queenwinniesmom

I'm so sorry you lost your precious girl. It does sound like the two of you were meant to be together.

Oh, yeah, Kim, those are tapeworm segments. If you think those are gross, you should see the actual adult tapeworm. It looks almost like a tapemeasure, hence the name, I guess. I was going to tell you about a lovely experience I once had with an adult tape and one of my cats, but I think nothing would be accomplished by grossing everyone out. I'll just let you think of your own visual! And yes, the hookworms are as fine as a hair. And the roundworms (which most puppies have) look like spagetti! I guess I'm determined to gross someone out---sorry. It's just that I worked for a vet for 10 years, and an animal shelter for 20, so not much fazes me. You have to get rid of the fleas to get rid of the tapes, because if there are any fleas left and she ingests one, that will start the tapeworm cycle all over again. But that's all it takes. That, and some Droncit. Good luck!

Sending prayers to your sweet girl.

I was just on the site, but the pictures are all of the old place in Shaler. I'm interested in seeing the new one. But one thing I can tell you for sure: they will be expensive!!!

Oh, no! Your sweet old man was just being abused by that mean bunny. So hard to believe you've lost him. The suddenness makes that loss even more difficult, so I can't imagine the pain you are feeling now. What a lovely, elegant (though he might not have known it) old gentleman he was. I'm so, so sorry. Sending hugs to you and his family. Dee did such a beautiful siggie for you. She's so sweet, isn't she?

You're right, she will heal a little more each day. Sometimes the body is weaker than their strong and resilient spirits, so we have to be patient. The ups and downs at this stage of the journey are more upsetting because we can't help but wonder if we did the right thing. It's normal for you to feel like that because you love her so much, but please know you did make the right decision. She wants to be here. I'm so glad you posted her picture. Now we can picture her beautiful face when we remember her in our prayers.

Oh, I'm so sorry. I know how hard your decision was, but it was made out of love for your precious girl. Now free of pain, she knew she was loved till the very end.

I'm thrilled that they have opened where they are too. Working at Animal Friends shelter, it's good to know that this facility is now less than 1/2 a mile away! They are going to have an open house soon---I think it's July 12, but I'll have to make sure. Everyone can tour, and see just what the excitement is all about. Co-workers who have seen it say it is amazing. Hope Goldie's appointment goes well.

Ah, the sweet old man...so glad he's feeling more like himself, or even like himself in younger days. You are exactly right---celebrate these good times. They are yours and his to treasure.

She's as good as new!

Oh, Kristin, hugs to you and Bonnie. It's bad enough to be worrying about her when you are right there with her, but to do it long distance is especially hard. I hope you hear something one way or the other, and this is a minor setback. Bonnie, be safe, be well, lymphnodes be small! Bonnie, be safe, be well, lymphnodes be small!

It's hard to find words, or make sense of such a tragedy. What a terrible loss.

She is SO beautiful! Hope the T-shirt works for her. Those E collars are no fun. She seems to be adjusting really well---coming when the fridge door opens is a good sign. Sending lots of healing thoughts.

Bumping this up for Design's Mom, so she can see the other posts and the link about how artemisinin works.

I'd be interested in knowing this too. I give it to my 2 older girls, but just give them the supplement that I take, once a day. It's 1,500 mg glucosamine, 1,200 mg chondroitin. Is that enough? I don't know if it's making a difference, but it's sure helped me!

How old was Winnie when she had her surgery? Did you do chemo? What is artemisinin? Thanks. First of all, I'm so glad your sweet girl is home! You see, she is not worried about that missing leg, she wants to be with the people she loves. Yes, these first few days (and maybe longer) will be rough. But they will pass. She will continue to adjust---and so will you. Winnie was 8 1/2 when she had the surgery. After much consideration, we decided not to do chemo. I guess the reasons were mostly personal, and probably not what a vet would recommend, but it was what we felt in our hearts was the best way we could try to make her life as normal as possible. We had lost our Patsy to lymphoma 3 treatments into the chemo. The last months of her life revolved around the chemo---the vet trips, the bloodwork and delays if it was not right, our hopes up and down. It was probably August when she got sick, September when diagnosed, October when her spleen was removed, November when we started chemo, and December when we had to let her go. But like I've said (probably too much), cancer is a crapshoot. I decided that with Winnie, I'd try a different route. And that was going with the natural supplements and diet change. And for whatever reason (crapshoot?), it worked. Though we didn't do chest X-rays, I believe she was truly in remission. I see that you've gotten a link for the artemisinin group. That's good. There is another recent thread you can look for here about artemisinin. I posted that link there too, as well as a link to the website explaining about how it works. See if you can find that---or I'll post so it bumps up for you. And of course, please, please come here to talk, question, vent, share not-so-good news, and hopefully, good news. And give the girl a gentle hug.

I'm sitting here at work with tears in my eyes. Glynis had told me some time ago what an inspiration Winnie was to her, but right now, it really helps to hear that again. I think I've missed some of this thread (as well as many others) because I haven't been online as much. My best friend is dying of cancer---it hurts just to type those words, it makes it too damn real. So Winslow---now you are MY inspiration! Thank-you to Diane for bringing us his story, thanks always to Glynis, who is an angel, and of course, much hugs and love to the boy, forever amazing, who always makes us smile. This may have been the first time Glynis saw Winnie--Dewey in Oct., after her amputation in June 2004. She pulled me all over Dewey that year, and for 2 years after that. Didn't mean to hijack this wonderful thread---just wanted to say thanks!

Here's the link to that artemisinin site I posted about last night. I think it's helpful in explaining how it works. Visit My Website

Oh, yeah, solid poop is a thing to discuss and celebrate! Especially when it comes after days and days of the alternative. I've been thinking about Bodie and you, and hoping he was doing better. This is good news. I think it's safe to say you can talk about his poop any time you want to.

I'm so glad you decided to move quickly, and REALLY glad the surgery went well. I have to say---this will be a stressful time. You may have doubts about why you put her through this, it may break your heart to look at her and be truly certain you did the right thing. For the many here who have made the same decision---we know how you feel! Don't second guess yourself. You did what you did because you love her. Like you, my biggest fear for Winnie was that her leg would shatter. At that point, you must make an immediate decision to amputate or put her to sleep, and I couldn't bear that thought. Even though it's such a drastic change, the surgery is really not complex. It's mostly soft tissue trauma, and a large incision. There will be swelling, bruising, some seepage---all that will pass, probably faster than you expect. The first few days are the hardest. She will be ridding her system of the anesthesia, as well as adjusting and reacting to the pain meds. That can cause reactions that may scare you, like panting, restlessness, but that's temporary. Just remember, This too will pass. I always expected the worst, figuring that if it was better than I expected, that was a bonus. I was lucky. Winnie had few problems adjusting, and I was in awe every day of her calm determination. These Greys are often pretty darn stoic. There are some drama queens among them, but mostly, they do what they need to do. You can help her, of course, mostly by continuing to do what YOU need to do---making her feel safe and loved. I cried a lot, but I tried not to let Winnie see me. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit that I often looked at her and ached inside that my beautiful Queen was no longer whole, and that she struggled sometimes to do the things that had previously been effortless. But those were MY emotions, and she would have had no idea why I was so sad. There is no stigma in the animal world against dogs with 3 legs---like Dr. Couto says, they have 3 legs and a spare. I probably sound like a broken record with this, but if you haven't already, look into starting her on artemisinin. You would have nothing to lose. I know you can't PM because you don't have enough posts, but you can email me if you want, and I'm sure others here feel the same way. Please don't hesitate if we can help you in any way. You're not alone! Get some sleep before you bring your precious girl home, and please let us know how she's doing. Sending out prayers, and good thoughts, and white light for healing. My email: catsburg@comcast.net

Visit My Website I'm so sorry your friend's Grey has gotten this sad diagnosis. There is so much to think about at this time, and you are right to try to give them all the help and info you can. This is the Yahoo artemisinin group. I also have a link to a website with info about how artemisinin works to help fight the cancer cells, but I can't find it right now. I think I have it at work, so I'll post it tomorrow. In simplified terms, cancer cells need iron to replicate, and the artemisinin is similar, and is allowed into the cancer cell, where it works to destroy it. You can also check the archives of Celebrating Greyhounds for the cancer issue, where there is a good article, plus reputable sources to order online. It is not all created equal, so you have to be careful where you get it. Holley is good, and Nutricology, where I used to order it for Winnie, who was with us for 3 1/2 years after her amp (with no chemo). Of course, I can't be sure just what caused that length of quality time, but I always thought the artemisinin was worth a shot. It just made sense to me to try, and it's natural. Dr. Couto is studying it too---you could always contact him, or Ohio State for info on their findings. Please let your friend know that there is a lot of support here and on Circle Of Grey.

I'm so sorry. Going back through your posts, I see that you and Diplomat are dealing with the monster. We understand what a sad time this is. You are in our prayers.

Oh, Melissa, I'm so happy for you and Bell, and so relieved. That picture is awesome! She is the dearest little old lady, and I wish I could give her a hug. I was going through some pictures (looking for one I never did find), and came across some from Christmas. The one where she is laying under a pile of stuffies made me smile again. As did thoughts of her making Doug hold her food dish up for her so she would eat. We drove past your house yesterday on the way to Sassy Marie's, and I thought of Bell, and wondered how she was doing. I'm so glad you posted the good news.

Thanks, Melissa. Yes, my Winnie was amazing. She was 8 when diagnosed. I don't know if it was luck, a stubborn old girl, or doing the right thing at the right time, but she did have a wonderful quality of life for 3 1/2 years after her amp, and we lost her last Oct. to kidney failure. I'm not sure how quickly we caught the osteo either, but her lungs were clear, and we did the amp, but no chemo. Now this may not be recommended treatment with most dogs (Dr. Couto at OSU recommends amp and chemo). But I chose to treat her with immune system boosters, mainly artemisinin. You can find out a lot about this---I believe there is even a artemisinin group, and Circle of Grey will help too. Also the cancer issue of Celebrating Greyhounds several years ago did an article about it. It can't hurt. I also gave her another immune system booster, pycnogenol, which you can get at vitamin stores. And fish oil. And glucosamine. And a low carb, high protein diet. A good friend of mine did about the same treatment for her Grey, and he survived for over 2 years after the amp. For whatever reason, it worked. Cancer is a crapshoot, and I think we just need to do what we feel in our hearts is best for our precious dogs, and hope it works. Faced with the monster again, I can't say for sure I would do the same thing, or expect the same results. But I would give it my best shot, and know that I'd done the right thing for that particular dog, and for me as well. I am so sorry you are faced with this. Cancer is a monster, and this is the most difficult time, when you are faced with so many decisions, as well as comprehending that everything has changed. It just fills your mind all the time. But please know that you are not alone. I think that helps just to know that, and also, that there are many different ways to go about dealing with it. So please ask questions, do research, talk about it with your family. Come here to vent or question or grieve. Join Circle of Grey. Cry if you need to (and you will). But don't give up, and try not to let her see you cry. As someone else said, and I've always believed, they live in the moment. Whatever sadness may come in the future, she is happy NOW, she knows she is safe and loved NOW. And that is what's important. If you'd like to ask about the artemisinin, I'd be glad to give you some info. I'm actually on vacation now, and am using the computer in the hotel lobby, so I'm not sure when I'll get back on to check messages. And you might not be able to PM yet since you are new. I'll be home on Monday. Please let me know if you'd like my email address. Again, I'm so sorry.

Damn cancer! We lost our Patsy to lymphoma at 6. And we did "all the right things"---removed her spleen because it hadn't spread, started chemo. Nothing worked. It's a monster. I know that getting news like this feels like you've been hit by a truck. It's so clear that you love your sweet old man more than words can say. I'm so, so sorry. I hope you have many days left to cherish him and make beautiful memories.