RaineysMom

I am so very, very sorry for your loss of your sweet boy

looking forward to it! We haven't been to an event (other than our own local groups) since 2011 with Larry and Nube at Bluegrass

will do. I saw a picture of the staircase and there is NO way Rick (he vaults up stairs ) could do them so we really have to have a first floor room. We usually try to get the handicapped accessible if possible too (when they have multiple rooms so we don't take it from someone that IS handicapped!) because they tend to have more open space for dog beds and our soft-sided crate. When we traveled with Larry and Zeke, we'd need a lot of room because Larry had sleep/space aggression and we'd need room for his space plus room for the soft-sided crate for Zeke to be safe in. With just Rick we may not need all that room now. And hopefully by September we'll have worked through his "fear of the bedroom" issue that I posed in T&B....

do you know if that hotel has elevators? Rick's not good with stairs (and pretty sure the elevator would freak him out but maybe not). NM, I called and just stairs and only rooms on the top floor are available I was able to book a first-floor room at the Super 8 on York Road. not sure if we'll be able to go but thought I'd better book a room a.s.a.p.

I apologize this is SO long. I am desperately seeking help with our newly adopted Rick. Rick is 4.5 YO (raced 2.5 years, 127 races), adopted on November 13th. Rick is EXTREMELY smart and VERY food motivated so that has helped with training doing stairs, etc. Unfortunately, he ALSO is very sound sensitive – he wasn’t at first but has become more so in the past 2.5 months we’ve had him (I SWEAR it was from the 2 doses of Drontal Plus he got in Dec and Jan that weirded him out – he had a bad neurological reaction both times). We have a tri-level house and our bedroom/master bath is on the top floor. We have a large x-pen set up in one corner of the room, which happens to be closest to the bathroom (only place it can fit). Each night he would HAPPILY bound up the stairs at bedtime and literally BOUNCE into the x-pen and lie down for his bedtime cookies. He would lie on his bed all night long and slept perfectly through the night. Then, back on January 7th, our village shut the water off to our block and when back on, I had to run the water in all the faucets for 5 minutes to get the air and crappy water that had backed up out and get the water running normally. I started with the upstairs guest bathroom sink and horrible air and water spurted out (loudly) and when I flushed the toilet it rumbled and thundered and literally rocked. After both started running ok, I looked downstairs and Rick was standing at the gate panting, clearly spooked. I waited a couple hours, then did the rest of the faucets in the house. He seemed to be ok since it wasn’t as bad or as loud after the first ones I did. Anyway, that night he came up just fine, went in his x-pen and slept happy all night. The next morning, I went to take my shower (he was in the x-pen right outside) and when I turned on the shower faucet that horrible air/water sound happened because I had FORGOTTEN to run this one with the others – I looked out at Rick and he was clearly spooked and panting again. I showered quickly and he was lying quietly on his bed when I came out. That night, he was a little reluctant to come up the stairs and go in his x-pen at bedtime but did but started panting right away and lied down on the rug next to his bed instead of on his bed. He panted about 5 minutes then was fine all night, lying on the bed most of the night. Bruce showered the next morning and he clearly was not happy with the shower running. We showered one more time each after that in the morning (with him there) but have since switched to doing it at night with him in the living room with the TV volume up and all the doors closed so he couldn’t hear the shower (this for the last 2 weeks now) hoping if he didn’t hear it for a while he’d forget about it. Since the 8th, it’s become increasingly harder to get him to come up the stairs and as soon as he’s in the room he starts panting, doesn’t want to go in his x-pen and just wants to get out of the room (we’ve been giving super-high value treats the past week hoping that would make him feel better about being there). He has been distressed and panting in his x-pen for longer and longer before finally settling down some (Saturday night it was over an hour) and won’t lie on his bed, just on the floor. Yesterday, we decided to let him have run of the bedroom (thinking the x-pen or old bed was the problem) and put a different bed in the corner by Bruce where Larry used to sleep. We had him come up (during the daytime) to check it out - he bounded up the stairs happily and romped around the bedroom, not at all scared or stressed like he has been at bedtime. But when we went to go to bed last night, Bruce had to leash him to even get him up the stairs. He started pacing and panting that super-panicked fast panting (way worse than he had before), CLEARLY very distressed (he had the run of the room). We tried to wait it out but after 20 minutes he wasn’t better and I was afraid he’d have a stroke or something so he ended up sleeping downstairs with Bruce. Does anyone have ANY suggestions or advice on what we can do to either figure out what the heck is going on with him and how to desensitize him to being in the room? We really want him to sleep with us (so we know he’s ok, and also so he can let us know if he has to go potty) and are at our wit’s end. This is killing me to see him so distressed and unhappy at night. We don’t know what to try or do at this point. Thanks in advance for reading all of this and for any help.

maybe we can come with Rick, our 1st time ever! can anyone tell me what it's like? (like where [i.e. right in Gettysburg or? what goes on?) thanks!

thank you, Ducky it's still so hard to see both my boyz Larry and Zeke on the Remembrance threads but I know they are with good company with so many other loved angel hounds. sending hugs to all that also have lost a loved one. There were many days after they were gone I didn't know if I'd see the next day I absolutely know Larry and Zeke sent our baby black bear Rick to help heal our hearts He has saved both Bruce and I.

Mine always wear their collars (with dangling name tags, I need to look into the slide ones) when we are home with them unless we are gone and they are being kenneled (or when Rick's in the big x-pen at night). I wouldn't want them nekkid because one I think you should have something to grab onto if needed and two, if they were EVER to get out I would absolutely want them to have their ID's on.

oh no I am SO very sorry she has fought so hard her entire life sending you and her so many hugs and prayers. I'm so glad she was able to spend her final years knowing your love

congrats! The blue ones are definitely "special" most times He's lovely. Good luck on the collar!

Happy 9th Birfday!

congrats and THANK YOU for helping so many pups in need!

glad Spirit is doing better! please ask your vet about Amantadine. Most vets (including mine who has had greyhounds) had never used it. In 2 days Larry went from being immobile to being much better (we in fact had scheduled his farewell for that Saturday, started the Amantadine Tuesday and by Thursday night was much better). The amantadine works by amping up the other meds (the Gaba and for Larry, meloxicam -- not sure about Rimadyl). It's expensive but we got it at Walgreen's using GoodRx. It DID make Larry vomit a LOT (he got it right after breakfast and dinner) but we just let him eat everything back up so he got the meds back in him. Larry was a big boy at about 88# and got 100mg 2 x day (100mg each time). just a thought. I really feel for you.

we gave Larry Body Sore (Jing Tang herbal), available only via your vet and it's not cheap, about $65 for 100 pills and he was getting 4 a day. I don't know if it impacts the kidneys at all though. I thought it was mostly hoo hoo until I had to take him off of it prior to a dental in 2019 and there was a definite decline when off of it so I really think it did work. He also was on Meloxicam, Gabapentin, Tramadol and then amantadine (the last one for the last 5 months, it works by amping up the the meloxicam and Gaba) but don't think your pup can use any of those. I know how tough it is. Hope you can find something that works.

I'm so sorry your special and loving boy is gone he was truly a good boy and was loved by so many and will be missed. sending you many hugs.

he was very, very handsome. I'm so sorry your boy had to leave you

having been down this road myself this past August, I can feel your pain. Our Larry was on 500mg Gabapentin 3 x day, 100 mg Tramadol 3 x day (which some vets now thing doesn't really do anything for canines but?), 3.75mg Meloxicam 1 x day, a Chinese herb called Sore Body (or Body Sore) 2 x day -- but in February his back end really went out and we tried one last med -- Amantadine. It took a couple days to start working but it turned him around. We got almost 5.5 more months with him (he turned 13 in Feb). It's $$ and made him vomit a LOT but gave us more time, and good quality time. The amantadine boosts the Gaba and Meloxicam effects (I would recommend putting yours on the same if possible). in the end, his back out went out on August 2nd and while not as full out (yet) as in Feb, we let him go that afternoon also thinking a day too early was better than a day too late. sending tons of hugs to you

I remember! wow, 9 years???? Such a great story and such wonderful memories and puppers