Lucy Update ...she Is Gone

[Guest greytloves]

All weekend I stayed at home with my Big Girl Lucy. She had been limping on her right leg due to a corn and I was going to the vet today at 2 pm and was taking the paperwork on how to hull them. Well, Saturday without an incident that I am aware of, she went lame on the left. Walks really softly but then when she lays down cannot get back up. Starts screaming. I have to lift her up which hurts her really badly, but once up we can move along with a limp on both sides. So, blubbering mess all weekend that I was, I finally dosed with her some left over Tramadol 50 mg that I had from surgery and she was OK. Dosed her again last night and put her into bed with me. (DH is out of town with his mom as his father is in the hospital with end stage Parkinson's) This morning I have to stand on the bed to lift her up, her screaming and then pick her so she does not jump. Somehow manage the blubbering phone call to the vets office. Luckily she understood me. Took her in. Vet and Vet Tech are wonderful people. They manipulated, played with the corn, etc, etc. Left her there for xrays of her hips, back and legs. I've had a grey die from a tumor on her spine, I've had a grey die from OS. Your mind automatically goes there. I'm such a mess. Please, please pray for my Big Girl.

 

My poor DH. I had not been filling him in as not to worry him more but he calls when I was in full blubber and I told him. I hate that I did that. I hate that you instantly think cancer. I hate that I can't stop crying over it. She is only 9. We have had her since before she was two. Her racing name was Big Girl but we call her Lucy. Please spare some thoughts for her today.

Edited November 22, 2010 by greytloves

[Batmom]

Oh gosh, I'd be a mess too. Sending lots of prayers and hopes it's just a pulled muscle or similar.

[OwnedBySummer]

Awwww. My thoughts are with you. And I know what you mean about being caught by DH mid-blubber and hating that you spilled it. Been there, done that.

[Guest greytloves]

Now I just wait. I just hate this.

[macoduck]

Now I just wait. I just hate this.

You've done all you can for now. Are there any chores you can keep yourself busy with until you go pick up Lucy?

[racindog]

Praying for Lucy!!!! Honestly what I first think of is a neck/spine injury because that is very much the way one of my neck injured girls acts. Something about that greyhound neck seems to readily manifest as front leg lameness of varying kinds and it can be excruciatingly painful.

[greytpups]

and sending

[Guest greytloves]

I will even be happy with a mild fracture on the left and corn on the right. But deep down you fear the worst.

 

I take Sugar in at 10:45 to have a place looked at on him. White boy gets scary looking places on his tummy every now and again. No matter how much sunblock I put on him, he still gets them. This one is different and I think I will have to be admitted somewhere if he says this one is cancerous. I have to stop and get gas. But that is about it. Anything I do just gets me hot and sweaty in this unbearable heat.

 

I'm just a mess. Even though I kept saying with this addition of this puppy, Gracie - I can't handle any more dogs! I cannot bear to lose a one. NOT my beautiful, ornery, vocal cow doggie. And not without my DH here.

Edited August 9, 2010 by greytloves

[carronstar]

Sending lots of good thoughts and prayers for Lucy.

[GreyPoopon]

[Remolacha]

for Lucy

 

for Sugar

 

I know the first thing you think is the "C" word, but there are many other things it could be!

[CaliforniaGreys]

[Guest eaglflyt]

Hugs and many prayers for both you and your husband and for all your pups.

[Jenbo]

[nyGreys]

Sending prayers.

[Guest greytloves]

Thanks everyone.

 

So, Doc and I did a little surgery on Sug and cut out the spot. He said it could or could not be cancerous, could not really tell but said if it was it was the type that he just needed to get wide margins and be done with it. So, once again my little angel let me hold him while Doc operated right then. He is such a good Doc. If we can do these things without sedation and just local he will let me assist.

 

Lucy did get sedated and they took about 6 views. Laterals, front and everything in between. Now he does not have the fanciest x rays but he did not see anything that stood out. So, he could not rule out a small OS spot, but could not find one. He did however get rid of the corn which he actually cut out as he said it was huge. He thinks that it had started hurting her so bad that she over compensated on the other side and now has Myositis (muscle inflammation) so he wants to try her on a week of Prednosine and rest. Let the other foot heal and if she is still limping, us take her down to A&M for a myelogram and maybe some better X rays. So, I have everything crossed that she starts a quick recovery. I'm keeping her in the house and coming home at lunch to let her in the yard. (we have a room that has a dog door that everyone else uses) So that the Queen does not decide she has to tell the others what to do and run in this heat. I never would have thought a corn could have caused so much!

 

Doc and his vet tech are such nice people, when I brought her in at 8:45 I was still a blubbering mess. But they both said "It is OK" at the same time. Then I told them about my Susie Q with her back tumor that took her and Jo with her OS and how what Lucy was doing was the same thing they did and how my DH was out of town because his Dad is dying and I was all alone and..and...and..and - they just told me to go home and they would do as many x rays as it took and get rid of the corn for me.

 

So, long update. I hope she recovers soon!

Edited August 10, 2010 by greytloves

[queenwinniesmom]

Well, I would be blubbering too! But you accomplished a lot while you were blubbering, so please don't feel bad. It's natural to be worried, especially if you've been hurt before by cancer.

All of the treatments you mentioned make sense to me.

Hang in there, and keep us updated. And we'll keep you and Lucy in our prayers.

[Guest greytloves]

Great thing about my vet. I noticed last night as I was putting on the Petzlife that they scaled her teeth while under! Did not even charge me for that. I think someone is getting a cookie gift basket from me soon.

[Houndtime]

Good thoughts for your crew.

[duncan41]

That's a heavy load to carry all alone! I sure hope you and Lucy get some relief and soon! Sending prayers and healing white light.

[Guest greytloves]

Well it has been a week and Lucy is not limping as bad on the one leg but the leg where she had the corn removed she does not like putting her foot down. I have ordered Therapaws and in the meantime have fashioned a cushioned bootie to wear. Took the stitches out this weekend and am using the Murray Ave Greyhound corn cream. Does anyone have any experience as too how long to expect her to not want to put weight on it? If I walk beside her and gently push down on her hip she will and she will do the full squat to pee now and not the walk and pee. I'm not completely sure that it is not just a habit or if it is painful still. She does pant quite a bit, but it is 105 in the shade and near impossible to keep the house below 80 and she has the thickest coat of any greyhound I have ever had. She has only been going out to do her business and maybe roam for a few minutes. Her thigh muscles are weakening. She has always been a big brute of a girl and you can tell that right now she has lost some muscle tone. Until I know the foot is not bothering her I cannot really find out if there is anything else going on. Does anyone have experience when the corn has been surgically removed?

[Guest greytloves]

bumping today to see if anyone not on yesterday has experience with my post yesterday

[Batmom]

After surgery on a foot, it can take a couple weeks for pupper to want to use it fully again -- it's likely still tender. You can also have the phenomenon of "I don't wanna walk on that foot 'cause it's got a bootie/bandage/whatever on it." You can test for that phenomenon by replacing bootie with a padded toddler sock (they make some that are kinda thick -- like adult terry tube socks).

[Guest greytloves]

Thanks. You know she is wearing the toddler sock already to get her ready for the Therapaw. If I very gently lay my hand on her hip while walking she will put weight on it - otherwise no. I just did not know with the surgery how truly sensitive a pad is vs "I don't wanna"! I know the corn must have hurt like all get outs, but just had no experience with what nerves may be there.

Edited August 17, 2010 by greytloves

[Guest tinams8]

I don't have experience with corns, but I have had dogs who took awhile to get out of the habit of limping. A week is still pretty early.

 

Your vet sounds wonderful. I hope everyone heals up quickly!