Trekkysmom7

No. I meant to say Niacin (Vitamin B3). Most readily available supplements at pharmacies, grocery stores, and Targets are labeled as Niacin. Niacin is what people use to help lower their triglyceride level. Kim and greyhounds Kaylee, Rico, Cooper, Petey and galgos Boogie and Livvie

I adopted my boy Cooper in December 2013 knowing he had Lupus. He was only on some supplements initially at his adoption group. I took him to my vet and we started him on a regimen of Niacin 500 mg twice daily and Tetracycline 500 mg twice daily. He has been doing well. He started to lose his nails more frequently so we added salmon oil 2 squirts twice daily and he has stabilized. Cooper's lupus affects his nose which is cracked and peeling and his toenails. He now loses about 1 toenail every few months on this medication regimen. The toenail will just crack, bleed, and fall off. These medications are not expensive. They have kept him comfortable for 4 years. I do feed him a grain free diet. I feed 4Health grain free Beef and Potato. Kim and greyhounds Kaylee, Rico, Cooper, Petey and galgos Boogie and Livvie

I just had 2 hounds have the same diagnosis. I adopted 4 year old Cooper in December and he came with the diagnosis. He had a soft tissue sarcoma on his head which had been partially removed by his adoption group. I took him to Metzger Animal Hospital to see Dr. Couto in his new location. We discussed treatment options and decided on another surgery - wide revision on his head. The surgery was successful and the pathology came back cancer free. Cooper's sarcoma was low grade and the chance of it metastasizing is extremely low so we consider this surgery curative and no further treatment is necessary. Kirby is my 13 1/2 year old boy who has had a small mass under his eye for years which suddenly quadrupled in size in February over a few weeks. My vet and I decided surgery was necessary even at his advanced age and the pathology report revealed a low grade soft tissue sarcoma with close margins. We decided not to put my old guy through another surgery to get better margins. From what I understand it can take years for the sarcoma to come back. I hope your dog's outcomes go as well as mine did and I do suggest contacting Dr. Couto as he really helped me in treating Cooper.

I am sorry for the bad news. Best wishes for many good days ahead for Brady.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Dylan.

Kirby broke one of his metatarsal bones and was in a splint for about 8 weeks and it healed fine with no lasting problems. They tried a Fiberglass splint first and Kirby broke the splint twice so they switched over to an aluminum splint and lots of padding and it worked well. One thing to look out for with splints is abrasions from the splint rubbing on a greyhound's thin skin. Please make sure they use lots of padding and check frequently for any rubbing.

I do not know if you want to hear this, but I thought I should let you know of a poor outcome. My angel Trixie had a splenectomy at University of Pennsylvania at age 9 1/2 for an mass in her spleen which turned out to be malignant. Prior to the surgery she was healthy with no issues. She did very poorly after the surgery and would not eat. She passed away 1 week after the surgery when her surgical wound opened and she developed a massive infection. By this time we had found out that the mass was malignant and had spread to her liver so her projected life expectancy was 2-3 months. I could not see putting her through another major surgery to debride and close the wound so I helped her cross the rainbow bridge. I would encourage you to stock up on different foods to entice Fiona to eat. I wish you and Fiona good luck and a speedy recovery.

Thank you all for your kind words and understanding. I was making Watson's scrapbook pages last night and the sadness was overwhelming and I needed to let someone know how I felt.

I understand and am so sorry for your loss.

I do not post often and this post is many months delayed, but I feel I must finally honor the memory of my boy Watson on this board. I have often seen the posts of people discussing their heart dogs and have thought I love all of mine equally. I have lost 5 hounds, and currently have 5 hounds, and have fostered about 70 hounds. Watson left me earlier this year. When my other hounds have left I have been there and been sad, but with Watson I am sad and still cry every day when I think of him. Below is the e-mail I sent to all my friends when he passed: I would like to tell you about Watson otherwise know as Watson Potson or Mr. Po. Watson entered my life at a very hard time, I was having problems both in my personal and professional life. I loved him from the minute I met him and started fostering him. My home was already full with 3 other greyhounds, but I wanted to add him to my gang. I posted on the greyhound board to see if 4 hounds would be too much for 1 person, and of course the answer was no. I decided that since he was so perfect that he would find a perfect forever home. Well, as things turned out he was not perfect and was not small dog, cat, or kid safe. Unfortunately, due to the politics of the greyhound group that I was a volunteer of at that time, I was not welcome to participate in any M&Gs. No one called to take Watson to any events for months. I realized that fate was conspiring to keep him with me. When the greyhound group finally called to take him to an event, I replied that I was keeping him. Watson has brought much joy into my life. He was such a happy, goofy boy. He has pulled me through many tough times. Unfortunately, he was also one of those hounds that also attracts unwanted attention and seemed to get hurt a lot. Through it all, he never lost his happy, playful attitude. When I came home from work, he greeted me with love and jumped up and put his paws on my shoulder and gave me a hug. He was the heart and soul of my pack. He was the favorite of almost all of my family and friends who know my whole pack. When Watson was diagnosed with osteo, I decided to keep him comfortable and treat him like a king with great treats and extra love. I have lost 2 greys to osteo, and 2 others to other cancer, but Watson is my heart and soul dog. I miss him so much and my heart is empty. My other hounds are here, but the void is too big to be filled. In the past, when one of my hounds have moved to the rainbow bridge, I have adopted another in their memory. My house is too full right now, and I cannot imagine another hound coming close to being able to fill the large hole left in my heart by the passing of Watson. I miss Watson so much. Thank you for anyone reading this and understanding. Watson is forever in my heart.

It is with a heavy heart that I respond to this post. I spent the entire day today at Linda's house with other members of the group going through paperwork and finding homes for the fosters and Linda's own greyhounds. Linda was a very special person who devoted much of her life to the welfare of the greyhounds. I hope now that she is at peace and playing with her many bridge angels. Linda was the heart and soul of Linda Ann's Greyhound Rescue. The greyhound world is now missing a remarkable women who despite her own medical problems always found the room for those greyhounds who needed help. We are planning on regrouping and hope to move forward with Linda Ann's Greyhound Rescue Group in her memory. We would appreciate any help. We are hoping to work with the other groups in the area. We are located in the Lehigh Valley, PA area and will be having a "what do we do now" meeting soon. Anyone willing to help can contact me at DRKIM7@aol.com or cell phone 610-248-3338. --Kim with greyhounds Kirby and Watson and Kody and Kaylee and permafoster Bobbi and foster Lilly

I think this picture says it all. Sorry it is fuzzy, I took it yesterday morning on my cell phone. My 3 boys sleep with me every night, my permafoster Bobbi usually sleeps on a pile of dog beds next to my bed, and Kaylee sleeps all over the house. At any time I have between 3-5 dogs in bed with me. I need a bigger bed. Kim with hounds Kirby and Watson and Kody and Kaylee and permafoster Bobbi

I am very sorry to hear this news. Run free with all the other bridge angels, Chief. Kim S. with hounds Trekky and Trixie and Kirby and Watson and angel Monty

I do not really have any help on how to give the allergy shots but I just wanted to let you know I had the same problem with my hound Kirby. He would rub the fur off around his eyes and muzzle and lick the fur off around his feet. I took him to a dermatologist and he was allergy tested and found allergic to multiple things including mites and grass. We tried allergy shots for over 1 year with no success. I finally tried Atopica which is a very expensive oral medication. It really helped and Kirby has been a new hound ever since. I hope the allergy shots work out for you and you find a way to help Quinn accept them, but I just wanted to let you know there is an another option in case these don't work. I wish you best of luck. --Kim S. with hounds Trekky and Trixie and Kirby and Watson and Angel Monty

2 of my 4 hounds are blood donors. 2 cannot donate due to health reasons. Trixie donated for many years until I retired her due to her arthritis medication earlier this year. Watson has donated for about 1 year. The local emergency vet hospital sponsors this blood donation. It takes about 30 minutes per hound. We get free yearly heartworm/tick screening. We also get heartgard and frontline for 2 months and a bag of treats and a toy. We donate about every 2-3 months. My hounds have never suffered any ill effects. They have a bandage around their neck that I remove before bedtime. They seem a little tired that night but by morning are back to their usual self. --Kim with hounds Trekky and Trixie and Kirby and watson and Angel Monty

Thank you all for your kind words and understanding. Here is a picture of Monty. Sorry it is not a very good picture. --Kim S. with hounds Trekky and Trixie and Kirby and Watson and Angel Monty

I would like to say good-bye to the most special greyhound. Monty only came into my life about 3 weeks ago. He was one of 3 senior greyhounds returned from a family at the same time. Monty was a wonderful foster at my house. He was perfect. Unfortunately, he started to have some issues walking and then became incontinent of both stool and urine. We went to the vet and x-rays showed cancer in his spine. I officially adopted him and bought him a Big Boy collar and ID tag so that he would know that he was loved and had a home. He declined rapidly and I helped him over the bridge on Monday April 7 as he no longer seemed to be enjoying life. He is now pain free and running with the other bridge angels. Unfortunately, one of the other senior greyhounds that was returned from this family was found to have a rectal tumor that was diagnosed as cancer. His foster home will be helping him through the remainder of his time. The good news is that the third greyhound returned from this family is healthy and has found a new and wonderful forever home!! Monty was only with me a few weeks but has left a huge hole in my heart. He was a wonderful and very special greyhound. I just want to tell him one more time how special he was and that he was very much loved by his family and that we miss him and hope to see him again someday. --Kim S. with greyhounds Trekky and Trixie and Kirby and Watson and Angel Monty