Chase Needs Prayers

[3greys2cats]

Sending more prayers for Chase, glad to hear her appetite is returning. It is true though that once you cook for them and give special treats, they expect it and there is no going back to "just kibble" !

[Guest LindsaySF]

Chase is doing pretty well. Thank you everyone for the good thoughts. She's still being picky about what she'll eat, but she is eating more now than before. And on days when I leave the house, I come home to find that she has eaten some of what's in her bowl. I guess when I'm not around she "gives in" and eats! When I'm here she looks at me and waits for something better.

 

I have had some success with Bil-Jac kibble, several different brands of canned food, and the old standby McDonald's chicken nuggets! She also likes certain types of hard biscuits. I feel badly because her teeth aren't in great shape, but she wants the biscuits, so I give them to her!

 

 

I weighed her tonight and she was the highest weight she's been so far, 48.5 lbs. My scale is pretty wonky, so I don't know if that is accurate, but she sure FEELS heavier! (I carry her down the stairs).

 

 

 

 

Extra special thanks go to:

 

Burpdog - For sending Chase some Prairie kibble and cans of EVO, as well as Springtime Fresh Factors and Joint supplements! (She refuses to eat the kibble, but she has eaten the EVO and I'm able to get the supplements into her by breaking them into fourths and sticking them in her cheek).

 

MZH - For sending some Friendly Flora prebiotic powder.

 

Greybookert - For the jammies she donated to Chase when I first got her.

 

Shawn - For the pajamas she donated. (She has my foster Duke right now on a trial visit with intent to adopt. Her female passed away recently from osteo and she donated a pair of her pajamas to Chase. See pic below).

 

 

Greyhound people are the BEST!

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Batmom]

Baby girl :wub: .

 

Thanks for all you do, Lindsay.

[queenwinniesmom]

Oh, look how beautiful she looks!

Lindsay, you're an angel for taking such good care of her.

[Guest krystolla]

Way to go, Chase! Keep eating, silly girl.

 

Have you tried something like a vitamin B shot to spur her appetite? When one of my kitties decided that eating wasn't interesting anymore (never did figure out what was up with him) the vitamin shot reminded him how much fun food was. Of course, YMMV, but it worked for me.

[Guest OurLacyandJax]

Oh she looks so adorable. Once again, our sincere and loving gratitude to you Lindsay. What a great job!

 

About food. Our dogs - they are both fairly picky eaters, and Lacy is a diva - love their kibble with some cooked rice, and a few drops of clarified butter. Clean up their bowls almost every time.

 

Clarified butter is basically 100% fat - and so is fattening. You can get this especially in Indian stores (called ghee), and is essentially pure butter, just concentrated. Obviously too much of it is bad, but a few drops a day shouldn't hurt them - compared to the stuff sometimes they throw in the kibble. Just a suggestion.

[Remolacha]

So glad to hear she is eating better! She looks so cute in her jammies I am too lazy to go back and read the whole thread , but have you tried the nutritional yeast? That seems to have sparked the appetite of several picky eaters!

[Guest LindsaySF]

We haven't tried a vitamin B shot or nutritional yeast. I'll ask the vet about the shot. Where can I get the yeast?

 

I started supplementing with Pedialyte via syringe. Thanks for that reminder Sherry. When Chase was eating kibble reliably I added a lot of water to her meals, but she won't touch it that way anymore.

 

Tonight's weight was 49.5 lbs. What should a 13.5 year-old Greyhound weigh? (In relation to their racing weight). I'm trying to determine what is a healthy weight for her, or what our goal is. I have been trying to get her at least to her racing weight (55 lbs). Is that unrealistic? Or does it depend on the dog?

 

I'm also wondering when the risks of anesthesia outweigh the risks of bad teeth. I was planning to get her dental as soon as she was a good weight, but lately a few people have told me they wouldn't risk it at her age. Chase has 1-2 front incisors that might need to come out, but the rest of her teeth are in surprisingly good shape (lots of tartar, but very little gum erosion). Any thoughts on this?

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Remolacha]

Any health food store should have the nutritional yeast, or I am sure you can get it online (is there anything you can't get online ) I would hesitate to do the dental both because of her age and her overall health, but maybe when she gets stronger you could re-think it.

[AEB]

Yes, the yeast you can find at the health food store. Get the flake type. Ask the people there which tastes best. And remember that it contains a TON of B vitamins and can make you flush with just a couple tablespoons. So you might want to run it by the vet, especially if also using the shot. Maybe a tablespoon a day is ok for her?? (I am just guessing). Maybe there are guidelines online.

 

 

As for weight, I would keep going and working toward racing weight. But I think it is normal for a 13.5 year old to be underweight somewhat, especially after what she's been through. Sadie was 60lbs racing weight. She looked good a few pounds over that in her adult life. She looked pudgy at 66lbs. She was not at that weight long (she self-regulated). When her kidney disease started to get the better of her and she dropped to 55 she looked like very a thin dog off the track. When she got to 50 she looked like a skeleton (She was big for a girl). She lost all her fat, then all her muscle. (She probably had cancer somewhere in her digestive system as well plus a neurological disorder). I think it depends on the dog and the muscle mass. It is less about weight and more about how the dog looks. How much are the ribs protruding and the spine? The hip bones and shoulder bones? Is she gaining muscle or just fat? How is she feeling? You don't want her pudgy and putting stress on her joints, but if she still looks drawn and you can put good weight on her go for it!

 

I would not do a dental. The risks are just too high in my opinion. We skipped them for Sadie's last few years (she passed at 13+ years). There are people that travel around and scale teeth. I scaled Sadie's myself. That plus enzyme toothpaste and rinses helped a lot. Were they perfect, no. But they were much improved. And now I am finding other products to help too (supplements and sprays).

 

Good luck and thank you for helping Chase!!

[Batmom]

Dental vs. no dental depends on how bad the teeth are. If they and gums are especially nasty, you don't want the dog to die of an infection ...... If they're in pretty good shape and holding steady, wouldn't bother.

[Ullaluv]

I've had great luck with Kayla, whom I adopted last year at age 11 with horrendous teeth, by putting on Clindamycin and using Petzlife. Used the spray initially, until she was able to tolerate brushing with the gel. We pulse the Clindamycin occasionally when I get behind on her daily maintenance, and have been able to forgo the dental which she would have otherwise had to have to protect her from the really bad health consequences of her chronic gum disease.

 

Incidentally, she is a lovely girl.

[Guest Honeysmom]

My opinion is to have her teeth scaled awake by someone who knows how to do a hygiene on teeth...can be a dog hygienist or human hygienist or dentist or layperson who knows how to scale.

[Burpdog]

I haven't read the whole thread...

 

Food: fried hamburgers, chicken roasted, turkey roast (if that doesn't work, fry in butter), chicken and/or hamburgers in shake & bake in the oven, liver, kidney, beef heart, dehyrated meat, beef hot dogs. Many times I have to prime Tony with dog biscuits.

 

Re the teeth: she has to be good weight and healthy for a dental. Depends on the vet. My vet has done Magic at 15 1/2 and Princess at 13 1/2 with no problems.

[EllenEveBaz]

It's funny that Diane Burpdog posted right before me with her goody list, since I was planning to say that Diane converted me years ago to her philosophy of letting an elderly dog with a poor appetite eat whatever it will eat, within reason. And reason can get pushed beyond anything you or the dog previously dreamed of.

 

I think smelly food helps stimulate the appetite. But if you're concerned about salt, my standard appetizers of canned tuna or deli meat are high in sodium. As are hot dogs.

 

Just brainstorming -- could you cautiously experiment with feeding her something a little salty to see if it stimulated her drinking?

 

Weight -- my Eve flirted with pudginess as hard as she could for most of her adult life. After reaching 11-12, she dropped a few pounds to just under her racing weight and kept it there. Probably lost muscle mass in her back legs. She looked pretty good.

 

Dental -- maybe talk with other folks who actually know her, including a vet who has seen her a time or two, and look at her holistically -- weighing the pro's and con's?

 

Smooches to the gorgeous girl.

[Guest Swifthounds]

Re: teeth/dental. Have you tried brushing them to see how much can be removed by routine care? At 13.5 yrs. anesthesia is more of a risk than to a young dog, but at 13.5 anything can be fatal. If the teeth are more than just tartar and plaque issues and she has loosening, gingivitis, or dead teeth, that can be very painful left untreated and all the while is dumping bacteria into her organs. I say this having put a 13 year old under anesthesia after chest x-rays, an abdominal ultrasound, and bloodwork showed him to be in remarkable health. His was a toe amp, which is a longer procedure than a dental (about 90+ minutes under as opposed to 20-30 for a dental) and he recovered just fine. You could probably get an accurate picture of her health with just bloodwork and good x-rays. I did the ultrasound to rule out the toe growth being cancer secondary to a primary site elsewhere (in which case I would not have done the surgery).

[Guest dwolfe711]

I just don't get it - how could anyone let a grey (or any dog or any animal!!) get to that state of condition?!! The older returns are so sweet and loving and come into a strange home after years in another and give love and thrive and enjoy the rest of their lives - and they give us so much joy. But to think of an old sweet girl or boy in this condition near the end of their lives is just beyond my comprehension! It sickens me -

 

Thank you for taking her and helping her and I pray she finds a loving home when she is well enough to move on with her life - she deserves it -

[ozgirl2]

So how is Chase doing now? Need a new update!!

[4greyhounds]

We are happy to hear the good News!!!!! Chase keep eating Girl.... Again Thanks to Lindsay for being such a Angel.

As far as her teeth that would be a concern to me.... Maybe can you start to brush her teeth daily and see if you can get some of the tartar off.... But I have no experience with the older greys . I am sure you will get better suggestions from others...Mine are getting there they are 6 and 7 soon.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Sorry for the delay in updates! I've been crazy busy lately. I have another new emergency foster, Charlie. Thread here: Charlie Needs A Home. And yesterday I picked up 2 Greys on a GUR from FL (thanks MP_the4pack and Giraffe for helping!! ) Dahlia and Gill are with me temporarily. They go to their foster homes this weekend hopefully.

 

Chase is doing pretty well. She has "on" days (where she's perky and happy, eats everything) and "off" days (where she sleeps all day, won't eat, gets dehydrated, seems confused). I'm sure it's part of being a senior, but I also worry that her teeth are causing a problem.

 

I have gotten different advice from different people regarding her teeth. Some people say no way would they put a dog her age under (she'll be 14 in May), others say it's irresponsible not to. I was able to scale her teeth and get some of the tartar off. (I'll post pics later, ewww, what a difference). Most of her teeth are actually in good shape, but a few incisors feel loose to me, and one, possibly two, of the molars looks like its root is exposed (I can see that now that I've scaled them) so she'll be getting a dental cleaning. Her bloodwork is good and the vet told me it's safe to do it, so we're going to do it. She needs it. I scheduled it for Tuesday but I'm waiting for the vet to call me back with the go ahead.

 

 

 

The other day Chase did a little playbow when I got home and then she jumped on me! She saw Cody do it and she copied him. It's the most excited I've seen her. I almost cried. I also took some pics on one of our walks last week. She was leading the pack, pulling me along. I walked her with the small guys and gentle Sophie, so she wouldn't get bumped into or knocked over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

 

[Batmom]

 

Thanks for the update, Lindsay.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Here are some pics to show the before and after tooth scaling. CAUTION: Gross!

 

 

 

 

Before scaling. (Brushing did nothing).

 

Here you can see where I stopped scaling. (The black stuff on the tooth near my finger). I plan to go back to it, but Chase had had enough.

 

 

 

The black stuff is the tartar I didn't get off yet. You can see this back molar has severe gum erosion. They will probably take this tooth out at her dental cleaning next week.

 

 

 

 

 

And here is some of the tartar that came off. I've never seen it this thick. Yuck.

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest LindsaySF]

Chase is still looking for a home if anyone is interested. I contacted the people that had planned to adopt her, since I hadn't heard from them in a while, and told them there was some other adoption interest in Chase. They said if someone else wants to adopt her that's fine with them, they will be the back-up plan. They had initially agreed to take her before we actually saw her and her emaciated condition. In thinking about it further, they have a very busy business right now and it might not be the best time to add a new dog to the family.

 

So about Chase.... She's fine with dogs, small dogs, and cats. She can do the 4 stairs off my deck, but more than 4 and she needs to be carried. She has gone up the stairs into the bedrooms before, but not every night, and she needs to be carried down those stairs.

 

In the beginning she had to potty every 2-3 hours, and she had many accidents, but she is over that now that she's gained some weight back. She can go all night (usually), and if she gets up and wanders, or whines, she needs to go out. If she starts panting it means she has to poop (learned that one the hard way, more than once!) One concerning thing is that she doesn't like to come inside. (This would be a problem for a home with a doggy door, for example). She gets caught up in smelling stuff and exploring the yard, or she has some dementia going on and she gets "lost". I usually have to go outside and retrieve her, and sometimes she'll be shivering or wet from the rain/snow.

 

She will pace and pace until she gets the bed she wants, she's stubborn. She hasn't gone on the couch since the first week, even though she has the opportunity. There is one bed she prefers and she'll pace until it's free. But she'll allow another dog to share with her if she's on a bed first. Many times she and Sophie are sharing a bed (everyone else in this house has space aggression!) She will snarl/snap if you wake her up from a deep sleep, or tug on her collar at all.

 

She loooooves walks. She gets really excited to see the leash, and she trots happily on a walk. She loves to smell stuff. Her nose is always to the ground (even in the yard, she's checking allll the pee mail). She likes to meet other dogs too, though she goes right for their privates! I think she is going deaf, and her eyesight is not great, so maybe that's part of why she is so scent-focused. She can sense footsteps/vibrations though, or she'll see me out of the corner of her eye before she hears me coming.

 

I want the best of the best for this girl. She deserves it after all she's been through. She is welcome to stay here as long as it takes.

~Lindsay~

[Cully]

Good luck finding the prefect home for her. I wish I had the time to take her. No stairs at my house. Lots of beds to chose from and 2 other senior females. :bighug

[Guest davidsl88]

Chase seems a lovely pup and you're working wonders for her. Thanks for all the updates, I've been following as closely as my own muddled mind allows... I just want to agree with the poster who suggested salt as a means to get her to drink. Some specialists even suggest a tsp. of salt in the water bowl in order to stimulate thirst/drinking. I also agree with the folks who have suggested probiotics - it's been my experience with my sick pups being treated with A/B's that probiotic powder is very effective in healing sour stomach. I sprinkle it over the kibble and top off with whatever (yummy) treat he likes at the moment. It's worked so well that whenever medication is required, I get the powder at the same time. Adding to the list of foods that may get Chase's attention - boiled chicken livers, cut up and sprinkled on top of kibble (with leftover broth) always get my picky senior doggies to the bowl. I use ricotta cheese to get pills into them - it's magic! But they also love it as a topping in their kibble.

 

Your dedication and hard work is clear as Chase continues to improve so beautifully. Good luck to you both.