Mistysmom

Senior dogs are the sweetest! Our senior greyhound Misty is 14 years old now. She has been through discospondylitis, kidney and urinary tract infections, anaplasmosis, and now arthritis. We have been very lucky with her health after adopting her as a two year old, but after a while, old age catches up. Right now she is experiencing another health crisis and we're not sure she will pull through considering her age. I want to share some things that we believe have helped give her a long, happy life and things we are doing now to keep her comfortable. Good quality food is a must. I've always fed Misty good quality kibble, going through a lot of different brands over the years including Wysong, Natural Balance, California Naturals, Earthborn, EVO, and most recently, Blue Buffalo chicken and rice. She loses interest after a while and she relishes a change every so often. I supplement this with homemade food, carefully following the instructions in Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. At times I fed her only homemade food, but I found she liked the kibble and ate better with the mix. I also use good quality canned food. We have a very good vet who works with me to minimize invasive procedures while still keeping up with Misty's health. One thing that I believe helps is to do only one immunization at a time, not several at a time, despite the need for more vet visits. I believe this is easier on her system. I also ask my vet do titration tests to see if vaccines were necessary. I think the less you do the better, as long as you are keeping up with the necessary vaccines to protect them. Now that our sweet girl is in her golden years, it's hard to get her to eat. I've managed to tempt her with baby food (Beechnut stage 1 chicken and chicken broth is a favorite), Castor and Pollux canned food, and homemade chicken or beef stews. She will also usually eat ham or pork chopped up and mixed in her food or in the recipes from the Pitcairn book for a better nutritional balance. Hamburger and rice works great for diarrhea. She likes Stonyfield Farm yogurt, often right from the spoon. When she has been really sick and dehydrated I have fed her by smearing baby food into the side of her mouth, carefully dripping pedialyte or Gatorade (not artificially sweetened) into her mouth with a big syringe, and spoon feeding yogurt. We recently bought a Ruffwear harness, which I wish I had bought before. It's a little bit of a pain to put on but it can be done by holding the leg strap at floor level and lifting the foot just a little, then sliding the rest over her head. A soft coat fits over it, modified with a hole cut for the handle. The handle on the back is perfect for helping her outside and boosting her up from lying down. My husband built a ramp so she can get in and out of the house--heavy planks with wooden strapping for traction. Her Christmas presents included a supersoft blanket and a Crazy Warm pet from the Green Pet Shop. I don't understand how it works, but it contains tourmaline which reflects the dog's body heat back and keeps them warmer. She loves it and sleeps on it for hours. Her beds have grown in size as it seems more comfortable for her to stretch out now. Her bed in the living room is a combination of a bolster bed plus an orthopedic bed so the whole thing is the size of a child's mattress. Despite her current condition, she sleeps on it very comfortably. She loves to be covered by a soft blanket or pashmina shawl (yes, she has her own collection of pashmina shawls). Due to her current condition, she is now on gabapentin, mirtazipine to stimulate her appetite, and prednisone to help with inflammation in her spine and legs due to arthritis. X-rays show something going on with her left lung, possibly a tumor. At this point we are not going to put her through further testing or extreme treaments. We are trying to find the balance of comfort care, possible improvements, and non-stressful treatments. I'd love to hear how long other's greys have lasted and any other tips to help keep our Misty comfortable.

Misty has become a superpicky eater as she gets older and after her recent illness. I had good luck with baby food (stage 1 Beechnut turkey or chicken), Stonyfield plain or vanilla yogurt (fed by the spoonful when desperate) and homemade meatloaf (just ground beef, bread crumbs, a bit of spaghetti sauce and one egg, baked until firm). Feeding a spoonful of yogurt if she will take it seems to get her appetite going and soothe her stomach. She will sometimes eat more after that. Also, warming her food a bit sometimes helps, or adding a little hot water. Many days she won't eat in the morning, but feels better later and makes up for it. Good luck with Shelby and hope you share many more happy days with her! So sorry...just read your latest post...

Happy to report that after 7 weeks on antibiotics, Misty has made an almost full recovery from the spondylitis, which was caused by a staph infection in a UTI. After her slight relapse last month, she has steadily improved. She is now sleeping comfortably, eating like a horse, and back to her prancing, playful self. Amazing! She is my Christmas miracle.

Congratulations on adopting Kessler! Welcome to the world of amazing greyhounds...once you have one, you realize what special dogs they are!

Misty, who is usally a sweet and friendly girl, will growl and look glassy-eyed, as if she does not recognize us, if we try to cuddle her at night. She has done this the whole time we have had her (10 years) and shows no signs of outgrowing it. I just give her space after bedtime. She has always wanted her own bed next to ours.

A beautiful dog who had a beautiful life with you taking such good care of him!

This is a beautifully written tribute to Lucius. He had a wonderful life with you and got to be with you to the end...you gave him the best life a dog could have.

Good to hear this. Misty is currently having a bit of a relapse. She is walking and eating great, but seems uncomfortable when she tries to lie down to rest. The vet recommended upping the dosage of gabapentin...maybe I just need patience. Thank you! We are still struggling with ongoing pain issues, hoping it will all resolve once the antibiotics have time to work. She is a trooper about taking all the meds.

Misty is recovering well from a scary month of back pain that was finally diagnosed with an MRI and CT scan as spondylitis, an infection of the vertebrae. She had severe back pain for about a month, and I treated her for what we thought was a herniated disc with tramadol, gabapentin, and prednisone. We finally ended up at the emergency vet after a terrible night of her vomiting and by morning, unable to stand. The emergency vet happened to have one of the best (and only) neurologists in the area, who right away diagnosed the problem. I brought Misty home on Thanksgiving day not knowing if she would make it or not. She was and still is on a regimen of antibiotics, gabapentin, tramadol and rimadyl. She was still dehydrated, exhausted, and skeletally thin. She couldn't use her back legs and I had to take her outside using a sling or carrying her. I think my friend saved her by telling me to give her pedialyte, diluted gatorade, and stage 1 chicken baby food. I used a feeding syringe to get the electrolytes into her every 2 or 3 hours the first night and day and fed her baby food and plain yogurt with a spoon. Gradually she recovered and now, ten days later, she is eating well, walking, and much more comfortable. I think the antibiotics are working and she is much better than she has been since the pain started. I encourage anyone with a dog with back pain to have them checked for this. If the vet hadn't found it, I would have continued to treat for a herniated disc and the infection would have gone undetected until it was too late. I am so thankful to still have my beautiful best friend with me.

We have had good luck with the Pawz rubber boots. Misty won't tolerate any of the other brands, or they slip off of her skinny feet and get lost in the snow. She actually lay down on the side of the road once in protest of uncomfortable boots! The Pawz stay on and she doesn't mind wearing them. The blue ones look cute...like Smurf boots. I think she enjoys the traction...she likes to skid around on top of the crusty snow in them.

Thanks! Yours are beautiful, too. Sara looks so much like Misty!

I'm so glad to read all this information. Misty has been eating three plus cups of food a day, especially after a dental cleaning and removal of a tooth that was bothering her. It seemed like a lot, but she lets me know when she is hungry...with those huge brown eyes and a look I think she learned from the cat in Shrek...never should have let her see that movie! I'm happy to learn that this amount is normal.

Here's Misty lounging on her favorite blanket a few summers ago...it's embarrassing how long it has taken me to figure out how to post a photo! I love seeing everyone's pictures of their dogs. The greyhound look is unique, elegant, sleek, and soulful. And a few more... Her favorite toy...Airdog! "Are we there yet?"...road trip She finally got to keep the rabbit... Bundled up for winter nights

http://images.photos2.walmart.com/232323232%7Ffp5324%3B%3Evq%3D47%3A4%3E897%3E239%3EWSNRCG%3D3342%3A24%3B8%3B32%3Avq0mrj Thanks for the warm welcome! Here's one of many photos of Misty...more to follow as I figure out how to post them. Does everyone else have hundreds of photos of their dog?

I'm new to the group...Misty is nine years old--we adopted her when she was two. She turned out to be the best dog my husband and I can imagine having. She was truly the right dog for us. I had always wanted a greyhound--they are beautiful, fascinating, funny and lovable!