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Bevd

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    Oki Doyle (My Number 1 Cat)

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    Thanks all :)

     

     

    I think I met Oki - did she hang around downstairs with the dogs?

    She did. She was the one who would have had her paw waving around near your plate or she'd have been walking along the back of the sofa peering at you to see why you were in her house :wub:

    Oki Doyle (My Number 1 Cat)

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    Not a greyhound, I know, but very much part of me.

     

    Oki came to us when she was 10 weeks old. Her 'owner' wanted to drown her in a bucket.

     

    Last might she was driving me nuts, trundling across my keyboard and standing in front of the computer screen. This morning she was making funny meows and was unable to stand. Took her straight to the vets and she started fitting shortly after we left her for tests. Steroids didn't work and eventually, the fits got worse and she passed away. The vet feels that at her age, the cause is most likely to be some sort of brain tumour.

     

    So my number one cat has gone to be with Mokka and all the others.

     

    I miss her already.

     

    oki030809b.jpg

    Mokka Doyle

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    Thanks everyone.

     

    I just couldn't write much yesterday but wanted to let everyone know that she'd left.

     

    So - the story of how we found ourselves there...

     

    Last Sunday night, Mokka was coughing overnight. I took her to the vets Monday morning and she was diagnosed with a heart issue. She was started on Vetmedin that day and then on Weds of last week, she had a chest xray which showed that although her heart was enlarged it really wasn't greatly so. Her liver was also very slightly enlarged. She was to continue on the Vetmedin and we also had a basic thyroid test sent off because her fur was coming out a little more than was normal for general moulting.

     

    All was OK and the Vetmedin seemed to be working well because by Thursday she was hardly coughing at all. In fact, I don't think we heard her cough more than once from then.

     

    Friday night she was a little quiet and a little slower than normal to go for her tablets (she loved having her tablets - she was already on Vivitonin etc - because they were always wrapped in sliced meat) so she would run to the fridge all evening in the hope that we'd follow and give her tablets. But on Friday night, she was much slower and was last to the fridge at tablet time, rather than first.

     

    Saturday morning she was panting and was standing 'like a cow' (head down). Her tail was also down which was unusual for her because she tended to carry it curled over her back. She'd also been sick twice. We were at the vets for 9am and found that she had a temperature and her refill time was slow, so she was kept in for fluids and IV antibiotics. Jo (our vet) suspected that she had some sort of bug or infection and predicted that the big D would follow at some point - which it did later in the morning, but not massively.

     

    I spoke to the vets at about 2ish and Mokka was perkier. Her temp was coming down. I arranged to call again at teatime and throughout the day, I'd thought we'd probably collect her on Sunday morning.

     

    The vet phoned me at about 6.30pm to tell me that Mokka had just died. They (vet and nurse) had gone to change her bedding before the nurse went home (vet lives on site) and they got her out of the kennel to do it and she was standing on the floor in the hospital and she just collapsed. Jo ran for the adrenaline but she couldn't get her heart started again.

     

    It's all horrible and it's vile and I hate it. But I also know that many people would kill for their dog to live till it was fifteen and a half years old. I suppose that it's an awful long time to ask a little doggie heart to pump. But it wasn't long enough for us, by a long way :(

     

    I'll do a thread of memories and pics sometime soon in C&F but for now, here is the very last picture I took of our beautiful girl who had been with us since she was 16 weeks old

     

    mokka070310g.jpg

    Osteosarcoma In Dogs

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Here's an article about several long-term osteosarcoma survivors. It's called Dogs of Hope: Long-term Osteosarcoma Survivors. Fifty one months was the longest when the story was written in 2004. There must be more success stories by now. May Jamey be like one of them. :goodlucklinky

    I've never seen that article before - I've saved it to my favourites to read in full later :)

    Vestibular Syndrome

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Our Buddy (small lurcher) had a vestibular attack on 18th February. She was worse on the second day and actually spend two days at the vets from that point. She had really horrible eye movements and she had vomiting (and I assume, bad nausea). She was started off on 4mg of Medrone v x 3 daily, along with Vivitonin. She's still taking the Vivitonin (and will continue to do so) but is now down to 1 x daily Medrone tablet.

     

    I have to tell you that I thought she'd never recover, particularly during those first few days - but she did recover :)

     

    She still has a very very slight head tilt but I don't think you'd notice if if you didn't know her well and she sometimes does the odd stumbley type movement for no apparent reason but generally, she's done very well indeed. She turned 14 in October so she's no spring chicken either :wub:

     

    Here she is on 5th March

     

    buddy050310a.jpg

     

    The main issue she's been left with is that her eyesight on her left hand side has been damaged slightly, but we can live with that :wub:

     

    Sending lots of good thoughts for Valor :grouphug

    Osteosarcoma In Dogs

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I too agree that I did not want to listen to the odds I just wanted to save my baby and I wanted to believe my baby would be the lucky one :(.

    This is the problem, isn't it? If we look at the stats, we know there are only going to be a few lucky ones - but who knows whether it will be yours or mine or someone elses? Some *do* make it and the majority do not but when faced with the decision, it's very hard to say "well, most don't so I'll not take the chance" because (and I am speaking personally here) I would find myself wondering if mine had been destined to be one of those lucky ones.

     

    (I have been on 'the other side' and lost a dog to fibrosarcoma just 6 weeks after his diagnosis - amputation was not an option for him).

     

    I'm very sorry for all those who have suffered losses :grouphug

    Osteosarcoma In Dogs

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by Bevd

    bevd's Deerhound Darcy is 3+ years post amputation for osteo.

    Not quite....but getting there :)

     

    Darcy was diagnosed and amputated on 16th October 2007, so today we are celebrating 29 months :confetti

     

    darcy060310t.jpg

     

    Edited for typo

     

    Edited again to add that the statistics I was given by a UK cancer specialist were that osteo will have spread in 98% of cases before you know the dog has any problem at all. So the margin is 2%.

    My (First) Grey And My Cats... Not Sure How To Read The Signs

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Hello :)

     

    From what you have said, I would take NO CHANCES AT ALL and I would leash and muzzle at ALL times until your dog has learned to look at YOU as soon as he sees a cat - or at least learned to look in another direction as soon as you tell him to.

     

    I don't particularly like the sound of him going stiff/like stone whilst watching the cat.

     

    Also, I'd steer away from spraying with water and instead use one very strong word as the command. The word I use is LEAVE and if necessary, the word is issues reasonably loudly, always firmly and sometimes accompanied by a small jerk of the lead. I am not talking about yanking the dog around in any way - I am talking about a small tug :) And then very importantly, the second the dog looks away from the cat, you must give massive praise and fuss to show that you are very pleased.

     

    When I have gone through this with some of my greyhounds, it has taken anything from 8 -16 consecutive days of being muzzled and leashed at all times (other than when sleeping in a crate or when eating in a totally cat free room).

     

    Do not take chances.

     

    Best of luck :)

    2 Osteo/amp Questions

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I don't have any information on limb sparing (but my gut feeling - knowing the little that I know from reading a tiny bit on the net - is that it wouldn't be something I would do. I don't think.).

     

    Darcys osteo was in her front right distal radius and her entire LEG was removed but her scapula (shoulder) was left in. I suspect that its even bigger surgery to remove the scapula and if it doesn't need to be removed, they often won't (but I suspect this depends on your vets own feelings on such matters). In Darcys case it has worked out totally fine.

     

    Best of luck :grouphug

    Muzzling And Etiquette

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    What is the REASON for muzzling? In most of Australia all greyhounds must be muzzled and on-leash, except in those states where there is an agreement with an adoption program. In Victoria, adopted greys aren't muzzled but must wear a special 'GAP' collar and are not allowed off-leash except in a securely-fenced area. A loose racing grey with a high prey-drive is a menace and a muzzle is sensible insurance if it slips its collar. For most of us with our retirees it is not necessary unless they are running and playing freely with other dogs, when all dogs should be muzzled. A muzzle is also a good idea if you have reason to believe your grey is dog-aggressive, otherwise it is unecessary.

    What about cats? Don't they count? I know that it's frowned upon in different parts of the world for cats to be allowed outside of the home but here in the UK, it is the norm. And although my own cats are safe from my dogs (or as safe as they ever can be), cats which do not belong to this household may well not be and I do not want my dog to injur or kill anyone's cat. To me therefore, a muzzle *is* necessary. It's nobodys place to say what is and is not necessary in someone elses life. We should be able to say this is necessary in mine but it might not be in yours - or this is not necessary in mine but it may well be in yours. You would hate it if rescue organisations had blanket policies and were not flexible and were not prepared to take each case of rehoming on its own merits so how come it's OK for people here to make blanket statements about what is right for others re muzzles?

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