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[Sadie123]

OK, so the past 3 mornings Sadie has seemed to have improved, only to get worse throughout the day in regards to breathing. Her resting respiratory rate has been in between 30-40 every morning when she wakes up, only to increase to 60-80 and sometimes more throughout the day.  It's been causing me so much grief and anxiety.  I couldn''t figure out why she looks so good in the mornings and looks so bad at night.  I struggled with taking her in to put her down again last night.  I was so very close to doing it.  Her respiratory rate was over 80/min. and she couldn't rest well.   I even asked my son if he would be ok if I did that.  Then I asked Sadie.  She seemed so perky though.  I just couldn't stand to watch her breathe so fast.  I asked her if she wanted a treat and she was excited about it.  Her appetite has been enormous.  She even tried getting on the counter to get more food.  Rapid breathing and all.  She wanted more food.  So I decided to wait it out another night and see what the morning looked like. 

Well here's where the dummy part comes in.  Since her appetite has come back I've been feeding her everything and anything she would eat.  All day long we were stopping at the treat can, getting into the pantry for snacks, in addition to feeding her 3 meals a day.  Duh!!! If you overeat to the point where you're stuffed, you're stomach stays full and bloated, making breathing harder.  Not to mention the gas she's been having due to the change in diet.  But through the night she's not getting fed and wakes up with a lower respiratory rate.  I am soooooo stupid.  I was excited to have her want to eat after losing her appetite that I've been way overdoing it. 

Today we're cutting back.  Those big brown eyes begging me for more treats is going to be hard to resist, but it must be done.  Definitely a lesson learned. 

[benniesmom]

OH PLEASE don't call yourself a dummy!!! This is all SO hard to figure out. We're all struggling with it...... I bet all the people who have dealt with this have felt the same way. I sure have. Bennie has been getting way too high a fat diet. they can get pancreatitus from that... and with the bacon and chicken yesterday, I saw him through a night of an icko tummy.... and I, too, wanted to beat myself up for being a dope. but we just have to ease up on ourselves. We're doing so much and trying so hard...... And. good for you. you DID figure something out that really isn't that obvious. and i bet your answer will help.......Kepp us posted on this!!!

And Thinking good thoughts for Sadie.
B and B and Heather.....

[Sadie123]

Yeah, but I should have known better.  I know anatomy and physiology of the body, so I should have known. Why it took me so long to figure out is beyond me, maybe it was all the stress and just not thinking straight.  I thought for sure her anemia was getting worse or her lungs we getting worse.  One or the other, but I just couldn't figure out why her appetite remained so great. I thought that was one of the first and most common signs of a sick dog.  And that sparkle in her eyes - it just stayed there.  It never went away.  That's the only thing that kept me from putting her down last night. I begged God to tell me what to do, then I looked at her, she was so wide-eyed and alert, sitting on the floor in the kitchen waiting for me to give her another treat.  Which I did of course.  So I said to myself, wait just one more night.  This morning she's resting so well.  Breathing much easier.  That's when it hit me.  She get's her digestion completed throughout the night because I'm not stuffing her face anymore.

Everyone should learn from this.  When the dog gets their appetite back, don't over do it.  BTW Barb.....she absolutely loves the liver. 

[benniesmom]

Really glad you figured this out.....

[apope43]

Definitely not a dummy!!!  I would say it was a forest for the trees moment - we all hear 'keep them eating keep them eating' so much that we forget to monitor that too.  SO glad to hear that she's been alert though!!

One note for you - as with anything, use the liver in moderation.  Our vet said to get Izzy a half slice in the morning for a day or two to boost her levels, then taper down to a little bite or two with normal feeding should be enough to get her iron levels back up.  Apparently it's pretty easy to move into iron toxicity with these dogs -- I would think greyhounds would be even higher risk for that. 

Hope the adjustment back to a 'normal' diet goes well.  We're still trying to get there ourselves - it's so hard to deny them when you know they don't feel good!

[Sadie123]

Thanks for letting me know about the liver. I will  keep it in moderation.  She's only been getting a few bites as a treat anyways.  Definitely not making that her meal.  But I didn't know that you could actually give them to much.  So we've got just a little bit left and I will dose that out over several days. 

[jefndebbacon]

Have to resist those big, brown eyes if her appetite is back!  Difficult to do!  Hopefully, she is getting better if she is eating. I am praying for good results.  Hang in there. Hugs, Deb