Where Do I Start With Medical Tests?

[Guest DeniseL]

Since we adopted Miami he has had some behavioral issues, growling, anxiousness, etc. He is certainly is a nervous pup. He was much better for the last couple of months, but, of course, bringing Izzy home has increased his anxiety somewhat and he snipped at me a few times in the first few weeks of her being home. Him and Izzy get along wonderfully, but in general, any new experience seems to really set him in a tail spin. Finally, my DH and I decided to take him to a behaviorist just to be proactive we had been toying with the idea a while back. He just started Prozac for generalized anxiety. We make sure he has tons of space and quiet time and practice positive reinforcement like crazy. We are also using a DAP collar in the house.

 

I know that his increased anxiety can be traced to the new arrival and he actually has seemed much more relaxed in the last week and I know that those issues will work themselves out with time and consistency. The behaviorist had tons of great information and many suggestions. But I also know that SOMETHING is not right with him. He is not active, doesn't really like to run much, and just generally grumpy and looks to me like he doesn't feel well. These things have been going on since we adopted him. It's hard to put my finger on, but I just know.

 

The behaviorist we saw at University of Penn suspects underlying medical conditions and I agree. This poor boy has one issue after another since bringing him home. Almost immediately after adoption, he had surgery to remove some corns that came right back (never do that again). Finally, he is corn free and we have a system that works for him in that respect. He also had a bout of large bowel diarrhea that finally some Tylan powder and a special diet seemed to have rectified. For about a month, his stool has been fantastic. Also there have been multiple incidents of foreign object ingestion, that included an overnight stay at Penn, but thankfully, no surgery. Now we watch him like a hawk and he is muzzled when we are not home.

 

The vet still suspects some underlying digestive disorder as indicated by excessive licking and pica and his prior history. She suggested a abdominal ultrasound.

 

During a e-vet trip for eating a foreign object a few months back (which did pass) they noticed an enlarged spleen on his xray.

 

During the appointment, the behaviorist moved his hips and felt his psoas, which I believe is his groin, and he let out a big yelp. So obviously, that is also part of the problem. She recommended xrays of his back end to try to figure out what is going on back there.

 

Anyway, my DH and I are just a bit overwhelmed This poor boy has had issue after issue since bringing him home. Now, I just know if my heart, that he has more medical issues and I want to get it all figured out. Obviously,cost is a big question.

 

He has an follow up medical appointment next Monday with the vet at Penn. We are getting full blood work, full tick panel. But after that, I just don't know. Ultrasound? Xrays? Should I get his thyroid checked? I just don't know. I don't think we can swing everything in one visit. It is just too costly, and if I had to guess, I don't think Trupanion will cover it. So far they have found loopholes for everything, claiming pre-existing, except the emergency trip for eating the plastic bags.

 

I knew that this trip to the behaviorist would be like opening a can of worms. Where do I even start? The vets are the best around. I know that at his medical visit they will have suggestions, but I just wanted some feedback from experienced owners...I just want my pup to feel better and to be happier.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Gemma]

You poor thing! That sure is a lot to deal with.

 

I would definitely get a FULL thyroid panel run and have it read by someone with greyhound experience. I'd also check his kidneys as part of the blood panel. Sometimes, animals will eat weird objects when there is a kidney issue; not always (some dogs are just weird!) but I'd check it to be sure. This, to me, would be a good place to start and then you and your vet can decide what else should be done once you have the results.

 

Best of luck!

[MaryJane]

Does this vet work with many greyhounds or he/she just vaguely familiar with them?

 

The yelp when the vet moved the hips could have just been a normal reaction from a dog that was tensed up and you try and manipulate them .. could be something but, then again, maybe not.

 

The diarrhea is something that greyhounds can have trouble getting rid of once it starts and it's hard to say whether changes in diet, allergies, worms are the initial causes. IBD is a concern when diarrhea doesn't resolve itself. It sounds like this has been taken care of.

 

Quite a few greyhounds have corns and they can be difficult to deal with it - sounds like you have managed that well.

 

I'm not sure how long this dog has been with you but, it can take a year or more before a greyhound really settles in and feels comfortable. With this in mind, some of what you are seeing might be getting worse because of stress.

 

As suggested, a tick panel, maybe some bloodwork (thyroid but make sure they take the right tests) and a urine would be a good place to start but, having said that ... some greyhounds just like to sleep and some look grumpy all the time (well, maybe not all the time :-) ). The ingestion of foreign materials can be a big concern, have they done follow-ups on that?

 

Can you be more specific on what the symptoms are? Have you talked to the adoption group to get a feel what they think?

[Guest DeniseL]

My vet is grey savvy and I am assuming that the University of Pennsylvania is also. The behaviorist there has treated many greyhounds and knows all of the backroundon Miami. She said most of his behavior can be explained by stress, from coming to live with us and then by the additon of a new animal.

 

She said the yelp was definitly not a normal reaction. And don't quote me because we were about 2 hours into our appointment, but I believe she said he had some limited rear end motility, stiffness, and was putting more weight on one side. Anyway, she was concerned about either a muscle or joint issue and suggested we look further into it. It is consistent with both his corns (which I believe are a pressure/gait issue) and him not running much or liking to be active. But, then again, maybe he is just really low energy. Another thing is that at one point he was prescibed Rimydyl for corn pain and I started to notice than when I gave him one he was much more active. I have been 'experimenting' a bit with them, giving him one once in a while and noticing he was more active. Again, he doesn't have any corns and his pads aren't sore when I touch or put pressure on them. So maybe the rimydyl is helping with some other pain/inflamation?

 

The stomach issues do seem to have resolved themselves, and she is basing her suspicions of GI issues soley on the licking/pica. But then there is the issue of his enlarged spleen and apparently that is secondary to another problem...

 

Miami has had a really hard time settling in, and quite a few setbacks to getting really comfortable in our home. So , yes, I think there is definitly a stress componet.

 

The took urine yesterday. I should have results this morning.

 

Early on, the adoption group wanted to put him on soloxine, but after doing research and reading on here, I realized that might not be the best approach at least without doing a full thyroid...then I started using a vet closer to me...

 

So yes, I will def get blood work with a full tick panel and have them do a complete thyroid....

[TheFullHouse]

The Rimydyl is an anti inflammatory and pain control medication so the reason he's more active is that he's probably not feeling the pain as much. If the corns are that painful, you might ask about giving him Tramadol instead of Rimydyl, since Rimydyl is an NSAID and harder on the system. If it's just corn pain, the tramadol might help and you may see an increase in activity in him.

[a_daerr]

Maybe adding another pet wasn't such a good idea, considering Miami seems to have some medical/behavioral issues that require more time/money/commitment.

[Guest DeniseL]

Maybe adding another pet wasn't such a good idea, considering Miami seems to have some medical/behavioral issues that require more time/money/commitment.

 

The behavorist did kinda chuckle when she asked had anything changed recently and I told her we had a new addition. Huge stressor. When we adopted, my DH and I decided that we would be taking on a bigger financial obligation. We will deal with it. (That's not to say, I didn't have to peel my DH off the floor when they finished listing the medical reccomendations LOL) Thats what our hound savings account and care credit are for. They are well worth the expense. But, Miami, sheesh, def my most expensive dog to date. But, I swear, it makes me love him more. Go figure.

[sweetdogs]

She said the yelp was definitly not a normal reaction. And don't quote me because we were about 2 hours into our appointment, but I believe she said he had some limited rear end motility, stiffness, and was putting more weight on one side. Anyway, she was concerned about either a muscle or joint issue and suggested we look further into it. It is consistent with both his corns (which I believe are a pressure/gait issue) and him not running much or liking to be active. But, then again, maybe he is just really low energy. Another thing is that at one point he was prescibed Rimydyl for corn pain and I started to notice than when I gave him one he was much more active. I have been 'experimenting' a bit with them, giving him one once in a while and noticing he was more active. Again, he doesn't have any corns and his pads aren't sore when I touch or put pressure on them. So maybe the rimydyl is helping with some other pain/inflamation?

Do you know anything about his racing history? Maybe he had an injury, either acute or chronic that causes him pain. (There's a thread in EEG about racing history - if you haven't, might be worth asking dmdsmoxie if he can dig up a little bit of his background for you.) If it's some sort of chronic muscle/tendon/ligament/nerve issue (which is really hard for most vets to diagnose, even ones that claim to be GH-savvy), that might explain most of his issues. I would be tempted to run him out to Dr. Dyce at OSU or Dr. Radcliffe in WV to get a real good ortho work-up. Racing injuries are different than what most vets see - some are so subtle. Then some chiro/acupuncture might be helpful if you can isolate the problem. In the meantime, there are other anti-inflammatories you can try like glucosamine, MSM, turmeric, fish oil, Fresh Factors. Things you can give him on a long-term basis with no side-effects.

 

I'm so happy to hear his corns are not an issue any more! That's awesome.

[Guest DeniseL]

Do you know anything about his racing history? Maybe he had an injury, either acute or chronic that causes him pain. (There's a thread in EEG about racing history - if you haven't, might be worth asking dmdsmoxie if he can dig up a little bit of his background for you.) If it's some sort of chronic muscle/tendon/ligament/nerve issue (which is really hard for most vets to diagnose, even ones that claim to be GH-savvy), that might explain most of his issues. I would be tempted to run him out to Dr. Dyce at OSU or Dr. Radcliffe in WV to get a real good ortho work-up. Racing injuries are different than what most vets see - some are so subtle. Then some chiro/acupuncture might be helpful if you can isolate the problem. In the meantime, there are other anti-inflammatories you can try like glucosamine, MSM, turmeric, fish oil, Fresh Factors. Things you can give him on a long-term basis with no side-effects.

 

I'm so happy to hear his corns are not an issue any more! That's awesome.

 

Not sure about the racing injury. I have watched some of his races and it sure seems like he had a rough go on the last one. Finishes last I believe, and it looks like he may be limping in the very last shot before it cuts off. But I am certainly not an expert at reading stats or watching races and I didn't just want to assume that he was injured racing. Actually the vet at Penn recommended WV! That may be an option...

 

And yes, the corns were a project...but we persevered!!!

 

Wait a minute!!! Now I'm not sure he finished his last race, I can't see him in the slow motion replay part...it looks like another dog that I thought was him. Is there a way to tell by the stats?

 

Here is my baby:

 

http://www.trackinfo.com/dog-search.jsp?keyword=atascocita+dade&by=dogname&x=4&y=8

[sweetdogs]

Not sure about the racing injury. I have watched some of his races and it sure seems like he had a rough go on the last one. Finishes last I believe, and it looks like he may be limping in the very last shot before it cuts off. But I am certainly not an expert at reading stats or watching races and I didn't just want to assume that he was injured racing. Actually the vet at Penn recommended WV! That may be an option...

 

And yes, the corns were a project...but we persevered!!!

 

Wait a minute!!! Now I'm not sure he finished his last race, I can't see him in the slow motion replay part...it looks like another dog that I thought was him. Is there a way to tell by the stats?

 

Here is my baby:

 

http://www.trackinfo.com/dog-search.jsp?keyword=atascocita+dade&by=dogname&x=4&y=8

Too bad you can't see the whole field. He started out OK but maybe something happened when they were concentrating on the winners & not your boy. Sheesh. He's still a baby so an injury may explain his early retirement I would ask Dick. I think there are other physical therapies you could try if it turns out to be a chronic muscle thing - there have been other hounds in similiar situations.

[KF_in_Georgia]

There are no finish times for your boy so I'm betting he didn't finish. I can't get the replay to run for me, but I'd love to see your boy. My Silver is his (much) older half-sister, who has a permanent racing injury...

 

 

 

A question: have you tried crating him? Silver had SA, and although I tried several approaches--muzzled her loose in the house when I wasn't home, put her in an ex-pen when I wasn't home--her behavior was bad until I actually broke out the crate and offered it to her. Bingo. She never goes in there when I'm home, but she's happy and calm in there when I'm away from home. Oh, and she has a corn on one foot. I wonder if a tendency to corns is hereditary. I hope not. Lonesome Cry has been a popular sire.

Edited February 23, 2013 by KF_in_Georgia

[Guest DeniseL]

There are no finish times for your boy so I'm betting he didn't finish. I can't get the replay to run for me, but I'd love to see your boy. My Silver is his (much) older half-sister, who has a permanent racing injury...

 

 

 

A question: have you tried crating him? Silver had SA, and although I tried several approaches--muzzled her loose in the house when I wasn't home, put her in an ex-pen when I wasn't home--her behavior was bad until I actually broke out the crate and offered it to her. Bingo. She never goes in there when I'm home, but she's happy and calm in there when I'm away from home. Oh, and she has a corn on one foot. I wonder if a tendency to corns is hereditary. I hope not. Lonesome Cry has been a popular sire.

 

Wow! She looks like Miami! Same coloring!! He is also brindle and white. We do crate him, he actually likes it at night and it really helped with his sleep aggression.Very interesting about your girls injury and the corn. I believe that corns are a result of a pressure and gait issue. Miami has some sort of problem with his rear end which makes him compensate by putting more or less weight on certain paws. This is where he gets the corns. Just a theory, although many people are starting to agree. Many corn dog owners report that their dogs have or had an injury that affect their gait, even if it is only slightly.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Silver's gimpy leg is the back right (Achilles tendon issue). Her corn is front right.

 

By this time, I've seen lots of photos of Lonesome Cry's offspring: lots of white-with-brindle pups in there, and there's usually something about the shape of their heads that tips me off. A total stranger stopped me on the street one time to tell me about his boy that looked just like Silver (she and I were headed to a meet and greet). Turns out, his boy was another of Silver's half-brothers.

 

P.S. Silver also is sleep aggressive.