gracegirl

I am so sorry to read that Bullitt had to go.

I'm just now seeing this beautiful tribute to your one-in-a-million girl. I'm so sorry for your loss. She is, indeed, one of the all-time GREAT dogs. I hope she found William up there.

If you would like another dog, then the suggestion of fostering is a good one.

All the best to you and Roxy, Jenna. I'll be thinking of you as the surgery approaches.

My parents westie is 15.5 and *never* goes to the vet outside of annual exams. He's had two dentals. My greyhounds need dentals far more often and have far more minor health issues pop up. I felt lucky to get to the end of Grace's life with only $1,500 is costs for her end of life care, but it was an emergency situation that we never brought her home from. I anticipated several days at the e-vet and bills into the $5,000 range. Some days I feel lucky, other's I feel cheated. I never added up her medical bills over the years because there just wasn't any point. She also had spay incontinence and was on a medicine that was maybe $25/month. Fenway is my younger guy. He just turned 8. He's accident prone so he's been to the e-vet for various nicks, cuts, bites over the years. He also had some mystery peeing inside which ultimately was diagnosed as kidney damage after $1,500 in bills. Our airedale (Jackson) has been to the vet about as much as Grace. A few minor things here and there. Most recent was an infected and impacted anal glad. Fenway and Jackson are both insured through Healthy Paws at $100 deductible and 90% coverage. We pay about $55-60 each per month for them. They are both 8 years old. It's there for the catastrophically expensive situations.....bone cancer, emergency surgery, etc. To be honest, I'm not sure we will be a two (or three) dog household again. If we are though, we will definitely have insurance. Even for the minor things it has been well worth it.

By far, Fenway's favorite word is BEACH. He's up like a rocket when he hears that word and becomes my shadow until we get in the car. The other favorites are Hobbes (my parents westie), Uncle Geoff (my brother), kitty, bunny, car, treat, walk, outside, go and hungry. Brusha-brusha will send him running to the kitchen because he knows he gets a treat when we are done brushing teeth. Beyond that he knows a ton of tricks. Sit, down, shake, other paw, crawl, tell me, whisper, sing, spin, jump, give me a hug and we are trying to teach yoga. (The airedale knows all the same tricks and has already mastered yoga.)

Unless I'm misunderstanding, the question was less of "should I do a blood panel" and more of "what are the risks if one is not done"? Which I don't know, so I'll bow out now.

Glad your boy is on the road to recovery. Great news on the level of care from the specialist, too.

Ha! Yeah, the woman who ran that group was rude rude rude. The funny thing is I could take my pup to work with me, so should would have been home alone less than almost any other dog out there. Ultimately it led me to Grace, who was the most perfect of all the perfect dogs in the world. I wouldn't have it any other way, she was (is) my heart and soul.

Steve, I think volunteering for both is entirely different than having multiple applications out with different groups. I agree that going to different groups picnics, events, meet n greets, etc is fine. But I've heard multiple times on greytalk that you should only apply to adopt with one group. There are three groups I had to choose from in Seattle. One was a foster home only group with very few dogs. One had a very rude president who told me she'd never adopt to me since I was a single girl, lived in an apartment, and worked full time. The third group had multiple dogs in foster homes and in their kennels, had events near me frequently, and was getting new dogs in frequently. It was a no brainer for me. My adoption rep is still a good friend to this day.

Nice to see you again!

Hi there. I live in San Diego, welcome to greytalk! I adopted both my greyhounds when I was living in Seattle so I don't know too much about the groups in California. One thing I wanted to mention is that you really should do some research about the groups themselves, then pick one (and only one) to work with. Since they are all run by volunteers, you don't want multiple groups doing the same work as you'll only be able to adopt from one. The group I worked with out of Seattle for my first dog had both kennel dogs and fosters. It just so happened that Grace picked me, she was one of the kennel dogs. She started her new life in downtown Seattle amongst the hustle and bustle of crowds, trucks, buses, trains, cruise ships, tiny dogs and lots of chaos. She was a rock star and settled in great with me. We learned a whole lot together.

Yep, we use red bag too.

Thanks Sara. Do you think they'd help the terriers too? Or is it formulated specifically for the skinny dogs we know and love???

My parents have a 15 year old westie (Hobbes) who is starting to slow down as he approaches his sweet 16. His back hips appear sore as he kind of hops occasionally on walks. They are currently giving him glucosamine. He also gets oil added to his food to help with his coat. He is free fed and is at a healthy weight. He sees the vet annually and the vet says he's doing awesome for a 15 year old terrier. Fenway and Jackson both turn 8 this fall. Fenway in October and Jackson in December. Neither have reasons to be put on supplements, but I wonder if I should start something as a preventative. They both get a fish oil capsule with each meal. Any thoughts on what we should do for Hobbes, Fenway or Jackson?

I tried the IAMs green bag years ago, but it didn't work for Grace. After Grace passed away, I switched Fenway to an IAMs formula, but not the green bag. Maybe it's time to give the green bag a try again???

The carrots are awesome! I added this product to Grace's diet years ago. It used to come in a box. It helped her firm right up and she always had a soft, thick coat.

How's Leia doing this week?

Oh gosh, I am so sorry to read this.

That is simply too cute. Thank you for sharing.

I had El Pollo Loco for dinner last night and thought of Leia.

Wishing Toby speedy healing from his surgery. One of the first horses I ever rode as a teenager was Wally. He had only one eye. In his socket there was a pink tumor, looked a bit like chewed bubblegum. Once the tumor starting growing, it was removed and the socket was stitched closed. He was an awesome horse and taught many young riders how to ride....and jump!

She's lucky she's pretty! What a goober. A darling goober.

Smart girl, El Pollo Loco is the best! I love that place. Glad to hear that her appetite has returned. Keep us posted on sweet Leia.

Were you able to get the remaining results when you were at the vet's office this morning with Snow?