GreytNut

She was very lucky to have had you.

Tiny was the most colorful dog I ever knew. He lived through being mauled by his mother as a puppy and was the only survivor from his litter. He was bounced from his first home and did time in the prison dog program. The inmates adored him and showed it by stuffing him full of bread. When he first came home he was grotesquely obese (around 130 lbs.) and gasped for air just walking to the car. He would snatch food from my plate and had space aggression. Raven was terrified of him. He would nit--hard--in his excitement, so much so that he frightened people. But he loved to please and wanted to be a part of the family. He lost weight and got fit after a tough-love program of limited rations and being chased around the yard. At his peak he was a fit 94 lbs. (Tiny was not tiny at all). He learned to lie down and wait for his meals. He learned that Raven was his friend and a great snuggle buddy. He learned that it was OK to be happy to see people, but not OK to hurt tender human skin. His tail was always wagging. He turned into a fantastic dog. In fact, he achieved perfection and maybe that's why he had to go. Stupid osteosarcoma. His most prized possession was his basketball. He loved to "dribble" it around the yard with his paws. After he bit it too hard and punctured it, he loved it even more because he could pick up the partially-deflated ball and carry it. About a month after he came home... still on a weight-loss program and panting after a workout in the yard. Looking good! He was sweet and silly. He stole strawberries right off the plant, plucking them as they reached the peak of ripeness. For the longest time I wondered where they were going. He loved zoomies.

Tiny is gone. It wasn't the peaceful passing I had expected. He shrieked when the vet gave the shot. That made everything worse. Fortunately it was very quick.

Please think good thoughts for Tiny at 4:15 today (mountain time). We just had a going away party for him. Some friends came over and stuffed him full of bread and cookies and showered him with attention. He never has lost his appetite the way Argus did and so many others do. He just can't make the slightest movement without pain. Lying immobile on the couch afraid to even twitch a muscle is IMO not good quality of life, and I can't give him any more meds. I am terribly worried that Riley will smash into him as he is very prone to doing and break Tiny's shoulder, which would be catastrophic. Deciding "when" is the hardest part. It's an easier choice when a dog is lying unconscious with a broken back or its guts hanging out. It's harder when it's something insidious like osteosarcoma. Do you pull the plug on a dog who still enjoys bread slices? Do you wait until there's nothing left?

I've been using the Rescue Remedy pet formula for Riley's separation anxiety but the jury's still out on its effectiveness. I might not be using enough (6 drops on a cookie) and he might also be improving on his own.

Dude and Lucy sound like they're kicking osteo's butt. Upping the Gabapentin (actually I pushed it to 400 mg 3x daily) has greatly helped Tiny. He still is in a lot of pain, but at least he's not crying every time he moves. He is able to deal with it and move around when he has to. He is even sometimes getting off the couch on his own. I have to chase Riley away from him, because Riley seems to like swinging his newfound authority around by shoving Tiny aside whenever treats are being doled out. Tiny falls over at a butterfly's touch, so this is unacceptable. Riley now has to lie down outside of the kitchen and wait until everyone else gets their treats, much to his annoyance. If he moves, he gets nothing. He's a smart boy and he figured out the new rules right away. Tiny gets the first section of his bread loaf tonight.

I see a lot of stopping and going in circles in our future. He is going to think I'm absolutely insane.

I'm so sorry. Is he maxed out on pain meds? You could try a Fentanyl patch if he is. It can take a little time for it to kick in, but it might help him be comfortable for a few more days if you're not quite ready to let him go. I think he's maxed out on Tramadol at 300 mg 2x daily and Rimadyl at 100 mg 2x daily. The vet increased his Gabapentin to 100 mg 3x daily and said no more, but looking online I think he can go up as high as 300 mg 3x daily. Does that sound right? If we can increase the Gabapentin that should help a lot. I'm not worried about running out of meds and having to beg for refills now, I'm just throwing pills at him. He is going to get his very own loaf of bread, which he does not have to share with anyone. He has an appointment for Saturday afternoon.

The Riley situation is under control now, but Tiny is doing very poorly. The lump on his shoulder is quite pronounced. He is in a lot of pain now and doesn't even get off the couch to pee unless I force him to. He cries with each step down the stairs. He still enjoys treats but I have to bring them to him. He won't get up for them. Same thing with meals. He'll clean his bowl, but he can't stand up long enough to eat it so it has to come to him. I think he will be leaving us in the next few days.

I've been truly spoiled in that all of my hounds have been great on a leash. Tiny even came preprogrammed with the "Heel" command. He's a pleasure to walk. He never tugs on the leash and I always know right where he is. Riley... not so much. He tugs until I think his head is going to snap off and he is always running ahead, dragging me along behind him like a water skier. So this begs the question: What is the best way to teach my ornery young pup to heel?

Where would one find digestive enzymes?

Riley attacked Tiny. He sees Tiny's weakness now, and sees his opportunity to seize the alpha position. When Riley first came home Tiny was still able to put him in his place and I thought that would be the end of it. Now that he's going downhill, he doesn't scare Riley anymore. Everyone was enjoying chew treats. Riley decided to grab Tiny's treat. Tiny growled and snapped at him. Riley tore into him. I was there in seconds to break it up and Riley turned and ran as soon as he saw the look on my face (must've had snakes coming out of my hair) but in just those few seconds he managed to put some pretty big gashes into my old man. Tiny is going to be OK, surprisingly without stitches, but I'm sure the gashes hurt and he's more afraid than anything. He's aware that he's no longer the alpha, and that must sting. He cried all night, but by this morning he seemed to be feeling better and in a better frame of mind. He keeps his distance from Riley, and Riley ignores him. Everyone is in turnout muzzles now. I am working with a behaviorist to resolve this so that everyone can be safe. I feel sick. This is not how my sweet old man was supposed to spend the last few months of his life.

New guy Riley eats 4 cups a day. He's smaller than Tiny at around 70 lbs. but has so much nervous energy that he needs the extra food.

I feed Taste of the Wild, which is a grain-free kibble. Raven is allergic to wheat, and I didn't like the look of the dogs' coats and general condition when I fed them foods with other grains such as corn, rice, oats and millet. We went through a number of them. I tried TOTW just for kicks. It wasn't any more expensive than what I was already feeding. What a difference! Their coats are soft and shiny, their body condition is great and they love it. FWIW, I noticed a similar difference in my general condition when I followed their lead and went grain-free too.

There are myriad other things it could be besides osteo. An x-ray will help you narrow the field. For both of my osteo boys it started with a limp and minor swelling. The limp came and went, but it came more often and got more pronounced as time went by. I don't know if this is coincidence or not... I noticed with both boys that their noses became very dry shortly before they were diagnosed with osteo. Might be entirely unrelated, but I wonder if anyone else noticed that with their osteo hounds?

I did complain to Diamond when I got a rancid bag of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul. They sent me a coupon for a free bag and asked for a sample of the food so they could test it to make sure it wasn't contaminated with some creeping crud which might necessitate a recall (it wasn't... the bag must've been damaged and the food was stale). If you don't complain, how do the manufacturers know that something is wrong? But yes, compliments are also a good thing, and it always pays to be polite. You catch more flies with honey, as the saying goes.

My hounds have done fabulously well on Taste of the Wild. We alternate between High Prairie (buffalo and venison) and Pacific Stream (fish). I wasn't as impressed with the Wetlands (waterfowl) formula. They enjoy TOTW, their body/coat condition is great and my girl with wheat allergies doesn't projectile vomit. It is relatively inexpensive compared to Orijen. For treats I give Natural Balance Limited Ingredient biscuits (they're really enjoying the sweet potato and fish) or Zuke's Hip Action Beef soft chews.

I wish I hadn't sold the x-pen, thinking it wasn't needed anymore. Oops. That might be the only way to keep him from the window, though Riley is a determined soul and might simply push it over. When we close on the house I am going to try to work in financing for a 6-foot privacy fence that he can't see through. I could put a tarp over the fence, but it's short enough that he can stand on his hind legs and see over. Mr. Riley has some SA, too. I should buy stock in Rescue Remedy. He's way better than he was when I first brought him home (we've been working on alone training) but he still has moments where he decides to howl to express his displeasure when I go downstairs to work. He has learned that if he stands in the garage to howl, his voice echoes off the cement floor and he can be heard from outer space.

Wow, Dude looks awesome. Tiny's leg is puffing up. He is still tenaciously hanging in there, though. I can tell when he feels good and when he's doing poorly. His eyes are bright and round when he's OK, and they get squinty and watery when he's in pain. If he was human you would say he was crying, and maybe that's what it is. Yesterday some neighbors came over to see the hounds while they were in the yard (greyhounds are an oddity in rural South Dakota and people come just to gawk at them). He hopped over to his basketball, brought it back and proudly showed it off. It's his favorite possession. He can't play with it anymore, but he can still carry it around and present it for everyone to admire.

Good news: Riley is one of those rare greyhounds who believes that his job is to defend his house. He is quite vigilant, actually. Bad news: He barks. At everything. He's almost like... a normal dog. Riley spends a good deal of his day at the living room window, pushing the cutains aside to scan the street for potential threats. When a "threat" is spotted, such as a couple walking their dog, a deer passing by--pretty much anything qualifies--he barks his head off. When the threat does not immediately vanish, he rushes out the dog door to the run and barks at the threat at the top of his lungs, which are quite impressive. Even after the threat has left, he barks after it just to be sure it doesn't come back. I love the dog dearly. I appreciate his efforts to defend us. But not at 1 am. And then again at 4 am. And then again at 6 am. (He also missed the memo that greyhounds sleep all the time.) I don't think the neighbors appreciate it either, though Riley is not the only and certainly not the worst offender in the neighborhood and I always stop him before he goes on too long unless I'm not home to intervene. Any ideas? Or should I just learn to live with it? I can't really block off access to the window. It reaches almost to the floor so it's not like I can just shove furniture under it. It's in the room where the hounds spend most of their day. The dog door needs to stay open for the old guys, who can't hold it.

Raven is on levothyroxine and could put it to good use if you still have it.

This. So sorry.............................. Adding my sympathies. It's terrible to say goodbye to a pet you've had for so very long.

Wow, everyone seems to be doing very well. Charlie is amazing. Lucy sounds like she's finally getting her "old self" back, and so does Dude. I'm always sorry to see a new hound in this thread, though. The hardest part of this with Tiny is that I never know what to expect from day to day. When Argus had osteo (he was only 7) it was a very aggressive form that took him out in 2 weeks. Each day was worse than the last. Tiny is tenaciously hanging in there. Some days he seems almost like himself, and some days I wonder if it's time to let him go. He seems to be having more bad days than good now. His leg is really starting to swell. From time to time he experiences breakthrough pain and cries until it passes. But yet he's still eating, still wants treats and still wants to snuggle with me. I'm letting him share my dinner and clean the plate, which I never, ever would have done before (and the other dogs aren't allowed). Years of training him not to beg or steal food, all undone within a few days. He loves it. I think when he stops enjoying food it will be time. For those who have hounds around 70ish pounds and are giving Rimadyl, Gabapentin and Tramadol, how much are you giving? The vet and I are really butting heads about how much to give, and I'm giving more than he prescribed. The problem is that this means I run out of meds faster and have to go back to him for another prescription refill... thus making it obvious that I am giving more than instructed. He says if I need to give him more meds to keep him comfortable, it's time to think about quality of life. I say if more meds will keep him comfortable, why be stingy? I'm not worried about long-term effects on his vital organs, which I think might be the vet's concern. Tiny won't live long enough for it to matter. I just want him to enjoy his time.

She's adorable! Was her kennel name Speckles? I ask because we just adopted our new guy Riley from FORG and I remember seeing a very similar-looking cutie named Speckles up for adoption at the same time. Congratulations.

Tiny is having a better day today. He's still not quite himself, but his eyes are bright and he's happily accepting treats. He let that young whippersnapper Riley know in no uncertain terms that he is still the alpha of this pack. Here's hoping for more good days....