Guest karab21 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) At the end of November, my grey, Desmond, ripped a nail off. Treated it @ vet as if it was a trauma...finally growing back enough that the quick isn't bleeding when he licks at it so we are about 2 weeks into not making him wear his muzzle if home alone. Today, he was laying on the couch next to me and I happened to look over and notice tons of blood and his dew claw hanging at an odd angle. No trauma here...I've been home and with him all day and he didn't snag it on anything (he's wearing rubber booties outside these days anyway, due to snow and ice). This claw seems to have quite literally just fallen off as he lay there. He's in a lot of pain and barely let me put some corn starch on to stop the bleeding and loosely wrap a baby sock around it to keep blood from getting everywhere. He did have an extra few Gabapentin leftover from the November nail rip so I gave him one to hopefully take the edge off. Thankfully I was able to get him an appointment at my vet in about an hour. This second incident in just a little over 2 months made me immediately wonder about SLO. I wanted to take some info to the vet when I go in. The Grassmere site seems to be down (Desmond also has corns and I used it extensively when I first started noticing his corns - it's probably actually where I first heard about SLO). Any other reputable resources I could bring to my vet? I don't want to be "that client" who self-diagnoses, but I also want to be proactive, in case it is SLO, as I know it is often misdiagnosed. Any other tips are greatly appreciated! Thanks. Edited February 4, 2018 by karab21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndtime Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 I would think most likely. Sorry. There are several different protocols you can try. Quote Irene Ullmann w/Flying Odin and Mama Mia in Lower Delaware Angels Brandy, John E, American Idol, Paul, Fuzzy and Shine Handcrafted Greyhound and Custom Clocks http://www.houndtime.com Zoom Doggies-Racing Coats for Racing Greyhounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighsayer Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 There is a Greyhounds with a SLO Facebook group. I think they have info bookmarked. If it is SLO, it gets better. It is not life threatening and can be managed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karab21 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Thanks. I will check out the Facebook page. My vet was very knowledgeable about SLO and brought it up before I mentioned it. She has put Desmond on a trial of Niacinamide to start with the option of adding more or different treatments if needed. Thankfully as he got out of the car at the vet, he stepped on the sock I'd put over the foot and the dew claw came completely off. They were able to stop the bleeding so he didn't need a bandage, which would have been, in his mind, the worst part of this whole ordeal. I'll keep having him wear his muzzle until the urge to lick the area is gone, but all in all a successful visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Usually they combine the niacinamide with doxy. Also, I would start your guy on EFA’s (good high potency fish oil). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karab21 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Usually they combine the niacinamide with doxy. Also, I would start your guy on EFA’s (good high potency fish oil). They put him on simplicef for an antibiotic because of the wound. I will check into the EFAs. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldrunners Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) My 9yo Penny is an SLO girl. After the doxy, she was put on 2 caps of niacinamide and 2 Free Form fish oil caps per day. I get the niacinamide at the Vitamin Shoppe, and the fish oil from Chewy. According to the woman at the vitamin place, niacinamide is a kidney flush for humans. I don't know if it works the same in dogs, but within the hour of taking her capsule, she is drinking half the bowl, and half an hour later MUST go out, and about every 3 hours after that. I've lost count of how many nails she has lost, maybe 5, but none after about a month's worth of the supplements. One nail hasn't grown back, so she just has a nubbin of a dried up quick on that paw. The other nails are coming in a bit gnarly, but they're not splitting or cracking. She goes every 3 weeks to the vet for a nail trim. Altho the tech does the trim, my vet always checks the condition of the nails before Penny is brought back to me, and will give me a heads up if she thinks there will be an issue. I use marshmallows, velveeta cheese, and peanut butter as the basic pill camouflage, with leftovers from my meals as a change up. The PB I just scrape a wad onto the edge of her bowl, and stick the pills into it. Mooshies get torn in half and a pill stuck in each half. Velveeta cheese now comes in a box of 4 smaller blocks, so you don't have to open the big block all at once. This morning I poked a hole in a hunk of banana and stuck a pill in far enough to hold it, and they were both gobbled down. Lastly, my dogs have gotten Grizzly salmon oil for years. I gave them much less than the suggested dosage because it makes for loose poops. The Free Form hasn't changed Penny's poop at all, which tells me that it is being absorbed, and not just running through her body and coming out the other end. ETA: Since Lupus compromises the immune system, I am no longer giving Penny any vaccines, and she is now a homebody. I will get her the rabies shot, since Delaware won't accept titers for that. Edited February 4, 2018 by oldrunners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karab21 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 My 9yo Penny is an SLO girl. After the doxy, she was put on 2 caps of niacinamide and 2 Free Form fish oil caps per day. I get the niacinamide at the Vitamin Shoppe, and the fish oil from Chewy. According to the woman at the vitamin place, niacinamide is a kidney flush for humans. I don't know if it works the same in dogs, but within the hour of taking her capsule, she is drinking half the bowl, and half an hour later MUST go out, and about every 3 hours after that. I've lost count of how many nails she has lost, maybe 5, but none after about a month's worth of the supplements. One nail hasn't grown back, so she just has a nubbin of a dried up quick on that paw. The other nails are coming in a bit gnarly, but they're not splitting or cracking. She goes every 3 weeks to the vet for a nail trim. Altho the tech does the trim, my vet always checks the condition of the nails before Penny is brought back to me, and will give me a heads up if she thinks there will be an issue. I use marshmallows, velveeta cheese, and peanut butter as the basic pill camouflage, with leftovers from my meals as a change up. The PB I just scrape a wad onto the edge of her bowl, and stick the pills into it. Mooshies get torn in half and a pill stuck in each half. Velveeta cheese now comes in a box of 4 smaller blocks, so you don't have to open the big block all at once. This morning I poked a hole in a hunk of banana and stuck a pill in far enough to hold it, and they were both gobbled down. Lastly, my dogs have gotten Grizzly salmon oil for years. I gave them much less than the suggested dosage because it makes for loose poops. The Free Form hasn't changed Penny's poop at all, which tells me that it is being absorbed, and not just running through her body and coming out the other end. ETA: Since Lupus compromises the immune system, I am no longer giving Penny any vaccines, and she is now a homebody. I will get her the rabies shot, since Delaware won't accept titers for that. Thanks so much oldrunners. Yikes on the drinking/peeing side effect on the Niacinamide...My vet told me to give it every 8 hours so the schedule I need to do is right before I leave for work, right after I get home, and right before bed. I'm going to cross my fingers I don't come home to a mess tomorrow after work. Eeek. Thankfully Desmond takes meds like a champ. All I ever have to do is wrap in a half piece of a Kraft Single cheese slice and he'll gobble anything up! He is already on glucosamine and Rimadyl for arthritis so taking pills is old hat for him. Definitely going to check into adding the fish oil. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldrunners Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Actually, Penny hasn't ever been reliably housebroken, unless in her crate. Her indoor pee spots are the dog beds. Originally her dose was 3 niacinamides/day. She was having accidents multiple times daily, then my boy dog would mark over her accidents, so I was washing multiple beds every day. I did try crating her, but she just peed in her crate. Three doses a day was too much for her, and for me, too, so I made an executive decision to drop her down to 2, informing the vet I was doing so. As I said, she is doing fine. One morning a week I have a class, so I get up extra early and feed everyone right away, so Penny has at least 2 hours in which to go out and pee several times before I leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karab21 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Good to know. My family and I joke that Desmond has a bladder of steel. If he doesn't feel like going out (if the weather is bad or if his corns are acting up or whatever) or even if I have to be gone for longer than usual, he digs his heels in and just doesn't pee for hours on end. I'm planning on getting up early tomorrow so he has ample time to go out before I go to work, and just cross my fingers that the bladder of steel pulls through for us lol. If it doesn't work we will figure something else out. But good to know about that possible side effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldrunners Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 How did day 1 go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karab21 Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 How did day 1 go? Desmond has been doing well. Thanks for asking! No pee issues with the Niacinamide so far. He does tend to pee more often on walks, but no accidents in the house thank goodness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldrunners Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 YAY for Desmond! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.