lothianjavert

Sully's (Diamian) was Hallelujah Lass. Diesel's (Reb's Don Dee) was one you had listed, Gossamer. Rook's (Pasco) is also one you had listed, Marcia.

$45 around here for the SNAP.

I remember seeing Santana on the website before we adopted Sully. I was interested in him but we weren't quite ready yet and he was adopted before then. Sully wasn't a smiler but he would chatter and air-bite. The air-bites could be pretty loud and impressive- and scary if you didn't know what they were and that they weren't aggressive. He would air-bite and chatter when he was very excited, or air-bite, chirp and stomp his feet when he wanted something. Zoopy, it took a while for me to fall in love with Rook. We had just lost Sully and Sebau and I still missed them desperately. I think it was good that he looked nothing like them and of course, he behaves very differently because he is a completely different dog with his own unique personality. It also took him some time to trust us as he had been a bounce. DH and I bonded with him as we got to know him and he bonded with us as well. He's a great dog and we love him dearly. He's happy, funny and smart, but so incredibly food motivated that he has earned the nickname "the belly." He's also one that likes to try to play bitey-face sometimes He loves to play and sometimes forgets that his people don't necessarily want to play like a dog.

When I used it for Diesel, I did not notice any side effects. It did make a big difference in helping his pain when the Deramaxx and Tramadol were not enough. His dose was broken up to 3x/day.

Rook eats TOTW Pacific Stream (can't have any poultry or he gets super itchy and this one works with no runny stools) and goes through a 30lb bag in about a month- maybe a tad more. I usually buy once a month but often I have a few days to a week or so left in the bag when I purchase. He also goes through more depending on the season and increased activity, so it can vary. He's an average sized boy. He also does get things like tripe sticks, canned tripe/lamb/rabbit/bison so sometimes that will decrease the kibble amount to compensate.

I can't help you with the ALT but Sully was always around the 1.8 to 2.0 range for creatinine but with normal BUN. Rook was 1.8 last time, normal BUN.

Diesel -11 osteosarcoma Sully - 12.5 heart failure most likely but he had several things going on as well as the heart issues- LP as well as LS which had gotten pretty bad. Sebau (mutt - GSD x Dalmatian x Shar-pei) 19 - seizures (most likely brain tumor/cancer per vet as she had never had seizures before)

Instead of a puppy, especially if you are specifically looking for a calm, confident dog (which pup won't be and you don't know if they will or will grow to be one) I would go with an adult dog that has been there, done that. And has an off switch. My old dal mix girl Sebau was confident and pretty unflappable, however she didn't get an "off" switch until age 13. She lived to 19. At 13 a six mile walk was still required. None of my greys have been "rugs" in terms of activity. Diesel was the most low key but he'd still love a good hike or play time. Sully was pretty high energy- we had picked him out because of the energy level so he could go on long walks and hikes with Sebau and he loved it. Rook is also pretty high energy. When we are home he is "on" all day long. If he gets a long walk he'll be "off" for an hour or so. Then he's ready to go again. If the weather is bad we have to come up with other activities to drain his energy. I have treat puzzles, we play with toys, etc. Look for a mature calm dog of any mix/breed and involve Ruby in picking her companion. Take her with you to meet potential pups. Leave the breed/size open to what Ruby seems to pick. We took Sebau with us to pick a grey. While I think any of the greys we met would have worked, Sully was the one she seemed to like the best. They ended up becoming very close and snoozing snuggled up to each other. As for nicknames.. some for my pups have been colorful... Sebau was Butthead... aka Queen Butthead of the Universe (she could be rather bossy and stubborn) or Stinky Sue since she LOVED to roll in gross things. Sully was Brat, Trouble, Thief, Love Sponge, Diva... (he was a superb food thief and definitely trouble!) Rook is Booger, Itty Bitty and Pesty Pestilence (the last one because if he really wants something, he will not give up pestering for it. For hours.)

Sully saw a chiro several times as he got older. It made a big difference. He was always much bouncier afterwards-especially the day after. It was obvious he was feeling better and seemed more comfortable. The chiro that the vet recommended is local and certified for people as well as animals. He comes to her clinic a few times a month. It is not something I would have thought of (always considered chiro hokey) but my vet convinced us to try it and it worked.

Glad she's coming home!

I don't have any useful knowledge or advice Jen... but lots of hugs to you both and I hope things get sorted out quickly. The clinic sounds like a good place and she's getting good care. :grouphug

Lots of good thoughts for Violet!

We used the Neopaws summer boots for Sully when he had problems with his corn. They were great when I was trying to figure out what size would be best. I just looked at the site and they have lots more products now. The summer boots stayed on great and came with neoprene inserts for extra cushioning. They made a huge difference for Sully as he could go on long walks in comfort. Even after a lot of use the boots were in great shape.

This is what I did with Rook as well- same end result too- anytime he wants something, he comes to me and sits (and looks at me and then at whatever item he wants).

Sully became more sensitive to the heat as he got older- especially around 11/12 years old it was very noticeable. Diesel we lost to osteo before his 11th birthday, so I don't know if he would also have become more heat sensitive or not. Jen, thanks for the link-good article.