massage the food down her throat when necessary, it causes no problems and she is perfectly fit otherwise.

[Guest MPPwith3]

Well, Topaz dies at age 5 of liver disease. Cancer took Brindle. Pearl has SEVERE heart disease and has been on meds for 2 yrs. She sees a cardiologist regularly. Her sister Diamond has the mildest of problems with very receding gums and incontinence. I have to work to keep up with them. Onyx had "epidsodes" that her neurologist has labeled seisures. But she hasn't had any for the past year.

Opal, my pup is the only one not on any meds at the moment except for antibiotics for a laceration.

 

All my other girls are on some sort of meds.

 

Speaking of meds, I highly recommend getting any prescriptions at Costco. What would cost me approx $350 for Pearl's heart meds costs only $90/month at Costco. It's 45 minutes away but worth every minute!

[Guest Kipsmom]

Kip had a broken Hock that calcified and it's sore a lot. I keep him on Glucosamine that helps a lot.