Greyhound Freaks » Bodhi

No Answers for Bodhi

Heather Vaughn — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:50:51 +0000

We finally heard back from the vet with test results from Cornell. Unfortunately, they can only tell us what he didn’t die from. It wasn’t Canine Influenza. It wasn’t poison. It wasn’t a trauma or injury. It wasn’t a tick disease. The only thing we know for sure is that his white blood cell count was super, duper low and that his kidney & liver values indicated the possiblity of some long term underlying disease (though they believe this to be completely unrelated to his death).

As we welcome two new hounds into our family this weekend, we still mourn the untimely and tragic loss of sweet Bodhi. To have no answers makes it almost unbearable to think about.

Tragedy and Heartbreak.

Heather Vaughn — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:41:30 +0000

I can not believe I am posting this. I left for a weekend of lure coursing in Atlanta on Saturday morning…everyone and everthing was fine until this morning, Ken called me at 8am to say that Bodhi was having difficulty breathing and his gums were pale. His back was a little hunched…my first thought was bloat, but he hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before and had gone out on first turnout and seemed fine. I asked if I should come home and Ken said no, not yet. I think we both just thought he was going to have a big gas bubble or something. I mean, he hadn’t skipped any meals and this was a dog that was perky and bouncing around Petsmart last Thursday. Friday night he was roaching like nobody’s business. No sign of being off or sick.

The rest of the day is kind of a blur…Ken called to say the vet was concerned but still not sure what was going on. They had him stable and were giving oxygen and letting him calm down so they could take more xrays. The first round were concerning, as his bronchials looked whiter than they should be. But, his heart looked good and no blockage in the trachea. Then Ken texted me to come home immediately. I called him as I was loading up the van and he told me the vet had just downgraded Bodhi to “grave” – his white blood cell count was bottomed out and he was coughing up blood. Bodhi passed away while peacefully sedated at the vets.

Bloodwork and nasal swabs are being sent to Cornell for diagnotics. The only diagnosis we have now is “undetermined respiratory condition.”

To say we are in shock is an understatement. Thank God for Ken and my good friend Heather who is the only thing that kept me sane on the drive from Atlanta to SC. The vet was wonderful and must have spent at least an hour just talking with us and answering a bazillion questions. Coming off the loss of Harmony, neither of us are prepared for this. I just don’t know how in the hell this happened. I pray Cornell can provide us an answer because young, healthy dogs are not supposed to die like this. And since it was a respiratory condition, we are obviously concerned for the rest of the pack as well. Though no one has shown any symptoms – not even Tater who came from the same racing kennel as Bodhi. This vet is knowledgeable about what makes greyhounds different and what their little quirks and concerns can be coming out of a racing career….

Please help us remember our Bodhi – the sweetest hound that was taken too soon. I’m thankful to have gotten to know him over the last couple months and that he was able to spend a week in a loving home, being spoiled. I have no doubt that he loved every second of being here…it was obvious in the way he lapped the yard, roached when he napped, nuzzled us for lubs and shredded the stuffies. I am honored to have known him.

Godspeed, sweet Bodhi…we loved you from the first moment we met you. Our time together was too short, but our love for you is without end.

I just don’t understand this at all

Welcome Home Bodhi…..and Tater!

Heather Vaughn — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:28:55 +0000

Yes, you read that right. Last weekend we welcomed home not one, but TWO fabulous newly retired racers. We actually went to Birmingham just to pick up Wildcat Bob, who we “preadopted” back in December when we brought Primo home. Though Fishdog Kennels was closing at Birmingham, some of the dogs in the kennel still had some racin’ to do, so their owners moved them to other kennels at the track. Wildcat Bob went to Toomanyhounds Kennel where he bounced around grades D and E for a couple months before his trainer finally decided to retire him. I wish he could have have done a bit better for his new kennel, but I am glad he’s finally home and that they took such fabulous care of him!

Ken chose his pet name: Bodhi Dogma (Bodhi is short for bodhisattva - Ken is Buddhist, for those who may not know)…here’s a pic our beautiful boy on the way home from the track:

While we were chatting with the kennel helpers about Bodhi and greyhounds and racing in general, I asked about a hound I’d visited often at Fishdog Kennels that has also moved over to Toomanyhounds. I knew Rights to Riches had been retired recently and I was just curious about how she was doing. They asked if I wanted to see her…and I said of course! I figured it might be the last chance I had to see her before she went to an adoption group in Tennessee. So, we went to the overflow kennel and they pulled her adorable overbite-having, buck toothed, wiggly-butt self out of the crate and my heart just about burst into a million bazillion pieces. I just had to bring her home. I just HAD to!!

So, we did While mulling over a name for her on the ride hom, a bit from Ron White came on the XM comedy channel we were listening to and it hit me: TATER! Yep, our new girl was definitely a Tater if I ever saw one. LOL (If you happen to not be familiar with Ron “Tater Salad” White, you are missing out on a hilarious comedian…and a Texan, Ken never forgets to add!)

We did it…We caught The Tater!

After a really long day (8 hours round trip driving for us)…we’re almost home and stop to get gas

Many thanks to Heather with Team Greyhound/Fishdog Kennels who gave us the opportunity to meet Wildcat Bob and Rights to Riches. And lots of thanks also to Melony Cleveland, the owner and trainer of Toomanyhounds kennel in Birmingham, for taking such fantastic care of our pups while they were racing. The dogs were absolutely gorgeous, clean and happy when we picked them up. It’s always great to work with wonderful racing folks at the track!