Tell Me About Senior Greys

[greyhead]

What a cutie, he's adorable! All fingers and paws crossed for him here!

[Guest bigorangedog]

Really really hoping he does not have osteo. Please keep us posted. Since he does have arthritis, definitely get him on some glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. (I don't want to put her up to it, but I bet that Claudia at Greyhound Gang would give you a deal on them since he is an adoptable hound.... Tell her I said so. )

 

If he has osteo, please let me know. If you don't have anyone local willing to take him permanently, we would adopt him. I am very well set up to care for a terminal cancer hound here. All ramps and carpet, and I even have the metronomic protocol drugs on hand.

 

Sending all our best wishes for Bond!!

[Guest BrianWitt]

Katie - I'm the one that contacted you on Global Greyhounds with the potential leads on finding more information about Bond. It dawned on me after I gave you the two numbers for that last Sullivan that his name is Joseph. That may be a different Joseph Sullivan than the Leo Sullivan's father, since he's in Texas and not Iowa. I'm not sure about that. Can't hurt to ask though. Good luck finding out more about him. He sure is a handsome fellow. In addition to Glucosamine and chondrotin products, MSM is also said to help dogs with arthritis. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned that, but those are the big three supplements for dog arthritis. MSM You might have to scroll up to read about the benefits of MSM. It helps lessen swelling and inflammation, which helps lessen or even eliminate the pain in less severe cases. MSM also helps with many other things as an added bonus.

 

If you have a feed store around you, they may sell Diamond brand dog foods that contain the glocosamine and chondrotin. Perhaps someone on here could tell you if that would be enough for a dog with arthritis or if he needs the larger quantity he might get with a supplement. They make some with lamb and rice as I believe you said you are currently feeding. If it would be enough it might be cheaper than buying the supplements at about $28-$30 for $40 pounds. As for the MSM, if you decide to give him that, the powder for is easiest for him to absorb and cost no more than the pill form.

Edited September 3, 2010 by BrianWitt

[silverfish]

I'm still betting on the soreness being caused by a pulled muscle, especially with the news about arthritis in his back legs. It makes them walk oddly to compensate and pulling a muscle with unaccustomed exercise is so easy in the older hounds. Fingers crossed on that one! Arthritis is bad news in terms of pain, but it can be managed - it was Jack's problem, bless him, but he remained a happy, active dog until his last few days.

 

 

In addition to Glucosamine and chondrotin products, MSM is also said to help dogs with arthritis. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned that, but those are the big three supplements for dog arthritis. MSM You might have to scroll up to read about the benefits of MSM. It helps lessen swelling and inflammation, which helps lessen or even eliminate the pain in less severe cases. MSM also helps with many other things as an added bonus.

 

If you have a feed store around you, they may sell Diamond brand dog foods that contain the glocosamine and chondrotin. Perhaps someone on here could tell you if that would be enough for a dog with arthritis or if he needs the larger quantity he might get with a supplement. They make some with lamb and rice as I believe you said you are currently feeding. If it would be enough it might be cheaper than buying the supplements at about $28-$30 for $40 pounds. As for the MSM, if you decide to give him that, the powder for is easiest for him to absorb and cost no more than the pill form.

 

I strongly agree with getting him on supplements, but I can tell you that the food is unlikely to contain enough glucosamine and chondroitin - although I'm not in the US and I don't know the quantities it does contain. The treats and foods you can buy here contain nowhere near enough for a dog who already has problems. They're best used for dogs who are middle aged for prophylaxis.

 

We had Jack on Cosequin DS, which contains 500mg glucosamine HCL, 400mg sodium chondroitin sulphate, and 6.4mg manganese sulphate per capsule - he needed a loading dose of three a day, and maintenance on two daily. I chose NOT to add MSM into the mix - we did try it but it can really do a number on their stomachs and Jack already had to be on acid reducers so that he could tolerate the Metacam which he badly needed.

 

Even before he went onto Metacam the MSM would sometimes make him vomit. He did have trouble with his stomach though - he couldn't tolerate Plaque-Off either, but pulling a slimy rabbit carcase out of a ditch didn't upset him a bit.

 

Edited for clarity.

Edited September 3, 2010 by silverfish

[DesiRayMom]

I agree, even premium dog food that touts itself as "arthritis formula" doesn't have enough glucosamine,condroitin,MSM, in it to do any good. Unless maybe they're started on it as youngsters & eat it their entire life.

 

Hope all goes well for his dental & xrays. We're pulling for him. Keep us posted.

[Guest Swifthounds]

First, he's a handsome fellow.

 

I have three seniors here, the youngest of which is 10. Two of them I've raised from young dogs and one I adopted as a senior. I've raised 4 greyhounds into their old age and arthritis with supplements and haven't yet needed to put one on constant NSAIDs.

 

If you don't already give fish oil, I would start that. It's inexpensive and easy to give. I would start with a standard dose of 300 mg DHA/EPA (that is on the back of the label, not the mgs listed on the front - front is the mgs of oil itself) per 30 lbs. I usually get pills with around 300 in each and start with one pill and work up to two, etc. If that's well tolerated, work up to the theraputic dose of 300mgs per 10 lbs. It's good for skin and coat, organ function, and joints and is generally anti inflammatory. You should being to see results in around 2 weeks.

 

You can also give glucosamine, S.O.D., Boswellia, cchondroitin, and MSM. Those usually take a bit longer to show results, but would be worth a try if you might be fostering more than a few weeks.

 

 

I give only human grade supplements. You'll find amlsot no supplements made for dogs that don't contain contaminants like heavy metals. The rest (like cosequin or dasequin) are just way overpriced for what you get.

Edited September 3, 2010 by Swifthounds

[Guest BrianWitt]

Katie - I meant to mention this earlier. If you have no luck finding the original owner to find out his history after he left Dairyland, it might be possible to work your way back. I would assume the adoption group you voluteer for would have gotten contact info from the previous adoption family that gave him up for a new home that could give him for attention due to their new baby. That family could tell you where they adopted him, and if they weren't the original adoption home the place they adopted him from may have a record of where they got him from. Maybe records like that aren't kept, but if you run into a dead end finding the original owners or their son it might be another way to go about finding out a little post track history on him.

[Guest bigorangedog]

Wondering whether there are any updates? Wishing the best for this pup.

[HJsM]

Having read through everything, I won't disagree with the "severe arthritis" diagnosis since I am not a vet nor do I play one on TV, BUT...like many have said, I wonder if he is more gimpy for compensating the strained shoulder. And like almost everyone else has said, if they are out of shape to begin with and you exercise them harder than they are used to, just like a person would, they will be achy and sore from use of muscles that haven't been used. So, (again, same thing "what she said"..) go slow with the walkies, and don't let him bust too much of a gut in the yard until he is in better shape but I know you won't anyway due to letting the muscle sprain heal.

 

All this is to say that I have a 10 and a 13 year old and I am a firm believer in exercise being VERY important to fight ANY kind of "arthritis" that might exist. Keeping them moving is keeping the joints lubricated, but all things in moderation. A little everyday, but not so much that they limp home.

 

Also, keep the WEIGHT under control. Be sure you can sort of see the last three ribs and don't let them get piggy. This is too much strain. It's kind of a balancing act, however, because at that age, if they got sick, you would want them to have something to draw on since they can lose weight quickly in those situations. Just keep an eye out and I think we generally know when too much weight is on a grey (sometimes people PRETEND they don't ).

 

Be careful with the NSAIDS or pain meds. The thing is he can get to feeling SO good that he overdoes it again. I think they are ok for SHORT TERM relief, but after that, try some natural modalities like the Fish Oil caps suggested, the MSM, the Chondroiton (Greyhound Gang has ALL these products at very reasonable prices) and Vitamin C to tolerance (speaking of, Greyhound Gang has a VERY NICE booklet about Senior Hound care that I recommend you buy. It's inexpensive and full of great tips).

 

Finally, accupuncture and chiropractic are wonderful for seniors. Many of the vets trained in accupuncture also know Chinese herbal medicine and have some good ideas for pain and comfort remedies that are easier on the system.

 

Really, my boys take Fish Oil caps and that's about it right now. They've held up good. The really elder one I will be starting him on the Chondroitin/MSM, but have held off because he is not bowel tolerant to a lot of things. I think it may be time, however, since I see a tiny bit of stiffness in getting up and down.

 

yeah, seniors are great. I had one "store bought" that I adopted at age 8 and lived to 14 and the 13 year old I have now I "grew into senior" from a 4 year old. The 10 year old came to me at 5 and I think he's going to be around a while longer, too. They are the best pets I have ever had.

[Guest GreyKatie]

Hey everyone! So I have an amazing update. We brought Bond home on a Sunday. That Thursday he had his vet work done (in which they discovered his arthritis). We started him on Novox the next day, since his bloodwork came back perfect. On Friday night, we got a call from potential adopters!!! They had seen his video and they fell in love. They lost a senior grey not too long ago, and wanted to adopt another senior. So that Sunday (the 5th), Bond hopped on a transport and headed north. His family fell in love with him instantly and have already finalized the adoption (they had 30 days in which to do finalize, and they did it in 6). They adore him. He had his dental and X-rays this past Tuesday (the wife works at a vet hospital...perfect!) and all is well. No osteo, just a strained shoulder. Phew!

 

So, Bond is happy, healthy, and adored, and will be for the rest of his days. His parents have a human daughter who adopted another of my former fosters on the same day (Soy Franco, aka Frank).

 

Thank you so much to everyone for all the advice and kind words. It helped us so much, and I am so glad Bond is having a happy ending.

 

On the other hand, one of my other fosters, mentioned above by Jane, came back two nights ago (through no fault of his own...his human father suffered a serious concussion that left him unable to work or drive and with no short term memory...he's not in a place to be caring for a dog right now). I'm thinking that it might finally be time to foster fail. Jack (WWW Kojak) is my buddy, and I just love him dearly. He has the most unusual markings, and he could not be sweeter. He's closing in on 6, so he's not quite a senior, but he's not one of the young bucks I'm used to!

[Guest boondog]

Thank goodness Bond doesn't have osteo!! I was worried about him. I don't blame you for thinking about keeping Jack. He's a real sweetie.

[Guest bigorangedog]

Great, fantastic update! I am soooo happy for Bond!

[duncan41]

:yay Hooray for happy endings! Don't you just love it when a series of events come together perfectly? The good news is that Bond doesn't have osteo and the good news is that he's in his forever and the better news is that Katie will be failing fostering! Bless you and welcome to Greytalk! Hope to hear more success stories from you very soon!

[Guest GreyKatie]

Sorry, one more update. I just got an e-mail from Bond's mom that says he had four molars extracted. The gums were eroded and the roots were exposed. This is why he just swallowed his food instead of chewing it...he was in horrible pain! She said he was excited to come home and is even happier than he was before, which we didn't think was possible! I'm trying to remember to be happy that he's healthy and loved now, but I can't help but think of the family who had him before. They ignored his health for so long, and then dumped him. Happy thoughts, Katie. Happy thoughts.

 

His new family has him on fish oil, glucosamine, and MSM, and they're feeding him super premium food. This made me happy too.

[sweetdogs]

Whew, I was holding my breath there reading this thread. So happy it's turned out so well for Bond! And congrats on Jack - he is gorgeous!