Hattie Update

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Hi,

So, I'd like to start this with a big 'shout-out' to my vet. For anyone who lives in Union County in NJ, Doc Steven Schafer (Rt 22, Scotch Plains Animal Hospital) is WONDERFUL. I called him yesterday in a state of panic about Hattie's issues. He's squeezing me in this afternoon for a full visit, and he calls back right away with issues/questions. I received phone calls last night from greyhound owners I had never met--he called his clients who had greyhounds, explained the situation to them, and asked them if they could contact me/help me out. He has no problem referring to a specialist if he thinks they will be more beneficial to your pup--he's just great. He is on the greyhound-savvy vet list on this site, by the way.

The lady who called me last night said that, from the sounds of it, Hattie needs to be medicated. She also recommended that I sleep with the harness and leash wrapped around my wrist (another person on this site said the same thing), and that it would prevent her from working herself up into a state of anxiety. Last night, by husband and I came home from our neighbor's house, and Hattie was fine. She ate her final scoop of food (she throws up bile in the a.m. if she doesn't eat something late), went outside, and that was that. Then . . . like clockwork, at around 10:40, she was resting comfortably, and then jumped up, started staring and looking around, and then started to tremble, pant, whine, and pace. I let that go on for about 5 minutes, and then I got up, moved her big bed to my side of the bed (she usually sleeps on it on my husband's side, but he was still watching TV in the other room), put the harness on her, wrapped the leash around my arm, and got in bed. She had enough slack on the leash to move around ON her bed, but she couldn't go further than that. She strained, panted, and trembled, but she couldn't get away. After about 2 hours, she finally settled down . . . . AND SLEPT!!!!! It was like she just gave in, finally. Here's the interesting thing--for all the panting, shaking, and straining she was doing on the leash, she did not whine as frequently or as loudly as she has been in previous nights. I got a good, solid 4 1/2 hours of sleep!!!!! Whooooohooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! That's more sleep than I've gotten the past 3 nights combined!!!!! This morning, she went outside, came in, ate most of her breakfast, started to settle in, and then . . . . a noise set her off, and she was trembling. Her daytime freakouts are nothing like her nighttime freakouts in severity (unless there's a thunderstorm), but it just re-confirmed for me that I need to do something to ease her anxiety. Wherever we live, there's going to be thunder, wind, rain, big trucks, and other loud noises. It's just too painful to see her get so upset over everyday noises--especially as she gets upset over noises that previously did not bother her.

I have the appointment at 3:45 today. Doc is testing her for worms, eyesight, hearing, kidney/liver function, the whole 9 yards. I'm really not anticipating anything being physically wrong, though. She loves to eat, she's still a super-friendly dog, and she still loves to be outside. I really think she has mental issues.

I will let you know how it goes!!!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Wow, thats what I call a good vet.

[Guest jenznaz]

Good luck! I know this must be a difficult time...looking out for an update!

[Guest Tequila]

Good luck! I know this must be a difficult time...looking out for an update!

Thanks for the update, Alex! Let us know how it goes!

[Guest TeddysMom]

Just checking in for an update on Hattie. Anything yet?

[Guest hattiepumpkin]

Hi! Hattie's visit to the vet went well. He checked her for EVERYTHING. Lyme, kidney/liver function, hearing/vision, full thyroid panel, urinalysis, etc. She is fit and healthy, which means her problem is definitely environmental. He prescribed her the Xanax-.5 mg, and he recommended that she take it at night, around 8 or 9. He is waiting to talk to an internal medicine vet, because he is hesitant to prescribe both the Xanax and the anti-anxiety meds at once. I am currently in another state for a family wedding, and Hattie is at our greyhound dog-sitter's house. She went there the night we started her on the meds, and the sitter told me that she slept through the night. The sitter did say that she sees a difference in Hattie's behavior, though. She says that she is more anti-social and less "ready to go" than she usually is. I, too, have noticed this lately. This is weird--I am on another computer at my mom's house, and I can't see what I'm writing/typing. Bear with me if there are spelling errors. I hate this. Anywhay, I am anxious to see how hattie does at our house on Sunday night, which is when we come back from the wedding. Since the problem is definitely environmental, I'm wondering if she will eventually not needto be on the xanax, and if she could simply be on a very low dose of the anti-anxiety medicaiton. She has gotten far more nervous in the past few months about noises and other things, so she has definitely changed in the that r respect. I hate not being able to see hwat i'm typing.

[Guest kydie]

Happy you now know what is up with your pup, just courious do you leave a night light on in your room?

[Guest Tequila]

Thanks for the update. I , too, have that "can't see what I'm typing " thing ALL THE TIME! Mmost of my posts probably look like I'm illeterate! (did i even spell that right? dont' know! Can't see it! LOL).

[Guest Greytluv]

I'm glad you found that vet. Hopefully she will settle down. Poor girl

[Guest eaglflyt]

Just an FYI, I think the *not seeing your typing* issue is caused by using an older version of Internet Explorer. If you update your IE browser to the current version, your problem should no longer exist.