greysmom

For Sara! And for you both!

Is there any time when she feels comfortable enough to take treats?? Some quiet time with you in your home when she's relaxed? If you can clicker train her during those times to the point where she already associates the clicker with "good thing" then getting her to focus in class or other situations might be easier. Also, a trainer I know sometimes uses a replacement squeaker for stuffies (or a small squeaky toy) instead of treats for non-food-motivated pups.

One word - muzzle. I have two that love to catch birds. Dude did catch a couple in the air last summer. I can't figure out if Toni is chasing them off her property or just likes running after them. She hasn't caught any, but her hope springs eternal.

What a face! Oh my! How don't you melt every time you look at him? Oh, I do!!! He's really adorable, if I do say so myself! Jess, don't discount the value of warm compresses to help the excess fluids reabsorb. They can realy help. Dude seemed to like them, too, like they made him feel better. He didn't have a fluid build up, but he did have an extra surgery for his infection, so we might have skipped the fluid-build-up step. It might be worth seeing the ortho again if you can. Greytnut - If Tiny has cancer I don't see how your vet can say he's reached a maximum dosage. There's no reason to not increase it if it will make him more comfortable. That's what's most important. Besides, that doesn't seem to me like very much pain meds according to what I remember reading here. Hugs for you and Tiny! Oh, and Dude definitely avoids the more rambunctious members of the household - they're just taking care of themselves.

Also look for the videos and pics user Charlies-Dad has posted here. Charlie is 7-8 months post-amp for osteo and is going strong! My own boy Dude had an amp 6 weeks ago and is happy and just like his old self. He was up and running around in about a week, and has adapted amazingly easily to being a tripod. If your husband is worried about the surgery itself, the amp is actually easier and shorter than a de-bulking would be. Probably cheaper too, if you want to look at it that way. Yes, the first two week are pretty hard. But it's harder on US than on THEM. She'll be pain free and able to use all her remaining legs to their fullest.

Greyhounds will often not eat post-surgery in the hospital. Try meat puree baby food, liver pate, McDonald's hamburgers, KFC chicken - anything he normally LOVES. As we've found with Dude, faster is easier as far as getting around. The momentum helps makes up for the lack of an extra leg for propulsion. Walking is the hardest thing - it's too bouncy and requires a lot of effort. We just let Dude find his own pace and rhythm. He stumbled and almost fell a couple times, but it's all part of the process.

Sounds like you have things covered! Yeah! For bringing him home soon. Dude was very mobile right form the day we brought him home, but we made sure he stayed at the hospital long enough until he was ready. We didn't ever use the sling they gave us as he was doing just fine - even pooped on his own as his first "act" in his own yard! We also didn't use much sedation. I don't like to use Acepromazine, and the couple of times we gave him a pill he was really zoned out. He slept a lot on his own anyway. My biggest suggestion is to *really* prepare your toddler for the changes in James. I had Dude at the hospital for a check up a few days after the surgery and there was a little girl in the waiting room. Maybe two or three years old. She couldn't stop staring at Dude and his missing leg and got quite concerned and upset. She obviously knew Dude wasn't right even though he was acting like a normal dog. I'm sure her Mom had an interesting conversation with her on their way home that afternoon. If James is good with your child and he can be safely ensconced away from curious hands, then I wouldn't hesitate to have the whole family together. If Gramma is close, you might want to see how things go, and then use Gramma's house for a break when you need it. Bottom line is that every dog and situation is different, and you'll have to see how he does, how you do, and how things go when James comes home. Good luck!

Where the dog sleeps has less to do with who he thinks is the leader in the house than how well YOU lead. Ours sleep pretty much wherever they want - dog bed, available chairs, our bed. Only one consistently sleeps with us, another will ocassionally. They will all get on the bed at various times. We have five greys and three cats in a 900 sq foot, 1 bedroom house. It's close, but comfy! Most greyhounds prefer to sleep close to their owner. They become very attached, very quickly, and especially in the beginning, this seems to be a comfort for them. Also, I prefer to have them close so I can hear tem if they need to go out or have other issues. Many greys will choose to sleep in other rooms as they become settled into home life. Where did he sleep in his foster home? But, he is a dog. He will learn to sleep where you want him.

So sorry for your loss of Wonder. We'll be thinking of you and looking for a new star in the Heavens tonight. Run fast and far and pain free sweet Wonder......................

Good luck working with Brandi! Excellent to have some assistance and advice! One thing that will definitely help is obedience training, either individual or group sessions. They're usually controlled pretty well and everyone is focused. You could even talk to a trainer and see if they would let you monitor a class and just take her and sit. Use the time for desensitization with clikcer training. Obedience training would help give her confidence as well, which is another key factor with anxious dogs. Give her other behaviors that she can do instead of being always on the lookout for stuff to be afraid of. Good luck and congratulations!

Jess, how's Lucy today? Does the swelling have any smell? Is it particularly tender and/or hot to the touch? Is it weeping any fluid at all? It might be worth a trip in to have it checked. Dude's infection was deep inside his remaining stump and ended with him needing another surgery and two different antibiotics. Dude was in for routine bloodwork today and got to see his TV star surgeon. The doctor came out and said that Dude's amp and incision looked "Awesome" and that Dude is very sweet. Aaawwwwww! Second chemo next Wednesday! Hugs to all!

THIS! Don't be in too much of a rush to get him home. Evaluate your ability to care for him and the situation he will be in at home. Do you need to build or buy a ramp for any outdoor stairs? How will he get in and out for potties? Is there a place for him to sleep and one of you to sleep with him? Do you have enough groceries in so you don't have to leave him? Does he have a secure, non-slippery place to eat and drink? Do you have some cooked chicken or ground beef and rice in case he gets an upset tummy or to tempt his appetite? Just some things to think about. We opted to have Dude stay another night due to our having four other hounds at home, and giving him a chance to be steadier on his feet and getting around. Glad he's doing so well! You go James!

If it has to be a cancer then hemangio is probably good news. The surgery will be curative, and though hard to get through initially, you'll have many more years together. Hugs, prayers, and every positive thought for you and James tomorrow!

I'm so sorry, Jim and Sherrie. We'll be thnking about you both and Secret, too.

About a week after Dude came home from the hospital he began having accidents in the house. We know he was peeing outside OK, and sometimes we would find a spot right after we came back in. It wasn't a full pee, just like leaking if he was getting up or down. The surgeon had no idea why he might be doing this, so we ordered a belly band to contain the leaks and went on. A few days later he had to go back in to surgery for a bad infection in his wound. The leaking stopped when he go home from that, and went on two other antibiotics. The belly band came, and we didn't need to use it. I think he was having some kind of UTI from the infection in the wound, and the debridement surgery and new ABs cleared it up. He's been fine ever since, and is back on our usual potty schedule with no problems. Hugs to all!

Dude - and us - have had a good couple of days. Several in a row is a real break-through! He's eating well and getting around fine. He's been off all his meds (except a pepcid before meals) for 2 1/2 days! Hugs to everyone!

No further info unfortunately, but we're thinking about Dustin nd sending our telepaffik gud fotes!

Safe travels and good thoughts for James. Please let us know how things go.

This is from a couple days ago. The first time he got back in his chair since the surgery. Need to upload some of the snow pics from today! Dude loves the snow!

Checking in to see how everyone's doing today and to give a good update! We have basically stopped his codeine pain med (he has a dose or two on antibiotic left) and his nsaid. I think they were depressing / sedating him quite a bit as he's been a bundle of energy since going off them. His face is bright and his eyes and expression are good. He's doing "normal" stuff like he used to for the most part. He's acting so much like his old self that I actually looked at him out in the yard and was shocked to see only three legs! He continues to like his Salmon Canidae, so we'll probably be switching him to this food permanently. I still need to talk to his oncologist about artemesinin supplements and the joint supplements I got from Greyhound Gang, Hope everyone else has had a good day too! Hugs to all!

Definitely another vet, if that is an option. I hate any kind of professional that talks to me like I'm stupid. Especially in this age of internet research. Make sure you stay on the antibiotics long enough. Batom has given you a good list to follow. Good luck.

Any news???

Sounds pretty greyhound normal to me. Every once in a while you will find a grey that LOVES to please, LOVES to work, LOVES the stimulation, and or LOVES treats. Mostly, they do have a kind of "meh!' attitude. They like people and being around people, but not so much the eager-to-please-people training eagerness. You can approach this two ways - get frustrated, which your greyhound will definitely pick up on, which will make him less, rather than more, likely to want to do what you're asking. Or you can just go with it - do a couple things, even if he's giving you the equivalent of doggie eye-rolling, praise praise praise and let him go relax again. At those less than engaged times you also might consider upping the treat value quite a bit, or even just varying them more. If he's not especially food/treat motivated he probably gets bored with the same treat all the time.

It sounds like she was alone for quite some time. What is her schedule normally?? Also, consider that, if you try letting her have house priveledges, it really can't get much worse. I would be more worried about her injuring herself. If you do decide to try it, spend some time *really* dog proofing the area(s) where she will be. Make sure she's good and tired before you leave, and completely pottied out. Leave her with a stuffed Kong or another safe treat to occupy her. Leave a radio or the TV on for some noise in the house. Do a search here for Separation Anxiety threads. We've had some real SA nutheads over the last year or so, and the topic has been thoroughly covered - from alone training to medication intervention. Good luck.

He LOVED the Canidae! Tonight. We'll see how breakfast goes! Mutt Head!