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VOL 9, ISSUE 3 |
Party Time? Adopt Another Couch Potato Chip! |
JULY 2004 |
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FREE By Rex Lawton You may find this hard to believe no doubt. But I’ll tell you a story about How what started as one, is now three. For it must be an addiction you see. Number one was a Lady with a loving heart. We didn’t realize this was just the start. A precious loving girl, so petite, Made our family more complete. But reason soon went out the door. She needed a friend, so we got one more. That’s when Scotty came home, A big black character, bad to the bone. Life was fun for a little while. They brought us joy, and made us smile. Then one day I made a fatal mistake. I went back to the kennel, was this fate? For there in the corner, so afraid. A decision I knew was already made.So with patience, and a lot of love, We added her to the ones above. Now they seem to rule our home, With love, and treats, and walks to roam. I can’t imagine life without these three. For Lady, Scotty, and Hallie are truly free! TRAVELING FIRST CLASS… AND "COACH" By Stan Brunner Even with gas prices the way they are now, I think it time to revisit the issue of traveling with your greyhound(s). There was quite a 'discussion' about a year ago about camping with your dogs. Some swore by the "outdoor, tent and campfire" approach while some liked the convenience and luxury of the RV method. Well, here's another one for the RV adventure. Last July we rented an RV, packed it up with almost everything we owned (the kitchen sink was already included), our 15-year old son and our Greyhound, Coach. We went for 19 days and over 3500 miles crossing the Rocky Mountains, up to Mount Rushmore, back west to Yellowstone (Coach didn't quite know what to think of all the Bison), Tetons, Bryce Canyon, Kings Canyon, Las Vegas and home. We stayed at clean and friendly KOA campgrounds and had a WONDERFUL time. Especially Coach who had his own bed and sight-seeing area (the kitchen table folds down to a bed the perfect size for a Grey), and all these new places, sights, sounds and smells to explore. It truly was the only way to go. Being able to take all the comforts of home with you on vacation (Coach would have me mention his dog bed here) is well worth the cost.
MY AMPUTATION By Haley Jones Hi, my name is Haley Jones. I’m a 10-year old fawn brindle girl. Two years ago in April I had my left front leg amputated. Right after we moved to Colorado, my parents, Larry and Cindy, noticed me limping and found a lump on my ankle. My vet, Dr. Dave, examined me and took some X-rays. He said there was a growth there and wanted to run a few tests. He sent my X-rays to a sports vet who works with the racing Greyhounds here in Colorado. I thought that was pretty cool. They both agreed the problem was a staple cell carcinoma growing around my ligaments and tendons, and could not be removed. |
Dr. Dave tried some medicine and injections and stuff on me, but the growth didn’t get any smaller and hurt even more. He told my mom and dad the best solution was to amputate my leg. He assured them the tumor was local and would not spread to any other parts of my body. He said the pain I had would definitely go away after the operation and even though I carry 60 to 65 percent of my weight on my front legs, I would do just fine. Well, mom and dad said they would have to think about it. They had read an article about another Greyhound who had an amputation who had a lot of pain for a long time and had a very difficult time adjusting to life with only three legs. Mom said maybe it was time to send me across the Rainbow Bridge. Well, I’d heard about that bridge and wasn’t ready to make that trip. After all, I was only 8 years old and still had a lot of life to live and love to give. Well, after a lot of discussion, mom and dad decided to go ahead with the operation. I made up my mind then that I was going to be a good patient and work hard to adjust to life on three legs. I went in on a Thursday for my surgery. When I woke up, I was in a lot of pain at first, but they gave me something called morphine and the pain went away. The next morning I was up early and wanted to go outside. The vet tech took me out and as soon as she opened the door, a fox ran across the parking lot. Of course I tried to chase it and nearly drug the vet tech with me. I was feeling pretty good. On Saturday, it was time to go home. When mom saw me with this bright blue bandage around my chest and neck, she cried a little. Seeing me bouncing out with only three legs was kind of a shock I guess. Dr. Dave gave them instructions and medicine for me and I was ready to go home. Dad opened the back door of the SUV and was going to lift me in but I was in a hurry to go home, so I just jumped up into the back like I always do. Scared him to death, but I was OK. No pulled stitches or anything. When we got home, after my two sisters Perdie and Dusty checked me out, I just lay around and slept. That night my mom and dad took turns lying by my bed on the floor. If I cried a little they would pet and comfort me and I felt better. My second night home I felt a lot better and slept most of the night. The medicine was working I guess. From then on I slept like nothing had happened. For the first few days I could only go outside to potty and I had to go out on leash. Dr. Dave didn’t want me to get excited and run my laps in the back yard or chase anything. I had to go back to the doctor’s for a check up in a few days. He gave me permission to take some short walks. I was ready; I really missed my walks. In about 12 days or so Dr. Dave took out my stitches and took my bandage off. He said I could go for a little longer walks. I was still a little sore and looked kind of funny because I had all my hair shaved off where they did my operation. It took a couple of months for the hair to grow back. I still couldn’t shake from my head to my tail like I used to do, but in time I could shake with the best of them. My biggest adjustments were learning to go to the bathroom on only three legs. I learned to kind of shift my front leg under the center of my body and that worked just fine. Steps were also a challenge at first. Mom and dad helped me up and down the two garage steps so I could go outside. Before long I was able to get up and down on my own. Now I can go upstairs or down to our basement with no problem at all. Dad put a runner on the basement stairs for traction. Those wooden steps were not made for a three-legged Grey. I go down slowly, but when I go up I usually take three steps at a time. |
The hardwood floors were also a challenge so Mom put some rugs down in areas I usually go, especially at the top of the stairs. Before the rugs, I would run up the stairs, hit the top and go sliding. My mom and dad tell everyone that I adjusted to life on three legs very easily. I bounce when I walk (the construction guys, building new homes in our area stare at me when I walk by). But I get where I’m going with no pain now. I can still run my laps in the back yard and play with my sisters. Heck, I think I can run almost as fast as I could when I had four legs. I can still turn on a dime too. I get tired faster on my walks so we don’t go as far as we used to go. I don’t mind though, after all, I’m still on this side of that rainbow bridge. I hope other greyhound parents with the same decision to make, take time to discuss the options with their vets and give their greys the opportunity to prove that they too can live a happy and healthy life on only three legs. Heck, I’m doing it and I think I’ve made the adjustment just fine. I really can’t remember what it was like before. As far as I’m concerned, I always had only three legs.
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