deboosh

Not knowing is the hardest. Prayers that Sunshine has nothing more than a muscle strain, and gentle heartfelt hugs for her mum.

:)It's greyt to hear that you're being cautious, and not jumping right in. I also vote for fostering. A year after adopting Bonnie, we thought we'd try fostering, but soon learned that she's happiest as our only child, lol. She's extremely friendly and outgoing, but when our foster began to feel more comfortable and exert his will, Bonnie began to withdraw. Yes, it's very exciting! Hope to hear updates often.

Greyt to hear there's been a little improvement! Continued good thoughts and wishes for Oscar's recovery.

First of all, please don't blame yourself for Blaze's injury. The "shudda cudda's" don't apply here; this was an accident. I wish I could offer sage advice, but being in the same boat, I suppose I just want to commiserate. While my girlie's injury wasn't nearly as serious as Blaze's, (she dislocated a toe) it also happened during a sharp turn while chasing a whippet. She has been chasing Willy on a weekly basis now for nearly 2 years (on a sand base) and had no incidents until her injury 3 weeks ago. Complications ensued, and a very nasty infection developed under her bandages. As a consequence, her splint needed to be removed, and this has me wondering if the toe is healing well without any stability. She is still on antibiotics; and depending on how her wounds heal, she may be facing a skin graft. I now wonder if we should keep Bonnie from playing with the whippet, or carry on as before. We meet with a nice bunch of greys and their peeps every weekend. Keeping Bonnie away would mean the end to these weekend meet ups, since the whippet is part of the group. I will do whatever is best for Bonnie, but I don't want to drastically change our lives if it's not going to make much difference in the scheme of things. When I asked the vet about her risk, he also felt it was equal to that of any dog. So what to do? I have a glimmer of hope, if strengthening exercises will help guard against future injury, but we're not yet at that point. It's hard to know what the best option is for our greys. Whatever you decide, I wish you and Blaze a smooth and uneventful rehabilitation.

I am so sorry, and feel your pain. I lost my heart kitty last November at the age of 21 yrs. Although I miss my little girl dearly, I can now look back on treasured memories, and am comforted by the long and happy life she had. Hugs to you.

Minor biting does NOT mean she's fine with the crate. You're fooling yourself if believe that. I repeat, ". . . as long as your decisions don't put your grey in physical danger or EMOTIONAL DISTRESS . . ." PLEASE, use this statement as a guideline. Your grey IS in emotional distress. Everyone has explained why crating her is a bad decision. If you want a happy, well adjusted dog that TRUSTS you, then ditch the crate!

CONGRATULATIONS on your new addition! When we adopted Bonnie, I intended on following advice "by the book". Unfortunately, my Bonnie didn't read it. She was also very unhappy in her crate. After another night of crying, we dismantled it. I made sure our house was dog-proofed and she's slept in her bed, without any trouble, every night ever since. It can be difficult to know what to do when there are opposing camps who feel they have the correct answer. I got a lot of valuable help here as a newbie. But I've also learned to pay attention to my instincts to help me process an unfamiliar school of thought. Gut instinct has never failed me. As long as your decisions don't put your grey in emotional distress or physical danger, then in the end you will do what's most comfortable and what makes the most sense. Good luck, getting to know your grey can be stressful; but remember to have fun making memories with your new furkid.

Here's a tip for anyone who'd rather not use the dreaded cone of shame. Our Bonnie dislocated a toe 2 weeks ago. Long story short, she developed complications following surgery. The area became infected, and her bandages had to be removed. So to keep her from licking, we resorted to the cone. But it didn't fit well, and it would slide back, making it useless. Then we attached it in front of her collar, so that the collar blocked it from sliding back more. It helped somewhat, but the cone then bothered her ears, and she'd shake her head repeatedly. To top it off, she'd sometimes bang into the edge of a wall, and was just an awkward and unhappy pupper. Then a friend suggested that I use her muzzle with a poop guard. I didn't have a poop guard, since she doesn't have that nasty habit. Our closest sighthound supplier was out of stock, so I made my own guard. We have a few of these breathing masks, and I taped it around the front of her muzzle. Then I poked a few holes in it. and ta da; It works greyt. It may not be pretty, but it does the job in a pinch.

You'll see lots of positive changes. In December, we'll have had Bonnie for 2 years. I remember giving her a kiss very soon after her adoption, and her pulling away in response. When I kiss her now, I get the chin shake, lol. Last summer, when we'd walk on the beach, she'd venture into the water, but didn't seem all that impressed. This year, I clip on an extra long lead and she plays, splashing in and out of the water, digging in the sand, and running circles around me. I just love watching her bloom.

Oh, I'm so sorry; such a devastating loss. It's so hard when it's sudden. Hugs and healing thoughts to you.

Welcome, Katie; Wasabi's a lucky fellow. Iisn't funny how quickly they make themselves comfortable, lol.

I am so glad I read this thread. Bonnie is our first dog, and just like everyone else, I dread the thought of her being diagnosed with osteo, but after reading Robin's response about dogs hiding their pain well, I now know how I would handle it. We all make decisions that we can live with, and hopefully those decisions also align with what's best for the animal.

Sending prayers and white light that Duke will make it through this crisis. Hang in there, Duke!

My heart breaks for you. Wishing you healing thoughts and loving memories. Hugs.

Oh, what a shock to read this terrible news. We were all praying that Red would pull through. I am heartbroken for you, but hope that you take comfort in knowing that you did your very best for Red. I am so sorry.

Great News! Sounds like he's really turned a corner.

Oh, I forgot ginger snaps. And ginger is a natural tummy tamer.

Have you tried green tripe? I use a canned variety; it's something that my girl can't resist.

The suggestion that bf treat her when he comes over sounds like a great tip, but I'd be more concerned about the bf's behaviour. I once had a bf that "hated" my cat. But being young and inexperienced, I didn't see that as the omen it was; and married the jerk anyway. But now that I've learned a hard lesson, I would also think long and hard about someone's character, if my pet didn't like someone.

:clapOh, that's wonderful news! Will keep those good thoughts and prayers coming.

So sorry you're facing this health crisis. Seeing as it seems to be such a mystery with an acute onset, I think I'd be asking the sitter again, if there was any possibility that he got into something? I'm just wondering if the sitter could possibly be aware of something like an accidental poisoning, but is afraid to divulge it? Not trying to cause trouble, and I know it's a delicate subject, but if the mystery seems to be only getting deeper, then I'd turn to the sitter again.

I'm so sorry. You've written a beautiful tribute to your boy.

Prayers and paws crossed for your beautiful boy.

So sorry for your loss. No matter how long they're with us, it's never long enough. Godspeed, Wren.

I've no sage advice, just hoping your girlie feels well again soon.