Graciehound

Oh June, My heart is breaking for you right now. You are going through a very difficult time having to make that decision for Penny, but it's the final gift of love you can give to a pet. Please take comfort in the fact that she knew she was very, VERY loved. You did everything you could for her, and sometimes it's just their time, despite our efforts to keep them with us. I'm so sorry. Gentle hugs to you.

Greyt update from last night. A stuffy squeaking? That's AWESOME!!!! Hoping she had an uneventful night again last night. Looking forward to another Positive Penny Pupdate today! Yes, I admit I'm a Penny-Thread-Stalker!

Three cheers for a good day. Let's keep it going with a greyt night, Ms. Penny! Keep eating for your momma, and no more puking up blood, please. Or else I'll have to come give you a lecture! Hang in there, June. Remember to take care of yourself, too. Penny needs YOU to be healthy to help HER get healthy.

Yeah! Glad to hear that Penny kept the food down all night. I hope you were able to get a decent night's sleep. I'm not sure if this would work with Penny's condition, but maybe the vet can give her Xanax (or another anti-anxiety med) to help alleviate any anxiety of being at the vets office for the day. Gracie and I have been on a rollercoaster for 4 weeks now (doing MUCH better now) and she was a mess when she HAD to be hospitalized. She even was a mess when she came home because she was immobile. Once we got some alprazolam on board, she's been so much better. I look forward to more POSITIVE PENNY PUPDATES! (Positive thinking on board here )

Sending more prayers for Penny and gentle hugs for you.

Hi from just north of you, in Waunakee! We use Frontline Plus for flea/tick and only apply it every three months. Gracie isn't out in the yard this summer (long story) and she doesn't frequent areas for ticks, so we only treat for fleas. I've been told time and time again that Frontline Plus is good for 3 months for fleas but only one month for ticks. We haven't had a flea problem yet. **knocking on wood** For heartworm we use Interceptor, which I buy from KV Vet.

Chanting here as well. Saying prayers for Elsie and for you, too. Keep us posted on how the visit goes on Saturday.

Glad you found your way to Greytalk! Welcome from Waunakee, WI (just north of Madison)

I know it's early (at least here in WI) but I'm checking in for a Penny update as well. Hoping to hear GOOD news of a peaceful night for both of you.

I'll enjoy one here in Wisconsin in celebration that she is home with you tonight. May you have a peaceful night and may her meds help her feel better quickly.

I'm glad to hear that Penny made it though the day and that you have a plan of treatment. Still sending prayers for her (and for you, too!) Sounds like it is time for the two of you to curl up on the couch under a nice blanket and have an adult beverage (for you, not her ). Take care, and keep us posted on how she is doing.

Here's a website I found that might be helpful for finding an oncologist: http://www.petcancercenter.org/Veterinary_...ists_US_p1.html

Any news? I'm starting to get worried that we haven't seen an update post. Still sending out prayers, loud and often, for you and Penny.

Sending prayers for Penny. I've been following her story, but haven't been posting. Please keep us posted on how she is doing. Gentle hugs to you at this scary time!

Well, it has been about 3 1/2 weeks since Gracie's stroke. She's been home from the hospital for just over 2 weeks, and we have a totally different dog than the one we brought home. Different in a good way! Gracie is now much more stable on her feet. She is able to stand up and lay down without too much trouble. She is able to walk pretty well. She still drags her rear left leg, so much that she has worn down a toenail to the quick already. We're using a boot on her foot when we go out for walks off of the grass. We started walking to the corner and back earlier this week. Now she is able to make it almost all of the way around the block. Gracie has started to trot or prance when given the opportunity. Her gait is actually much better when she is in that trot mode. Matt took her out this afternoon and she actually tried to run. Go, Gracie, go! We had our re-check with Neurology at UWVMTH yesterday. Everyone, especially Dr. Pettigrew, was astounded to see how she is doing. The look on his face was priceless when he came out to the waiting room to see us. Her neurology exam went well. Aside from her rear left leg dragging, the only other major deficit she has is the loss of vision in her left eye. Dr. Pettigrew continues to question if she truly has a seizure disorder. Her previous two episodes did not match a description of a typical seizure. Yes, she did actually have a grand mal at the ER vet, but he believes it was because of the hyperthermia. Her body temp was at a fatal level when she was admitted. He thinks the behavior I was seeing that led me to get her to the ER was actually the beginning of the stroke. She does have hypertension which he believes was the cause of the stroke. Our plan right now is to phase her off of the phenobarbital, increase her blood pressure meds, and add a second blood pressure med. She is also on an anti-anxiety med that has done WONDERS for her! She has always been on the anxious/nervous side, especially with noises. This year she laid next to an open window while our neighbors were playing with pyrotechnics. A couple of new accomplishments: - Gracie has shown interest in getting back up on the couch. I lifted her up and she roached. She has been getting up and down from the couch on her own now. - Gracie wants to go up and down the stairs. I've helped her walk up and down a couple of times already. - She is able to navigate the two steps up to the deck and the one step into the house. - Gracie is able to sit for a treat. I tried just the other day to see what her reaction was, and she surprised me that she sat for the treat! We found out on Wednesday that Dr. Pettigrew is leaving UWVMTH to go to California. I'm sad to see him go, as I believe the constant encouragement from him was what helped us to move forward with Gracie. Without his comments that he felt it was a recoverable, it would have been hard for us to see her through the rough times at the beginning. We are sad to see him go, but wish him much happiness and success in the new chapter of his life. Here are the obligatory pictures: This is shortly after Gracie got home from the hospital. She was unable to move to get comfortable, and we found propping her bed with pillows and then her head with another pillow helped her feel better. This is the first post-stroke roach Gracie was able to do. She slept like that for at least an hour. This is the first day Gracie was able to stand on her own, without us for balance. That same day she took 2-3 steps. We brought out the bag of treats and made her keep walking to us for treats. Gracie's former foster mom, Danette, came to visit Gracie. Gracie really enjoyed the extra loving she got that day! Gracie was trotting/prancing around the yard. She looks funny here, but she's moving! Gracie is enjoying being able to move and stretch her legs. This is the last day she was off leash as she started to get too mobile to be without leash or fence. New fence is getting ordered this weekend, I hope! Love it when she stands like this, just as if she is posing for the camera. Gracie was laying on only part of the bolster of her bed. Her butt and head were on the floor, and just part of her chest was on the bed. Silly girl. Travis, the treat dispensing machine. He loves to give cookies to Gracie. And she is so gentle with taking them from him. Gracie looked like she wanted to get up on the couch, so I helped her up. She instantly roached and went to sleep. Silly girl. Gracie and her neurologist, Dr. Pettigrew. She looks nervous because she doesn't like the tiled floor. Just after this picture was taken she put her ears up and looked all cute. Oh well, timing isn't everything!

Hey Kim - thanks for asking about Ms Gracie Ella Hound Dog! She can't wait to see you at the Gala in September. Gracie has started to 'prance' in the yard. When both Matt and I are outside with her, she will trot from one of us to the other. She is able to move much better when she moves faster than when she is moving slowly. She is able to correct her feet and her gait is more normal. She hasn't needed the harness in a couple of days. The last two days we took her for a ride in the car to give her a change of scenery. On Friday I asked her if she wanted to go for a car ride and I thought she was going to jump 6 feet in the air! She started bouncing and tail wagging, and she was smiling ear to ear! She definitely still has a long way to go for her recovery, but she is working very hard. She bumps into things and falls over when trying to lay down, but I'm sure her muscles are sore and she's still adjusting to not having vision in her left eye. Some of this may go away in time, and some may not. I'm glad we were able to persevere with her and see what a fighter she really is. I feel confident that she is enjoying a good quality of life, even if it isn't what she had before. I have some new pictures of her that I need to post. Someday I'll get them off the memory card and post them. When I have a spare moment or two... Gracie's former foster mom is coming to visit her today. I'm sure Gracie will pull out all the stops to impress Danette this morning!

Yes, Benadryl is safe for greys. Just last week my vet said Gracie (about 60#) could take 2 pills 3x a day. Make sure you have regular benadryl, not time release, or benadryl-D - just pain benadryl. Some pups get sleepy from it, some don't. Hope it helps your guy!

For those of you who haven't followed Gracie's story, here is the thread of her story that started just over two weeks ago: Gracie's Scary Story Yet ANOTHER update: This morning Gracie stood up on her bed and tried to rearrange how she was laying. She is a dog who likes to readjust often. When we were outside, Matt let go of her, and she walked like she was on a mission. Then she squatted and peed - unassisted! After getting up from her squat, she walked (on a mission again) to the back corner of the yard, also known as her poop corner. You guessed it, she went back there and pooped, also unassisted! After a minute of rest, she walked (wobbled) back to the back of the house to go back inside. She was walking 10-15 steps at a time before she would stop to rebalance. This girl is amazing. Consider that just 2 days ago we were discussing her quality of life and discussing "that" hard decision, she sure has proved us wrong. She is a fighter and wants so badly to be walking again. Guess we better get moving on getting our new fence up soon! Big thanks to everyone for the support and encouragement as we live this roller coaster. I'm hoping she will be doing well enough to be on all four paws for this years GPA-WI Gala. I'm sure she would love to give hugs and snuggles to each and every one of you for believing in her. Anyone who wants to come support GPA-WI and meet the famous Princess Gracie is more than welcome to come! By the way, I made sure to bring her "BELIEVE" collar with when we picked her up from the hospital last week. I put it on her neck and told her that I believe in her and that I believe she can do it. Seeing that collar on her every day has reminded me that she needs me to believe in her.

I would, but I don't know how. I think next time I have an update I'll start a new thread for Gracie's progress. The pup is tired today. Can't blame her. Learning to walk again is hard work!

Yet another Gracie update: After a long and depressing day yesterday, I asked Matt to sit with Gracie this morning. He said she seemed depressed. We decided to take Gracie outside for a potty break. She actually was able to stand up on her own, and just needed help once she got standing. We've been working on her balance when she is just standing. Once we were outside, I decided to test her balance and took my hands off of her for a moment. She stood unassisted! She continued to stand and correct her balance. Then, she lifted a foot! By the end of our session outside, she was taking 2-3 steps to get to the treat. She would stand, balance again, then take a few more steps. I know that we may have setbacks, but I am so excited. GO GRACIE, GO!

Shoot! I just posted a long update and lost it. Here goes again... Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. It's been crazy here. The biggest issue we are struggling with is managing Gracie's anxiety. With having hypertension and recently being hyperthermic, we don't want her to get too worked up. However, we don't want to drug her into oblivion every day, either. I want to believe that Gracie can recover physically (at least to a reasonable facsimile of pre-stroke Gracie) but I'm concerned about her behavior/anxiety. I don't want her to stress out so much that she has more seizures or another stroke. I understand that a lot of it may be from her inability to move as she wants, but I know that the stroke can also cause behavior changes. I also get concerned about her stress with my toddler. We always monitor the two of them when they are together. In the past, if she was done with being around him, she would just walk over to the baby gate and we would let her outside of the room. Now she can't do that. Since she came home, she is baby gated in the library adjacent to our family room. We can see her and she can see us, but Travis is kept at a distance from her to prevent more stress. Gracie has never shown any aggression in the past, but it is just a concern in the back of my mind. Gracie has also been struggling with bowel movements. (Doesn't every greyhound conversation come back to the poop? ) Since the second day she was home, her poop has been back to its normal solid, small state. If Gracie doesn't poop after dinner, she is uncomfortable all evening and all night long. She get anxious and whines all night. She doesn't sleep, which means I don't. I've been adding pumpkin to her meals to help with added fiber. Today I added a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil as well. I think tomorrow I'll add a little bit of another variety of food. We went through many different brands and varieties when Canidae changed their formula. We finally landed on California Natural Lamb and Rice as the perfect food for her. I know I still have a small amount of some other foods that I can mix in to help 'loosen' the poop. I don't want her to have diarrhea, but I don't want her to be so firm that she can't poop. I'm frustrated with the vet hospital. I spoke with them over the weekend regarding Gracie's anxiety. I was supposed to hear from a neurologist on Monday to make a plan to manage Gracie's anxiety. The vet who had overseen Gracie while in the hospital is on vacation now, so I'm not sure who I'm waiting to hear from. Monday came and went and I didn't get a call. Yesterday was overall a good day, so I wasn't as concerned. Today was a not-so-good day, so I called again. I was told I'd get a call back today. No call. I think I'll call our regular vet tomorrow. I'm hoping that he will be willing to give suggestions. Let's see... other updates. Gracie has a minor UTI. She's on Clavamox and I think it's helping already. She doesn't seem to have the urgency/frequency that she did over the weekend. Gracie surprised me twice yesterday. She lifted her rear leg to scratch to get the cotton out of her ears. That was the FIRST time I've seen controlled movement of her rear legs. Shortly after that, she roached in her bed and slept that way for about an hour. She had a very controlled movement while rolling into the roach. It was nice to see that back! My husband and I have had a rough time between the two of us with everything going on. I don't think he was prepared for the amount of time and care that Gracie would require. I think he foresees the rest of our life revolving around Gracie. I'm hoping he will open his eyes to the progress she has made in the last two weeks an realize that we are going through the hardest part right now. I'm still not sure how I'm going to manage taking care of Travis and Gracie when he goes back to work on Saturday night. Guess I'll find a way! Can you believe that this roller coaster of a ride began two weeks ago tonight? Wow! It's been a ride, and not a fun one!

Gracie came home on Thursday afternoon. It's been a rough couple of days. I was prepared for all of the assistance she would need, but I wasn't prepared for the level of anxiety she is showing. We needed to give her a sedative yesterday afternoon, and it completely knocked her out. We gave her half of that dose about an hour ago, and it looks like it is finally starting to kick in. My heart is breaking, and I honestly don't know how to do this. I feel like I am falling apart. Between not having a good night's sleep in almost 2 weeks, and having over 12 pounds in the last week or so, I feel completely depleted. I can't eat, I can't sleep, my nerves are shot. My son has been very patient - he took a 4 hour nap yesterday afternoon. My parents are here through this afternoon. By then my husband will be awake. He doesn't work until next Saturday, so hopefully the two of us can handle getting in a routine over the next couple of days. Please continue to keep Gracie in your thoughts and prayers. I need her to continue to improve and show me that she is willing to fight the good fight.

Gracie update: 06/24 ~ 9 AM What a rollercoaster. I left Gracie yesterday with a very heavy heart. The neurologist said that she may not walk for weeks since she hit this plateau. He agreed that even though it is more than we were prepared for, it will be good for her to come home. We wanted her to be somewhat ambulatory since I will be caring for her and Travis by myself most of the time when Matt has a stretch of working days. (He works 7p-7a, comes home and sleeps until about 5, eats dinner and is gone at 6.) Our plan is to bring Gracie home tomorrow afternoon. The Vet student working with Gracie, Kelley, called this morning with exciting news! Gracie stood her her crate shortly after I left yesterday. She did it again this morning. Keep in mind that she is not standing without support - she was leaning against the back of the cage. However, she was able to push herself up on her own, both times! This morning when they had her out and standing she lifted her front left paw. They believe it was a purposeful, controlled movement, as if she was trying to walk. I understand we still have a long road ahead. I know I am going to still have lots of ups and downs. But after yesterday, this is such great news. I just had to share. Plus, my girlie gets to come home tomorrow afternoon.

Please continue to say prayers for my little girl. She seems to have hit a plateau. I'm hoping that getting her home will give her more desire to try to stand and walk. Just so bummed right now. And scared that she might not walk.

Monitor her temperature. If it seems to be going up, get her to the e-vet. A high temp can be dangerous. With our pups muscle mass, they can build up heat when seizing.