Sorcha

What about the swelling of her hoo hoo? Is that just normal because she fell on it and will go down on its own?

Tuna, being the sweet yet stubborn 14 yr old greyhound that she is, did not stay on the path I cleared on the driveway (to get to the yard) but instead traversed onto the icy part and promptly fell on her butt. Somehow in the fall she cut the skin right next to her hoo hoo and the hoo hoo area is a bit swollen. Tuna is a hermaphrodite, by the way. It's bloody, but not gushing or anything. I cleaned the wound and put bacitracin on it (which she promptly licked off the moment I was not looking). I have never dealt with a cut in this area, it is nothing major (no stitches needed) so do I just keep an eye on the area or does this warrant a trip to the vet?

Sort of, there is Moist & Meaty. This is the only food my 14 year old greyhound will eat for breakfast, I prepare one pouch of it and top it with fresh-made scrambled eggs and whatever else I have around (turkey, bologna, etc.).

The message from Emmett's mom said that the autopsy revealed he had a build up of fluid around his heart which caused it to stop.

In memory of Emmett who passed away at the young age of six on January 2. He was my Nola's brother (also brother to NancyB's Albi). The following photos were taken during Emmett and his adoptive parents visit in May 2005 when Nola & Emmett had a blast playing together all weekend at my house and had a reunion with their littermates. (Nola on the left, Emmett on the right)

What a beautiful remembrance of your beloved Happy. My sincere condolences.

Xan, my thoughts are with you during this sad and difficult time. Gentle hugs for Happy.

Thanks for the idea, but I think I have decided to leave the slats uncovered and just sand & stain them. I will keep this in mind to eventually replace whatever was used (I think staple gun?) when they start rusting. Although, sadly, I don't think the ramp will be in use for very long as Tuna is declining.

Yes, it is solid and heavy. I am not sure how the slats are fixed, it's dark now so I will check in the morning. The ramp is set in place in such a way that I can turn it on it's side (there are two handles on the side) and let it rest up against the house, which I plan to do when it's raining or snowing and not in use. It will be a real test the first time she uses it in the rain, we'll see how that goes. I will buy sandpaper for the slats and I think I have some stain in the basement, I think I can manage to do that myself!

So don't cover the slats, leave them as bare wood? Should I stain the wood or anything? I think I will sand the edges of the slats.

I wish it could be against the house, but it's not possible. Coming out of the house, you have to make a turn to start down. It's hard to explain, but if the ramp was against the house, she would have to start down it on the far left side of the ramp but by moving the ramp over, she can go down the center of the ramp. Oh, and she is not motivated by treats! Lots of holding onto her, guidance and praise does it.

So if I picked up more of the door mats (I would have to find out where they got them) and cut them into pieces to go over the slats that might help. But, I don't have a tool to tack them in place. Hmmm... Good idea on the harness when she is going down. RE: tacking it ... you can buy carpet tacks in Wal-mart of someplace cheap like that. DH has a staple gun, and that is how ours is tacked. Eureka, carpet tacks - great idea. However, will they rust being outside? Maybe I can find a staple gun to borrow, although I imagine the stapes will rust.

Yes, the slats are there to keep her from slipping, and they also cover up the spaces where there is no carpeting. The bottom one seems to bug her so it might need to go but I don't have anything to tack the carpeting down if I remove it. Hmmm... The wood is thick and does not give for Tuna's weight, it's two pieces of pressure treated lumber glued together. I walk on the step by her side (with her against the house), holding her by her harness when she is on the ramp. I am not going to trust her to go up and down by herself. * edited for typo *

So I was talking with my dogsitter about how I would likely to have to cancel plans for going away for a day next weekend because I can't expect her to carry Tuna in and out of the house the way I have been doing. The handyman who came out a week ago never did get back with me so I guess he did not want the job. The dogsitter said she had a neighbor who was very handy and had some pieces of wood left over from a project and together they would make Tuna a ramp. Neither one would accept my offer to reimburse them for the materials or their time which, being out of work and on a tight budget, I am extremely grateful. I wonder about the slat at the very bottom. do you think they are necessary? The carpeting is actually individual door mats, and there is no carpeting under where the slats are (aside from the bottom one). I was hoping the ramp would be wider, but I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth! It will work, it's just going to take some practice for Tuna especially going down (she just wants to leap off the side).

No, I am not "looking for permission to let her go". I only wonder if this is the sign that she is ready to go, but I don't know. I am not rejecting advice, I am explaining what I know does and does not work for her. I want to help her, and what I have tried has not worked so I am searching for other ideas. Okay then, I am done with this. If anyone wishes to provide any suggestions for what has worked for them please feel free to send me a message. To those that have offered their suggestions here, please know I truly appreciate the input and am frustrated because I cannot find "the" solution.

Wouldn't there be pressure on her neck? She will not tolerate that, her throat is a sensitive area, maybe because of the LP I do not know. Also, I do not think I would be able to pick up her weight suitcase-style, I injured both of my hands a few years ago and they have poor grip. As for the neighbors, they are not neighborly and I would not ask them to help. I wish I could make the ramp myself, but it's not possible so thus the handyman idea.

Thank you. When you are carrying Brandi, what method do you use; one arm under the belly and one around the front or one arm around the front and one around the back?

I appreciate the suggestion, however something that would go under her belly I am afraid might not work. However, I will send an email to get an idea of the cost. Do you have a picture of one?

Regarding the ramp being narrow, yes that is what I was thinking. That's why I had a handyman come out to give me a price for a ramp that would cover the entire stairs. I should hear back from him tomorrow. My fear is that I will spend the money on having it made, and she will refuse to use it and it's not like I would be able to return it. I thought about a sheet of plywood, but I don't have a vehicle that could haul a piece of plywood home (and no one to help me) and I don't know what could be applied to it to make it non-slip. So, we'll see what the handyman proposes.

She will not walk on the steps, even with a harness on and me holding it in a way to keep her upright. When I carry her in and out of the house she has a harness on which is helpful to try and keep control of her while flailing around.

I bought this ramp and had to return it due to her refusal: Today I had a handyman come to measure the area and give me a price for a custom ramp (a temporary one), but I don't know if this is the sign that it's time to let her go, and also I lost my job a few weeks ago and the expense of having a ramp built that she is likely going to refuse to use does not seem practical ... Thanks for the idea but no, a harness will not help (I have a regular harness and tried to use it to help keep her steady and upright but she refused the assistance). Even supported she does not trust the steps. I should add: She hates to have anything touching her belly, it's a totally freak-out issue with her.

Several months ago, Tuna could no longer go up and down the stairs to the finished basement (which used to be her favorite area of the house) and she had some troubles on the steps going in and out of the house. By the way, she has DM. As the months have marched on, the weakness in her hind legs has progressed to a point now where she is very wobbly and can no longer manage the steps in and out of the house. She has had numerous accidents (falls) leading to bad cuts and scrapes on her paws and legs (sometimes tail, too), and one particularly bad fall under the petsitter's watch led to a visit to the vet for stitches. Tuna is a proud greyhound and does not accept assistance. She will not be supported and has to do it all on her own. If you try to help her, she bucks and jumps and screams and it only makes things worse. The steps going outside are concrete, there are 3 of them and a turn is involved. The other day it reached an alarming point when Tuna quit even trying to use the steps and now flings herself off the top step, which of course is leading to worse cuts (cleaning wounds and bandaging her up is a regular occurrence) and I am scared she is going to break a foot or leg. I cannot have her continue to do this, so today I put an end to it and am carrying her in and out of the house. Oh, how she hates it. She writhes and wriggles, screaming and grunting the whole time (such a distressing sound that one of my other dogs who is normally passive acts like a predator hunting down an animal in distress at the sound of her cries). Not to mention looks from any neighbors who happen to be outside looking over to me as though I am hurting her on purpose. I am afraid we are both going to go falling down the steps because she does not want to be carried and is doing all she can to get free of my grasp. Also, once I make it down the steps with her putting her down is another matter, because she is so freaked out and flailing around I can't just set her down because she is not stable so it's a battle to get her to calm down enough to get back in control of herself. A ramp is out, she will have nothing to do with that. Supporting her underside to keep her upright is out, she will have none of that either. Also, the petsitter is not going to carry her in and out of the house so I have not been able to go anywhere but I am supposed to go visit family the weekend after next. This is one of the things that is leading to me to think it might be time to let her go. She also has LP and eating has been a battle as well, although mostly because she cannot stand up long enough to eat and won't eat laying down. Help.

Glad to hear she's okay, that is one of my biggest fears with my dogs. I use the pooper scooper to pluck up the mushrooms, works like a charm. Whenever a mushroom outbreak erupts, I walk the yard looking for them before letting the dogs out.

Sorry to hear about Patrick's injury, let me know if I can help out.

Still the same, no worse. Still eating all she can while standing up. Still going outside. Still playful and has some life left in her. It's not time yet, but it could be soon, I do not know yet.