greypop

I haven't been on for a long time, but wanted to come back in to say that Fergus (the Galgo FKA Urko) crossed the Bridge April 6. He'd been diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) a year earlier, and beat his prognosis by almost a month. In the end, his heart was just too big for him. He's now puppy-piling with his brother Declan (Iruska Enzo) and discovering new friends with his other brother Rufus (JD King Red).

Rufus Lupin (JD King Red). He was diagnosed with osteo in his right shoulder in early January, and fought it with goofines and energy until we couldn’t keep ahead of the pain.

Sorry, Dick. This just came as an insult to injury. The last time I updated a page on G-D was when we adopted Rufus in July 2015. We had to put him down today, and I find I can’t say he’s dead without becoming “a financial member” or having a third party do it because by not paying gelt I’m not trustworthy enough. I’m not trying to edit his pedigree, or otherwise deface the site. I’m upset, I’m hurting, and I should probably stop before I say something that will get me flagged. I appreciate your offer.

I can't tell you how unhappy G-D's policy makes me. There has to be another way to control this than making people pay for the right to edit their dogs' pages. Today has been bad enough without this ... grasping bureaucractic twaddle.

Ah, rats. I've been taking a break from GT, so didn't see this. Then I was on Facebook today and read your comment "Beatrix was". Run free, sweet girl. There are no galgueros or hardships across the bridge, just couches and food and friends to lounge and play and roo with you. Fergus gives a stub-wag of encouragement and farewell.

We gave Declan gabapentin 3x/day for LS, with no obvious side effects. There's a discussion on pet uses here.

Yup, Rufus is the same way. He'll get up on our bed no problem, but refuses to jump in either via the side door or hatch. Jumping out is no problem. Luckily, Fergus will jump up on anything, so it's just the one dog. Some just won't do it.

Second this. Fergus has eaten (among other things) a box of Irish oatmeal, a jar of peanut butter, and a container of sourdough starter, all of which were left on the counter. I now have my bread cool on top of the refrigerator Congratulations!

Laura, I'm so sorry to hear this. It being the right thing to do doesn't make it any easier. Declan will be waiting for her on the other side to exchange lazy galgo stories.

Another version of this harness is by Majestic Collars. One of the attractions is the second set of straps around the torso (absolutely necessary for a galgo, less so for a grey). The second lead clips onto the dog's martingale.

First, welcome to Greytalk and greyhound life! Others will chime in, but it looks to me like your hound is still adjusting to a major change in her life. Her life before retirement was very structured, with exercise in a pen with other greys (or else on the track), and the same every day. Now, suddenly, she has to deal with a world full of dogs and other animals to which she's never been exposed, a living environment much different from what she's used to, and a major change in her routine. Depending on the group from which you adopted Trace, she may have come directly from the track, with no exposure to any of these things. Stairs (especially if they aren't carpeted) are strange and scary things. Going down them is especially scary! Offer her some structure, and take it slow. Give her a routine (eat at a specific time, go out at a specific time, etc.). As far as the stairs, we only have a 5-step stairs from the back room to the rest of the house, so we never had any major problems with our greys. Take them slowly, and offer Trace rewards for each bit of progress. It can take up to six months (or more) for Trace's full personality to blossom. We adopted our most recent grey Rufus in July, and he's still showing us new facets to his personality. Be patient, be supportive, and do as you did here -- ask when you're not sure. There's a whole world of greyhound/sighthound owners here who can offer you their experience, advice, and support.

Anne, I'm so sorry. We've been looking at her picture on the CG calendar all month, and I was just yesterday explaining to my wife about Spriet and her ears. Run free, baby girl. You have lots of friends waiting to play with you forever.

The groups from whom we've adopted require fencing at least 5' (for greyhounds) and 6' (for galgos). None of our greys have been big jumpers, although others in our group have reported it. Better safe than find out your dog has sailed over the 3-4-foot fence and departed for parts unknown.

Our bridge girl Charlotte's brother Max lived on a horse farm in Virginia hunt country and had a great time there. As long as the land is fenced well enough to keep a grey in, you should be fine. I'd suggest keeping an ID tag on the dog, and checking the fence regularly (but I'd guess you do that already). Good luck!

I think this will just take time (unless your dog has been corresponding with Crow). We're still working on this with Rufus. He learned to jump on our bed about five-six weeks after we got him, but not into the car (Prius V). We think he may still be recovering from his psoas/groin strain. Good luck!

I'm so sorry. You gave him the best three months of his life, and showed him, despite all the ****his prior owners put him through, there is love.

Congratulations! Ivy is very cute, and your husband had no chance . Her great-great-grand-dam PJ's Donna Hope was our bridge girl Charlotte (Carolina Mandy)'s dam

I wouldn't get all over the OP for not doing what you personally would do. The OP has told the friend what she should do, told her she would act as an advocate for the dog and contact the adoption group if needed, and suggested the friend may need to give up the dog. When she said she "had a life" and "would chat over the weekend", that post was on a Saturday, so cut some slack; maybe she contacted the friend the next day (still the weekend). She also has to be very careful. If she, or an adoption group other than with whom the friend had a contract, took the dog without the friend's written permission, they could be charged with theft. The friend has to agree to give up the dog. Then, and only then, can things proceed.

I'm so sorry. It's part of the obligation we take on with any pet, to know that any further time would be about us and not them, and giving them the gift of release. A wonderful tribute to a goofy boy.

... as the Iruska Alumni Society gains another member ...

You came when you were young, so full of life and fear. We thought there would be time. There's never enough time. You lunged at all non-greyhounds, and hid your fear with growls. We hoped you'd calm with time. There's never enough time. The years ran past, and you still did not like dogs. We thought, there's plenty of time. There's never enough time. You loved humans you met, you'd stand and lean for rubs. We thought there would be time. There's never enough time. We lost your sister Char, four years older than you. We thought we had more time. There's never enough time. You chose your galgo brother, we hoped you'd learn to play. We thought there would be time. There's never enough time. We loved to see you bond, and puppy-pile on our bed. We thought we'd years of time. There's never enough time. We watched as you grew old, your legs and back got stiff. We thought there was more time. There's never enough time. We took you to be healed, and learned the end was near. There was just no more time. There's never enough time. Now we give you our last gift, and soon you will run free. We thought there would be time. There's never enough time. The house will be so quiet, as the rest of us go on. Now all we have is time. There's never enough time. Goodbye, my Declan Branwell, my Doodles, Declan B. You have no need of time. For us, there's never enough time. Your pain is gone, and you can toss your stuffies forever, shovel-nose and cuddle, run with Charlotte and, of course, eat ham. There's never enough time.

And Fergus is an only dog. Goodbye, Dekky.

Unfortunately, there is no happy ending. Our original suspicion of congestive heart failure is correct. This morning the vet removed 2 liters of fluid from Declan's abdomen, pericardial sac, and pulmonary sac. We're bringing him home this afternoon, and will cuddle and spoil him outrageously until we can arrange a home vet visit. Thank you all for your advice and thoughts. I'll post after Declan has been reunited with his sister Charlotte.

Not for the dogs, but we switched our 9-year-old cats to their raw chicken dinners with no problem. Good luck!

Declan slept through the night, and ate breakfast (0500), but then wouldn't settle. He'd lie down for 3-5 minutes, then get up and move to another bed or wander restlessly. We contacted the critical care vet, who was also concerned that it might signal more fluid buildup. He finally settled down in the early afternoon. Fortunately, there's been no coughing. We think he might have been adjusting back to his normal food from the Science Diet the hospital had him on, and reacting to the last of the sedatives leaving his system. We'll see how he does tonight, and keep our fingers crossed.