Robin1017

Patty, i heard about this this morning. I'm so sorry to hear about Zim....

LOL....Tricia, I wonder why he has on 2 martingales in that picture??? There must have been a reason, I suspect. I hope all is well with Murray and Holly.

Hi everyone, I have not yet been able to post an official remembrance for Robin. In fact, I was just going through the facebook and GT posts that I made the day he died and I am crying like it happened yesterday. I can't believe I still can't do it. I feel like I don't want to do it unless I do it right....unless I write one that is worthy of the amazing soul that Robin was, and that I include the absolute perfect selection of pictures. But I can barely see right now with the tears.... So I don't think I will be able to do it tonight. Robin has been gone 4 1/2 months.....I feel horrible that I have not been able to post this for him yet, like I've failed him somehow. And yet he would be okay with this, with me taking the time to do it right....and filling my days with long walks with my new boy, remembering him in every leaf and every sunset. So this is not his remembrance....it is not good enough to be so....and I will not let Robin have less than the best. However, I did never make his loss official in this section of GT, and I feared that there was at least someone who knew him who missed the thread about it in June and who I need to tell. Though I have been on facebook a lot, I have not come to the GT forum much since Robin left. That was our thing, somehow.... I just haven't been able to do it. However, the time has come to do an introduction thread for my new boy, and to sign up for Secret Santa. In cleaning today I came upon the box that Robin's last Secret Santa came in. It makes me sad to know that he will not get another one, and yet excited to sign up with Calvin. And to move on to my next chapter in GT. So again, I hold off on fully saying goodbye to my co-pilot of 11 1/2 years. My best friend. The love of my life. I hope that Robin is having as much fun at the bridge as I have envisioned.... because he has sure left a huge hole behind. I love him with all my heart. To be continued, when I am ready...... Cathy

I have been bringing Robin to physical therapy for the past year. His treatment included muscle building/maintaining exercises, massage and stretching, cold laser, and a swim in the pool. I am convinced that these treatments are responsible for him still being with me, even if he is declining more now.

Yes to what krissn said. Studies show that home diet is actual best for kidney disease, even better than prescription foods if you do it right. So if your vet doesn't know this and is discouraging cooking, I'd be concerned and find a vet who knows. Unless maybe he thinks you are doing randomnessin the foods without any research, and he should still ask you that first. (On a side note, have you found the site dogaware.com? Tons of info and nutritional values for kidney diets, both commercial and home-cooked.)

So.....it appears to be a fatty tumor. This did NOT look or feel like a fatty tumor. But apparently it is under a layer of muscle, so that is why. (Who knew they could do that?) Thanks for the well wishes! They worked this time! He is still declining in mobility, and I know that our time is not long....but it isn't today, or tomorrow! He doesn't have cancer!!!

Thanks Diane! FWIW, the fresh factors did help....he actually improved quite a bit from how he was at GiG. But this weekend.... I think I know what it is.

Hi everyone, I already posted on facebook, but Robin could use the power of GT today. He's been getting weaker, and this weekend his right back leg, which has been knuckling under more and more, started seeming even weaker and he wasn't putting any weight on it. Then I noticed some swelling, shall we say, near his hipbone on that side. We have an appt at the vet at 4:20 today, for x-rays most likely. But I have a bad feeling about this. He is still my crazy, happy boy, as you can see below. A few pictures from a very good weekend, despite the mobility challenges. Keep him in your thoughts.

He looks great to me. Robin raced at 74 and was 78 for the first 8 or so years with very little variation or effort on my part....until he turned 10 or so and things started shifting. It seems like you may have found the weight his body wants to be.

You should join the K9 Kidney Diet Yahoo group. Tons of advice and information. The quick answer to your question.....someone from there told me, when I was pondering home cooked but worried about the price, that it can be done fairly easily and cheaply. She said to use the frozen whitefish fillets you can find in the grocery store, or BJs, or somewhere like that. You get a bunch for the price, and you use that as the base protein. Then you can mix in a starch (they recommend a certain kind of rice), and then other supplements and such to balance the nutrition. I can probably find the email I got from that person for more details if you want. Robin's still fighting a bladder infection, so I don't know how bad his kidneys really are, and even so his numbers aren't that bad, so I have switched him to Hills d/d, not the kidney diet. Moderate protein and such, instead of super low like the k/d. I can't remember the phosphorus, but it wasn't bad. Robin likes the food, which is a plus. And join that yahoo group. I uploaded his test results and history and I had a few people offering insights and advice right away.

That's what Robin did when he got Lyme disease when he was3.

That is the harness that Robin wears, and that many, many of us have used to help our older guys move around. I know for a fact that it has extended my time with Robin, and my friend swears that the harness gave her 10 extra months with her boy. It really works well. They just wear it all the time, so that it is there for you to help when he needs it. (This is the first picture I took of Robin in his boots. He was KNOT thrilled. But that is another option if you find he is dragging his back feet and scraping his knuckles. Robin was scraping his toenails to the quick and making them bleed, as well as wearing down his pads and getting booboos on his knuckles. Therapaws from GEM have really helped that.) http://www.gemgreyhounds.org/GEM-Store/thera-paw%E2%84%A2-dog-boots/

All the mess and stubbornness and anxiety and worry and sleepless nights......it all seems worth it when he curls up against me and breathes deep. 11 years hasn't been enough yet. He is my heart.

I buy 24" square disposable puppy pads really cheap at Ocean State Job Lot. When Robin is lying down, sometimes his tail will suddenly go up and poop will come out. Sometimes he has no idea, especially overnight. It wasn't as gross back when it was bouncy....but now it's softer and ickier. So I tuck the pee pad under his butt so that when it does come out, I just slide the pad out from under him, bag it up, and toss it. I end up needing to wash his fur with a wet cloth, but at least then I don't have to worry about cleaning the floor, dog bed, or furniture! Another thing that has helped is the assistance harness I got from godsgreyts on etsy. Carol makes them and it has really been a lifesaver, because I can help him up when he is having trouble. I've also been doing physical therapy, which includes laser treatments and water therapy, to keep his hind end strong, and that has been a real help. https://www.etsy.com/listing/225448995/greyhound-assistance-harness?ref=related-0

Thank goodness. I always worry when there's no update on posts like this that it's because it's so bad that the person can't deal. Thank you! So glad for Bernie!

Any news on Bernie?

I'm so sorry, Mary Pat. So sorry.

I have been giving Robin tylan powder each day, mixing it with cornstarch in order to mask the bitter taste. However, his poops continue to be like milkshake every time. I'm doing a lot of different things, but i would like to see if i can give him the tylan without cornstarch for a few doses to make sure he's not reacting to the cornstarch. Seems like a long shot, but you never know. So i need some other ideas for masking the flavor. He's giving me a really hard time right now about pills and powders in his food, so this will be tricky, but i want to try. Any ideas?

Robin's physical therapist recommended using a heating pad for his back on an area that is twitchy. She recommended using the kind you microwave so it cools down over time....

I just thought of these bed covers I saw at a pet expo a year ago. I grabbed their card and have had it on the fridge, so it was easily accessible. since I've had trouble with Robin with the sleep poops. This woman makes really nice pet bed covers that are machine washable (I believe) and come in tons of different fabrics. Some of the fabrics were water resistant/proof. We poured water on them and watched it bead and roll off. This might be an option for covering the really nice beds you have. I don't remember if she makes them custom for different bed sizes, but I bet she does. Here is her website: www.dbcoverzzz.com Her name is Diane Cohen, and she calls them doggiebedcoverzzz. I am thinking, technically, anyone who can sew a bit could probably custom make their own, actually, if you found the right material. But definitely check out her site anyway! It might give you an idea for an option that may not have been considered.

I hope you are able to try one of carol's.I'd lend you mine, but robin wears it 24-7. Good luck....

Poor Desi. I'm sorry to hear this. An infection like that from a booboo has been on my I'm-paranoid-and-afraid-of-it list for a while now. (Robin just got off antibiotics for a pretty bad booboo that was starting to get infected...) Hugs for your old man, from mine! Cathy & Robin

Robin has the same issue. He just turned 13. Lots of good advice here. Robin is also on gabapentin....it works really well, even though he didn't seem to be in pain, the results are clear. I second the Therapaws to protect his back feet. Robin's nails were worn to the quick and bleeding at one point (ow!) and the therapaws really help. He has had "sleep poops", as I call them, for a while now. He will be sleeping and the poop will just come out. I have found that tucking absorbent puppy pads under his butt once he settles in allows for an easier cleanup when it happens, since it doesn't get on the bed or floor where he is. Another super helpful addition to his situation has been an assistance harness. Here is a picture of him with it and his therapaw boots. It was the first time I tried the boots on him, hence the evil eye. lol The harness can be found here. https://www.etsy.com/listing/78900259/greyhound-assistance-harness?ref=shop_home_active_1 It really helps me help him when he starts to sink, or if he is having trouble getting up the steps to the porch, or when he is having trouble getting up from a laying down position. It has been a godsend, really, and I'm not sure how he would be doing now if I didn't have that to help. Lots of other good stuff has been said here. Just trying to add what I can. Good luck!

Robaxin is prescription...it's the brand name for methocarbamol. A muscle relaxant. But i get it at walgreens because it is a human drug too. With the Walgreens prescription plan, it's really cheap.

Interesting thought. I have some probiotic powder, but have never tried it consistently. I just know if I give too much at first his system gets worse....so I have to wean him onto it. I am still interested in the answers to my questions, so feel free to keep them coming! ....but I am realizing that I should do a food and poop journal (fun!) for a bit first before I do anything too drastic. There are so many variables.... Thanks to everyone so far! (as I gag on stink at this very moment....) The pattern seems to be panting because of stomach cramps....then he settles down, either on his own, from manuka honey, or with me massaging him...then he falls asleep and proceeds to be super stinky.....then when he finally awakens a few hours later, we go out and he has soft poo that stinks like the farts. Usually he is a bit better after that. Makes me think something specific is getting in him. Or a source of bacteria maybe (making sure I wash his bowls and everything right away and such...). We will see.