Sirocco_Nikki

I definitely believe that we will see our pets again. The Bible says that in heaven, the wolf will live with the lambs and the leopard will lay down with the kid. Therefore, the greyhounds can darn well snuggle with the bunnies and share biskies with the kitties. Pope John Paul II was once quoted as saying "also the animals possess a soul and men must love and feel solidarity with our smaller brethren". He also said that they are the "fruit of the creative action of the Holy Spirit and merit respect," and areas near to God as men are." He added that, "animals have the breath of life and were given it by God. In this respect, man created by the hand of God is identical with all living creatures. ... The existence therefore of all living creatures depends on the living spirit/breath of God that not only creates but also sustains and renews the face of the earth." I have heard of several people who suffered cardiac arrest state that their deceased dogs stayed with them until the doctors were able to bring them back to life. One of these was the chaplain at the hospital where my sister worked. I know that when I die, my Chesterboy will be the first to meet me. Few humans could have the poor upbringing that Chester did and still be able to love as wholly and unconditionally as he was able. If that isn't good enough to enter heaven, then I know I have no chance of getting there.

I am sorry to hear that Saber is joining the OS club also. You are making your decision out of love, which means it is the right one. There is no one correct treatment option. Each dog is different. They are diagnosed at different points. They react differently to treatment. They have different access to care. Their family have different circumstances, including financial. We treated Sirocco with pain control and lots of strawberry shortcakes only. He had very significant separation anxiety. Any time we gained would not have been worth the trauma he suffered from being separated from us. He has been 1 year and 22 days now and I have never regretted our decision once. We never knew that Nikki even had OS until her leg shattered suddenly 11 days ago. No lump (unlike Sirocco)and no limp (unlike Sirocco). Looking back, the only sign was that she'd been licking the site where her leg eventually broke for a couple months. No reason for the vet to recommend an xray since there was no pain response when he examined the leg. Her leg still didn't display the classic signs of OS even after it broke. It took a very experienced radiologist to point it out. I guess the point I am trying to make is that we are all doing the best we can. We weren't negligent. We didn't cause it. We couldn't prevent it. We've all been handling the evil demon tossed our way the best we can. The important thing is that we stick together until no more dogs are taken from us by this disease. cancer sucks.

Thank you for including my Nikki. I have been missing my little princess a lot today. Knowing that many of those puppies were lost to cancer is such a vivid reminder of the need to support the Miss Nellie auction and OSU. Thanks again.

ronan :gh_child We used the same combination of Rimadyl and Tramadol for Sirocco with good results. Our vet told us to give him a Tramadol whenever he appeared to be in pain, regardless of when he'd had his last one. At that point, any side effects were going to be better than the pain. At the end, Sirocco was getting Rimadyl every 12 hours and Tramadol every 4. You may want to check with your vet for his recommendations on dosing as the disease progresses. Our vet also gave us the option of morphine; however, it would probably have made Sirocco unable to function. We said we would let him go before it came to that. Quality of life was our biggest concern. Sending big hugs of understanding to you and your boy.

Keeping up the "B-9" chant for everyone's favorite dandelion girl.

What a beauty she was! I am sorry for your loss but happy that you had all of those wonderful years with her. Even if I could have had Nikki for 10 more years, it still wouldn't have been enough. I hope your girl sends you a sign soon that she found all of her friends and is doing well.

Thank you to everyone who posted encouragement, support, and comfort in Nikki's thread in Health and Medical. Your words helped so much that I wasn't sure I even needed to post here in Remembrance about my girl. However, I decided that I needed my last post (yeah right) about Nikki to be about her life instead of her death. When we decided (translation: I decided and dh finally gave up arguing) that Sirocco needed a sister, we told Hope (Ullaluv) that we would consider any dog except Nikki. I remember so clearly telling Hope that yes, Nikki is by far the prettiest dog on GPA's website; however, we don't want an aggressive dog. Hope just smiled and said "of course but come to my meet and greet and see some of the other dogs anyway". And who, besides me, was surprised when Hope arranged for Nikki to be there? And that was all she wrote. What we realized upon meeting Nikki is that she wasn't at all aggressive. She just did NOT like small fuzzies and ill-mannered heathens (like the foster family's lab) in her face. She was a bit of a breed snob but only because she recognized greyhounds as the highest life form. Nikki LOVED babies and toddlers with the same intensity that she hated yappy white fuzzies trying to bite her on walks. She could always spot her favorite toddler in a stroller from a half mile away in a heavy fog while on our walks. Nikki once visited ds in his first grade class. 28 kids swooped down on her for hugs, pets, and kisses. The only thing that annoyed her about the visit is when 1 of the 28 kids had the nerve to stop petting her. We also soon realized that Nikki neglected to read the chapter of the 'how to be a greyhound' manual that clearly states that greyhounds are quiet. She barked. She talked. She howled. And boy, did she whine. And so, my little princess. I hope that Chesterboy has shown you the best sunbeam at the bridge for a proper snooze and that Polly and Sirocco are sharing some of the cookies that they snitched from the angels. Yukon misses his little snooze buddy. But I think he will be ok. It only seems appropriate, baby girl, to end this the way many of our conversations ended. "And Dr Sheff says you have pretty feet".

Nikki was standing outside when she suddenly started screaming. Her leg is obviously broken. Prayers please for my princess. Update: The bone is broken completely through below the back knee. She screamed so loudly when it broke that the neighbor across the street came running to help. The vet did not see any signs of OS. (I believe os still caused the break.) She is seeing the orthopedic vet tomorrow morning to have it repaired with a plate and screws. My family thinks I am a bit nuts. (just a bit?) I asked the evet to keep her overnight to make sure she had iv pain meds available at all times if needed. I can handle cancer but I can't handle pain. I would like for OSU to review her xrays even though there is no time for a consult before surgery. Could someone please point me to a thread on how to contact them? Thank you so much. Knowing you all are here with me is making all the difference. Last update. The orthopedic surgeon looked at the xrays and said that the break was caused by an "underlying pathology". He said if he tried to repair the break it would only break again. Our only real option was to release her from her pain. Cancer sucks.

Sending a lot of good wishes and healing thoughts to Twiggy and you. I think having the biopsy done with the amp is a smart idea. Our vet was not able to get a FNA of Sirocco's tumor. He warned me that getting a regular biopsy could stimulate the tumor to grow quickly. I had to take the chance since Sirocco's xrays were not typical for osteo. He had his biopsy on Friday and by Sunday the tumor had at least doubled in size. We decided even before the biopsy that we would do pain management only. Sirocco had a lot of separation anxiety and I just couldn't put him through the trauma of being away from us and our other greys. Please keep us updated.

I am very sorry for your loss. I love your picture of Brandi counter-surfing. I saw that expression on Sirocco's face more times than I can count; however, he was never as dignified in his mischief. Sending big hugs to Charley, Debbie, and you.

Run fast and free at the lake over the bridge Roo. Please send your mom a sign that you found Otis and both of you are ok.

If a puppy has to have a chronic disorder, pannus is the one to have. Even though our Sirocco had a stubborn case of pannus, it was never complicated or expensive to treat. (Our vet opthamologist said he usually only saw cases like Sirocco's in gsd's.) After a while, eye drops twice a day just became a part of the routine. Another vote for seeing a vet opthamologist. Definitely worth the drive and cost to us, especially for my peace of mind. Good luck!

Phene was one of a rare and elusive breed: a really good boy. (My Chester was one too. Sirocco, not so much.) Seems quite reasonable he'd stop by to let you know that he arrived safely. It's nice to know that even though he is now with Loca, Linus and the rest of our bridge buddies, a part will always still be with you. Many hugs to you, Treasure, and Alan Ginsburg.

That picture is one of my all-time favorites. To me it says "high intelligence" and "live it to the max". I've always figured that Loca had a lot in common with Sirocco, besides being Reko dogs with highly developed jumping and mischief abilities. Their personalities, spirits, and intelligence went so much deeper than their antics for which they were known. Although, with Loca's fondness for stealing wine, Sirocco's fondness for stealing bread, Zema's fondness for stealing paper goods, the three of them would just have to find a Reko dog with a fondness for stealing cheese and meat and they could have quite the party planning business.

Run fast and free pretty girl.

I am very sorry for your loss. I hope that Ramm sends you a sign soon that he and Marvin are together again but with you always.

Checking in to see if any updates. Still chanting B9 B9 B9 B9.

B9-B9-B9-B9-B9...................... Everything crossed that it is just arthritis. Will be watching for the good news when it is posted.

Sirocco passed his CGC on his first try so he had an excellent recall. He was one of those dogs that needed the mental stimulation and discipline that comes from ongoing obedience work. (Lots of brains = lots of opportunities for trouble.) Nikki has a pretty decent recall but only if you call for "baby girl". (Used to embarrass the heck out of dh but who cares if it works.) Yukon always looks for any opportunity to return to his spot in the family room so recall isn't much of an issue. I am a big believer in formal obedience training for dogs and it has come in very handy even though our dogs are kept on lead or fenced when outside. We had workmen open the gate and leave it open once. Fortunately, we were able to call the dogs back almost immediately when they went exploring. Sirocco also slipped his collar once when we were walking one night. I never even knew it until I happened to glance down and saw the collar and leash laying across his back. He stayed right beside me even though the collar was off.

The closest I have ever come to walloping dh? I was "dreaming" that Polly, our bridge brittany, was curled up in bed with us. Even though she had been gone 10 years, I could still smell her sweet scent and feel the silky feathering of her hair. (Polly's even smelled sweet after playing in a creek.) It was an absolutely wonderful "dream" to be snuggled with my babygirl again until DH ROLLED OVER ON HER AND MADE HER LEAVE! I could have seriously whacked him and smiled doing it. I had more guilt and pain over Polly's passing than all others (including human family) combined. I was the one that elected for her to have they surgery that put her quality of life straight into the sewer. The "dream" told me that she was ok and would be waiting for us. I think it is significant that Cosmo did not have her amputated leg again. I believe she was trying to tell your dh she didn't have the leg because she didn't want it. Why reclaim something that caused so much pain? You made the right decision for her and she was happy with it. I hope that you and your dh can soon find the comfort that Cosmo was trying to give you through the "dream".

Hoping that everything goes well for Phene. I bet a cookie would help! (DD had eye surgery when she was 3. Afterwards, she looked at me with those big blue eyes all red and watery and said "Mommy, I need chocolate chip cookies to make my eyes all better." ) She still swears at age 20 that eyes need cookies to keep them feeling better.

What kind of dosing schedule did your vet say you could use for the Rimadyl and Tramadol? When Sirocco was diagnosed with OS last July, our vet told us to give him a Tramadol whenever he seemed to be in pain. He agreed with us that quality of life was our only concern for Sirocco and that the risk of pain was far worse than the risk of side effects. Sirocco's OS was very aggressive. He had his biopsy on Friday and by Sunday morning, the tumor had doubled in size. Edited to say: We went the pain control only route with Sirocco. I fixed him a strawberry shortcake every night. We fed him roast turkey, soft vegetables and potatoes, and whatever else he wanted. I have never regretted our decision even once. Even if his cancer had not been so aggressive, I would not have done the amp/chemo route. Sirocco was our separation anxiety boy and the trauma to him from being away from home was just not worth it. Sending lots of hugs. Any decision made out of love will be the right one.

Run fast and free at the bridge pretty girl.

From one Gisele (middle name) to another Giselle,

I fixed Sirocco a strawberry shortcake (with whippie cream) every night after the vet told us the lump on his shoulder was OS. Spoiled him rotten with lots of hugs and luvins. We found that cream cheese was good for hiding his pain pills. What helped the most when he left us to join the all-star food filching team at the bridge was knowing that we were not alone in our grief. So many here have been through it before and knew exactly what we were feeling. Sending