AnitaVA

I guess there are no guarantees - AJ - 6, accidental overdose Daisy - 10, lymphoma Vicky - 12, osteo I now have Casey (4), Jake (6.5) and a newly arrived girl (7.5, still seeing if she is going to fit in). You hope they live forever, but just have to treasure the time you have together, no matter how long or short.

Thanks for the kind thoughts, everyone. Even though I had the diagnosis for two weeks, what happened yesterday was really unexpected. Other than the slight limp, Vicky was doing fine. She was her usual self, eating like a horse, etc. I had made an appt at the vets because I thought maybe she needed something stronger than Rimadyl. Mostly I just wanted to check in, have him look at her, etc. I took all 3 dogs out for a quick potty walk before we needed to leave, and Vicky slipped as we were coming back in the house. As soon as I saw her hind leg dangling I knew the worst had happened. My vet even said he did not expect to see us back so soon, and certainly not under such dire circumstances. Vicky was a funny, quirky girl. She loved to play bow, and then she'd spin in a circle and lay down to be petted. She wouldn't play with toys in front of me, although every once in a while I'd hear her squeaking on one in the other room. She'd stop if I looked in though. She wasn't a cuddly dog, but she loved attention. She was a bit of an actress and would turn on the soulful "woe is me" eyes if she wasn't being pettted. The worst trouble she ever got into was shredding a roll of paper towels. She was very shy when I first got her and came out of her shell slowly over the years. I think she really enjoyed the past two years with Jake & Casey - they are both playful and loving, and non-threatening (not bossy, no space aggression, etc.). The three of them just got along perfectly. Since we moved to NC in January, she seemed to be getting younger rather than older. She'd even run around the backyard like a crazy dog. The thing I will miss the most is how happy she always was to see me. When I came home from school Tuesday night she was dancing around like I'd been gone forever. The other two are happy to see me but it's not quite the same - more like "Welcome home, did you bring us any food?" Vicky would always look at me with such love in her eyes - the kind of love that takes 10 years to grow. She was so scared after she fell - I'm so glad I was home so I could get her help right away. I was there for her when she needed me most of all.

Thanks for the kind words. I'd also like to take a moment and thank Dr. Bailey of Peak Plaza Animal Hospital in Apex, NC for having the compassion to say they'd send the bill along to me in a week or so. Every other time I've had to make this sad decision about a pet, I've had to pay in advance (or worse yet, stand crying in the waiting room trying to see well enough to write out a check). It's a small kindness (and no doubt some risk to the vet) but it really meant a lot to me.

It was with a very heavy heart that I said goodbye to sweet Vicky this afternoon. She was my first greyhound, and a wonderful companion for these past 10 years. She was diagnosed with osteo two weeks ago, and due to her age and other health problems I opted to make her comfortable and spoil her rotten for however long we had left together. Sadly, this turned out to only be two weeks as she slipped and fell this afternoon, breaking her bad leg and leaving me with no other option than to end her pain forever. She was so brave, and didn't even cry with what must have been horrible pain from the broken leg - I can only think the pain from the cancer was probably much worse than I realized. This is Vicky having a nap a few months ago - And this is her and her brother Jake and sister Casey enjoying the fine NC sun in our backyard - Two weeks was definitely not long enough to say goodbye - take care Miss Vicky. I will miss you so much..

(crossposted from greyhound-l) It's only fitting I post of Daisy's passing to the greyhound-l, because it was through the list just over 7 years ago that she came into my life. Someone who's name I wish I could remember posted that she was helping a friend (Bob O'Gorman) place some greyhounds because he had too many. One was a fawn named Daisy who was a fence jumper. I didn't think I'd want a jumper, but then I saw that she only jumped the fence to be with her dad. As long as he was on the same side of the fence as she was, she was fine. So, for the "price" of two bags of dog food, Daisy came into my life. She joined my first greyhound, a shy little girl named Vicky. I hoped another greyhound would help bring her out of her shell, and it worked. Bob kept in touch over the years, and told me great stories about her. He was a stockbroker who raised a few greyhounds on the side. He had bred Daisy's mom, and raised the puppies at his house on Long Island. It was there that Daisy learned to jump - she'd steal the bones from her littermates one by one, jumping off his deck and then back up again. She never raced because when he took her to the training farm, she jumped the 6' chain link fence. He took her to a farm with 8' fences, she jumped that too. When he went back to his car to start looking for her, she was there waiting for him. He took her back home and just kept her as a pet. He used to help other trainers place their dogs, so I guess he wound up with too many and asked for help placing them. So that's how I wound up with her. Daisy was everything a greyhound should be, a 40mph couch potato, a 75-lb lap dog and a best friend. Her coat was so soft, people would always comment on it. She loved to be pettted as a result. :-) She hogged my bed for 7 years - amazing how much room she could take up. She was generally quite healthy, although she did have occasional seizures. They were mild, and not very frequent so I opted not to give her medication for them. She wasn't the brightest dog around, and lived up to her Daisy Dukes nickname. She had beautiful eyes and was just a little cross-eyed. Beautiful just the same. As I posted earlier, I'd been trying to get her cured of a UTI for almost a month now. It turned out not be a UTI, but in fact kidney disease and cancer. She had masses on both kidneys so surgery wasn't an option. Her liver numbers indicated that the liver might be affected as well. I opted to keep her at the internal medicine specialist for the past 3 days on IV fluids, antibiotics and anti-nausea drugs. Her kidney numbers improved somewhat and she did eat some baby food. But the cancer was also affecting her blood - everything from high PCV to low platelets. Today she started having some bleeding from her gums, and bruises were showing up on her skin. Even with all of this, I hoped to take her home for at least a little while. But then her previously weak hindquarters took a turn for the worse as well. She was barely able to stand on her own, and needed assistance with a sling to walk. The vet though she may have also had cancer in her spinal cord, or a tumor. Or who knows what else. The sum total of all this was I opted to help her to the bridge this evening, after spending a good last hour with her at the vets. She went so quickly the vet said she must have been barely hanging on. The ironic thing is that back in January I learned that Bob O'Gorman passed away last year from a heart attack. So, Daisy will get to see her dad, although not in the manner I had hoped. And she joins her "brother" AJ who was taken way too early. She leaves behind her sister Vicky, who learned not be afraid of the world with Daisy at her side. And her new brother Jake, who she barely got to know but seems to want to take over the fine tradition of hogging my bed. Extra hugs all around for all the pups tonight! Anita Lauro Sterling, VA Vicky, Jake Daisy, AJ (gone and will be missed so very much) http://anita.smugmug.com/photos/247342-M-1.jpg