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Hi,
Our Tripawd, Hunter, is an almost 10 year old chocolate lab. Some of you know him by his nickname "Super Dog"!
He has a blog at http://www.supe.....ipawds.com
Since the end of last week we've noticed that his third eye lids (the ones inside the eye but just above the bottom eye lid) are really red. The whites of his eyes are also pink instead of white. He also seems to have his eyes closed slightly more than normal. There is some discharge from both eyes but that is our Hunter... he has always had goobers.
His appetite is great and his energy level is good. He was diagnosed with small lump(s) on his lungs on December 5th but has not presented us with any worrisome symptoms of lung mets.
I'm wondering who we should see about this. We have a holistic vet and I'm going to be there with our pup this Saturday, we also have an ophthalmologist that has seen our other 2 labs, but not Hunter. Sure it would take longer to get in with the specialist. His oncologist said they would like their ophthalmologist to see him, but his consult fee is much higher than the doctor we already have a relationship with so I'd rather not go there. They are not sure if it is cancer related or something totally different like conjunctivitis.
He looks better today than he has been looking and is his frisky, naughty self at times. Trying not to panic and believe this is a symptom that the cancer is back. I don't think he got into anything recently but he did vomit on Easter Sunday (gave him egg whites when making deviled eggs like I always do), and again this past Sunday (hubby gave him some tuna). Both of his vomits had yellow slime in it and the latest one also had grass in it so he must not have been feeling great to eat grass. Overall though his appetite is great and no other vomiting episodes.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hunter's Mom
Read about our Hunter at http://superdog.....pawds.com/
7/27/2003 ~ 7/24/2013
Our Super Dog Hunter crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on a beautiful summer day in July, just 3 days shy of his 10th Birthday. He gave us everything since he was 8 weeks old. Hunter was a 14 month warrior of OS. We LOVE and MISS him every day.
Well, this is kind of interesting - Max had the same thing at one point. He had his OS amputation in November 2008; lung mets discovered October 2009. In December 2009, he had this weird thing going on with his eyes. They were what I would call "half-mast," and the inside of the lids were a bit red. We never did find out what it was. He wasn't feeling well at the time either, so I just attributed the way his eyes looked to him not feeling well. I can't add any more than that, but I would agree that a visit to the eye doctor is in order.
Sending postive thoughts to your boy, and I hope whatever it is clears up soon.
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I know that this is hard when your pet has had something like cancer, but as the saying goes "when you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras!" I am not familiar with your dog's history, but the problem you are describing can be caused by SO MANY things! Please don't take this as me not taking your concern seriously, it absolutely could be something bad, but it could also be something as simple as allergies (it is that time of year)! I would start with the basics, see your normal vet for a reasonable exam fee and see what they say! They will probably stain the eyes to make sure there are no ulcers, and go from there. Rule out the simple stuff first, and then if no improvement, move on to the specialists. I wish you and Hunter the best!
Why not bring him to the holistic vet, see what s/he says, try it out and if it fails, go to your opto?
BTW - Jackson LOVES to eat grass, but only a particular kind. For him, it has never lead to vomiting. We figure he loves the taste and texture, or he's part cow and trying to lactate....
Keep us posted, Super Dog!
~ Katy
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
fetchon3 said
BTW - Jackson LOVES to eat grass, but only a particular kind. For him, it has never lead to vomiting. We figure he loves the taste and texture, or he's part cow and trying to lactate....
Kermit was grazing the whole time I was working in the yard today too.
Hope the red eyes are just allergies or irritation.
Hey Superdog! I'm gonna bet this isn't anything more than allergies, they're supposed to be really bad this year.
I say go with the opthamologist your are comfortable with, if you go at all. I think the holistic vet is a great place to start to narrow down the issues. It's probably nothing serious at all, try not to worry. Dogs eat grass for a LOT of different reasons, nobody can say with any certainty why. Here's a great article about vomiting and dogs that I posted recently. I hope it helps calm your nerves.
Stay cool and hang in there, and keep us posted OK? We're cheering you on.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi everyone, and thank you so much for all of your replies and input.
I've decided to have Hunter seen by our holistic vet this Saturday. They were kind enough to add him to the time slot I have for our puppy. It may be something simple, and since she knows Hunter I'm sure she'll figure it out for us.
Hopefully he will just need some drops and it will clear up. We know our dog and he just doesn't look right and is also looking a little uncomfortable and tired at times. Little changes like not wanting to go out potty again before I leave for work or getting off the couch a bit slower than usual.
I'll let you all know what she says.
Thanks again, Hunter's Mom.
Read about our Hunter at http://superdog.....pawds.com/
7/27/2003 ~ 7/24/2013
Our Super Dog Hunter crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on a beautiful summer day in July, just 3 days shy of his 10th Birthday. He gave us everything since he was 8 weeks old. Hunter was a 14 month warrior of OS. We LOVE and MISS him every day.
And... Thank you Jerry for the vomiting article.
Read about our Hunter at http://superdog.....pawds.com/
7/27/2003 ~ 7/24/2013
Our Super Dog Hunter crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on a beautiful summer day in July, just 3 days shy of his 10th Birthday. He gave us everything since he was 8 weeks old. Hunter was a 14 month warrior of OS. We LOVE and MISS him every day.
I like what hhackett said about thinking horses, not zebras!! That's so true for everyone on this crazy trail!
You hang in there and a little off day here and there is just that. You are doing a great job and very diligent.
Keep us posted and take care!
Sally and Happy Hannah
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Super Dog and Hunter's Mom,
We like the conjunctivitis as a possibility. Our dogs have had it and the eye drops have always cured it quickly. You might also ask about allergies (but good luck figuring out what a dog is allergic to). Austin Ray is suspected to have allergies as he has the goobers/boogers in the corners of his eyes almost daily. Austin gets Benadryl twice a day to help with the allergies. If it is allergies, identifying the allergen is not always easy.
Ralph
Hi everyone,
So Hunter saw his holistic vet yesterday morning. She said "the eyes are the window to the liver" and thinks it may be all the chicken he's eating, its a "hot" food. Told me to change up his raw diet to turkey or beef. His treats too. Gave me an herbal eye wash and he is to start Livaplex (Standard Process). It's a supplement to help his liver. I would have never blamed his diet, I'm so glad I went to her first! And...... She really isn't attributing it to the "c" word.
I'm very relieved!
I used the eye wash last night and it seemed to soothe his eyes a bit. I also have a call into our pet store to order a case of Nature's Variety Beef or Bison raw diet instead of his chicken. I'll also change his treats out as well. Now we'll just see if there is an improvement. Funny thing... he's had goopy eyes since this whole thing started and he's been on the chicken raw diet since last July... wonder if he just can't tolerate that much chicken.
Thanks everyone for your replies... I'll have to update Hunter's blog with this. I tend to only post the positive stuff there and ask questions on the worrisome stuff here in the forums. Your support means so much to us!
Read about our Hunter at http://superdog.....pawds.com/
7/27/2003 ~ 7/24/2013
Our Super Dog Hunter crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on a beautiful summer day in July, just 3 days shy of his 10th Birthday. He gave us everything since he was 8 weeks old. Hunter was a 14 month warrior of OS. We LOVE and MISS him every day.
OK. It's a plan! Let's hope it works! Keep us posted.
~Katy
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Don't you love the way holistic docs look at everything from an entirely different perspective? I sure do! That's really good information to know; our Wyatt Ray occasionally gets really goopy eyes and now I'm wondering if there's too much chicken in his diet.
Good luck with the plan, we're so glad you told us about it. Keep us posted on how it's working.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Well Hunter, you certainly have a unique way of telling your Mom you're tired of chicken! It worked!:-)
Really interested in updates when you have time. I know it feels good to exhale!,
Sally and Happy Hannah
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
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