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.