Valencia

I am bawling at work. What a beautiful tribute. I am so very sorry for your loss.

Two of my three greys have rooed...I taught them how to do it on command (the command being, obviously, "roo".) They rooed spontaneously for every meal, treats, people coming over, me coming home, anytime they were having a good time. A very vocal foster has even gotten the chinese crested to chime in.

How promising! And totally agree with seeh2o.

What a thoughtful post, Willowsmum, and such good advice.

I agree with finding another trainer if this one doesn't get it. Greyhounds just are not natural sitters, and a trainer that requires it over a down stay is stuck in rote expectations mode. There are many trainers who recognize how perfectly suited greyhounds are for therapy dogs and who have adapted their training to overcome the sit issue. Don't be afraid to interview the trainer ahead of time to find out their feelings about this! On a personal note, my previous partner had a severe traumatic brain injury that wiped out most of her memory, including her memories of our pets. If questioned, she would say we didn't have any dogs, nor did she really like them. (Not true, and so sad on so many levels.) As soon as she moved out of ICU and into an acute rehab facility, I made arrangements for the therapy dogs to visit. Our first visitor was a standard poodle that was so sweet, and it was a nice visit. But our next visit was incredible. Not only did two greyhounds come into the room, but the person holding the leashes was one of my own adopters. My partner immediately recognized and bonded with the greyhounds. The joy on her face was priceless. I can't even express the emotions I felt to this day. I think therapy dog people know it's a cool thing to do, but I don't think they know how much of a lifeline it is for some people. My next grey will be specifically selected to be a therapy dog, so that I can return the gift that we received. Don't give up your dream, find a different trainer.

My greyhounds have all slept in bed with me, and other than the sleep aggression dog, I haven't had any issues. I regularly sleep with and cuddle with my female greyhound, and she would never in a million years react. I also cuddled with (well, mauled might be a better word ) my male greyhound, and while he had fear aggression, he didn't have any issues with cuddling in bed. I've even cuddled all of my fosters when they were in their beds (after carefully testing them and their boundaries.) I think the rule of never touching a greyhound when he/she is in his/her bed is way too strict, it should be a warning to approach cautiously and let the dog decide if they wanted that or not. My last broken leg foster loved nothing more than spooning while in her bed. I STILL miss doing that with her, and I adopted her out several years ago!! But I totally understand your hesitance in adopting again. My advice to you is to find a placement rep and foster home that will test a dog to make sure he/she is bomb proof for you. I've done that for several of my fosters and their perspective adopters, and have told some that the placement would not work if I thought there was any chance of issues (on the people side or on the dog side.) You had a very horrible experience, and I so understand your fears, but I am very sad that you would forego the opportunity to pursue adopting a 'bomb-proof' greyhound, they really are the most amazing dogs.

I push my fosters to find out what their limits are, so that when I adopt them out, I can choose parents who have the ability to deal with that particular dog's behaviors. I do this because I've been bitten by two of my own dogs; my first greyhound had sleep aggression, and my second had fear aggression. I did a lot of work with them to get them to be less unpredictable, but I don't believe that a dog that responds with biting will every be 100% trustworthy to not do so again. For an experienced adopter to choose a dog that has limits, that is one thing; but to expect a new adopter to deal with biting and advanced training techniques to try to handle it is another thing, and I believe that sets both the adopter and the dog up for too much potential for failure.

I am so sorry, I cannot even imagine. It may have been a stroke.

I put my kids on Missing Link before I found out Stewart's limp was from osteo, not arthritis; the difference in him and my female greyhound even after a few days was incredible. She started acting like a 2 year old, and she is 10. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

How awful! That is one of my biggest fears, and keeps me from walking my dogs more. I am so sorry this happened to you and Leah. :grouphug

I am so, so sorry you and Tempo are facing this. I just lost my boy Stewart to osteo a few weeks ago. He was 10 when diagnosed, I can't imagine a 5 1/2 year old getting that diagnosis. I feel for you, I was a WRECK for the first few months, the uncertainty and decisions to be made and the fear... big hugs to you and Tempo, and prayers that you and he have a long life together.

oh, how awful! I am so sorry.

You can't miss the sub-mandibullar ones on a greyhound if they are swollen; they are small lumps under the jawline, below the ear. Humans have them too; you can feel them on your neck, under your jawline and forward an inch-ish from the bend of your jawbone. (Well, at least I can feel mine, maybe that's not normal ) I'd snap a picture of the sub-mandibullar ones on a greyhound, but the greyhound is roaching on the couch with his feet up and I can't get a good shot.

Thank you, Wendy. I know it's a much less common progression, but this is also the dog that once got a kong stuck on the end of his chin, so we are no strangers to the less than common side of things. If something weird is going to happen, it's going to happen in this house.

My first dog was a lymphoma dog, we had great luck with the prednisone. Stew can't take it because he is currently on metacam, and metacam is the only pain med that's worked for him (the others have made him vomit regularly). Thank you so much for your responses, I really appreciate it.

My vet called back, since both sets of lymph nodes are swollen, it's likely something more serious than a run of the mill infection (which would be hard to come by anyhow, since we don't see other dogs or go anywhere). She said it was mostly likely either the osteo metastisizing or lymphoma, but would require a fna to diagnose. But, since he has the osteo, it's not like testing will change the course of treatment. I'm going to keep an eye on it over the weekend. i just didn't know this could happen, and I guess I've been in a state of denial.

My boy was diagnosed with osteo in his front left shoulder in December. He is on pain management only, and is doing okay so far. I noticed last week that his axillary lymph nodes (by his armpits (do dogs have armpits? legpits??)) were swollen. At first, I only noticed it on the side with the osteo, but after watching and looking at him, I could tell both sides were enlarged. Today, I noticed his sub mandibular lymph nodes are also swollen; all four of the nodes are easily visibly swollen. I'm reasonably sure he wouldn't be so unlucky as to get lymphoma on top of osteo, right? I read that osteo can metastasize to lymph nodes, but it doesn't appear to be very common (~5% in humans). I have a call in to my vet about this, but was curious if anyone here had experience with this.

Oh, Y, I am so, so sorry. What a beautiful cat. And what a wonderful, full life. I am so very sorry for your loss. :grouphug

My Sydney Sue, who I lost to Lymphoma, first started acting a little off; then I noticed the lymph nodes in her neck suddenly swelled. Within about a week, she was bleeding from the nose. I got her into the vet first thing in the morning after the nose bleeding started; the vet almost immediately guessed lymphoma. We started doxy that same day in case it was something other than lymphoma. The fna results came back within two days, and I started her on prednisone immediately. I lost her just shy of 8 weeks post diagnosis, from side effects from the prednisone, but the lymphoma had definitely become active again, so I'm guessing the difference would have only been a few weeks at best. So it was about 10 weeks from very first symptom (not recognized except in hindsight) until I let her go. I don't know what type of Lymphoma she had. In some ways, it can be a blessing if they go faster, even though it's harder on us. I knew Syd wasn't always doing so well, and it was as if she knew it, and my trying to prolong things would have just been horrible for her. At the time I made the final decision, I was really not sure if I should keep trying things, or just let her go; in hindsight, it was definitely time, and the right decision. We can't see every little change, or every little pain or discomfort that they have; nor can we assume worst case scenario every time something is off with them. We do the best we can do with the tools we have at the time, and we have to learn how to be okay with that. :grouphug

Oh, how sad, and unexpectedly fast. I am so, so sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry. I lost my first girl to Lymphoma, the diagnosis was such a shock. I'm so sorry you are going through this with Cody. :grouphug

I am so, so sorry for your loss. :grouphug

I've had dentals ranging from $450 to $1000, depending on extractions. I think my average is close to $800. One dog was only $450, I paid the bill and ran out the door before they could look it over. :lol My first greyhound had crappy teeth, and had her first extractions at 4 yo. She acclimated me to the cost of dentals. On a side note, I took my little Chinese Crested into the vet for a dental, all his shots, anal glands expressed, bloodwork, and whatever else they could do to him, and it was only $298 out the door. I have never been happier to pay a vet bill in my life.

Well, the test results are back; the urinalysis shows no sign of infection, but her calcium level is low, and there was protein in the urine. The specific gravity was slightly lower than normal. Everything else was pretty greyhound-typical. Her creatinine and BUN are greyhound normal and normal, and no elevated WBC. So, the vet advised to do a follow up test in a month to see if it changes in either direction. She said it could be the very early stages of kidney disease, or possibly something with the spleen, but that was less likely. The good news is that if it is kidney disease, this is so early on (creatinine and BUN don't normally show elevated values until the disease has progressed and the kidneys are more significantly damaged) that catching it is a total fluke. So, I guess I'll buy more potty pads and look into herbal bladder and kidney support supplements. I'll take this over osteo any day.

I am so, so sorry for your loss. I've loved seeing Jilly Bean pictures and stories since I first joined GT, it won't be the same without her. I can't imagine how different your house will be without her. Hugs to you and your family. :grouphug