queenwinniesmom

What an exceptional dog he was, and how you loved him! I'm so sorry you lost your precious Toby.

It is doubly hard when it's so sudden, and I can understand your pain. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Money.

When I worked for a vet in Florida, some clients brought a little dog in who they thought had an obstruction. First, my boss gave the dog something to see if he would throw anything up. And he did---28 cents! Up came 2 dimes, 1 nickle, and 3 pennies. Didn't require any surgery.

Back in 2004 when Winnie was diagnosed with osteo in her right hind leg, I knew very little---about osteo, about amputation, about the recovery or how long she would have. I know that some of the hardest times were when we agonized over which way to turn, and my heart aches for everyone who faces that same terrible diagnosis and those heartwrenching decisions. While it would have been a lot easier had I had the support of Greytalk back then (I had not joined yet), I just trusted my heart and decided to do the amputation. And it turned out that it was absolutely the right thing to do, for Winnie and for us. But each dog is so different, and everyone's situation is unique. We felt that Winnie was strong and stubborn enough to adapt to life as a tripod, even though it was a huge adjustment, mostly because we live on the second and third floors of our house. Getting her to do those steps every day was the biggest challenge in an otherwise remarkably unproblematic surgery and recovery. And though we chose not to do chemo, Winnie had 3 1/2 wonderful years after her amp, till we lost her to kidney failure one week shy of her 12th birthday. I realized then and now that we were incredibly lucky, though I like to think that I did some things right. And I have to give most of the credit to Winnie. Every day, she did what she had to do with no drama, though in her quirky stubbornness, refusing to ever do some things again, she trained us more than we ever trained her. Luckily for us, she WANTED to come up those outside steps (most likely because she would get steak). She DIDN'T want to go up the inside steps to the third floor. She didn't want to walk on any bare floors, though she wanted to walk for blocks around our neighborhood and every time she went to Dewey. She wanted to run with her sisters, and trying not to hold my breath and worry about her, I let her, because it gave her so much joy. I really hope that your precious girl doesn't get a diagnosis of osteo. It is truly a devastating thing to go through. But you will get some excellent support here, and some great knowledge. Jen Komatsu (bigorangedog) has dealt with osteo way too many times, but the way she dealt with it, and the things she learned, and how she's been able to help so many others is a real inspiration. There are a lot of heroes here.

Oh, Jen, what a sad holiday this will be without your precious girl. But no matter when the day comes that you have to say good-bye, it still breaks your heart. Surely you know that so many hearts are breaking with yours, and you will be in our thoughts and prayers. As we've travelled this journey with you both, we've seen how strong your love and determination are. You took the saddest of diagnoses and fought the monster with courage, knowledge, compassion and unselfishness. Neyla couldn't have had a better, more loving Mom. You know I'm in Pittsburgh. Please let me know if you need a Greyhound fix while you're here.

Oh, beautiful boy, how deeply your Mom loved you. Meg, I'm so sorry you lost your precious Strider.

Oh, no! Donna, I am so sorry. My heart sank when I saw his name. What a gorgeous picture. Never having met him in person, I've always thought from his pictures that he had the most stunning eyes and coloring. I know that Joe made us smile with his reporting, but Logan held his own special and unique place in your heart, and the hearts of those who knew him. The poem is lovely and true. And it's clear that you believe in a love so strong that it lives on past the loss of it's physical form. I think Logan will send you a sign that your heart will be open to, and you will know that he is safe and free of pain, and with you always.

Stampede's slideshow was beautiful. You can tell from the pictures how happy he was. I too lost a dog to lymphoma when we thought she would beat it. Having your hopes raised and then shattered makes the loss doubly hard. I'm so sorry you lost your precious boy.

This is just devastating! My heart is breaking for you, and your sweet babies. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Sabrosa, especially when you are dealing with so much else. Please know that you and hounds are in our thoughts and prayers. And please come and vent if you need to---there is a lot of support here.

Oh, what a beautiful little lady, so sweet and so brave. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Star.

Oh, Leslie, I gasped when I saw his name, and I share the shock and sadness of everyone who knew him and loved him. Even those of us who never met him felt as if he was a friend who we could laugh with and admire. I think your Gustopher was, and is, one of those dogs who is larger than life, very much like Winslow (also a big, gorgeous cow dog), a dog we can't imagine ever leaving us. It's so hard to believe that he is gone. I have always thought your posts were wonderfully sensitive and articulate, and your tribute is a perfect example of how well you knew him, how deeply you loved him, and how unselfishly you shared him with us. We all thank you for that. And thinking of how much we'll miss him, I can't imagine that awesome empty space he has left in your home and your heart. But like you said, he will always be with you. He gave you so much to remember with a smile---the guy could rock a pimp hat and still maintain his class and style! And how many girlhound's (and girl human's) hearts did he cause to flutter? You were so blessed to have shared your life with this magnificent dog.

How you loved her! It's clear that you shared a very special bond, and are missing her so much. I'm so sorry you lost your precious little Millie.

Oh, my gosh, he was stunning! And clearly beautiful inside as well. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Logan.

What a lovely little old ladyhound! Their strength and courage are amazing, aren't they? You must be missing her like crazy. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Angel.

I'm reading this thread with much interest, because everything sounds exactly like my Tess! It's as if she refuses to gain any weight, and we think she looks way too thin. We've had her to the vet at least twice for this, the last time a couple months ago. Bloodwork and stool samples are always normal. She came to us as a wild and crazy 18 month old foster, and she's now 6 years old. Each time at the vets, her weight had not changed (59 pounds), so the vet was not concerned, especially since she is active and well muscled. But it still bothers me---maybe I'm a little jealous! We tried giving her more food at each meal, and she ate it, but then occasionally she'd throw up. So now I'm giving her a 3rd meal in the evening, and she does fine with that. But still no weight gain. I think it's time to try some of the diet suggestions. Any other good stuff to try? She normally eats more than her 2 plumper sisters. Like Kennelmom, I'm always slightly embarrassed to take her places for fear that people will think she is ill or I'm starving her! Yes, I think I've got 2 "easy keepers" (is that whay you call the ones who just gain effortlessly? Like me?), and 1 "hard gainer". Calvin is somewhere in between. I don't think he's gained enough weight even though he eats like crazy, a lot of food. But he is obsessed with food, having just consumed an entire loaf of bread he stole off the kitchen table! He did have hookworms several months ago and was wormed again, even though he'd been wormed before he came to us. It might be that he needs another worm check. Edited because I don't know how old my dog is! I said she was 5, and she is 6. Calvin is the baby at 5.

So many of us who have heard that terrible word wanted to believe it was anything but cancer. We have to hope, because we love them so much. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Joe.

My heart is breaking for you. Your heart and home must feel so empty now. Please know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of so many. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Lexi.

Oh, man, don't you wish they could talk? Well, maybe not ALL the time, but it must really have you wondering how she did that. It does look so much better, though, thank goodness! Oh, I didn't know you'd lost your Lexi too! I just saw your post in Remembrance. I can't imagine how horrible this has been for you. I'm so sorry.

YAY for Cash! How happy you must be to have your precious girl home again. I hope she keeps getting better and better.

Oh, Chris, I'm just seeing this. You must be frantic. I'm so sorry poor Cash is going through this, but glad that she seems to be getting better. Please let us know how she is doing. And I'll keep you and Cash in my prayers.

His picture brought tears to my eyes. He was truly beautiful, and spread a lot of love in his 11 years. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Ferris.

I lost one at 6 years. It just doesn't seem fair. I'm so sorry you lost your precious Sasha, much too soon.

It is so clear from your heartfelt tribute that you and Pharoah shared a deep love. Please know that you are in our thoughts, as we understand the pain you are feeling. I'm so sorry you lost your precious boy.

Seeing his name in Remembrance just broke my heart. You and Flash were inspirations to so many throughout his brave journey. Thank-you for sharing him with us. I'm so, so sorry you lost your precious boy.

So very sad. It's doubly hard to lose them when you are expecting to have many more years together. I'm so sorry that you and Sue have lost your precious Millie.