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Old Hound Health - What's "normal?"


Guest lgmaddox

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Guest lgmaddox

Hello all - I am new and don't really know anyone here at home with an old greyhound whom I can ask about my 13 yr old hound, Gracie. I am glad you're all here.

 

I just don't know what's normal for Greyhound "old age" - she is thinner than she used to be despite still eating. According to our vet, she has some minor arthritis and is on Rimadyl, which I try not to give her too often. We live on a 3rd floor apartment, which I'm trying to move out of, but the stair climb is difficult for her - it seems to confuse her more and she stalls. Definitely less active, although she really perks up in the evening for some reason. She seems more easily out of breath when walking (we don't do big walks anymore) but then I'm in the South, it's summer, and ridiculously humid. She sleeps a lot of course (says she's resting up for her next big hunt). Her "chatter" gets worse at times. She "poop walks" at times (leaves a Hansel and Gretel trail) which is fun for me to clean up. And, she's a bit weak at times in the back legs.

 

She's on the Rimadyl, Missing Link, and glucosamine/chondroitin. Hills Science Diet I/D and rice/yogurt.

 

Does anyone hear anything strange here that I should be checking in to? Her last vet visit was in the past 6 months, and other than the arthritis the vet did not comment on anything. I just want to know if there's something else I could be doing here to help her as she ages.

 

Thank you!

 

 

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Guest Tenderhearts

She sounds a lot like my Lori Ann was at that age.

 

Fortunately the only stairs I have are two in the front, and two in the back.

 

I did move my bedroom from the second story of the house when she was about 8, and she was still easily navigating the steep flight of carpeted steps to the second story.

 

I gave GlycoFlex III for her arthritic hips, and used Ascriptin on an as needed basis for more pain (ie cold damp weather). The Missing Link really doesn't have a therapeutic level of supplements in it.

 

She did start losing some weight, and I simply increased her kibble and more add-ins (like pasta). She put the weight back on. She was a chow hound up until the end.

 

Something she really enjoyed was a good hip massage at some point during the day, and there were times I would use a heating pad on low on her hips in the winter while I sat beside her.

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You might want to get an Assistance Harness for Greyhounds which would allow you to help her with the stairs. The sneaky poops are just part of life at that age. :rolleyes: Kisses for your precious girlie... :kiss2 We want PICS too! :)

Jeanne with Remington & Scooter the cat
....and Beloved Bridge Angels Sandee, Shari, Wells, Derby, Phoenix, Jerry Lee and Finnian.....
If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to heaven
and bring you home again.

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Guest MorganKonaAlex
The sneaky poops are just part of life at that age.

My 13 year old doesn't have that. I thought sneaky poops would be a sign of mild LS. It wouldn't be surprising if a 13 year old had LS, but I don't think age alone explains it.

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Guest Greensleeves

I was going to say LS (lumbo-sacral stenosis; see more here: http://www.gcnm.org/stenosis.html) also. That sounds a lot like what our Whistler had going on when he was 11-12 (he died of cancer at 12, so we don't know how much the final deterioration had to do with the cancer or the LS)--the weak hind end, the "poop walks," the trouble navigating stairs. Whistler fortunately responded pretty well to the Depo-Medrol injections.

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Guest KennelMom

Sounds like a pretty normal 13 year old greyhound to me. The confusion, increased lethargy and trail-o-poop (if indoors) *could* be signs of canine cognitive dysfunction...but it doesn't sound like it's impacting her life too negatively if it's even that at all. May be something you want to keep an eye on. There is one drug your vet can prescribe that helps some dogs with the symptoms of CCD.

 

The three flights of stairs sounds like the most challenging part of her day...that's a lot for an old gal to do. The support posted above might help with that. Otherwise, I'd just have a good physical exam and a full blood panel done at least once yearly and keep doin' what your doin'.

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Sounds like she might need some pain management on an ongoing basis. Rimadyl is an anti-inflamatory, so it's not going to work as well if you're taking her on and off it. Is there a reason you're only using it sometimes?

Beth, Petey (8 September 2018- ), and Faith (22 March 2019). Godspeed Patrick (28 April 1999 - 5 August 2012), Murphy (23 June 2004 - 27 July 2013), Leo (1 May 2009 - 27 January 2020), and Henry (10 August 2010 - 7 August 2020), you were loved more than you can know.

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Guest greytexplorer

My Mandy is 11 and she is on 1/2 tablet of 227 mg Previcox daily for arthritis pain mngt, and it has helped her tremendously.

In addition to blood panel, be sure to check the thyroid. All the old ladies at my house (including me) are on thyroid meds.

:D

 

OH and :welcome

 

where in the South are you located?

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I can second the recommendation for the assistance harness. We also have two flights of stairs up to our house and the harness really helps our 14 year old Bell feel like she has some extra stability going up and down, and makes me less worried about her taking a tumble.

 

Otherwise, everything you describe sounds pretty typical for an older hound. You might want to look into getting the Greyhound Gang's Get Up and Go or Springtime's Joint Health supplements instead of the Missing Link, they seem to work really well.

 

 

Melissa, Penelope (LC's Wild Rose)

Missing sweet Bell (EMK Bolivar Bell). I'll never forget you.

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

- Mark Twain

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Guest Greensleeves
Sounds like she might need some pain management on an ongoing basis. Rimadyl is an anti-inflamatory, so it's not going to work as well if you're taking her on and off it. Is there a reason you're only using it sometimes?

 

Nelly is on Rimadyl twice a week for her arthritis (she had a severe leg break as a puppy), and my vets explained that the anti-inflammatory properties are what make it workable for a not-every-day dosage. They'd give a sort of "booster" dose that controls the inflammation for a couple of days, until the next dose, so the symptoms stay under control almost constantly. So Nelly's on it "sometimes," but regularly, which allows us to not give it too often, but just enough that she stays relatively pain-free.

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Guest OMGiluvgreys

I also recommend the harness. We have one for our 14 yr 10 mo. old girl. She has LSS and is VERY weak in the back legs. We still get her to walk 2 one mile walks a day. She loses bowel control when laying down.

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Sounds like normal senior hound syndrome to me. You might consider putting down more carpets on slippery areas as a precaution. Hopefully you can avoid the slips and falls that might be coming.

Carol-Glendale, AZ

Trolley (Figsiza Trollyn)

Nevada 1992-2008...always in my heart

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Guest lgmaddox

Great, thanks everybody. At least Gracie sounds fairly "normal" if she can be called that after living with me. Who knows.

 

As far as the LS - that could be something. She had a neck problem and was xrayed years ago, that didn't reveal anything. The Rimadyl - I don't give it continuously just b/c I'm concerned about the side effects. Plus, I understand it's not meant for long-term use - ? -

 

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction - I pulled up the symptom list for that on a few websites, and she doesn't have any of those symptoms except for the confusion going up the stairs. That has definitely gotten worse over the past couple of years. She was never that great with stairs to begin with. I don't know that the harness will help if it's confusion?

 

My main thing is, I look at how she's behaving, is she eating, how's her poop (very important).

 

I am planning on taking her in for senior bloodwork as soon as I cough up the funds.

 

A bit of bio - we're in Atlanta, GA. It's just the two of us (two old broads) and she's been with me about 6 years. Her favorite things are cats (not in a good way), baby carrots, sleepin', cats, poopin', tuna, and more cats. Although she did try to eat one of my dad's guinea pigs once. She's about 58lbs and a brindle. I'll post a picture once I figure out exactly how to do that (technologically challenged, still trying to program my Ipod). Thanks again all!

 

 

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Well, welcome to GT. As you've already found there's a wealth in good info here on this site and some very, very knowledgeable folks who are always ready to help with a problem.

 

Good luck with your Gracie, from the bio she sounds like quite the little girl!!

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, Phoenix, Okie, Casey, and Ellie the Galga; with Aggie, Alexa, Bear,Cody, Gianni V., Missy B, Babette, Bernice, and BooBoo at the Bridge

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