Time4ANap

I never want to deal with the stretcher either, but after trying to move a greyhound with multiple people using a blanket, I wanted something with handles here just in case we need it. I'm hoping it never has to be taken out of the bag it came in. I understand your point of view completely. It's a really tough decision, but good that you know to make it. That day will likely come for us too. Good luck and hope you find a new pup when you are ready.

I worried about this even with Rocket, as he was about 85 lbs and a big boy. At the time, I was being treated for cancer for several years and had very little strength, so was always worried about how we would manage getting him into the car in an emergency. Fortunately, things worked out and that was never needed. When Rocket got older, we happened to get lucky and found a mobile vet who came to the house for appointments. The other dogs since all had the mobile vet, but they were smaller and we have been able to get them in the car for emergencies when needed. For Diva, we called a local vet who has a mobile euthanasia service and hospice care for dogs. We did not want to take a chance on trying to get her in the car with the potential for her to break a bone. I can't say enough about the vet and assistant who came out for Diva. They were wonderful and I will use them again if needed rather than trying to get a sick or injured dog into a vehicle. We also have a veterinary stretcher (like a big sling with handles for multiple people to carry) and a lift aling from Flying Paws that helps you lift the back of a larger dog. https://flyingpaws.biz/product/large-lift/ The rear lift sling is a good item to have on hand as your dog gets older and will help to prevent an injury to you and the dog when trying to help them up.

When Diva and Mark arrived they needed nail trims. Apparently, clipped nails are a delicacy that I didn't know about. They went around picking up the clippings and eating them before I could get to the Dustbuster. I've never had a dog who did that before and had never seen that happen.

2021 had to get in one last dig. This makes my 4th post in Rememberance this year. We don't need another year like this one, but will always do what's right for our hounds. Sadly, we helped Diva cross the Rainbow Bridge today. Diva and her brother Mark came to us a little over a month ago when their owner passed away suddenly. 2 weeks later, Diva started limping. She tested positive for Valley Fever, but also had a tumor on the bone in her shoulder. VF and Osteo can both present in this manner. We opted to try and treat for Valley Fever and see if there was any improvement since Osteo at age 11 really did not have any good treatment options. As the weeks progressed, Diva became weaker and it became increasingly difficult for her to get around, although she wasn't one to let a little thing like Osteo get her down. Last night at 2 AM, she showed up in the backyard when I took Mark outside. She had followed us, limping on 3 legs the whole way. The girl wanted to be part of everything that went on, and was always wherever her brother went. In the last week, we had to carry her in or out a couple of times when she just wasn't up to walking, but then would turn around several hours later and go wherever she wanted, unimpeded, but limping the whole way. We knew it was time, and the progression of symptoms was too much like Osteo to take a chance on a broken leg. The vet came to the house this morning while Chris and I petted her, held her, and her brother Mark stood watch over everything happening. It is a sad day here, and we are doing anything we can to help Mark get used to his new normal. Diva kept close tabs on her brother, and he never went anywhere that she didn't try to bump him out of the way for pets or treats, reminding the human that "Hey, I need pets too and you have two hands!" Run pain-free, Diva. Let your Mom know that Mark is in good hands. We love you, Sweet Pea. Some Diva pics... Diva decided yeaterday was a good day to sunbathe in the back yard. Diva and Mark trying to score treats. Celebrating her 11th birthday. Every birthday girl needs to celebrate with a sundae. She was a champion roacher, and even this morning she rolled on to her back for belly rubs - 4 different times. "Hello. My brother and I would like some of whatever it is you are having." After all of these years, Chris finally got her snuggler. Diva and Mark in their first days at our house. Another roach.

You can print a wallet card from the Greyhound Health Inititive site. The card shows the corrected normal blood test ranges for greyhounds. https://www.greyhoundhealthinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Printable-Greyhound-Wallet-Cards.pdf We had a member here who I think was in or near Billings. I seem to remember that she relocated elsewhere a couple of years ago, but hopefully she will see your request when she checks the site and be able to suggest a vet for you.

Welcome home, handsome!

The only thing I can add is that if you haven't done so, try feeding him multiple small meals instead of larger meals. Some of our seniors over the years have done much better on 4 small meals a day as opposed to 2 larger meals. It seems like this is the age where they get "senioritis" and this kind of stuff happens.

I remember waiting for the post here that said the handoff was complete. We were all following along as if every one of us were all getting a new hound! 10 years doesn't seem possible though.

Tears here. I am so sorry that his body decided that it was time. I never met Jeter, but over the years the Jeter stories and his antics told me that he and Rocket would have been best buddies. They were very much alike and Jeter along with his partner in crime Milo always had a story about their latest adventure. I am going to miss signing-on and discovering a new Jeter story here. Run-free, Jeter. Tell Rocket and the GT gang at The Bridge that I said the first round is on them.

Thanks everyone. Diva has no idea that she is a senior. She actually reminds me a lot of Petunia and even acts like a broodie when it comes to her brother Mark and her humans. None of us are allowed out of her sight. She wasn't a broodie, but she is definitely channeling Miss Petunia.

I'm very sorry for your loss. That quiet and empty house is the worst part. Hang in there. It's overwhelming for a while but eventually gets easier. Run-free, Rook.

Another new chapter in the s%*t show that is 2021, Diva started limping about 2 weeks ago. She had a pain reaction in her shoulder. After x-rays and blood tests, she has a lesion on a bone and is positive at a low level for Valley Fever. The only way to confirm or rule out Osteo would be a bone biopsy which we will not do since it could cause more problems than it solves. The Valley Fever level in the blood results is very low, and lower than the point where symptoms usually present. We hope that means that we caught it early. We are starting a treatment protocol for Valley Fever and should have an idea if she is responding to treatment in about 3 weeks. Diva is still very happy, spunky, and runs everywhere but usually with a limp. She lifts her paw when standing, but otherwise is undeterred by the limp or any pain that she is having. Today she is actually resting and sleeping a little more than usual, but we think that's because the pain meds were increased by the vet a few days ago. Hopefully, this girl who has no clue that she is 11 years old will be with us for a long time to come. Valley fever is very treatable and we hope that is all that we are dealing with here. We are extremely happy with the vet and the treatment plan. If we need it, there is a Valley Fever specialty center in Tucson at the University of Arizona, so we feel like the bases are covered. We also have Dr Cuoto and Dr Stack available if needed. Since Valley Fever is pretty common here in Phoenix, we have lots of good resources. I don't really have any questions at this point and have read through some older Valley Fever posts. This is KNOT what we needed in a year when we lost 3 other hounds, but we know that our GT family adores this girl and her brother, Mark, so wanted you all to be in the loop. We are absolutely in love with these 2 hounds! We will update you when we know more. For now - send good vibes and cross your paws.

I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet girl. Run pain-free, Sheba.

There's a big difference in being roached and wanting a belly rub. The two are not the same. Several of our dogs sleep soundly while roached. They do not want nor are they asking for a belly rub at that time. One of our current dogs, Diva, will ask for a belly rub when she's on her bed by rolling over and giving me the "pet me" sign moving her paw back and forth. Basically, leave the dog alone while roached on a bed unless you invited by the dog to do a belly rub. If you aren't sure - don't reach down there. I would say that 99% of the time we are already in a play session or are petting before the belly rub request.

Your situation is exactly what happened with Rocket. I had a fully alert and aware dog who was still enjoying his food and interactions with everyone who could no longer use his rear legs. We made the decision at the point when we knew there were no more fixes or treatments because we didn't want to risk having him injure himself. We said goodbye after a wonderful weekend of visitors coming to see him and his dog friends stopping by and having a french fry party. It's never easy, but I couldn't put him through the stress of not being able to go where he wanted, when he wated just to keep him around for us. That wouldn't be fair. It took months before my every thought wasn't about how much I missed him. It won't be easy, but you will get through it knowing that he is no longer in any pain and that you did the right thing. Best wishes to you and Henry. Spoil him rotten for all of us here, and know that you aren't alone in dealing with this.

Just like the picture of Grammy and Batman at Thanksgiving, this is one of the GT holiday traditions that I look for every year! Thank you for continuing to post this and Merry Christmas!

Assuming your dog was a racer, he has had his own protected "safe space" since he was 6 months old. The crate or house he slept in while training, and then the crate in the racing kennel were protected spaces where no one ever touched him while he was sleeping. Ever. He is not used to being touched in his sleep no matter how many times he has let you pick him up. From your description, the assumption I have to make is that he was not fully awake, and when you tried to pick him up he was startled and reacted. It does sound more like a contact made during startle than a full on bite. There are a couple of lessons here - now that you know your hound can be prone to being startled, you don't allow anyone including yourself to make contact or pet him on his bed. We've had several dogs who slept with their eyes open, so eyes being open don't mean that the dog is awake. Second, only pet him when he's standing up. If he wants pets, let him come to you for them instead of you reaching down to pet him. It's a hard habit to break but is way safer than risking another startle/bite. Our first hound was the sweetest boy you ever met, but over the 10 years he was with us he bit 3 people including me. Each time he bit, the human did something that they knew not to do, and he startled. I cannot blame him because we knew that he startled in his sleep and the action of the human involved was usually an innocent motion or pet that was just too close to do while he was sleeping. In one of the casses, he was sound asleep with his eyes wide open and the person who reached down to pet him thought he was awake. He wasn't. We also got in the habit of letting him know anytime that we were approaching his bed. Saying something as simple s "hey buddy' to let him know that we were closer than usual was enough to make him aware of our presence. You need to let him out of the bathroom and there is no need to put him in there after an incident like this. He has forgotten what happened almost as fast as it happened. Greyhounds don't respond well to being locked away in rooms where they can't see their people. He has no idea why he's in there at this point. He's not going to attack anyone and didn't attack you. He simply startled in response to an action that you did. Even though you've done it many times, this time he wasn't truly awake and his startle response kicked in. I will also tell you that our dog who bit multiple people was the sweetest boy you ever met and was loved by everyone he met, including the Animal Control Warden who had to come out in response to one of the bites when a doctor filed the report for the bite treatment because the person's skin was broken. He played with the Warden and even she knew right away that the bite was an accident. We simply had to learn the few simple things that cuased him to startle and not do those things. I miss that boy every day and would gladly take another 10 years with him without any fear if I could bring him back. You have many years left with a hound who sounds like a great pet. Avoiding the things that make him startle, and enforcing those same rules for all visitors or others in the house will give you lots of awesome years together.

Happy Gotcha Day from Mark and Diva!

Happy Birthday Annie Ooh M. I would also ask for a higher bed while you're at it.

I should have known that! Not enough coffee in my system yet.

He was funny. He obviously wasn't sure that he was allowed to lay down there. It took several times of telling him that it was okay before he found the sweet spot. Is that Punkin? (The collar color is throwing me off...)

We were somewhere in the upper 70's I think. It could have been a little warmer than that in the sun. That tile was the perfect pillow.

Mark decided totest out the back yard this afternoon.

Thud!

Just as a follow up - Greysmom has been there, done that with all of these issues over the years. Her advice is solid. We also had a boy with space issues and had to deal with several bite incidents over the years. I will say that in each of our bite incidents, the human involved (including me) did something careless or that they knew not to do because of the space issues. All were minor reactive incidents, but the dog bit as a reaction to what the human did. That didn't make it right, but our boy with the space issues was the sweetest boy in the world 99.9% of the time and we did learn how to deal with those quirks. I miss that boy every signle day now that he's passed. . It takes time to work on these things, but it sounds like you have a great hound there who just needs a little work, lots of cinsistency, and some patience. Good luck!