He is feeling better.......

I think he is feeling better…..well his body language tells me he is almost back to normal.
Actually, he is in less pain now the dew claw and infection has been incised than he was when it was just hanging and swollen.

He just seems totally normal today

If a claw splits down to the quick, or even if it falls out altogether and it bleeds it (there is a rich capillary supply there) it can leave a gap at the base through which infections easily gets in. So Dizzy is taking a broad spectrum antibiotic as well as a cleaning regime. We had been cleaning and dressing Dizzy’s foot for a few days days since the tear with salt water, antiseptics and styptics/antibiotic powder, but it did not stop infection forming.

Anaesthetics

Remember it used to be the case, that anaesthesia was very dangerous for greyhounds due to breed traits and inability to clear it quickly.

However, the vet says this is not necessarily as bad these days. This year a new anaesthetic is available on the market, which is used for humans but is perfect for greyhounds or for other ageing pets. It is many many times more effective than any previous anaesthetics and that means they can use much less of it therefore is not so toxic for the liver and kidneys to clear from the bloodstream.

However, the drawback is that these new anaesthetics are expensive. He says a good vet will aborb that cost and spread it over all treatments. Why? Because a customer should not have to be told, that if they have this anaesthetic they have to pay more, because that could lead to people making a decision not to use it based on expense. Unscrupulous vets may not stock this drug or use it because of its expense, so if you have a greyhound, check that they have definitely updated their anaesthetics to modern ones. Dizzy came round and was completely normal whereas in the past, dogs used to be dopey and drugged for hours afterwards. Being under, does make them a little bit thirsty for a day afterwards but as you can see, Dizzy is fine now.

Dew Claws

Our boy has had a problem with his dew claw, he caught it a few days ago and it split. However, Dizzy licked it and bit it and it was half hanging off. We put some kiddies numbing ointment on it. Then we wrapped a solid barrier around it, taped up his paw, and the vet said he would see him next morning.

He went straight into surgery to have the twisted ripped claw taken off, ie Dew Claw amputation and disarticulation and has part of his bone taken away too. He has also had the same done on other legs to avoid this happening again. I am not exactly sure why they have to cut a bit of bone at the base of the claw, he said partly infection and partly ‘disarticulating the toe’.

He is in recovery at the moment, and we pick him up later no doubt with a ruddy great lampshade on his head. My girl here was distraught, she has never been on her own really without Dizzy there and although he finds here a nuisance and often changes rooms to get away from her, she clearly relies on him.

Dizzy looks as if he has had problems with toes before, and his claws/toe bones do seem to jut out at really odd angles even after clipped. My suspicion, is that he might have suffered a broken toe before or has joint problems. Then he runs in a strange way, so we always have had to tape down the dew claws if we let him off the lead because the way he bounces forward he catches the claws on his other legs. So he is better off without them.
He has infection in that leg/toe apparently so we need to treat him with antibiotics.

While he was under anaesthetic, we got them to do his teeth which were badly scaled, and apparently they have come up spotless. He should be waking up round about now, and we pick him up in a few hours.

Hounds Calendar 2010

The doggies' grandmother (human one) loves to get products with the hounds on and likes a yearly calendar so we've made the new Hounds 2010 calendar which is on sale at Zazzle, with all profits (i.e. the royalties that get sent to me) going to Essex Greyhound Rescue service.

The Hounds 2010 Calendar by erssie
Browse Greyhounds Calendars

make custom gifts at Zazzle