Forevermybabies

Oh, dear. That's so sad. =(

I'm so sorry. She was such a beautiful dog. It's so hard to let them go...

Doesn't even seem possible that my boy's name is on that list. Twice this week I went to the dog park and had someone ask me, "Where's your big guy?" It's so hard...

Oh, Lord...I'm so sorry. I just don't know what else to say...that is so sad...

Kari, you did NOTHING wrong at all!!! Unfortunately, dogs sometimes startle and escape. This was a horrid accident that you could not have predicted or prevented. As you said, the adopters loved her, you loved her. I have a dog of my own and a foster who both have PTSD-ish behavior and startle. And when they do, it's very hard to calm them and get them to listen. Some dogs are totally non-reactive to noise, and some freak out. If they are the latter kind of dog, even hyper vigilance sometimes will not anticipate every time they zig when they should zag. Particularly if she hadn't done this before. I've had Gypsy for a year, and she still startles. But she has a harness, and if she did get loose, at this point I think she'd come to me. But a year ago? Forget it. Something in her brain was too inately fired up. ANyway, that's a long way of saying that you shouldn't blame yourself. You and her adoptive parents have my deepest sympathy.

Well, as you know, he'd been having issues with his back end. I chose not to do the testing - which the dr estimated would cost $500 just to give me an idea of what was wrong. Anyway, Grey and I were packing up to go to the library and I heard crying. I thought it was the foster, but went to check on them and they were quiet and Sunscreen wasn't with them. He was upstairs. So I ran upstairs and he'd fallen apparently in the hallway (he had a small bleeding owie on his front leg) and he couldn't get up. One of his back legs was completely not working and he was crying out in pain. The leg was cold. I carried him downstairs (at this point, I'll interject that I was carrying him down the stairs and Grey - in response to my telling him to put the other dogs in the cage to get them out of the way had put the gate across the bottom of the stairs. Long story short, he ended up yelling at me for yelling at him to get it OUT of there and I ended up yelling at him to stop yelling at me...it was not good) - anyway, I set SM on the couch, corralled the dogs and Grey got the door for me while I carried him out to the car. We raced to the vet - about a mile away - (I had called and they said they'd squeeze us in). Ever notice how SLOW other people drive when you're trying to go fast? There was also road construction, so we had to go about a mile out of our way. Sunscreen Man was crying out the whole time. We got him to the vet, and they put us in a room. We had to wait what seemed like a long time before the vet was free, and Poor SM was getting up, crying, falling over, crying, getting up...trying to get away from the pain and his non-functioning leg. Long story short she gave him morphine - nothing. She gave him tramazol - nothing. She gave us options. She thought perhaps he had spinal cancer and something had crumbled. COuld have been many things. He was also hemorraging under his skin on his legs and chest, and as he laid there, blood started coming out of his mouth. The options all were guesses and the only thing that seemed like a good idea was to let him go. She gave him the pink liquid and within five seconds, he was gone. He just closed his eyes and that was it. She checked his heart and he was gone. She said, "He was definitely ready to go." You always hope they will just go quietly in their sleep. I only know of one dog for whom that was the happy end. I wished that for Sunscreen, but it was not to be. So my beautiful left us. Last on in, last one out.

Oh, such a beautiful face. I'm so sorry... When you lost Rusty, I thought surely my heart would break, too, (he looked so much like Festus) and now Abby...who looked so much like a girl version of Sunscreen. It's just not fair, is it?

I loved reading your stories and seeing the pictures...I'm so sorry for your loss.

Yes, we got him from Geneva Lakes in Sept. 2002. He was from the Plum Creek Kennels in WI.

Thank you everyone. It means so much to me to feel your love and support. I've been a member here on GT almost exactly 10 years, and now here I am...with no greyhounds at all. I just feel incredibly empty. Together again

My beautiful boy is gone. The last of my greyhounds. He came to live with us - and join his sister Angel (who died March 2009)in September 2002. Life for him was never quite the same without Festus (Jan 2009) and her, and I guess it was time for him to be with them at the Bridge. Goodbye Sunscreen Man. Mommy loves you forever.

The vet agreed with me that if we could keep him out of pain for a while, it might give him a chance to really heal. If it were Gypsy, I'd be more inclined to let discomfort keep her in check, but Sunscreen Man is a pretty sedate old man as it is. But he really is quite youthful otherwise. He just started really showing this pain on Friday, so I'm hopeful that we can get it under control quickly. The kids are being really good about making sure that when I'm at work he's getting out as often as he wants, too, since the steroid shot makes him have to pee more than usual. Thanks everyone for your concern. After losing both Festus and Angel last year, it just is too much to see Sunscreen Man looking off. He needs to get better and stop worrying us!

The vet said that the dose of aspirin was correct. He said that short term if SM is responding to the aspirin, it's fine, but he wouldn't do it for more than 5 days. SM got a shot of steroids and some glucosamine/chondroidtin/MSM supplements. They did some tests and he basically said he's just rusty from age. (I'm paraphrasing.) We'll see how he goes on this and then check back in a couple of weeks. SM didn't love the working over at the vets - he also got his teeth scaled a little - but the vet tech was loving on him, and that he DID love. She cleaned out his ears and rubbed his tummy. He seems to be feeling a bit better today. We'll see how it goes I guess.

Such a beautiful boy. That video was just heart breaking. It must have been so hard for you all to see him like that. I'm so sorry...

Well the chart that I found was 81 mg per 15 lb of dog (every 12 hours.) And to clarify, it said one regular dose aspirin every 12 hours. Anyway, that's what he's gotten today. It helps a bit with the pain, but not with the stumbling. I guess I don't believe in keeping him in pain to keep him down, because he has to get up to go to the bathroom and I don't want him to be in pain if it can be helped. He's an old dog. He's not leaping around anyway even when he's not in pain. I'm going to call the vet in the morning and hopefully get him in to see someone. He's about as spry as he can be, but he's limping alternately on either hind leg and holding them up sometimes. He stumbles and they occasionally seem to "go out" on him. He puts on a good game face. I don't think going upstairs was his withdrawing, because the a/c is only on in "his room" (the livingroom.) All the noise and kids tromping around is upstairs - where he went. He left the quiet, cool room and went up there. But that's where my bedroom is, and he wanted to sleep in my room. (Which he never does.)

I'm so sorry...I think that you were extremely brave through her final hours. Really. You held your composure and did what was best for Tuna. She was very lucky to have you, and you were so lucky to have her for so many years. God speed Tuna.

Sunscreen Man has always limped a little on his one leg - ever since we got him. Usually after a long run he'd limp a little. Well, he's 12 1/2 years old now. The day before yesterday, we took the dogs to the park, and he was stumbling and falling over, so we brought him right home. It was REALLY hot here, so I thought maybe that was it. I turned on the A/C in his room, made sure he drank a lot of water and gave him some soft food. I thought he had heat exhaustion or something. The next day (yesterday)he perked up again. Tonight I came home and he's limping significantly on that rear leg and panting a lot. I gave him two baby aspirin, but didn't dare give him any more. I can't take him to the vet til Monday, so I don't know what else to do as far as palliative care. Can I give him more than two baby aspirin? He went upstairs of his own volition (where its hot) and is lying up there instead of on his beds down here. I am, of course, very worried, but there's not much I can do until Monday. Thoughts?

She was so beautiful. I'm so sorry for your loss...

If just her picture made me smile, I can only imagine what joy her presence must have brought. I'm so sorry for your loss...

I'm so very sorry for your loss...he was a beautiful boy and I know he'll be deeply missed. You have my sympathy.

It's hard to believe that it's been a year already. I know you miss her. I miss my babies every day. I know it gets easier, but it is never easy.

I'm so sorry...

Unfortunately, every dog I've had on Prednisone peed like a racehorse. Short of a diaper I don't know what else you can do. And I would do that. She might be peeing in her sleep and maybe she's spending more time in that bed? Or maybe she is trying to keep her pee to one area - one that isn't so close to anyone. Hard to know what a dog is thinking. Poor baby though. I think that's hard on them when they can't control their urine. They want to, and know they should be able to, but can't. So I think it makes them feel bad. Like they're bad dogs, even though WE know they aren't. Joe always seemed so SAD when he peed in the house.

How wonderful she had such a long life. Though it's never long enough. I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry for your loss.