fifi

so sorry for your shock loss Rozzie, Little Josey made you and a lot of foster dogs happy, all our hugs from fifi, danny & hounds

Jesami, in answer to your question, the signs we check for are; * unsuccessful attempts to vomit, retching with no results * gums colour that is not usuall for your dog, ie; very deep pink or pale * restless, pacing, attempting to lay down, but getting up again, agitated * just seeming 'not quite right' many dog owners have saved their dogs early because they picked up on suble signs, that the dog didnt seem himself, or was very clingy, I'd rather have a trip to the vet for nearly no reason, than miss subtle signs & lose my babies. * distended or swollen stomach, * tight tummy that sounds like a drum if you tap it lightly * frothy or exess saliva * gurgley tummy, that wont resolve itself basically, its about knowing your dogs and being attuned to thier behavior, dogs are very good at disguising symptoms until its too late * enjoy them and dont make dinner & after dinner a stressful hunt for bad symtoms, friends of mine who have lost several dogs - being at their place at feed time is enought to make me bloat!!! they get so agitated and stressed that the dogs must pick up on it. fifi

sadly, wolfhounds are terribly prone to bloat & GDV, its the biggest killer of young & healthy dogs. We feed very little soaked kibble, but mostly a semi-barf diet of chicken frames, meaty bones, rice/vegie pulp, fish ect... mine are locked up an hour before feed time, and feed later in the early evening in summer when its cool, they are also locked up or in bed for two hours after dinner. bowls are on the ground, as that seems to be the latest thought in preventing gulping of air with raised bowls. I tend to agree with the partial genetic predisposition too. most wolfhound folk will have the stomach secured to the wall or the belt loop to the ribs after a bloat or torsion, to hopefully prevent the gut rotating if they bloat again. glad your little one is okay, and yes, early gut problems can sometimes be a sign of trouble to come, my friends beautiful wolfie boy passed away last year, he had always had odd problems with gas, colic ect, and sadly it was no suprise when he finally bloated & torsioned at only six years. I do agree, that all our preventions - if its going to happen, there's not much we can do about it, its one of the heartbreaks of owning a deep chested breed fifi

;) so young to be lost to you, all our loving thoughts are with you on such a sad day. fifi & hounds

Thanks so much Leenie for taking the time to answer, I'm also a vet nurse, but currently working in my other proffesion as a social welfare worker. I used to own health food stores, and had done several years of my Naturopathy many years ago. I suffered the same frustrations as you, my dogs are fed as close the the BARF diet as possibe, and I would never act as a commercial food marketer while vet nursing. My vet was not very open to holisitc therapies, but did see the recovery of my boy through them. Luckily he was not overly fond of 'reps' so we were a very basic practice, without many 'sales' promotions or stands. The vetinary nursing courses now, have only a small nutrition component, and recently, most of it has been overwhelmed by commercial promotion. I've had a good look at the site you provided, and may go ahead with the massage/physical therapy units. having a giant breed, we have to be very particular with diet, exercise, and incredibley fast growing structural issues. I wish I'd spent more time learning from the old greyhound therapist, he has now passed away, and a lifetime of knowledge with him. thanks again, fifi & hounds

Hey Leenie, that's a great link, how much proffesional credibility does ACNAM have? yes the course fees are around the usual price for private colleges. would love to hear more about the work you do Leenie, thanks, fifi

I forgot to add, we also borrowed a horse friend's vibra-massage machine, Heaven on a stick!! its a two handled vinyl covered cushion, with a powerful massage/vibration action, I think this is what really sped up the nerve recovery, as they are the slowest to respond & heal. ( the reason we borrowed it? they are upwards of five to eight hundred dollars to buy!!! - but worth their weight in gold) fifi

Hi Toohey, yes I still have my big fella' thanks to support therapies. He injured himself as a nine week old pup, he chipped several vertabra in his spine, and suffered ligament, nerve and muscle damage. the vet wanted to Euthenase him on the spot, (he had nearly no movement or response in his rear :-(( I contacted an old freind who had been a top greyhound therapist, and he suggested a program to try. We took him home with pain killers, and anti-inflammatory drugs, with the promise to have him PTS if we were unable to stabilise or improve his injury/quality of life. (I'm a qualified vet nurse too) with a dedicated daily routine of physiotherapy gentle manipulation, crate rest, and as movement improved - limited swimming, (a heated hydrotherapy pool would have been heaven and a speedier recovery), heated wheatie packs, and daily massages, he slowly recovered. he was still on gentle exercise and a little outdoor pen to play in, at 12months, but by 14 months was moving quite well, just needed to start building up muscle strengh. by 20 months, he had nearly normal movement ( and when you know about a problem, you see it stand out more!) at four years of age, Navarre won Runner up Best in Show at the Wolfhound Specialty! from three to five years, he consistenly won group, class in group & in show classes. they were a nice bonus, but the real prize is still having him happy and healthy in our home. he is now five & a half, has a little arthritis, but we have him on a herbal arthri-eze which keeps him running happily. I would recomend learning the support therapies from a real expert, it can make a huge difference to your dogs life, and the bond between you. fifi

I just know I shouldnt read these things, now I'm blubbering again :rolleyes: its lovely! fifi

:p Cynthia, you gave Sasha the bravest, hardest and kindest gift of all, you freed her to run on the other side, without pain. all our love & hugs fifi, danny & hounds

it so hurts to lose them at any age, but I'm so glad you had Shelley for 16 lucky years. I imagine she is running free, red hair flying in the sun.......a young body free from pain.... love fifi & hounds

I bet there are tennis balls, frisbees, and always someone to throw them! sorry to hear of your sad loss. fifi & hounds

thanks for your support guys, I hand raised Dhanneca and her littermates - as her dam had no milk, they are even more special when you have nursed them for 24 hours a day-for three weeks, after assisting with the ceasarian & rubbing life into them. we are keeping an eye on her sister, as they have never been apart, exept for the odd show. its so hard to get up and go to work, when you cant stop crying. thanks again, fifi, danny & hounds

today we lost Dhanneca, our beautiful little black baby. She was five in August. she was not well this morning, and after a day on a drip, she continued to deteriorate, the vets performed exploratory surgery, and found that her whole small & large intestine had died, they think because of her history with pancreatic problems, that her immune system collapsed. She was well, happy and her usuall feral self last night. she was put to sleep on the table, we didnt even get to hug her goodbye, as there was no chance of recovery. her sister Didi is very confused, and we are so very sad. many tears & love from Fiona, danny & hounds

we have been planting fruit trees over ours, and now have our own beloved mini 'orchard'! we have lost three of our older wolfies, our 19 year old rescue x bred, and a hand raised premmie pony foal in the last two years :D when my hearthound - Ciaran was in his last week, we knew he only had a few more days with us, and had the vet on standby to come out and help him to the rainbow bridge when the time was right, somebody gave me the Shaun Mullin's CD - Souls core, with the song - 'Patrick', I was playing it all that week - I love the song, but cant hear it without a huge lump in my throat. The lyrics talk about a friend of his who died young, a sensitive soul with an artist inside, and Ciaran was just that, a shy and special boy, who could touch selected people with his gentle quiet soul. (RIP - Ciaran - CH Wulfgar Innes Fodhla) fifi

Hi Mel, personally, I think a session that long is too long for a pup, I dont think a young giant breed has the mental maturity or the physical stamina. when I used to take my young one's to training, I'd swap dogs over a few times during the lesson, we had a good trainer who did not do long sessions with young dogs, and didnt mind if you swapped them about. I did find that under six months in a wolfie pup was difficult in a standard puppy/novice class, as the sharp turns and constant sits are very straining to gawky giant babies. we just do some basic training at home now, and rely on general outings, shows and visits for socialisation. we could never keep up with the little guys! and we always got a laugh as they were half way down the park while my big boofy boy was just collecting all his limbs and starting to walk!!! fifi

Hi there Akitaowner, fifi here, also a breeder of very big doggies, as has already been said, keep them on the leaner side, dont overdo red meat or supplements IE: calcium ect. we just have backyard play, but the puppies dont do playtime with adults, until they are a year old, they socialise and sleep together, but have pup only playtime, as those fast turns and rough adult games can demolish growth plates. we also take them out for socialising, car rides and very short toddles up the road for lead training, and to the occasional show, but wait until at least 12 months- and later for big males before we start to build up to paddock gallops and long walks. when I do reading on the history of the hunting hounds & other hunting breeds, I often read about ancient hunting practises, one of wich was that the bigger dogs were never taken on the hunt until after their 2nd year, but were often taken on lead only after one year to aquaint them with the smells & exitement. a little restraint & caution in that first year, will reward you with soundness later, pups will usually run around a yard enough to build muscle & ligament strength. fifi

Dear Anne, what a great tribute, I imagine Sam, running free and chasing the rabbits over the rainbow bridge...... sorry for the loss of your hearthound. fifi

I use Malaseb for the initial treatment, and then go onto the Plush puppy itchy skin shampoo, its a great herbal base and we have cleaned up a couple of very itchy dawgs! (and this is not an ad!) I also use their new seabreeze oil to rinse or spray on the coat, my big boy went from a ball of itch & no hair, and had lost 15kgs due to constant itching, to one very hairy, happy hound & back to normal weight. fifi

:D Oh Jeff, this is my first day back online, what a shock to see Wazza's name here on the rainbow bridge. Five is too young to be lost to you. all our cyber hugs and thoughts are with you. love fifi & the wolfies & Karnzie the pharoah hound

thanks Christie, I just knew I shouldnt have read it! its beautiful, and of course set me off into a weepy mess...made me weep for those I've loved & lost. fifi

Oh Mel, made me cry too, what a brave decision that you made, had you not taken this unselfish step, who knows what this poor girl could have done to herself, and died alone in agony. From what you told us, I cant imagine an owner doing any more to help thier dog. My old wolfie boy was like Rez, unhappy in his own skin, and I hope that dogs like ours are running free with joy in thier hearts. fifi

:D your lovely post brought me to tears, I'm so sad for your Lassie, you made an unselfish choice and let her go before she suffered. I hope one day you have another dog to fill your heart. Lassie's photo is beautiful, a very regal girl. I have Irish wolfhounds, they are not a long lived breed, so I know the pain of losing a hearthound. hugs from fifi & wolfies

Dear Salli, So saddened to read your traumatic loss of Tiger, he looks so beautiful in his pictures. Please don't beat yourself up over this, our dogs can lull us into such a sense of everything is going peacefully and wham, suddenly all hell can break loose, most of these tragic accidents happen after a series of little events that we put together afterwards, little things, that dont seem much in themselves. Tiger was just in the wrong place with Cher at the wrong mood & time. ;) all our hugs, fifi & hounds

loving thoughts to poor Monty and your family, no pet or person should ever have to go through this. You are doing the right thing pursuing the matter, so sad for the dogs involved, they will be the ones who cop the punishment - when it should be thier owners. The only time we ever have any major dramas here, is when someone's unsecured dog tries to make trouble in our own fenced property. And of course once again, irresponsible owners will give the breeds involved a bad name ;) healing thoughts for all of you, and a catnip filled afterlife for Monty :D