Hey,

Just thought I would give you a wee post about Yogi. He's not been a well boy recently. After seeing the post about Billy, I can certainly relate!

Recently, Yogi had become quite lethargic, very skinny very quickly(although he hadnt lost his appetite) and developed a cough.

We took him to the vets who after doing urine and blood tests couldn't find a definite cause. He was weighed at the vets and he had lost just over 4kg in a very short space of time. The vet thought that he was showing all the symptoms of heartworm (the google images of this are pretty horrible - be warned!) Heartworm is more common in warmer countries where mosquitos bite the dogs and pass a parasite into their bloodstream. Apparantly, now in this country it can be passed on from common garden slugs and snails.

We started a treatment to cure the heartworm on Monday but unfortunately during the night and into Tuesday morning Yogi became quite unwell. His breathing was very laboured, he had a high tempature and was quite spaced out unable to do anything - his back legs were all wobbly and weak. He was rushed into the vets on Tuesday morning where he was kept in. It turned out, that as the 'anti-worm' medication kicked in and the worms started to die they were realising a chemical into his system which was starting to shut his body down and eventually would have killed him! While in the vets, they gave hima serious of injections and fought his tempature ith a mass of fans, they also sedated him so they could carry out further tests which included xrays and a 'lung wash' to collect cells. All the tests were sent off to the pathologist.

When the results of his 'wash' came back we had the good news that the worm larvae seemed to be gone but unfortunately due to the infection from the heart worm he now has Tracheal Bronchitis. After his wee trip to the vets, we got a poorly Yogi home with a serious dose of antibiotics and some asthma related steroid tablets.

The poor wee soul isnt allowed to do much, he is allowed no exercise or excitement until further notice because if his heart rate increases some of the 'dead' worms could dislodge and flow into his blood stream, which would be fatal.

The drugs seem to be working though and he, hopefully, is on the mend! Its been one stressfull and upsetting week for Dougie, myself and Nikki but hopefully the worst of it is now over and we just have to work on getting him back to full strength and getting some weight back on!

He is back into the vets again on Tuesday for another check up and further tests where hopefully we will get the near enough all clear.

Just a warning to other owners about how dangerous this heartworm can be - we always discourage our 2 from eating grass but in this case, it seems that Yogi managed to get some grass that either had slug/snail trail on it or he ate an actual snail/slug which he found quite tasty!!

He gave us quite a scare and were so glad that he is still here with us

Sorry to hear you've all been through this, but sounds like he's on the mend now. Here's hoping for a quick and full recovery.

Aw god what a shame poor Yogi (and poor all of the rest of you too) hope that he gets back to his usual lovely self soon!! Bambi sends her love to her big mate x

I'm so glad Yogi is on the mend.
On the American SPCA programs heartworm is a major problem with neglected dogs and is amongst the factors they take into consideration as to whether or not a dog is PTS. I think next time I'm in the vets I might ask about preventative treatment in the UK.
Thanks for posting about Yogi.

Hugs to Yogi,
Michele

Hi guys

Not good to hear

There are always a couple of slugs on the go in our garden and we are always very wary of trying to get rid of them so the dogs don't get them.

Fingers (and paws) crossed that the big man is on the mend.

Forth especially sends his best wishes to his buddy. I would say he sends Yogi a big hug but you know they aint like that, its more a nod of the head - 'get better soon dude'

Take care

What bad luck for poor Yogi, the chances of picking it up must be pretty slim, as mine eat lots of grass (mainly just the tips though) and I get loads of slugs and snails in the garden. I had never heard of this so thank you for the warning.
We all wish him well - and you too, as it must have been a very stressful time for you all.
I'm sure he'll enjoy the 'feeding up' bit once he's a bit better. Tell him to stick to the honey in future!

Laura & Dougie

We were saddened to hear about Yogi being so poorly.
When Billy was sick with his Pneumonia we thought it could not get much worse, Unfortunately for Yogi it can!

We know what you were going through with the high temperature and not drinking it is a worry, thank goodness for for vets you can trust!

The hounds seem to recover quicker than people do although they have to rehabilitate the same way.
Every thing had to be small (food portions) frequently, as much water as we could get Billy to drink at first it was Complan. When he was fit enough to go for a walk it was little walks gradually building them up (Still a bit to go yet) tiredness still sets in.

The vet has warned us it will take Months to get Billy's weight back to normal as he lost 3kg.

We will keep our paws and fingers crossed for Yogi that he makes a recovery although it will be slow.

Good Luck at the vets tomorrow

Cuddles to Nicki.

Email us if we can assist with anything that helped Billy it could help Yogi! JUST ASK!!!

George, Morag, Billy & lassie

Hi Laura and Dougie,
We're so sorry to hear about our big friend. We've seen the horrendous posters in the vet's of lungworm. We now look for snails ( especially hard backed ones ) and remove them from the dogs' area.
Give big Yogi a cuddle from us.
We're so happy that he seems to be over the worst.
Celia and Jimmy.

Thanks to everyone for your kind messages.

He is alot better today so we are hoping that we will have good news tomorrow!!

He is needing to get back in touch with his old friends(especially Forth & Bambi!)but unfortunately, due to our work commitments now we are rarely free so are unable to make the walks or help out at the kennels.


We are going to have to work on getting his weight back up and introducing him to exercise again - George and Morag what have you been doing with Billy for feeding? I will speak to the Vet tommorrow to see what they recommend to get his weight up. Most internet sites state a high protein diet but obviously this isnt suitable for Greys.

Hopefully, we will get a rare day off and be able to join you all at the walks or kennels soon, so Yogi can show us up with his terrible "must be at the front of the pack and make as much noise as possible" behavior!! The rest of the time he is the quietest dog and best walker you will ever meet until he gets in with Bambi at a GRF walk!!

Will update you again after the vets tomorrow night!

Laura

Laura,

Our Billy had not eaten for the best part of a week, Not sure if your Yogi was the same or not?

Our vet was more worried about keeping Billy hydrated so we were using a 5ml syringe to give him fluid when he was not drinking.

The first thing we got him to take was Complan (food suppliant). Then we managed a little 2% fat milk mixed with water and an egg in it.

We had to find food at first that would get his juices going, We were delighted when he ate a salmon fillet!!!

The vet suggested raw mince and bread (small portions) or chicken and rice. He also got scrambled egg. Even got bits off our piece of Brisket and the meat gravy.
Basically we were trying anything to try and get him to eat at first.
We then started to introduce his Greyhound Country Valu Kibble gradually 50grms to start with mixed with bread and the raw mince. Over a few days we managed to take out the bread and mince and went back on to the tinned dog meat.

We again gradually increased the kibble 50gms at a time. We were feeding Billy 3 smaller meals a day instead of 2 large ones. Billy is now eating 250 to 300gms of kibble per meal and he is enjoying his food again, So if he keeps eating like a horse his weight should go back on.

The vet thought getting him on to the kibble would be best for him as it has all the vitamins and properties that he needs to build him self up.

Hope this helps any other questions just ask!

Good luck at the Vet today!!

George,Morag, Billy & Lassie

Hi everyone,

After reading all the posts, I think there is a bit of confusion between Heartworm and Lungworm, two distinct infections. Although the slightly misleadingly named heartworm also (mainly) affects the Lung (the arteries within the lung).

Hi Laura,
How is our big pal Yogi now ?
Hope he is much better.
Celia and Jimmy.

Hi Celia and Jimmy,

I hope you are both well?

Yogi is so much better now! He is still on a course of steroids for the next few weeks but apart from that he looks and feels 100%

He is putting on weight and is starting to look a bit fatter although I think its the steroids that are doing that!!

He is back to full exercise and loving every walk, even in the rain - which isnt normally like him!

Laura x

Hi Laura,
That's brilliant news.
Give him a huge auntie and uncle cuddle.
Celia and Jimmy.