Pneumonia is serious and life-threatening condition in Irish Wolfhounds.  Immediate treatment is recommended.

About Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an illness characterized by an inflammation of the lungs.  The illness has a number of possible origins including bacterial, parasitic or viral infection.  Pneumonia can often result from exposure to other ailments.  For example, Wolfhounds exposed to kennel cough or the distemper virus may, in some cases, develop pneumonia.   These factors don't have to be present.  A Wolfhound can develop pneumonia from other sources.  in Wolfhounds the cause may be idiopathic, that is unknown, and studies are underway to determine how otherwise healthy animals of this breed develop this illness: a point that should be discussed with the attending veterinarian.

All drugs have side effects.  These side effects, adverse events if serious enough, aren't necessarily identical for each person.  When it comes to dogs, there is variety among different breeds.  Wolfhounds have quirks and there are some drugs that should, if possible, be avoided.  Listed below is information taken from various breeders about drugs that might trigger adverse events in the Irish Wolfhound.  As always, it's important–actually critical–to follow the advice of your informed veterinarian.  This list should be viewed as something for information only–a starting point for discussion.

Lactated Ringer's Solution is an ionic solution of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride and lactate that is isotonic (is similar in its ionic strength) with blood.  The solution is administered subcutaneously to irish Wolfhounds, particularly those that are suffering from renal failure.

Following his visit to get a teeth cleaning yesterday, Louie now gets his teeth brushed at home.  The product that's used is a Petrodex Finger Toothbrush.  There's a picture of the package on the left.

Normally, Louie would be given raw bones on which to chew.  Raw bones are good for keeping the teeth of an Irish Wolfhound clean.  However, since he's in advanced renal failure, Louie is on a low protein diet, so no bones for him.  He's also never been a big fan of Nylabones: those inert bones that take ages to grind down.  Lír was content to chew on the things for hours.  Rowdy had an old worn out Nylabone that she loved; she'd chew on that one for about thirty minues a day.  Louie couldn't be bothered with the things.  He's a bit of a lazy dog; Nylabones probably seemed like too much work with no immediate reward.  An alternate solution to teeth cleaning was needed.

In the past, attempts were made to use a normal canine toothbrush with Louie.  It's tough.  It takes a while to get the dog used to the thing.  It's also difficult to get into the back teeth, particularly on the lingual surfaces.

The Petrodex Finger Toothbrush is much better.  You simply put the Toothbrush over the forefinger, apply canine toothpaste, then gently clean the teeth.  I can't speak for other breeds, but it's really very easy to use this product on an Irish Wolfhound.  Canine toothpaste is specially flavored; dogs like it.  I wouldn't try to use regular, human toothpaste.

By the way, the Petrodex Finger Toothbrushes is available at PetsMart.  I also found them, at a more competitive price, on www.amazon.com.  The Amazon price was about half of what PetsMart charged.  The only drawback to using Amazon is that, even if you have signed up for free shipping, the company does tack on a $5.00 fee to shipments of the Finger Toothbrush.  So, if you're going to use a lot of the, I'd order them all at once!

Louie went for his first teeth cleaning today; he was overdue, but other health issues took priority.  He has gingival hyperplasia, so the teeth cleaning took longer than the usual 20 to 30 minutes: Louie's session took an hour and a half.  His teeth now look good.  The technicians remove a lot of plaque.  His teeth are now clean and pearly white once again.  His next cleaning appointment is in December.

Louie's weight today was 159.6 pounds.

Gingival Hyperplasia or Gingival Enlargement is an increase in size of the gingiva (the gums).   The enlargement can occur for a variety of reasons but the most common reason is chronic inflammation.   This type of enlargement occurs when the gingiva or gums are exposed to bacterial plaque.  The gums can enlarge to the extent that they completely cover the teeth, particularly the front teeth in the lower jaw. Around 80% of dogs older than about five years of age have some kind of periodontal problem.

Louie paid a visit to Rose City Veterinary Hospital in Pasadena on August 29 for an afternoon appointment with Dr. Bonney.  He has another appointment on Tuesday, September 2 for non-anesthetic teeth cleaning.  In anticipation of that visit, he was put on antibiotics to counteract any problems that the scaling of plaque might trigger.

Louie suffered from a mild ear infection, most likely due to yeast in the canal.  His ear was flushed and Mometamax drops were prescribed; these will be administered once daily, with six to eight drops per administration.

Louie also needed to have his posterior shaved!  He doesn't keep himself clean there any more, so shaving was required.  He had developed a slight infection, so Amoxicillin was prescribed.  This antibiotic is for his raw butt and also to clear up any problems with plaque when he is treated on Monday.

Louie's degenerative myelopathy is improved.  Dr. Bonney commented that he was holding his hind legs up in a way that she had never seen before; he didn't slouch.  His heart rate also sound much better than before.

A decision was made to take Louie off Ascriptin.  TLC Pet Hospital suggested that Louie take one tablet of Ascriptiin each day to help fight blood clots.  Louie apparently suffered clotting on the lungs on December 26 as evidenced by, among other things, cyanosis when admitted to the emergency room.  Ascriptin, a buffered Aspirin, can be harsh on dogs particularly Wolfhounds.  Given that Louie appears to be stable, it was decided that he no longer needs this drug.

A sample of blood was drawn to measure Louie's creatinine level.  It was stable.  So his once daily flush of 500 mil of Ringer's Lactate Solution will continue.

Louie is a pharmacist's dream dog in that he now receives 19 tablets each day.  His weight on Friday was stable at 161.4 pounds (73.4 kg) and his temperature was 101.5 °F.  For a Wolfhound of eight years and three months, he continues to be in good health.

Laurel Pet Hospital is located on Santa Monica Boulevard in the eastern end of West Hollywood.  The veterinarians in the practice have experience with a variety of breeds including the Irish Wolfhound.

Rose City Veterinary Hospital is located in the eastern end of Pasadena, CA.  Dr. Shalean Bonney, owner of Great Danes herself, has extensive experience with the breed.  Around a half dozen Wolfhound owners—12 to 15 dogs—frequent the practice.

Louie has enrolled in the at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology for an important research program in Degenerative Myelopathy (DM).  Well, not quite.  He will have a blood sample drawn which will be sent in for study.  The research goal is to determine a possible genetic link with the disease.  Louie was diagosed with DM in early 2007.  The ailment is more closely associated with breeds like the German Shepherd and isn't that common in the Irish Wolfhound, so having a sample from an Irish Wolfhound is a help to the study.

You can read more about the study for Degenerative Myelopathy and a host of other genetic diseases at www.dogDNA.org.