LBass

Run free, Bakin. I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry you and your girl are facing this. My girl, MoMo, was diagnosed in early May of 2017 and was put to sleep on 11/11/17. Her tumor was in the left rear foot and, while there were no clear mets, there were cancer cells in her lymphatic system so spread was just a matter of time. Knowing when to let go is such a hard decision. Mo's pain was pretty well managed with Tramadol & Gabepentin for most of that time. She took monthly cemo to strengthen her bones and managed to walk without breaking bones even as that ghastly tumor on her foot grew. She'd never liked being helped or "fussed over". I still remember the stinkeye she gave me when I tried to loop a towel under her tummy to help her down the deck stairs. She glared at me, turned around and went straight back in the house. The tipping point for me came when the light just seemed to go out of her. She began to skip meals and not to get up much. She'd always been full of life and joy but the light was dimming. Mo had always gotten very stressed at the vet's office so my wonderful vet came out to the house to put Mo to sleep. She got off her bed and wagged herself over to the door to greet the vet and vet tech. I tried to let her go before she was miserable--who wants that for a beloved hound? She'd always loved sunbathing and we had the most blissful final afternoon on a blanket in the back yard, snuggled together in the sunshine. I am so grateful that we had that experience.

Oh dear. Such helpful gardeners.

That's a wonderful update.

Progress. What a huge relief! I'm so glad that she's given you a glimmer of hope.

I've got a boy with a similar background--bred to race, sent to a racing kennel where he proved way too scared of everyone to be a candidate for racing. He spent several months at the kennel farm where everyone concentrated on loving on him. The thing that made him reachable in the end was the he loves LOVES being petted and getting attention. I adopted him from the racing kennel and he fairly quickly accepted me. He remains frightened of people he doesn't know and generally rather timid. Your girl sounds even more frightened than my Spirit. One approach I'd suggest you try is to spend as much completely undemanding time with her as you can. Time in which you are not expecting anything of her, not trying to interact with her, not even looking at her. Read, chat quietly, watch television, play cards--you get the idea--you are quietly, undemandingly, and unthreateningly in her presence. Perhaps offer extremely high value treats quietly tossed or rolled toward her. You are already geared up to be patient and I think that will pay off in the end. I hope you will find the key to this girl's heart and head.

Delightful! I'm looking forward to following your work.

I'm so very sorry that the news for your boy is so grim.

I'm so sorry the news is not more encouraging. It will be nice to have June home again as you digest this news.

Sending prayers for good news for your girl.

Let her go out wearing a kennel muzzle with a stool guard. http://www.greyhoundsonly.com/greyhounds-only-store/accessories/236-stool-guard That set up is also handy to have if you need to help her not lick a wound or bandaged area. It also helps when my greys decide to help me harvest from my garden...tomatoes are a real favorite.

Sending warm, healing thoughts to you and Tanzi.

The default reaction of my male hound, Spirit, to any new person or situation is fear and anxiety. He barks and bluffs and quake. He's almost 11 now and I've had him for 8 years. He is far, far better now--calmer, with less of a frantic edge to his fearful reactions--but he is unlikely ever to be an outgoing social butterfly my girl, MoMo, was. The thing that helps Spirit triumph over his fear is that he absolutely loves petting and attention. And treats. Never forget the treats. Patience is key with him, as is letting him control the pace of interaction. I've also learned that he is far calmer and braver if he's on leash with me, and I can broker that existing relationship to help him meet new people and manage new situations. Since you are in this relationship for the long haul, I'd suggest that you take your time, watch your hound, get to know him and what he likes and loves and hates. That knowledge gives you the tools for developing your relationship with him. Feed him, walk him if you can, just hang out with him. Those times together, even if non-hands on and not all that demonstrably cuddlesome, seem to me to be pure gold with a timid dog. Learn to watch for the little changes and celebrate them. Remember that your relationship with this dog is going to be different and individual, not a replication of the relationship you had and treasured with another beloved dog. Spirit has always had a harder time with men--larger in stature, booming voices, somehow more threatening. My next door neighbors are a lovely family--a couple with grown children and grand kids and dogs of their own. One son-in-law spends a lot of time there helping care for the yard. He's a big guy--just the type to intimidate Spirit. I was moved to tears several months ago as I looked out into the back yard and saw Spirit--my Chicken Little--standing up on his hind legs, front paws on the fence, getting petted by this son-in-law. Somehow, they'd managed to establish a real friendship and it was beautiful and touching. This is what I know about Spirit's background: He was bought by someone from a litter of puppies sold at auction and was sent to the racing kennel of a couple I know. They never actually raced him because he was just too fearful to be able to handle all the people and activity and flurry of a day racing. They did not believe that he'd been abused through his first year of life, but they suspected that he had been given little attention. Once in their care, he spent his time at their farm, where everyone on staff worked at just loving on him. It was there that he learned how much he loved being petted and made over by humans. There they gave Spirit the gift of a hunger for human attention. They also gave him the gift of not being pushed beyond his limits of comfort. I met him on a visit to my girl, MoMo, who raced at their kennel. Spirit stood up in his kennel, buried his face in my armpit, and worked his wiles on me. He knew a sucker when he saw one. I adopted him and brought him home. He has been my first fearful dog and he's taught me a lot. It has also been a challenge and an experience I wouldn't trade away. At home, with those he trusts and loves, he is an absolute delight. He can go most places with me and be reasonably comfortable. I call that a win.

I'm so sorry Speedy's last days were so difficult for him and for those who love him. Fare thee well, Speedy.

Wonderful!

When Piper was struggling with similar issues, I bought disposable bed pads--the ones used for incontinent humans. That won't necessarily keep Lola clean but it will keep the bed clean, and therefore make cleanup easier for you. I also wonder if it would be worth setting an alarm for 1:00ish, since that has been her designated time to go out, and getting her up and taking her out? Or at least being up then to clean up the bed or bed pad if she's already relieved herself, quick, before she moves around in it and dirties herself. I'm sorry both of your are facing this.

A happy update, which is always such a pleasure to make! I believe the Yunnan Baiyao is working beautifully. It seems to have taken it ~ 48 hours to become fully effective but the amount of bleeding is far, far less. Batmom, a nice thick layer of silver sulfadiazine is helping keep the bandaging from sticking. Susan, I've ended up with premie diapers and the shape is fantastic for cupping the oddly shaped wound. I used manuka honey on her toe amputation many years ago and I'll get some and check with the oncologist to see if it would be OK to try. So, many thanks to all for the advice. As a "reward" for all your help, I got my sister to take a photo of the monster when I changed the bandage. I think it helps to know your adversary:

Chris, the doctors have said that daily changes are good to keep an eye out for infection, however, after last night, I'll admit that the idea of perhaps leaving it a bit longer had occurred to me. I think I can give the bandage a good sniff regularly for signs of infection and maybe change it every other day. I also like the idea of trying to use a thick layer of the silver sulfadiazine to minimize sticking. I talked to the oncologist about cauterizing, but it is a really large surface area and getting larger and she didn't think that would work well. Thank you all so much for the support and suggestions.

I will give the newborn diapers a try. I hadn't thought about the natural cup shape being helpful but it really might work well. The ointment I've got for her is silver sulfadiazine, I think. I've been generous with it but maybe not generous enough. I'll it on more thickly.

The oncologist gave me some samples of Yunnan Baiyao and I am giving it to Mo. It's hard to tell yet if it's making a difference but I'm all in for trying it. She did mention that the capsules could be opened and the powder put directly on the site but her preference for Mo is oral administration because her tumor/wound is so difficult to clean. Powders seem to goop up with the blood and make a prime location for bacterial growth. I'm using maxi-pads per the vet and can sure try poise--we've got some left over from my Mother. Once it's wrapped, the bleeding seems pretty well controlled but the unwrapping to re-bandage manages to pull scabs--in spite of Telfa pads--and start the bleeding all over again. I think one thing I'll try is to place the Telfa pad on top of the Poice or maxi-pad right form the beginning rather than trying to fiddle with building layer up. I will absolutely call the oncologist for more advice. Just thought I'd see what the wide experience of GT might suggest as well. Thank you all so much. Mo had an uncomfortable night, but seem better today. Sprier and more interested in things--she ate her breakfast.

MoMo has osteosarcoma. The primary tumor is on her left rear leg, just above her foot. At this point, it's about the size of a tennis ball and it's a bloody mess because it has outgrown the skin's ability to heal over it. My vet saw it last Wednesday and started her on antibiotics to treat a secondary bacterial infection--that seems to be working well--and showed me some good bandaging techniques. Her oncologist saw her Monday and unwrapped it to examine it. I asked them to let me sit with them when they bandaged it because I had some additional questions. They didn't let me do that in the end, I think because they unwrapped it in the treatment area and that it bled so much that they couldn't get her over to the exam room where they had me waiting, so they just bandaged it in the treatment area, without me. I asked questions and got some additional suggestions from them but missed what I really needed--how to deal with all the blood. I'm still struggling with how to get ointment and bandaging on an actively, heavily bleeding, weirdly shaped tumor. She bleeds right through Telfa pads that I'm supposed to be putting ointment on and I'm not really sure that it gets to her usefully at all. I've got the basic layers of the bandage correctly per the oncologist and I've got all the necessary supplies, courtesy of Amazon. I'm looking for any experience from the trenches with bandaging actively bleeding areas. The oncologist said that Mo was not anemic, which is a relief, considering how much bloody bandaging I'm carrying out to the garbage can each evening.

I'd second the idea of consulting a neurologist as well. Those are common Pb side effects and they do sometimes diminish as the hound's body adapts to the new medication, but it sounds as if he's too debilitated to wait for that possibility. My own vet, bless him, called a neurologist for a consult and got some guidance on from him on what to prescribe for Piper's bad cluster events. Worked wonderfully and did not require a visit to the out of state neuro. Of course, that requires 2 vet's who are willing to cooperate.

I'm so sorry Merlin's body failed so suddenly and frighteningly. I believe that he would want you to find peace with his passing--no guilt, if there was anything you could have done to change things, you would have done so. :grouphugs May the loving and happy memories of your life with Merlin fill your mind and your heart and bring you peace and joy to temper the tears.

I'm so sorry Bosco couldn't stay a bit longer, but clearly he was yours and you were his for long enough for two hearts to bond, and that, of course, lasts forever.