Guest columbus Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 My Edy is 4 years old spayed, and started spotting in August. Took her to the vet, because at the same time she became afraid to go down the back stairs and was limping, favoring her back leg. The urine test was negative. The vet said the spotting was probably hormonal. She was also tested for tick born illness which came back positive for Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. She had 6 weeks of antibiotics and was given Rimadyl for pain. Followup blood test showed that the antibiotics worked, but she had to be put on more Rimadyl because she started limping on her front paw. The fear of going down the steps is still with us, as is the vaginal spotting. Going to get a second opinion on Tuesday. Edy has never fallen down the stairs, so I don't know what has caused her fear. She now starts down the first 2 steps and then leaps down the other 5. I am afraid that she will hurt herself more. The back stairs were carpeted so I thought that if I removed the carpet that she might do better. Unfortunately that didn't work. I've had Edy since she was a year and a half years old. After she first learned to go up and down the steps, she had np problems. Her appetite is good, she runs and plays and likes to dominate my second greyhound. She does pant a lot and will snap at you if you to try to clean her vaginal area. She licks herself frequently after she voids. Her health history includes crystals in her urine and a removal of a benign tumor from her head. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Welcome to GT. Is the spotting continuous, or intermittent? I seem to recall that greyhound ovaries can sometimes be tough to find, and that one (or a fragment of one) can be left behind in some instances. Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest columbus Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Welcome to GT. Is the spotting continuous, or intermittent? I seem to recall that greyhound ovaries can sometimes be tough to find, and that one (or a fragment of one) can be left behind in some instances. The spotting seems to be constant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I would suspect first a urinary or kidney problem. Has she been tested for UTI and kidney function??? Her little bum is probably really sore from whatever's going on and because she's probably licking it a lot. Also, is her anatomy around her vagina normal? Some greys can have either an extra flap that covers the area and is a breeding ground for infection, or the area is too exposed, and surgery needs to be done to help cover it. There are vet terms for both of these that my late Sunday night brain isn't remembering. It's possible that an ovary was left behind when she was spayed, though I would have thought the spotting would have begun years ago when she reached sexual maturity. Not an expert though, so I defer totally to experienced voices! Hope your second opinion has a good one. Good luck! greysmom Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scullysmum Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Surely a spayed bitch should not be showing any kind of hormonal symptoms ...I sometimes wonder with my girl if the vet left a little bit of ovary behind as she sometimes displays behaviour that I can only describe as being in heat....Here is a LINK to some info I found. Quote <p>"One day I hope to be the person my dog thinks I am"Sadi's Pet Pages Sadi's Greyhound Data PageMulder1/9/95-21/3/04 Scully1/9/95-16/2/05Sadi 7/4/99 - 23/6/13 CroftviewRGT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfish Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 The bitch I had who showed vaginal spotting later died of kidney cancer. I would urge you to get a specialist consult if your vet is out of ideas and is in 'let's try this' mode. Mine did that, and by the time we got to the vet school it was too late. I don't mean to scaremonger, but Susan's death is still painful for me, years later, because I feel that if I'd known sooner what her real problem was, she'd have got through it. You can lose a kidney, but not both lungs, and it had spread. Quote The plural of anecdote is not dataBrambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SusanP Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 She may simply be afraid to do stairs because her legs are painful and she knows they are not reliable, especially on stairs. That may be a completely different issue from the bleeding. I agree with silverfish, that it's wise to pursue the bleeding issue. Is there a veterinary college near you or a specialty vet clinic? Has she had her urine tested and blood tests for kidneys or anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest columbus Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Took Edy to the vet tonite. The Dr. gave her a thorough exam, and diagnosed her with a juvenile vulva. So I need to clean her, apply a medicated cream ( animax ) and she will be on keflex for 2 weeks. We did a urinalysis and a cbc. I know more about the results when we go back in 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone for their comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahicks51 Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 If you have a muzzle, you should probably put that on her if she tries to bite you when you clean that region! Good luck, and hope it all works out for the best. Quote Coco (Maze Cocodrillo) Minerva (Kid's Snipper) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Hopefully they did a urine culture. Sending prayers! Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfish Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Sounds like good news if that's all it is! Good luck with the labwork. Quote The plural of anecdote is not dataBrambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Sound like they have things under control. Glad they found the cause for the vaginal bleeding. RE: the steps. Mine will not do them. We had steep steps to our deck, and had a make-shift ramp, pretty steep, covering them. We just built a "handicaipped type," ramp for them, as they are getting older, and I was worried about the steep ramp. Maybe a ramp for you? Just a thought. It works nicely. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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