A Special Needs Survey

[Xan]

Y'know, even though Wabi is pretty goofed up, reading these descriptions confirms to me that (at least so far, at age 4.5), she's NOT special needs!

 

Now, Pogo, on the other hand, my busy boy .... !

[Guest Pipi5]

I only have 1 special needs now, Gabby. She has epilepsy.

[dante2zoe]

When we got Dante, we didn't realize that he had IBD and need to be on a raw food diet. He came to us straight from the track. Zoe, on the other hand, was a bounce for space and fear aggression, a dislike for all other dogs, greys included, a broken hock, a burned down kennel, being bounced from facility to facility before being placed . . . Took 2 years but we love her to death. Our whippet, we intentionally got as being a special-needs dog. He was 11 years old, had cancer, a head injury (his tongue is paralyzed on one side - you should see his ETS), hit by a car, separation anxiety, claustrophobia and other things that I cannot recall at this time. After 7 months and a daily prozac, he is wonderful. However, he is now sundowning, so we need to be home before dusk or I am cleaning carpets for a while! Would I trade any of them? Not on your life!

[Guest WhippetsOwnMe]

Glad there were multiple choices allowed. I have adopted (or taken in, rehabilitated, then rehomed) young, healthy, normal dogs (such as my current Grey), sickly dogs, old old OLD dogs, and dogs with severe behavior issues.

 

I have never had a dog go from healthy and fine to special needs, except illnesses that quite quickly took the dog's life, but nothing ever long term special needs. Spare seniors, all my special needs adopted dogs were able to be rehabilitated. I don't consider blind or deaf special needs really, with some training and so forth most can lead very normal lives, with just a few restrictions (ie no off leash play for a deaf dog, though I know some with collars that vibrate on a remote control so they can be allowed to run off leash and their owners can still "call" them even if the dog is facing the other way).

[greysmom]

Our Bridge girl Libby had idiopathic seizures when we adopted her. Our group made it very clear in the beginning that she would be dealing with it for life. I gather this was an issue with many adopters who were interested in her, but it wasn't for us. Her seizures weren't as bad as many other greys I've read about here and we just dealt with them. She was perfectly normal 99.95% of the time.

 

Dude came to us on thyroid meds. We are currently in the process of a 6 week trial off them to see if he really needs it or not.

 

Copper - aside from knowing only Spanish when he came to us - is incredibly normal. No issues at all unless you count a penchant for playing with toys constantly.

 

Cash is a spook, and will likely have some issues for life.

 

So, in general, I would say that special needs are no barrier to adoption in our house! We have actually talked about this (the DH and me), and we both are really clear that there is no reason we can think of - medical, physical, emotional, behavioral, financial - to return/bounce a dog that we've adopted.

 

greysmom

[Guest LindsaySF]

Teagan has space and sleep aggression. I did not know this when I adopted him.

 

Cody has Diabetes Insipidus. I knew something was wrong when I met him at the shelter where I was volunteering (drank lots of water and peed a lot), I just didn't know what it was at first. He needs 2x daily meds for life. He also has serious fear aggression, and has bitten me more than once. I knew he had fear issues when I adopted him, but he was never that aggressive at the shelter.

 

Aidan and Clancy have some behavioral quirks. Clancy is very food and resource aggressive with other animals, both dogs and cats. Aidan has some dog-reactivity issues. I did not know about these at adoption, but because pit bulls are known for dog aggression, I was not that surprised when I saw the behavior.

Edited August 26, 2008 by LindsaySF

[Remolacha]

I kind of messed up the poll, since I didn't read that it was multiple choice before I hit submit

Sugar had arthritis which became bad enough to qualify for special needs, but what really counted, I think, was her heart condition. I didn't mark anything for that. Both developed as she aged.

Fletcher has IBD, but I don't consider that a "special need" since we manage it with diet, and he looks and acts healthy.

[Guest ejw]

Yes, my dog was healthy but has developed special needs over time.

No, I adopted my dog as a special needs dog but he has since overcome the issue.

Yes, I adopted my dog as a special needs dog.

Other (please explain)

 

What classifies your dog as a Special Needs dog?

 

 

Lifetime Medication Scooter is diabetic and has a heart murmur: on insulin, but her murmur has not progressed. Also has a BB in her liver which causes problems if I don't watch her diet

 

Extreme Behavioral Issues: Tansi was a spook; continues to improve with every new experience.

Other (please explain): Jamaica has cancer

 

Did special needs issues arise with age?

Yes : Scooter and Jamaica

No : Tansi

 

 

 

[seeh2o]

Carl, my grey, developed Pannus in June, so it's a lifetime of medication.

 

Sheila, my non-grey Shiba Inu/Chow mix, developed SARDS 1.5 years ago and is now totally blind. No medication needed.

[tamborine]

Stephanie "might" become special needs in the future (or maybe some people might consider her special need now, who knows?). She has a facial deformity that resulted in an extra short, slightly bent snoot (she gets hot/out of breath easily), and her lips aren't fully formed on one side: the bottom teeth & her tongue are exposed. And as for her teeth, she has only a few sparse tiny nubs on top, so can't chew any hard bones. I don't know if this will lead to problems in the future (hope not!), but I'm prepared to deal with whatever may happen with her. So far, she's fine!

[vjgrey]

Gabe's vet has tentatively diagnosed him with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, which is thought to be similar to the same disorder in people - he sometimes becomes very aggressive in his sleep (though in a way completely different from normal sleep aggression). I say tentatively because we haven't been willing to spend the $2,000-$3,000 for the brain scans it would take to confirm the diagnosis, especially since it can't really be treated with medication. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to manage environmentally - he sleeps muzzled or in his crate and isn't allowed to nap near people or dogs. Problem solved.

 

It's more than we bargained for when we adopted him, but, as special needs go, we're pretty lucky, I think.

Edited August 26, 2008 by vjgrey

[krissn333]

Ace - adopted her when she was 2 years old, she is now 7 and has developed a thyroid issue (it's been about two and a half years now). Diagnosed because I suspect she had a couple of petit mal seizures late at night. Her thyroid was low and an area of her neck was out of whack...so she takes thyroid medication and gets a chiropractic adjustment every few months.

 

Fritz - fine and healthy. He's also 7 years old. His only problem is that he sheds like a madman, and seems to have a love deficiency, as he throws himself at anyone that walks through the door, despite the fact that he sleeps with me every night and his the biggest baby in the world

 

Pinky - I adopted her knowing that she had lupus. She will likely be on an array of medications and supplements for the rest of her life. When she has a flare up, she loses toenails Mentally I think she is a little bit special needs as well...if she were a person I think she'd be an autistic savant or some other mild form of autism. She's VERY intelligent, and very friendly, but sometimes is uncomfortable and will panic if I reach for her too quickly or get a panicked tone to my voice (like when I'm trying to grab her before she steps in a pile of poop in the yard

 

Skimmie (IG) - he doesn't have any medical issues other than some of his tendons in his back legs don't seem to work right. Doesn't cause him any pain or discomfort, it just looks funny to us humans I adopted him knowing that he's displayed some OCD tendencies (also, the president of the adoption group was worried he would annoy my big kids too much ). He does have a little bit of food aggression with regard to SPECIAL things...with his regular meals he could care less. So, if the dogs are getting a rawhide or something, he just goes to his corner to chew it and I make sure that no one bothers him (no one else can fit back there except him and the cats).

 

Rose & Violet - I adopted them as kittens, knowing that they had ringworm that had to be treated. They're fine now of course.

[Guest LokisMom]

Cole supposedly used to have seizures but has not been on meds since we got him and has not had a seizure so I guess he could be special needs but we have seen no evidence of it.

 

I voted other as to whether they arose with age because I simply don't know. He came to us at 10 years old and I don't know if his special needs existed his entire life or if they came with age. I don't really consider him special needs since he hasn't displayed any seizure activity although we did adopt him as special needs.

[Guest ProudGreyMom]

Jake, Jake, Jake!! He was in bad condition when I met him and no one wanted to adopt him. Very skittish and terrified, covered with scars including bite marks on his neck. I fell in love at first site and we bonded immediately so I had to have him. His anxiety is so extreme that he takes meds and he also has kidney troubles. But he will be ten soon and has come sooooooooooooooooo far since we adopted him at 2 and a 1/2.

[Guest dwolfe711]

I checked "yes" in #1 and "other" in #2 - our 9yo Ellie has congenital megaesaphagus - we adopted her at age 7 after her first family chose to no longer deal with the problem. They had adopted her as a 3mo old puppy. The megaE was diagnosed we think around age 4 but she had problems caused by it from the time she was a puppy. We changed her diet and have had very few issues with it. She does "cough up" sometimes but rarely enough to be called "spitting up". We feed her ground up kibble (Evo chicken) with canned Innova regular and she gets yogurt or cottage cheese. She gets three smaller meals a day so that the food can move through the restriction into her stomach. She can actually handle hard treats because she knows she has to chew them well, but we try to give her softer treats that are easier for her to digest. She is a delight and we do not regret for one moment adopting her. We are lucky though as congenital megaE is much less debilitating for the pup than megaE caused by disease or other -

 

We've also had five seniors with cancer - one with hemangiosarcoma and four with osteo. None were candidates for amputation so we did no have to make that difficult decision.

 

Donna

[Guest Greensleeves]

According to your list, what dog *wouldn't* be "special needs?"

 

I don't consider a condition "special needs" unless you really do have to take real time and effort out of a normal schedule to accommodate the dog's health or behavioral problems. So, thyroid? Pffft. Not a bit.

 

Nelly came to us pregnant, with a broken pelvis, a collapsed lung, and allergies. She's suffered lifelong arthritis, which we've treated. But not until the last 47 days (diagnosis of kidney disease--special diet, 2x daily fluids, weekly vet appts, acupuncture, and more) would I have considered her "special needs."

 

Whistler had a gazillion minor health problems and never ate--but, again, nothing so severe I'd call them "special needs."

 

Flint comes closest, maybe, since he's suffered so much from his allergies, and at times I've gone months giving him daily medicated baths, etc. Plus we have meds daily, Flint's allergies determine what everyone in the house can eat, he has frequent ear problems, and I give him allergy shots. I guess he'd be hard to rehome b/c of all of that....

[Guest Heep]

I adopted Yvain as a 'special needs' seizure dog. He's hasn't had a single one since I got him. Everyone else is healthy (knock on wood...).

[Guest Dillymom]

I have a foster that is considered special needs but hopefully he'll get past that very soon. He went into liver failure after being neutered and nearly died. He has been on prescription diet and needs his bloodwork checked every couple of months and I need to keep an eye on his urine color. We're in the process of trying him out on a high quality food to see how he handles it. If he is ok with it and his next blood work comes back clear then he won't be considered 'special needs' anylonger

[rycezmom]

She came into our home as a spur of the moment, sight unseen, decision from the heart, at the age of 11. She came to us with cancer of one kind and was taken from us by cancer of another kind after being with us for a very short 10 months. She settled into our hearts as if she had been there all of her life. It is a decision I will NEVER regret...

 

She was Miss Millie

 

L.

 

 

 

 

[Guest GentleHugs]

Out of the 7 total I've adopted, 5 of them were special needs. Only one developed special needs after I adopted him and that was Heisman.

 

The current 3 I have with me now are all special needs and I adopted them knowing they had special needs. All 3 have seperation anxiety - one worse than the other two. One is thunderphobic, walks with a slight limp from having his metarsus bone broke and it didn't set right. It bothers him from time to time and he can't stand for long periods either. Another has severe seperation anxiety, walks with a permanent limp from a broken hip left untreated and also has pannus which requires medication for life.

 

I'll leave the more perfect ones for the less experienced adopter to adopt and I'll take the ones who present an extra challenge or two. I just finished writing a book about one of my kids named LuLu. It's titled *LuLu Slightly UnHiNgEd*. It tells the true story about what happened to her - guaranteed to make you cry and laugh. Her little broken hip and having pannus does not slow her down. She challenges me every day.

 

I wouldn't change anything for the world. I love all three of my kids and I look past their *disabilities and challenges*. I love their spirits.

[Guest greytbookert]

Booker, our first, was special needs only in that he was bounced from his home at age 10, so not really special needs in my book.

 

T was special needs because of his severe allergies, which we have brought under control with a raw diet, so special needs no longer.

 

Eric was special needs to due to bouncing from him home and being a spook, not a super spook, but very spooky, nonetheless, thuderphobic.

 

Sahra was special needs because of her positive testing for babesia, mammory cancer, very sick upon transport up from FL, spend several days in ICU. 8 years at adoption.

 

Mama Ro adopted almost 12 upon being retired from farm, severe dental disease, then developed kidney disease.

 

Annie degenerative disc disease, eye issues (the name escapes me at the moment, not pannus), just turned 12 and been with us for about 2 months.

 

 

[MarcR]

Nadia came to me with dilated cardiomyopathy. She's on lifetime meds three times daily - digoxin, Enalapril and diltiazem. AT her cardio last check up (just about this time a year ago), her condition had actually shown marked improvement - much to the delight of her cardiologist.

 

Almost forgot - she was 5 when I adopted her and turned 9 last May.

Edited November 2, 2008 by MarcR

[Guest dwolfe711]

Ellie came to us as a return at age almost-8 with congenital megaesophagus. Hers is a mild case compared to other acquired megaesophagus pups. She does need a mushy diet so we have to grind kibble and mix with canned to make a mushy soup for her. She can't run or exercise to extreme without coughing and sometimes spitting up - she gags a lot but doesn't spit up to excess - but she is certainly not a problem to take care of and - to the contrary - she is our first non-racing grey who was adopted as a puppy by her first family - and she is so very different from our retired racers that she is a breath of fresh air!! She certainly keeps us entertained. She will be 10 on April 8!!

 

Donna

[Guest BLIsStillFlying]

Brad broke his leg on the track (and was thus 'retired') and it was set badly--had to get it re-broke and reset when I adopted him. He was only two and we were very active together, though, so his limp went away until he was about 9, then it went downhill quickly. Daily glucosamine and Deramaxx on really bad days (one half pill every week or two) has it under control now. He also had food aggression and minor touch aggression (ears, belly, feet) during the first year I had them, though easily overcome.

 

Mel was bounced due to a controversial bite incident. I personally blame the family, but I had to prove I could handle a 'special needs' hound.

[Anne]

I've only had two normal (or not special needs dog) greyhounds. Lynch is blind. Lulu has SEVERE separation anxiety (is on prozac). Sugar is a bonafide spook. Cali is pretty normal and Phantom was a normal greyhound. Frasier was a 4 time bounce due to severe separation anxiety, and developed seizures, slo, hypothyroid, laryngeal paralysis, and something else or two that slips my mind at the moment.

I don't consider something like having to take a thyroid pill twice a day for forever as special needs, some do.

I'm getting old I guess, I love the special ones, but probably won't go out of my way to adopt a special needs dog in the future.