Tell Me About Senior Greys

[Guest GreyKatie]

Hi all. I foster for two greyhound rescue groups in my area, and do not have a greyhound of my own (I have an Australian Kelpie). I started fostering last September, and just brought home foster #13, Rainier Runbonn. He turned 10 last month and is my oldest foster by 3 years. I've never had a senior; I have always had spritely, feisty youngins!

 

So...tell me about seniors. I have no idea what to do with him, and I want him to be happy and healthy. He's had a really crap life for the past few years, and he's a bit worse for the wear. The rescue will get his teeth cleaned, but everything else is up to me.

 

On our walk this morning, a half mile in, at our turnaround point, his back legs started shaking. By the time we got home, his one back leg kept giving out on him and he kept almost going down. If I hadn't had another grey and my dog with me, I might've carried him. But when we were out in the yard last night, he ran around like a 2-year-old, playing with toys, chasing the other dogs, and generally being a very happy boy (

's a video). Could he be sore today? I know he was not getting ANY exercise in his previous home. Like...no walks, no yard, no nothing.

 

He seems to have a tender spot near his right shoulder. He winces a little if we scratch him there, and yelps. Could that be soreness left over from yesterday? Should I be worried about this?

 

Any tips on trimming neglected nails? His back nails weren't so bad, and he let me trim those no problem. His front ones are really hard, and really long, and he does not want us to cut them. We cut them a little, but we have a long way to go.

 

Thanks for any advice you can offer. I know I worry too much, and I've been trying to work on it. But with seniors, I have no experience, and I don't want to shrug off limping or shaking if it could be something bigger.

[greysmom]

It's hard to say for sure on short observance. The shaking could be a lot of things from just being tired and out of shape to lumbosacral stenosis or nerve damage. Same with the sore spot on his shoulder. Both are things to keep an eye on and take him to the vet for if there's no improvement in a week or two.

 

Some further questions:

Is he limping?

Is he favoring one leg when walking or trotting?

Does he whine or make an ouchie sound laying down and/or getting up?

Can you generally touch him all over and bend each leg/joint without him giving evidence of pain?

 

How is his weight?

Does he have a nice tuck up and can you see his last three ribs?

How is his appetite?

Does he eat with enthusiasm or pick pick pick?

What and how much are you feeding him? Supplements?

 

 

Other's will chime in, I'm sure, but in general he should be getting a good quality, low-fat kibble of sufficient quantity to hold his weight easily. You can add canned food in if you want. I would add a glucosamine supplement - try the one from The Greyhound Gang. He will most likely self-regulate his exercise. If he wasn't getting any before, a 1/2 mile was probably too long for him, especially after a good play session in the yard - he probably doesn't need both exercise activities in the same day.

 

Seniors are AWESOME! You're going to have great time with him! Good luck!

[Guest tennesseegrey]

Bless you for fostering this Senior. I've had a couple of seniors myself and they are truly rewarding. I agree with Katie, if you don't see a change in the limp or tenderness of his shoulder, I would definitely take him in and have him xray'd. He sure is active in the video and seems very happy. You've done a great thing taking this special boy in. Enjoy him.

[Guest GryffinSong]

Hopefully he was just a little sore or tired from playing. Greyhounds are sprinters, and sometimes have trouble with endurance. I know that a half mile isn't very far, but if he hasn't been getting any exercise it might be enough to weaken him. My Gryffin would shake in the hind quarters when he overdid. After a rest he was always fine. The video is wonderful!!!

[krissn333]

My first observation was that you walked half a mile before turning around. I don't have a dog here that could do that! As others have said, they're sprinters, so, it's great that he's playful and vibrant in the yard. But I wouldn't expect them to walk even a total of half a mile, let alone an entire mile, without a great deal of conditioning. I would imagine the shaking was from muscle fatigue.

 

As far as his shoulder, maybe try massage if he will let you. If it doesn't resolve in a couple of days, I'd take him in to have him checked out.

 

And thank you for fostering! I took in an old boy at age 11 and he has been nothing but a joy! The thing to remember is that this guy is not in the best shape and that he's a bit older...it will take you some time to learn what his limits are. I would say take it slow with him

[DesiRayMom]

I adopted an 8yo who'd had foot problems & hadn't been doing much but in & out for potty calls. At first, he could barely make a quarter-mile round trip.

Now, after 6 months, we're just now up to half-mile fairly easily (as long as it's cool, early morning). Slow & easy does it. Senior are my favs, mayhap

you'll fall in love & never let him go?

 

Just watched your video....what a handsome fellow, and how happy he seems. Thanks for taking him in.

Edited August 31, 2010 by DesiRayMom

[robinw]

I was also thinking that the walk might have been a bit long if he wasn't used to it. Maybe shorter walks would work, with building up to longer walks. My Phoenix is another 1999er whose legs shake after lots of exercise or if he's standing on a hard surface (pavement) for a long period of time. I just try to get him to lay down, then he seems fine.

 

I really enjoyed the video. He looks like a really fun guy

Edited August 31, 2010 by robinw

[Guest KennelMom]

Ten is old, but not ancient. I wouldn't really treat a 10 year old any different than a dog of lesser years. Our 10 year olds can do the same walks as our 4 year olds (they just don't all want to )...if he came from a home where he wasn't getting a lot of exercise then you'll have to work on his endurance and his pads will probably be pretty soft. If his nails are really long, that can make him not want to walk as well because the foot can't be properly used to support a natural gait. I'd recommend what I recommend for all nails: a dremel.

Edited August 31, 2010 by KennelMom

[Guest tinams8]

I would ask the vet to trim his nails back when he is under for the dental. That would give you a head start at least while he gets used to it. Good luck with your new guy, it's so wonderful of you to take him!

[MP_the4pack]

Before I lost my 12 yr olds to cancer they acted like they were 5. But, I had them both since they were 4. (I had sisters).

 

They were very active. We did walks daily. They had an acre back yard to run in whenever they wanted (I have a dog door). So, since your boy didn't have any exercise, I'm thinking that mile walk was a bit too much. It probably would have been too much for a 7 yr old that hadn't had any exercise either.

 

My 15 yr old, now she shakes and wobbles a lot. But she can still walk 1/2 mile. I've been making sure she keeps up with her exercise so that her hindend doesn't give out.

 

I agree with tinams8...have the vet do the nails for a start. If they are really hard, try introducing him to the dremel. Maybe that will be the way to go with his nails.

 

But, as with everyone else.......watch that shoulder. Unfortunately shoulders are a prime location for OS in greys. Maybe get an xray when he's getting the dental. That way, he's under anesthesia just once.

[Guest BiancasMom]

What a beautiful boy! He is so cute! It looks to me like he has some rear end weakness, evident by the way he bunny-hops around a lot in the video. It is probably due to some arthritits and/or stenosis in his lower spine. I would limit his walks to short ones for now and talk to your vet about maybe trying some meds for arthritis like Rimadyl or Deramaxx. Thanks for taking this sweet senior in, I hope he finds a home soon!

[SAVED2]

I would ask the vet to trim his nails back when he is under for the dental. That would give you a head start at least while he gets used to it. Good luck with your new guy, it's so wonderful of you to take him!

 

And cut back on the distance by half.

[Guest isntitgreyt]

Seniors Rock!!! Especially Broodies Just my opinion!!

[Guest GreyKatie]

Oh gosh...I feel just awful now. I had no idea that a mile was too far. The shortest walk we ever do with our fosters is usually two miles! I thought a nice slow, easy mile would be OK for him. We will definitely cut down on that.

 

Is he limping? He doesn't limp really, but he seems sort of stiff in his back legs. Our other foster is 3 1/2, and her back feet land kind of close together. His are farther apart, if that makes sense.

Is he favoring one leg when walking or trotting? Occasionally he'll favor his right front leg, the one with the shoulder pain.

Does he whine or make an ouchie sound laying down and/or getting up? He's slow to rise, but he doesn't whine or make sounds.

Can you generally touch him all over and bend each leg/joint without him giving evidence of pain? For the most part. He doesn't like his paws to be touched, but he allows it. His shoulder isn't happy with us. When I touch it, the skin twitches. You know how some greys have a spot that when you scratch it, the skin twitches and tightens up, they do the frog lips face, and one of their legs starts to kick? His skin does that, without the face or leg. And he yelps.

How is his weight? Not sure what his precise weight is; it's probably about 85 pounds. I can see his whole spine and his hips, but no ribs. He is definitely lacking muscle tone; it's like his weight is gathered in his belly, which pulls down and makes his spine and hips visible, but no ribs. He could probably stand to lose a pound or two, or at least tone up a little.

How is his appetite? Great!

What and how much are you feeding him? Supplements? I have no idea what he was eating in his previous home. I suspect Science Diet. We are feeding him Kirkland lamb & rice dry and Kirkland chicken wet, a total of 3 1/2 cups a day. He also gets fish oil twice a day. Should I get him some glucosamine? I don't have piles of money to spend on this guy...if I did, I'd adopt him right now! I usually get supplements at Costco, Kirkland brand. Would that be OK?

[Guest bigorangedog]

Is he favoring one leg when walking or trotting? Occasionally he'll favor his right front leg, the one with the shoulder pain.

 

Can you tell whether the pain seems to be in the muscle or over the bone? I'd strongly suggest having the vet take an xray of this when he's under for the dental. That's my point of biggest concern on your list of questions. Perfect spot and perfect age for osteo, unfortunately.

 

If he hasn't been well taken care of until now, he probably does need to build up some muscle tone in his back end and may even be a bit arthritic. Definitely get some glucosamine. I suspect that the Costco joint supplements would be fine for a dog, but ask your vet about dosages. I use the ones from Springtime. They have good sales.

 

I rarely adopt any non-senior hounds, and would take a senior over a young'un any day! They are the best. He just needs some love and TLC, and to get his medical issues under control. Hoping the shoulder is just a strained muscle.

 

ETA - Oh, I see that he was a Dairyland runner! Most of ours are from there as well. Can I ask what group you're with? Just curious.

Edited August 31, 2010 by bigorangedog

[TheFullHouse]

My first thought was he's not used to walking a mile! If he's not had any exercise and you walk in 1/2 a mile each way, that's probably why his rear is shaking. He needs to build up his muscles slowly to be able to walk that far. I'd take it slow and easy on him for a while. Once he's had his dental and you make sure there are no other physical problems with him, start to work him up to a half a mile a little at a time. Also check his pads and make sure he doesn't have any corns or anything like that lurking.

[Guest GreyKatie]

Is he favoring one leg when walking or trotting? Occasionally he'll favor his right front leg, the one with the shoulder pain.

 

Can you tell whether the pain seems to be in the muscle or over the bone? I'd strongly suggest having the vet take an xray of this when he's under for the dental. That's my point of biggest concern on your list of questions. Perfect spot and perfect age for osteo, unfortunately.

 

If he hasn't been well taken care of until now, he probably does need to build up some muscle tone in his back end and may even be a bit arthritic. Definitely get some glucosamine. I suspect that the Costco joint supplements would be fine for a dog, but ask your vet about dosages. I use the ones from Springtime. They have good sales.

 

I rarely adopt any non-senior hounds, and would take a senior over a young'un any day! They are the best. He just needs some love and TLC, and to get his medical issues under control. Hoping the shoulder is just a strained muscle.

 

ETA - Oh, I see that he was a Dairyland runner! Most of ours are from there as well. Can I ask what group you're with? Just curious.

 

It seems more muscular...but frankly, I don't really know! It's about 3" behind his right shoulder, about 3" straight down from his spine. Not on his shoulder bone itself.

 

We are fostering Bond through Team Greyhound Adoption of Ohio. I have no idea which group originally pulled this guy; Team doesn't usually pull from Dairyland. The last Dairyland foster I had was Jack (WWW Kojak), and he had originally been pulled by a group in Michigan. Do you know of any way to find out Bond's history? Like, where he originally went when he retired? It would be interesting to know.

 

We just got back from a short walk. It's 91* here today and he didn't do very well. He was shaking .1 mile in. We very very slowly walked about a half mile. Some jerk blew his horn at us as Bond hobbled across the street (it was at a crosswalk, and we had a walk sign). My heart is just breaking for this guy...he just doesn't seem comfortable. I just want him to be happy and healthy and comfortable! I can't handle these old ones...I have four pets of my own (3 cats and a dog), and have yet to lose one. It's hard to see Bond decline...I just want to hug him and make it all better.

[Meandmy]

Older ones don't tend to do very well in the heat and humidity either. Any way walkies can be done in the morning?

 

We fostered (and have since adopted!) a 12.5 year old girl earlier this summer. When she first came to us she couldn't walk far at all, but now we are up to our standard walk of .5 miles (not far, but good enough for my guys) every morning and she's happy to do it. Walks are always first thing in the morning.

 

She also runs like crazy in the yard and has since she came to us, despite only being able to walk 1/4 mile when we started.

 

I don't think the fact that he's 10 is so much the issue as it is that he's out of shape and may have some pain in his shoulder. I would definitely get that checked out, then slowly work your way up on distance for walks. My other girl, who's almost 11, can easily walk for an hour as long as it's cool.

 

ETA: If he has arthritis, that may be some difficulty, too. Pretty Girl has some arthritis and it was pretty bad when she came to us. The regular walks and romps in the yard have helped tremendously, but I know she'll need more help in that department once the cold weather hits.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Meandmy

[Guest Energy11]

Yes, Seniors do ROCK!! I adopted two ... ages 13 and 11.5. Had Dasher, 13, for eight great months. Max, 11.5, about 1.5 years, and HE got to move out of Fla. with us!

 

I also have all seniors now. Curfew and Oakly, adopted at age 2, are now 8. Goldie, 9, Cari, 9, and Staggerlee, my senior, senior, 10. Staggerlee has slowed down quite a bit, but is healthy ... good bloodwork, weight, etc. He wants NOTHING to do with our walks on the property, but the boy has corns, and even with booties, you can tell he is uncomfortable.

 

To be honest, NONE of mine could or would walk a mile. Nope, nadda, ... they'd say ''' "What, are you crazy!" But, once it cools down for good, (*Please God)* We do talk walks through the woods, etc., maybe about 1/2 mile total?

 

Seniors are, like most people said, not too much different than the younger ones. Actually, my Goldie, almost 10, has more life now, than she did as a youger girl!

 

Good Luck!

 

 

[TheFullHouse]

That's a little warm for a walk. I'd do it either early in the morning or in the evening when it was cooler. It might be a good idea to not take him for walks until what ever is bothering him clears up. You may be making it worse by making him walk. He sounds to be really out of condition so I would take it really slow and maybe walk every other day or so.

[joejoesmom]

Katie,

 

This is Jane. I haven't been to meet and greets lately because of Joe's osteo. I hope to be able to make it to the September dinner. Please feel free to call me any time, 523-0754.

 

I would ask Wendy if you could get an x-ray of his shoulder when he gets his dental. If the dental won't be for a while, see if you can take him in soon for the xray. This is such a common place for bone cancer. If it is cancer, I don't know that Team Greyhound has enough money to do amputation. OSU might be able to do something for us though. In any case, if it is cancer, we need to get him on the appropriate pain killers. BTW, Rascal Unit got Joe in for x-rays within 24 hours and did the initial diagnosis of his osteo.

 

I would also ask the vet to look for corns and hull them if they see any. Ask the vet to cut back his nails while he is under for the dental. Wendy might have some supplements, be sure to ask her before you buy any. You can get glucosamine/chondroitin powder (intended for horses but it is the same stuff) at Tractor Supply for very little money. He may also need to get some anti-inflammatories. If Wendy doesn't have any, ask the vet if meloxicam would be appropriate. It is a human med that you can get at Kroger for $4 a month. You would also need to give famotidine (pepcid) with it. If necessary, tramadol is also $4 at Kroger.

 

As to the shaking in the rear end, it could just be too much exercise. It could also be LS (narrowing of the vertabrae, pinching on the nerves). If it is LS, the antiinflammatory and tramadol might be needed.

 

It is too hot this week to go for walks unless it is early am. As others have said, increase his activity very slowly.

 

Did Kojak find a home? Please call and let me know about his adopters. He was such a sweet boy for the short time he was with me.

 

Jane

 

edited because I can't spell

Edited August 31, 2010 by joejoesmom

[Guest bigorangedog]

Is he favoring one leg when walking or trotting? Occasionally he'll favor his right front leg, the one with the shoulder pain.

 

Can you tell whether the pain seems to be in the muscle or over the bone? I'd strongly suggest having the vet take an xray of this when he's under for the dental. That's my point of biggest concern on your list of questions. Perfect spot and perfect age for osteo, unfortunately.

 

If he hasn't been well taken care of until now, he probably does need to build up some muscle tone in his back end and may even be a bit arthritic. Definitely get some glucosamine. I suspect that the Costco joint supplements would be fine for a dog, but ask your vet about dosages. I use the ones from Springtime. They have good sales.

 

I rarely adopt any non-senior hounds, and would take a senior over a young'un any day! They are the best. He just needs some love and TLC, and to get his medical issues under control. Hoping the shoulder is just a strained muscle.

 

ETA - Oh, I see that he was a Dairyland runner! Most of ours are from there as well. Can I ask what group you're with? Just curious.

 

It seems more muscular...but frankly, I don't really know! It's about 3" behind his right shoulder, about 3" straight down from his spine. Not on his shoulder bone itself.

 

We are fostering Bond through Team Greyhound Adoption of Ohio. I have no idea which group originally pulled this guy; Team doesn't usually pull from Dairyland. The last Dairyland foster I had was Jack (WWW Kojak), and he had originally been pulled by a group in Michigan. Do you know of any way to find out Bond's history? Like, where he originally went when he retired? It would be interesting to know.

 

We just got back from a short walk. It's 91* here today and he didn't do very well. He was shaking .1 mile in. We very very slowly walked about a half mile. Some jerk blew his horn at us as Bond hobbled across the street (it was at a crosswalk, and we had a walk sign). My heart is just breaking for this guy...he just doesn't seem comfortable. I just want him to be happy and healthy and comfortable! I can't handle these old ones...I have four pets of my own (3 cats and a dog), and have yet to lose one. It's hard to see Bond decline...I just want to hug him and make it all better.

 

I agree that 91 degrees is too hot for a walk. My 3-yr-old doesn't even want to go out in the yard when it's that hot. My seniors, forget it! You might just want to skip walks altogether for him until you get his shoulder checked out, in case walks are aggravating it. I'm glad it doesn't seem to be in the bone, but you still definitely want to have a vet look at it as soon as you are able.

 

If he does turn out to have osteo (and I sure hope he doesn't!!) let me know and maybe I can help in some way. We've had 5 with osteo in the past yr and a half. But hopefully it's just a pulled muscle or mild dislocation or something. At any rate, I wouldn't push walks at this point.

 

Let him rest up, play when he feels up to it, get him on some good food and supplements, teeth done, and hopefully when he starts feeling better (and you know what's up with his shoulder), then you can work on building up his muscle tone and endurance.

 

Give him kisses for us!! If y'all were closer, I would've adopted him by now! ;-)

[kudzu]

Seniors are fantastic! Any healthy Grey, even a 10 yo should be able to handle a 1 mile walk. However, as others have mentioned, 90+ is very hot to be walking Greys unless they are accustomed & quite heat tolerant. Also, he may not have gotten much in the line of walks or other adequate exercise in his former home. That could add up to a significant amount of muscle loss & take some time to build back up. Others have given lots of good advice. If he checks out fine with the vet just walk him at the cooler parts of the day & slowly build him up. The exercise will do him good & unless there is something major like LS. Even with mild LS he will benefit from as much exercise as he can tolerate.

 

When I was adopting my 10 yo his foster mom had started him on walks & he loved to run in the yard for a little while each day. However, he also showed up with pain & lameness in his front right. Xrays were done fearing osteo. It was only some arthritis coupled with muscle strain. A little rest, short course of NSAIDs & long term supplements put him right though occasionally it would flare up is he did too much running. His walks were built up to 1 mile at a good pace or 2 miles at a leisurely, stop & sniff the flowers pace. Don't think he could ever have handled a mile in heat & humidity though.

 

My Luke was never built up to the condition I would have liked to see him, he managed to have a blast in an intro agility class at 11-12 yo. Seriously! The girls & I kept heading out the door to go to obedience & agility classes. The ol' guy actually started standing in front of the door like, "Hey, aren't you forgetting someone important?!" So after some consultation, I signed him up. Figured it would likely be just trotting around doling out cookies because he looked cute. Nope! He loved playing & earning his treats, though admittedly the pause table was his best piece of equipment. Everybody loved him & he practically dragged me across the parking lot each week to get in the building. He only did the baby sized equipment & we soon decided the dog walk was neither necessary nor extremely safe but he did everything else. We just never told him how silly he looked lined up behind the tiny dogs for the 8" jumps. He was the most enthusiastic dog in class. His arthritis finally made me pull him. Even at 12-13 yo he would go out for last potty call & go to the far end of the yard. When he was done he would blast across the yard. OK, he wasn't really running that fast but HE seemed to think so. He would charge up the ramp, through the front door, grab a toy off the living room floor, do a "victory lap" around the dining room table & then plop down on his bed. He went on long trips with us & several Greyhound gatherings including GIG & Mtn Hounds.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being there when this boy needed you. Hope & strongly suspect this is just muscle strain based on your description.

[silverfish]

My first observation was that you walked half a mile before turning around.... As others have said, they're sprinters, so, it's great that he's playful and vibrant in the yard. But I wouldn't expect them to walk even a total of half a mile, let alone an entire mile, without a great deal of conditioning. I would imagine the shaking was from muscle fatigue.

 

 

 

Yep, what she said. More especially with temperatures in the nineties.

 

We adopted a ten year old senior in poor condition, who we were pretty sure hadn't been walked much, if at all, and it took us at least 6 months to work him up to a mile without distress - we live in England, too, and the weather was not in the nineties. You will see trembling and extreme fatigue if you overdo it with the oldies. Their muscle tone is likely to be poorer, even in a fit hound, and they'll take longer to bounce back.

 

By the look of the video, he's a gorgeous, happy boy who will recover and be able to do the distance, but not for some time and not without careful conditioning. You might want to give him a few days to recuperate before you try to push him. With a dog of that age who hasn't been exercised properly, I'd be taking him for frequent, very short walks - ten to fifteen minutes at first - gradually building up to longer and longer as his condition improves. Watch for soreness the next day, and if there is any sign that he's stiff, keep the exercise to a minimum and give him a bit longer to get over it. He's obviously a game little guy (and in a lot better condition that Jack was when we took him on), and will push himself if you let him, but older muscles and ligaments are not as flexible as they were, and they're more prone to injury.

 

Good idea to get the sore area looked at, but there doesn't seem to be much point in x-raying the shoulder if the soreness is not over that joint/bone. Sounds more as if he may have pulled something when he was getting home, perhaps when he almost went down. Did he slip and twist? I know osteosarcoma does sometimes show up in the ribs, so by all means get the vet's opinion on that, but my bet would be on a pulled muscle in that area.

 

The 'bunny-hopping' is something that they often do when there's soreness in their back or spine, especially the lumbar region. Jack would 'bunny-hop' at thirteen/thirteen and a half quite a lot, because he'd lost quite a lot of flexibility in that area, and couldn't stretch those hind legs out independently of each other in quite the way he used to. By then, of course, he looked pretty stiff walking along, too. He developed a bit of a 'show pony' trot with his hind end - still game for a walk though!

 

I'm glad you've taken him. Seniors are just gorgeous dogs and so rewarding! Your Rainier looks as if he's having so much fun in your yard, and I'll bet he has some more 'blossoming' to do yet! So sweet! You might have to be sensible for him for a while though.

[Guest GreyKatie]

Hey everyone, thank you for all your kind words and advice. I had Bond at the vet today and we got some sad news. He has severe arthritis in his hips and knees. The shoulder pain concerned the vet and she tried to get some X-rays, but Bond was uncomfortable and wouldn't cooperate. She got one of the four views she wanted to see, and she said that that one looks OK, but that she needs to see the other three in order to be certain. She was so concerned that she moved up his dental from three weeks from now to next Friday. While he's under, she'll get his X-rays.

 

In the meantime, we are waiting til tomorrow for the results of his blood work. As long as his kidneys and liver appear to be functioning OK, we can start him on Novox to manage his pain. Because of the arthritis, if he does have osteosarcoma, amputation would not be an option, because his back legs are not strong enough.

 

The best news we could get is that his blood work is OK, he can start pain meds, and that the shoulder pain is just a strain. Please cross your fingers for this boy...he's had a really crappy life so far, and deserves a little bit of respite for the rest of his days.