Rickiesmom

This is good news on the eyes Robin!

Lynda, what a beautiful girl, and what a wonderful tribute to your Sugar, makes me wish I could have met her. I am so, so sorry.

I am so sorry.

I second the fine needle biopsy idea. Arlie had something like this on one of her ears - vet wanted to take if off as she was a little on the old side to be getting a histiocytoma. I wasn't wild about the idea of taking off the end of her ear so we did the fine needle aspirate - which confirmed it was a histiocytoma. So we left it alone, it grew and shrank on and off for awhile, and eventually disappeared. It has never come back.

Robin, if I remember right Phene's appointment is today. Fingers crossed for something simple, please let us know.

Judging from the photos, she's a pretty happy girl. And she and Frankie are adorable together. Congratulations!!

My Jaynie gets a one-egg omelet every day - I cook it in a little organic coconut oil.

I brush everyone's teeth with CET toothpaste after breakfast every day. A couple of months ago or so I also started putting a new, very natural product called Healthy Mouth in their water. (If you try this, introduce it very dilute, then increase the concentration til you get to the recommended level). I used to use Dentatreat daily but now, because of the Healthy Mouth, use it only a few times a week, usually on their dinner if I've given them extra treats in the afternoon. I'd really encourage you to check out Healthy Mouth. You have to get it from your vet and it's pricey, but IMO well worth it based on the results I am seeing so far.

Lucy the slideshow made me cry and made me smile. What a wonderful, and very loved hound Riley was.

Donna, I didn't realize when we were "talking" earlier this week that you had lost Greta so recently. I am so, so sorry, no wonder your heart is hurting. Godspeed beautiful girl.

My heart goes out to you, knowing what must come, cherishing these moments. The photographs are beautiful, as is your lovely Rory. May you find peace in your decision to help her.

Fly on gossamer wings much loved beautiful girl. I am so sorry for your loss of Melanie, and the hole she has left in your heart.

Your tribute to a special and loved hound was beautiful. I am so sorry for your loss.

What a beauty. My heartfelt condolences to Teddy and all who loved Amy.

Awwww, he looks stoned but content. Normally I'd ask you to kiss his sweet nose for me, but under the circumstances, maybe the top of his head would be better.

Sending more prayers for your little guy.

Steve and Lisa, I am so, so sorry.

Good luck with the surgery. My whippet Rickie had partial carpal fusion surgery in 2004 - because they didn't have to fuse the entire joint he retained fairly good flexibility. We had a long recovery - long after he should have been out of the splint he was still limping. They thought the plate was rubbing tendons in the foot so decided to go in and remove the plate. Turns out a screw in the plate had also come loose. In any event, once the plate was out he healed well. We did some underwater treadmill therapy to build him up again and truly, you would never know today he'd had it done. Your outcome may be more restrictive because of the more extensive fusion, but it's well worth it. My main caution - be sure they bandage with tons of padding - you want to avoid "cast sores" at all costs. We never had an issue with them because the vets were very diligent in this regard. As a side note, some people believed (and still may) that metal plates increase the chances of bone cancer. I was consulting all kinds of people before we had the surgery done, and Dr. Radfliffe in Wheeling, who is extremely well regarded, told me that at that time at least, the research did not support the connection. You may want to research this on your own but I wanted to put it out there for reassurance. Finally, because this surgery changes how a dog moves they are more prone to arthritis. You may want to proactively put Raelen on supplements. Our vet recommended Cosequin (now Flexadin) - I think it's called Dasuquin in the US? -and you may choose something else, but the idea is a good one. Rickie does have a bit of arthritis now (he'll be 13 in June) but honestly, his recent corns are much more of a hassle. While he is growing more frail with age Rickie still loves to chase a ball in the backyard (we don't throw far or high) and has never, since it healed, had any issue with that joint. I certainly didn't lure course him after the surgery, not wanting to incur undue stress, but regular play activity and walks have always been fine. Please keep us posted on Thursday and then durin Raelen's recovery. Edited for spelling.

I am so sorry. It sounds like it was all very sudden and quick. My condolences to Marshall's family who must be in such shock.

She is lovely! Star, welcome home

No experience - hope it's something minor Robin. When does Phene see the specialist?

Wow, that's really cool. I am going to try that before the next walk. ETA - how long did you leave the bandage on. Sounds like more than just for support during walks?

Thanks Heather - that's really helpful. One question - what did you do for pain management and especially, for how long. I know each dog is different, but it would give me some measure. Jaynie is on 100mg of tramadol 2x per day. She can't have NSAIDs.

The vet examined her pretty thoroughly and didn't think so. I don't know what the range of appearance is for dislocation, but my whippet dislocated a toe a couple of times and it really stuck out. This is almost like sagging away than true sticking out if that makes sense.

Jaynie has no idea she is retired, and tears around the yard like she's queen of the track. A little over a week or so she started limping. It took me a couple of days to figure it out, but I noticed eventually that the outer toe on her left front foot wasn't nice and snug against the others as it should be. It sticks out slightly and is flatter than it should be. Off to the vet we went - she thinks it is an injured ligament, and suggested pain management and no offleash time for awhile. No bandaging etc., as apparently that just makes things worse. No need to do really short walks, just watch for tolerance, but controlled exercise OK. So we have been in this mode, with only one accident yesterday, when she pushed past me when I was bringing Arlie in <no flames please, I feel bad enough already> and of course went roaring around until I could stop her. Predictably, it was a setback and we seem to be back where we started. My questions are (ignoring the escape factor for a moment): - if you have had a hound with this injury, how did you treat it, and was it successful - if successful, how long did it take - once it is healed, is she susceptible to this happening again, and if yes, are there precautions I need to take like maybe wrapping the foot before she goes out loose? - anything else? In view of what happened yesterday, are there any extra measures (other than not letting it happen again) that I should take due to probable re-injury? Thank you for your input. Here is my little bunny (foreground) at a fun run last summer (photo courtesy of Karen at Camp Greyhound):