Rickiesmom

Teensy please don't second guess your decision. Cancer and its excruciating pain are the villains. You took your Irene's full condition into account and made a decision that took her pain away, and began yours. My heart goes out to you.

Agree with others - the most likely scenario is that this is an Italian Greyhound from a puppy mill. All stores that sell puppies make claims about reputable breeders - they want to sell the dogs. An AKC registration is just that, a registration, and does not infer anything about the quality of the dog or the environment from which it came. Purchasing a puppy mill dog perpetuates the misery and likely will result in a long string of vet bills for you, as these dogs often have congenital and other health / temperament issues. Bringing a pup into your life is a significant commitment, please do some research, independent of the store's sales pitch, before proceeding.

What a very special and much loved girl. Godspeed Diana.

I can't tell from your post if Corey is being treated by your regular vet or an internal med specialist, but if not the latter, my suggestion would be to get a referral asap. Has who ever is treating him checked for tick borne diseases? My heart goes out to you - Jeff's case was less complex, and was still very scary and life threatening.

Twiggy, you go girl!

I am heartbroken for you both.

Donna was such a lovely and kind person, I am so sorry to hear this. She made a couple of hats for me to use as donations and they were both just gorgeous. Not sure if I still have photos, I'll look. She had a great eye for design and made sure every detail was just right. May her beautiful spirit rest in peace.

Twiggy you are a rock star for sure!!!

Wonderful update - that girl has so much spirit! And a great mom!

Wonderful update! So glad Twiggy is feeling better !

Wonderful news! And you will both be so much happier this way!

Wendy, holding you both in my heart with hope and love.

I am so sorry.

Just seeing this, hope Carlinda wakes up soon, she will be reassured to see your son, and that she responds well to treatment!

Anne I am so sorry you lost your most special, best girl. Hugs to you and to Sasha.

Hoping for the best Susan! Please keep us posted.

Susan I am so sorry for your Daisy's diagnosis. It sounds as if the cause may be different for Daisy and Jeff. Jeff's marrow was producing new blood cells at a rate 4X normal, so his marrow was not the issue. The cause of Jeff's disease was never determined, but in his case immuno-suppressants worked because they slowed down, and appear now to have stopped, his immune system from attacking them. As that process took place, his bone marrow returned to the normal production rate In Daisy's case the bone marrow is not replacing lost red blood cells, which is not something we dealt with. It sounds like the internist is suspecting disease in the bone marrow. Maybe start another thread highlighting your question so people here with experiences more directly similar to yours will see it more easily and hopefully post before tomorrow. I am so sorry you and Daisy are going through this.

What a remarkable girl. I am so sorry for your loss, huge in itself, and magnified by its suddenness.

I've had a hound in a clinical trial and the terms explicitly stated the owner could withdraw the dog if needed. I am sure this will be something you can discuss with the trial administrators and also confirm when you receive the paperwork.

I am so sorry for all who loved Lucky, osteo is such a sneaky and cruel disease.

Here are some ramp photos. Forgive the mess, we are doing some work at the back of the house. Ramp is 39" wide edge to edge, interior tread width is 36". Black strips are Skid Guard Treads (there is adhesive on the back but they are also nailed). Full view: Top view: Side view: The ramp is attached to the house. All the dogs love it. I have found it is helpful to keep it swept off in the winter - diligently whenever it snows. It gets slippery on the wood to each side of the black strips whenever there is a wet+freezing combination. I keep a rubber-backed runner rolled up near the door, and put it out over the ramp when needed for traction, and remove it when the dogs come in to let the sun dry the ramp off. It helps that it faces south.

The assistance harness, IMO, is better suited to a rear amp. For a front amp I found it slid around as it depends on two front legs to stay put. But it was helpful as an alternate to the webmaster and in colder weather I adjusted the assistance harness to go over a coat since the coat fabric lessened the slip factor, and left the webmaster as a no-coat harness. Not having to adjust depending on weather was very helpful. I was fortunate in that the folks who gave me a webmaster as a gift for Jaynie altered it so there was a buckle on the step-in leg side - perhaps some crafty person can do the same for you. ETA: we had a ramp made and it worked wonderfully - I'll take and post pictures tomorrow when there is light.

Sounds like things are moving in the right direction, though slower than you had hoped. The right direction is everything, and you are with him every step of the way.

It took me some time to be able to watch this - it's a beautiful tribute to "precious Ben". My heart goes out to you Jan.

Jeff had a recheck today. The spasms are ongoing but otherwise everything is great. His weight, which was 62lbs at its lowest is up to almost 75lbs (I have been feeding him A LOT, but will start cutting back now). Someone commented at the park today how much better he looked, and his energy is way up too. PCV is 48% which puts him in the general normal range, though low for a greyhound still, and his platelets are also a bit low, 149K, but not bad for a greyhound and vet thinks they will go up as the Pred goes down. WBC is normal. Imuran will remain the same - 25mg every other day, but the Pred is being cut back to 25mg every other day as well (was every day). We alternate days so he will only get one each each day - seems like that should be easier on him. So barring any setbacks it looks like we are out of the woods, although I will be a lot happier when those spasms stop.