RhodyGreys
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Posts posted by RhodyGreys
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Last year, we brought my Chickie's pup, Raleigh (J's Rollo) up here after she was done racing in Florida. She was straight from the farm/trainer. I fully intended to keep her, and I did love her, but she never got over wanting to lunge at the cats, randomly, and without warning.
I was heartbroken. I had already announced her arrival. I personally had her spayed, had her shots done, and then found a great adoption group (who had her littermate brother) who helped to place her.
I've fostered more than 20 hounds, and have only had one real regret in giving up a hound, but Raleigh was different because she was family. In the end, I am glad we made the choice, because everyone in the house is happier. Plus, we had room for Daisy (Oakland Lynne), a retired brood who came to stay in October.
Don't beat yourself up. You may end up with a third, and/or you may foster again, but you're helping a lot by volunteering at the kennel, and you've effectively reduced the stress levels of your permanent residents.
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I have done amputation twice, and I have not done amputation once. Three very different cases. We didn't do chemo with either amp, but if I had to do it all over again, I would have gone with both amputation and chemo in those two cases. In the case where I didn't do amp, I still wouldn't.
I second the recommendation to join Circle of Grey.
Please feel free to PM me if you want my number. I am happy to be a sounding board, if needed.
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I still love and miss Murphy, too.
We all went to our first Dewey together. You and Murphy, Cooper and I.
Cooper would have been 21 this year, and I posted on the 10th year anniversary of his passing (October 24, 2001).
I should have let him go sooner, too. He was't my first loss: we lost Heidi to DIC/HGE in 1998 and Lucky to osteo earlier in 2001. But he hurt the most and I was to close to see.
Murphy was amazing, so keenly tuned into your every move, so tied to your presence.
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For those in the area who may not be on Linda's Facebook friends list: her family is planning a memorial service for 1 p.m. on Friday, November 11, 2011, at Dougherty Bros. Funeral Home, 595 Norwich Road, Plainfield, CT.
Her sons are also seeking pictures of Linda, as she was camera-shy. If you have any, please tag them or post them to Linda's Facebook page, and if you would like a direct e-mail address instead, I'll be happy to pass it along. Just PM me.
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The first greyhound I ever adopted was not Cooper: no, my first hound was a handsome 4 year old dark brindle named Hobo's Hawkeye (Simon). He came home with me in late June 1996 and 12 hours later my landlady changed her mind about allowing a second dog. So I had to return him to the kennel, but I also gave notice to my landlady. Initially, I hoped the group could hold Simon for a month. As fate would have it, a family walked in just as I was returning him. They needed cat safe. I had two cats.
Flash forward: two months later, I had moved. I walked into the adoption kennel and a family was there returning the big brindle boy they had adopted a year before. I didn't hear the rest of what they said: I was awestruck. It was love at first sight.
As it turned out, I brought Superdog (Char Super) home on his 6th birthday, August 26, 1996. I renamed him Cooperdog, and I would have 5 years with him, only 5 short years, but he taught me everything I know about greyhounds today. He went to the second Dewey Beach with me, he went to the Falmouth, MA Christmas Parade with me in 1996, where I met my future husband (now my ex). Had they ever met, I know that Cooper and my current husband would have adored each other.
Cooper introduced me to the world of racing owners and trainers who love their dogs. Cooper taught me patience, that a long walk (or drive) is sometimes the best medicine, and that you should dance when you are happy to get a meal, see your best friend, or just generally be alive.
In the end, I have Cooper to thank for every one of the greyhounds with me today and every one of the greyhounds who I have fostered and placed. I also believe that he held himself together and stoic for me as I lost my Lucky, (the Ex's first boy) to bone cancer. At Dewey in 2001, my mother took Cooper to a reiki session for me. That night, he immediately began to evidence pain. Less than 3 weeks later, he was gone. It was likely hemangiosarcoma that took him from me: the x-rays were clear that there was a mass, and we tried antibiotics, hoping for an infection, but we never biopsied. All I know is that on the last morning, Cooper peed a river of blood, and when I tried to lift him up the stairs, he tried to bite me, which was about as un-Cooperlike as you could ever get. When our vet came, a man facing cancer himself, he looked at Cooper and cried. He said he knew Cooper was full of tumors.
Xan did a beautiful portrait for me, several years ago during a portrait marathon.
I have loved other greyhounds. I have cried at their loss. But I have never been as deeply shocked, wounded, and broken as when I lost Cooper. Ten years ago today.
Memoriam Veritas
Written upon the passing of Cooper, 10/24/01
As you slip beyond the clouds of memory,
Know this final gift has cost my heart.
No greater loss, no misery, no tragedy
Could pierce my soul with depth no words can chart.
You lived to love, and gave us pure devotion,
No less devotion can I then return
Though thinking of you now brings mixed emotions,
And causes tears of grief to form and burn.
My prince, my true companion in adventures,
I set you free to soar on winds of change.
I cannot hold you back, nor can I censure
The pain that carves a scar shaped from your name.
Forever, love, run free of pain and sorrow,
I'll dream of you each night for all my years.
And if my end should come next year, tomorrow,
I'll run to meet you, blinded by my tears.
As you slip beyond the clouds of memory,
Look back once so that you may remember me...
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Wish I had gotten to know him, Robin. He was truly beautiful. You were both very fortunate to have each other. Every now and then, one of us gets lucky, and a once-in-a-blue-moon, once-in-a-lifetime friend and companion comes along, to teach us, to guide us, to shift our perspective: but, most of all, to share our love and make our hearts that much bigger for the ones who will come after...
Happy Birthday at the Bridge, Chip!
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My heart is broken. I love my.. err your wonderful Dook of URL.
(Aside for those unfamiliar: I bought Duke back from someone he'd been given to who was letting him out onto the streets of Pawtucket and wanted 'grocery money' for him. My ex made me give him up: thankfully, Sigrun adopted him and he's been in the best possible home ever since.)
This is the only picture I have of Duke, when he was in his temporary home after I first bought him back (his temporary carers also had to give him up, so he came to the Cape with me, and slept with my stepdaughter in her tiny twin bed).
My love to you and to Duke. I'm only sorry I'm not going to be able to visit him, or to say goodbye. Kiss him for me.
This has been such a hard year for so many...
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So very sorry, Heather & family... I have seen that shadow on an x-ray one too many times, myself. It's the Enemy. The Joy-Stealer. Too many gone, too soon, but the knowledge that you are not alone doesn't really make it any easier when it is your own greyhound.
Big hugs
to all of you: may he know comfort and love. -
I've got this lovely almost 10 year old foster girl here...
(Seriously, I do have a lovely Gwenny, but I know there's some distance involved
)Charlie has been with me since Tuesday: I have been baby gating him (and Gwenny) in part of the house while I'm gone. He cries, drools, and chews the baby gate. However, if I go out and leave him in the house, ungated, with the others, he drools a little but settles down much faster. He's got other beasties here though (4 greys and a cat the size of half a small grey). To me, it really sounds like your boy is missing companionship.
I'm just learning to deal with Charlie's separation issues, as I have been very lucky and they haven't manifested themselves in any one of the many hounds prior to his highness, Prints Charles... so I will be reading this thread too!
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This is the fourth time I have posted to remembrance in the last 11 months. This is the second time I've posted about an older greyhound I adopted because nobody else wanted them... and who I had in my home less than a year.
Mylie was different, though. She wasn't very old. She wasn't critically ill, but she did have cancer and she did have corns, and she was dropping weight, and she wasn't going to get better. Surgery wouldn't have fixed her, and while I could have given her a few more good days, maybe even a few more good weeks, I wanted her to leave before the pain became too intense, while she could still eat kettle corn, and hunt for pears, and lay in the sunshine.
This was the hardest euthanasia for me, ever. Mylie still wanted to be with me, still followed me depite the pain of her corns, still smiled and wagged, still wandered the yard (slowly) eating grass. But when you try to wait until the time is right, sometimes you wait a little too long. I waited a little too long for Lucky, and Ringo. I think I got it just right for Bull, which was a minor miracle. Mylie was definitely too soon, and I hope she forgives me: her body was broken, but her spirit was strong.
I love you, Miles. I will always love you, even though you weren't mine for long. You will always be mine, heart and soul.
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For the last couple of weeks, I have been trying to help Wally's partner Bill decide what to do with their greyhounds Charlie and Reggie. As recently as a week ago, it was hoped that Wally would still recover. Bill and Wally had owned Charlie and Reggie for 3 years, and had been together as a couple for much longer. Friday morning, Wally passed away from complications following acute pancreatitis. Donations in lieu of flowers are being directed to greyhound adoption...
Wallace Bowden, Jr. - Obituary
Tuesday morning at 11:30, I will be bringing one of my hounds to the cemetery for the graveside service: I offered, since I thought, from what I know of Wally (through Bill), he would have liked that. Bill was very touched. Those who are home at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, if you'd please incite a group roo... I imagine that Wally will be escorting Braden and many of the other hounds without forever homes across the Rainbow Bridge then.
Bill, obviously, is having a very hard time. I would like to collect some messages of sympathy and encouragement for him: I'll print them and include them with a card. He's lost his life partner and has made the very hard choice of giving up his greyhounds, knowing that he cannot provide the attention and time they need. If you'd like to be included in the messages, please e-mail your thoughts to merriandra@verizon.net . Thank you.
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Thanks for your input regarding Nico's output!
No seizure meds on board: the fly-biting type of focal seizures are still under some debate as to whether they are, in fact, seizures without the added presence of grand-mal seizures as well (About Fly Bite Seizures).
He has been wormed recently, so we can rule that one out too, I think. And that doesn't account for the behavioral pee issues.
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Let me preface this by saying:
1) Nico has been thoroughly examined by a vet and his inappropriate elimination has no medical cause;
2) He does not howl or chew while I am away;
3) He can 'hold it' (both pee and poo) for up to 18-24 hours when he refuses to go out in the rain;
4) I've had many greyhounds over the last 14 years, but this one has me stumped;
5) He has a history of inappropriate elimination (his trainer told me he used to pee on the other dogs in their crates!)...
All that being said, I love Nico, and I don't want to do anything drastic (although I swore when I got home from work today that I wanted to kill him!). Nico (Pepi Nick) came to me in October 2008. He had already been in the home of one of his kennel workers for 2 years. Nico will be 8 in November. He is all white (just a little ticking on ears) and has a history of focal seizures (fly snapping) that seem to be closely associated with loud noises/electronics.
He has been a sneaky pee-er the whole time he has lived here. Now, even if I just go out to do yard work, I have to belly band him. He will not lift his leg if I am in the house, anywhere, even out of sight. But I am still finding spots from BBB (Before Belly Band) where he peed. He has peed on rugs, the laundry hamper, my bed, cabinets, you name it...so, easiest solution is belly banding when I am outside or away for any reason. He will go weeks with nothing in the belly band pad, but if I forget it once (or my dog help does), pee is guaranteed.
Last week or so, it has been poo. I am not 100% sure the poo is from Nico (there are 3 other permanent residents, all girls, and while I can *tell* with pee, I can't with poo! My foster is gated away from the mayhem, so it's not her!), but it seems likely, as the others reliably eliminate outside. Nico is a bit like Ferdinand the Bull when he's outside: easily distracted by the flowers. Nothing has changed in the last week in terms of diet or household composition, but the AC has been on pretty much 24/7: wondering if maybe it's something in the electronics of the ACs, a sound or something?
A crate is a poor option, mainly because Nico really hates them and has teeth ground down from biting the wires. Gating him into one area of the house is possible, but I have irregularly-shaped hallways/doorways, so confining him to just the kitchen, for example, where the tile is, would block everyone's access to the living room (where the best AC is...)
I have tried the DAP diffuser, with little noticeable result. I have not tried melatonin: Nico was taking benedryl last year for allergies but hasn't really needed it this year. We walk every morning.
Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?
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So sorry to hear of his passing. He would have been my heartdog, Cooper's, 'nephew'.
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Here's Jack and his turtle...
What a gorgeous boy. I'm sorry I never had the opportunity to know him.
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Robin --
Glad you did come post here, although wish it had been under better circumstances. Would you mind if I posted the picture of Jack you sent me, so that everyone could see what a handsome hound he was?
You know I'm only half joking when I say you could borrow one of my hounds if you can't stand it. I'll have 6 in the house this weekend, including Melanie's Payton from Thursday through Monday!
I'll e-mail you again separately.
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Joan --
I am so sorry to hear about Avery. I have been through amputation twice - with Lucky in 2000 and with Stretch in 2004. Best pieces of advice I remember/can think of:
* Let the vet keep them as long as the vet suggests, and while they are under the watchful eye of veterinary care, sleep. You'll need it later!
* Be aware that the pain meds may affect their behavior. If a Fentanyl patch is used, be aware that it gets absorbed very differently by greyhounds and it can make them very anxious. Same has been seen with tramadol.
* Lots of cushy old comforters and blankets. There is likely to be seepage.
* An infection may occur. Stretch had a doozie. This too will pass, and warm compresses are your friend.
* Bring the water to them. They will drink more if they don't have to struggle up for the water.
* I cut polar fleece to make a sling. It will need to be under their tummy. Use it one day longer than you think you should, to protect against balance related falls. Keep the sling, you may need it again in new or slippery areas.
* Cover potentially slick surfaces with area or runner rugs. Even if they look like hell, it's going to take him a while to get his sea legs.
* Don't be afraid if they are not hungry at first, or they want something different for a while. Between the antibiotics and the pain pills, I think I would be nauseous too!
* I don't know how your vet is planning to do the amputation, but if he is leaving a stub or partial bone, be sure it is well-padded. <shudder>
I can PM you my phone number if you want to have someone to call in the middle of the night if you have a question.
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Sending my love to you and Jaxie. I hope there's something to fix, but, if not, I hope his passing is full of grace and dignity.
-- from Dook of URL's dogmother
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He came to me in December, three days after Ringo died: a big, handsome lunk of a brindle boy who had been the kennel pet at a kennel at the Twin River track. Being a kennel pet meant that they loved him so much in his racing kennel, that when he was done, they kept him around. He was a blockhead, constantly nudging your hand upward for more petting, following you with solemn eyes, scared of his own shadow. I didn't want to call him Lucky. After all, I had already owned a greyhound named Lucky: Lucky Omen, my first osteosarcoma boy, who taught me so much. I tried calling him Josh. It suited him, but he never listened. All you had to do was say "Lucky" and he was at your side in a flash.
It took him more than a month to acclimate to the house and our pack. I wasn't sure he was happy here. I thought he might like a quieter place, fewer hounds and more one-on-one time with his person. But he was happy enough, bounding around with his nose in the snow, looking up at me, soulfully, for treats, sleeping next to my bed every night.
Nine days ago, he simply stopped eating. Two vets and a week later, he had dropped 12 pounds, was panting all the time when standing, had dark, mucousy stools, and looked... vacant. I knew it was time. He ate chicken and egg noodles last night, but that was his last meal. He threw up this morning, all bile. It was his liver, in failure, probably caused by cancer. I had scheduled an ultrasound for this morning, but I already knew what it would tell me. Lucky's time had come: this morning he crossed to the Rainbow Bridge.
From the time the needle went into his vein until the moment his heart stopped, it was less than half a minute. Quiet. Easy. Just like Lucky.
Sleep easy, sweet boy.
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I really need to figure out how to edit on the new board...
I've made a very hard decision this morning, after watching Lucky's behavior. The ultrasound will not tell me anything I didn't already know. He threw up bile this morning, is refusing all food, pants when he stands, and his poo was dark and mucousy.
It's time. It's not just an infection. I have an unhappy dog who is in pain, one who has never understood why he had to leave his kennel home of 9+ years. (He was a track kennel pet and so terribly confused by the track closing...) I am 100% certain that whatever is going on inside Lucky, I cannot make him better, no matter what heroics I try. He can't even enjoy a favorite treat or the beautiful weather outside. I am not shoving any more pills down his throat. It's time for me to be kind, and strong, and brave, because this dog was all of those things, but he can't be anymore...
Three in 6 months. <sigh>
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I posted about a week ago about Lucky, my newest addition (December) who had been off his food for several days and was drinking a lot of water.
I took him in to his original vet, who had been seeing him at the track for 8+ years, and we sent out a blood panel, but I really didn't get any answers there. He isn't and wasn't blocked, though. She put him on pred to give him an appetite and sent us on our way. Not happy with what seemed to me like a discounting of symptoms, I went to my regular vet, who wanted me to wean him off pred and treat for a UTI and as if it were a liver infection.
The peeing a river has subsided, but he's not doing well. He has dropped 12+ pounds in about 10 days. Now that he's off the pred, even with another appetite stimulant, he's only eating a limited menu, if at all. Last night, he ate about a quarter cup of canned food, a half cup of egg noodles, and 6 roasted chicken tenders (1/2 lb?). Wouldn't eat anything else, and now has had the runs this morning.
He looks awful. He's not happy. I'm getting an ultrasound done today: could you please think some good thoughts for us? This is not the happy ending he deserves.
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It seems fine - a little dilute, but he has been drinking a lot. I do follow him and watch, heh.
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Well, I don't post in this part of the forum often. I wish I wasn't posting now.
Three days after Ringo died in December, I took a 10 y.o. "kennel pet" from the closure at Twin River (Lincoln). Crystal B Lucky is a sweet brindle boy, very sensitive, overly correctable, and big. A sweet lunk. A blockhead. A chow hound. He'd just had his teeth scaled, but he has rotten breath. His teeth don't look too bad. Of course, I'm a little worried... I make sure to get him a heartworm check because he coughs a little for now apparent reason other than eating a biscuit, going for a walk, just getting up... and his stools are a little looser than I'd like, but no worms, and he's been wormed...and he won't put on weight - you know, the 'I'm not quite well' scrawny look?
Well, a few days ago, the hounds got into the cat food. Nothing huge, just a small bowl of dry and maybe some wet. We figure maybe they had gotten into it a few times in the past week since we have fully integrated the kitty. But, at least 2 or 3 of the 4 have been into it, so probably not much each. Somebody had a huge liquid poo accident in the study Friday. Not sure who, but I suspect either Lucky or my problem-child Nico. Since then, Lucky has just seemed "off". Yesterday, he did ate breakfast reluctantly. He threw up, a little, in the late afternoon. He's been drinking more water than usual. No dinner last night, no breakfast or dinner today. But he'll eat dog biscuits.
No fever. Gums a normal color. No more throwing up. No heaving. Goes out with the other hounds. Just no food. Plenty of water. Pinch test tells me he's not dehydrating. Prefers to stay in another room away from people... this, in itself, is very unusual.
I don't want to panic. I will get him to the vet if he continues the pattern of not eating, but I have a bad feeling about this. I saw it with Ringo, and before that, Shae-Leigh. Obviously, I'm worried. I'm also thinking ahead, knowing that he's easily scared and confused, knowing that he has allergies and a sensitive stomach...
He's not distressed, he's not pacing, he's resting. He's just not eating. I'll try something like ham or chicken later. Thoughts? Yes, a vet check is in order, but are the symptoms lining up like I think they are? <sigh>
Poor boy. He's such a good dog.
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Thought it was time to share a poem I wrote back in 2002, after losing 3 greys in 8 months in 2001 and early 2002.
Passage
A year has gone by
Since I set eyes on you.
Vanished from my life:
You, brilliant star…
Still, I am not alone.
I look into my heart,
And there you are.
The best of memories
Have made a home
In every breath I take.
No second chance, no second-guess.
I hold my hands out to the night,
And as I glance into the past
I see you racing, turning back.
I listen to the distant stars, a whispered breath,
As loved, remembered, scales the walls of death,
And speaks low, in a voice I can't define...
"Everything is fine. You are still mine."
© 2002 m.e. pickering
to all of you: may he know comfort and love.
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Memorial For Carla "sage" Benoist (Mom2Shiloh)
in Remembrance
Posted
I am going to be posting something very soon looking for memories, funny stories, etc. about my mother. After the memorial, I will be compiling these memories, along with some pictures and some of her writing, and I will be making the book available to benefit one or more greyhound organizations.
Thanks, all, for your love and concern. I'm amidst writing a more 'traditional' obituary: a story about her passing appeared in the local paper yesterday.