Kiss a Hound – Not a Blarney Stone

Jeff was our second adoptee obtained February 1998. He was a little over three at the time. Coming off the track, Jeff had a bad infection in his rear leg, and they were going to put him down. Thank God he was rescued. We were so overjoyed to get him, that we failed to get a good profile on him, and the foster person didn't offer any. He was skittish about letting us touch his ears. One day I went too far and he snapped at me and drew a little blood. Norma and I immediately took him to the vet. He had to put Jeff out in order to examine his ears. Jeff had very bad infections in both ears. The vet cleaned his ears and I had to take him back every day for a week so the vet could put drops in his ears. Jeff wouldn't let me do it. Well, it took about a year, and a lot of love and patience, before Jeff started trusting us. Now he loves everybody. Recently, we noticed a large growth on his leg. The vet said he would have to remove it and get a biopsy. We asked that while Jeff was out, that his teeth be cleaned and check him out top to bottom. The biopsy came back negative, thank God, but the vet had to remove 16 teeth because they were too rotten. A year before his teeth were great. We now have him on a soft food diet and he is doing better than ever. He is a survivor and we love him, and the other two, Devon and Coal, more than anything. Take good care of your dog's teeth and overall health. The  rewards are endless. 

SMILE

CONTINUING DENTAL CARE

Daily brushing and annual veterinarian checkups are certainly necessary in order to maintain your greyhounds’ teeth and gums. In addition, there is another available service that we have recommended for several years. This service is anesthesia-free teeth cleaning. There are several groups offering this service, and all do an excellent job of scaling and polishing your Greyhounds’ teeth. Each of the groups will also let you know if they see any dental problems that should be brought to the attention of your veterinarian. Our Southern California veterinarians have a variety of opinions about the use of this service. Some believe that it is totally inappropriate. However, many believe that using this service is an effective way to help maintain the health of our canines’ teeth. It has been our experience that the service is another very useful tool to help with the care of our beloved greyhounds. The groups performing this service generally operate in two ways. Each has regularly scheduled days when they are at a particular facility. These facilities can be a local veterinarian’s office, grooming shops or animal supply stores. In addition to scheduling an appointment at one of these regular facilities, you may choose to have one of the groups come to your home. Needless to say, there is an additional charge if you wish to have a home visit. The initial cost for this service is approximately half what you will pay at your veterinarian. After the initial visit, a monthly or bi-monthly maintenance program is offered. This maintenance program can run as little as $14 a month. The need for such a maintenance program should be determined between both you, the representative of the group you choose to work with and your own veterinarian. Of course, the use and the frequency of such a maintenance program will also depend on your schedule and the health of your greyhounds’ teeth. We are pleased to recommend three groups who offer this invaluable service here in Southern California. We have NNC members who have used each of these groups and are delighted with the service that each provides. We encourage you to discuss your concerns, schedule and location with all three groups in order to employ the one with which you feel most comfortable.

Canine Care – Cindy Collins (800) 242-9966; Gentle Dental – Rhonda or JoEllen

(800) 264-3094;

Preventive Care – Chuck Purkey

(949) 722-3563

When I saw the heading "Fundraiser – Fire Victims" while browsing through the greyhound related items on the E-Bay online auction site my first thought was of the animal shelter in Escondido that was all but destroyed by fire several weeks ago. What I discovered was even more heart wrenching: "On January 19, fire took the lives of three greyhounds, Zero (featured on the cover of this year’s ‘Celebrating Greyhounds’ calendar), Archie, and Queenie, a cat named Dork, and pet reptiles, along with the entire contents of the rented house of Bill Geese and Vanessa Varian of Doylestown, PA." We don’t know this couple, but I suggested the Needle Nose Crew make a donation to help in the fundraising effort. After discussion, we decided to offer the David French print "Favourite - By A Head" as a donation to be auctioned. I contacted the seller of the auction items via e-mail, not knowing when I could expect to receive a response. The next day Laurie graciously accepted our generosity and said she would try to list the print within the week. True to her word, it appeared on E-bay on February 21. I also received an update of the fundraising efforts: over $1,100 had been raised through the auction of eight items. She still had five or six donated items for the auction and would be listing those over the next few days. As of March 1st, the auction has not ended and I am hoping for a successful outcome. As an additional note, Bill Geese and Vanessa Varian are volunteers/adopters with "Make Peace with Animals", Cynthia Branigan’s group. Ms. Branigan is the author of "Adopting the Racing Greyhound." If you would like to make a personal donation to aid in their relief the following address was given on the "Make Peace" web site: (make check payable to) Bill Geese or Vanessa Varian, c/o Make Peace with Animals, P.O. Box 488, New Hope, PA 18938

Many of you have asked about license plate frames to help carry the message about greyhound rescue. Other groups have done them, and now it’s our turn. "Needle Nose Crew" will be on the bottom of the frame, but the top is up to you. So, dust off your thinking caps, and send us your suggestions by mail or e-mail. And just to make it a little more interesting – we’re going to sweeten the pot with a David French print. The person with the winning slogan will be awarded the print of their choice. Check out the prints at the Needle Nose Crew web site at ocnow. com/community/groups/needlenosecrew.

Contributions are always welcome and help our cause. Needle Nose Crew, P.O. Box 3012, Laguna Hills, CA 92654-3012

Veggie dog treats, oh yuck! Just wait till you (and/or your dog) tastes them. They taste a lot like seasoned chicken. Give it a try. They are simple to make, and every dog I have offered these to came back for more. Our dogs have to share theirs with us! Preheat oven to 375. In a large Pyrex baking dish add the following: ¼ cup of water; 2T each of soy sauce and cider vinegar; one 14 to16 oz block of firm tofu. Rinse tofu and cut length-wise into 7 or 8 sheets. Lay individually end-to-end in baking dish with soy mixture. Sprinkle lightly with garlic and bake for at least 30 min. Baking time depends on how dry you like them. After 30-35 minutes, they should be the consistency of cooked chicken breast, and after an hour they are more like a jerky treat. (They taste good either way.) Let them cool and then cut them into bite-size chunks. Unused portions should be stored in the refrigerator. Cook’s Note: Trader Joe’s Herbed Tofu works great!

• Patty Young & David Wright for their loss of the wonderful Cowdog.
• David & Mary Kay Tolle for the loss of Prize.
• Mark Gnesin & Joni Campbell for the loss of their lovable Dignity (Diggy).

e-mail from several sources

Dear God,
Are there dogs on other planets, or are we alone?  I have been howling at the moon and stars for a long time, but all I ever hear back is the beagle across the street.

Send your articles and pictures to: Joy Moss, Editor, Needle Nose Notes 4857 Royce Road, Irvine, CA 92612 greytjoy@msn.com  Contributions are always welcome and help our cause. Needle Nose Crew, P.O. Box 3012, Laguna Hills, CA 92654-3012  

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Editor: Joy Moss

(949)552-1373 or (949) 951-5444

or e-mail gogreys@juno.com