winbo

We had Ivy for about 4 years when we got another grey thinking she would like the company. Not so much. lol!! Joe was big and boisterous and loved her but it wasn't really reciprocated. We lost him after a couple of years to osteo and it was just Ivy again. A friend was giving away a year and a half year old whippet and for some unexplained reason we thought we would check her out. A year later, we are one big happy family. Ivy, who hates to be touched when she's sleeping, tolerates Sophie snuggling with her. Ivy who can be a grump tolerates Sophie running around her trying to play. I think in our case it works because Sophie is totally non confrontational and defers to Ivy all the time. We always make sure Ivy knows she's important and I think she enjoys the company now. If we thought Ivy was unhappy I would also have felt guilty and returned Sophie. It takes a little while to see if they like each other.

We let our other dogs go too long and regretted it after the fact. When our grey Joe was diagnosed with bone cancer we swore we wouldn't let him suffer and we didn't. When the pain medications didn't keep him comfortable and able to enjoy life, we let him go. It was terribly hard but no regrets. It's a very personal decision and you will know in your heart when the time is right. Just listen to it and ask yourself what you would want if you were Harley. Not really an answer but just do what you think is best. Anne

I'm a long time lurker of wfubc and I just want to say how sorry I am for your loss. I love your Brady stories and always think how lucky you were to find each other if even for a short time. Anne

Welcome from caledon! Our ivy is a GINA dog as well. Anne

My heartfelt condolences. Anne and ivy

Our joe had eyes that looked like that and it turned out to be because of food allergies.

I'm sorry he had to leave so soon. Anne

This is exactly our ivy. After 6 years she is pretty much over it. She will sprawl over dh and I but god forbid you should let your arm or hand rest on her! She has gone further than a warning growl but over the years she is getting more tolerant. We consider it just one more of her quirks.

Joe has bad food allergies and used to rub his eyes until they bled. He had an allergy test done and took prednisone to clear up the symptoms while we waited for the test results. He's allergic to beef, venison, tomatoe pomace, kelp, sorghum, soybean, carrots and corn. We were given a list of food, dry and canned, that meet his allergy needs. So far so good if I stick to the list. We haven't had him that long and it's winter here now so we're keeping our fingers crossed there will be no environmental allergies when spring hits! Anne

We just had food related allergy tests done on one of our dogs. He rubbed his eyes raw, especially after eating. The vet put him on prednisone while we waited for the results to allow him to stop rubbing and hopefully start off on the right foot after we got the results. His tests came back and he's allergic to beef, soybeans, corn, carrots, kelp and sorghum. He's now on Natural Balance fish and sweet potato kibble mixed in with California natural wet food that's on his "allowed" list. So far so good - it's been about 3 weeks and he's not scratching much and he's looking good. Hope it lasts. Anne

Hello from Caledon!