Greyhound injury-advice needed

[niddy]

Long story short. Posted in pets, but no response.
12/13year old ex-racer slipped and splayed hind legs at bottom of the stairs
Really needs X-Ray to establish damage, but high risk for anaesthetic.
Are pain meds an option or only surgery?

Go to a vet who has experience with greyhounds. They are generally sensitive to normals anaesthetic but there are alternatives out there and a vet who knows greyhounds should be able to advise

How long ago and what symptoms? Id certainly be tempted to try a good few days of painkillers if you havent already. At least an xray would be a quick anasthetic though.

Sorry didn't get back last night. Thanks for your response. It happened about 10 days ago. She was stiff after her enormous long sleeps when getting up, but seemed to improve and settle, so left it.
It then worsened following a giddy run.

Symptoms are initial limp when getting up, raising . Affected leg at times when standing. Weakness on that side, looses balance more easily.

If she doesn't seem to be in pain i would want to leave it a bit longer. But i'm no expert. Greyhounds can be buggers for limping about one minute and being ok the next. I lost my girl under anasthetic so am nervy about them.....it was a 90 min anasthetic though.

for you Possum. How sad for you all. That's my fear tbh. I question that whatever the outcome of shows, surgery won't be an option and we would be going down the pain management route regardless. So why put her through the distress of it all?

My thought is that ten days on it could still be a pulled muscle.

Ages ago my dog ran off on a walk. I chased after her and she was on a busy road causing chaos. Dragged her off the road and she collapsed. I was hysterical thinking a car most have hit her. She refused to get up. I had to ring dh who drove to us and carried her to the car. Drove to the vet and by the time we were in the consulting room she was fine. Vet said she probably had a stitch due to running.

Once she hurt her leg jumping off a step and spent the next three days sporadically screaming and limping when she remembered. Then she was fine.

You've really made me laugh! That's exactly the problem with Grey's...you really have trouble telling the trivial drama from the major problems and stoic behaviours from 'proper' painful injuries!
If they were human, I'm wondering how we would categorize that type of behaviour? Generally unstable and unpredictable possibly?

I would be taking her back to the vet for a further consult and exam (not necessarily including an Xray as that won't show up soft tissue damage) but your vet will guide you. Older greyhounds (if all other health signs are good) are more than capable of having a short GA for an Xray if that's what's needed - I wouldn't hesitate if my vet recommended it.

I'd be looking at a referral onwards to a specialist physio clinic - our nearly 14 year old greyhound girl is currently doing this. She has regular acupuncture, massage and hydrotherapy and there has been an enormous improvement in her gait, flexibility and muscle tone. Just because your dog is old doesn't mean that they can't benefit from a range of non invasive treatments. If your vet hasn't already looked at this, I'd also want a discussion about taking a NSAID if they think that might help the recovery.

Lastly, consider where she slipped and think if a rug or matting might help to assist wobbly cornering in future. We've added quite a bit of extra rugs, mats etc to help with strategic hound cornering points.

Thanks Right. She'll be reviewed Saturday. Pleased some other options available. Sounds quite a treat!
Currently have a stylish yoga mat at the bottom of the stairs and considered non slip socks!
Thanks for the more hopeful advice. Appreciated.

All of her signs indicate pain - has she been prescribed anti inflammatories?

Greyhounds are NOT more sensitive to modern anaesthetics, this perhaps used to be true 10 -15 years ago when this was still used in general practice but I've not seen it used for years. She doesn't need a specialist greyhound Vet (they don't exist anyway).

Why is she high risk for anaesthesia OP? Does she have active heart disease or liver disease?

The X-rays will give you more information especially regarding underlying arthritis/joint disease, but it may we'll be a soft tissue/nerve injury that requires rest and anti inflammatories over a prolonged period. Without examining her it's tricky to say.

This = thio

That's good to know vet thank you. She is on anti-inflammatory medication now and has been since Monday.
She doesn't have any underlying problems. I was advised by the same veterinary hospital to not have her teeth done under General last year as 'too risky' due to her age.
She has had previous surgery to have a toe removed about 4 years ago without problems, although had to pick her up early as she 'very distressed' and probably driving them crazy

Our teenage cat had a dental done and major abdo surgery too. She also had a slight heart murmur. I wouldn't rule out an anaesthetic if the only way forward is to do a GA.

Vet, just to correct you - there are a few greyhound specialist vet practices - not many, and they mainly specialise in the racing owner market, but they are out there. I've known a few adoptive owners who've used them either for post racing injury treatment or for things like persistent corns which greys are particularly prone to.

Niddy, she loves going for her acupuncture. Drifts off to a blissful doze while I stay and chat to the lovely therapist. The massage is great too, though she isn't so keen on the hydrotherapy as that's more like hard work. We do a gait analysis on each visit (she's now dropped to a monthly maintenace schedule) and we've also got some proprioception work that we do with her at home and stretches. One of the reasons why it's so important to keep your elderly dog enjoying a wide variety of walks is the physical benefit of them working on different surfaces. Ours regularly enjoy beaches, woods, grasslands, various gradients etc - lots of mental stimulation and a wide variety of terrains to keep them fit and flexible.

That's lovely Right, what a lucky hound you have .
I'm only pleased mine can't read as well as she can open any type of bin to stick her head in and steal from! I think she'd rather enjoy that lifestyle .
Seriously, some great ideas there. Thank you

Thanks too Wolfie. Kind of hope I haven't been put off needlessly. Her breath... as in yuk!

Rightpivotturn Just to correct you - there may be vets who see a lot of greyhounds and have plenty of experience with racers and racing injuries, but there's no such thing as a specialist greyhound Vet because breed-specific specialisms don't occur in veterinary medicine - just as there aren't Labrador specialists or spaniel specialists.
Specialist is a protected term and governed by the RCVS www.rcvs.org.uk/education/lifelong-learning-for-veterinary-surgeons/specialist-status/

Niddy age is not a risk factor for anaesthesia and if your vets are telling you that, I'd probably be looking for a practice that knows a bit more about it. Untreated dental disease can cause significant pain as well as lead to infections in internal organs. Unless she has an underlying disease affecting her heart, lungs or liver, her anaesthetic risk shouldn't be any different to a younger dog. It might be worth pushing your vet on exactly what they perceive the risks to be - though I know this can be tricky. If she has health problems that need further investigation and treatment, you might be better off with a practice who have more confidence in their own abilities

Thanks Vet. I will press them as I feel upset at the thought of needless damage and pain. Incidentally, haven't been impressed of late trying to get through and actually getting an appointment through a rather rude receptionist!
Silly question. Would they send on her history to new vets? Been with them for 20 years! Different animals obviously!

Yes the new vets will request the history and your existing practice is obliged to pass it on

Great. Thank you.