Not so good news for Win...

I've been delaying writing about this for a while, since it feels more real written down.  But, as of a few months ago, Winry came up with a random limp, at first in her back legs. We took her to the vet and did comprehensive x-rays to, as always with greyhounds, rule out bone cancer first and foremost.

The x-ray came back clean, and Win went on Rimadyl for a few weeks and her limp went away, though she stayed on mostly bed rest (no real exercise). Unfortunately, during this time, she very suddenly came up with another limp, this time in her shoulder.  She seemed in pain, despite being on the Rimadyl.  Off to the vet we went again for more x-rays of that area, and oddly enough, they again came up clean.  During her examination though, we found a small mass on her leg that we decided to aspirate and send to the lab, just in case.


The results came back and indicate a type of malignant cancer that manifests itself in the joints. Because the source of her pain looks to be deep within the joint in her shoulder, we aren't able to very well identify it.  It is tissue based and not showing up on the x-ray, and would require surgery to thoroughly evaluate it, and even then, the vet said not much else could really be done. It's possible (and likely, since the mass we found was lower on her leg on the opposite side), that the tumors have spread to other locations, so trying to treat it is essentially not possible due to its gelatinous and spread out nature.

Because we can't identify how large existent tumors are or how aggressive they're being (or if she's had this her whole life and it just gradually takes over?), we don't even have a timeline of things.  For now, basically all we can do is manage her pain. Currently, Winry is on the steroid prednisone that has actually been somewhat helpful; she still limps, but she limps faster and doesn't seem as hindered. She gets 15mg once a day in the morning, so unfortunately, mornings before her medication is roughest for her, where she struggles to get up and moving. But, afterwards, seems more or less normal, despite her limps. She loves to eat, she loves to chew bones and over all still seems pretty happy. We're doing all we can to keep her that way.

So far, it looks like we'll enjoy the holidays with her, and hopefully for a good amount of time after that. It will just be a matter of managing her pain, and of course, not letting her existence be more about suffering vs enjoyment.

We love you, Win <3

One Sick Pup.

It's been quite a week for all of us.

Poor Ahri is really taking advantage of her 30 day pet insurance...and thank goodness we have it.  After going to the vet in regards to my concern of her odd urinary habits, she was seen, and a urinalysis was submitted along with blood-work to rule out anything major.  As it turns out, she has two types of crystals in her urine that point to a UTI, though no bacteria was yet observed. The vet felt confident a UTI was likely the cause though, and put her on 2 weeks of amoxicillan in hopes of that clearing things up.

Little did we know, that was actually the least of her problems.  After another several days, I noticed Ahri itching uncontrollably, and saw little red bumps on her, along with little black spots. WONDERFUL.  I immediately guessed fleas, and treated her (and the other two dogs) with frontline I happily had on hand.  Fortunately, this seemed to do the trick and most itching stopped within another day or so. We also started a cleaning/sanitizing regiment that should keep them at bay. So, problems over?

Not even close.

I took Ahri to daycare, only to get a call an hour after leaving her that she had pooed, and that multiple segmented worm bits were found in her stool, indicating a likely tapeworm.  She of course needed to be removed asap from daycare, and was away from all the other dogs.  I had to leave work early to get both her and the sample to the vet (this vet, whom I've unfortunately lost all faith in over this processes since they are apparently incapable of doing ANYTHING in-house...urine, fecal, heart worm test, or otherwise).  I explained the situation to them, but they refused to give any medication until the fecal results came back from the lab two days later.

TWO DAYS?! It was quite clear to me that the dog has a tapeworm, and would make sense with my flea analysis.  SO, for Ahri's sake of comfort, I stopped at the petstore and grabbed OTC fenbenzole (sp?), and paid a ridiculous $25 for what would give me two doses (it's $10 on amazon >:( ) just to get her started.  Two days later, we get her results back, and apparently the tech decided to only swab the sample and ignored my indication of BIG WORM BITS were in that sample.  Just the same, she came back positive for Giardia.  OH, GREAT. THAT THING THAT'S INSANELY CONTAGIOUS?! LOVELY.

It even has an evil face.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Ahri pooed again at home with more worm bits showing up, so we were able to convince the vet staff that she also needed treatment for tapeworm, in addition to the giardia.  We get medication for both and start her right away on a 5 day regiment (which is actually 7, since I gave her two doses of the same stuff (fenbenzole)over the weekend...I've learned you usually can't overly de-worm).

Naturally, a day later, Ferguson EXPLODES overnight, all over the kitchen and laundry room.  So, since Giardia is so ridiculously contagious, we're assuming he's got it too.  Only since our wallets are wiped from spending nearly $500 on Ahri and her treatment (since we should in theory get reimbursed for her treatments, per the fine print of her 30 day pet insurance trial), we just go ahead and order 4 rounds (two rounds for each greyhound) of fenbenzole in the assumption that this is his issue, and will likely treat Winry as well as soon as it arrives tomorrow.  Getting it overnighted from amazon is only $60, when Ahri's was $50 alone for one dog.  So, at least there is some savings in there, somewhere.

In any case, the greyhounds' treatment arrives tomorrow, and Ahri finishes her treatment tomorrow evening.  The dogs are being ultimately confined to downstairs (where the hard, easy to sanitize floor is), all poo in the yard has been cleaned with the area dowsed in a vinegar/detergent/hot water solution.  All poo is being removed immediately, and the subsequent spot sprayed down with ammonia.  All toys and bowls are being washed daily with hot water and detergent, or run in a high temp dishwasher for those that can handle it.  Ahri's crate is being wiped down with disinfectant every day.  High end probiotic is arriving Friday, along with diatomaceous earth that can be sprinkled in all of the areas, on dogs, in their water, and fed with food to keep away any future infestations of any parasites.  The dogs are getting baths on their last days of treatment, and behinds wiped with babywipes after use in the meantime.  Floors are to be swiftered every evening for the next two weeks.

NO MORE PARASITES, PLEASE!!!!!

The worst part is, I have no idea when Ahri can go back to daycare.  Her fecal won't be re-checked for three weeks, as it can supposedly take quite a long time for giardia to no longer show up in stools, even if none of it is "live"...or sometimes it can come up negative even when still present.  It sounds like a huge headache, but I resent the fact that my pup can't use her valuable time as an adolescent to socialize with others like her :'(.  Perhaps I can call the vet and ask, but I'm thinking the answer will be no sooner than that "cleared" stool sample, despite all our treatments.

It's all been such a headache.  I just can't wait for it to be over -_-.

And to think, our biggest concern was originally just her abnormal peeing, or then just a tapeworm.  I only WISH it was just a tapeworm.  *Sighs*.

Warmer Weather = Less Food, and More Bullying?

The weather here lately has been reliably great.  Our heat/AC has been off for several days, and there isn't a chance of precipitation in sight.  Unfortunately, this has been having some unusual side effects for Ferguson and Winry.

In the past when it's gotten warmer, Ferguson has become a picky morning breakfast eater.  He will either pick at his food, or go back and forth with it several times (which is a big pain in the neck when I'm in a hurry trying to get to work and have to police his bowl to make sure Winry doesn't help him finish it).  I normally wouldn't care as much, but since the weather is nicer, we've been able to walk a bit more and he is quite thin.  I did recently buy some wet food to make sure he at least gets at least one cup in the morning, but this is an expensive habit to maintain.  He is fortunately not like Winry in that his stomach gets upset if he goes without food to long (Winry will even vomit if it's been more than 12 hours), but in general it is still a pain.  I still soak both their food in a bit of water, as well as add glucosemine oil on top...this makes it very difficult to pack up and re-serve later.  It's a mystery to me why he does this every so often, usually once it gets warm.  *sighs* Silly dog.

Winry on the other hand (er, paw?), has been maintaining her own means of annoyance, but lately to other dogs on our dog park adventures.  In the past, she's always been an angel; very submissive, dog savy, gets along with everyone, etc. Since we've been able to visit more often, she's lately become more of a jerk in her behavior.  Her favorite thing to do the past few times we've visited is to single out one dog and mercilessly try to play with them, when it's obvious the other dog does NOT want to play with her.  She circles them, play bowing and dancing, and the other dog often tries to avoid her, hide behind their owners, and otherwise show disinterest (granted, they don't growl or snap at her).  She is so fast, it's been a HUGE pain to grab her and keep her away from the other dog (she just runs right back unless we leash her, and will do the same thing once she is unleashed even if we get far away).  Not to mention how embarrassing it is to have a dog act like a bully, and how her little brain tends to focus on ONE thing at a time.  It's also bizarre, because it is so unlike her, being a naturally submissive and sensitive dog.  The last time we visited, we were FINALLY able to get her away from the dog and get her to just let loose and run a big lap; after she did that, she was no longer a brat and didn't pester the other dog we were walking with/near.

What's also a bit unusual is that normally Ferguson is persistent with her, though not exactly rude. He will just chase her if she runs, and then trot along beside her until she starts running again, but he will wait and keep a 1 foot boundary between himself and her, while she sniffs and walks, or, lately, starts to pester other dogs.  In any case, there is her brother, right there beside her, waiting to play with her, but she insists on starting to hound these other poor dogs...*more sighs*

As far as fixing it/working with her, it is difficult. We don't have a private yard to play with her to practice, and when she does it is inconsistent. It's possible we can try to go to the park during slower hours when there are less people around, but the warmer it gets, the less likely that will be.  When she's not busy being a bully, she has a great time...I hate to deny her that.  I suppose she will just have to stay leashed if it's too busy and at least get a nice walk and some friendly sniffs in; or perhaps we can try to entice her with a squeaky toy or bring a racket and tennis ball to get that good strong run in to get a burst of energy out of her to get her back to acting like a normal, amiable dog.

While I don't have the money for it now, I kind of wonder if a vibration collar would work well for her in that type of situation; just something to correct her without any pain that would work well from a distance when she flies out of our reach across the park to bug someone. *Shrugs* who knows?  Until then, poor Win will have to visit on a leash until we can better control her manners.

Hoping a Gut Feeling is Wrong...

As I've mentioned, Ferguson has had some issues with urinary infections over the past few months.  As in, since May, he's had two.  While they've both appeared to clear up, I made some adjustments to help prevent them from recurring.

One thing Ferguson would do is chew on rawhides or other toys, which would in turn make him thirsty, and cause him to drink waaay too much water.  We think this caused him to put too much stress on his bladder and in turn, cause the UTIs.  After he got the second UTI, I started only offering smaller portions of water throughout the day, three cups at a time (about 9-12 cups total per day, depending on our activities), and then picking up water and chews at 8pm, with maybe just a few sips allowed before bed.  This seemed to work well; most of the time he would leave a good bit of the three cup portion for hours, so I felt confident he was getting all the water he needed and it was easier for me to keep track of how much water he was taking in and how fast.  It's been a bit of a pain, especially with trying to make sure Winry gets her fill as well, but it seemed to be under control.

This week, unfortunately, he's suddenly acquired an unquenchable thirst.  He drinks up every last drop of water like it's his last.  I've tried my best to satisfy him, but honestly, if I put two gallons in front of him, he'd drink it all, when before, he wouldn't have.  He's also become increasingly antsy when we're at home, even after being let out and hour or so before.  Last night, he woke me up twice to go out, despite me doing our usual routine of picking up water at 8, and each time he went out, he REALLY had to go.  He's not been acting himself and has a hard time settling (which for a greyhound especially at night, is quite unusual). So, to calm my nerves, I called the vet and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow morning, in hopes of ruling out medical causes and hoping it's...I don't know. Something else.

But honestly, what came to mind was my black Labrador, Gerta, I had raised in 2008 for Guiding Eyes.  During the time I had Gerta, she had two UTIs, was ALWAYS thirsty, and also had a hard time settling at times and had occasional accidents here and there.  8 months after she left me, they found out she had acute renal failure at age 3, and died not even a few months after that.

I'll admit that right now, I'm fearing the worst.  I suppose it's possible it could be just another UTI, but I'll say the way he's acting is a bit different than he has in the past.  Normally when he'd have  UTI, he'd randomly get up and pee on the carpet without a moment's notice, like the urge was so strong he couldn't even think to ask.  Now he's up and asking and actively tries to get your attention to go out...it's just...different. In any case, I'd like to do more than just a UA this go-around.  Gerta had two UTIs and never once was bloodwork or an ultrasound done; had they done these things, they'd have noticed right away that her kidneys were small, since her diagnosis said she was actually born this way.  I last completed bloodwork on him in August of 2012, and while all seemed well then, he never once had experienced any urinary troubles at that point.  They did conduct an x-ray last time he went, but that was only to check for stones, and wouldn't have shown the state of the kidneys or any potential tumors.

So tomorrow, in addition to the UA, I'd like to conduct full body function bloodwork, and possibly from there, an ultrasound.  While this will all be a bit pricey, I think it's important we find out, or at least rule out, what could be bothering him.  It's clear he's uncomfortable; I'm just hoping the underlying reason isn't matching my gut feeling :(.  For now, besides being thirsty and anxious, his appetite and energy level continue to be pretty normal.  He still likes to run a play, but I'm forced to remember that Gerta was also very much this way while I had her.  I'm fortunate that I never had to see her in a state other than this and can remember her fondly as a happy-go-lucky dog.

Here's hoping for good, or at least manageable news...

Catching Up

It's been a while, but things have been busy. Let me try to catch things up to speed.

A few weeks ago, Winry, we think, partially tore her ACL while playing too hard. This is practically unheard of in the greyhound breed, but Winry is an anomaly apparently. She had been put on rest and rimadyl, but after a week's worth her limp returned and we conducted x-rays. As of right now, the doctor's at my office all concurred that they don't think Winry will require surgery and that the injury will hopefully heal on its own. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

In the meantime, no running for Winry, as we've bee instructed to keep her low-key. Luckily, she is pretty much this way in her own right, but no running at all has dampened her a bit...she so does love frolicking around the yard. We've also been preventing her from jumping into the car, and trying our best to avoid stairs. She dislikes being carried though, so tries to sneakily do things on her own. Just another few weeks, I hope. She's also been put on dasaquin perhaps forever more to help lubricate her joints and prevent any further injury in that leg.

Ferguson unfortunately has had some relapse with his separation anxiety, pretty much since Winry required x-rays. I had to leave him by himself while she stayed at my work awaiting treatment. He had been doing so well for so long, I didn't think Winry being gone for a few hours would matter much. I was unfortunately quite wrong, and I returned to a very flustered, anxious Ferguson. Things have improved since some serious remedial training, but we are still on the road to recovery for his psyche as well. *sighs*

We have been trying to enjoy the summer despite these things though. My parents did manage to get their beach property, so the dogs have come a few times, and even got to go on a beach last time we visited.

We're still working on training Ferguson to be left alone at the beach house (new places especially send him into regression), but it's a process. Winry, on the other hand, continues to be her perfect little angel self and is totally fine being left wherever.

Maybe one day, her perfect self-sufficient habits will rub off on him.

All you need is love...

What a day.

As I wrote in my last post, Ferguson has suddenly had some setbacks in alone-time that have since gotten rapidly worse, faster than what I can keep up with. When I first got him, I worked diligently for months practicing desensitization, repetition, increased time, etc. which did and does work, but takes a lot of time and patience. He did get it eventually, and while he never LOVED being left, he tolerated it, and would actually sleep while I was gone, even up to 6 hours.

Unfortunately, since we've moved, I didn't take the same baby steps to get him as comfortable as I should have, and we're now seeing the repercussions. He had seemed well adjusted enough, but in the past few weeks, he's:

-Suddenly become very tense while in his crate, even if I'm in the same room. He'll stress pant and completely ignore any amazing tasty toy I put in there with him...at least until I let him out, and he instantly goes back in the crate to grab it out and enjoy it (which I in turn, remove, since super awesome amazing tasty toys are only to be enjoyed in the crate).

-Become increasingly attached to Eric, to the point where he jumped up to look outside the bathroom window on the other side of the house to see him in the back yard while they were messing with the broken lawn mower...still in sight.

-Gotten more clingy than usual. I know enough to ignore this behavior and to only try to pay attention to him when he's being calm or when I am the one beckoning his attention, but it has certainly increased to a noticeable amount.

-Whimpered when he's left without it leveling off. I only know this because I recorded him out of curiosity to see if it really was worse than before; sadly, my suspensions were correct. In the past, even a month ago, he'd only complain for a few seconds before making a "HUMPH" noise, and settling down for a nap. *sighs*

While our schedules have still been in transition, my routine for leaving Ferguson is fairly formulaic: 1. Exercise (at least 30 minutes, as well as sprinting), 2. Super amazing tasty stuffed treat, 3. Thundershirt, 4. DAP plug in (though, in retrospect, ours did recently run out. I ordered another, just in case this is the one thing he is missing), 5. Music (more recently, K9 lullabies), 6. Ignoring for 20 minutes before I leave and after I return. Because I've been doing this pretty consistently (though not always on consistent days or times), I felt a bit overwhelmed at what else I could be doing for him, and confused at how fast it seemed to be getting worse.

When I took Ferguson to work with me today, it was only 30 minutes before he was brought right back over with a bloody paw again. What might have started out as a fun game with a neighbor has escalated into an anxious behavior, and a dangerous one at that (he didn't have neighbor's today). We headed to one of the doctor's who bandaged him up, and then asked me several questions about his background and what might be causing this. We agreed that the moving is likely what set it off, and of course, the fact that he is a greyhound and was not used to being left alone during his "critical period" of puppyhood, meaning only that it is unnatural to him and resurfaces in sudden transitions. I asked him what I should do, besides obvious increase in behavior modification at home. He discussed the option of medication specifically for dogs with SA that works along with a behavior modification program to help the dog's mind be more open to alone training, and helps condition their mental state to be favorable eventually on it's own. I felt apprehensive, but the concept was one I've read about before with greyhounds specifically. Ultimately, I agreed to give it a try, simply because the medicine: a) has few side effects and does not sedate him in any way (they've found that SA dogs who are sedated are still running a mile a minute in their minds), b) would help decrease the amount of stress he will have to deal with (I love my dog, and hate to see him miserable like this), and c) would most certainly be temporary. If he's still on it in 6 months with no results, we'll have to figure something else out.

Until then though, I'm going to hold my breath and stay optimistic, thinking it will work. I know behavior modification has worked for him in the past (over several months), so I know we will get there...hopefully just a bit quicker and less painfully this time. Luckily, the wound was not too bad this time and won't require severe bed rest as before...just cleaning and covering it with my liquid bandage stuff, and a boot when we go outside. But what to do about daycare? We discussed that one too. Dr. B asked if there were any dogs he could buddy up with in a double run when I needed to bring him, to see if that might work for him while he's in daycare. I thought for a moment and remembered my co-worker had been on vacation for the weekend and left her mellow submissive and sweet beagle mix at our facility. I promptly texted her and explained the situation, and then we gave it a try...

It was a match made in heaven. The instant he was left with Lily, he was calm, and 20 minutes later I peaked in on them to find them laying close to each other. At the end of the night, Ferguson was laying on his side with Lily curled up next to him, fitting perfectly between his front and back legs. Everyone was happy. Luckily, Hilary and my other co-workers said they'd happily lend their dogs (the calm mellow ones) to be Ferguson's daycare buddies.

At least the day had a happy ending.

Ferguson will need to hang in there though until at least next year when we can even think about getting a second dog...

Wait...what's alone time again?

So, we have good news, and we have bad news.

The good news is, Ferguson's paw is finally healed. He is free to exercise, which we did quite a bit this afternoon before I left to go babysit for 3 hours. I think he is also happy about not having to wear a bandage anymore. Due to the crazy hectic week we had last week, Uncle Chris (Ferguson's former foster) was kind enough to care for Ferguson in his time of need while we were mostly unable to (thanks again, UC!). This week is much calmer, so we can transition back to our regular schedules.

Which is part of the bad news; Ferguson has seemingly forgotten what our regular schedule is like, and has since stated his opinion on the subject...a bit all over the room. See, Ferguson had been very good at being left, and did well during a trial run the night we got him back and left to grab food for 30 minutes. I came back to a calm dog who barked only one time while left loose in our room. This evening, I repeated the same procedure (a few yummy tasty distraction toys after a 45 minute walk in the park, his thunder shirt, some mellow music, etc). Yet, the result was not the same. I came back to a dog laying down, but laying down under our desk (?), my orchid fallen, many things off the shelves on the ground, and a very gassy-gross smelling bedroom (no stools, thank goodness). Nothing is broken or digested...it looks like he just bemused himself with examining everything he's not supposed to. Additionally, he was quite vocal and unhappy for a longer period of time before becoming "quiet."

So, the moral of the story is: 30 minutes is not 3 hours, and Ferguson will hence forth belong in his kennel to protect both our things and himself, the loose thing something he is not yet ready for (and maybe never will be, but that's okay, we love him anyway). While he's been vocal at times for being left in there, it's not been prolonged nearly ever the amount he was about being left loose tonight, so we've learned our lesson. Sorry, Ferg, buddy. Just thought you were ready...my mistake.



While I didn't see any soiling, I went ahead and washed his bed cover and blankets anyway to alter the scent, and cleaned everything up (with him locked out of the room to not watch me do it). We'll get back into our routine of daily alone time for at least 30 minutes, this time with UC's canine lullabies music (I found 5 songs on Grooveshark.com...who knew) that I will play, along with the thundershirt, being tired, having tasty distractions, and now, and forever more, his friend the crate <3

The Dangerous Game...

We've deciphered the cause of Ferguson's repeated web tears, or at least we think we have.

My co-worker, Jen, has two dogs that have been staying at Pet Dominion for a few weeks now due to her surgery she's undergone for her knee. More recently, I've been putting Ferguson next to her Corgi, Gandalf. Gandalf, as it turns out, is the instigator of games, especially since he is rather bored and not super exercised staying "in lodging" for an extended time. One of his favorite games is "peek-a-boo" with his neighbor, where he jumps up and can see the other dog next to him, and paws at them. It is believed that Ferguson has also learned this game, and has additionally attempted to see if the behavior will help him escape from his run.


^Gandalf, the friendly instigator.

With other dogs, they could do this pawing behavior all-day with no problem; the edges are pretty much smooth on the bars. Yet, MY dog, with the tissue paper skin, is not so lucky. I was pretty surprised to hear the likely cause, as I've never seen Ferguson jump in his life. But, I guess when he has even more pent-up-energy after the FIRST tear on his paw...

Oh, right. I forgot to update on here. Ferguson tore his webbing AGAIN, but a bit thicker. The hospital decided that keeping a bandage on it for a week (changing it every other day) would be better than sutures considering his new-found habit, and they are afraid he will make it worse. The good news is, they say it should be perfectly fine in just 7-10 days. The bad news is, my schedule this week is not at all conducive to an ailing, bored, unhappy dog. Tomorrow, I work an open to close, and Eric has class AND work, so he is stuck coming with me. Wednesday Eric ALSO works and has class, so he must come with me (for a half day). On Thursday, he must come with me in the morning, before being dropped off at home while I run off to go babysit until 7 pm. Friday, he must come with me yet again, because we're heading straight to Frederick after work to care for the neighbor animals, and Saturday, I again, work an open to close, and he must come with me.

Ferguson, you seriously picked the worst week to have an injury where everyone is gone for 7+ hours. I'm PRETTY SURE this is the only week of the year that is this difficult. Otherwise, he typically only has to come with me maybe twice a week, AND gets to do all the other fun things he normally does. Why, Ferguson? WHY?!

Needless to say, I cannot WAIT for this week to be over.

8-9 More Days...

We're trying to stay busy.

This foot thing is driving me nuts, more so than it is for Ferguson I'm afraid. True, he's the one who doesn't get to get walked or sprint. Yet, it's me who can't very well leave him, or must get very creative with kong stuffings. I feel bad for complaining about him in the recent past when it came to being alone, because now, his tolerance is much lower for it. Rightfully so, as he has a bunch of pent up energy and is booooored. He is used to being drained so he can settle...now he has all the more energy to stress and worry about where I've gone. Urrrg....my poor puppy.

I can't be mad, but it is frustrating, having to move my schedule and entire day's plans around him or move them altogether to the end of the month. We're still practicing alone training every day, but, as I said, his tolerance is much lower. We went out to breakfast for an hour, and our roommate laughed upon us coming in saying that Ferguson was not too thrilled with our plans.

What's more is that he's started licking the area when alone, and in combination with running up the steps, has managed to pull out some of the stitches -_-. Because of the lack of blood and that most of the stitches are still in place, I chose to just clean and medicate the area with antibiotic ointment rather than run him back to the vet, as Ferg's foster informed me that it's more of a preference thing when it comes to a torn webbing on whether to get stitches or not. I'll have them look at it again this week next time I'm in and he has to come with to make sure it's not looking infected. He seems to be in no pain, at least, and is acting completely normal.

And yes, of course he gets face-jail now at night/when alone (which, I might add, makes leaving him even MORE difficult, since I can't leave him with a tasty distraction...he finds the ointment and stitches just as entertaining). URGGG.

Ferguson, PLEASE PLEASE get better soon! For both our sakes!

More Boo-boos...

So today at work, I went on my lunch break and the kennel manager asked me casually if I'd recently clipped Ferguson's nails. I told him no, not for a few days, and wondered why he asked. He said that he saw a little blood in his run, and thought he had maybe been quicked, but I told him no, not likely (I pride myself in having never before quicked a dog). Figuring it was just a little scrape, I clocked back in and finished the last 30 minutes of my shift. Then, upon picking him up I see not "a little" blood, but rather a lot, and in paw print marks all over the run. 0_0

I immediately take him over to the hospital (little bloody pawprints the whole way), which thank GOODNESS, they are always willing to help out co-worker's dogs in need, even when they are busy. One of the doctors takes a look and sees that he tore the skin between his pad, pretty much straight through. She looks at me and asks if I will be able to bring him back in two weeks exactly for a stitch removal. 0_0

We walk him over to the table and hoist him up so it's easier for her to work on, which Ferguson does not like one bit. She gets her materials and calls for a tech to hold his leg steady while she works, with me hanging on to the rest of him and giving him lots of ear scritches all the while. I see her pull out the stitch twine and needle and ask if she was going to use an anesthetic. She shook her head no, and said that the skin was so tight in the area that she'd hurt him much worse to try and shove a needle there (like if you tried to inject something into the palm of your hand), so we did it with none. Surprisingly, he was much braver than when they last saw him when he screamed continuously for 15 seconds while getting a routine convenia injection, and only whimpered a little bit during certain parts. He also did shake like a leaf, but I think that's also because he was on a metal table and felt (and looked) extremely awkward. So, 4-6 stitches, Tramadol, and a bandage later, we've been put on bed-rest for 14 days.

This is very unfortunate news, as we've been still working to get him used to being left for periods of time by himself, and always always always make sure he is well exercised before being left. Now, I hate to bring him to work, because I'm rather confused and upset about whomever was outside with him when this incident happened; there is no WAY he did not cry out when he tore that skin. Additionally, I can't very well bring him to work with those stitches in his feet and have him walk around on those rocks (I'm hoping it was just a sharp rock that caused it in the first place), since that would undoubtedly hurt him. My co-worker suggested I have him stay in the hospital and let him out myself, but he is not at all used to the hospital and would likely stress and cry all day.

Not to mention, my first CGC class is Thursday. While he doesn't need to move much to be a demo dog, it will certainly be a bit more difficult.

Why oh why oh why!

Not the greatest birthday...

Copied and pasted from my greyhound forum group post:

Ferguson and I spent half the weekend in college park, and upon our return to my parents house, I took him out of the car and headed out for a walk before going immediately inside to give him a chance to potty. As we rounded the corner, a neighbor's car was pulling up with its window open. I hear barking, and then...my heart sank. Two dogs, a retriever and coonhound, came racing at us, having jumped out of the car window. These dogs are notorious in the neighborhood for continuous barking and the owners having little to no control over them, though they ARE usually on leashes when we've seen them. So they come right at us. I do my best to keep them back, but with the two of them, I can't do both at one time, and they are FAST. I hear snarling, and then yelping, and then...URG. The owners came running from their car and grabbed the dogs. They were very upset and the wife helped me look over Ferguson and asked if their was anything she could do. At first, all seemed like it might have been okay, but then, that heartbreaking moment happened when you touch a spot and see blood on your hands . His ankles, both of them, were scraped and bleeding. I told her I was going to take him to the emergency clinic and that we would be in touch (since they are just around the corner). She gave me her dog's rabies information, and we were off. Ferguson, however, was not limping while we walked back to the car. THANKFULLY the doctor and the clinic did a very thorough inspection of him and said happily that she didn't think he'd been bitten at all!!! She said that it appeared that he was trying to run away, but rather slipped and fell and scraped his legs on his own in the process. No stitches or bandaging, and just a weeks worth of antibiotic. Still, the whole experience was horrific, as glad as I am nothing is seriously injured. From now on, I will carry pepper spray with me when we walk. Not really sure how to approach the neighbors, especially if their dogs didn't actually bite/break the skin. They've always irked me at how poorly behaved their dogs are...maybe now they'll think about actually training them.