It's Hound Time

Tomorrow I am leaving with the President of our group to go pick up at least 5 dogs.  Driving to Pensacola, Florida on Friday.  Do a little visiting with friends that we've made there and pick up the hounds.  Leave to come back home on Sunday.  I will be bringing a new foster back to my house as we have 5 families approved at this time.  Of course, none of the dogs we have will work for any of these families.

Is this time of year usually busy for adoption groups?  Reason I ask is because for just about as long as I can remember, we are doing a hound haul around this time.  More than once I was away on Dixie's birthday.  I knew she would forgive me because we were getting more hounds to their couches! 

Tuesday was a bittersweet day for me.  Dixie would have been 12 years old.  She and one of her littermates have both been taken by the damn Osteo.  I sure hope to see a cure in my lifetime.  This picture was taken of Dixie on her first Christmas with us.   I miss her everyday.

Hannah, my sweet foster.  It is definite, she is getting a forever home.  Not with me.  She is going north.  I was so close to just saying leave her with us, but someone evidently needs her more.  Out of the 23 fosters that I have had, I can say this one will be the hardest to let go.  Every since I heard the news, I have cried at least once a day.  I know it's best for her.  Some are just harder to let go than others.  This family specifically wants a senior, which makes my heart happy.  I know she will be loved.  She will make her move on September 8th, unless a GUR is set up sooner. 

Just For Fun

Tom has a curly tail!

 Grandson Geoffrey and Tom taking a nap together.

 Napping again!

 Geoffrey being a copy cat.

 Foster dog Hannah got a new collar from a secret admirer.

 Sadie loves her baby!

 It's a shame that the kid doesn't have any toys of his own to play with!

 Obviously the momma rabbit wasn't very smart to build her nest in the yard where greyhounds live!

Sadie made it through her dental with flying colors!  No extractions!  Happy Day!!!

August, already?

I feel pretty bad that it took an e-mail from a reader to put me in back "blogging mode".  I have been so busy.  I think about the blog and still read others, but just haven't had the notion to post myself.  I can't believe the summer is almost over.  But, boy, it has been a scorcher here in Southern Indiana.

First, I should have posted about the results of Sadie's x-rays.  All clear.  I was so relieved that the radiologist said there was no abnormalities and everything was fine.  We celebrated by purchasing collars.  Not just one, but two.  This pretty pink collar in the picture and this year's Hope For Hounds collar.

Sadie and Tom went last week for their spa day.  Sadie also had bloodwork done for her upcoming dental. She will get this done next Friday.  I don't have to tell you how nervous I am about this one.  I worry every time one of my dogs goes under anesthesia, but with Sadie's heart condition, I am especiall nervous.

Hannah is still hanging around.  She is the sweetest girl and is no problem at all.  I just hope she gets a home soon.  Rumour has it that someone is interested in her, so I guess time will tell.  She also had one of her weight bearing toes amputated a couple of months ago.  You wouldn't know it though, she still runs like a young pup.

Well, that's it for now.  I have a few other things to share.  Hopefully , I can post again before the weekend is up. 

When you say your prayers, say an extra one for those who have lost a hound this year.  This summer in particular has been a bad one for our little group.  Four dogs in the past month have gone to the bridge.  It is always sad when that happens, even more so when you know them personally.



Sunday was a special day here.  My foster, Hannah, turned 10 years old.  She is a super sweet girl and even though she doesn't have her own family yet, I wanted to do something special for her.  When I put the community birthday hat on her, she freaked out.  I finally was able to lay it gently on her head and snap this picture.

My daughter and I were in Indianapolis for a family baby shower and we decided to find a dog bakery.  She got on her i-phone and found a place on the southside.  We get there and they are closed.  That city has grown by leaps and bounds since we moved away 25 years ago, so I thought maybe they would have a Three Dog Bakery by now. They do!  Off we went on an adventure.  So many choices, but I decided on the cupcakes.  I bought 4 because Miss Felicia was staying with us too.  But her momma had already picked her up before we got home.  I would love to open a store like this someday!

Hannah, the birthday girl looks like she is saying "give me my treat!"

Tom very gently took his cupcake from me.  Such a sweet boy.

Sadie couldn't be bothered by getting up from her bed to get her treat.  Sheesh, what a life!

Rollercoaster Ride

This past month or so has been a rollercoaster ride for sure.  I put a lot of energy preparing for Tom's dental and then helping him recover.  Then last Wednesday, Tom was having problems with his rear end parts.  He was laying there and kept flicking his right rear leg.  Then it progressed to him chewing on the leg.  Then when he tried to stand up, he was staggering, his legs were shaking and then started giving out on him.  Off to the vet I go.  By the time we got there, he was already improving.  The vet really couldn't get a response from him during her exam.  Of course, being so close to when he had his dental, we really didn't want to sedate him again.  So we opted for medication.  Tom started taking 100 mg. of gabapentin 3 times a day.  The next day he was still very shaky, but a bit improved.  We added half of a tablet of rimadyl 2 times a day for a few days. With his kidney issues, we decided to quit that since he improved.  He has held steady, so let's hope this works for him.

Next up Sadie.  Sadie is a crazy fool.  She runs everywhere.  After a run in the yard a couple of weeks ago, it appeared that she had an intermittent limp.  I was watching constantly.  Is she limping, isn't she limping.  We all know what the greyhound limp can mean.  I was sick.  Couldn't sleep.  Finally, I decided to go to the vet.  Of course, with a wing named after me, they love me there.  They examined Sadie.  Just one little spot that they could get a little reaction out of.  Of course, they know me, and knew I would want an x-ray.  Being the smart woman that I am, of course, I withheld food before we went.  I knew that getting an x-ray would be the only way I would ever sleep again.  I picked up Miss Sadie and went to Sonic.  I was a little concerned that she didn't want her burger.  She was a little stiff and sore from the vet visit.  When the vet called me she said x-ray looked clear, but we need to have it read by the radiologist to be sure.  Of course, we do.  They just called and said there were no changes or suspicious areas on the x-ray.  So I think we are in the clear. Perhaps it is a soft tissue injury or an old racing injury.  Sadie was a pretty good little racer.  So for now, all is good in my world.

P.S. 3:30 This afternoon, I noticed Tom licking his foot.  Look and his toes are all stuck together.  Get it cleaned up and it is red and raw and oozing.  Now, he just had his nails done yesterday morning.  How the hell does this happen?  Since I am leaving town in the morning, I decided I better take him in.  Good thing I did, because it was already showing signs of infection.  Back on anti-biotics, flush twice dailly and follow up with medicated ointment.  Is this week over yet?

Where did the month go?

I just noticed it's been almost a month since my last post.  Where does time go?  I had an additional foster for a couple of weeks.  Her name was Beach, but her family decided to call her Ivy.  They actually adopted two girls.  The other is now named Willow.  Ivy just turned 2 while she was here and Willow is 3.  I must say this was a challenge.  Beach/Ivy was fresh from the track.  A first for me.  She was becoming quite the cuddle bug.  But I forgot how much energy a 2 year old has. 

Don't let that innocent face fool you. She is an excellent stuffy destroyer.

Willow and Ivy in their new home.

Tom has recovered from his dental.  Now he is having some issues with his back end.  That's another post though.  Please send prayers or positive thoughts our way for my boy.

Tom Update

Tom made it through surgery just fine.  Well, minus 12 teeth.  I was actually expecting him to lose more, but am thankful he didn't.  My vet did the e-mail consult with OSU and received great info on anesthesia and pain meds.  Tom also received a couple of xanax before we left as well as entered the vet's office by a different door.  We tried so many things to cut down on his anxiety level and I think the combo worked.  His temp was the highest right after we arrived and never got any higher.  He was under anesthesia for 3 1/2 hours.  Poor guy.

They wanted me to come get him around 3:00 p.m.  This is earlier than they usually release dogs from dentals, but again, didn't want him staying there stressing again.  So they carry him out to the car.  I am on the way home in a panic thinking who is going to help me get him in the house.  They told me he could walk, but was still shaky and weak.  After trying everyone I knew, I had to ask my husband to come home from work.  So he is passed out in the back of the van and as soon as he hears the tires hit the gravel of the driveway, he is up and ready to get out!  I couldn't believe it.  He walked around the yard, did a big pee and came up the 3 steps to the house.  Once inside, he put on the brakes.  Not sure why.  I finally coaxed him to his dog bed and he crashed there for over 4 hours. 

My biggest problem was getting the first dose of pain meds on board.  I mean, how do you pill a dog who can't eat any foods yet and just lost 12 teeth?  Well the first attempt was a mess.  However, I put a plea out on facebook and got a bunch of good ideas.  Here is what I came up with.  Take a slice of Oscar Mayer thin sliced ham, smear a bit of peanut butter to hold the pill on.  Then wrap the ham around the pill.  He took it!  Although he figures things out pretty quicky, I hope he doesn't catch on to this because we have a bunch of pills to take. 

This morning I made him a canned dog food smoothie with his regular meds in it.  Yuck.  This picture is Tom's first roach since he's been home.  All in all, I think things are going well.  He is very swollen in his face, still a pink tinge to the water after he drinks and sometimes a little pink from his nose.  But I think we are making improvements.  The vet said the degree of disease in his mouth was pretty substantial.  I hate that.  I have beat myself up since she told me this.  I am so glad we were able to figure out a good anesthesia and drug protocol for him so we can get these teeth under control.  I hope he feels better soon.  Plus, I need some sleep!