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Health Advice For Retired Racer Gh?


Guest Steve123

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Guest Steve123

Hey guys,

 

I'll start this off by saying that my greyhound is 14/15 years old so it may be early signs unfortunately...

 

Over the past 3 days she has been vomiting and having diarrhea, the first night she had scrambled eggs and managed to keep it down most if the second day (she was sick once) and diarrhea today, she won't eat and is drinking very little, she also won't go out unless it's to the back garden for a minute or so. She hasn't had anything to eat out of the ordinary etc and I'm hoping that it's just something she may have caught from outside. Any ideas? I know it's not much to work with.

 

Also, on a normal day her appetite is great, eats a lot but she's lost a lot of weight over the past 5/6 months, her health checks were all good but it's been a drastic weight loss for how much she eats.

 

Thanks for any help guys.

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Many - if not most - greyhounds tend to lose weight as they age, and if they reach a grand old age, like yours, they do often end up very skinny. A big part of this is muscle loss, which is pretty much unavoidable. Having said that, my personal experience is that if you change the diet appropriately, it may be possible to keep the weight on the old bones for a while at least. My twelve-and-a-half year old is on a higher protein kibble (often it's a puppy version) with add-ins of meat stew, oily fish, and cheese treats.

Having said all that, what you have at the moment is not normal. She needs to see a vet. Oldies lose condition frighteningly fast and need professional treatment quickly. She may have developed a metabolic disorder (liver or kidney disease, etc), or cancer, or she may have picked up a food poisoning bug, or she may simply have eaten the wrong things over Christmas, but you don't know, and we can't tell you.

The oldies become less and less able to cope with sudden dietary changes, like someone slipping them a bit of turkey skin or a greasy sausage roll, but they are also very vulnerable to organs going wrong and systems breaking down, so please get her checked by a vet ASAP - and don't forget to pop back and let us know how she's doing! :)


Meanwhile, keep her fluid intake up, and only offer her small amounts of bland food: lean chicken and rice (a tablespoon at a time) is often recommended.

Edited by silverfish

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The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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Yep, what Siverfish said. These guys can dehydrate very quickly, so if she's not drinking, she may need IV fluids. Good luck!


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.

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IV fluids can go a long way toward helping if your hound is dehydrated. If she is starting to slip away as you think is possible, fluids may also help keep her comfortable.

 

You can try enticing her to drink by adding a little broth to the water, or a splash of Gatorade / juice, anything that might peak her interest. As the others said, it is definitely time to go to the vet, and if it's after hours or the weekend where you are located, you may need to take her to the Emergency Vet for evaluation. Do not hold off on this until "regular office hours" if she is already dehydrated or you feel she is going downhill.

 

Best wishes to you and your girl.

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Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan.  Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket,  Allie  Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life

 

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Guest Steve123

Thanks everyone,

 

Worst thing is I'm out of the country at the minute and can't be with her if something does go wrong, she's with my parents doing know she's in safe hands, hopefully she pulls through, latest report is she had diarrhea again but couldn't stand up to do it, she's going to the vets tomorrow. She's managed some water but no food so fingers crossed.

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The fact that she can't stand to empty her bowels is a bad sign. :( If she were mine I'd call the out-of-hours vet. I know it's tough for you being out of the country.

Please let us know how she does. Bless her, it sounds as if she's in a bad way - I hope she pulls through.

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The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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Guest Steve123

Hey guys, sadly my grey (Chloe) had to be put to sleep :( , she was diagnosed with liver failure, would of had maybe a week but it wouldn't have been pleasant on her, so sad I wasn't there to say goodbye to her. Makes it a little easier knowing she's no longer in pain.

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I'm so sorry for the loss of your dearest houndie.

 

Godspeed, sweetheart.

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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I'm very sorry it was time for her to leave. :( Godspeed, precious Chloe... :gh_run

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....and Beloved Bridge Angels Sandee, Shari, Wells, Derby, Phoenix, Jerry Lee and Finnian.....
If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to heaven
and bring you home again.

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Steve, no doubt you said "Goodbye" & made a fuss of her when you left home so although you could not be with her at the end you did at least have that chance to say a farewell, many owners don't have that opportunity.

 

Sorry that it had to happen this way, thinking of you.

 

Carol.

Miss "England" Carol with whippet lurcher Nutmeg & Zavvi the Chihuahua.

R.I.P. Chancey (Goosetree Chance). 24.1.2009 - 14.4.2022. Bluegrass Banjoman. 25.1.2004 - 25.5.2015 and Ch. Sleepyhollow Aida. 30.9.2000 - 10.1.2014.

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