Houndmom

I was reading your note about the dental and saw your later post. I am so very sorry for your loss!!!! I wish there were words that would comfort you right now. sending lots of hugs and understanding

At least Whiskey was lucky enough to feel the love and kindness of humans when he needed them most. How sad that any creature has to endure what he went through and suffer so. I am thankful for those who reach out to others, and those who gave Whiskey a chance. Hugs to all of you....run free sweet Whiskey.

On Friday, May 29th, I had to say farewell to my beloved Merlin (aka One Headlight). His tumor had grown at least 5x the size since it was diagnosed at the end of March and due to his age,and location of the growth, there was no way I was going to subject him to surgery. My heart is broken right now and no matter how many times you go through this it is never easy to say goodbye. Merlin was a spooky boy who was in foster care for a while before coming to live with me. I have always had a laugh at his racing name, One Headlight, because he was a nutty guy who I swear had multiple personalities. Sometimes the light switch was on, sometimes it was off. He was the softest greyhound I have ever known with amazing bunny fur, soulful eyeliner eyes and a way about him that everyone loved. Regardless of his quirky nature he was an awesome companion, loving, gentle and entertaining in his own strange way. He never did anything wrong and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to have this wonderful greyhound in my life. In the photo he is the white greyhound. Willow has always been the mother hen of the group and she was definitely feeling the loss this weekend, along with knowing her mommy was so sad. I know they will be fine but I always make sure to be conscious of how a loss affects the other pets as well as myself. I know the sadness will pass with time and my choice was the right one for his quality of life as the affects of the cancer were really starting to manifest in him. My silly boy is now at peace and I have many fond memories of him. Farewell Merlin....mommy misses you very much. Marina (Willow and Trace)

I have not posted a thread yet as my heart is broken right now but I had to send Merlin to the bridge last night, May 29th. I will post soon

My vet also does the sedative before euthanasia. I am sorry you are preparing to face this, and most of us here know how tough that is. I had to say goodbye to Hayley in January and now Merlin’s time will be sooner than later as his tumor has grown 5 times the size it was in March. My vet practice is wonderful and certainly cater to the needs of the pet and their owners. They wouldn’t even consider letting me do any billing paperwork and said it was fine to come back the following week. Lots of hugs

Thank you all very much for your kind thoughts. I appreciate it and it helps!!! No, this was not what he called it and I will get the written diagnosis this week....wish I could remember it exactly. My vet is awesome, we have a great line of communication and is a great research vet. He is like 99% certain of what it is and I trust him completely. There is really no need for an OSU diagnosis

I got confirmation today that the growth on Merlin's leg is malignant. I noticed the lump about a week ago and it seemed to appear almost overnight. Other than the neuro issue he has surface from time to time Merlin has been a happy 13 year old with no signs of any other issues. The cancer is a particularly agressive kind that growns in the blood vessels of the legs, and is primarily found in larger breed dogs. Off the top of my head I can't remember the name the vet told me for the type of cancer but honestly, I don't much care about the name at the moment. Treatment is generally aggressive surgery to remove the affected area but even with surgery the prognosis is not very good for most dogs. If Merlin was young I would consider it of course but since he is 13 I would never subject him to surgery and other treatments. Since there is little that can be done, basically all there is left is to maintain his quality of life. This cancer grows quickly and I will be watching him carefully. If the growth abcesses or he injures it in any way treatment can be very difficult, especially where it is located on his leg. So, although I am not surprised at the diagnosis of cancer my heart is broken knowing that I will be saying farewell to my crazy and darling Merlin long before I was prepared to. Luckily the neuro issue has reduced feeling in the leg with the growth so at the moment he is not showing signs of being in any pain. Merlin has been with me since he was 5 and a half and has been a great companion. He is quite goofy and I swear has multiple personalities, but he never does anything wrong and is so loveable. I lost Butch last July and then my Hayley in January and although I know that having several senior hounds puts you in a position to face losses close to one another, it is never easy. I generally don't post stuff like this but I guess I am feeling very sad at the moment and just needed to put this diagnosis in words. Please keep Merlin in your thoughts. Our vet is absolutely wonderful and will be taking great care of Merlin as needed. thanks Marina....and Merlin

Last night I said goodbye to a very special gal, Hayley. Although her story is not a long one it is one with a very sad beginning. Thanks to the wonderful people with Monica's Heart, Hayley came into my life back in 2000. She was a classic superspook, emotionally and physically traumatized (this is an absolute), but with a look in her eye that touched your heart in many ways. Her adjustment period was long and at times stressful for all involved but we knew she belonged in our home and with plenty of love and patience Hayley learned to trust us. Although she was always the spook, time healed some of the emotional scars and she grew into a loving, silly, stubborn gal who never missed a thing and was the ever present watchdog in the house. I of course have some silly stories I could share but at the moment I am too sad and tired, and I fear that typing the words will just bring me to tears. But, I do have many wonderful memories of Hayley and although I knew that one day the physical trauma would catch up to her it ended up being much later than sooner so I have had a long and happy life with her in my home. I miss her terribly and my heart is heavy but I know she is at peace, and I am glad that I was with her as she drifted away peacefully in my arms. Farewell my Hayley.....you will always be with me. Mommy loves you Marina

Thank you everyone for your kind words. Butch was my 1st senior adoption and I am so thankful that he came into my life. He was such a joy and will never be forgotten. Jack.....thanks for posting that snippet about Butch's GUR. It was great to read, funny and I do remember that day very clearly. Bill...I remember when you adopted Susie. They sure do bring happiness and comfort to our hearts don't they. I hope Butch and Susie are running happy and free now. Hugs to all and many thanks!!!! Marina

Yesterday I had to say farewell to my beloved old guy, Butch (DV's Butch). My heart ached tremendously as I held him while he drifted off, leaving my world forever. But, I know it was the right thing to do for him and he will always have a place in my heart. Butch was a wonderful, silly, stubborn, easy going and loving greyhound. He came to me back in July 2004 after I saw his photo in a GT thread. Somehow I knew he was the senior I was looking for and thanks to many GTers and other greyhound, and non-grey, people Butch made the weekend journey from GPA Orlando, FL up the east coast to his true forever home here in NH. I was amazed at the way he touched the lives of all who came in contact with him during this GUR and thoroughly enjoyed recieving the updates and photos as each leg of his journey ended, and the new one began. Butch was an instant fit with my other 4 greyhounds, made himself at home and loved to greet all who came to "his" house, making sure that he got plenty of scritchies from everyone. I have to laugh when I think of him dancing for his food every day...and boy did he love to eat. He somehow decided that my pillow on the bed was his special place and no sooner would I move than he was up there flopped on the pillow, giving me the look as though to say don't even think about making me get off...ha. Not so sure I liked the eye boogers he occasionally left behind but heck, we love our dogs and cleaning eye boogies is a small price to pay for the joy he brought. So..I guess I have babbled on enough. My heart is heavy but I am at peace knowing he is free of any pain and misery from the cancer that was taking his life. I feel he is partly a Greytalk dog due to the circumstances in which he came to me so I wanted to share a little extra about who he was, and there was so much life in him to share. Thanks again to all who helped make him a part of my life. I will be forever grateful to you all Farewell my beloved Butch. I will miss you my angel. Marina

My friend called me today to let me know that Derby crossed the Bridge this afternoon. She was able to get Derby to Tuft's Vet clinic but it was a very tough trip and Derby wasn't doing so well. The vets there did what they could ,and did diagnose her with blood clots in the femural arteries. Unfortunately her condition did not afford them many options and even if they had tried the prognosis would not have been good for a quality life or a long term one. My friend decided that instead of having Derby suffer through more tests, pain and stress for no real future that the best thing she could do for her was to let her find her peace. Derby was a sassy, grouchy pain in the butt when around other dogs outside of her house but she was great with people and I will miss her. Please keep my friend in your thoughts. This has been a very tough weekend for her, and Derby was her first greyhound. Thanks for the help Marina

She is being given heparin but they are still having difficulty managing her pain without overloading her with drugs, which they do not want to do. My friend was not able to get an appointment at Tufts yesterday die to it being Patriots Day in Mass and they were closed. They wouldn't even make an appointment for today for her. Told her to call back the next day. I am impressed...NOT. Anyway, due to the storms power went out at the neuro clinic so they had to move all their patients to the e-vet clinic in the area so that was another added stress they did not want for her but they had no choice. As of last night she was ok but not much has changed other than they can manage her pain a little better. Hopefully my friend can get her over to Tufts today for the ultrasound. We knew this was the next step but have no idea where it goes from there. Thanks Keep your fingers crossed for her.

Has anyone had a greyhound that has suffered from arterial clots in the femural artery? My good friend's 9 year old greyhound started developing odd symptoms in her right rear leg a couple weeks back but nothing was found after a visit to their vet. Last Tuesday she started showing symptoms of being off balance and some possible muscle fatigue in her right rear leg, and weakness in the hip. This turned into significant pain by Friday with obvious back end weakness, most obvious in the right rear leg again, with little motor function. She was treated at the e-vet where they thought it was a neck/nerve issue as they saw some sensitivity in the neck area as well. She was sent home with pain meds and an anti-inflamatory meds. By Saturday night she was crying out every half hour and her mom called me at 8am Sunday asking for help to get to the vet's office. It has been a long time since I have seen any dog in this much pain, coupled with such immense stress. By the time we got her to their vet, and he did a thorough exam, she was screeching in pain and completely unable to settle down. This was really hard on her mom. After all was said and done the vet (yes, experienced with greyhounds) felt this was a neuro issue, possibly damaged discs. He got an emergency consult with a neuro vet but we had a two hour drive in really bad weather ahead of us to get there. After an initial exam the neuro vet also felt it may be a disc issue and the next step was the mielogram and then a CT scan. Four hours later they had found nothing with her spine, nothing in the spinal fluid and nothing in the brain. One thing both vets had observed was the lack of a pulse in the femoral arteries...in both legs, yet she was able to stand up a little and her limbs were not cold. So, we ended up having to leave her at the neuro vet as they felt she needed to obviously come out of the anesthesia but some on-site pain management and something to ease her stress level. She was also put on heparin. The neuro vet said if these are blood clots in both arteries the prognosis is not good but an ultrasound would be needed. Today she is still at the neuro vet's office and still in a great deal of pain, which they are trying to manage. They didn't want her moved yet but recommended the owner set up an appointment at Tufts for an ultrasound as the next step. Her owner is an absolute wreck and is a stress puppy to begin with so she isnt managing this too well. In all my years with greyhounds and dogs in general I have never encountered a blood clot issue such as this. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Oh Shawn.....I am so sorry. I know how much you loved that old fellow. Sending huge hugs. Marina