Teeth ache

About 4 weeks ago, I awoke to a toothache that got progressively worse.  Twenty-four hours and a root canal later, I felt much better.  So what does this have to do with a dog?  Well, meet Milo.  He is a sweet happy, boy that was returned almost three weeks ago.  He came to us with what I called "swamp breath" and a brand new toothbrush and an unopened tube of doggie toothpaste.  Knowing that teeth can improve with brushing, I slowly got Milo to let me brush his teeth, but getting him to let me even touch his mouth was a challenge.  2 weeks later, he allowed me to lift his jowls and the picture with my thumb in it is what I found.  If you look closely, you will see that it looks almost like part of his gum was missing.  I immediately called the vet and made an appointment for a dental. This problem was so much worse than I imagined.  Imagine if the roots of your teeth were exposed (yes, the part where the nerves are)...How long would you live like that?  How long would you allow your dog to live like that and would you expect him to be sweet and gentle when he was in so much pain?

 Lucky for us, Milo remained sweet and cuddly (even with Ginger).  Yesterday, Milo went to get his teeth "cleaned."  Unfortunately for Milo his teeth cleaning resulted in 16 teeth extracted.  I am going to warn you, the upcoming pictures are a little disgusting, but if it causes just one person to remember to brush their pup's teeth, I am willing to post these.  If your pup's comfort is not enough to get you to brush his/her teeth, maybe knowing that a tube of doggie toothpaste will cost you less than $5 but a situation like Milo's could cost you over $1000!!

Note the roots of his top teeth (not to mention the terrible icky stuff all over them).  The picture on the left is of his top teeth and the one on the right is showing his bottom teeth.

Milo is now back home and resting peacefully.  He is on some pain killers for the next few days and getting to eat soft food but this will allow Milo to live without pain.  Milo has a pending forever home, but his adoption fee will not nearly cover the extensive dental work he just had done.  Any donations will be helpful and can be given to Greyhound Rescue, Inc.  All donations are tax deductible as well!  I thought I would give you one more pic of Milo in his very drugged state.  He is still a little freaked out this morning and hanging out in his man cave (aka crate) to feel a bit more secure, but he has been coming out and eating a little.  I am pretty sure we will see the silly boy back soon!

Full of personality

So my foster Mom thinks I should let my true personality shine...I think a video is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple that show my personality!  The first one is me giving my foster brother kisses.  The second is me playing (three weeks post toe amputation)!

I'm Back!!!!

Stitches out, bandages off, mostly unmuzzled (I'm still not supposed to lick my toe), and I am back in business.  First line of business after my bandages came off?  Start jumping back on the couch.  Second, make a giant mess with stuffies because I want a nice long walk and a run but they still won't give it to me.  I figure at some point they will figure out it takes more time to clean up all the toys from the stuffy basket than it does to take me for a good long walk!   Don't worry, when my little foster brother wakes up, he will throw me some stuffies...We like to play fetch and tug of war.  I usually win!!  So, does anyone know whether I am supposed to have three toes on each foot or four??  I can't really tell, but I think I may have lost one under the bandages they had on me!  Oh well, I am back to my old self, so who cares how many toes are on each foot, right?

Jackie the misunderstood!

To anyone who has followed the saga of Jackie, they may be shocked at this post.  I have to make a confession- I completely misjudged Jackie at first!  Jackie is an amazingly resilient and adaptable dog.  Initially, I thought that Jackie should be an only dog and kept away from younger kids.  I still think babies would make her nervous, but I think in time she would adjust.  I have watched her go from a snappy dog to one that calmly waits to see what is going to happen.  I have watched her go from being in other dogs' faces to learning some manners and eliminating the tenseness that comes from an ill-mannered dog.  I have watched her go from being very nervous around her human five year old foster brother to being comfortable enough to let him get on the bed with her and pet her- She even respects him enough that when he tells her to go lay down on her bed, she gets up and walks over and lays down (his own grey does not listen to him that well!!).  I would not hesitate to house her with another grey and I would not hesitate to house her with a young kid (who is willing to follow some basic rules that all dog owners should follow like "let sleeping dogs lie.").  The only thing she still needs to work on is her interaction with other breeds of dogs.  And, quite honestly, given her ability to learn and desire to be with others, I firmly believe she would be fine if someone is willing to work with her.  What I have learned about Jackie is that her post racing career homes have been with adults and older children only.  After spending time in a foster home with another grey and a young kid she has settled down.  When she spends time with anything and learns what the traits are, she settles down and adapts- She just needs time and patience!

So, lets talk the lighter side of Jackie.  Jackie is surprisingly energetic and resilient.  Her toe was removed two weeks ago and she acts like nothing happened.  Today we get the stitches removed and she can move on...Of course, she really hasn't stopped moving!  She is so resilient that she can't wait to go to the vet's office.  We walk in and she gets greeted by all the friends she made while she was there and gets to explore other breeds.  I have never seen a dog that has been through all that she has, actually want to go to the vet's office!  As proof that she is doing just fine, watch the video and you can see how she has become a dog that will be the life of the home and will be a welcome addition to almost any family!

Here we go again...So I went back to the vet to get my toe checked and this time, they looked at it and said there was no way it was going to heal correctly so on Thursday they will be amputating my right outside toe.  So, once this heals, I am thinking about playing some poker with my three toes to try to make some money to pay for all of this.  I'm not usually one given to begging, but this is going to be pricey! And, while Greyhound Rescue, Inc. is going to make sure I can be happy and healthy again, any help you can give them would be wonderful.  Also, a big thank you to Town and Country Animal Hospital in Fairfax, VA and Dr. Davis Hall for giving me a break on the bill (and taking the break off my toe- just a little humor there)!  If you ever need a vet, go visit him and tell him Jackie with an eye from Greyhound Rescue, Inc. sent you!

All I want to do is catch a few rays!

All I want to do is go out and sunbathe.  Why doesn't anyone understand me?  I ask my foster mom to take me out and she walks me around a bit.  When I find the perfect sunny spot, I lay down.  Doesn't matter whose yard it is, it just has to have some sun rays!  Unfortunately, there is nowhere here where I can hang out in the rays without the risk of running around, so I can only do this on walks and for some reason no one wants to stand by while I catch some rays!  My foster mom says I will get a weird tan with the cast...Ummm, does she understand I am a black dog and you won't see it anyway??  DUH!!!!  Don't worry, I mess with her, though.  When she says come on, I fall over like I can't get up...My poor leg.  However, when I know Ginger has food left in her bowl and I have finished mine, I am the fastest tripod around!  By the way, The muzzle is just on me so I don't lick my cast.  I am not vicious!!

Jackie catches a break

Nope, Jackie didn't catch the kind of break that gets her a forever home.  Jackie got another kind of break...A broken toe!  Of course, with a broken front toe, Jackie had a hard time typing, so I will type for her.  How does a broken toe happen, you ask?  Well, we are not sure of anything more than Jackie was chasing a tennis ball and started yelping and after a visit to the vet's office we found a broken and dislocated toe.  Jackie, in her usual manner, has found some bright sides.  First, all the neighbors stop and ask what happened and give her extra attention because they feel bad for her.  Second, when she gets tired on a walk and lays down to soak up some rays in someones yard, I pick up all 80 lbs of her and carry her back home (Good thing I was a Marine!).  Third, everyone is extra careful around her so there is no bumping into her or annoying her with the crazy tricks that people used to play on the one-eyed dog.  And last but not least, she feels she looks really good in purple!  Jackie is seeing this as a little bit of an inconvenience, but is tolerating the treatment and enjoying the attention.  She did ask that I let you all know that her treatment is expensive even with the awesome discount (and care) at Town and Country Animal Hospital  in Fairfax, VA and Columbia Pike Animal Hospital in Annandale, VA, but if you would like to help Greyhound Rescue, Inc. cover her bill, she would be glad to be called a tax deduction.  You can donate here via PayPal or other means.  If you aren't able to give, if nothing else, when you shop at Amazon, register Greyhound Rescue, Inc. at http://smile.amazon.com/ and you can then feel good as you shop because 0.5% of your purchase price will go to Greyhound Rescue...Jackie loves a good excuse for shopping, especially if it involves dog treats!!   We'll post the good news when Jackie is back to having all four legs operational again!

Rain, Rain Go Away. Little Jackie wants to Play!

Yes, Jackie does want to play!  Jackie is full of so much energy, you tend to forget about her "disabilities."  That being said, you can play some pretty cruel jokes on a dog missing an eye!  Call her name then stand on the side with the missing eye when she runs into the room.  She will completely miss you if you don't move!  Or, throw a toy on the side with the bad eye and she will not know you threw it!   Okay, so maybe a little mean, but Jackie is so good-natured she takes it in stride and if she could laugh, would probably tell the jokes on herself!  Jackie went to obedience school with her previous owner and is very well behaved now.  If she forgets and starts jumping when you come in the door, a simple hand in the air and "down" will cause Jackie to sit and wait for your attention.  Jackie is one of those rare greyhounds that would love to chase a ball around...In fact, yesterday she managed to deflate a small soccer ball that was left out where it shouldn't have been (as you can see in the video)!   If you are looking for a sweet girl that may have a hard time finding a home, but has lots of energy and love to give, Jackie is your girl!!

Jackie with an "eye"

Hi, I'm Jackie with an eye.  My foster mom is good about taking pictures with my good side forward, but if she posted one of the other side, you would see I am missing an eye.  My short life of six years has been one bad break after another.  So it started with losing a toe somewhere along the way.  It didn't just fall off, but I am not telling that story!  Then, in my first home, a cat decided to take advantage of my good nature and scratched my eye.  It got infected and when they couldn't get it to heal, they ended up taking it out.  Then a couple of years ago, one of my owners got very sick and I couldn't be cared for appropriately.  My owners were very sad, but they let me go because they loved me so much!  My foster mom told me to settle in because dogs like me take a while to adopt.   She said people are less likely to take a dog that is not perfect (she told me I was perfect to her, though, so I was thinking about staying!).  However, someone happened along that thought I was perfect just as I was!  He took me and trained me and made me even better than I was before.  Then another round of bad luck hit me and my owner lost his job and couldn't afford to keep me.  So, I am back with my foster mom trying once again to find that forever home.  I know I am not physically perfect and I have a hard time trusting (but who wouldn't after all I have been through!).  But, when I figure out the way things work and I begin to trust you, you will have the most loyal, loving girl in the world.  I love getting all the attention and I am very dominant, so I might be better off by myself or even maybe a male greyhound would be a good fit.  I have lived with cats (yeah, remember the eye??) so I am cat safe.  I sleep very sound and usually sleep on my good eye so I can't see.  That makes me not as good of a fit for little kids that may not know to "let sleeping dogs lie," but I would be very happy to be with older kids who are dog savvy.  I would really like to get on with my life in a FOREVER home. I just hope there is someone out there who is willing to accept me as I am and love me for who I am.