Greytlady94

I cannot tell you all how much I appreciate your words of kindness. I know it will get a little better in time. Thank you, all of you.

Molly really didn't like having her picture taken very much. I understand, I don't much like having a picture taken either. My baby girl Molly has let me know she is ok.

I am so sorry for your loss.

Baby girl Molly wasn't too sure what to think of Blue.

I am so sorry.

I am so sorry. I remember when this happened.

I am so, so sorry. Austin and Molly both went so suddenly, they must be Bridge Angels together by now. You are in my prayers.

Molly, my baby girl, my heart hound, born 04/01/92, NGA name Inky Flake, went peacefully to The Bridge today 02/15/05 at 11:50AM. Molly was just fine on Friday, a little tight in the neck area, but otherwise ok when Dr. Robin came to do her adjustment. By Sunday night she was not feeling like eating much and was having some difficulty lowering herself to lay down. On Monday she was having trouble with her rear legs, it was like overnight she began to waste away. Her vet gave her 40 mg injection of steroids, we both were thinking either she now had a tumor in her spine or she had lumbosacral stenosis, if it was the LS the steroids would help. She was also on pain meds, torbutrol and another stronger drug. Her vet and Jim and I agreed that it would not be in Molly's best interest to put her through x-rays or other testing since none of that would change the outcome, and if the steroids didn't help, then it was not the LS, but a tumor. By this morning she was getting worse and we knew we had to let her go. She was very stressed up until the last 15 minutes as I held her she began to relax and became peaceful, the panic was gone from her eyes. She went to the Bridge on her soft bed with her head in my lap while Jim and I stroked her and told her what a good girl she was and that she could rest now. Molly was our baby for just a couple of weeeks less then 10 years. We were so fortunate to have her with us for so long, she had her first cancer diagnosis 2 1/2 years ago, so we were truly blessed to have had her with us, but to not have her right now seems unbearable. Molly has gone to join Maggie, Charlie, Casey and all the others who were waiting at The Bridge. I hope by now she has also met up with her friend Magic. All of these precious souls we are allowed to love and care for are such beautiful gifts from God, and the spooky babies are an extra special gift. My baby girl Molly, I love you so much and you will always be with me.

Shirley, I am so sorry. Run free Cosmo, there are so many there, you are in good company.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Oh Diane, I am so, so sorry. I know how much you are missing little cookie girl. You gave her so much love and gentle care, and she knew how much she was loved. Magic was such a special little girl from her walking a mile a day just back and forth in the house, to her special appetite where only the right food would tempt her, be it a roasted chicken, some roast beef, ground round or whatever she happened to want at the time, and you would run out and get it for her. What a determined little girl Magic was, she always appeared to have a purpose when she was doing her walks. Magic will not fall over anymore, she is strong again and running at The Bridge with her mom and all who went before her.

I am so sorry.

From Merck's web site: "Treatment: The drug of choice for all forms of ehrlichiosis is tetracycline (22 mg/kg, PO, t.i.d.) for a minimum of 2 wk in acute cases, 1-2 mo in chronic cases. Because of better intracellular penetration, doxycycline (5-10 mg/kg, PO or IV, daily for 10-14 days) is effective in some cases in which tetracycline fails. Two doses of imidocarb dipropionate (5-7 mg/kg, IM), 2 wk apart, are variably effective against both ehrlichiosis and babesiosis; however, the drug is not approved for use in the USA. In acute cases, the temperature returns to normal within 24-48 hr after treatment, and the dog becomes more active and begins to eat. In chronic cases, the hematologic abnormalities may persist for 3-6 mo, although clinical response occurs much sooner. Supportive therapy may be necessary to combat wasting and specific organ dysfunction; platelet or whole-blood transfusions may be required if hemorrhage is extensive. The E canis antibody titer should be measured again within 6 mo of illness to confirm a seronegative status indicative of successful therapy. Serum titers that persist at lower but positive levels should be rechecked in another 6 mo to make certain that they are not increasing." Merck's web site http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.js...%2cehrlichiosis

I am so sorry that Dan is gone from your side but he is forever in your heart. Your Dad must be a very special man.

I am so sorry for your loss, I understand how devastating it is to lose your babies. We lost two within six months, but we still had two at home. Even so, I felt just as you are saying, I did not want to set myself up for even more devastating heartache. It took me two years to be able to adopt again, and about a year after adopting one, we lost another. We did adopt fairly soon that time, and then adopted again not too long after. We are back at four grey babies now. We have a 12 1/2 year old, 6, 6, & 5. I think you just have to go with your heart. When the time comes that you are ready, I think you will know it, and Katie & Bugs may just lead you to some greys who need you.

I am so sorry. You are at peace because you know your Mom is at peace. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Ah Debbie, I am so sorry. Run free sweet Annie, there are so many there to guide you, and there is no more pain. THE SPIRIT OF A GREYHOUND I was standing on a hillside In a field of blowing wheat, And the spirit of a Greyhound Was lying at my feet. She looked at me with kind dark eyes, Ancient wisdom shining through. In the essence of her being, I saw the love there too. Her mind did lock upon my heart As I stood there on that day, And she told me of this story About a place so far away. As I stood upon that hillside In a field of blowing wheat, In a twinkling of a second Her spirit left my feet. Her tale did put my heart at ease, All my fears did fade away About what lay ahead of me On another distant day. "I live among God's creatures now In the heavens of your mind, So do not grieve for me, my friend As I am with my kind. My collar is a rainbow's hue, My leash is a shooting star. My boundaries are the Milky Way Where I sparkle from afar. There are no pens or kennels here For I am not confined, But I'm free to roam God's heavens Among the Greyhound kind. I nap the day on a snowy cloud Gentle breezes rocking me, And dream the dreams of earthlings, And how it used to be. The trees are full of liver treats, And tennis balls abound, And milkbones line the walkways Just waiting to be found. There even is a ring set up, The grass all lush and green; And everyone who gaits around Becomes the Best of breed. For we're all winners in this place; We have no faults, you see. And God passes out those ribbons To each one, even me. I drink from waters laced with gold, My world a beauty to behold; And wise old dogs do form my pride To amble at my very side. At night I sleep in angel's arms, Her wings protecting me, And moonbeams dance about us As stardust falls on thee. So when your life on earth is spent And you stand at Heaven's gate, Have no fear of loneliness-- For here, you know, I wait. Author unknown

I am so sorry.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Don't ever feel that you are supposed to get over it. Time will ease the rawness of the pain, but the pain will always be there in a corner of your mind. Spender will send you the one who needs you most, be patient. If we did not feel such terrible pain, then we could also not feel such glorious joy.

Run free sweet George, you are in very good company.

Doxy dosage is: Doxycycline*** (a semisynthetic tetracycline) at 10 mg/kg of dog's weight (2.2 pounds = 1 kg), twice per day So for a 65-70 pound dog that would be 300mg twice daily.

I am so sorry. Run free as the wind sweet Joker.

Lady Sophia, run carefree with all of the other sweet Angels at the Bridge, and then pause at some moments in your play, and send your mom and dad a message in a rainbow telling them you are ok. Beyond The Rainbow As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played, I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade. I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity. I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side Were meadows rich and beautiful -- lush and green and wide! And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be! My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do. I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright Glow pierced the night. 'Twas the Glow of many Candles shining bright and strong and bold And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold. For although we may not be together in the way we used to be, We are still connected by a cord no eye can see. So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart. Author Unknown

The results, or improvement in the platelet count with Doxycycline can often be seen very quickly, as the platelet count starts going up. In our area Ehrlichiosis is the tick disease most commonly seen and the dosage for the Doxy is 300mg two times daily for three weeks. Followup platelet counts are done after completion of the Doxycycline. We did followup blood tests on our grey at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks. Obviously I can only speak from my own experience with my grey who had Ehlichia, and from the treatment of our group's dogs. A smaller dosage of Doxy did not work in the dogs that were initially given the lesser dose. Doxy, as with most antibiotics, can cause tummy problems, so getting some food in their tummy with the medication is important.

If a greyhound is "just not quite right", a TBD is the first thing I would suspect. In most cases we are not going to know where all the grey has been. He may very well have been whelped on a farm in Texas, for example, but traveled to several other states through his racing career, and could end up being petted out somewhere up north. A grey might also show very few symtems, but just be "not quite right". The first thing I am going to want done is blood work, and if platlet count is low, we are going to put him on doxycycline right away while we wait for other results. Ehrlichia, which is what we see most here, responds very quickly to doxy. Many vets just don't snap to thinking tick disease, and the grey can get very sick or die while an asortment of other ailments are being treated because the vet doesn't think TBD's.