Meandmy

What a beautiful necklace on a beautiful girl!

Woohoo! I'm a total dork, but I've been checking every day in case my SS needed to know anything Here are the answers you're looking for (I hope!) What color is Tori's favorite stuffy? -Tori is completely non-discriminant about stuffy color. Any color will be tossed around with the same zeal. Squeekers, Grunters or no noise stuffies? -Any noise will do. She's only had one grunty stuffie, but sadly it didn't last long Please list your pups daily schedule... -6:00 wake up mom if she's not already up, then go downstairs and lay on the sofa, refusing to go outside -7-7:30 help mom get ready by laying outside the bathroom and poking head in several times for scritches -7:30 walkies! My favorite time of day! -7:55 breakfast -8:05 bye-bye biscuit, then prepare to lounge on the sofa for the day -4:00 daddy's home! Go outside and maybe do a few zoomies, or lay in the grass if the weather is nice -5:30 mommy's home! Go outside, then follow her around the house -6:00 dinner -6:01 dinner's done, grab a stuffy and trot around the house, lay down and get up several times, maybe play with stuffy, or lay down with stuffy as pillow -7:00 toofies brushed and nails done -7:10 downstairs bedtime. Toes up on the sofa until upstairs bedtime -10:00 go outside, then run upstairs to go to bed -10:05 night-night biscuit, curl up and sleep Does your pup travel with you or does that require too much time off the couch? Tori travels with me occasionally, although usually only to the vet or to meet & greets. Only short distances as she gets way too overexcited in the car If Tori was a candy bar what flavor would it be? DH and I had a long debate about this last night. Definitely chocolate and definitely something fun. We couldn't narrow it down further than that! How many kisses does it get to the center of Tori's patients and she walks away... Tori never loses patience when it comes to giving kisses! We trade kisses back and forth all the time. She especially loves to kiss DH over and over and over. What is your favorite hobby.... I love to read, do some sewing and am just beginning to do some simple quilting. Can you please measure the distance between the brake pad on Tori's front foot and the tip of her middle toe. 3.5 inches, including toenail Can you measure the length of her ears.... 4.25 inches and the length of the last 4 inches of her tail. Umm, is this a trick question? 4 inches Hope this helps!

As the owner of a dog who doesn't care for toys, I know it's hard for others to comprehend I know that Shadow is harder to buy for because of it, so I tried to offer some suggestions when I signed up. It's happened in the past that he has gotten toys anyway and that's just fine. One SS actually sent instructions from her dog on how to play with toys! It's the thought that counts and the stuffies have always been put to good use by my other dog.

I'm so sorry to hear that you have lost Ward. I have no doubt that the time you had together was precious. Run free, sweetie...

Run free, sweet Brandy. My thoughts are with you and your family.

What a great idea! Colour-Green, just about any shade Savoury food- anything spicy Chocolate-Most anything, but I love truffles! Cookie-Shortbread Stuff to put in the bath- Anything that makes good bubbles Stuff to use in the shower-Anything Smell-Cinnamon Scented candle-Spiced Pear Photograph of your dog(s)- Shadow Tori Type of jewellery-Earrings (pierced) Style of ornament- We don't put up a tree, so don't use them Style of festive decoration- Earthy - boughs, berries, branches Television programme (present)-The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Chuck Television programme (past)- Arrested Development, Sex & the City Type of reading material (inc authors if appropriate)- I'll read anything, but particularly like forensic-type mysteries, such as Patricia Cornwell or Iris Johannson.

Just checking in for my daily Darcy update. I got to watch her video and, I must admit, I got a bit teary These dogs never cease to amaze me with their resilience. I hope things continue to go well for you all.

I agree with the others - good prep work now will lead to a lot easier time in the future. Take your time and get your dog acclimated before you try to do too much. My other word of advice would be to offer a super yummy treat that comes only after the Dremel. My dogs get mini marshmallows from the freezer. My pups do so well with it - it doesn't faze them at all. And this from my timid boy who would scream at the sight of clippers! Once you get the hang of it, you'll be so glad you did.

I agree with the others that Darcy looks quite good. Much better than I expected. I hope that is a good omen for things to come. May her recovery be speedy and as painless as possible. I know you must be beside yourself, but you and Marc are wonderful doggie parents and there's no place better that she could be to heal than at home with you. Continued good thoughts for your family...

Tears came to my eyes as I read your post. Sending healing thoughts to Darcy and to your whole family. I'll be thinking of you...

I'm so glad to see this! It's been rotten lately and now I have a big old smile on my face. See? I'm off to sign up now. Thanks Trudy and Jeff!

Oh how I miss the days when I got to squeeze greyhound blackheads I know I'm gross, but I also know I'm not the only one on GT that likes to do it! When Tori came off the track I would squeeze them for a little bit each night and they were gone in no time. Didn't bother her at all - many times she fell asleep! Once they were gone they didn't come back.

I've finally gotten into the habit of brushing the dogs' toofers every night. Shadow had a dental in April and his teeth still look fabulous. Tori was close to needing a dental when I started. Her teeth are definitely better. When I look at her teeth I can actually see the tartar lifting from the tooth, but I can't seem to get it off when I pick at it with my fingernail. I'm guessing that with a dental tool I could pick at least some of it off, but does that do any good? Will she still need a dental? If I do pick it off, what tool should I be looking for? Is it better to just leave it for the vet, then continue with preventative maintenance? Thanks!

We walk around the neighborhood most mornings (around 20 minutes). We used to walk much more, but Shadow is getting older and had an accident last year that left him with some hind end weakness to the point where, if I push him too much one day, it might be several days before he can go again. I have to say I miss that time. We used to go for long walks on the weekends to different places and both had so much fun. And going for walks is Shadow's favorite thing in the world to do. I still take him different places, just for shorter walks. Sometimes I feel badly for Tori as she has much more stamina, but she has zero interest in walking by herself. So we get her to run in the backyard or play with her toys inside to burn off any extra energy.

Sorry, should have mentioned that. He's on Fresh Factors and Joint Health from Springtime supplements. Do you have any particular herbs in mind? I love the person we see for acupuncture, but I'm not always sure about her supplement recommendations.

Shadow took a tumble in the yard last October and hurt his back - bad! He was partially paralyzed at first, then eventually regained use of his back legs, although his hind end is much weaker. At the time we did muscle relaxants and painkillers (it was 100% a soft-tissue injury), along with acupuncture. I would say use of his hind end is at about 80% He can walk and run and runs up and down the stairs. He doesn't knuckle under, but he's not steady in the back end and it's hard for him to get up from laying down. He started getting worse again so I took him to a chiropractor. The chiropractor said the problem is all in his LS area, but that there is nothing to be adjusted. He adjusted his neck (which helped some) and did some acupuncture as well. Shadow has lost so much muscle tone. He doesn't seem to be in pain for the most part, just weak. But he can't walk as far or as often as he used to (walks are his all-time favorite thing). Sometimes he'll start to limp - that's his only sign of pain. It breaks my heart when we have to turn around and come home because walking is painful for him. My question is, should I be pursuing further treatment at this point? Should I talk to my vet about getting shots in that area? I feel that might be the only course of treatment since the chiropractor said there was nothing to adjust in that area. Shadow's 9 1/2 and I want to keep him healthy and active for as long as I can. I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks!

I've been working for a long time to get my dogs used to brushing their teeth. They never wanted me to do it and it was always a struggle. The past few weeks I've changed things around and now they love it! I brush their teeth every night and as soon as they see the toothbrushes come out they run to their beds, ready for brushing! Here's the strategy that is working for me. I'd love to hear others' strategies to add to my repertoire First, I bought toddler toothbrushes. They're Peanuts characters, to be precise. Don't know if that helps? I'm using Enzadent from the vet and it works great and they LOVE the taste! I sit facing them and they are in the sphinx position. I put a tiny bit of paste on the toothbrush and brush the canines on one side, then let them lick the toothbrush. Then I do the same on the other side. Then I put a bit on the toothbrush and open up their lips on one side enough to get the toothbrush in there. I close their mouth gently with one hand while I brush their side teeth with the other, then let them lick the toothbrush. Then I do the other side. I don't clamp their mouths closed, just keep it closed enough so they aren't licking the toothbrush while I'm trying to brush. That has made the biggest difference as I no longer feel like they're trying to fight me while I brush. It seems to keep them calmer, too. Finally I put a dab of toothpaste on my finger for them to lick off. The whole process takes about a minute per dog. Part of the difference is that they absolutely love the toothpaste! So much so that I have to be careful or the one not getting their teeth brushed might pilfer the tube I hope this helps somebody else that is struggling. I have to say that it's totally worth it. Shadow got his teeth cleaned in April and they are still pearly white (a miracle for him). Tori's teeth were getting bad, but they have improved tremendously over the last few weeks. I think the daily brushing and the enzyme toothpaste are working wonders. Anyone else want to share their strategies?

Xan's got it right. The pad (the middle one) doesn't stick out of the sock. It's covered, but sticks out enough to act as a stopper to keep the sock from slipping off without it having to be wrapped a million times and without it being too tight. Sorry that I'm not very clear. It all made sense in my head

Shadow is going through the same thing. He's got a cut in between his toes as well. I just put a baby sock on him (Old Navy ones are great - cheap and have rubber on the soles to keep from slipping on wood floors). I just put a band of tape (on the sock only - no fur) just above his main paw pad and fold the sock over the tape. Because his paw pad sticks out it keeps the sock up, and because it's only covering his foot, it doesn't bother him at all. I put a baggie on it for going outside.

Interesting post. I was just commenting to DH this morning that we haven't bathed Tori since we got her (12/05), which means Shadow hasn't had a bath in 2 years! The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend, so I thought I might bathe them, more to see how Tori will react than anything People are always shocked when I say that I don't bathe my dogs, but greyhounds just aren't typical dogs. If you are experiencing smell so soon after a bath, I would agree with other who have said a vet visit might be in order.

I'm so sorry to hear the Queenie has left you. My heart just breaks. Hugs from us to all of you, but especially Cody Angelo. Their bond was amazing, and I know this will be hard for him. I hope you can take comfort in each other. Run free, Queenie...

Jay, I'm so sorry that you had to say goodbye to Pretty. May she find the softest couch at the Bridge to pass the time until you meet again.

Heather and Ken, I'm so sorry you had to say goodbye to Casino so soon. I know she got enough love from you both to last her forever at The Bridge.

Now that is smart! I'm off to the drugstore today - think I'll get a new bottle of peroxide *and* a squeeze bottle!

I'm so very sorry. Sweet Kissy, may you nest laundry at the Rainbow Bridge to your heart's content...