[maymay194]

It is only 7am , my vet opens @ 9am I am sitting here searching the net to see if I can figure out what is wrong with my Elvis.
I noticed last night he wouldn't jump on my couch anymore, he was eating fine. Then early this morning I woke up and was rubbing his tummy and noticed a lump by his chest cavity, I was rubbing softly & he wimpered and scared the hell outta me. I am taking him to the vet this morning but I am so worried for him. Any ideas what is wrong with my baby. Well he is around 10 but still my baby.

Thank you

 

[Maggie Sues Dad]

The vets where I am have emergency numbers. We call the office number and a recording has the number to call or auto page to the vet on call. Our prayers are with you and Elvis!

 

[sadeyes2]

My guy has several lumps on his chest area. Vet says fatty lumps and added that the important thing is that they can be moved. As he is ten, maybe that the couch thing is arthritis or maybe just injured himself at some point. Let us know how it goes at the vets.

 

[maymay194]

Well I am back from the vet. Found out alot! She gave him xrays, Turns out Elvis has lipoma that is what the lump on his chest is. And I forgot the "term" she used but his spine vertibraes have bone growing in between them which is causing him pain. She gave him muscle relaxers and pain pills. Then he has a bladder stone & urinary tract infection and gave him a antibiotic. And special dog food in hopes that the bladder stone will go away but said with the type he has more than likely will have to have surgery to remove the stone {which can be around $1000.} I pray to god the special dog food gets rid of it because that is very expensive. Today cost me over $400
But alas I know where we are with my ole man Elvis.

What is the life expectancy on basset hounds?

Thanks everyone

 

[sadeyes2]

Glad it's just fatty lumps. You may find he gets several more. Sorry about the spine, but at least now that he has medication he will be pain free. Hopefully the stones will pass naturally.


As for how long they live, it's something that I put to the back of my mind. Have heard of ones that have lived to 15, but I think they are the exception rather than the rule.

 

[maymay194]

My husband wanted me to ask the expectancy. We do love our Elvis & will pay whatever it takes to keep him healthy. I know that sounded random @ the time.
I am having a problem with him wanting to eat the Hills s/d food

any suggestions

 

[maymay194]

Oh no! I just read this about my Elvis back problem
Spondylosis Deformans in Dogs | eHow.com
has anyone dealt with this before

 

[vonny01]

I had a Beagle with this and he lived pain free for another four years after diagnosis.
He was diagnosed aged 10 and it did take several weeks to get his pain under control but once we did he was fine.
He had Metacam and remained on it for the rest of his life,but only a very low dose.
He was PTS this year from an unrelated Tumour.

 

[brandiw]

Oh no! I just read this about my Elvis back problem
Spondylosis Deformans in Dogs | eHow.com
has anyone dealt with this before

My lab/beagle mix, Heather, has spondylosis though hers is primarily in the vertebrae along the base of the tail. She isn't that old, she is around 7 (not exactly sure, rescue dog), so right now we just deal with flare-ups rather than constant meds. Most times she isn't in pain, but when the area gets inflamed we give her metacam and some sort of NSAID.

 

[Mikey T]

I am having a problem with him wanting to eat the Hills s/d food any suggestions

Only struvite stones are disolvable with a special diet. Thes stones usually form in encased in them so as they disolve they can create an infection so it is general recommend to put the dog on periodic antibiotics while disolving stones. The diet is rather unpalatable to dogs. It just is the case but to do anything to make it more appealing destroys the balance necessary to disolve the stones so you really can't do anything to make it, more appealing but ussual if a basset is hungry enough it will eat most anything you just need to have patience and wait the dog out

Struvite Bladder Stones

Dietary dissolution of the stone is possible with struvite bladder stones. A special food called S/D Diet® is made by Hills for the specific purpose of dissolving struvite stones; Royal Canin makes a diet called Urinary SO. The therapeutic diet must be the only food fed until the stone is dissolved. Antibiotics are needed as long as stones are present in the bladder (bacteria are encrusted within the stone and as the stone dissolves, they are released). On the average, three and a half months are needed to dissolve the stone but the diet should be continued for a full month after the stones are no longer visible on radiographs because small stones may be present but not large enough to see. Radiographs are taken monthly to monitor progress. S/D Diet is not meant to be continued as a regular diet after the stone has been dissolved; Hills recommends not feeding S/D diet any longer than 6 months. Royal Canin SO, however, is fine for unlimited use. If a dry food is used, ideally water should be added to it; the extra water helps keep the urinary crystals diluted and able to dissolve.
Aside from the long treatment time, an important disadvantage of this approach is the possibility of urinary tract obstruction as the stone gets smaller and an unsuccessful attempt to pass the stone occurs. This is potentially a life-threatening hazard for male dogs as they possess the narrow urethra.

S/D diet is very high in fat and high in salt. It should not be fed to patients with a past or current history of pancreatitis, patients with heart disease, kidney insufficiency, or high blood pressure.

 

[Mikey T]

Most medical text on spondylosis says it is non-painfull in dogs I have not found that the case. But the pain general is not so strong that it can not be managed with nsaids that are typical for treating arthritis in dogs. I had one basset diagnosed with it at 10 and lived over the age of 16 and was moble without much discomfort until within a days of her death,