mangos_mom

She's such a pretty girl. I hate when you reach this point. It's still all too fresh in my mind from Mango. Keeping you and Cosmo in my thoughts.

I'm so very sorry. Such a pretty girl. for you and for Fiona.

I'm so sorry to read this. You fought so hard for him.

Oh, wow. I am so, so sorry for your loss.

Leslie , what would the symptoms be and would it show up on an ultra sound? I'm now wondering if Kylie might of had that as she hacked a lot and spit up bile before she went downhill. I didn't see an answer to this question yet, so I thought I would add that the lung mets show up pretty clearly on an xray, so ultrasound usually isn't needed. (Wishing I didn't know this from experience... )

I feel your pain, especially this week. I'm in Philly for my Gram's funeral and it's the first time I'm here without Mango and Takoda in 2 years. I'm returning home to Texas tomorrow, and I keep thinking, "I have to go pick up the dogs." It's not going to be dogs plural. It's going to be my new girl Delta, instead, who I will still be very happy to see. But I'm also reminded that it's yet another event to get past without Mango and T...

Oh, man. I can feel your shock - mine is still fresh enough to be there for you, too. I'm so sorry!

No advice - just sending healing thoughts and big hugs for you and Sol.

Yep - the picture is from Unleashed. He's always had problems with throwing up and big D - this recent bout I thought was part grief, part stress because I'd begun bringing fosters in to cat-test again. None of the doctors he's seen ever associated anything he was doing with something nasty growing inside him. You always called him "perpetual puppy face". He truly will be perpetual puppy face now... Oh, how I wish that I could see him at the Bridge right now this minute, if even for just a moment, because I always wanted to see how he would be when he was "whole" - truly healthy, never abused or damaged in anyway. He was wonderful, even damaged as he was. He must be incredible now.

Thanks, QWM. Mango was just beginning to fail on that trip, but was still full of fire, and Takoda did really well, except for one rough spot. I'm so happy I had the chance to make that trip with both of them. Part of the joy of those trips back East is that I get to be with my dogs 24/7. All me, all them, all the time. There is no other way I want to spend a vacation right now. This year's trip left me with some wonderful memories that I will carry with me always now... Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Each one is like a little hug and even little hugs help ease the pain in my heart right now. You can't know how much that means to me right now.

Oh, Jeanine, I would love to have any pictures you have of them. I can never have enough now. ps. I never told you how nice it was to meet you at GiG, and how welcome you made me feel at the GT gathering. Thank you for that, too! With luck, I'll be at GiG next year - I have reservations already, now I just have to find the $$!

I'm in shock as I write this. Takoda, my sweet, sweet fuzzy boy, had to go to the Bridge yesterday. He got sick Wednesday, unable to keep even water down. When he didn't respond to treatment, we did an ultrasound and discovered a large tumor in his intestines. On top of that, his kidneys were, in the words of the internist, so abnormal that they didn't look like kidneys. The prognosis wasn't good and so I made that hardest decision that we all never want to face and always end up having to. My sweet boy was only four years old, and I'd only had him for 18 months - not nearly long enough. I miss him so very, very much right now. He had so many problems in that short life, and I tried so very hard to find out what was causing them and never did, until yesterday. Oh, T - T-man, I wasn't ready for you to go! But I know Mango was there waiting for you, and barking for you to play with her. I hope you feel better, and stronger, and can go play with her now. I'm now missing two pieces of my heart. Mango has one and Takoda has the other. Sweeties, I will always love your both, so very, very much! Good night, Sweet Prince...

Woo Hoo, Beth! You go! Steak, man, you just landed in the bestest of greyhound homes and you are going to have 3 - count 'em - 3 beautiful greyhound ladies to keep you company, plus 3 sweetheart little human ladies and one sweet big human lady to take care of you. See you at playdate one of these days soon!

Here it is: Clean Break Bandage Protector I used it while I was there with my dogs. It's not good for when you are away, like at work, because it's not chew-proof, so I guess it's not the answer for you. I didn't know about it when Mango had a cyst removed from between the toes on her front foot. That's how I learned the hard way that these guys can reach past a cone collar. Just a word of comfort for you: regardless of how Jackson acts with any of these (except if they terrify him) he will adjust and accept them. Remember, just like skin-kids, we're doing it for their own good, even if they don't like it. I went through all of these options myself with one or the other of my dogs as some point in their lives. I hate making them miserable, too. But I couldn't be with them 24/7. No matter how miserable they seemed, when I came home, or when I gave them a break from their "torture", they were their happy, healthy, loving selves. Jackson will be, too.

I haven't been out on GT too much lately so I missed your posts about Jackson. But I would say if the fracture is on a leg (that sounds dumb to even say it, but I don't want to mislead by not knowing) that the homemade cervical collar wouldn't work. The whole object of that is to keep them from being able to turn their neck far enough to reach an incision. Works well for incisions on the body - not so well on these long-legged, long-nosed dogs. Also a word of advice with the cones, although I've never tried the comfy cones so it may not apply. Mango was smart enough to figure out how to wedge the edge of the old style cone against the floor and stretch her neck beyond it to get to a wound on her front foot several years ago. I had to use a cone a size larger and use a buckle collar fastened tight behind her ears to keep her from being able to push the cone out of the way. Would a bandage cover work to keep him away from the injury? I have to go see if I can find the site I got mine from.

OH - Robin, I am so, so sorry! Run free, sweet Loca. Mango and all the other wonderful GT hounds are there to meet you and show you the way around until it's time to meet your Momma again.

Holding you and Rascal close in my thoughts and prayers.

I can't watch it right now, Robin. My own pain's still too fresh. But because it is, I understand and send to you.

I'm doing all right. Saturday was the roughest. Each day is getting easier, just as everyone has told me. Having wonderful friends who are checking with me and letting me lean on them is helping. I think I'd be lost without all of you. Having Takoda to hug helps a lot too, although he's not sure why he's getting all this extra attention all of a sudden.

I have lots of healing thoughts with no place to go right now, so I'm pushing them all in Iceman's direction for you, Alisha! And to you, too.

Her name was Rio and she danced upon the sand... This was a post that I knew I'd be making one day even though I'd hoped it would be much, much longer away than today. The cancer had reappeared in Mango's lungs, and was causing swelling in her legs. There was no cure, and I couldn't ask her to stay for me as a shell of herself. So I set her free of her failing body today so that she could go chase bunnies on 4 healthy legs at the Rainbow Bridge. Remember her as she was: full of life and light and spirit, ever curious, ever loving. She leaves quite a legacy, because no one who ever met her ever walked away doubting the sweetness of greyhounds. I learned how much I could love an animal, and in particular a dog, and I learned that was what had been missing from my life all along. Mango was my first greyhound, but she won't be my last. She was the best first greyhound ever, and she made it easy for me to take Takoda into my home, and the temporary fosters when I was cat-testing. She never met a stranger, and few who met her failed to smile. She became my co-pilot, in more ways than just the drives back East to Dewey and GiG and Philly. The ride will never be the same, but it will go on. My Mango-Tango...run free and happy, Baby-girl. You have a piece of my heart with you always.

I can sympathize with the frustration of not eating. I second what Burpdog mentioned: Rotisserie chicken. When all else failed, Takoda would always take the rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Good luck with Flashy, and to you.

So glad to hear Beau is doing so good. You and DH have an amazing resilience, too, for making it through all this. This is for you:

Holding you and Willie close in my thoughts through this difficult time.

Not that I encourage ignoring instructions to try to keep your girl quiet, but I wanted to just share my experience with Takoda's broken toe to try to ease some of your concern. Takoda has one time a day where he gets crazy: morning walks. Try as I might, I could not catch him before he started enthusiastic dash from the living room to the bedroom, up on the bed and back around again. He healed just fine ultimately, although we went through 2 splints, and I learned out of necessity how to rebandage the foot. I would for sure try to keep her from running full out. Takoda doesn't do that often and the first time he tried, the result was that broken toe. Also, a vote here for the medipaw. It was well worth the cost and then some because it made keeping that bandage dry so much easier. But before I bought it, I used human tube socks, held up with a quick wrap of vet wrap, and kept them from tearing when out on walks by covering the part that came in contact with the ground with duct tape - another trick I learned from people here on GT. That worked to keep the wrapping dry from dewy grass in the morning, and pee when T inadvertantly peed on himself. Good luck and sending healing thoughts for sweet Beatrice.