GreyhoundNan

(Jeany is the tiny blonde all the way on the right.) I am still not really believing I am writing this. The animals arrived here in the UK last Thursday, and I arrived the following Wednesday. Sometime over the weekend Jeany took a bad fall down Simon's staircase, but didn't seem to be too badly hurt. We found out by the day I got here, however, that she had shattered her front left shoulder. We left her at the vet Wednesday night. Jeany couldn't stand up at all this morning, so they did another xray on her back end this time. Apparently she'd dislocated her back left leg at the hip as well, and the damage was pretty severe there. The vet felt, and I agreed, that with the now reduced chance that J would come through this with little pain and the growing chance that she would have to lose that leg as well, that the kindest and most merciful thing to do was to let her go so that she would be free of pain. I'm not really sure how I feel now. I've gotten over the hysteria that my best friend Leah heard in the background I'm sure when Simon called her. I just feel kind of dull and cold. Please keep Simon in your thoughts too...this is the first pet he's ever lost and he feels very strongly that it is his fault. Jeany came to me nine years ago, afraid and spooky and unwilling to come out of her crate. She loved her first Daddy Scott, and as animals are able to do so much better than humans, she ignored his faults and was devoted to him. When we left him she grieved, but she happily took on her new role as den mother. She was a definite presence anywhere she went, and she fell so head over heels in love with her new Daddy Simon that she hardly knew I was there any more. Jeany had lots of crushes...her first was BoBo and then Profile. I think it lessens the pain for me to think of the three of them together again...her tiny little prissy head in between her two giant brothers. After her brothers she was quite smitten with a boy in her obedience class called JD...she failed because she paid more attention to him than anything else. I think her favorite in recent time though was Unka Ray. When I can bear to look at them, I will post some of the pictures I took right before we moved of J on the couch, front paws wrapped around Ray's head. Bless him, he could have gotten up but I think he liked her too. Jeany was first and foremost a diva princess who could get her Daddy Simon to spoon feed her WATER and her Auntie Janet to pull chicken skin off raw chicken for her, then hold the whole yucky mess for HRH to decide which bit she wanted first. But most of all, she was my precious babygirl, my Jeany Bean, and Simon's Jeany Beany Meany Queenie. She was Auntie Leah's Little One, Daisy's babysitter, and Hunky's soulmate. He seems to know...he let me hold his head in my lap for a long time. I'm not sure I have any heart left to break.

Hunky's dose is 1 50mg tablet BID. His incontinence has gotten better on that dose and when I can keep all grains out of his diet...but living with two cats and my roommate's dog who are all on kibble it's hard to keep that completely under control. The one thing I'd still stress is not to stop ANY medication without a doctor's advice. Some meds have to be weaned off to be safe to stop and some don't. I don't have a DVM so I don't feel comfortable making that call myself.

You know, I asked my vet that very same question and he told me that you have to look at a dog's digestive system (especially one that metabolizes things as fast as a greyhound does) as very different than a human's. Things pass through faster and they are just built to handle more than humans are because dogs are scavengers in the wild. He also pointed out that humans can and will take more than they are supposed to of an alleged weight loss pill (which PPA was marketed as...Phen-Fen or something?) and dogs won't. Hunky has been on 100mg per day (1 50mg chewable 2x/day) for a long time now and has none of the crazy effects I saw during the first few days as his body was adjusting to it. He doesn't take any other meds except fish oil supplements, and I'm switching him back to raw because I've read that grains can irritate the urinary tract in some cases. I trust my vets...they love Hunky as much as I do and never give me anything to give him that they haven't researched for both dogs in general and greyhounds specifically. YMMV with Proin though...some dogs can't handle it, some can.

My Hunky started on 2 of the chewables and it was too high. He was panting, walking around looking nervous, just awful. Scared me to death. But I guess because I love love love my vet and because I've worked in mental health for so long, before I took him off of it I called the vet. We took his dose down to one a day, then one and a half, and now back up to two. No side effects. Hunky has always been an avid drinker, so that didn't really make a noticeable change. The herbal stuff did nothing but make Hunky refuse to eat his food when I'd put it on there. Something Batmom said struck a chord with me...when I take H off his raw diet and put him on kibble, even wheat free higher quality stuff like the Kirkland's brand or Natural Balance, his incontinence gets worse. I read recently that grains can have an irritating effect on the urinary system and that if you have a dog (or a human, for that matter) that is intolerant of grains (wheat and rice being the worst two for this), it can cause some urinary tract issues. Hmmm...stopped his raw diet end of January in preparation for flying to the UK...by 2nd week in Feb he was soaking dog beds. Put him back on his raw diet (after several hundred $$ worth of blood tests that all came back healthy as a horse) two days ago and he's already keeping dry much longer than before.

Several things have jumped out at me in this thread. My disclaimer is that I am the daughter of a slightly conservative leaning United Methodist Minister, am an occasionally practising UM, and am married to a Catholic (European, not American...I'm learning that there are differences...). 1. Love what you said about arrogance. To me that extends not only to this issue about animals going to heaven, but to any sort of "discussion" concerning religious faith...why is there a picture in the church my father is currently serving of a blonde, blue eyed Jesus? Because as humans we need to make things in our worlds "like us." Doubt that there are many blonde, blue-eyed men in the region where Jesus was born, but I suppose anything is possible. I think it also extends to anything that we, as limited beings, can't understand. God. Faith. The paranormal. Life on other planets. The list goes on and on... 2. hvacman said: "My personal belief is God set us apart from animals by giving us His Spirit. Animals dont have to stand before judgement by God one day; humans do. God loves every one of his creations: every person, animal, flower, etc., but humans are in a different class." I'm not sure I follow how this decides that animals aren't granted a place in heaven with us. To me, what you've said is that animals get a free ticket...do not pass go, do not collect $200. Straight past the pearly gates because they don't have anything for which they must answer concerning their "sins" while on earth. 3. I am wondering (and will ask DH when he gets out of bed, it was my morning to get up and feed the critters) if Benedict has "taken back" or otherwise quashed that statement from JPII on animals and souls. From my understanding as an outsider (who has a father, a sister, and a brother in law who are UM ministers and talk theology NON STOP at family get togethers) he has taken the Church in a "different direction" from the one lead by JPII...wonder if this has gone that way as well? Something subtle that has perhaps filtered down to the level of what is taught in parochial schools? DH has said before that he was never taught anything one way or the other on the subject and he went to a Catholic school (in the UK) growing up. While I was typing this, Daisy just came up and nudged me. I took her nose in my hand and looked her in the eye. Anyone that can do that and tell me that you don't see a soul there...well...I'd be asking what you're looking at because it certainly isn't into my perfect puppy girl's eyes. When I was a little girl I remember my father telling me on several occasions when family pets died that I should be comforted to know that they have gone on to wait for me with Jesus...and I still believe that there is an afterlife and that is where all those animals I had growing up as well as Zooey, Franny, BoBo, Lizzard, and Profile have gone to wait for me. YMMV.

:weep Ohhh, Chrissy, there aren't words. Run free...I can't even type it.

:grouphug

Oooooooh I can't wait to meet him!!

Hello from Greenville, SC but currently in Keighley, W. Yorks! Yes indeed.

And remembering that you WILL move again, so even if it's a miserable place, you're not there forever. It's a wonderful opportunity for learning to be flexible and adaptable. Sounds like United Methodist clergy families!!

Hello from Greenville South Carolina/soon to be Keighley, West Yorks! I absolutely love Lincs, when I lived in Scuny in the summer of 1995 we visited Lincoln and surrounds several times. Lovely family you have!!

:f_red Been a Bulldog fan all my life, and I cry every time one of them dies. Godspeed, Uga.

:grouphug

Ugh. I had to have all of my animals chipped before we move to the UK or they wouldn't be chipped now. Never have been in the past. I know all the arguments about recovery rates of lost animals, etc., but the thought of something injected into their bodies like that has never appealed to me. This kind of news doesn't make me any happier about it, regardless how rare the occurance.

Welcome to GT! I'm in South Carolina now but will be moving to W. Yorks after the new year (we're looking to live in between Keighley and Leeds). Glad you're here!

I can order all of my meds online...from my vet's office. They work with an online company (used to be VetCentric I think, recently switched and haven't started using the new company yet) and I get the assurance that I have my vet's backing of anything I give my animals. I have three greyhounds and a cat and all but one of the dogs are well past the age of seven...and things add up...but safety, to me, is more important that cost. Plus, it's a 45 minute drive one way to my vet, so I get the same quality meds I'd get without the cost of an office visit or gasoline.

now and a real one coming at Sandy Paws. H, J, and Daisy send their love to Gramma Burpdog. Prayers coming from SC.

Hello and welcome! I know just where you are, as my fiance currently lives in Keighley. You'll love GT!

is my first reaction, but then I find myself feeling very lucky that Sally found herself with a family willing to share her with the entire world. Cheers to her family for that... and too.

Sending good thoughts and prayers from my also 10 yr old, also screaming drama queen Jeany...and the rest of us!

I'm in Greenville, but my vet is in Anderson. After struggling with Hunky's SLO toes we decided to get a second opinion before having a toe biopsy done and went to Electric City Animal Clinic. I can't say enough good things about them, and I think that some members of my adoption group use them as well. Dr. Herald has gone above and beyond in the years he's been treating Hunky to learn about SLO and he's supportive of my choice to feed a raw diet. Love ECAC!

Just came across this thread and even though MaryPippin already posted my two losses...I felt like I needed to say something about them. Profile, Mo Tivator, 5 June 1995 - 12 January 2007 Profile was my protector, my sweetheart, my silly boy. He was a therapy dog and a show-stopping performer. Some of you may have caught our accidental comedy routine at SP 2006? Two time foster, long time love, I miss him every day and would give anything to have him still here with me. Stoopid Cancer. Franny, my precious little kitty girl, 21 March 1994 - 27 January 2007 I got Franny and her littermate Zooey (21 March 1994 -17 March 2006) when I moved to WV for my internship in 1994. Franny never really liked me as much as I liked her, mostly because I wasn't male...but she was still my precious silly kitty girl and I miss her yowling at me for breakfast in the mornings. Franny declined rapidly after her brother and protector, Zooey died, and I take comfort knowing that they are pouncing on each other and playing in the sunshine together at the bridge.

I want to echo what CyndiW said about the hypoallergenic diet. My Hunky has SLO and has been in remission and off meds (knock on wood) for about four months now. He was on tetracycline (1000mg/day) and flush free niacinamide (1000mg/day) most recently but has gone as high as 2500mg tetracycline and 1000mg niacinamide. The first vet I took Hunky to did not think he had SLO (she had never even heard of it, as I recall), and throughout the six-eight months she treated him we did everything from anti fungals to having four toenails removed (two on each back foot AT THE SAME TIME). I saw a holistic vet that worked at the same practice who gave him a little relief with acupuncture (mostly for pain, but also to beef up his immune system) and she's the one that suggested the raw diet to eliminate grains. His littermate, Marky, was allergic to grains and so it only made sense. Went back to regular vet, discussed said diet with her, and was told that what I needed was science diet rather than raw. I switched vets. New vet said he hadn't heard of SLO either but he did some research and suggested the tetracycline protocol. It was a slow process for all of his toenails to grow back out from the surgery, and even then some of them were still so brittle that they broke off. However, when THAT set grew back they were stronger and since then (again, knocking on wood) he hasn't had a flare up. His back feet do look funky, but they're hard toenails with healthy quick inside and that's all I care about. It is very painful and very frustrating but it can be managed as long as you stick to your guns and watch carefully how the treatment is affecting your whole dog, not just her feet. Hunky did great with prednisone because he wasn't licking his toenails and making them worse. He also gained about 10lbs and was almost up to 90 (raced at 78). Obviously we stopped the pred. I've never belonged to the SLO group, but that's only because by comparison Hunky's case was so mild. I will say, though, that sadly the photo you posted of Hannah's foot looks very familiar. If your vet wants to contact mine let me know and I can get you the contact info.

Hunky and I will be thinking about you and your sweet boy, Linda.