Floofy
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Posts posted by Floofy
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A quote for all of us today:
It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.
~ Cheryl Zucarro
This is such a beautiful sentiment. And very comforting in our time of loss.
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I'm so sorry to hear this, Amanda.
Maybe you'd like to borrow Phoebe (Sweet Pea) for awhile?
That's a very sweet offer. She's such a doll. I actually lost two boys in two days -- my first foster dog James Bond (Windy Chet) passed away on Sunday. Too many sweet greys getting their angel wings.
I am so very sorry. We lost Macy May Monday and we first thought she also had LS, and same as Luke, nothing showed up on xrays August 8 (though Dr. Couto said he saw possible changes in proximal femur).
She because so painful so quickly we had to assume he was right.
Many good thoughts, and I'm really sorry you lost your boy.
Very sorry for your loss. It sounds like you can really relate to what I'm feeling -- a lot of guilt about assuming it was LS and not pushing them to check for osteo right away. Not only that, he was a corndog, so he has basically limped since we've had him. I don't understand why my regular vet didn't suggest x-rays before referring us to Dr. Mike for PRP injections. I can't help but wonder if we'd still have our boy if they had been more thorough. Hugs to you. Run free sweet Macy May.
I'm so sorry. I just let my old man Zuri go on Monday because of osteo. He had LS that was managed well for years and was diagnosed with osteo in mid-May. I do believe his LS diagnosis masked to some extent the early signs of his osteo though we still caught it quite early. Anyway, I am very sorry for your loss and understand what you are going through completely.
Very sorry to hear about Zuri. <3
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I post to Greytalk's FB page more often than the website -- here's what I posted on Sunday:
Osteosarcoma claimed another precious life. We had to say good-bye to our boy Luke yesterday. He passed away peacefully in our arms on our front porch -- his favorite spot. We loved him so much and he brought us such joy. Now our hearts are broken and the house feels so empty without him.
I realized yesterday that euthanasia is taking our companion's pain from them and giving it to ourselves. That must be the truest meaning of love.
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I wanted to share this update -- It turned out that Luke had osteosarcoma, not LS. The cancer did not show up on his first x-rays in mid-August, which is when he began receiving PRP injections at Animal General in Cranberry, PA, under the wonderful care of Dr. Mike Hutchinson. (Very highly recommended!)
Luke wasn't sedated for the first set of x-rays, so they couldn't get the best views. Last Friday, he went in for his second PRP injection, but they sedated him first to get better x-rays to make sure they hadn't missed anything. They found osteosarcoma and a pathologic fracture in his left femur. We couldn't let him suffer anymore -- he was in so much pain, even with high doses of pain meds. He crossed the rainbow bridge in our arms at home on Saturday. If you follow Greytalk on Facebook, you've probably already offered your condolences. Thanks so much for the support and love. We are getting by one day at a time -- but our girl Zelda is taking the loss very hard. She misses her brother a ton.
Luke (U Too Isaiah)
9/26/2005 - 9/3/2016
Forever in our hearts
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I was James' foster mom -- and have shared my condolences with Matt and Rachel. This loss is devastating -- he was still so young. James crossed the bridge just one day after we had to say goodbye to Luke (racing name U Too Isaiah). Run free, sweet boys.
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Although we didn't get Depo shots (not the right answer for the dog in question) I took my whippet to Dr. Radcliffe for several years.. My suggestion would be to go for a consult, let him examine your dog and do whatever tests he believes are relevant (he will discuss what and why with you first) and then see what treatment he recommends and go from there.
It was a 6h drive for me one way - that is how worthwhile I felt it was to see him.
My vet in Wheeling, WV is very knowledgeable about greyhounds.Wheeling is about one hour from Pittsburgh. He did some sort of stem cell treatment a while ago for something related to the back. Maybe you would like to call and speak to him about your greyhound's problem. His vet practice is Town and Country and his name is Dr. James Radcliffe. You can look him up on the internet. Just a suggestion. Don't know if will help you. But wishing the best for your boy!
Thank you both for your recommendation of Dr. Radcliffe. I called his office today and he's only practicing two days a week now -- and booked up for the next two weeks. Not going to work for us this time.
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This can be done under light sedation, enough that the dog is immobile, but doesn't have to be completely out. It is incredibly risky if the dog moves and this level of "outness" is determined by how comfortable the vet is in doing this injection. Some vets inject in a different location (I believe there might be three.....) Keep in mind that this injection also has to be done every few months, so you have to go through this sedation part every few months as well.
I was not fortunate enough to get around to trying this, but I was on my way before cancer took Kasey. The issue you might have though is that no one will be willing to do that particular injection without first diagnosing the condition with an MRI.
We have HealthyPaws insurance, and have just about met the deductible, which won't reset until April 2017. So the cost of most of Luke's care will be reimbursed at 90%. This means, thankfully we will not have to worry much about the cost of his care. We would get an MRI if a vet felt it was necessary.
I'm glad to hear that... we just started Adequan shots Friday... my vet said it has a tremendous effect on her severely arthritic dog... like night and day... it helped A LOT!!!
She taught me how to give the shot subcutaneously, so i can give them to her at home... the next day, she was feeling so much better!!! my girl was barking at me to go for walkies, to feed her... she was coming up to us for affection... things that she was having a hard time with beforehand... give it a try and let us know...
That's really encouraging to hear that Adequan helped your girl so much. Thanks for the message.
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Very sorry for your loss. Going through something similar right now. *Hugs*
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my 12.5 y/o girl is having a hard time as well... She has had increasing LS pain and we recently doubled her Gabapentin to help with the scuffing (walking on the upside of the paw, instead of righting it)... we also started cold laser and acupuncture treatments, in addition to twice weekly Adequan shots... I emailed her the article you enclosed and asked her if she thought Depo-Medrol would be better than Adequan. Here is her repsonse, although it is directly in reference to my girl:
"I am SO glad that she is doing better!! I would not recommend DepoMedrol- it is a heavy duty steroid that has cartilage-destructive effects and should only be considered as a salvage last-ditch effort to buy comfort. It can also have GI side effects which would be my main concern w Leyla considering how sensitive her gut is. The Adequan is much better as it has vertebral and hip joint lubricating effects."
If you've already tried the cold laser, acupuncture, Gabapentin & Tramadol, and Adequan shots, and if they have all helped as much as they can help Luke, I would try Depo-Medrol... but i didn't know that some vets refuse to give it, and i don't have a clue why... hope you can find some comfort for Luke still...
I would definitely give Adequan a try if a vet offered to give it. We have an appointment with a chiropractor vet on Wednesday. Crossing my fingers it will bring him some relief.
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No one in this area will do them. And you can ask a human doctor why if you're vet's response isn't enough for you
My vet said she'd feel more comfortable if I found someone who did the injections before so she could be sure she was doing it right. She thought the treatment sounded like a good idea, but she was scared she'd hit the spine without watching someone do it correctly first. If we can't get him moving around better by the end of the week, I think we will have to say goodbye to our boy. Many greyhounds with LS have clearly had tremendous results. So that said, I really don't care what the doctors say about the injections -- what do we have to lose at this point?
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Has anyone had success treating lumbosacral stenosis? I've heard great things about Depo-Medrol injections and I'm looking for a vet in Pittsburgh who is willing to give these a try. Getting desperate -- we might have to say goodbye to our 11-year-old boy Luke soon. :'(
http://www.greyhound-data.com/dir/397/Lumbosacral_Stenosis.pdf
http://www.greyhound-data.com/dir/397/Lumbosacral_Stenosis.pdf
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Beautiful, heartfelt tribute. It's clear how much your boy was loved. So sorry for your loss.
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Goodness, that sounds like a rough night for both of you. Take it easy, Henry!
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This is on our girl's elbow. We are taking her to the vet for a checkup once we finish the adoption paperwork, but I'm just wondering if anyone knows what this might be? It doesn't seem to bother her, just curious. It's very fleshy and raised.
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Sending prayers for you and Doodles.
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HI AMANDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
James' first mom!!! I can't believe I didn't recognize Luke from your pic on the Cute and Funny forum. It's probably because his bat ears weren't up! Hi Rachel, it's nice to "run into you" on here. I usually only hop on to Greytalk to research things like corns (poor boy still struggles with them). But I'll try to visit more often. Very funny stuff reading about all the quirks these lovely creatures have. GHG is having the annual bathathon in April at a groomer in Greenfield. If James needs a good spring cleaning, you should bring him down! More details are here: http://www.goinghomegreyhounds.org/node/1006
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Hi and welcome...don't forget we need pictures!!!!
Thanks! I added an image to my signature and you can see another one here:
http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/296339-annoying-things-greyhounds-do/?p=5464610
Hello from north of Pittsburgh! We adopted four greyhounds from GHG--sadly, all are gone now.
Very sorry to hear of your losses. I can't even think about Luke crossing the bridge without getting teary. Why can't we keep them forever?
Hi Amanda! I might know you, or at least have seen you. I've been with GHG for about 15 years now.
I think when the weather gets warmer, we should contact Alicia about a playdate. Where in Pgh. do you live?
And welcome to Greytalk!
Hi there. I live in Forest Hills, which is east of Pittsburgh. You've probably seen me at one GHG event or another. A playdate sounds fun.
Welcome from Delaware.
Thank you
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Hello, I've been on Greytalk as a lurker for a while, but RMarie suggested I hop on the introduction board and tell you a little bit about myself.
My husband and I have had Luke (formerly U Too Isaiah) for four years. He's my first greyhound -- the first of many, I am sure. I help out with Going Home Greyhounds in Pittsburgh as their social media manager. My husband and I have fostered once -- Windy Chet, now known as James Bond, who has found his forever home with the very lovely RMarie and her also lovely husband.
We're getting our second foster next week and are very excited about it.
I love all animals and have been a vegetarian for a little more than a year. We cook vegan at home, but are not strict when we go out to eat at restaurants or with friends/family.
I have worked in public relations in higher education for six years and am working on writing a collection of humor essays about how my childhood experiences and paranoid/overprotective mother have shaped my irrational fears.
If anyone would like to offer suggestions about food for my foster, I'd appreciate it. I'd like to feed her something similar to what she ate at the track and then let her forever family transition her to a higher quality food.
Thanks,
Amanda
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This is my first post -- just wanted to say that we also are big fans of Optigest. When we first got Luke three years ago, we could not find a food that agreed with him -- but after trying about a dozen different foods, we finally found a winner. Holistic Select Anchovy, Sardine, and Salmon Recipe. Between the great food, a daily pumpkin and yogurt kong, and the Optigest, Luke has "firmed up" beautifully.
If we run out of Optigest, it only takes a day or two for his stool to be noticeably looser.
James' first mom!!! I can't believe I didn't recognize Luke from your pic on the Cute and Funny forum. It's probably because his bat ears weren't up! 
Luke (U Too Isaiah) 9/26/05 - 9/3/16
in Remembrance
Posted
Working a new signature.