My Heart Dog

[Guest greytgreys]

I have held off writing this or even really wanting to think aboutit for some time now.. I have had two heart horses and one heart dog in my life. Do not get me wrong. I dearly, dearly love the other horses and other dogs in my life, but none of them touched me the way gyp did ( or the two heart horses saba and charlie)

 

Anyway, back to where i was going.

I got Gyp in 1997. She had been a brood at a puppy mill, she has 7-8 litters to her name. She was a very, very well bred GSD that was supposed to be going to a person that was going to show her as a working dog, agility, herding etc..

 

We never found out how she ended up where she did, but in 1997, i got a call from a friend in ga that they had a gsd that was in really, really poor condition, weeks until. My husband was just coming in from having flown offshore to take care of a computer problem on a drilling rig.. we looked at each other and said lets go.. we drove all night to reach her.. they had taken a large number of dogs.. but she looked horrible.. she weighed half of what she should, she was pregnant.. and well she just needed a lot of care.. she had heartworms so severe that they did not think she could survive treatment. She needed care and she needed someone taht was experienced.

 

We drove home 10 hours later.. we found out that she was terrified of open spaces.. i.e the bedroom, the living room.. she was literally attached to me..

she would not walk across a room , but rather would walk the walls to get where she was going.. she was housebroken from the day she got there.. the kennel turned her out once a day where she was.. and we were told she only messed her kennel if they went a few days between turn outs.. she had been living ina 4 foot by 6 foot kennel, outside, no dog house a raised peice of wood to sleep on.. she ate metal bowls too..

 

Anyway, gyp, gained weight.. had her pups and went through treatment in ga.. she went to uga for the initial treatment and then a local vet.. she gained , she was a super dog.. she was a guardian, she was a friend.. she was everything.. she was very tolerant of other dogs and she never had to fight or fuss, she just was alpha.. it was all in the body language.. every once in a while someone would challenge her and she would stand up and say it wth words and everything else.. and it was over.. she would not stoop to fight, but she would discipline an errant pup.. she was a doll..

 

She lived with me through a divorce, a pregnancy through it all

When we first moved back to ga.. the very first night home I turned her out and something spooked her.. and she bolted over a fence..

it took me 11 days to find her.. I found her 30+ miles away.. at the barn I had been training hroses at before i moved to ga..

She was a little underweight and super glad to see me, the racetrack barn help had been feeding her scraps the last few days, her paws were bloody..

she had travelled across both I-10 and I-49.. she went to the only place she felt safe.. how she found it I will never know

 

Well, last spring, very early about this time of year.. I noticed her slowing down.. she had a small , small mammary tumor.. vet said lets not remove it at her age.. she is 12 , she doesnt ddo well under anesthesia.. and they usually dont grow rapidly at this point, lets just watch and see.. ok.. her heart and lungs were clear.. so a month or so later.. she seems weak.. and she is ccking her head to one side.. , call the vet.. it is a friday.. and he says, monitor her vitals.. they were good, normal, strong.. he suspects a cochlear problem.. but says call if somethjing changes... nothing changed next day she seemed much better..she was almost 100%.. on monday, when I got home she was laying in a pool of clear vomit, unable to rise.. and she was near death.. I called the vet and rushed her to the clinic. they met me outside with the stretcher.. .. they got an iv line, drew blood, and hung fluids.. while waiting.. the answer became clear.. her cbc came back with her rbc count less than 12.. should have been up near 40.

 

Vet gave her less than 20% to survive the night.. he strongly suspected that she was suffering from AIHA... well he also started her on imuran and we discussed blood donors.. but she had transfusions earlier in her .. so it was not as easy as asking one of his grey owning clients to come in, so we opted for a more conservative approach, drugs and supportive therapy.. he allowed me to help and rather than send her to the E-clinic for the nights.. he came in every 3 hours.. her labs showed no improvement, and she could not stand for the first three days.. then she started to show some improvement, not much but her blood values came up to about 14...she still needed lots of care.. one of the vets in the practice came in through the nights every night at least twice and sometimes three or four times.. by friday.. her rbc was better.. but not great.. they sent her home, she could stand but not walk.. i had two of the vets home numbers in case I needed to send her to the bridge.. I had iv catheters, fluids, and her meds.. she was off the iv cath, but if I could not get her to eat and drink enough.. i was to start them again..

 

well.. i set her up in the garage.. the door opens into my kitchen.. it has the same insulation and such as my house.. as we intended to use it as a play area for my daughter since there is so much rain and stuff and I live at the entrance to my nneighborhood and people fly down the road.. so keep that in mind.. and the kitch is open to the living room.. so it is not like i relegated her .. but the first two nights she spent out there.. and I pulled a matress in and slept with her.. she could not walk, but that very first night home, I carried her into the back yard.. and say down and cried.. and she crawled over to me.. or tried .. took me a minute to figure out what was happening.. and realize that and go to her.. which made me cry all that much more

 

Well each day she got a little stronger, for almost two months she carrried her head tilted, until she seemed completely normal. She stayed on low dose pred.. and she was on imuran for 6 months..

then in late august, early sept.. her mammary gland tumor tripled in size, so we went to the vet, she was nearing thirteen now..

he said, it has spread and it is no longer benign.. and she is not going to hold up to surgery.. so.. we made the choice to keep her coomfie.. at the end of october, the tumor opened up and weeped.. but basically looked like a horid lick granuloma.. but it did not seem to bother her.. she was not on pain meds at this point, she was bright, active, still played and barked when people came near the drive, still wanted to ride in the truck.. so i was given products to keep it clean and to keep it from becoming infected.. it was the size of a orange.

 

 

she had no pain and no problems until mid november.. when I took her to the vet.. she then went on pain meds..

She continued for several days. I went out of town one weekend, a friend came every four hours to take gyp out as she could no longer make it longer than 4 hours. She also told me when I got home ( i was gone for about 36 hours) that the time was very near. So we in creased the pain meds.. and I spent the last four days loving her, and saying my good byes, explaining it to my daughter who had gyp in her life for her entire life.. gyp was still bright when i took her .. she road in her favorite spot the front seat, passenger side of the truck with the window rolled down slightly.. we drove the 20 miles to my horse vet.. so she would not have to be muzzled or held by a tech or go inside..

 

I fed her , her favorite treats.. I held her close.. and loved on her.. moved her to the bed of my truck.. which was verycomfie with blankets.. she was used to hanging in the back of the truck at horse shows.. I got in the back and kissed her and loved her.. and you could see she was at peace.. and she was well saying good bye..

my horse vet wanted to take a quick look at the tumopr before he destroyed her.. just in case( he and the small animal vet i used went to school together and are friends, both did their internships under my grandfather). He took one look and agreed that this was the only choice... i hugged her one more time, held her paw out for him and it was over.. it was a beautiful fall morning.. it was clear, their was a fine mist out.. it was 6:55/7:00 am.. the tech helped me cover her up.. and then handed me a copy of rain bow bridge and gave me a hug..

then I took her out to the farm.. and buried her at the pasture .. where I have two horses buried.. at the head of trail we walked all the itme

 

She was a very, very special dog.. she was went to the bridge the day before my daughters third birthday.. the day before thanksgiving..

Little Gypsy Rose... and she was ..

she is waiting with charlie at the bridge for me..

and they are with Bounty and artie ( the only two young hroses i ever lost, half brothers both died as two year olds- and their mama goldie.. ) gyp will be doing what she does best.. being a herding dog.. keeping them rounded up and waiting..

 

Gyp chose her time to go.. and I think she did it with purpose.. I would not have been able to take sparkle in had she still been here.. and sparkle was the senior bounce, who is shy and reserved, who hates change, is scared of men.. and well gyp made a place for sparkle.. and I think as controlling as she was, as alpha as she was.. that she did it on purpose..

i miss her and i love her.. and i thought I could do this without crying a river of tears and I was wrong

nicole

[Guest lotsahounds]

i'm so sorry. She was a very special girl!

[Guest ohgreyt]

Im in tears. what a wonderful dog and beautiful tribute. thanks for sharing this with us. my heart goes out to you in your loss.

[Guest Greymom]

What a loving tribute to a very special girl.

[Bevd]

[patricia]

What a special girl...such a beautiful tribute!

[Guest 8_Greyt_Greys]

This is a beautiful tirbute.

[Guest Jengonetothedogs]

Guard them well, Gyp, til your heartperson comes with the hugs you both deserve.

 

Nicole: there's nothing like the love we are lucky enough to both receive and give to a Special dog; to be a while with one is truly a great gift.

[Guest KaseysMom]

I am so very sorry.

 

[Guest greytgreys]

I am hoping to get the scanner hooked up and I wl put gyps picture and charlies up on my page.. I have a verry special picture of the three of us in the hills of ga at the farm I trained on for several years.. it was a spur of the moment thing.. I was walking in the fields with my then seperated husband and his girlfriend-he still dearly missed hte animals that he did not take with him.

 

Anyway, i hopped up on charlie, with nothing on her.. not even a halter.. and gyp was of course out with us.. and it is one of the very very few pictures of gypsy that i have.. therefore.. it is very special

 

nicole

[Guest Becki]

[scullysmum]

[TheFullHouse]

Nicole, what a beautiful tribute. I'm having a hard time typing because of the tears. She was sent to you for a reason and you were meant to be her caretaker. What a wonderful relationship. Hugs to you.

[Fiona3]

Nicole,

 

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

Your post is extremely touching and shows the depth of love that was shared between you and

this beautiful greyhound. You came into her life at a time she needed you most and you created a safe haven for her after a horrible existence. The connection between you two must have been tremendous. I hope the pain of her passing is eased and your heart will mend. She will always be with you and remember the love you gave her.

 

Mary

 

[Guest greyhidden]

Oh Gypsy, U gave it your all to produce your pups. Oh, Nicole! God Bless for U to be with the grey. I know, U did everything U did. I was there with U in thoughts, words, and deeds. The grey is looking down to U everyday now, just look up, it's there. Take time to heal and then try to get another grey. Don't cry, or I will start crying. I told God to look after the grey up there.

[Forevermybabies]

I'm so sorry.