DianeFG

I remember those very tough days we shared together...............it's hard to believe it's been 2 years now. Big {{{Hugs}}} to you. I know how much you suffered. Skye and Fudge watch over us as they roach side by side at the Bridge waiting for us.

I'm so sorry I'll ask Fudgie to take extra special care of her

It was two years ago today that Fudgie left for his trip to the Bridge. Miss you Buddy, I'm thinking of you a lot today.............

Oh poor Cougar! When Fudgie had a toe amputated a few years back he was pulling off the bandage. I eventually put a really long athletic sock on over the bandage and vet wrapped it up under his armpit. I then gave him fresh bones from the butcher to keep him busy, busy, busy (also frozen Kongs filled with yogurt and sealed with peanut butter helped too). He eventually healed just fine, but it was really stressful trying to keep him away from that wound. I also put comforters ontop of their beds cause they both liked to nest, so he'd settle in and I'd manipulate a comforter around that foot so it would be difficult for him to get to it, and he was such a lazy thing that he wouldn't try too hard Miss that old man. Please give Coug kisses from us!

I had heard you put Preparation H on the tip of the nail after cutting it each time and it should shrink the quick back.... don't know if it is a good tip or a joke, but figured I'd pass it on and if anyone's done it they could mention so

I'm sorry I didn't get on her sooner to give the results. He has a cyst. I've decided to leave him be, it's not bothering him (unless I was poking at it Thanks for all your well wishes!!! I will give him a big smooch from each and every one of you all He's such a good boy! Today we went on the Trail Bound Hounds walk but Goods couldn't come. His hind quarters gave out on him last night when he was going down the stairs into the yard. He slid down the wooden stairs on his belly and skinned almost every knuckle on both back feet as they dragged behind him. He jumped up and ran back up the stairs to go back in the house, he was so scared. He went out fine today, but I'm afraid the days of his long trail hikes are probably over. It's tough to watch them age Merlin took the walk and he really did well, he was so happy to see all the dogs. He gave Doug some good smoochies, and he really loves Rizzo and Kiwi (he's met them before)......but it was odd not having Goods there.....

Just recently caught Goods for the first time ever in the 9 years I've had him. He yelped, got up and went in the corner and positioned himself so I couldn't get near his feet again......trust me I didn't want to go near his feet again.... I felt awful The look on his face was like "You hurt me! How could you do that to me?!!"

I am so, so sorry

I'll be keeping Memphis in my prayers. Fudgie did what you described. He was almost 10 when he passed away. My DH would say to me that sometimes Fudgie looked like he didn't know where he was... I'd let him in the backyard and he'd stand on the porch and look around like it was all new. Also, we had a bunch of mystery vet appointments because Fudge would stand in the corner of the kitchen with his forehead up against the cabinet. He was probably at my vet 7 times in a month, xrays, blood tests, you name it nothing showed up. (Funny little side note, when the vet came in and put up the xrays I could see what I thought was a big mass in his tummy. I started to cry because I was sure it was cancer.......it was gas It was sad to watch him fumble about. Thankfully he had Goods, he would follow Goods around a lot. I miss him. (((Hugs))) to you.

Oh I would absolutely leave him be! I don't believe in doing anything just for cosmetic purposes, as a matter of fact my IG, Penny, has Alopecia. My vet said she could give Penny something that would make her hair grow in, I asked her if her health was compromised at all because she's bald, my vet said "Nope", soooooo Penny runs around naked actually she has little coats I don't want her to take meds because I want a fluffy dog.... I just want a happy, healthy, long living pup

Yes Merlin and Goods ended lounging together by the pool after I got Goods home They've become fast friends

Thanks everyone. She took a needle biopsy and I'll know in a few days. She's very confident its fatty cyst but did the biopsy just to be 100% sure. She talked to me about anesthesia and she told me the way she'd go is to give him a very light dose, that would only knock him out for a few short minutes and he'd wake up just fine. No acepromozine. We'll see what happens in a few days, I'm not so worried anymore. He was totally miserable though, his snout was right up against the crack in the door trying to do the Jedi Mind Trick on me and make me open the door for him I'll let you all know as soon as I hear Thanks for caring about Goods, he's really such great boy

Almost 12

They have to put him under to remove it, right?.... I'm worried about his age regarding that. What exactly would be my options for removing it?

I actually have an appointment Saturday afternoon at 2:00. They didn't seem too concerned when I explained it but they do want to look at it. Thanks everyone. I'll post as soon as I know for sure. I am less worried now, after reading your posts and talking to my vet

I'd say you can feel it all the way around, although he didn't like me poking at it (not that I blame him). Thanks BJ, I appreciate your reply, and I'll take him to the vet just to be sure. Glad Maj is ok.

I don't have a pic, but this lump just appeared out of nowhere it seems. Its about the size of a small grape if you cut it in half. It's dark in color (his legs are white so it stands out against his fur) and you can move it around.....it's squishy. I'm calling the vet tomorrow.... what do you think? I'm a bit worried.

Here is the email we send out to people inquiring about adopting: Thank you for your interest in Italian Greyhounds! I work with Mary Frankio for IG Rescue, she's the Rescue Rep. We often have dogs, all ages, all temperaments. Sometimes we can move dogs around if the right home comes up in another area. It depends on the dog. Some questions for you to think about in making the decision about adding an IG to your family: Are you aware of the difficulty in house training them (the #1 reason they get turned in to rescue)? Getting a new Italian Greyhound (or any toy breed) into your family may mean that it is tethered to your waist for two weeks while it is out of its crate to ensure good potty habits. IGs can very successfully be litter box trained as well as pee pad trained, so that in the winter and they can be trained both to go outside and to use the indoor facilities. If you don't like the idea of pads or litter boxes in your home, again reconsider this breed. Also, if you work, then having a dog walker come to your home during the day would be a great idea They are sigh thounds and can not be let off lead outdoors, don't ever think your dog would be the exception to the rule, many people have lost their pet this way. Sight hounds can see up to a 1/2 mile away and if there is something as small as a piece of paper blowing across the street, it will catch their attention and they very well may go after it without caution. Sight hounds generally don't have good recall, you may get fooled into thinking that in the house your dog comes every time you call that you can trust them off leash, well, I would bet my house if you let them off leash and try to call them back you will be met with "Do I know you?" as they trott off. Think of it as letting a 2 year old child run free next to a highway. Would you do that?. Can you live with that? IG's think they can fly! Legs are fragile and breaks are not uncommon. This may mean a vet bill of $1500 or more. Is that something you could manage? Also you need to have a vet who is sight hound savvy. How busy are you, really? IG's love to travel with you, but the truth is that they cannot stay out in a cold car in winter, even when coated, for very long. They tend to need a lot of personal contact (preferably under your covers) and couch time! Will you be there for him? Do you work long hours (or even an 8 hour day without coming home)? Would you expect yourself to hold your urine for that long? Do you go away on vacation? IG's can not be in an unheated kennel. Who would take care of the dog? Is this really the right time in your life to adopt a dog? They are lap dogs, they NEED to be with their person. If you don't want a dog that's going to be on you every given chance, then this breed is not for you. I personally love the fact that they are so willing to love you unabashed. My two prefer to sleep in the bed, under the covers with me, which may very well be the case with your iggy. Would you mind that? Are you in a stable relationship? Does your partner want a dog as much as you do? If you separate, where will the dog go? If you are in an apartment which allows pets, what are the chances of your finding another one if you have to leave it? Do you have small children or are you planning to have children (or grandchildren) in the future? Each placement will need to be evaluated individually, but as a general rule, a household with little kids is not the ideal place for an IG. Kids leave outside doors open; kids play rough; children trip over their own feet as well as over the long, spindly legs of the Italian greyhound; some kids are frightened by the bouncy exuberance that is an integral part of this breed's nature. Sadly, we frequently find that the adopted IG will bond with the adults in the family, leaving children with hurt feelings because they don't understand why the dog "doesn't like" them. They are quite sensitive little creatures and you can't yell at them, they do not respond well to that type of correcting. Any behavior that needs to be changed can be done so with gentle correcting and the response you'll receive from them will be much more satisfying. Another important thing to know is IGs more often than not are barkers. When someone shows up at my house my two iggies sound the alarm. There is no sneaking someone in my house without their knowledge. Are there IGs that don't bark? Sure. But the majority do. Know that. If you live someplace where that would be an issue, this is not the breed for you. Do know they can have bad teeth, it seems to be an issue for most iggies, you would need to plan again on having an IG savy vet and having a yearly dental as well as caring for the teeth at home. There is a lot of information on the IG web site and the companion links. I would encourage you to look at it very carefully and visit Italian Greyhounds if you have not done so already before proceeding with adoption plans. This decision will affect you and your family and this little creature entrusted to your care for the next 10-15 years. Please make sure it is the right one for both you and the IG! If, after reading this email you are still interested in adopting, please go to www.italiangreyhound.org, ; the rescue section, and fill out an application, mail it to Mary Frankio, 143 Fullerton Avenue, Whitman, MA 02382. Please contact me after you mail it to Mary and I'll give you her telephone number at that point for you to follow up. We do recommend you call Mary weekly so she knows you are still interested while she finds the right IG for your home. Sometimes we will already have the perfect IG for you or you may have to wait several weeks/months. We try very hard to match the right dog to the right person so that both will be happy! We do home visits and vet reference checks for the safety of the IG. This needs to be done before we can search for a dog for you. We do not screen apps for a particular dog only. Once you have an approved app we can talk with you about a certain dog or dogs.

I'm so, so sorry

For those of you who have kept in contact with Mary Frankio about Bubbles I want you to know she's gone on to the Bridge. For those of you who went to Dewey and came into our room - Italian Greyhound Rescue and GPA Mass, we had the 5 IGs in the xpen in the back of the hotel room, Bubbles was the little girl with the cast on her rear leg. She had a cancerous tumor that couldn't be controled. Mary wanted me to come on and thank everyone who kept in contact with her to check in on Bubbles. Bubbles was a special little girl who had a way of stealing your heart away with just one look into those big brown eyes of hers. There was a long list of people who wanted to steal Bubbles away from Mary (me at the top of that list!) but Bubs was right where she wanted to be, with Mary. Please think of Bubs today, and send Mary some healing thoughts.... she's in a lot of pain right now, Bubs was her girl.

I am so sorry

Hi I remember you Great to have you back, and congratulations on your beautiful daughter She's a dollface!

I am heart sick right now!

I remember him and I miss him too..... {{Hugs}} to you and DD.

Robin, I am so sorry to read this