HoundHeavenAZ
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That is the most beautiful, touching story of Kiowa! Thank you for sharing it. Here I am giving my students a test and now I've got tears in my eyes
My Lima and I connected the moment we met and she was at home whenever she was with me. Leah finally decided after about 3 months that she was at home one night and started playing with Lima and the toys and doing zoomies. Now our Lima is gone and we miss her every day.
this is an old story that I've posted more than once. I've got others, but this one is still the best of the best:
How Kiowa Got His Groove Back
When I adopted Kiowa I was told that his former adoptive home was abusive. That he had been kept chained up under a porch where he had been attacked by other dogs. They said when they got him he was skinny and dirty and looked like someone had beat him with a cat-o-nine tails or something. Nonetheless he was a very sweet natured dog. Friendly and affectionate and sometimes playful but just the same there seemed to be a sadness about him. He would wake from sleep screaming often. When I took him for walks he just sort of plodded with his tail tucked and his head hung low.
One night after I had him for about 9 mo I had a very terrifying experience. The evening had been normal, Kiowa had had a long walk, had eaten his dinner and had tossed a stuffy around for a bit. I was in another room when I heard him yelp. When I checked on him he seemed fine, I couldn't find anything wrong, but about 20 min later he started pacing and panting and shaking. I called the vet who told me K probably had gas and to give him an antacid. I went to the store to buy some and when I came back K was laying on the floor and wouldn't get up, wouldn't even move. I called the vet back and insisted he needed to be seen NOW. The vet was in the city about 35 miles away but said he would return to his clinic as soon as he could. Now keep in mind K weighed over 80lb and I only weigh about 100 myself. I couldn't pick him up so I pulled my car around to the front porch and drug K by his legs and pulled him into the car. When I arrived at the clinic we had to wait about another 20 min for the vet to arrive. By the time the vet got there K had stopped breathing. He was alive but couldn't breathe. The vet tried injections of benedryl and epinephrine but they had no effect. Kiowa started to thrash in my arms at that point because he was suffocating. The poor guy even bit me during his panic and I didn't even notice until one of the staff noticed the blood pouring out of my hand later. The vet grabbed a scalpel and performed a tracheotomy and put a tube into K's neck and blew into it. K was then able to breath on his own a minute or so later. During his time on the table we discovered a bruised and bloody mark on his inner thigh which lead us to suspect some kind of bite, most likely from a spider. K spent the night at the vet and came home the next day.
The vet warned me that since he had been deprived of oxygen he may have brain damage and may have lost any/all training he had. Told me he might not even be housebroken anymore, or remember me. That wasn't the case thankfully. The next few weeks were hard on K. He was lethargic and seemed more hung down and brung down than ever. He wouldn't even go on walks at all, out for a pee break and he would want to go right back in the house. Until one amazing moment that I will never forget. I still choke up when I remember that moment. I had him out for his leashed pee break and he was plodding along when he suddenly stopped, lifted his head up and looked over his shoulder at me for a long moment like he was studying me. He sniffed the air and then looked back at me again and then........he jumped straight up into the air and then started bucking like a rodeo bronc. Spinning in circles and kicking up his heels. I was freaking out! When he was done his tail was wagging, his head was up and his ears were perked and he wanted to go for a walk. He even walked differently now. He kept his head and tail high and his ears perked. Best of all the 'plod' was gone and ever since then Kiowa walks with a prance to his step and joy in his eyes. I told the vet I think he may have fixed him too good! LOL
Seems the vet was 1/2 right. Kiowa did forget some things. He forgot to be sad. When he slept and dreamt he no longer woke up screaming, rather his tail would wag and he would sort of chuff and huff.
Kiowa is well into his 13th yr now and he's slowing down. He isn't running laps but does a leisurely lope around the yard. He takes the steps at a slower more methodical pace and is no longer able to jump up on my bed or into the truck without help. He now requires a 2 AM potty break and wears a diaper if I am gone for more than 4 hours but I don't mind. He still has joy in his eyes and a wag in his tail
Kiowa was called home in June of 2008. RIP dear Kiowa. I miss you every day.
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This might be something that we need to give our seizure boy (35 days seizure free!). I understand that his meds can be tough on the liver. Thanks for the info.
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My heart is aching for you both.
We too became a close family unit and found it very tough when we lost our Lima suddenly in August. She was the outgoing, goofy big sister that started all games, assaulted all toys was always willing to entertain or to be entertained by other hounds, go anywhere, anytime and was always gretyful to be there. She was such an amazing gift to live with for more than 5 years that when she left us, Leah and I were devastated. Leah is my "delicate flower" - timid, shy, less playful and slow to accept changes. For days she moped and withdrew to corners and closets. She tolerated the routine walks but was clearly miserable most of the time, and it broke my heart to watch her suffering so I started bringing in foster hounds as soon as I could. We've now had 3 dogs in here and Leah has not attached to any of them like she did with Lima, but she clearly enjoys the company and that makes me so happy. She has adjusted to the occasional solitude and will toss stuffies in the evenings and sometimes even run zoomies in the house like she and Lima used to do. We also visit other hound houses for play dates just to keep her engaged and active - well for me too actually
The big hole in your heart will probably mend in time, but if you focus on keeping your remaining dog active and entertained you may find that you will both be smiling again soon
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Thank you for starting this thread - I'm going to reconstruct my kit based on these greyt recommendations! So many things I hadn't thought of!!
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We'll be keeping you in our thoughts today ...
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We had a seizure dog relinquished to our group about a month ago. He was having one almost weekly and the vet had been working with the mom to stabilize environmental contaminants, diet and meds for about a year. We consulted with the vet (she is also our vet) when we recieved him and she suggested that we introduce lots of veggies and stick to beef and Natural Balance venison and sweet potato to isolate his intake.
Since it is so much less complicated to feed everyone the same, we started preparing the same mix for all our dogs. We have one of those massive pressure cookers and spent most of one day last week cooking for the 6 dogs so we can freeze ahead. All get the same food but the seizure boy gets more of the veggie mix - about 1 1/2 cup of both kibble and veggies along with 3 or 4 nice raw 70/30 burger meat balls with his meds hidden inside twice daily. We're sitting at 31 days seizure free, he has lost 11 pounds and is now at 70 pounds and is doing fantastic.
If the goal is to lose weight you'll want to eliminated the high fat burger or substitute with some lower fat meat, or maybe even eliminate it. Perhaps you'll want to adjust the kibble to veggie ratio too.
Here is the mix of produce that we had available last week. We do shop for specials and were happy to find pumpkins on sale last week, but they sure do wear you out peeling, chopping and all.
1/2 fresh pumpkin chopped ( the previous week we used butternut squash)
8 - 10 carrots chopped
4-5 sweet potatoes chopped (mixed varieties)
2 russet potatoes chopped
6 cored and chopped apples
1 bag of cranberries
2 clumps of broccoli chopped
3 or so chopped zucchini
5 pounds high fat burger
I cook the harder veggies first with water to cover, then add the rest and let them simmer till soft then add the burger. As we transfer it to freezer containers we take a potato masher to it to break it all down into a mush.
So far no seizures, good weight loss on 3 round hounds and MIRACULOUS firm poop and not one cow patty in the yard! None of the dogs had a difficult adjustment period to this diet and all seem to love it. Canned veggies will work too but the fresh stuff probably has more nutrients and plus it makes the house smell so good as it cooks
Here's a shot of our beautiful seizure boy.
Good luck!
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The easier question would be "what snacks DON'T they like"! I recently found a great recipe on the Epi dog site and have modified it to suit our needs. Every dog and cat that have tried them so far have loved them! And I feel good that they are getting a healthy snack.
1 cup pumpkin
3 eggs and crushed shells
1 cup meat ( I use chopped fried beef liver)
2 + cups old fashioned oats
Press into a pan and bake at 325 for about 15 minutes. They cut easier if you score them before baking.
They freeze well too
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The same thing happened to us. Leah was retired due to a broken toe (back right interior toe) , but after 8 months with me her nail fell off one day. Her toe had always been very tender and she did NOT want it touched. When this happened I rushed to the vet and she recommended the toe should be immediately removed. No xrays were taken - she said that once the nail bed is that compromised the toe is likely to have significant problems as well. Ends up she had a tumor for at least 14 months and the toe had never been broken. Thankfully the lab results of the tumor were benign and her recovery went just fine.
Today you'd never know she has a digit missing, she ran 33mph last weekend at our picnic.
I sure do hope things work out well for you and your Jolly and that you have a greyhound savvy vet to rely on.
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During the warm months the dogs get hosed down prior to our evening walks - it keeps the dander down, keeps the feet cooler, dust to a minimum, sloughs off the old hair and keeps them wiggling and shaking for the first block of our walk! About twice a year I might bring out the shampoo because I like the fresh smell even tho they probably don't. We keep a doggie pool in the yard so they can take a dip or drive-thru to cool themselves off too. Most of them love laying in it - some even sleep in it
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I think it is just a matter of convenience sometimes - if they need a napkin, use Mom. If they want to scratch an itch, use Mom. If they need a hug, shove your head in Moms crotch! I think of it as a vote of confidence
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I made a sling out of a bath towel with straps on the ends to slip over my shoulder to help my girl after a stroke. Trying to help a 50+ pound dog walk when they are unable, WILL put a hurting on your back!
Will be hoping for a quick recovery for you all.
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When I adopted Leah I had been told that her retirement was due to a broken toe and that it had healed sort of leaned over to one side. It was always very sensitive and she did NOT want it touched, but she ran and played without issue.
One day after 8 months with me, her toe nail on that previously "broken toe" suddenly fell right off of her toe. No blood or any suspicious appearance even. So we rushed to the vet and without much hesitation she said that the toe should come right off since the nail bed had become compromised. Ends up that there was a benign tumor in the toe and no evidence of a break as the kennel had told us.
I designed a boot for her to keep her from licking it and she healed up fine. The vet now refers to it as the "Leah boot" when another dog needs a doggie boot. She has been in great condition since then and has become less touchy about her foot (except for nail trimming time!) , but it was a very scary time for us. It has been nearly two years now and I know that having a greyhound savvy vet was a great advantage for us.
I hope that Roo has a happy outcome with his toe too. We'll be thinking of you.
Roo and I have been spending the first summer of my marriage and my retirement up at my husbands lake home. Not a lot of time spent on Greytalk....but a lot of time spent relaxing, getting to know my husband and fishing and enjoying life after working for 50plus years.
Roo has taken walks in the woods every day...learned how to swim.....and loves to walk down to the dock at night to inspect the "catch of the day". ...If we have no fish in the bucket....she is NOT happy!.
Anyway....about three months ago...when Roo would run....which isn't that often at the lake as she is leashed....when she would run...her left outside front toe would bleed profusely. I thought she just tore a nail.....and then a month or two weeks later the same thing would happen. run...bleed.....be fine....run...bleed.... be fine.
Today I took her to a Vet ...in my small town .."Up North"...he said the x ray he took looked...."suspicious",,,the toe bone looked porous and not right. You could see the soft tissue around the bone on that toe too. I don't remember much after that...except....I had them send the x ray to my Vet in Mpls...who is a GH expert and I left him a message that the x ray was coming. I will wait for his call.
I am trying not to worry...ha ha ha ha.....Roo is almost 11...and so healthy and spunky....
please keep her in your thoughts.
Has anyone had a houndie that would run and their toe would bleed and it WASNT cancer?
The Vet "Up North" said her nail was not torn.
Thanks you guys
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My heart breaks with you.
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Airpark Animal Hospital
Celeste Flannery, DVM has returned to the Verde Valley and opened her own practice, featuring the latest in digital technology. Featuring a computerized "chartless" office, Airpark also uses the digital X-ray, ultrasound, and blood laboratory equipment. This provides you with fast, accurate diagnostics performed in-house. Dr. Flannery was voted "Best Veterinarian in the Verde Valley" in 2008 and again in 2009!
515 Airpark Rd., Suite 103, Cottonwood, AZ 86326
Website: Airpark Animal Hospital
Telephone: 928 649-8387 Fax: 928 649-3464
Dr. Flannery is highly skilled, compassionate and very familiar with greyhounds. She has cared for all of my dogs since returning to the Verde Valley and will do home visits as needed. She is the primary vet used by Greyhounds of the Verde Valley.
How Do You Hide Pills?
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
Over the years I've tried many foods to hide pills in and not all have worked so well, but I think I've got a winner at long last - hamburger meatballs! I've tried peanut butter, cream cheese, cheese, hot dogs and every combo in between but a golf ball sized wad of raw high fat hamburger appears to be irresistible. I give them as a treat or mixed into the food sometimes and he is so excited that he simply gulps them down. I've been using this for about 6 weeks now and it hasn't failed yet - what have you discovered to be the best solution for hiding your dog's pills? This novelty may wear off so I want to be prepared just in case