Archive for January, 2009

post thumbnail

Echo is Back!

Back on the lure coursing field, that is! After almost a year hiatus from the sport, Echo and I (and Primo!) travelled to Atlanta last Sunday to attend the Inaugural Stakes of the newly formed, National Lure Coursing Club. I was interested in learning more about the club’s unique running rules and Echo…well, she  just wanted [...]

Popularity: 25% [?]

29Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 0 comments | Continued
post thumbnail

From Pet Owner to Racing Owner

Ken’s first exposure to greyhounds was going to the Thursday night races at Gulf Greyhound Park with his friends. It wasn’t until later that he adopted his first retired racer. My first exposure to greyhounds was on the internet when I was researching a breed for my first pet. It wasn’t until after I’d adopted [...]

Popularity: 21% [?]

29Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 0 comments | Continued
post thumbnail

We Broke Him Already!

Primo has been with us since the day after Christmas. I believe he ran his last race a handful of days before he retired. Since he’s been here, he’s been on the same fitness regimine as Echo – lots of walking and road work – to maintain his track physique. When I decided at the [...]

Popularity: 24% [?]

28Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 1 comment | Continued
post thumbnail

Joining the Pack

About three days into Harmony’s hospitalization, I came across a thread on GreyTalk about a 6 year old retired blood donor in Nebraska that needed a home. Not only did he need a home, but if he didn’t find one quickly, he was most likely going to be euthanized. He apparently had behavior issues crop up [...]

Popularity: 28% [?]

20Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 2 comments | Continued
post thumbnail

Joining the Pack

This post is long overdue, but time has just flown by and once Harmony got sick, that was pretty all-consuming. Though we’ve adopted and owned many greyhounds, we’ve really never gone to “pick one out.” Like many folks, our hounds tend to come to us via this way and that…a littermate, a special needs or [...]

Popularity: 25% [?]

19Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 0 comments | Continued
post thumbnail

Harmony: Final Update

After a heartfelt talk with her doctor, we decided it was time to let Harmony be at peace. She fought bravely and with all she had, but her body was just not strong enough to beat whatever was making her sick. After 5 days of treatment, Harmony was not making any new red blood cells [...]

Popularity: 40% [?]

12Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 5 comments | Continued
post thumbnail

Harmony Update: Jan 11

Evening update: Ken just spoke with Dr. Presley who confirmed what the on call vet told us earlier tonight…Harmony’s PCV value has held steady at 20-21% all day, which means she hasn’t shredded through the red blood cells from her second transfusion, like she did with the first. So, while she hasn’t improved per se, [...]

Popularity: 38% [?]

11Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 2 comments | Continued
post thumbnail

Harmony Update: Jan 10th

What a crazy day. I headed to Birmingham for an 8 hour round trip drive to pick up four retired racers for adoption and Ken stayed behind to hold down the fort and handle calls from the vet. We debated cancelling the trip, but decided it was important to go. To help four dogs retire and take that [...]

Popularity: 36% [?]

10Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 1 comment | Continued
post thumbnail

Harmony Update: Jan 9th 10:30pm

Update: Dr. Vilar from OSU and Dr. Presley (Harmony’s local vet) spoke and they are both having a hard time reconciling her symptoms with anything specific. OSU just removed the spleen from a greyhound who had similar symptoms, but it turns out their cases diverge because Harmony’s spleen isn’t really that enlarged. The other dog’s [...]

Popularity: 38% [?]

9Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 0 comments | Continued
post thumbnail

Owners: the other side of a sick dog.

I guess you can say we’ve been “lucky.” The pets that have left us for the Rainbow Bridge have all been old. Losing an old dog is hard, but as a dog reaches the end of it’s typical lifespan you start to almost expect something to go wrong. And, while the loss is heartbreaking, it’s [...]

Popularity: 35% [?]

9Jan2009 | Heather Vaughn | 3 comments | Continued
Older Entries