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Wow, thanks for the information. Ziggy's soloxine refill that he has been on since October is part of this lot! I will be calling my vet first thing in the morning. Thank goodness this lot is just a lowered dosage and not a mix up in the ingredients. There was a story last night on one of the news shows about a drug company mixing up diabetes meds, antidepressants and OTC antacids. Very scary!!!

Woody had the same reaction after his rabies shot in June. It took a full two weeks to go away. He had no reaction last week when he got his distemper shot though. Good Luck!

Winslow, Although I've never met you, you have forever changed my life. I've been captivated by your story since the very beginning, maybe because my own boy lost his leg to cancer a few weeks before you. Unfortunately he only had 4 months before he lost his fight. Thank you for giving me the courage to believe that cancer CAN be beaten. And thanks for the laughs. Whenever I see a bag stuck in a tree I will always wonder if there's poop in it! Run with the angels, sweet boy. - Your Biggest Fan

Sending prayers for your sweet Rainey. We have a senior foster boy here in the same boat. Given his age the vet is assuming that it's some sort of brain tumor or lesion but his seizures are so infrequent that it's clearly something very slow growing. I hope the same is true for Rainey.

Any chance it's just Merlin who's not feeling well and maybe Sagen rubbed his muzzle in the "prize"? I know that would be the case with my boys. Anything that looks or smells gross is a huge draw for them. I hope it's just a 24 hour bug and everyone is feeling better tomorrow.

So will you be getting a sling to assist Her Highness in doing her business in the future? And maybe you could get a wagon to carry her about when she's tired and wants a nice walkie! Oh my, that made me laugh out loud to imagine them 'helping' her with a sling because the poor girl only has three legs. It's nice to have tears of joy for dear old Darcy, rather than the other type. I know it's silly because I've never even met her and she's a world away, but I've become very attached to her sweet, furry face. My Jesse also had his right front leg amputated a few weeks after Darcy, but sadly he was only with us for about 4 months after that. I'm so glad to hear that Darcy is hanging in there for a little while longer. Darcy and Wilson give me hope that this awful disease is beat-able! Please know that Darcy and her entire family are in my prayers. I'm sure that angel Wilson is looking down over her.

My Jesse's WBC would always drop after one type of chemo (he had two diffent types on an alternating schedule). He was supposed to have chemo every two weeks, but with the one type of chemo that dropped his WBC, we always had to wait three weeks. The oncologist was never concerned. She said that if it dropped too low, they might give antibiotics to fight infection but other than that he just needed time to build it back up. Also keep in mind that greyounds have a lower WBC then most dogs, so the numbers are all relative. Good Luck

Jen- I'm so sorry to hear about Apollo. I went through the same thing with Jesse, my first greyhound, a couple of years ago. Four short months after the amputation and before he had even finished chemo he also lost the battle to spinal mets. I will pray for you and your family that the remainder of Appollo's time will be filled with love and peace. Sandy MI Regap

Wow, how timely! My Woody had his rabies vaccine on 6/15 and I feel terrible that I didn't notice the HUGE lump on his shoulder until 6/22 - exactly one week later. And of course, I panicked - cause that's what we do when we live with greyhounds. I'm actually glad to hear that it could take a month for the lump to go away because I had heard 10 days and Woody's lump is still there. It is smaller thought so I'm not (too) worried. Woody is 7 and it's a three year vaccine, so he will be 10 1/2 before he's due again. I would prefer not to vaccinate at that age anyways so now I have a good excuse not to. I agree that I wouldn't be too happy if the vet office told me they were too busy. My vet is always happy to have me come in for the cost of another office visit. Of course, my vet is my best friend's sister so if I had to I would just drive to her house and have her check it out

I have bells hanging on the door handle and some of my fosters have taught me to let them out when they ring the bells, but none have ever been trained. The same is true of my boys - one will ring the bell to go out and the other two will simply sit and hope that I will read their minds and let them out. Through the years I've learned that's the joy of the greyhound brain: if they don't want to do something they're not going to do it! Good luck, one day Dash may decide to humor you. And then again, maybe not.

There is an informal greyhound survey refered to by Dr Couto in an article on the OSU website. http://vet.osu.edu/2096.htm In that survey, 44% of greyhounds deaths are attributed to cancer and 22% to bone cancer in particular. Very sad indeed.

Last time Woody needed antibiotics I got them for free at Meijer. Unfortunately my vet charges 6.00 to write a perscription if you fill it elsewhere unless it is something they do not carry. They enter (canine) after the dog's name so the pharacist is never suprised by the odd racing names for foster dogs.

This is the exact reason that I have two vets. My best friend's sister works at a clinic that's about 1 1/2 miles from my house. She does vaccines and routine medical care. For dentals, I cannot afford 600$ X 3 dogs. For dentals I rely on another vet who is 30 minutes aways and charges about 200$ for a routine dental. He is very greyound savvy, has several greyhounds of his own and is the go-to guy for our adoption group. I guess my point is that it can't hurt to shop around if you live in an area where you can find another vet you trust.

Oops, the web site with information about the limb-spare procedure is Bone Cancer Dogs.org. There is a link on the left side of the screen to a page with detailed info, including xrays. Good Luck!

They would remove the entire leg, but the shoulder is kind of up to the surgeon. Jesse's surgeon prefers to remove the shoulder to make it easier for the dog to shift his weight to the other leg (less weight on the side without a front leg). I have no experience with limb sparing surgery but I believe there was some good information at BoneCancer.org. Good Luck with your boys. I truly believe that these 'special' dogs find their way to you for a reason.

Poor Guinness. You and he will be in my prayers.

Hi Emily - Dr. Baird at Bloomfield Animal Hospital is excellent. He owns several greyhounds of his own and has done over 500 spays and neuters for Michigan Regap. When we have a tough case, we send him to Dr. Baird. Good luck with Henry's bloodwork.

Heartbreak, the SCAL dog, was a greyhound. She was not owned by a Greytalk member (she did not get a chance to be adopted) but she deserves to be remembered with the other bridge angels.

I'm so glad to hear that Whitey came through surgery well. When Jesse had his amputation 2 years ago (also his right front leg), they originally told me he would be able to come home the next day but ended up keeping him for an extra day. They said that it was due to the level of pain that he had the first night and I was happy that he would be under their constant care for an extra day. (He was in the ICU the entire time.) I was worried about Jesse getting around after surgery too, but he totally surprised me. He was younger than Whitey (only 6 years old) but by the time I picked him up 2 days after his surgery he was getting along fine. In fact, when I took him out to the van and was wondering how I was going to get him in without hurting him, he hopped right in! I guess he was pretty excited to be going home. Jesse did not have a bandage either and no seepage. I have always been told by various vets that it is better to leave a wound open to breath if at all possible. (Lots of fosters, lots of vet trips - spays, neuters, happy tail, track injuries, etc.) I hope Whitey's recovery goes as well as Jesse's. I agree with others that the first two weeks were very hard - and I questioned my decision constantly. But all of a sudden at the end of the 2 weeks things turned around and he was a changed dog. Just hang in there for a bit and it will all be worth it.

Miss Heartbreak broke our hearts today as we had to help her cross the bridge. She spent the last eight weeks in the Second Chance at Life program here in Michigan, where she was learning her commands and becoming accustomed to a life of leisure. She was scheduled to be released from prison in less than two weeks, when she would have been introduced to a couch and we would begin the task of finding her "forever" home. Unfortunately, she developed some health problems and went downhill quickly. God Speed, Heartbreak. You may not have had the chance to be adopted but you have found a forever home in our hearts. Heartbreak

I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through this. Two years ago today my first greyhound Jesse was diagnosed with OS. I chose to amputate because he was young (6 years old), strong and otherwise healthy. He came through surgery with flying colors and had no problems with chemo. In fact, he seemed to think it was a great treat that he got to visit his adoring public at the vet's office at least once a week. In the end, he only lived 4 months before the cancer returned in his spine. As you can imagine, a tumor on his spine was too much for a three legged dog to handle - even my Super Jesse. While I resent the outcome, I don't regret my decision for one minute. I needed to take a chance for him and to BELIEVE that he had a chance. It's unimaginable the challenges you have faced this past year, but I believe everything happens for a reason. You and Whitey were brought together for a reason - the same way that you and Sly came together for a reason. Whatever you decide, you will be there for Whitey to love him and care for him until the end. Sometimes that is the greatest gift we can give to one that we love. God bless you and your family. You will be in my prayers.

There is a BoneCancerDogs Yahoo Group similar to Circle of Grey for all breeds. I found it extremely helpful when dealing with Jesse's OS. There are many families currently dealing with the disease, and many who have delt with it in the past and have a great deal of information. Not only do they have a ton of treatment information, the emotial support is amazing. They also have an associated web site where you can browse a wealth of information at BoneCancerDogs.org. Good Luck

I'm so sorry to hear about Sly's passing, but please take comfort in knowing that you gave him 5 wonderful months and a chance to go doing something he loved - playing in the sunshine. Even though our foster homes love their dogs so much, I'm so glad to know that he was able to find his forever home before he ended his journey. Thank you for taking him in and caring for him so deeply.

Yeah Darcy!!! Keep on pokin!