MRK

Thank you greysmom and ramonaghan for sharing your experiences. I have also heard from others on FB -- the good, the bad, the ugly. This morning I made the decision to not go through with amp and chemo. Well, maybe Zane made that decision for me. As I woke up he was lying next to me, whimpering trying to get comfortable. He's been through so much already, and I can't put him through months of car rides and vet visits. Just getting him diagnosed was stressful. They tried to do a FNA after the x-ray but he was so ramped up on stress and adrenaline that the sedative didn't work. It took him over two hours at home to settle down from that and I had to bring him in again for a full sedation just to get the sample. He had a spontaneous bloody nose incident recently that was truly horrific for both of us. I can't imagine the toll that surgery and chemo would do on his well-being (or mine), all for an uncertain outcome. I am aware of the risk bone fracture and I very much don't want that to happen. I will be having a vet come here this week to let him go peacefully. I did that with my first grey (osteo on the ribs, he was 12 with a heart murmur, treatment wasn't an option), and my most recent old lady grey. No more stressful car rides and vet visits for my baby. Lots of love, meds, treats, and naps until we say goodbye.

Thank you for your reply. It's just so hard to know how he will do. I don't really have anyone to help except my son, but he's in school during the day. I also don't know if Zane is a fighter. He's already had some weird health things and has been to the vet many times. It always makes him anxious. And this whole thing makes ME anxious, which I know doesn't help. I keep flip-flopping. Part of me tells me that he doesn't know about longevity and lives in the moment, so why put him through such misery, even if it's temporary? The other part tells me he could get through surgery and chemo and come out just fine and live another few years. But honestly, this dog doesn't really do much. I know most greyhounds are like that, but he doesn't go running in the yard or out for long walks. Just neighborhood sniff/pee walks, and a short zoomie/toss toys around most days. Otherwise he sleeps. So who am I doing this for? Me or him?

Hi all, my boy was just diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his front left shoulder. I don't have time to read this entire thread because I have to make a decision soon, so please bear with me. Zane is almost 7, about 75-80 pounds, and he's an anxious dog. My vet is suggesting a round of Carboplatin on Monday, followed by amputation on Friday, then 5 more rounds of Carboplatin. I know that greys can live well on 3 legs. I do have a single long flight of stairs to the second level, and he's used to using a dog door. I'm not sure how he would handle those things. He doesn't go out running or playing. He sleeps most of the time, sometimes has short zoomies, and I take him for a walk every day. He is anxious in the car and even worse at the vet. He sometimes has anxiety attacks and pants and paces around the house. My concern isn't so much with him being a tripod, but the cost of putting him through the chemo and amputation knowing it is going to be stressful for him (and me). Especially since I don't know for sure that the chemo will work and that he'll be happy on 3 legs. I don't know if I'd even be able to get him in the car since I can't lift him myself, and he probably won't want to jump in. I'd feel guilty for putting him through so much, but I'd feel guilty for deciding to let him go. Damned if I do and damned if I don't. I don't want to make this decision for me but for him. I want him to be happy and at peace. Whether that means letting him go or trying to save his life, I don't know. My vet is strongly suggesting chemo and amputation (she did this with her own greyhound and patients), but some greyhound folks don't think it's a good idea. In the end, I actually think anything I do will be harder on me than on him. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

Hi all. I want to say first that I am consulting with a dog behaviorist on this issue, but I want to know if anyone else has experienced it. I've seen posts about resource guarding and aggression, but I think this issue is trickier. One of my dogs, Z, is four years old and I've had him for 3 years. He has always been obsessed with food, and I know he has issues over it. He is aggressive if he steals food (or finds a dead lizard) and I try to take it away. I can deal with this, and have learned to try to prevent it or trade for a treat. Most of the time, I can sit on the couch next to him and eat a full meal and he doesn't care. But sometimes he gets this look on his face when he sees food, like he has to have it NOW. Again, I can deal with that by removing the food, and he goes back to normal. The problem I'm having, which is happening more often lately, is that he sometimes goes after my other dog, L (15). I think I've figured out that he thinks she is going to get food, even if there isn't any, and he doesn't want her to have it. If they are both lying down downstairs, and she gets up and walks to or even by the kitchen or food bowls (no food, just water), he will go after her. I intervene when I'm there. Now it is happening upstairs but I haven't witnessed it -- there's a scuffle, and it's over when I get up there. I have been feeding L in my bedroom lately and I think it's the same issue. They are lying down, she gets up, and he thinks she's going for some food that isn't there. I always separate them when they eat. He used to eat outside (when it's not cold or wet) and she'd eat inside downstairs. But she is old and starts to sink when she eats standing up, and it has been cold, so she usually eats in my bedroom lying down, with my door closed, and he eats at his normal food station downstairs. It's been getting worse, and he scratched her head and maybe her nose, and one time I noticed after a scuffle that her neck was wet. It's only a matter of time until he really hurts her. She is clearly scared of him now and won't stay in the same room with him. I keep them separated as much as possible. My question (to you wonderful people and to the trainer...waiting to hear back...) is if anyone has experienced anything like this and if it's fixable. Most of the time he's a big sweetie and they get along. He shows no aggression to any dog or person on walks. It's clearly a food jealousy/guarding issue. Can he be changed? Do I have to just keep them separate until she is gone, and then keep him as an only dog? Should I find somewhere for him to stay until she is gone, so she won't live in fear for her final days? She is old, weak, toothless, and at least partially deaf, but she's still kicking and enjoying walks. She doesn't deserve to be bullied by her brother. And I don't want to just return him and make him someone else's problem (besides the fact that he's my baby and I made a commitment when I adopted him). Thanks for any advice. I'm hoping the trainer can help as well.

Hi MollyMoo -- I was just doing a search for a very similar problem with my grey. He can be very food aggressive, but only when he steals food (we feed the dogs separately for this reason). We are very careful not to give him the opportunity to steal any food, but sometimes when we are eating (more my son than me), he gets this intense look and stares at what he wants. I can usually snap him out of it, and it doesn't happen all the time. In fact, I can usually eat a meal with no problems even if he's sitting next to me on the couch. It's like something snaps in his brain and he becomes a different dog. He also will sometimes go after my other dog if she is walking past the dog bowls (not aggressively, just runs up to her, maybe nips her). It's like he thinks she's going to get food and he won't. I'm wondering if your Molly displays the same behavior and if you've had any luck with fixing it. I was planning on trying to teach my boy "leave it." It's hard to train out the aggressive behavior otherwise because it's kind of rare and when he's in that mode he's not the same sweet goofball that I know and love.

Has anyone tried Dr. Buzby's ToeGrips, especially for aging greys? My 13-year-old girl isn't as steady on smooth floors as she used to be. My vet suggested these but I wanted to see if anyone had tried them on a greyhound (and my dog hates having her feet touched!). I see a few old comments so wanted to see if anyone has any updates. https://toegrips.com/ Thanks!!