Osteo Thread

[duncan41]

Thanks, Kathy. I will re-read your advice tomorrow and then plow through everything over the weekend.

 

Hugs to Sam.

[Guest CFPWonder]

Hello....I'm new to this thread. I'm the one Krissn mentioned earlier this month. We found out our Fine Point has osteo on December 3. We were devastated, but with the support of friends like Krissn, we're getting through this. Thanks to her, we checked into the pamidronate injection and she had her first one yesterday. We hope this helps her pain, in addition to Rimadyl and Tramadol that she's on. This is very scary to us. She is our first greyhound and it breaks our hearts to know our sweet little princess has this awful disease.

 

Glad to hear Pinky is doing so well! She is such a sweetie - I saw her at our QCGA Christmas Party a couple weeks ago. She looked greyt!

 

We have another 3 year old greyhound who is now having intestinal problems and we're trying to get to the bottom of that. Both of our babies are hurting and we feel so helpless!

[TwiggysMom]

Abby, Anna, Thalion, and Fine Point - so many new "members" of our unfortunate club. I am so sorry.

 

To all the families, this thread is an excellent source of information and support. It has been and continues to be a tremendous help to me.

[Charlies_Dad]

Far too many pups have joined of late, I'm sorry that you are going through this. Someday perhaps we will be able to close membership to this group.

 

Charlie would like to wish all of you and your pups a Happy Holidays.

[Guest GrayMatter]

 

I'm so sorry. You may want to see if your vet can refer you to an advance veterinary medicine/oncology center if you have one nearby. For us, they were better equipped than our regular vet to discuss with us our full range of options.

 

You may also want to see about upping her pain meds and/or getting additional ones. Gabapentin and amantadine, along with the Tramadol and rimadyl have been a good combination for Gabe. He's also benefitted HUGELY from radiation treatments.

 

OSU will provide your vet with free chemotherapy drugs if you choose to take that route.

 

What are the side effects of the Chemo drugs? Will OSU provide free chemo drugs even if you don't live in Ohio? I live in Colorado. Does Chemo work (prolong life) even if you don't go through with amputation. I've recently purchased a bunch of homeopathic things to help out Abby (Arteminisin, Immune Booster, Fish Oil). I'm switching her over to a more protein based diet. Trying to avoid grains/sugars that the cancer feeds off of.

 

 

 

I am so sorry. If you would like to come to OSU (not sure where you are located) for a consult or amputation, there is a group of local greyhound owners who can offer support. One of us should be able to put you up in our house, so you won't have the expense of a hotel. I can come with you to the consult or surgery. Just let me know if we can help. I don't know if you can private message yet, so here is my email:

 

finewhipador-drool@yahoo.com

 

Jane

 

How much does an amputation from OSU cost? Is it typically a safe procedure?

[Guest GrayMatter]

 

I'm so sorry. I remember getting almost the exact same email and I know how awful it feels.

 

The "good" news is that even if you choose palliative care, with some of the newer treatment options, many pups are getting a lot more quality time after their diagnosis. There is a lot of good information and links to informative websites in the first post of this thread if you need help researching your options, and of course we're here if you need us. Hang in there.

 

What exactly does palliative care mean/entail? Is it basically trying to slow down the progression of the cancer? I leaning towards this option. Abby hates the vet and I'd rather not drag her around to different vets. I'm trying to concentrate my efforts on easing her pain (meds), improving her quality of life (spoiling her with lots of love, attention, treats and toys) and slowing down the tumor growth (protein diet, homeopathic meds). We have three rules at my household for my bannanimals. Healthy, Happy, Here! Abby is in clear violation of rule #1. I was a mess the first two days, but am glad I caught early or at least when I did so I have an opportunity to spoil her, takes photos and cherish every moment with her. Thanks everyone for the advice and support. It indeed has been a tough year. Lost my other Grey in July of this year. She went missing over 4th of July weekend while I was away on a trip. I just got over or came to accept that after an exhaustive search for months.

[Guest GrayMatter]

My Sweet Roxie who went missing in July

 

Abby-Dabby-Doo!

 

Radar Ears!

[winnie]

Palliative care is pain management. That is the route we chose with Faye Oops. She was 11.5 y/o when diagnosed with osteo in her left humerous near her shoulder joint. We didn't feel that amputation and chemo was best route for Faye Oops for a variety of reasons. It really does come down to you and the dog and what you both can handle. Those that have done the amputation and chemo route here have had good results. There is no "right" choice. Various treatments may prolong their lives - sometimes by months - sometimes by years - but ultimately there is no real cure for osteo.

 

We had Faye Oops on a combo of Tramadol, Gabapentin and Piroxicam (NSAID). There are several other drug combos. Don't be surprised to have a bit of trial-and-error with these meds. We certainly did.

 

Faye Oops was with us for seven weeks following her diagnosis. We relied on her to tell us when it was time to let her cross the bridge. She made it quite clear to us when that time was. She had mostly good days during that time. Her final day was the worst, but we feel at peace knowing that she did not suffer long. She was a tough cookie right up until the end.

 

Hugs to you and all of the new members of the club no one wants to belong to.

Edited December 22, 2011 by winnie

[vjgrey]

 

What are the side effects of the Chemo drugs? Will OSU provide free chemo drugs even if you don't live in Ohio? I live in Colorado. Does Chemo work (prolong life) even if you don't go through with amputation. I've recently purchased a bunch of homeopathic things to help out Abby (Arteminisin, Immune Booster, Fish Oil). I'm switching her over to a more protein based diet. Trying to avoid grains/sugars that the cancer feeds off of.

 

My understanding is that the main side effect of chemo is nausea/gastro-upset, but we haven't seen that in Gabe's first two treatments. OSU is happy to mail the drugs - we're getting them in Northern Virginia. You'd just need to submit a consult form requesting chemo drugs: https://greyhound.osu.edu/consultationservice/

 

They'll get back to you with a list of what they need. I think it was just weight, vet's name and address, and a copy of the pathology report from your hound's diagnosis.

 

According to our oncologist, chemotherapy combined with palliative radiation may buy us another six to eight months. Gabe wasn't a candidate for amputation (osteo in two limbs), so this was the best choice for us. Radiation especially has done absolute wonders for him. I think we would've wound up letting him go a week after diagnosis had the radiation not worked so well in controlling his pain. We're now at six weeks post-diagnosis.

[Guest GrayMatter]

 

 

My understanding is that the main side effect of chemo is nausea/gastro-upset, but we haven't seen that in Gabe's first two treatments. OSU is happy to mail the drugs - we're getting them in Northern Virginia. You'd just need to submit a consult form requesting chemo drugs: https://greyhound.osu.edu/consultationservice/

 

They'll get back to you with a list of what they need. I think it was just weight, vet's name and address, and a copy of the pathology report from your hound's diagnosis.

 

According to our oncologist, chemotherapy combined with palliative radiation may buy us another six to eight months. Gabe wasn't a candidate for amputation (osteo in two limbs), so this was the best choice for us. Radiation especially has done absolute wonders for him. I think we would've wound up letting him go a week after diagnosis had the radiation not worked so well in controlling his pain. We're now at six weeks post-diagnosis.

 

How has your experience with the radiation therapy been so far? How long does it take for each session? How many sessions (frequency)? Is Gabe ok with the actual treatment? What exactly goes on during the treatment? Is there a radiation machine and Gabe just has to lay there during the radiation procedure? Sorry to be so noobish and wet behind the ears. I'm sure many of these questions will be answered during the consult, but want to be prepared before I go in.

[vjgrey]

 

 

My understanding is that the main side effect of chemo is nausea/gastro-upset, but we haven't seen that in Gabe's first two treatments. OSU is happy to mail the drugs - we're getting them in Northern Virginia. You'd just need to submit a consult form requesting chemo drugs: https://greyhound.osu.edu/consultationservice/

 

They'll get back to you with a list of what they need. I think it was just weight, vet's name and address, and a copy of the pathology report from your hound's diagnosis.

 

According to our oncologist, chemotherapy combined with palliative radiation may buy us another six to eight months. Gabe wasn't a candidate for amputation (osteo in two limbs), so this was the best choice for us. Radiation especially has done absolute wonders for him. I think we would've wound up letting him go a week after diagnosis had the radiation not worked so well in controlling his pain. We're now at six weeks post-diagnosis.

 

How has your experience with the radiation therapy been so far? How long does it take for each session? How many sessions (frequency)? Is Gabe ok with the actual treatment? What exactly goes on during the treatment? Is there a radiation machine and Gabe just has to lay there during the radiation procedure? Sorry to be so noobish and wet behind the ears. I'm sure many of these questions will be answered during the consult, but want to be prepared before I go in.

 

Gabe has done REALLY well with radiation. So far, he's received two emergency treatments. Both times, he's gone from completely lame (unable to walk without sling assistance) to walking out of the clinic on his own after the treatment. And walking without a noticeable limp the day after. According to our radiologist, there are about seven different protocols used throughout the country, in terms of treatment frequency. With Gabe, her recommendation was to just treat him as needed for pain. There's a total radiation level that they can't exceed, so reaching that level would mean the unavailability of that as a treatment option. We're trying to stretch them out as long as we can.

 

Unfortunately, it's been a huge learning curve for me to realize when the pain is bad enough to warrant treatment but not so bad that it leaves him completely lame. Both times, Gabe has progressed from a slight limp/off gait (which his oncologist thought was arthritis this last time) to completely lame in less than 24 hours. If I don't get better at recognizing it before it gets to such a bad stage, we'll think about a more regular treatment schedule.

 

It's important for them to lay very still, so they're sedated for the procedure. Gabe has had very bad reactions to anesthesia in the past, so he's given propofol without any other sedatives, and they use a gas mask to keep him under. Sedation of any kind for my hounds makes me nervous, but so far, it's been fine. The treatment itself lasts about thirty minutes, with half an hour or so on each side to prep him/bring him out of the sedation.

[BauersMom]

 

How much does an amputation from OSU cost? Is it typically a safe procedure?

 

I don't know how much OSU costs, but if you sum up everything amp-related at a clinic, it's likely in the 3K range (the amp itself was not expensive - but the ICU care, meds, anesthesia, bloodwork, etc adds up fast!). It is as safe as any other major surgery - meaning, there is always a risk, and there have been a handful dogs that have not made it through the surgery, unfortunately.

 

We ultimately chose the amp route because Berkeley had full use of the leg still and was jumping off the porch, off the couch, etc, and I didn't want him to spend his last days with me keeping him wrapped in a bubble for fear of breaking the leg. There were other factors, but that was a big one. He does horrible at the vet, but we worked on it. He's off all pain meds and a wild dog again. But amp and chemo is a long process and not for everyone...and doesn't guarantee any length of time after treatment.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and support. It indeed has been a tough year. Lost my other Grey in July of this year. She went missing over 4th of July weekend while I was away on a trip. I just got over or came to accept that after an exhaustive search for months.

 

So heartbreaking. I'm so sorry.

Edited December 22, 2011 by BauersMom

[Guest snakes]

So many newcomers, and so many questions (which is a good thing, keep asking!!)

I am going to try and summarize our palliative care route with FedX (2wka from 1 yr post diagnosis!) (knock on wood!)

 

Palliative care is the management of pain and generally preserving quality of life.

Pain management has many different components for many pups.

We use gabapentin primarily, trial and error taught us that smaller doses given three times a day works best. We have been as high as 300mg (in 3 100mg capsules) three times a day to as low as 200mg in the AM and 100mg in the afternoon. I taper (ALWAYs taper a gabapentin dose down as it can produce seizures if stopped suddenly) the dose up and down depending on FedX's pain. I get it about $15 for 400 100mg capsules at walgreens with their prescription savings club.

 

He also gets Novox (generic rimadyl) in the morning (i think it is 25mg). That is from the vets, about $30/50 50mg tabs.

 

We use tramadol for breakthrough pain and at one point he was getting 50mg in the morning and afternoon. This i buy from walgreens, at 422.180 tabs of 25mg.

 

Keep in mind that the majority of his activity and exercise is between 9am and 2pm.

 

We also get pamidronate treatments, over the year, starting in ~April he has now had 6 treatments. We noticed a significant decrease in pain within 24-48hrs after the infusion. It can be expensive ($350-400 each treatment) and takes about 3hrs.

He had one radiation treatment that made the pain much worse so we never had another.

 

Humid wet days makes the pain worse, the other morning it was VERY cold and that seems to really bother him. He now has legwarmers for the cold days

A few times he has become very excited and 'tweaked' his leg which was usually followed by 2 weeks of much worse pain that did gradually subside, these were the times i tapered up his pain meds. i have also found that i can't keep him 100% pain free or he gets overly excited and hurts himself more, so i keep him at a level where he really only has a slight limp when he first gets up and after stretching or walking it wears off (similar to arthritis).

 

ETA: I also use artemisinin, curcumin, and chinese herbal remedies.

Edited December 22, 2011 by snakes

[Guest GrayMatter]

So many newcomers, and so many questions (which is a good thing, keep asking!!)

I am going to try and summarize our palliative care route with FedX (2wka from 1 yr post diagnosis!) (knock on wood!)

 

Palliative care is the management of pain and generally preserving quality of life.

Pain management has many different components for many pups.

We use gabapentin primarily, trial and error taught us that smaller doses given three times a day works best. We have been as high as 300mg (in 3 100mg capsules) three times a day to as low as 200mg in the AM and 100mg in the afternoon. I taper (ALWAYs taper a gabapentin dose down as it can produce seizures if stopped suddenly) the dose up and down depending on FedX's pain. I get it about $15 for 400 100mg capsules at walgreens with their prescription savings club.

 

He also gets Novox (generic rimadyl) in the morning (i think it is 25mg). That is from the vets, about $30/50 50mg tabs.

 

We use tramadol for breakthrough pain and at one point he was getting 50mg in the morning and afternoon. This i buy from walgreens, at 422.180 tabs of 25mg.

 

Keep in mind that the majority of his activity and exercise is between 9am and 2pm.

 

We also get pamidronate treatments, over the year, starting in ~April he has now had 6 treatments. We noticed a significant decrease in pain within 24-48hrs after the infusion. It can be expensive ($350-400 each treatment) and takes about 3hrs.

He had one radiation treatment that made the pain much worse so we never had another.

 

Humid wet days makes the pain worse, the other morning it was VERY cold and that seems to really bother him. He now has legwarmers for the cold days

A few times he has become very excited and 'tweaked' his leg which was usually followed by 2 weeks of much worse pain that did gradually subside, these were the times i tapered up his pain meds. i have also found that i can't keep him 100% pain free or he gets overly excited and hurts himself more, so i keep him at a level where he really only has a slight limp when he first gets up and after stretching or walking it wears off (similar to arthritis).

 

ETA: I also use artemisinin, curcumin, and chinese herbal remedies.

 

Thanks for the comprehensive feedback on your strategy Snakes. I'm trying to take a similar approach.

[krissn333]

Pinky's amputation and everything related to that was about $2,000. She spent the night of her surgery in the hospital and came home at around 2 the next day. She was really unhappy being in the hospital so we (her surgeon and I) decided she'd be better off at home. Coming home 24 hours after waking up from surgery is not really typical.

 

She of course had a couple of bandage changes and checkups...and now we've started chemo. OSU sent us the chemo here in Iowa and i pay our vet to administer it-she has bloodwork beforehand, so the total is around $200 per treatment.

 

I haven't decided what we'll do when she's done with her chemo treatments...we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now I am just enjoying the fact that she is here and happy for Christmastime

[Guest snakes]

We use tramadol for breakthrough pain and at one point he was getting 50mg in the morning and afternoon. This i buy from walgreens, at 422.180 tabs of 25mg.

 

Thanks for the comprehensive feedback on your strategy Snakes. I'm trying to take a similar approach.

 

 

Any specific questions feel free to ask, either here or in a PM.

Also it was a typo in the first post, it is $22 for 180 tabs tramadol And i double checked the novox, he gets half a tab daily, each tab is 75mg

[joejoesmom]

I'm so sorry. You may want to see if your vet can refer you to an advance veterinary medicine/oncology center if you have one nearby. For us, they were better equipped than our regular vet to discuss with us our full range of options.

 

You may also want to see about upping her pain meds and/or getting additional ones. Gabapentin and amantadine, along with the Tramadol and rimadyl have been a good combination for Gabe. He's also benefitted HUGELY from radiation treatments.

 

OSU will provide your vet with free chemotherapy drugs if you choose to take that route.

 

What are the side effects of the Chemo drugs? Will OSU provide free chemo drugs even if you don't live in Ohio? I live in Colorado. Does Chemo work (prolong life) even if you don't go through with amputation. I've recently purchased a bunch of homeopathic things to help out Abby (Arteminisin, Immune Booster, Fish Oil). I'm switching her over to a more protein based diet. Trying to avoid grains/sugars that the cancer feeds off of.

 

I am so sorry. If you would like to come to OSU (not sure where you are located) for a consult or amputation, there is a group of local greyhound owners who can offer support. One of us should be able to put you up in our house, so you won't have the expense of a hotel. I can come with you to the consult or surgery. Just let me know if we can help. I don't know if you can private message yet, so here is my email:

 

finewhipador-drool@yahoo.com

 

Jane

 

How much does an amputation from OSU cost? Is it typically a safe procedure?

My Joe was diagnosed on July 26, 2010 and had his amputation on July 28, 2010 at OSU. He had just turned 7. At the time he was a blood donor at OSU and absolutely loved going in. Since he was just 7, otherwise healthy, loved going to OSU, and I could afford it -- it was almost a no-brainer to me to have the amputation. We are now almost 17 months post amputation and Joe is still going strong.

 

I see that others have already answered your questions. I had not heard that chemo without amputation was shown to extend life. I have not heard OSU say that to anyone (but of course, I am only involved in a very small percentage of their cases). In general, they give the following statistics:

 

No treatment (except pain medications): median time of survival between 6 and 12 weeks

Amputation alone: median time of survival about 6 months

Amputation and chemo: median time of survival is 14 months for greyhounds (12 months for all dogs)

 

I have never heard them quote statistics for pamidronate or radiation. I know they do recommend these treatments if amputation is not an option.

 

Amputation at OSU costs between $3000 and $3800, depending on the length of the stay. They usually keep them for at least 3 days. Most of that time is in the ICU. If the surgeon follows the OSU protocol and the dog is closely monitored in an ICU environment (with a vet present) for at least the first 2-3 days, death due to the amputation is rare. However, it does happen. It is critical that the dog have 24/7 care with close monitoring by a veterinarian at all times. It is also critical that the greyhound receives amicar (aminocaproic acid) during and for five days after the amputation. This requirement is unique to greyhounds.

 

Side affects from chemo are not common. The dosage given to dogs is considerably less than that given to humans -- so the side affects are not similar at all.

 

Expect to pay about $3000 for the amputation (although there is a very reputable low cost, 24/7 emergency service here in Columbus that only charges $1200 -- including a 3 day stay). Chemo administration, bloodwork and x-rays will add about $800 to $1200 on average -- the east coast is much higher apparently.

 

Also, Dr. Couto (the head of oncology at OSU) says that there is no evidence that a low carbohydrate diet is beneficial for dogs with osteo. There was a study that showed it to be somewhat beneficial for lymphoma, but I think I remember him saying (but not sure about this) that a follow on study did not show the same results. Unfortunately, my memory is hazy on this. Of course, a low carb/high protein diet won't hurt a thing unless your dog has kidney issues.

 

Jane

[Guest tmgukcatfan]

Teresa, that's great! Pinky surprised me these past few days as now she is REALLY running full out in the yard and keeping up with Ace, who is the fastest dog here. She acts so completely normal, the only thing "off" is that now she's missing a leg. I really don't need to do anything special for her in the way of helping her get around or anything. She shoves her way in everywhere she goes and can now even jump into the back of my Jeep without a problem It's just SO amazing how quickly they adapt!

 

Today marks 2 months exactly since Pinky's first sign of limping...*sigh*

 

Way to go, Pinky!!! I am happy with Thalion's progress. He still tires out quickly, but that is improving slowly. He will even jump onto the bed again once in a while. I don't think he'll ever be able to jump up into my Escape. I'm hoping he will be able to go for short walks again someday. I live in an apartment and don't have a yard so we "walk" four or five times a day. Right now we just go to the corner and back. I know he's bored with that, but by the time we get home he is really tired.

 

This is all very "unreal" to me still. Today is one month post-amp. My initial reaction when my vet (whom I trust completely) suggested amputation was, "You wouldn't really recommend amputation for an 11 year old dog, would you?" After listening to him and doing some research I decided it would be the best option.

 

Thanks for sharing Pinky's progress. She is my inspiration!

 

Teresa & Thalion

[TwiggysMom]

Greymatter, as usual, Jane provides great information! I'm one of those who drove to OSU for the surgery. Amp/hospitalizaton/take-home meds came to $2800. Twiggy was there 5 days. OSU wanted to release her earlier, but I was a worry-wart - especially because of having a 6-hour drive back home - so I made them keep her longer. I still don't know why my cost there came in below their estimate range even though Twiggy's stay was so long. Maybe because she didn't have any complications while she was there?

 

Some things to consider cost-wise. The $2,800 at OSU was the least of my costs. It's over $10,000 so far, and Twiggy still has one more conventional chemo treatment left, then probably some type of metronomic protocol (which can be $300-$400/month), and continuing follow-up x-rays. While we received the free carboplatin from OSU, but the onclogist charges me $400 for administration and bloodwork. (I'm in downtown Chicago, costs for this vary greatly!). Also, Twiggy had a life-threatening infection in her surgical site after getting back home. She had to be re-hospitalized (here in Chicago) for 5 days of treatment; that was another two or three thousand dollars. In addition, Twiggy has had several other infections related to the chemo, so there's roughly another thousand dollars treating those, too.

 

All of these things also take lots of your time. Specialty clinics for chemo rarely have evening or weekend hours, so you have to take lots of time off work if have a regular 8-5 job.

 

Regarding chemo side effects, there isn't a lot, but after each treatment there is usually a couple days of lethargy, a little loss of appetite, some nausea. Other things that may happen are diarrhea, minor hair loss (more likely just slower re-growth of fur at the surgical site). The biggest thing for Twiggy has been infections. She has gotten several different infections while on chemo, something different every time. Her immune system just isn't able to keep things in check like it normally would. Also keep in mind, though, that I live in dog-central. There are dogs everywhere, and I don't have a yard. I also live next door to an animal hospital, and every one walks their dogs in the area right in front of where I live. All those sick dogs passing by - it would be different if I could keep her isolated in a nice clean yard.

 

As for recuperation times, they bounce back much more quickly than you'd think. They are really seeming much like their old selves by about a month, by 6 weeks, you start forgetting they are missing a leg! (I think they've forgotten they are missing something, too!). These dogs recover to do every single thing they ever used to do, and just as well as they ever did it!

 

In the end, there are lots of reasons to do amp/chemo, and there are lots of reasons not to. The decision really comes down to the unique set of circumstances that apply to your family and your dog.

[Guest twoskinnydogs]

We got bad news on 12-15-2011, our Emma was diagnosed with osteo in her right leg just below her shoulder. Emma turned 12 in October and the first week of December started to limp and show some lameness in her right front leg. On the 15th she had an x-ray and after 3 vets looked at it they confirmed what my worst fear was, osteo! After talking with friends and our vet we decided that palliative care using Metacam, Tramadol and gabapentin will be used. The meds seem to be keeping her comfortable and I have been told that Emma will let me know when the meds can no longer help her. Emma did not race much and I adopted her a week before her second birthday, in the 10 years I have had her she has created so many good memories.

 

Thank you everyone for all the information that is available on this thread. I am sure I will be using it as a reference in the coming weeks.

 

Jason

Edited December 23, 2011 by twoskinnydogs

[Guest BlueCrab]

Jason - so sorry about Emma's diagnosis. No experience here, but you've definitely come to the the right place for advice, friendship, and a bunch of non-judgemental shoulders to lean on. Best of luck.

[joejoesmom]

We got bad news on 12-15-2011, our Emma was diagnosed with osteo in her right leg just below her shoulder. Emma turned 12 in October and the first week of December started to limp and show some lameness in her right front leg. On the 15th she had an x-ray and after 3 vets looked at it they confirmed what my worst fear was, osteo! After talking with friends and our vet we decided that palliative care using Metacam, Tramadol and gabapentin will be used. The meds seem to be keeping her comfortable and I have been told that Emma will let me know when the meds can no longer help her. Emma did not race much and I adopted her a week before her second birthday, in the 10 years I have had her she has created so many good memories.

 

Thank you everyone for all the information that is available on this thread. I am sure I will be using it as a reference in the coming weeks.

 

Jason

 

Jason, I am so sorry you've had to join our "club". If there is any doubt in anyone's mind that it is osteo, send the films to OSU for a free email consultation.

 

Also, ask your vet what the maximum dosages are of all her medications, and how often you can administer them. This way, if she experiences pain late at night or on the weekend, you don't have to wait for your vet to get back to you.

 

There has also been evidence recently that greyhounds metabolize gabapentin quicker than other dogs. Therefore it is recommended to give smaller doses, at shorter intervals. For instance, instead of 200 mg, three times a day, do 100 mg six times a day (assuming your schedule permits this).

 

Tramadol can cause anxiety, panting etc. Essentially the same symptoms as pain. So pay attention to when you give the tramadol and when you observe "pain" symptoms. If it is tramadol, you can try a smaller dose. If that doesn't work, the vet can prescribe something else.

 

Jane

[NeylasMom]

So sorry to see all of the new dx.

 

Kyle, I love that pic of Charlie. The toothy grin warms my heart.

 

Last night was one year since I let Neyla go. I had a dream about her last night. It's unbelievable how much I still miss her. A day doesn't pass that I don't think of her.

Edited December 24, 2011 by NeylasMom

[krissn333]

Jen I've been thinking of you.

[krissn333]

Pinky will be going with me to my parents' house for Christmas day. Wish I could take all of them, but that makes for a crowded house when mom and dad already have two of their own, plus all of the human guests. I may take Ace along too, but then I'll feel bad leaving Fritz at home. Carrie would prefer to stay home, but not as the only greyhound here. So that means I can take two, one has to stay behind to keep Carrie and the little guys company. I don't know why I let myself fret about this when they really don't care