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  1. #1
    Puppy lyvettely's Avatar
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    Advice after opting out of LP surgery

    Hi there!

    I'm new to this forum also and only joined because of my pup Sarge. He is a 12 yr. old chocolate lab. His LP was confirmed a few months ago. His older brother Champ (4 yrs older) also had LP and died when he was 14 yrs. old. For Sarge I decided not to do the surgery since I felt there was more risk due to his age. I am determined to do as much as I can to manage his condition but my anxiousness does increase especially when the summer months roll along. For both my dogs I switched them to a raw diet. Sarge was 6 yrs. old and Champ was 9 yrs. old. I truly feel that this switch has only benefited my dogs, especially with the LP diagnosis. Other ways I try to keep my pup cool are cool showers, turning on fans, rubbing ice behind ears and other warm spots, etc...
    My question is for other dog owners who have opted to forgo the surgery, what other management tips can you give?


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  2. #2
    Senior Dog
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    The main thing is to keep them cool and calm, like it sounds as if you are doing. The only other thing I would suggest is no more collars as you don’t want anything that puts pressure on the neck. Use a harness instead.

    A couple of our seniors have had mild cases of this; we never opted for surgery and it never became a big problem for them.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  3. #3
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    good post. Rocky has LP and managing it this winter was one thing (diagnosed in January)...i am dreading summer. So will need some calming techniques. We have a cooling bed, coolest vest, lots of fans. We're likely going to sleep on the ground level floor (I live in a walk up- bedroom on the third floor and the ground floor is what I consider my "basement") as it's easier to keep cool.

    I am unlikely to do surgery unless it became life or death. He turned 13 Friday.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tanya View Post
    He turned 13 Friday.
    Happy birthday Rocky!


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  5. #5
    Senior Dog labsnewfy's Avatar
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    We elevated Tootsie's food dish, only used a harness and gave her a dose of benedryl especially when it was hot and humid. Kept her cool and calm as you are already doing for Sarge.
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    Coleman - CGC blk lab 6/02/97-2/25/08 adopted
    Tootsie - choc lab 10/19/99-8/03/13 adopted
    Bailey - CGC newf/fc 7/12/00-07/15/14 rescued
    Ginger - BT 11/16/05 - 10/14/19 rescued
    Sarah - blk lab 6/22/06 - 12/30/19 rescued
    rescued felines - AJ - 8/00 - 1/11, Merlin - 5/20/05-8/23/21
    Tucker - 8/3/10, Penny - 7/7/13, Toby - 6/14/21

  6. #6
    Puppy lyvettely's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the responses!

    I'm curious about the Benadryl. I have heard mixed messages from people over the years about this. So it's ok for dogs? I'm assuming it allows for drowsiness and calmness.
    I will definitely check with my his vet but Benadryl would be awesome! Sarge is not a calm dog. He gets anxious and excited, the complete opposite of his brother Champ who was so easy going.



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  7. #7
    Puppy lyvettely's Avatar
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    To Tanya/others:
    It was mentioned that cooling vests exist. I've never heard of them before. What brand actually works and for how long? Thank you for any advice in advance! :-)


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  8. #8
    Senior Dog
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    Cooling vests....for when you're outside....come in different varieties. Some actually hold icepacks.

    The ones I use are Chilly Buddy vests. They are a reflective mesh that you can hold under cold water for when it's really hot out (there's a mesh liner that holds the water until it evaporates). The dogs do not get wet from the vests if you use water. These are meant to reflect heat waves (not just sun rays) and can be used at night or on cloudy days. If there's direct sun or the humidity is low, using water on them will kick in the evaporative feature that sucks dog heat away with the water evaporation.

    I usually just use them dry since our walks are fairly short nowadays.

    The "sport" version tends to stay in place better on long walks or for an active dog but the regular/casual version works just fine (what we use).

    Cooling

    The link gives you sizing instruction and store locator. I've always bought ours online but there are retail stores, too, that carry them (none in our immediate area).

  9. #9
    Senior Dog labsnewfy's Avatar
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    I believe they have new meds out for LP that does the same thing benedryl does but forget the name, your vet might know. It wasn't so much the calming part that worked for Tootsie but the way benedryl (antihistamine) helped her breathe easier.
    Hidden Content

    Coleman - CGC blk lab 6/02/97-2/25/08 adopted
    Tootsie - choc lab 10/19/99-8/03/13 adopted
    Bailey - CGC newf/fc 7/12/00-07/15/14 rescued
    Ginger - BT 11/16/05 - 10/14/19 rescued
    Sarah - blk lab 6/22/06 - 12/30/19 rescued
    rescued felines - AJ - 8/00 - 1/11, Merlin - 5/20/05-8/23/21
    Tucker - 8/3/10, Penny - 7/7/13, Toby - 6/14/21

  10. #10
    Senior Dog
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    Quote Originally Posted by labsnewfy View Post
    I believe they have new meds out for LP that does the same thing benedryl does but forget the name, your vet might know. It wasn't so much the calming part that worked for Tootsie but the way benedryl (antihistamine) helped her breathe easier.
    There’s a drug named Doxepin which is actually an anti-depressant that can be used for LP dogs. Not sure how effective it is but might be worth researching.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

    Hidden Content

 



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