greytdecals

I am so sorry for your loss Run Free, Caesar.....

Bodie will be in my thoughts and prayers! I understand what you are going thru and it's a very difficult thing to deal with but Bodie is in the absolute best care! Check out this video of Miss Nellie running and playing on her 3 limbs Tripod runs! I wish the video was of better quality but it was taken with my phone...

I have been long overdue on reporting to you on Alan's progress but I hope this was worth the wait....he is doing AWESOME! He still does not have full use of that leg but life is almost back to normal for him...the only thing he can't do is walk up stairs He still goes to hydrotherapy 2 times a week. So, here are some photos of his latest hydrotherapy session...he is so unsure about the Vet Tech! Here he is waiting for the tank to fill up... Here he is mid-session and his session is about to end, 18 minutes later!! It's hard to believe that 2 months ago he couldn't even stand up on his own! Here is the latest video...you will have to excuse Brian's video taking ablilities...he thought it would be a good idea to turn the camera halfway thru the video

That's wonderful! Dr. Marin is so nice...she's a petite, sweet, soft spoken lady! They will do the best they can to help Bodie! You are in good hands at OSU! I will keep Bodie in my thoughts and prayers

I am so sorry, Deanna I was getting prepared to work on his illustration this week and I just now saw your post! Run free Frazzle

Sounds like Penny and my Alan would make a good couple...both being fighters and beating the odds and making miracle recoveries! Way to go Penny!

Brian said that Alan is so smart that he knows when the water stops filling he starts to walk so apparently the water stopped but the vet tech had not started the treadmill yet so poor Alan walked into the glass in the front door

Last night was Alan's 10th hydrotherapy session and I felt bad because I could not go (I have been sick the past couple of days) but Brian took him and insisted that Alan walk in the tank all by himself! The Vet Tech said "Ok, it's your call, I can jump in if I need to" well, she didn't need to! He did 11 minutes on the treadmill all by himself! It wasn't all pretty, but....he did it! Check out the videos Way to go Alan! You have a determination and will and desire to get better...keep up the good work! edited to add that I wish we could get video from the back and sides(there is glass all the way around) but the treadmill is tucked into a small room and you can only see in from the front, the side and back are up against a wall

He is wearing a Muttluk dog bootie! I bought him cheap thin ones and he burned thru all 4 of them in about a week! The Muttluk booties are expensive but do the trick. He is almost ready to go without a boot because he is not knuckling his foot under anymore, but his toenails catch the cement, wear down and start to bleed (we tried doing the "no bootie" thing and he was just not ready for that yet ) Thanks so much everyone! Your kind words, prayers and encouragement have given me the faith to not give up on my boy! I got very depressed seeing Alan the way he was and I was very discouraged for a while. I am still praying and hoping for the day when he has full use of that leg but right now I have to say it's quite the miracle that he has done so well in only 5 weeks!!

It's hard to believe that on May 29th Alan was completely paralyzed in his hind legs and now after almost 5 weeks he is making amazing progress! See for yourself...watch Alan on you tube (this was taken on Saturday) He also did his first meet-n-greet since his injury and he did wonderful! Look how happy my boy looks He goes for leash walks everyday now and water therapy twice a week. Thanks for all of your prayers for Alan! He has made amazing progress and we are so proud of our boy!

Big hugs for you, Nat! I know how much Sullivan meant to you and how difficult it was to lose him

I am so sorry...run free Bounty Boon

Can you make the trip to OSU? It might be well worth it! Dr. Liliana Marin is the Director of the Greyhound Health and Wellness program and she is just as wonderful as Dr. Couto! I bet they could figure out what's going on and they have all the necessary equipment! It has to be hard not knowing Prayers for your Bounty

I will try to get a better video of him tonight when DH gets home because he gets soooooo excited when "daddy" gets home that I think he forgets that his left leg doesn't function like it should and he really takes off into the yard almost at a full run!

6/18/07 Brian and I are happy to report that we have seen a lot of improvement in Alan's condition just within the last 3 days or so. He has started to use his left hind leg...ever so slightly, but, none-the-less... he is moving it! He kinda bunny hops...he moves his hind leg in unison with his right hind leg. He still drags it on occasion, when he gets tired but he can get up to almost a run! His mood and attitude has changed quite significantly (for the better) we think a urinary tract infection that he has may have contributed to some of his not feeling too well...but he is on antibiotics and it seems like once he started those his mood got better...infection must be clearing up No more x-pen for Alan...we had to take it down because we left him alone for 3 hrs for the first time yesterday and he was NOT happy about that! We had a foam bed without the cover on it in the x-pen with plastic and a blanket covering it and he shredded almost half of the foam, ripped the blanket and overturned his raised water bowl. We looked him over real good and found him to be ok, no cuts etc... I feel terrible, but we did it for his own good so he couldn't get himself into a bad situation He's been good about not urinating on his bed anymore so I think we can get away without the x-pen and just putting a belly band on him. He can get down the 2 stairs from the kitchen to the landing, but I have to be there on the landing to kinda stop his momentum I am not sure he will ever be able to do the big stairs, but time will tell, for now he gets carried up and down those! He barked once on Friday for the first time since the accident...which is wonderful because he has always been vocal and it has been sad to not hear that bark of his! He is gaining interest in squirrels again...actually, he is getting mad because they are taunting him because they know he can't move as fast as he used to but not to worry, Maggie-Mae keeps the squirrels in check! ok...enough chatter...see for yourself how much better my boy is doing! Thanks so much, every single one of you that has said a prayer for my boy because it really means a lot to Brian and I! He is doing so much better and I hope he continues to be better! I love him more than anything and want him to be better! I got it...I got video of him doing his bunny hop run...he only does it for a tiny bit at the end of the video but you will get the idea

Hi and welcome! We live in Lorain and our best friends live in Amherst Hope to meet you and Benson someday!

He is a cutie...his eyes say it all! I can't answer your question because I do not know...good question to ask the tech next time! We were fortunate enough to have our local vet get one of these tanks...there are very few in the area right now! Actually, my husband designed the brochure for the Hydrotherapy tank at our vet...it tells all about the tank and the vet tech that does the therapy work with the animals and the prices etc... I did read Pretty Boy's story and it gave us encouragement for Alan's recovery! Your Tucker's story also gives us encouragement! Thank you! He will be going twice a week for his "spa" treatments! He will also be getting a professional massage once a week because the vet tech that does the hydrotherapy with the dogs also does massage therapy on the hounds and she is teaching us how to massage all of his muscles! He was tired after the session, Brian had to carry him out to the car but he did seem to be in good spirits

Alan had his first hydrotherapy session last night. I was so proud of him! At first he didn't want to move his back legs at all, but the vet tech had his hind end too high and his paws could barely reach the treadmill. Once she lowered him a bit he was able to use the right leg but his left leg still just kinda floated there and would sometimes get tangled in his right leg. It's going to take some time but he is slowly making progress! Check out the video and see for yourself how my boy did! If you have sound you can hear Brian encouraging him Go Alan! Get that left leg moving, Buddy!

He has a boot on in the video...it might be hard to see it tho He will eat the life saving meatballs that Brian makes for him and sometimes he eats his canned I/D. Good idea on the Natures Balance, might have to try it!

Thank you all for being so kind, keeping my boy in your thoughts and prayers! Alan still has no use of his left hind leg he is managing to get around with it but it just gets in his way. I call it his "anchor" because when he loses his balance his hind end twists around to the left and bam, he falls with his left leg pulling him down acting like an anchor. He has a very bad wound on his hip bone/butt bone? from falling. He is very skinny and depressed but there are some things to be happy about: 1. His balance is getting good, he can poop and pee on his own without us standing over him to hold him up, altho sometimes his left foot gets in the way and he poops on it 2. He still feels deep pain in the leg. 3. I left him outside in the backyard today and when I went to check on him I found him digging in his favorite spot! He loves digging so this shows me that he is beginning to do the things he enjoyed doing before his injury. Bad things: 1. if there is no movement in the paralyzed limb 2-3 weeks post injury chances are good that he will never regain use of the leg! We are now 2 weeks out... 2. he refuses to eat most of his food...only eats a couple of bites then turns his nose up at it. he can't afford to keep losing weight...he has lost about 15 pounds in 2 weeks and that's really bad! 3. He may have a urine/bladder infection...we have to get his urine tested asap. 4. he has not barked once since this happened and he is usually very alert and vocal, especially at strangers walking by the house and other animals. 5. Maggie misses her squirrel and bunny and bird chasing buddy I took a few photos and a couple of videos yesterday here is the picture of his wound from falling...I feel horrible because if you're not there to catch him he falls on it and opens it up again! My Mom and I are making a cushion we can strap to his hiney to protect this area (he's really gonna love me then) His first hydro-therapy appointment is tonight...

Did they do an ACTH Stim test? That would tell them if your dog has Cushings Disease. there are several other tests but it seems like the ACTH Stim test gives the best results in diagnosing Cushings Disease. Not to scare you or anything, but we just lost our Shepard mix to Cushings Disease a week ago. She was around 14 yrs old and had other medical issues but it was the Cushings that ultimately took her life. Sounds like the symptoms are exactly what our hound had, excessive drinking and urination, very lethargic and could barely use her hind legs at times, her belly was huge like a pot belly, her hair textured changed but she did not suffer hair loss. she always looked for cool places to sleep. The Lysodren was causing a reaction to one of her seizure meds so we had to stop giving her the Lysodren. Lysodren is a chemo drug that is most commonly used to treat Cushings. Cushing's Disease is not always a death sentence...most dogs live 4-6 years after diagnosis. Good luck and prayers for your hound!

I sure hope they figure out what's going on with your boy, Alan I know how it can be so frustrating not knowing what is happening or understanding what is happening! Prayers for you and Alan... I was noticing how much we have in common...both named "Susan" (Susan is my official name ) each have a Greyhound named "Alan" (spelled the same way) and both our boys have Pannus and now they are both having neurological issues! I feel like I know so much about you!

Thank you for that image and link! I was searching all over the net for something like that! Brian still says no to the cart He thinks it will give Alan an excuse to not use his left leg. I think he hasn't totally ruled it out...he just thinks it's too soon for a cart. I was telling him that they can be adjusted so he can still use his rear right leg and if he starts to gain use of the left leg it can be lowered to touch the ground so he can exercise the left leg too. I might have him convinced yet...actually, I can order it and have it show up and be here and I can have Alan in it and moving around and so when Brian gets home from work we could surprise him Alan is very depressed...I can tell...I see it in his eyes and it breaks my heart to see him that way I want my boy to be happy again...

yes,that's what I was wondering. I'm glad you're pup is doing so well. I was trying to see how Dreamer would be with his leg brought up with a t-shirt on. And as awkward as it was Suzie,he did take a couple of steps and didn't fall. I know it's not the same in that Alan has been recovering overall but just to mention it,okay? It seems like an adaptive sling like that would probably need to be anchored at the right shoulder,which may weigh on that unfortunately,but maybe thru acupuncture that can be addressed and balanced as well. Just thoughts Suzie. And I'm really sorry if they're off base in any way. Not at all off base! I welcome any and all suggestions for some way to make things better for Alan! I think some type of sling is a greyt idea for him and possibly a better solution than the cart? It would need to be padded at the back were his hip/thigh/butt bone hits the ground just in case he loses his balance and falls. I have also got some booties on order for him but I should probably stock up on several pairs because he is going to tear them up real quick!! I have a set of Muttluks and he has been wearing one on his left foot but it's already torn up. If amputation was a good solution then we would be all for it...we went thru it with Miss Nellie and she ran faster on 3 legs than she did on 4! But, bone cancer is a far cry different than this type of injury Unfortunately, that leg is acting like an anchor right now and that's exactly what I call it, an "anchor!" Oh, I also call it a "kick stand" because while standing I think he uses it for balance. He is very stubborn, which can be good because he insists on eating while standing and drinking while standing! So, no offense would be taken for any suggestions for a sling for Alan's left hind leg!!! I am going to try and get some video later when Brian comes home so you can see how he gets around now and I will try to get a photo of his booboo so you can see where the padding in his sling would need to be (just in case anyone has suggestions!)

Yes! I did get your email DeVon and I apologize for not acknowledging it I talked with Brian about the cart and he is not to keen on a cart for Alan I am all for it if that means he can go for walks again and at least get around the yard chasing squirrels, bunnies and birds again. I may still be able to talk Brian into it. He can walk now, but he drags his left leg and it gets in the way so he is always tripping himself unless he is walking in a straight line...right turns are hard for him cuz his weight shifts to the left and bam, down he goes on that left leg. My Mom and I are going to design a sort-of donut shape cushion with straps to surround the abrasion on his left thigh/hip so when he goes down he has some cushioning. My Mom is a wonderful seamstress. Alan is Brian's baby...he loves that boy so much! I adopted Alan as a wedding anniversary gift for Brian 2 years ago and a birthday gift for Alan because his birthday is the 25th of June and our anniversary is the 28th of June. This has just devastated Brian and I know he wants what is best for Alan and he thinks Alan would just hate a cart and he says he couldn't use it in the house, but when he's in the house he is pretty much always laying down. I think in time he may see the need for Alan to have a cart.