onrushpam

Awww... Run like the wind, Grandpa. You are a special one! BTW, your old trainer now takes very good care of all the adoption doggies in our kennel!

Awww... I just saw this! Wallace was a very, very special doggie. He brought the Doyles to the world of greyhounds, which was a very blessed event! Run with the wind, Wallace... Our UK born bridge kids, Amy, Merlin and Al will be glad to meet you!

As LynnM said, we've found the combo of the bellyband and Goodnights to work best. A couple of tips... The Goodnights can be hard to find. They are for older children with incontinence problems. We usually find them at WallyWorld either in the diapers or in with the Depends. Put the tail hole in the side that is marked "front" (so you're sorta putting them on backwards). We get the ones labeled for up to 125 lbs. or the next size smaller, depending on the dog. That said, I HOPE we won't need any for a LONG time!

LynnM has been going through this with her Joplin and has finally found some success. She's at work, but I'll make sure she sees this when she gets off.

I'm just seeing this... We've had lots of experience nursing sick/hurt/recovering dogs through the refusing to eat thing. I just spent 4 days working out what our old Isaac might eat after a bad bout. Here are some things I've had success with: High calorie kibble (Nutro High Energy, the Blue Buffalo fish formula, etc.) ground up in a food processor to the consistency of course corn meal. Mix with hot water/broth to make a gruel... like oatmeal for dogs. Sometimes I have to scoop it up and offer in handfuls to get a very ill dog to eat. Boneless chicken thighs chopped up and just cooked in a nonstick skillet... lots of good fat, much higher calories than breasts. You can do a search for "Isaac stew"... I've posted that one a bunch of times. Fat balls/Satin balls... just google it... you'll find lots of recipes. Frozen BilJac (if available in your area). DH just brought 15 lbs home from Atlanta and it's working wonders with our old guy. He ate it as a puppy and still loves it. Frozen fish fillets poached for just a bit in water, chicken broth, etc. Pasta. I get the really thin spaghetti and break it up into little pieces, then cook in no-sodium stock. (I just sacrificied several containers of my chicken and shrimp stock to cook pasta and fish for Isaac). In my experience, once they start eating, you can gradually work away from all the special stuff and back towards more "normal" food. For example... on Saturday, I was poaching fish and cooking pasta, trying to get Isaac to eat anything. Now, he is back to half Blue Buffalo fish kibble, mixed with some BilJac and a few bites of chicken thigh or some of the stew (I need to thaw more).

We've found that very stinky fishy food is the only thing that will "jump start" Isaac when he gets into one of his "I don't want to eat" phases... The Blue Buffalo Fish/Potato kibble, and Publix (regional grocery chain) has these little cans of pure tuna for cats... the dark, nasty stuff humans won't eat. But, it is pure tuna, no other ingredients, and it's 10 cans for $3!!! So, we sometimes plop some of that on top of his food. It's labeled "Tuna for Cats" and is on the pet food aisle. When we go out to dinner (not often), I often order fish of some sort and bring some back for Isaac. I also cook more fish than I used to, always saving some for him. Oh, and fritofeet's Tuna Tooters Isaac won in the Suzy awards were AMAZING! I need to order more of those. We'd throw a couple of those in with his stew to soften and he gobbled it up. Sometimes, if I'm really desperate, I'll just sprinkle a handful of kitty kibble over his food and that will work. Isaac has become very weird about his eating habits. He needs a rubber-backed rug to stand on when he eats and his food has to be raised. He'll take his pills in cream cheese. But, he has to eat some of his regular food first, then get his pills mid-meal. He won't take them before he starts eating nor after he has finished. He's like an old person who has a routine that can't be changed! I figure he's earned the right to be idiosycratic!

I know Burpdog loves the frozen BilJac, and I, too, have used it for dogs that wouldn't keep weight. But, it's really not all that high in calories. The Blue Buffalo kibble is one of the highest in calories and seems to be fairly low in sodium. That, combined with the chicken stew, is working for us. Isaac's stew is: 5 lbs chicken leg quarters (I get them in a 10 lb bag at Wally World or Albertsons), usually .80 - .89 per lb. Cook on low in crockpot with just a bit of water for 24 hours. Remove the bones, smoosh them up (they'll be soft) and put them back in. Add: 2.5 lbs of the cheapest ground beef you can find 1 large can no-salt-added tomatoes 1 lb frozen sliced carrots 1 lb frozen spinach or mixed greens 1 lb frozen yellow squash or zuchinni Continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink and the veggies are soft

Both Enalapril and Lasix are on the Walmart/Target $4 list. Isaac had a couple of dentals after he was diagnosed with CHF. But, after the last one, our vet said he didn't feel comfortable doing it again. Isaac is 13.5 years old and, since his CHF diagnosis, has also survived two bouts of squamous cell carcinoma, with surgery to remove those tumors from his mouth. We agree with our vet that it's probably not wise to do any more to him than we have to.

The vet told us 2.5 years ago that Isaac only had a vew weeks/months to live. He continues to prove them wrong! He's on Furosemide (Lasix) and Enalipril. The vet says we can add Vetmedin if/when he needs it, but right now, he's doing well. Our biggest challenge has been getting him to eat enough. His teeth are TERRIBLE and he can't have a dental. The low sodium heart formula dog foods didn't have enough calories for him. So, we cook a chicken/ground beef/veggie stew in the crockpot and freeze containers of it. I've posted the recipe a couple of times, but can do so again, if you want it. He eats the stew, mixed with a little bit of Blue Buffalo Fish/Potato kibble. (He LOVES fish). We have to give him a round of antibiotics every few weeks, due to the condition of his teeth.

Donald tore his gastroc last year. I thought his leg was broken! But, then, he was able to walk on it... Dr. Toby (at Lake City in Acworth) just put a big ol' pressure bandage on it and told us to keep it on as long as possible. It only lasted a couple of days before the swelling went down and it slid off. I don't think we even leash-walked him... just turned him out alone and also put a "lid" on his run so he couldn't do his pogo thing. He's fine now. You can't even tell he had a problem with it.

I use the outer portion of a super-size Tampax applicator (made of cardboard and rounded on the end). Don't smash the rounded part up against the end of the tail. I put it on with two longish pieces of elastikon, run up the sides of the tube and up the tail a good ways. Then, I wrap with regular adhesive bandage tape... tight and close together and the tube, and then like a candy-cane quite a ways up the tail. It will stay on until you take it off, except sometimes the end of the tube breaks off. This allows the wounded tail to "breath" and you will only need to change it when the end of the tube comes off. It usually lasts a week for me.

Merlin is still doing well, though the disease is obviously progressing. They have chosen not to go down the road of amputation/chemo and are enjoying what time they have left.

Merlin (SummerWind British Flyer) came "across the pond" from the UK at 9 months of age. He's littermate to my heart-dog, Amy (at the bridge). He lived with me for awhile, because he needed a little "boot camp" training to learn some house manners. He is well-loved by friends in Atlanta, who also have two of Amy's puppies. Merlin is 11 years old. A year ago, he was diagnosed with osteo. His owners chose not to do amputation or chemo. But, he was given Metacam/Meloxicam as part of his pain management. We've since learned this medication has been shown to slow the progression of some forms of osteo. Apparently, that is what happened with our sweet MerlMo! The meloxicam has started to cause tummy upsets, so he has been changed to other meds and the osteo is progressing now. But, still, a YEAR of good life with osteo!!! That's sorta amazing... Here's a pic of Merlin, with his look-alike nephew, Colonel, about 5 years ago...

It was a dark, rainy night in October 2001 when I took EOs Jigmo from a closed kennel at Jefferson County Kennel Club. He was in the last group of 21 dogs we took out of that kennel in 3 days. When we arrived to pick up those last six dogs, the kennel was devoid of anything but the dogs... no food, no leashes, no muzzles, nothing. As I led Jigmo out, a huge rat ran across my foot. We loaded up the six dogs and just as I was about to get into the van, a man grabbed my arm... He said, "Please, please help me! I don't want to kill my dogs!" I gave him my phone number and said, "Call me in a few weeks". We took Jigmo and two of his buddies to my house. The other three went to other foster homes. Jigmo was the most beautiful dog I'd ever seen. Everything about him said, I AM A STAR! Nevermind that he had totally failed at racing. At my house, he tried to kill my cocker spaniel. He nearly dislocated my arm when I tried to walk him on a leash. He was totally out of control! Yet, he grabbed my heart. I started to play with him in the yard and quickly learned he was a retreiving fool. He would chase a ball and bring it back as long as my arm held out with the throwing. I was in love with this dog! But, the longer I had him, the more I knew he would be a VERY difficult dog to place in a home. I called my friend, Jennifer Lawson (now Bachelor) in Atlanta. She was a budding and talented young person who wanted to compete in obedience and agility with her greyhounds. But, she also exhibited wonderful instincts for dealing with difficult dogs. I BEGGED Jen to foster Jigmo and she eventually relented and agreed to take him. After awhile, she agreed he probably was not a candidate for adoption. So, she just adopted him herself. She named him Travis and eventually did his ILP registration with the name Never Expected. You can read his story on her website and blog: Travis Travis went on to earn his Companion Dog Excellent title in obedience, and became the only greyhound to earn a Junior Jumper title in Dock Diving. But, his BIGGEST accomplishment was earning not one, but TWO Master Agility championships. Travis wasn't just a great agility greyhound. He was a great agility DOG!!! My heart breaks for Jen. I can't believe the amazing boy is gone. He was so special!

Here's the stuff our vet is having us use on Xtra Ranch. Schreiner's Herbal Solution

I'm not a vet and don't play one on TV, but have dealt with LOTS of tick crud. Did they do a full titer panel? Doesn't sound like it. I'd put the dog on Doxycycline until the test results come back. If it is Babesia, the Doxy won't cure it, but you will likely see improvement in just a few days. Lameness/swelling in one or more legs is a frequent symptom of Babesia. I just got a call earlier tonight about a dog with very similar symptoms to yours, though he is much younger. He also tested positive for Babesia in the past.

EMT gel is great! But, you really are not supposed to use a bandage with it. If you're not careful, you will GLUE the bandage to the wound! Our vet also recommended an herbal wound spray they've had good success with on horses. We're using it on Xtra Ranch (see his thread in EEG). When we go back out to do his hydrotherapy, I'll look at the bottle and get the exact name of it.

Rita, I'm just now seeing this! I know you knew Comet's time was near... but it's never easy, even when it is expected. to you and your family!

Okay... since we know you can get pork butt, and we know you like Mexican food, you need to try this: Salsa Verde Carnitas This recipe seriously ROCKS! I did a BIG batch last weekend and put 2/3 of it in the freezer for quick/easy weeknight dinners. I'll be happy to ship a few bottles of good Salsa Verde, or the tomatillos, etc. to make your own!

I hadn't actually looked at that thread for a long time... looking at it made me sad because FiFi died a few months ago. I've often wondered who was bequeathed her stainless mushroom garlic smasher! They don't make 'em anymore and lots of people coveted it. But, there is some FINE butt on that thread! I really posted it so Jeff could see that serious butt smokers seek out the skin-on butts! And, he took the skin off his. For shame!

Jeff, you need to take a look at this long-lived thread on Egullet! Behold my butt!

My Amy and Wiz (both now at the bridge) and our Archie grew up in Lincs, brothers and cousins Merlin, Admiral and Basso live with friends in Atlanta! We have quite an extended Lincolnshire greyhound family, thanks to some good friends in Firsby and Louth! Welcome to GreyTalk!

Wow! I can't believe this thread has reappeared!!! (1) If your pup has bone chips in the affected joint, the "firing" technique won't work. (2) The regimine Dr. Gillette used on our dogs involved imobilizing and total rest for 5-7 days, then gradual leash walking for another week or two with the splint in place, then removing the splint and gradually working back. It is very important to do the leash walking in gradually increasing distances. I took our dogs to work with me and walked several times each day. Rob helped us "fast track" once with a dog that was in serious competition, getting her back running in just three weeks total. But, that would not be his recommendation for most dogs. Is this an outside toe or an inside toe? If it's an outside toe and the dog isn't running in competition, take it off! If it's an inside toe, it's a little more "iffy"... I don't want to see those removed unless there is no hope to save it. I have a new foster dog here with TWO broken inside toes on the same foot.... YIKES!!! They aren't dislocated, they are broken. So, Dr. Rob can't help her with firing. We just have to keep her splinted and hope they heal!!!

Test thyroid!

It still astounds me that I thought I knew Robbin! We saw her often at lure coursing meetings. The dogs she brought were always beautiful... the picture of health. I'll never forget reading about what she was REALLY doing to her dogs!!!