dogs lost all back muscle

[doris 6]

Known as Acidosis or rhabdomyolysis. . . . .

 

Acidosis Alert

By Dr Heather Burton – Vetsearch International

 

 

Acidosis or exertional rhabdomyolisis is a condition that can occur in healthy athletes as well as in the greyhound.

We have probably all seen greyhounds that exhibit distress and pain in their muscles, particularly along the back and over the hindquarters. These muscle groups may appear swollen and tense and the dog finds it painful to change position and move around. Muscle protein may leak from muscles into the urine giving it a red-brown appearance. Is this condition a disease or just a reflection of an unfit dog? There are a number of factors that can contribute to a greyhound developing acidosis and they can be divided into 2 groups, managerial factors and environmental factors.

1. Managerial Factors are things like a lack of physical fitness or a greyhound that becomes very tense and excitable prior to running.

2. Environmental factors are things such as humid weather when a dog is travelling or during pre-race kennelling.

A dog does not have to be unfit to develop acidosis. If a fit dog is raced or trained excessively it can also develop acidosis.

Acidosis can be divided into 3 categories depending on the symptoms seen.

Hyperacute Acidosis – this form tends to be seen after an unfit dog is raced or trialed. When an unfit greyhound is subjected to excessive fast work there is an enormous production of lactic acid in the muscles. The intracellular buffers in the muscle cell are unable to neutralise such a large amount of lactic acid and acidosis develops. In this situation the dog needs to be treated with intravenous fluids and electrolytes by a veterinarian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acute Acidosis – this form also follows a race or trial. Greyhounds that are either highly-strung or tense or racing under hot and humid climatic conditions can develop acute acidosis. These greyhounds spend a lot of time barking and panting and this can lead to loss of the electrolytes that buffer (neutralise) lactic acid. The greyhound is primarily a non-sweating animal and when the environmental conditions are hot and humid it has an increased difficulty in getting rid of heat. A veterinarian should also treat acute acidosis.

Subacute Acidosis - it is thought that this form of acidosis is due to a deficiency in potassium that can develop in greyhounds that are trialing or racing too frequently. The immediate treatment of subacute acidosis is aimed at minimising any damage to the kidney from the myoglobin in the urine. It is also important to keep the urine alkaline. For this you can use Neutradex This is a special formulation of buffering salts designed for use after racing to flush the system and aid recovery. Anabolic steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs can be used as necessary to aid recovery. These dogs should also be trialed or raced less frequently.

[sandymere 8,261]

Rhabdomyolysis is a medical disorder that harms the kidneys. The disease results from the toxicity of destroyed muscle cells RATHER THAN LACTIC ACID. An pigment that contains Iron, called myoglobin that exists in skeletal muscle enters the bloodstream after the muscle suffers damage. This muscle damage has many causes, being the result of a traumatic injury (it was discovered when treating crush victoms during the blitz), viral infections or may result from a toxic reaction to drugs or extreme exercise especially if dehyrated.

The kidneys have difficulty filtering the myoglobin out of the bloodstream, because it blocks the structures within the kidney, which can result in serious kidney damage or kidney failure. Additionally, the dead skeletal muscle can cause large shifts in fluid from the bloodstream into the muscle, which reduces the relative fluid volume of the body and can lead to shock and reduced blood flow to the kidneys.

[bullmastiff 610]

Some great advice and info supplied, Thank you. Good on ya Smashy for your hands up honesty so it seems I the same as others had not heard of this, I will defineatly be taking heed of this and learning from other peoples mistakes.

I hope your dog recovers soon and is back to their normal self.

 

Thank You again,

 

Luke.