Guest shelbud Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I have a 12.5 yr. old male hound that I suspect has Lar-Par. He has recently developed difficulty breathing. Has anyone had experience with treating a hound with Lar-Par? If yes, please provide some anecdotel experience. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbotaina Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 If you do a search for tie-back surgery, you should find a good deal of information. I can think of at least two dogs on this board who had LP, and I'm sure there's many more. Good luck with your pup! Quote Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi."Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 There's a great article on it in the current CG magazine! Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MP_the4pack Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 There are actually 2 articles on LP in the magazine. One from the owner's viewpoint of having an older dog with LP (the star of the article was Onyx who had the tieback surgery at age 11 and lived to 15.5) The other article is written by a vet and goes into medical detail. By the way, both authors are GT members. If you don't get the magazine, simply go to the Greyhound Project website and request one. Since it just came out they should have plenty left. I don't know individual sale value or if you need to do a yearly subscription. But if he does have LP, keep his exercise light, especially in the heat. They have trouble panting with LP. And panting is what cools their body. Also, no hard crunchy stuff like milkbones. With or without the tieback, there is still the possibility of aspirate pneumonia. And switch to a harness from a collar. A surgeon can tell you if your boy is a good surgical candidate for the tieback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 There have been a lot of threads on LP if you do a search. We had an LP hound, managed it ok w/o surgery. Had a very scary, nearly life-ending event....I think if we had it to do over again, I'd really want to try the tie-back surgery. I wonder if my CG subscription ran out...don't have the current issue everyone is referring to... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MyCody Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Cody had LP the last couple of years of his life of 13 years. We opted not to have surgery as he had other problems and we were afraid to add the stress of surgery. We kept him cool at all times , only let him out to do his business and he was fine. The key is to keep him cool and yes, no hard snacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alannamac Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 My 12 1/2 yr old grey, Bandit, has an advanced case of it. Couldn't be accurately diagnosed without light sedation and a look down his throat with a scope. Now we know for certain. His breathing has eased somewhat through dosing with steroids to reduce inflammation around the larynx, but really the surgery is the way to go for making them more comfortable. Unfortunately depending on where you live, the price can be steep (for me in tidewater VA the cost is 3,000....and that's if there's no complications...... money which I just don't have at the moment.....so I'm trying to make him as comfortable as possible) (He also is a poor candidate for surgery because of his lifetime tendency to vomit/spit it food and water which puts him in the really high risk of aspirate pneumonia category) My vet recommended extremely well airconditioned cool temps as he is not able to ventilate to cool himself off. Minimize excitement of any kind, and restrict activity. Anything which causes heavy breathing/panting is off limits. Also humidity makes it much harder for them to breathe so a dehumidifier is helpful for their comfort. Having meds on hand for calming them if they get in a breathing crisis is recommended.....something to calm them, in a liquid form (valium). Trying to give them a pill when they're gasping for air just is not likely to work. Apparently a crisis can happen even when they're just chilling out doing nothing, so it's good to be prepared and think out how you'll respond where you'll take them for emergency treatment etc. Hope that helps......and yes, it is recommended to switch to a harness, no more collars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 (edited) my late welsh terrier had it for a good 4 years. he passed at 14. airconditioning and keeping them out of the heat is the answer. it killed me not to take him on outings but it aggrevated the condition. welshies just run like mad being the terriers they are, a hoseing down and ac kept him going. i weighed the risks of surgery, complications w/ the tie back and he did fine. willie was diagnosed at 10 years of age. when i say run the ac, they need it cold-cold-cold. you might need a sweat shirt, but the dog will be fine. if you are taking your dog in the car, chill it first. and yes, i too switched to a harness. Edited July 20, 2011 by cleptogrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alannamac Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 (edited) Here's a link to a forum where I was asking about the tie back surgery... Many GTers had helpful comments..... http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/271678-laryngeal-paralysis-surgical-cost/page__p__4916439__hl__laryngeal__fromsearch__1#entry4916439 Also, if you can bear it, you can look up laryngeal paralysis on you tube for examples of coughing, breathing crisis, and videos of the larynx healthy, paralyzed, and post tie back surgery. In Bandit's case, there were indications before his full blown symptoms occurred, I just didn't recognize them or know about LP. He would make old man groaning noises when he'd rise, or lay down, or have his ears scratched....which I just thought was age related and kind of cute. Also, he'd pant heavily outside while walking in the middle of last winter which I thought was odd, but didn't worry about. But at the end of April he suddenly sounded like he had bronchitis and was coughing and wheezing. I guess that's when his larynx just gave out completely. Edited July 20, 2011 by alannamac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximum Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 We haven't had a scope to diagnose Max, but the vet "strongly suspects" LP. He is 13 and has been quite raspy and panty since last summer. We started him on Apo-Theo once summer started this year, and it seems to help. He pants all the time, even with the air set to 71 degrees and fans blowing on him all the time! But he seems comfortable and happy. Walks are limited to only early morning and later evenings, and we too switched to a harness. He still likes to do his morning yoga and his post dinner-dancing in the evenings. When he is out in the yard, he still playbows and does little spinnies, just for fun. He has been taking metacam for his hips but we are weaning him up since we started him on cartrophen and will add prednisone to the mix, if he gets worse...we have chosen to not pursue surgery in part because he has always had trouble choking on food, which be a problem with aspiration pneumonia. He also has hind-end weakness, which is actually our bigger concern these days (I seem to recall a thread here on GT, that there is a correlation between LP and hind-end weakness - if anyone else recalls this, I would love to hear about it!) Good luck with your pup; it's a bit of a tough thing for your dog to live with but manageable I think with precautions and common sense. Quote My boys, together again... A hui hou kakou, my loves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packmom Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I did the tie back for Shilo at age 12 while he was undergoing chemo for lymphoma. He did great and had no complications even though they had trouble getting the sutures to stay during the surgery. He was much more comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shelbud Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Thanks to everyone who replied. Gustav is scheduled to be seen at the University of California at Davis vet clinic for an initial diagnostic exam on Aug. 2 and if surgery is warranted it will take place the next day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MnMDogs Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Thanks to everyone who replied. Gustav is scheduled to be seen at the University of California at Davis vet clinic for an initial diagnostic exam on Aug. 2 and if surgery is warranted it will take place the next day. I also posted in response to your comment in the corn thread But best of luck with Gustav...where are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhoundlov Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Please keep us posted! Hugs to you both. Quote Mary in Houston Everyone has a photographic memory, but not everyone has film. LAND OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytfulhounds Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 My 13 year old hound, Hunter, had the tie-back surgery done back in November (he was 12 yrs old then). It has been the best thing I have ever done for him! He struggled with his breathing & we had a couple of very scary episodes where I almost made the decision to help him to the Bridge. Thankfully, through the help of folks here & on the LP list, I took him to a surgeon & went ahead with the surgery. Hunter was initially "diagnosed" by my vet & the surgeon who both felt strongly he had LP from their office exams. However, he was officially diagnosed just before the tie-back. The surgeon sedated him, did the scope & when it was confirmed, kept him sedated & did the tie-back while he was still under from the scope. My mom's hound (12 years old) just had the tie-back surgery done in May. She is doing amazing!! Looks better than she has in a long time! If I can be of any help to you & your hound, please feel free to message me.....I can even give you my phone number if you want to chat in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytfulhounds Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 We haven't had a scope to diagnose Max, but the vet "strongly suspects" LP. He is 13 and has been quite raspy and panty since last summer. We started him on Apo-Theo once summer started this year, and it seems to help. He pants all the time, even with the air set to 71 degrees and fans blowing on him all the time! But he seems comfortable and happy. Walks are limited to only early morning and later evenings, and we too switched to a harness. He still likes to do his morning yoga and his post dinner-dancing in the evenings. When he is out in the yard, he still playbows and does little spinnies, just for fun. He has been taking metacam for his hips but we are weaning him up since we started him on cartrophen and will add prednisone to the mix, if he gets worse...we have chosen to not pursue surgery in part because he has always had trouble choking on food, which be a problem with aspiration pneumonia. He also has hind-end weakness, which is actually our bigger concern these days (I seem to recall a thread here on GT, that there is a correlation between LP and hind-end weakness - if anyone else recalls this, I would love to hear about it!) Good luck with your pup; it's a bit of a tough thing for your dog to live with but manageable I think with precautions and common sense. My Hunter & my mom's hound, Ripple, both had hind-end weakness prior to their LP surgery & what a difference now!! I think the lack of oxygen when they are struggling with the breathing has something to do with the hind-end weakness. That was one of the first things I noticed once they got through recovery was how the strength returned to the hind-end. Also, you were saying that your hound has always choked on food.....LP is not something that just happens, it comes on gradually over time. In hindsight, with Hunter, I can see signs going back years & one was he choked on food, panted easily, had low energy, etc. Here's a link to a forum where I was asking about the tie back surgery... Many GTers had helpful comments..... http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/271678-laryngeal-paralysis-surgical-cost/page__p__4916439__hl__laryngeal__fromsearch__1#entry4916439 Also, if you can bear it, you can look up laryngeal paralysis on you tube for examples of coughing, breathing crisis, and videos of the larynx healthy, paralyzed, and post tie back surgery. In Bandit's case, there were indications before his full blown symptoms occurred, I just didn't recognize them or know about LP. He would make old man groaning noises when he'd rise, or lay down, or have his ears scratched....which I just thought was age related and kind of cute. Also, he'd pant heavily outside while walking in the middle of last winter which I thought was odd, but didn't worry about. But at the end of April he suddenly sounded like he had bronchitis and was coughing and wheezing. I guess that's when his larynx just gave out completely. Wow, very interesting to read the info on the old man groaning. My Hunter used to do that all the time too!! He would groan when laying down & especially when I rubbed his ears. I always thought it was cute! I never realized it had to do with the LP too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NickelCreeksMom Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 What do the groaning sounds have to do with LP? I've thought that Vito might have LP and after reading the article in CG I'm convinced even more Since he's due for a teeth cleaning I'll request that he get scoped then to confirm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shelbud Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 It turns out that Gustav does not have LP. Rather, the left side of the diaphragm is weak, somewhat paralyzed, which could account for the heavy panting. UC Davis did a VERY complete work up. Thanks to everyone that replied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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