HJsM

Sympathy to you and yours.

A sweetheart. I am so sorry for your loss .

Thank you everybody. I am sitting here without sleep for the moment REALLY missing her and wondering how I can be "jolly" for Christmas with my family (my niece and nephew were very partial to her and they are going to have a lot of questions that I hope I don't burst into tears having to answer). I know there are reasons for things (usually). I'm still not at the acceptance stage. Going to be a while.

I'm so very sorry. It's been a busy week at the Rainbow Bridge. I wish it wasn't so...

Bea passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly Wednesday evening. The best the e-vet could determine is that it may have been a tumor that ruptured. She had had no problems or symptoms and, in fact, was playing and running, the night before. She woke up not wanting her breakfast, so I knew she was a little off, but nothing else that would lead me to believe she was going to collapse that evening at 8:15pm. We lost her around 9pm on the way to the e-vet. I estimate Bea was 6 or 7 but I don't know for sure since her tattoos had been written over and then obliterated. She spent the first 2 years of her life doing amateur rabbit coursing on the plains of West Texas. Her owner turned her and 2 others over to GPA when they started slowing down a little. Bea was heartworm positive so she got treated for that and then was adopted. The first adopter returned her when she was moving overseas. Bea was then in and out of several foster homes. It was also determined at that point that she was EXTREMELY small dog aggressive - making it hard to match her to certain homes. She was with me as a foster for about 3 months and I brought her back because I was getting too attached and I definitely could not have three dogs at the time. I loved having her as a foster and she fit in with Howie and Raisin perfectly even back then. Finally, she found a home along with another female greyhound. After getting out of the yard at this home probably 4 different times and almost getting hit by cars on those occasions, the couple divorced and she was brought back to GPA. I took her home that very day, remembering how much I had loved her as my foster, and she never left. Raisin passed on in July and the timing was "right" and she had already been with us three months so it was just like she never had ever been anywhere else but with us and that she had ALWAYS been my dog. It was meant to be...completely (Plus, I FINALLY got the red and white greyhound I had ALWAYS wanted). And she was house perfect..and I do mean totally house perfect. A dream dog. I worked with her extensively on the small dog issue which was still her Achilles' heel, and we were JUST able to have an Italian Greyhound foster last month. She had become SO tolerant, that I have a beautiful photo of her and Chance snuggling on the couch. I was so so so proud of her. And she was VERY scary with the small dogs prior to coming back to live with me so this was no small feat. Not only that but she was a perfect meet and greet dog, LOVED LOVED LOVED children and charmed everyone that came near her. On Monday, she came to a Barnes & Noble meet and greet with me and got many bills "just because she is so pretty". Many parents would say "my kid was scared of dogs before they met this one" about Bea. She was that magical with the kids. And, yes, so pretty. I think I was more vain than I should have been about how pretty she was but she also loved to wear her coat and have me put pink collars and pajamas on her and even liked to have her toenails painted :-). Quite the girly girl. I could go on and on about what a wonderful dog she was. Right now, I am trying to let this sink in. As everyone knows, it is very hard. Where I wanted to look at pictures of Raisin right after she passed, I am having a harder time looking at Bea's pictures (though I am about to include some in this post just because I loved her so much and was so proud of her). Also, fixing dinners....such a small thing..it's just been absolute TORTURE the last few days to only see 2 bowls instead of three to fill. Lots of little things, like..her bed..her blanket..how much she liked her crate..all her favorite stuffies sitting abandoned...that nobody takes a stuffie out into the yard every day. Dozens and dozens of things that are just so out of place and strange with her gone. My boys are ok, but a little lost without her too. They are bumping into each other and just not sure how to "do it" as two. They have been looking for her and not finding her and every night I see Bull doing a "head count" as we come in from the yard and being a little confused as to why it is just him and Howie. I am on one hand glad I did not have to watch her go in a long and painful way, but still feeling cheated that I only got her back for 1 year and 7 months. Just not long enough. It never is no matter what, though. Fly to the Bridge, Super Bea, and I know Raisin and other friends were there to meet you.

Good thoughts and prayers. Check for corns. Sometimes they start SMALL and you can't really see them that good, but they HURT!

It is ok for you to feel what you feel about it for as long as you need to. Remember to focus on the dogs at home, however. They need you to be in the NOW with them. We never forget the animals we love, but it does become easier as time passes to think of the good and not blame yourself or second guess (have that t-shirt, but I wear it a lot less...you will too).

Get a body pillow and train him to sleep on the other side of it from you. This is what I did when I discovered my "bed dog" had sleep aggression. It works like a charm and allows you "your side" and the dog "their side". Any growly or snappy stuff is greeted with "GET DOWN!" in voice of God. And I mean it, but the body pillow is a wonderful way to get them to "share"/. You can arrange it so that they have to stay at the END of the bed too, if you want to.

Bull was retired at the very 11th hour of his 5th year. His teeth are great, he's in awesome condition, and does have a corn but that is par for some greyhounds and has naught to do with his career. Go for the one you connect with.

Lauri was a lot of fun here on GT. I talked to her about her running and some other things from time to time. I am very sad.

Thank you. Yes. And I swear if I get one more email from the Buffalo Rescue or the Two Headed Toad rescue or the Bohemian Frog-Lipped Poodle rescue or any NON greyhound group that assumes that nobody in greyhound adoption knows about this, I will quietly, quietly scream - since I know they mean well.

Hi Ed! Give Gus a big kiss from all of us here in Houston. Kind regards from Lynn, Howie, Bull and Bea

Both of my boys have a Therapaw for their "corn foot" (that sounds weird. heh!) and they work great. They stay on and I can tell it makes walking on hard surfaces MUCH easier for them.

I'm so very sorry. Her sister, JIT Real Queen (Queenie) was the beloved foster dog of a friend of mine (after coming from being a brood on the farm for a while) and she might have ended up adopting her. Queenie passed on during a dental unfortunately. So very sweet....as was CC, I am sure. edit: Brothers Cool and Gone are also in the same home and sweethearts. This was a large litter.

:f_red :f_red

I'm so very sorry..

I am totally confused reading this thread and obviously need to do more reading about this, but every time I take a male greyhound from our group to get neutered, they STILL have visible "testicles" when they get back. A month to a few months later, they are completely gone (I'm assuming when the testosterone levels go down as a result of the neuter). I definitely need to educate myself on this because I had no idea they took anything out. I always assumed the lack of hormones shrunk the sacs naturally. The only time our vets need to take something out is when the dog is crypt orchid. And that is a non-descended testicle and very much like a spay.

Raisin, as I think I have told you, had a moveable lump under her armpit. It did turn out to be an enlarged lymph node due to RMSF (Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever). I had it removed to be on the safew side. Yes, I think I would have it removed if you can afford it and if he can tolerate the anesthesia ok and just feel more assured. PLUS let the vet send blood to Protatek. That is my unqualified thoughts on this. Further, I send prayers and good thoughts to Phoenix.

Raisin didn't do well on tramadol, either. She also did not do well on most of the other pain regulators and there was only really one antibiotic I could ever give her that did not cause problems. Maybe she was just sensitive to all meds, I do not know at this point. If he seems comfortable enough, you are not doing anything wrong by NOT giving it to him. Sometimes it is a good idea not dose too much because then the pain is not "masked" and they will lay down and rest which is what they need to do in the first place to heal.

I was going to chime in waht Diane said. You have to look at BUN + Creatinine + (I was told by our shop vet) + urinalysis details in combination.