greytdecals

Thanks Miz Foxy...I needed to hear some good news!

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and well wishes for Alan! He is scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday at OSU. Dr. Couto, Dr. Hosoya and Dr. Marin all agree that it is needed. The only improvement is the fact that he is learning to drag his "anchor" around better and can balance himself and walk a little bit but the left leg still has no movement It has now been 1 week since his accident. I hope and pray he will regain some use of that limb. I have never heard of amputation due to loss of movement from FCE but if Miss Nellie could get around well on 3 legs then I see no reason why Alan couldn't...he has the determination! We shall wait and see the results from his MRI Thursday.

Hi Karyl, I can't pm you because you don't have enough posts on GT so I hope you came back and read this! I wanted talk to you before you left Friday but didn't get a chance. We have not had the MRI done yet on Alan...we were hoping he got better but it's not looking that way. He is learning to get along without his left rear leg but we constantly encourage him to use it. I think he may have to have the MRI Thursday. I am not familiar with DVT? They are saying Alan is suspected to have an FCE. I am glad to hear Zeus is doing better! suzieq

It is with hurting hearts that Brian and I had to let our Katie-bug go to the bridge today she was so calm laying on the table at the Vet's today, the calmest I have ever seen her behave while there (and believe me she has spent a LOT of time at the Vet's office!) I think she was saying "Thanks Mom and Dad for giving me the best life a dog could ever have!" I felt horrible but also felt a sense of peace from her which is something I have not felt about her in long time...so then I knew it was the best decision we made for her. Katie-bug has been epileptic since she was 1 1/2 years old and developed Cushing's Disease over 6 months ago, which is ultimately what took her life. We do not know her exact age because she was a stray when she came to me...as a matter of fact, she was in such bad shape when I found her or should I say when she found me...that I took her to the Vet thinking they would put her down, that was about 13 1/2 yrs ago. I don't even know where to begin with her and it's hard typing thru tears anyway but she helped me thru one of the toughest times in my life and I honestly don't think I would be here today if not for her, that is how much of an impact she had on my life. I am torn because I know we gave her the absolute best life possible but I also feel as tho we have failed her The Dr. said that most people would not have done what we did for her. We have spent thousands of dollars on her health care and suffered with her through some tough times and he said somebody else may have given up on her long ago. I am glad we gave her the chances in life that we did but I will always miss my Katie-bug, my Krazie Katie I will miss the barking in the morning after DH leaves for work, the funny tongue thing you did when we sat down to eat, the sliding down the stairs then bouncing up like a piece of rubber etc.... I could go on and on about the things I will miss but most of all I will miss my best friend...till we meet again, Godspeed my Katie-bug...run pain free with your sister, Miss Nellie....

Alan's update is in my OP....still no movement in his rear left leg Katie-bug is not doing well at all

Oh no, there's a chance it could happen again, even if he recovers this time?

Oh no, DeVon...I am so sorry to hear this! I was posting an update on Mr. Alan and decided to check other posts and saw this....my heart hurts for you Godspeed Sweet Skittle.... You are in my thoughts and prayers!

Yes, the Dr. did mention that but he didn't say that it was for sure FCE. I will ask him about it today. It might be a strange coincidence but all of the cases of FCE that I am reading about have had significant paralysis in the left side and that is exactly how Alan is. Also, the onset of the problem is immediate which is exactly how it happened with Alan. Thanks, everyone, for all of your prayers and well wishes for my boy! I am just sick about this whole thing I have to call now to check in on him... Wow, Patti...I never realized how much you went thru with Angel Sophia! I sure hope we can avoid any surgeries for Alan! Not because of cost but because it seems like everyone that has been thru the surgery with their hounds has had some type of complication! Thanks for your prayers too, Patti! I know your plate is full with everything going on with your husband, etc... and you still manage to keep everyone else in your prayers! The world needs more people like you

Why does it seem like life is always 2 steps forward and 10 steps back? Alan went down while running last night and we had to rush him to the Vet (they have 24 hr emergency care) he was in lot of pain and could not move his back legs. It was the most frightening thing I have seen. He was dragging his hind legs in circles trying to stand up. The Dr. took x-rays and nothing was broken but they kept him over night and gave him a high dose of steroids and some pain meds. I met with the Ortho. Specialist that evaluated Alan today and he said it is more than likely a spinal cord injury...he is not sure exactly how it happened (slipped disk, clot etc.) he just knows that he has obvious neurological damage. As of this afternoon he remains hospitalized and may be for several days. He can not walk they stand him up and he can bear some weight on his right side but his left side is not well. The ortho Doc said he may improve on his own but these types of injuries can get better then all of a sudden get worse than what the original injury was! he may even need surgery! I am devastated! I feel so helpless and it just breaks my heart to see him that way... Has anyone else been thru a spinal cord injury with their Greyhound? What was recovery like? Did your hound need surgery? Will he ever be able to walk again??? I don't ever ask for much from anyone, but I know my fuzzy grumpy old man could sure use some prayers right about now. When Brian gets home from work we are going to the Vet Hospital to see him. *Update 5/30* We went to see Alan tonight and he got his first acupuncture treatment while we were there. He still will not stand on his own and he can not walk. His left side is much worse than his right side. The staff at the hospital have all fallen in love with him already! He gets LOTS of attention, so, altho I miss him dearly, I know he is in good hands! Brian and I both agree that it would be best to do everything we can for him to help him recover without needing surgery! It sounds as tho this is going to be a long recovery for Alan and he may not even fully recover so I have to try to come to terms with that It will absolutely devastate Alan if he can never run again. I told Alan that everyone was praying for him and he told me to tell you all that he appreciates that *Update 5/31* I went to see Alan this afternoon and met with the physical therapist and Dr. and they helped me with what we will need to do as far as care and therapy. His diagnosis is FCE - Fibrocartilaginous Embolism (I think I spelled it correctly?) Good news is they are letting him go home tonight, so when Brian gets home from work we will go pick him up. Bad news is that he still can not stand up on his own and he still can not walk. His left leg is very bad...he does not use it at all...when they stand him up it just knuckles under, they straighten it out and it knuckles under again. We are going to have a very hard road to recovery but I am going to try and be strong for him and not give up. We did it for Miss Nellie, why should it be any different for him... I am already working on getting acupuncture treatments lined up for him and I am going to talk to my friend that does Reiki and massage therapy and in a couple of weeks we will get him started on hydro-therapy. I am praying for a full recovery, but at this point I am not totally convinced of that till I see him start to use that back left leg! Once again, I must thank you all for your support and prayers and well wishes etc... I don't have lots of time to spend on GT and I know lots of you have problems with your hounds too and I wish I had time to respond to everyone with prayers and well wishes, but please know I think about each and everyone of your hounds when they are hurting and I always pray for them even tho I don't have the time to post..you guys are the best *Update 6/2* We got Alan home Thursday evening and he had a bad night and Friday he seemed to be doing worse so I emailed Dr. Couto and he was out of the country but he told me to talk to Dr. Liliana Marin and they could get us in right away at OSU. So, we loaded up Alan and Maggie and headed for Columbus, OH. They are still saying FCE just because of the nature of the injury and the symptoms presented. They let us take him home Friday night but he may have to go back on Monday and stay thru till Tuesday to have an MRI done. He is feeling deep pain in both rear legs but he can not use his left leg at all and there has been no improvement...he still can not walk at all because his right leg is not 100% either I just don't know what to say or think, it deeply saddens me to see him this way but I know we also have to give him time to heal. What's discouraging is not seeing any progress His prognosis is neither good nor bad right now because they just don't know when it's an injury of this type. Thanks you for your prayers and well wishes because they are very much needed right now I will try to keep everyone updated but he's requiring lots of attention right now and unfortunately, Katie-bug is not doing well either...this week has been awful... *Update 6/3* I am posting links to some video I took of Alan while we had him outside today. He seems really tired I thought the video would better explain what we are dealing with here. I have a feeling it's going to be a long road to recovery. While he can get up on his own and does take steps you will notice that he does not move that left rear leg and you will also see how it knuckles under. He does still feel deep pain tho and that is the only good news! Thanks for you continued prayers and well wishes for Alan! Alan's progress 1 Alan's progress 2 Alan's progress 3 *Update 6/8* Yesterday was just awful and I am so exhausted but I owe it to my GT family to update you on Alan. You have all been so wonderful with your prayers, well wishes, helpful hints and just plain caring...most of you caring about a hound that you have never met! First of all I had to leave at 5:30am to be at OSU at 7:30am (Brian couldn't go with me so my Mom came with me to help me out, Miss Maggie went with us too!) So, when I got there I took Al out of the truck carried him over to the grass and as soon as a set him down to do his business he took off like a bullet across the sidewalk and into the street dragging his left leg...I got scared and yelled and ran after him and he lost his balance and fell onto his left hip ripping it open I still can't believe he did that because he had not been very mobile and I never even thought twice about putting a leash on him! I was just sick and in tears about it I picked him up and carried him into the lobby and they came and took him in immediately to clean up his wound and access his condition. So, after waiting all day for Al to get his blood work and MRI the Dr's finally met with us at 5pm and gave us the bad news...Alan has suffered an FCE and it was very clear on the MRI. If there is any good news, it's that it is NOT a blood clot which is actually worse than an FCE even tho symptoms are very, very similar the blood clot has more complications. The very sad news is that there is a good chance that Alan will never regain use of his left hind limb Amputating the leg is usually not considered because of complications that can happen from that. I am very worried about my boy his weight is down to 58 from the 67 that he weighed over a week ago!! I ordered a real nice walk-about hind end sling and I can't even use it because he lost so much weight that he needs a smaller size sling! He seems very depressed. This is all so stressful for me and I can't imagine having to go thru this everyday with him...the carrying him up and down the stairs, the walking behind him to catch him if he loses his balance, the holding him up so he can poop and not poop on his left foot, the worrying every second about him, the not wanting to take my eyes off of him for one second, the feeling of guilt that we could have prevented this somehow, the knowing that he can never run again, the knowing that his and our lives have changed forever, the not knowing if he will ever be happy again, the being angry at doG etc....I could go on and on about what is running thru my head right now but I will spare you from that... All that being said...we are by no means giving up on him...I am just trying to work thru the many emotions I am having! We are going to get him started on a hydro-therapy program and acupuncture treatments...but most of all he needs lots of prayers! Thru all of this I got the phone call that Katie-bug's ashes are ready *Update 6/11* There is not much to update you on...Alan is still not using his left hind leg He is only managing to get around with his "anchor"...He is still losing weight and is acting very depressed. We tried to take him out for a very short walk to try and get his spirits up but it only seemed to discourage him, he kept looking back at the house so, we took him for a car ride to get ice cream and he seemed happier about that. He starts his Hydro-therapy on Wednesday so I am hoping that will help, otherwise, the only thing to do is keep praying! Thank you, once again, for your continued thoughts and prayers for Alan....it means a lot to Brian and I... Here is Alan enjoying his cabana bed yesterday... We have to put a bed at the outside on the ground just below his cabana bed because he almost fell out of it trying to lay down...good thing Brian was there to catch him!

some more photos of Dennis to share...this was when he and Cora came to visit me

This is how I will always remember Dennis the Mennace and yes, Suzy, the brother's are together again! Both wonderful souls that will never be forgotten...

Oh no...I am so sorry Wendy! My heart hurts to hear this

OSU is amazing! It would be WELL worth your trek to go! Request to see Dr. Couto or ask him to recommend what Dr. there could help you. We live 2 hrs away and we are so thankful to know that OSU is there if our hounds get sick and need special care! When we were taking Miss Nellie for her chemo treatments it was always an all day trip and we would go to one of the several parks in the area and do some walking or to that huge shopping center nearby while we waited for her to be finished. Good luck to you!

when you least expect it, expect it check out the sign my girlie sent us the other day http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?showtopic=168960

OMG...a "hall pass" from heaven tears flowing again p.s. thanks everyone.... for reading my story! I knew you would all understand and not think I was some kind of crazy person... doG works in mysterious ways sometimes and for those of you waiting for a sign from your hound ...when you least expect it, expect it oh and btw...that piece of paper is laminated and going in the "shadow" box I am making for Miss Nellie

So, yesterday my little Katie-Bug had 3 seizures within a couple of hours and that usually doesn't happen It is usually 3-4 spread out over a period of 3-5 days. Well, she looked bad and so I sat with her and had a talk with her...I told her that if she was ready to join her sister, Miss Nellie, that it would be ok and that we would miss her so much but would know that she would be in good hands. I asked her to not make us make the decision, that she make the decision for us. I told her that she has had a wonderful life and that I didn't want her to suffer and that she would have a grand ole time playing with all of her greyhound friends at the bridge and that she wouldn't have those nasty seizures anymore. Well...later in the day Brian came home from work and it was hound walky time and we decided to not take Katie-bug as she was worn out and sound asleep in her crate. So, off we went with Alan and Miss Maggie. Whenever we walk down the driveway we let the hounds choose which way they want to go, so ironically they both pulled strongly to the right (they always want to go left because the neighbors have cats 2 doors down from us) so we went right and then they started to pull to go across the street over to the path next to the creek that Miss Nellie LOVED to walk down! Brian and I looked at each other like wow...it's like Miss Nellie is walking with us! then as we start walking down the path I just so happen to look down on the ground and see this tiny little ripped piece of paper and on that piece of paper is, well, you just gotta see this because I got really freaked out about it: Is that not amazing or what! How incredible...I told Brian how I had a conversation with Katie-bug about going to see Miss Nellie earlier in the day! What are the chances that there be a ripped piece of paper laying on the exact path that Miss Nellie LOVED to walk down and the name was perfectly legible and spelled exactly how we spelled her name! Thanks for sending us a sign Miss Nellie! We love and miss you! Till we meet again.... If you've gotten thru this story, then thanks for reading! I normally don't write so much, because I am not much for writing but I just had to share this amazing story (well, at least amazing to us ) :wub:

My Brother's dog just got over having HGE and she almost died! Please make sure they don't try to send her home! She should remain hospitalized for at least 3 to 4 days with IV fluid therapy(at least that is what we were made to understand.) The Vet kept sending my Brother's dog home and she kept getting worse and worse...he brought her over for me to watch her while he went to work and I took her right in to the vet when I saw her condition! They finally got it under control but she should have remained hospitalized for at least 3-4 days. Praying your hound pulls thru...most do with proper treatment! The bad part is once they get it they have a higher chance for it to come back I guess it is supposed to be a rare condition but I know at least 4 dogs that have had it recently.

I am so sorry, Trish and Tom....we prayed he would pull thru this Run free Zeus...

Oh no...Jennifer, I am so sorry about your sweet Icarus! Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers! This just breaks my heart Run free Icarus! You're in good company at the bridge

Oh no! I am so sorry Heather and Ken....this just breaks my heart Run free sweet Erin! Eat lots of crunchy food with all of those teeth that you have now and give Miss Nellie hugs for me... you will be missed!

Yup, it was me I always mention GT when someone says they know someone that has Greyhounds because every Greyhound owner MUST be a member of GT I walked out of the Amherst Post Office and a strange lady was talking to my hounds (they were hanging their heads out of the rear window of my truck) and I knew right away that she must either have Greyhounds or know someone that does because most people are afraid of strange large dogs I would have talked longer but the Greyhounds were tying up traffic at the post office and I had to get my foster boy to the Vet

...and we still miss you like the day you had to leave. God had other plans for you! You may be gone but you are never forgotten. Your legacy lives on in many and our fight to cure cancer has only gotten stronger because of you! This day is really difficult for me because on April 8th we had to send you to the bridge and on Easter we brought Miss Maggie-Mae home so this year those 2 days happen to be the same! So, today I cry tears of sadness and tears of joy. Thank you for sending Miss Maggie-Mae to fill that void in our hearts..she has blessed our lives Till we meet again you will forever be in our hearts

Thanks, Hope, for remembering all of our bridge kids at Christmas! I am sure they are all missed very much by everyone Our first Christmas without Miss Nellie makes me sad...but she has sent us some hounds to take care of so she's been keeping us busy This photo just gives me the chills when I look at it...look at that glow of light on the ground....angels were watching over my girlie...

Oh no, DeVon....not Lori Ann...I am so sorry to hear this My heart aches for you

Miss Nellie taught me to live every day like it's your last!