LBass

What a wonderful tribute to your boy. Smart, opinionated, steadfast, loving in his own chosen ways. A great dog. I'm sorry for your loss.

God Speed, Romie

Piper "The Perfect" was such an easy hound, right from the beginning. In the first year he did some recreational chewing and that stopped over the years. Otherwise, he just settled in and became dearer and dearer to me. MoMo is such a happy, relaxed, confident girl that she too arrived, settled in and hasn't changed much since--she is still happy, relaxed and confident. Spirit came to me as a dog who had probably not been well socialized as a puppy. He got lots of positive TLC at the racing kennel and had learned how great people could be by the time I met him. He was hungry for love and attention but his first reaction to new people and new situations was still to be frightened. On his first vet visit all was well until we left the exam room to find a tall man with a booming deep voice talking in the waiting room--Spirit panicked, tried to retreat and almost pulled out of his collar (harness ordered and used since then!) It took a while for him to relax. It was so much fun over the first year to see him learn to love and trust and learn to play. The first time he grabbed a toy and tossed it, I cried. He is still suspicious of strangers but he is getting better and better about that after 4 years with me. He is now a huge flirt, and very vocal and demanding when he is trying to get attention. He will always prefer familiar people but he doesn't panic as he used to. One of my fondest moments was seeing him stand up and put his feet on the top of the fence so my neighbor's SIL, a largish man with a deep voice, could pet him. That nice man had apparently spent time winning Spirit over and I got to see the results. Anyway, Spirit's blossoming continues and is a delight.

I bought waterproof crib pads when I needed these for Piper. They were a good size, big enough but not too big.

How are you and Romie doing today? I will say that I drove about an hour and a half to see a neurologist with Piper when it was clear that something more than his "usual" seizures was going on. It was very much worth the long day because I got a definitive diagnosis and solid info about treatment and prognosis. The specialist was wonderful after that about consulting with my vet so Piper got the benefit of his input without another trip to North Carolina.

I'm so sorry your handsome boy may be facing such a serious illness.

Thank you for the thoughtful replies. I'll share them with my friend. As a bit of clarification...she doesn't see this as a huge problem, just a quirk she'd like to work on with Max. She has no interest in leaving him out for long periods of time, just quick potty trips. Her description of her goal was just what Batmom said--to start the coffee or run to the bathroom herself. I think mostly she wants Max to be happy, safe, and secure in his new home. Lucy

I've got a friend who has adopted a 3 y/o male Golden Retriever. Max is a retired show dog and was accustomed to being in a nice kennel/run setup and also spent time in his breeder's home. He's been in his new home about 6 months. They have a nice back yard and Max is happy to go out to play, potty, and enjoy--provided he has a human escort. He will not go out or stay out on his own. They don't want to stick him out in the yard and leave him but they'd love it if he would at least go out to potty sometimes without having to have one of his humans keep him company. So far they've tried going out with him and then edging slowly back toward the deck and the door. Max keeps an eagle eye on his human and races back if he thinks they are getting too close to the door. They tried letting him out and then closing the door, leaving him alone outside. He quickly pottied on the deck (on the grill actually ) and then he wanted right back in the house. They aren't sure how to approach increasing his comfort with being out in the yard on his own and I've not really dealt with this issue before. Any advice? TIA

Of my 3, MoMo and Spirit roo on a fairly regular basis. Piper never rooed at all, even during the "group roos" at Sandy Paws.

Some hounds touch us even if we never meet them "in the fur". For me, Joe T Reporter was one such hound. In pictures he always had such an eager, friendly, happy expression. Donna, I'm so sorry for your loss. Fare thee well, Joe.

I will second KennelMom's endorsement of Upstate Veterinary Specialists in Greenville as being a great resource. They've seen 2 of my dogs for different issues and the care there has been uniformly excellent. ETA: Looks like I'm actually "thirding" this recommendation. Also, I did have a decent experience at UGA vet school when Piper's seizures started so they are another resource to consider.

Rectal Valium is sometimes used to prevent cluster seizures. It gets into the system very rapidly (minutes) but it dissipates fairly rapidly as well so for seizures are far apart as those your Emmy is having, I don't think it would help. Here are links to 2 good web sites re: seizures in dogs http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/ Try not to make yourself too crazy reading all the info on either site. You've got a great resource in your friend and vet.

Piper's clusters were awful--a seizure about every 3 hours for 23 to 36 hours. Horrible. Because they were farther apart, rectal Valium didn't work well for him as a "cluster buster" since it dissipates fairly quickly. The neurologist suggested this combination of meds that worked for Piper: Give 2 Phenobarbital tablets and 10 mg of oral Valium after the first seizure. Then give that same combination of meds every 6 hours until the dog has been seizure-free for 24 hours. Using that protocol, Piper never had another of his nightmarish cluster episodes. After some experience with it, I felt comfortable stopping the meds after 12 hours seizure-free. You already know that every seizure dog is different but something like this might be worth a try for your Thunder. Lucy

I will share the 2 websites that were a Godsend to me when Piper's seizures began: http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/ http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/ Both sites are full of information on seizures, their causes, and their management. With any luck this will have been a one time episode for your girl. If not, as Alicia said, seizures generally manageable and dogs with seizures most often live full and happy lives.

No experience with that particular medication but I did learn when pricing Piper's seizure meds that it pays to check with lots of different pharmacies. The difference in price from store to store was surprising.

Perhaps another resource for helping you and Ami would be to do some reading. Books and/or articles by respected dog trainers. That would give you yet another source of ideas, perspective and confidence, even as you work with your groups trainer. I've always found that the more information I have, the better equipped I am to handle any problem. I'm not the best person to recommend authors or websites for dog training but perhaps others here will chime in? Your love and commitment to Ami will carry the day.

I still treasure the last few days of sharing special favorite things with Piper, knowing that goodbye was coming. I'm so sorry that your boy can't stay longer with you.

I struggled with that decision for Piper. I talked with my vet, who had an epileptic Dane herself and she said that she had decided not to get an MRI for her dog because she would not consider brain surgery for him and other than that, the treatment would be the same with or without a tumor---get the best balance you can of seizure control vs. problem side effects. I also asked the neurologist at UGA to whom I took Piper in the early months of managing his seizures and he said that he didn't think it was necessary. He said that if there was a tumor causing the seizures that Piper's neurological condition would deteriorate fairly soon and that in itself would provide the answer. So I decided not to get an MRI and I still think that was an acceptable decision.

MoMo's dewclaws were removed when she was a young pup. Spirit has his and Piper had dewclaws as well. No problems caused by dewclaws here yet and no ideas ob removal.

Welcome! Em is such a striking girl and she looks like a sweetheart as well.

Oh no! Just seeing this and feeling sorry that Cash has been uncomfortable and that you all have been so worried. I hope that the vets will be able sort out what is going on and fix it soon.

Piper's ritual used to amuse me...he'd make a bee line for the fence on the right side of the yard and trot up and down the long fence line again and again looking for the perfect spot. He'd stop, assume the position, change his mind and be off at the trot again until he finally settled on where to go.

I can second the "use a towel until you get a harness" idea. I had the Ruffwear harness for Piper and, while it is very nice and well made, the "handle" was not in the right place to give good hind end support--at least not what my poor boy needed. I love the look of the HelpEmUp harness someone else posted. The double handles with one in the rear would have been perfect for Piper. One other idea--the neurologist Piper saw gave me the handiest sling for Piper. His staff made them by taking a surgical scrub coat, stretching out the sleeves on either side, twisting/rolling the body of the scrub between the sleeves, and then wrapping the whole thing in vet wrap. It looked something like a U with the bottom of the "U" being reasonably wide because it contained the body of the scrub rolled onto itself. The scrub sleeves were easy to get a good grip on (unlike a towel) and Piper could comfortable have this under his tuck as I helped him down the steps. If I took a photo and can find it, I'll post later. This thing was really wonderful!

Wonderful news that all your loving care is helping Bullitt feel and be well.