MandysMom

I'm so sorry

I am a firm believer in FF and JHC as well. But I wanted to throw something else out there. Have you considered acupuncture and/or physical therapy? Mandy had acupuncture for almost 8 years (she had terrible corns on all her feet, which caused her to walk funny and have back spasms). As she got older, her hind end got very weak and the acupuncturist modified his approach slightly to help. He also did laser treatments. We normally went every 4 weeks and I could tell if we stretched it past 6 weeks, she would have major trouble getting up and would be super-stiff. For the last 18 months of her life, we saw a veterinary physical therapist. She showed me simple exercises to do to keep things moving. She also showed me how to effectively use cold packs and a TENS unit (which I already had for my physical issues). It made a difference and I think that between both types of treatment, I was blessed with at least an extra year with her. One other supplement with which I've been pleased is Vibrant Pets Canine Athlete.

I’ve been postponing creating a formal remembrance post for my beloved Mandy. How could I do justice to a being who has meant the world to me for the last seven years? Please forgive me for being long-winded, but I need to put this to paper (virtually, of course). In early May of 2005, I saw a new dog on Greyhound Welfare’s website. They were calling her “Love” as her racing name was BB’s Luv. The pictures were cute, but what grabbed me was the line in her bio that read she had not licked her foster mom’s face at all. Hmm, sounded like a winner – I’ve never been big on face-lickers. I went to meet her at the Petco near Tyson’s Corner, which, if you know Northern Virginia, meant I was really motivated – the traffic in that area is beyond horrible. She was friendly enough and I decided to put in an application. Her foster mom told me another family had expressed interest, but I knew that if it was meant to be, she would still be available when I was approved. In the meantime, I went to see her at every event and she warmed up to me. Finally, I was approved during the third week of May! I decided to go and meet another dog to do my due diligence and be sure I wasn’t just falling for the first cute face. I met a beautiful tiny red brindle girl named Ren. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with me, so as I left that foster home, I called Mandy’s foster home and asked if I could come and see her (our group requires adopters to see the dog in the foster home). Since she was only a few miles away, I went right over. Foster mom Melissa opened Mandy’s crate, Mandy came running over to me with her tail wagging, and buried her head in my belly. I looked at Melissa and said “I think I’ve been selected.” I spoke for her on the spot. I was in love from the moment I picked her up. We had a rough beginning as she had terrible separation anxiety. My downstairs neighbor would call me the moment I walked in the house with a detailed description of every noise Mandy made while I was at work. The worst two days were about a week after she was home. I came home from work and she had managed to walk her 48 inch crate all the way across the living room (about 20 feet over wall-to-wall carpeting). She had bent the bars of the crate with her teeth and managed to pull a 40 inch denim LL Bean dog bed halfway into the crate. Okay, so I decided to go against the group’s recommendation and let her out of the crate, but confined to the living room/dining room/hallway. I came home for lunch and she had chewed a bunch of things: the entire side of a wooden book case by the front door, several pieces of drywall, and a 2 inch by 12 inch section off the bottom of my bedroom door. I laid down on the floor and cried. I called a senior volunteer with the group, begging for help. I kept saying that I loved her so much, but I couldn’t have her be so miserable. The volunteer talked me off the ledge and got me to understand that it wasn’t a cop-out to try medication to get her over the crisis. We tried Clomicalm with little success, but Amitriptyline helped just enough to take the edge off. Between that, a DAP diffuser, tons of exercise before I would leave in the morning, major alone training, and a super-strict schedule, I got her to accept that I would leave and return. Even after seven years, she didn’t like to be alone, but she accepted it. Enough of the bad…once we were over the SA crisis, she settled in like a champ. She roached from the beginning and made herself at home. She quickly made friends with the many dogs in the neighborhood and became a local celebrity. People would stop me in the woods to ask, “is this THE Mandy?” If I had a nickel for every question I was asked about her Therapaws, I could have retired to the south of France by now! Mandy loved attention and would seek it from every/anybody in her line of sight. Several neighbors who were afraid of dogs eventually would come up to pet her because she would just stand there, quietly, waiting to be pet. I treasured having a dog I could take pretty much anywhere: she was bomb-proof around other animals and kids. We walked through a local shopping center while they were having a children’s festival and Mandy became the star attraction. At one point, there were 15 kids petting her! Mandy loved to go to Greyhound events: we went to the Greyhound Angels’ Festival in Lancaster not long after I adopted her, we attended GIG every year, Greyhounds Rock a couple of years, and Greyhounds Reach The Beach starting in 2006. She would get so excited to see her friends, old and new, which made me happy. She was not overly food motivated and I never fed her from my plate because I didn’t want to teach her to beg, but she knew my Mom was a soft touch and would always get samples from Grandma! One of the funniest moments was at Dewey in 2011. I had gone to bed early and my Mom had gotten a late dinner from Arby’s (one of Mandy’s favorites). Mom set her roast beef sandwich down on the coffee table and walked to the refrigerator to get a drink. When she got back to the table, a single bite had been taken out of the sandwich and Mandy was sitting on her bed, looking nonchalant. Mom’s laughter woke me up. Mandy also enjoyed our weekly trips to Dairy Queen with several neighborhood dogs. We had a motley crew, including a couple of Huskies, a couple of Terriers, and a Shih-Tzu. People would walk by and stare at the dogs enjoying their ice cream. Luckily I got to take her to DQ a few days before she went to the bridge. Mandy had always had foot and back problems, mostly due to corns on every foot. We worked through the issues, but over the last year, she had really started going downhill. Her hind end was getting progressively weaker, despite acupuncture, physical therapy, icing, a TENS unit, and medication. I was getting worried because my condo is on the fourth floor with no elevator and the 39 stairs were getting harder and harder for her. She was also starting to have difficulty getting up from her bed. Finally, on the night of September 17th, I took her outside for her last relief break of the evening and she collapsed while trying to come upstairs. I carried her the rest of the way – not fun for either of us. When I got her in the house, she was so upset, she couldn’t settle down for over 30 minutes. I realized I would have to let her go. Since she wasn’t in obvious pain, I decided to wait until morning. I called my Mom, who came over, and we just laid on the floor, petting her and telling her how much we loved her. At one point, she fell asleep and only her front legs were running – she had no feeling in her back legs at all. That made me cry even more. In the morning, we carried her downstairs and took her for the last car ride. She went to the bridge around 8:45 on the morning of September 18th. So many wonderful GT and GW folks have sent me condolences and I appreciate it more than I can say. I have never questioned that I did the right thing, as sad as it was and is. I promised Mandy from the beginning that I would not let her suffer just so I could keep her with me. My best friend and I were talking and I mentioned that as horribly sad as I am, Mandy was a lady and a lady knows when to leave. I’m getting ready to have both knees replaced and I was worried that she would have a crisis while I was in the hospital or immediately following. That would have been even worse as it would have been unfair to make my Mom have to make “the decision.” So, after this long narrative, I say farewell to my heartdog, my Mandy-Lou, my Bubba-girl, my Baby dog, the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. I love you and miss you every minute of every day. You took a big chunk of my heart with you. Your successor will have quite big shoes to fill. I can’t wait to see you again – I’m sure you are hanging out at the Dairy Queen there at The Bridge with your friends who preceded you. Thank you for the most wonderful seven years of my life. I’m enclosing some favorite pictures of my sweet baby. Thank you for looking. This was a picture from the Greyhound Welfare website (boy, she had so little white on her face): Resting in December 2008: Walking in the woods near our house in October 2008: Mandy with a few of her neighborhood Dairy Queen buddies in March of 2010. I always think she looks like a long, leggy model in this picture: Power-napping in February 2010: And a beautiful picture taken by Steve Uyehara at GIG (I hope he doesn't mind) -- his Sadie is Mandy's sister from the same mister: Thanks again for looking.

She's gone. Thanks to all for the kind thoughts and words. I'll post in Remembrance when I am able.

I can't believe I'm typing this. Mandy has had hind end weakness for quite some time. We've been managing it with medication, acupuncture, and physical therapy. Over the last couple of days, she's gotten much worse. Tonight was horrible. She collapsed trying to get up from her bed and seemed to have no use of her back legs. I walked her around the condo for a bit, thinking maybe her legs had just fallen asleep. She was asking to go out, so I took her outside. Then it was a nightmare getting her in. I live on the fourth floor with no elevator. She kept collapsing and I had to carry her up most of the 39 stairs. When we got inside, she could barely move -- she just stood there, panting. About an hour later, she has finally settled down, but she won't even eat one of her favorite treats. She keeps giving me a look that makes me think she's tired and ready to go. I'm just not ready to let her go. Please think good thoughts for my sweet girl. I don't know what I'll do without her. Here's my favorite picture of her:

I definitely think you are dealing with a corn. One of my neighbors had a Mastiff who had corns; they are not exclusive to Greyhounds. Different things work for different dogs. Many people have luck with duct tape; it didn't work for Mandy. Frankly, the best thing for Mandy is keeping her paw pads soft. Some folks use bag balm, but our vet told me plain old Vaseline Petroleum Jelly works just fine too. I usually put it on, then wrap her feet in Saran Wrap for about 15 minutes, then wash them off so she doesn't get the carpet greasy or slip on the solid surface floors.

What a lovely tribute to your beautiful girl. Godspeed, sweet Bella

I'm so sorry. Godspeed sweet girl

I'm so sorry. Godspeed Santannah

How sad. Godspeed to the sweet angels

I'm so sorry. Godspeed to your beautiful Bijou

Sending prayers for Bullitt

I'm so sorry. Godspeed Frankie

I'm so sorry. Godspeed Cash

What a lovely tribute to a beautiful girl.

I'm so sorry. Godspeed beautiful girl

RIP

I'm so sorry. Godspeed Sugar

I'm so sorry. Godspeed to your precious Homer

I'm so sorry. Godspeed beautiful girl

I'm so sorry. Godspeed Rourke

I'm so sorry. Godspeed Annabelle

What a special girl. I'm so sorry she's gone. Godspeed Penny

I'm so sorry. Godspeed Flame

I'm so sorry. Godspeed to your brave and handsome Albi