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My 12.3 yr old Jakie (MCP's Leo ) has LP and is NOT a candidate for surgery.

He has done fairly well, is very happy, great appetite but no weight gain ....but just recently the spasms began.

I remember there was a relaxant that other gave their LP greys...

Please let me know what/and your experiences with meds.

The spasms are difficult to observe....he comes right over to me, the clock stops, I get down and gently rub his throat and sides and talk him through..praying breathe..breathe..breathe..

Vet check up next week.

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My heart goes out to you, Laur. My Brilly is working his way through the progression of this disease, and I've wondered about stuff I can have on hand if he does go into respiratory distress. I assume it would have to be injectable, since he wouldn't be able to swallow anything safely at that point.

:bighug

GT-siggy-spring12.jpg

My Inspirations: Grey Pogo, borzoi Katie, Meep the cat, AND MY BELOVED DH!!!
Missing Rowdy, Coco, Brilly, Happy and Wabi.

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Guest alannamac

Oh dear.....I went through this with my bridge angel Bandit (Twister Bandit) last year. He found some relief with steroids for many months, but we had a long summer in the 100s while he was going through this. If your vet suggests ACE as a relaxant....I suggest you resist the advice....It was a terrible experience when I gave Bandit this med.....he was sooo loopy and had terrible diarrhea. I've heard many suggestions that valium is good to have on hand for LP greys when crisis occurs. If I remember correctly suppository form is best because they'll be hard to dose in crisis. Also, think twice before any vaccinations. In Bandit's case, I chose to update his rabies vacc. and things went to heck in a handbasket in a hurry after that. I think his immune system just went into hyper mode and affected his LP even more. His breathing became heavily labored for a week and I chose that time to send him to the bridge before a crisis occurred. jSorry that's probably more detailed than you wanted but this illness is a toughie. One day is so hard and the next they're as healthy as can be. It's hard to decide how to help them best.

Sending you all the support I can. This is a difficult illness.

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Can you describe what the spasms are? That doesn't really sound typical for laryngeal paralysis. LP is the loss of function of the muscles that pull open the laryngeal folds (or vocal folds) for air to pass through when the dog breaths in. The flaccid vocal folds partially obstruct air flow - normally, they are pulled apart by muscles to enlarge the opening. So there usually aren't muscle spasms associated with LP.

 

When a crisis occurs, it's because the dog tries to breath harder than usual. And the harder the dog tries, the more the negative pressure can 'suck' the vocal folds together, and this causes irritation and swelling of the folds. Using a sedative like valium or acepromazine at this point helps relax the dog so that they stop panicking and don't fight as hard to breathe, which actually improves air flow through the vocal folds. I've found a low dose of injectable ace to be very effective for this purpose. I think that many vets use too high of a dose of ace, especially the oral form, because of the label instructions. Steroids can help reduce any inflammation and swelling of the folds caused by the crisis.

 

But unfortunately, the bottom line is that there are no meds that have been shown to help improve the muscle function that pulls open the vocal folds. So the only time meds might help is to address a crisis. From a preventative or day-to-day point of view, the only thing that helps avoid crises is to keep the dog calm and cool. And the only way to improve the underlying condition is to have the surgery done.

Jennifer &

Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On),

Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice

gtsig3.jpg

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I'm so sorry you're dealing with LP. I lost my beloved Keno to LP in 2007.

Cynthia, & Cristiano, galgo
Always in my heart: Frostman
Newdawn Frost, Keno Jet Action & Chloe (NGA racing name unknown), Irys (galgo), Hannah (weim), Cruz (galgo), & Carly CW Your Charming

Princess http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=1018857

"It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -- Unknown

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I call the bad episodes 'spasms' for lack of another name.

While at rest Jakie is the same as he always was in the past...except occassionally now when he gets comfortable and lets out what I'd call an involuntary breathing sound.

Any movement now and Jakie sounds like a chain smoking asthmatic.

He loves the cooler weather... LOVES to run..LOVES to greet us enthusiastically...then is left, sidesheaving as though he cannot breath, cannot draw a breath cannot swallow..this is when I am by his side talking him through it

We curtail all those beloved hobbies,,the running etc, taking him with us so he doesn't have to greet us..although the excitement of the drive can can trigger it....but now even checking out smells on a potty walk on his own front lawn can 'trigger' this chest sucking /heaving/...

At this second he is on the couch, resting quietly.

Funny..before the noisy moments stuck out so noticably...now the quiet times do.

He is my heart dog, our first greyhound.... and the last remaining of our 3.

I'll look in to having those suppositories on hand...

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May I ask why he's not a candidate for surgery? It's certainly a personal decision and reasonable to elect not to pursue it with an older dog. But if he's a 'young' senior (which your description above may indicate), and if the surgery is something you want to consider for him, maybe it would be worth seeking a second opinion by a specialist?

Jennifer &

Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On),

Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice

gtsig3.jpg

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He is a special needs pupper to begin with....10 years ago he was given a 30 percent survival rate, survived MAJOR surgery etc...

While that was the very best decision for him at that tender age then, we also know the trauma, phobias and vet issues he had to overcome... .

He is not a candidate for further operations.

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This is all heart-breaking, bracing, and informative. My heart is with you, Laur, and to others who've already gone down this rocky road.

 

I'm going to talk to my vet about the valium suppositories for the future. My guy isn't too bad, yet, but this is giving us a glimpse at the future.

:bighug

GT-siggy-spring12.jpg

My Inspirations: Grey Pogo, borzoi Katie, Meep the cat, AND MY BELOVED DH!!!
Missing Rowdy, Coco, Brilly, Happy and Wabi.

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