The Whippet Diaries

Basset Hound Update!

2010-05-05T14:15:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm really late with updates yet again!! What can I say? I've been busy training Stella, making bears and taking care of our neighbor's dog across the street.

Stella is 6 months old now and she's grown quite a bit! She and Sequoya (our Chihuahua) are best buds!! You can see them play together (and also Cleopatra our whippet) in the video below taken just a couple of days ago....

Long Overdue Update!!

2010-03-11T08:07:00.003-06:00

I am sure you are thinking... "Well, THAT'S a funny looking Whippet!"

Well, our hearts are still breaking over the loss of Isis last August. Although our friends Kathy & Debbie did have whippet puppies when we lost Isis, I was NOT ready for another dog or a puppy.

But last November, we went out to dinner with friends. After dinner they needed turtle food, so we stopped in the pet shop that was next to the restaurant. They have puppies. I've always been able to go in here without a problem because I don't have them take the puppies out. Our friend Peggy, however, DID!

She had them take out a cute little Shitz tzu. She was cute, but I had no problems. Then Peggy saw the female Basset Hound puppy and had them bring her out. Bob grew up with a Basset Hound.

My gosh, the look I saw on Bob's face....I knew it was now time. But 1) Did I have the time/energy to raise a puppy? and 2) We really did not want to buy a puppy at a pet store!

Bob and I went back and forth for 2 weeks... and then I realized that I was ready for a puppy (and all the work that goes with one). So I started looking for Basset Hound breeders. They are not easy to find near Chicago. Most of the Basset breeders are down South as Bassets are hunting dogs.

But then I found a breeder just 30 minutes away and she had puppies! A litter of 12 - with only 3 girls. We definitely wanted a girl! She asked us questions and we asked her questions and both decided each other was OK LOL!

So the week of Christmas we brought home Stella Margaret. Margaret cause it was all Peggy's fault that we even thought about getting a puppy LOL!

Here she is the day we brought her home with our friend Dawn:

And here are the Whippets checking out the new kid....

Surprisingly, Pandora is the whippet who decided to be the new momma to this "little" baby!

And so begins a new chapter in our lives! Stella keeps us laughing, that's for sure!! We still miss Isis every day..... but Stella helps to heal our hearts.

Pandora does it again....

2009-08-28T17:14:00.002-05:00

Today Bob brought Isis' ashes home and we had another good cry. Just when I think I can't cry anymore...

But Pandora certainly got me running :) I let the Girls out after dinner and seconds after they ran out the door (in the fenced back yard) I spotted Pandora trotting proudly around the yard with the adult bunny she just caught!

Have you ever tried to pry the jaws of a proud whippet off of its prey, with 2 other whippets crowding in on you? It's not easy! I had to take Pandora outside of the gate so when I got her to release the bunny I didn't have Cleo or Athena right there to snatch it away. Didn't have to worry about Sequoya, this bunny was bigger than her!

I have to say, although I did have to pry Pandora's jaws open, she was VERY good and didn't snap at or bite me. I got her and the Girls inside and took the bunny across the street to the woods and weed for the coyotes to find tonight.

I'm certain there's some people out there who wish we never had Pandora spayed... this is her 15th creature captured! And that's in a fenced yard...

Don't Cry... I had a GREAT life!

2009-08-22T22:03:00.002-05:00

Hey Guys, it's me Isis. Here's a picture of me my first day (actually my first HOUR) in my new home with Bob, Laura, Jen, Cleo & Athena. Today I went over the rainbow bridge... but I went HAPPY!!!

I've been really acting like my old self lately... doing my tricks, beating up on my sister Athena, racing down the hall to go out, running out in the yard.

Today Mom and Bob were out, but Jen was home with us. She had to run a few errands, but when she came back she let us out in the back yard as usual. She let me out with Cleo, and then I took a flying leap up the deck stairs so I'd get my treat for going inside.

Well, when she let Athena and Pandora out, I wanted to go out and PLAY! I was having my last hurrah. I had a wonderful time playing with my sisters. Then it was time for me to go to the Rainbow bridge to wait for everyone there. Jen was there with me as I passed over. Boy, what a wonderful way to go :) Bob, Mom and Jen are crying a bit cause they miss me, but I wish they wouldn't. I'll see them later when they get here.... and I'll be bringing them my favorite green tennis ball....

Isis Update... by Momma

2009-07-05T09:45:00.001-05:00

Yep, that's my sweet Isis girl... asleep in a basket :) We had been noticing her slowing down over the past several months. (she has congestive heart failure) and lately she had been having some IBS problems. But then a couple of weeks ago she stopped eating or drinking. I wouldn't force her to eat, but I knew water was vital so I'd squirt water onto her tongue many times a day.

As you can see in her photo, she can't "not eat" for very long! Besides which, that is usually the sign that they are ready to "go home". We wanted to give her every chance though... and took her to our fabulous vets - Dundee Animal Hospital. We assumed we would be given the worst news....

But our Isis girl, she is stubborn with a capital S! She always has been, and it has certainly come in handy during her illness :) After Xrays of her heart and blood tests to test her organs, (as she is on some fairly strong meds) it appears she was dehydrated. She did start this on the hottest, most humid day of the year... poor thing! (even in the a/c)

The doctor gave her some fluids under the skin - which is tricky with heart patients... so she gave her 1/2 the normal amount. Also some meds for her upset tummy - which actually works on the brain, not the stomach.. cool. And help for her IBS.

The next day she was feeling better... not totally, but eating and drinking! After a few more days I called the doctor back and told her she felt a bit better, but still had problems with the IBS even on the meds. After a 15 minute phone consult, she had me just zip into the hospital real quick to see one of the techs for another dose of fluids, and some more stuff for the IBS. (probiotics) She also decided to go ahead and cut her digoxin in half. That med is the only one that she is on that would cause the IBS.

Boy did we see a difference within a day! Now our sweet Isis girl is behaving like she was 6 months ago! Full of piss and vinegar, trying to playfully beat up her favorite "sister" Athena :) This is certainly a dog with 9 lives!

Update on Dog Food Issues

2009-05-18T21:50:00.005-05:00

I thought I'd give you all an update on the "dog food issue" as Mom calls it. Well, first Mom tried Iams as that's what our friends use.

But Athena still had problems outside, and my tummy was upset in the mornings. Mom fixed that with some Pepcid AC, but still - I didn't want to eat something that upset my tummy! Momma thinks it was the corn in the Iams that caused us problems.

Her friends also recommended Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach so she tried that. I LOVE this stuff and my tummy is all better now! Athena is still in the process of switching over but is doing well.

Isis was still having some issues. Mom had tried to switch her over from what she had been eating to our new food so she could just buy one type of food. But it didn't work well for her.

Last weekend our friends Nixie and Gremlin came over with their Mommy Dayna. Isis snuck into their room and snarfed down their kibble!! Momma thought she was going to have to deal with messes - ugh! But surprisingly there were none!!

So... on Monday Momma went out and bought some of that food for Isis and is in the process of switching her over to that. She's eating just regular people rice and chicken breast right now.

The new food is Nature's Variety Prairie Kibble. She's trying out the chicken and brown rice flavor. Momma even found a Nature's Variety coupon for buy a bag, get a bag free! Nature's Variety "Try it" Coupon

Momma is really hoping to have most of this all set by the time she leaves to visit her friend Daphne in New Hampshire at the beginning of June!

Isis - 2 years Since Accident!

2009-04-28T08:36:00.002-05:00

Last weekend (last weekend in April) marked the 2 year anniversary of Isis' accident. Back then, her dogtor thought she would be lucky to have a couple more months left, but here 2 years later she's still with us and enjoying life!

Bob and Mom have noticed that she's now starting to slow down a little, and that makes them a little sad. They're really hoping that she'll stick around for a couple of more years, but realize that may not be the case.

But they are SO happy that they have had these 2 extra GREAT years with her! I have to tell you, Isis has gotten very spoiled in these 2 years. I wonder if she knew what she was doing? LOL!

I'm really glad to have my sister around to play with too! She and I still love to play stalk....

And she loves to pummel me - we call it "battle dog".

And I love to share my treats with her!

And there's just nothing better than relaxing on the bed with your sis! Even if Mom IS trying to change the sheets!

STOP Feeding Your Dogs Canidae!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-09T14:44:00.006-05:00

Mom notice that a lot of people find our blog by searching for Canidae dog food coupon. I'm here to tell you to NOT buy Canidae dog food...there is a big problem with it... and it's making us sick.

Mom put us whippets on Canidae all life stages dry kibble after the pet food scare a couple of years ago. We liked it and it was made in the US from all US ingredients. Mom thought she could rest easy.

About a week after Mom got the latest bag of Canidae, Athena got diarrhea. Mom thought well, it's spring and she's eating grass, nothing new. A dose of Kayopectate and some chicken & rice and she'll get over it.

She did NOT! She was doing alright on chicken and rice, but every time Mom tried to get her back on kibble, she'd get sick again. Tried again, this time up to 25 kibbles per meal, but last night got sick again. Something is not right!

Now Pandora and myself (Cleo) are on the Canidae as well, but our tummies are not as sensitive as Athena's. Both Pan and myself did get a touch of diarrhea, but were fine after a couple of days... although we still aren't 100%.. more like 90%.

So Mom took Athena to the vet... no parasites, no illness.... try adding metamucil for more fiber and she gave her some medicine to help her poor intestines.

Mom got on the phone with her friend Daphne and Daphne started searching on google.... turns out there has been a MAJOR recent problem with Canidae . http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/canidae.html

There are many comments on here about dogs showing the very same symptoms that Athena is showing... starts to get better on chicken and rice... but as soon as the food is re-introduced, no matter HOW slowly.. they get sick again. Mom is switching all of us Whippets from Canidae to ANYthing else!

Oh, I forgot to mention... Isis and Squirt never were on Canidae, and they are NOT sick!

Free Shipping on Dog Toys, Treats and more!

2009-01-27T08:07:00.004-06:00

OK I hope Mom read this email she got from PetSmart.com
We've been inside all winter and we need new toys!! Some chewies would be nice too!

Mom got an email from PetSmart letting her know about the Free Shipping offer they have. If she spends $40 before taxes and enters in the code FS40 in the promotional code field, then her shipping is free! Of course, dog food, litter and other heavy items are not included in the offer, but hey - everything else is!

The offer is good till February 9th but I hope she doesn't wait that long! Thank goodness we live in the lower 48 states cause that's only where the offer is good.

Sigh... back to dreaming about bunny rabbits in summer grass......

We do NOT like Snow!

2009-01-21T09:15:00.003-06:00

OK... my tail is between my legs. Turns out I need Momma's help sometimes to keep this diary up. But this is a new year, so she said she'd try again.

I have to tell you, when it's cold and snowy out for a long time, us whippets get cabin fever!! We may love to lie around and sleep a lot, but we need to burn off some energy too!

So our Bob built us an oval race track in the back yard with that big loud red machine that eats and spits out snow. Momma even braved the cold to take a few photos of Pan and Athena out on the track. She didn't even try to take one of me... humph! She said since I am white, you would not be able to see me anyways...

New Dog Treats Site!

2008-07-17T08:24:00.002-05:00

Momma has just started a new blog site - recipes for dog treats!! Boy are we excited about that! Some of the recipes are hers, some she's gotten from others, and others she's found but has not had time to try out. I don't know WHY she hasn't had time to try them out yet... I think that should be her FIRST priority!

You will find not only recipes there, but also links to other sites where you can buy gourmet dog treats or even links to more homemade dog treat recipes! Here's the site: http://dogyummies.blogspot.com/

Time to Sun!

2008-07-15T09:02:00.002-05:00

Sorry, not much to say today.... now that momma is home, it's time to lie in the sun on the deck...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Isis is doing Great!

2008-07-14T09:57:00.004-05:00

As many of you know, our sister Isis had a bad accident in late April of 2007 with injured her rear end and aggravated a serious heart condition that was hiding. She was given just a month to live...

Here we are in July of 2008 and Isis is still here and doing great! I know Momma has not done an update on her lately, so since I (Cleo) have taken over this diary, I thought I'd let you all know how she was doing.

Naturally her favorite past time is lying in a sunbeam.... I think that's the #1 favorite past time of ALL whippets! Turns out it's also a favorite past time of chihuahuas too - here's a photo Momma took of Isis and Sequoya sunning together. Doesn't Isis look great? She's finally put on just the right amount of weight.

Woof at ya soon!
Cleo

Momma Dog is taking over!

2008-07-08T14:58:00.003-05:00

Hi!

"Momma Dog" is one of my nicknames - actually this is Cleopatra. Our momma - Laura, does NOT seem to be doing a very good job at keeping our page updated. So I have decided to take over.

I know she's very busy with her business and taking care of the 5 of us, but there's people out there who want to know what's going on with us Girls! ;)

Woof at ya soon!
Cleo

A word about Greenies - a dangerous treat!

2008-06-23T09:11:00.003-05:00

A couple of years ago I had a teddy bear artist friend who lost her dog to Greenies. He did not choke on it, he chewed it all the way. But it did not go all the way thru his digestive tract, needed many surgeries, and eventually died from infections from the surgeries.

I was reminded of this as I was flipping thru my recent pet catalog - and noticed that they have greenies for sale.

Here is a link to a post on Whole Dog News about other people who have had similar problems with Greenies: http://quikonnex.com/channel/item/15930

I thought it would be a good idea to post it. We tossed our Greenies in the trash when I first heard of the problem my friend had :( Yes, I could have sold them on eBay and made some money. The package was unopened. But I didn't want to be responsible for the death of someone else's pet either....

Lost a Friend Sunday :(

2008-04-25T08:35:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday we lost a friend - Scotty. I used to dog sit him when his "parents" would go on vacation. I'd bring him over to play with the Girls so he wouldn't be lonely while they were gone.

Sunday they went out to breakfast for just 45 minutes and came home to their home on fire. Scotty didn't make it :(

We are now in the process of having a smoke/fire detection system installed that will alert the fire department right away if there is a fire. We didn't know those types of systems existed!

We'll miss you Scotty!!!

Fun Photos

2008-04-24T08:33:00.000-05:00

Are You Looking for a Chihuahua? or Whippet??

2008-04-02T07:31:00.004-06:00

Although we found our wonderful Chihuahua, Sequoya - I still take a peek at the Chihuahua Rescue USA site to see who else is now looking for their "forever homes" Sadly, there is a constant flow of Chihuahuas that come into rescue.

You can read bios and see photos of the Chihuahuas (and Chihuahua mixes) available at Chihuahua Rescue USA here.

I know that some people think that all dogs in rescue are there because they are "bad dogs", but that just isn't true!! Sequoya was given up by her owner due to allergies and landlord issues. Her sister Flower was too! That's Flower's photo below... she's still looking for her "forever home". We met her too and she was just adorable!

This adorable little boy below - Pistol Pete - ended up at CRU (Chihuahua Rescue USA) because his Daddy passed away :( Just look at that face!!

Cha Chi is another sweet boy whose owner passed away :( The family didn't want him so they dropped him off at a shelter. Fortunately, CRU got him out of the shelter and he is still looking for his new "forever home", but is out of that scary shelter!

There are some Chihuahuas that don't have the reason they are in Rescue posted in their bios like 1 year old Bellamy below.

But the great thing about adopting thru Rescue is that the foster moms and dads do TONS of work with them, get to know the fosters in their care in order to match the right dog to the right people. Bellamy LOVES being held... and when his foster mom bends over to pet other dogs he will jump on her back to crawl up on her shoulder and reach over to give her kisses!!!

Stay tuned for more photos of Chihuahuas looking for their new "forever homes"! I'd love to adopt them all, but I can't. So I'll try to do the next best thing... helping to find these loving dogs their new homes! :)

And as Whippets are our first breed... I must mention at least one of the whippets currently looking for her "forever home". Fortunately for the breed, Whippets have never been in movies or commercials... and have not gained the popularity that the Chihuahua has. Thus, there are not nearly as many Whippets in Whippet Rescue as there are Chihuahuas in rescue. But it does still happen!

This is Penny. She's a 6 year old female whippet who loves to play frisbee! (non of our Girls ever got the hang of that LOL!) She is looking for her new "forever home" with her "sister" - 8 year old Paige. They have been together since Penny was 8 weeks old! If you think that 2 whippets will be harder to care for than one whippet, let me assure you - 2 whippets are much easier!! Whippets LOVE to cuddle together and almost need another whippet to be with (although yes, there are some people who have just one whippet and they do just fine)

You can read more about Penny and Paige... and the other whippets looking for their new "forever homes" on the Whippets for Adoption Rescue page.

More Photos!

2008-03-12T05:59:00.000-06:00

I have not been a good blogger!! I had promised Sequoya's foster mommy - Marg - that I would take lots of photos!! Well, I guess I've been taking them, but not sharing - and that's almost as bad! So here are a few that I was able to edit today! If you click on the photos it will take you to the larger one I have on Flickr if you are interested. I hope you enjoy ;)

Eagle Pack Holistic Select Dog Food COUPONS!!

2008-02-28T08:56:00.004-06:00

Sequoya's foster mom had her on Eagle Pack Holistic Select Chicken Meal and Rice dog food. Bob's Auntie Jan (big dog lover!!) also loves this brand. I emailed them for coupons and they sent me a pdf for a $10 off coupon!!! It's only good until March 10th, but there's another one for $5 good until the end of March too. I thought I'd share it with you too! I'm always looking for good deals :)

The coupon is in PDF format and you can download it here.

Shopping Again ;)

2008-02-28T08:05:00.000-06:00

OK I can't help myself!! I was on eBay and found this adorable Chihuahua Pillow here, how cute!!!

Save Money on Medications

2008-02-28T08:00:00.002-06:00

I'm not talking about mail order meds here.... but other kinds - like heart medication.

We finally learned that we could save some money on Isis' heart medications. She takes 4 different Rx's plus Pepcid AC. Her Rx's were adding up to $100 a month. I've heard much worse, but still...

Then one of the girls at the clinic told Bob that he could have 3 of her prescriptions filled at a regular pharmacy. She's already taking the generic versions (Lasix, Digoxin and Enalapril) So we took them to Walmart and brought a $50 cost down to $18. That's $384 a year!

We still have one $50 Rx we get from the vet as it is a canine only heart med - Pimobendan. This drug has just recently (in 2007) been approved by the FDA for use in the US. It has done wonders for Isis!! It will not "cure" her, but it has certainly given us more valuable time with our Sweet Girl Isis!

Fun Whippet & Chihuahua Shopping!!

2008-02-26T20:26:00.006-06:00

When we first got Cleopatra (our first whippet) it was hard to find Whippet stuff to buy. The Whippet is not a popular breed, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for stores to carry products that will take up shelf space and not sell quickly. Thank goodness for the internet!!

The Chihuahua IS a popular breed!! So it is easier to find cute Chihuahua stuff locally than it is to find Whippet stuff -- but I still love the internet! There's such a wider variety to choose from ;-)

Here's a couple of cute things I found tonight at CafePress.com
- you can click on the pictures if you want to see them in the store....

And I think this is definitely true of us.....

This is what Sequoya Thinks of her "Belly Band"....

2008-02-26T20:15:00.004-06:00

Our little princess is doing just fine! I did take her to the vet yesterday because she started acting funny. Her spay area opened up a little and it was hurting her :( . She's been licking a lot even though I've tried things to stop her. She's able to get out of the cone collar!

She's back to her frisky self today but I keep her a bit quieter. She's taking some antibiotics to help. I also finally figured out how to keep her from licking... withOUT the cone collar!!!

I sewed up a piece of fleece with some velcro to go around her entire body area from just behind her front legs to just in front of her rear legs. Kinda like a belly band for boys, but much wider. It covered (lightly - air can still reach it) her spay area enough so she can't get at it.

First time we tried it on her, she was sitting with Bob, and I left the room. She hopped down, did a little wiggle on the carpet and off she went without her belly band! Smart little girl LOL!

So I've added one more thing... I put her harness on her and have attached the belly band to the harness so she can't wiggle out of it. She's resigned herself to wearing it now, but at least it's not for long :)

Sequoya's Portrait

2008-02-21T08:15:00.001-06:00

I wanted to take a picture of our little girl "au naturel" so you could see how pretty she is! She was such a good girl.... it was sunny in the family room at this time so it was warm then. But shortly after this... the sweater came back! I can't wait till it's up in the 50's temperature wise!!

Brrrr it's Sweater Weather for Sequoya!

2008-02-19T09:38:00.004-06:00

Holy COW it's cold!!!! When you are short haired and less than 4 pounds - you certainly need a little help to keep warm during the winters in Chicago. Fortunately, it can be a lot of fun too!!

Sequoya's foster mommy Marg very generously gave us a couple of sweaters to start Sequoya's wardrobe. Isn't this adorable!!! It has a faux scarf on it too!

I'm looking forward to adding to Sequoya's wardrobe.... there's TONS on eBay! Check out the ones I found below. I love eBay - I can shop in my PJ's if I want to LOL!!

Getting to Know her Big Sisters

2008-02-12T09:35:00.001-06:00

The second day... but still the first 24 hours in her new home.... Sequoya has decided to get to know her big sisters! Sequoya has no fear of the "big Girls" now and just trots along with them to see where they are going.

Sequoya's favorite place is Mom's lap - but she also enjoys a sunbeam when it decides to show it's face....

A New Addition!

2008-02-11T15:51:00.001-06:00

We'd like to introduce you to a new little addition -- Sequoya! Sequoya came to us from Chihuahua Rescue USA. Her original owner had to give this little darling up due to allergies and landlord issues.

Sequoya is a Chihuahua. She's almost 1 year old... her birthday will be this weekend. She weighs all of 3 lbs 10 oz.

Sequoya is doing wonderfully! We got home about 4pm Sunday evening - right at the Girls' dinner time. I had Bob take Sequoya into the bedroom and then first took the Girls outside, then gave them dinner.

After they calmed down a bit I brought only Cleopatra into the bedroom. Bob was on his knees looking at Sequoya on the bed. :) Cleo came over very gently and sniffed. That's why I wanted Cleo first.. I knew she'd be gentle. But this big dog was kinda scary for Sequoya and she growled a little.

Cleo backed off no problem. I took her out and brought Isis in. We figured she has to meet them soon anyways. Same thing... So then I picked her up and let ALL the Girls in. It was OK cause Sequoya was up high.

We all went into the living room and I sat in my chair with Sequoya. All the girls came up sniffing of course... and Sequoya growled a bit. We got the Girls to back off - they went to lay on the couch.

By 5 I wanted to start dinner. I was going to put her in her crate but Bob said why? So I put her with him and she lied down on his chest in his recliner - it was so cute! I did get a photo but I still need to download it. This little dog already had Bob wrapped around her tiny paw LOL!!!

At dinner time I brought Sequoya's pup tent carrier into the kitchen and she layed in there while we ate and while I cleaned up - so Bob could catch up on his lap top.

After dinner we took turns with her :) while we watched TV and then a movie (300 which was awful by the way). Then it was bed time.

Sequoya had a wonderful night last night. We had purchased a little dog bed and put it in the headboard between our two pillows. Bob turns over a lot in bed and didn't want her getting squished.

Bob was already in bed and I was still getting ready... so the light was still on. He kept putting Sequoya into her bed and she kept coming right out and sitting on his pillow next to his face LOL!!!

I finished getting ready for bed, got a blanket for her, turned out the lights and set her in her bed and covered her. Well, let me tell you she was in heaven!! She stayed cuddled in there all night till it was time to get up in the morning.

Today she's walking around sniffing everything... checking it out (well, except now cause I'm sitting... so as you know... she's in my lap ;). The Whippet Girls still sniff her - but it doesn't bother Sequoya one bit now. She knows that they won't hurt her so she doesn't care a bit!

She is SO cute walking around with her long legged sisters! More photos soon!

She didn't feel like eating much last night.. not surprised. But I did have some chicken baby food so I let her lick a little so her tummy wasn't too empty.

This morning she still turned her nose up at the Eagle Pak (the food she is eating now) -- but loved the Girls' Canidae LOL! The kibble size is the same! I only let her have one though. Don't want her to get sick by eating too much of a new food. I took my blender and chopped her Eagle Pak up, and mixed in some baby food chicken and so she did eat some of that.

Pandora!

2008-02-09T08:45:00.000-06:00

Pandora is our youngest whippet. She's a beautiful brindle color with lovely eyes. Pandora came to us from Kathy & Debbie Davenport - Kamada Whippets - when she was around 2 years old.

We first met Pandora when her name was Annie. It was June 2005. She was 6 months old and soooo cute! We had stopped by with Jen and her friend Dawn to see the new 10 week old puppies they had. Just to visit - scout's honor LOL! Here's one of those little cuties....

We visited the other whippets too and I (Laura) fell in love with this beautiful 6 month old brindle whippet puppy Annie. Kathy let her out of her crate and Annie just curled up in my lap! But... at the time we still lived in Streamwood and I took all our Girls outside one at a time on a leash. Besides that, they were holding Annie for themselves to see if she's be good for showing - she was so beautiful! After a lovely visit, we went back home.

17 months later........late October 2006

I was getting ready on a Sunday morning for a teddy bear show where I was selling my bears. The phone rang and it was Kathy. Kathy told me that she remembered how much I loved Annie and would I be interested in giving her a home?

It turns out that although Annie's size was within the standard for a female whippet, Kathy and Debbie felt that she wouldn't show as well as the judges prefer whippets a little larger than Annie was. They had found her a home with a lovely lady who had another whippet from a friend of theirs. Annie lived there for about a year... when the husband brought her back. We're guessing that the couple split up and he just wanted to get rid of the wife's dogs.

To make a long story a little shorter.... the husband made some outrageous claims about both the whippets. He was returning both whippets to each breeder. Although he was entitled to a partial refund due to the contract he had with Kamada Whippets if he could produce the paperwork -- he was not interested. He just wanted to get rid of those whippets.

When Annie came back home to Kathy & Debbie, she was very skinny and smelled like a barnyard! Kathy knew that the husband had 2 large dogs and lived on a small farm. She thinks that the poor whippets may have been made to live outside during the summer. Whippets are NOT outside only dogs! Their fur is not thick, they have thin skin and almost no fat normally! Annie had even less meat on her ribs than normal -- probably because she had to compete for food with the 2 larger dogs and the male whippet.

Also - this family had changed her name to "Pee Pee" - seriously -- that is the name that was on her tag! The husband said they named her Pee Pee because she kept "going" in the house. Let me tell you, she only had ONE accident in OUR house and that was when she first met our other Girls, as a sign of submission. She has not had one accident since then... and that was 15 months ago!

After Kathy told us this entire story, she told us that she remembered when we first met Annie how much I loved her - and would we be able to give her a good home? Of Course!!!!

Since Annie was called "Pee Pee" for so long and then back to Annie - she really didn't mind one last name change - so we called her Pandora. She learned her new name in 2 days!

When Pandora first came to live with us she was very clingy and wanted LOTS of attention. Talk about a "velcro dog"! Pandora was very possessive too. When she would sit with me in my chair, she's growl and snap if any of the other Girls came up to say hi to me. We quickly stopped that by punishing her for that behavior with no attention - she had to go sit by herself. That worked wonderfully and Pandora never behaved like that again.

Now.. Pandora has filled out very nicely and looks like a beautiful, healthy, well filled out whippet. She loves her people, but has enough confidence now to know that she will always be loved. She does not have to be by our sides constantly anymore.

And run? WOW can this Girl run!!! It's her most favorite thing in the world to do. Like Isis, she LOVES to play ball too. Here's a few photos of Pandora having a great time!

And although Pandora is much more self confident now... she still loves to be very near her people LOL!!

Isis!

2008-02-08T08:26:00.000-06:00

This is Isis the very first day we had her home. Yep, she was an adult when she came to live with us! 19 months old to be exact :)

I hope I have the facts in Isis' story correct... but it's something like this:

Kathy & Debbie - Athena's breeders - had a friend in Florida who was a long time whippet breeder. In fact, one of her whippets is the ONLY whippet to ever take Best in Show at Westminster - back in 1963.

This friend was planning on retiring from the dog world - but wanted to have one last litter to show. Right when the pups where born, she ended up in the hospital for 18 months :(

The pups were still cared for by a relative during those 18 months. She came by every day... but they were not socialized at all.

The woman finally was able to come home about the same time that Kathy and Debbie were down for a dog show and visiting. Although she really wanted to try to show the dogs (there were 2) Kathy and Debbie convinced her to let them bring those 2 whippets back to Illinois with them to find them good pet homes.

One day I was off at a teddy bear show when Bob received a call from Kathy. She started the conversation by saying... "I know you don't need another dog, but I have a dog that needs you"

When I got back, Bob told me about her and we discussed it before going to meet her. We knew once we saw her we would want to take her home... so we decided to make the decision of adding another dog to the family first, and then go meet her.

Obviously, we decided to do it!

When we first met Isis (her name was Angel then) she was SO scared and submissive!! We all (Bob, Jen and I) sat on the floor of Kathy & Debbie's living room while they brought Isis out. Isis belly crawled across the floor and climbed right into Jen's lap.

I think that was a Thursday or Friday. The following Tuesday was my last day at work. I had quit my job to do the teddy bear business full time. We asked Kathy to keep Isis till then, so that when Isis was moved to yet another home - I would be with her all day long so she wouldn't be stressed.

Isis was wonderful!!! She didn't even know her name Angel, so there was no problem switching it to Isis. She learned her name in a day!

It took Isis some time to learn that she was finally home -- and she was a part of the family. It took a full year before she would hold your gaze. If you looked at her before, she would always look away (a sign of submission). After the 2nd year Isis was fully her own whippet and full of confidence! In fact, she can be a dickens! LOL!!!

Isis LOVES to drape herself over her people....

And the other whippets!!!

If she wants to sit or lay in a spot that is already occupied... she doesn't care... she'll lay there anyways! If whoever was there first doesn't like it, they can move!

Isis almost never barks.... but when she sees a squirrel... look out!! I never knew she had a voice till then LOL!!!

Isis' most favorite game in the world is ball. But... it has to be a green tennis ball. Yes, I said GREEN. She just doesn't care as much for tennis balls in other colors!

She has another favorite game she plays with Cleo. We call it "Stalk"

Isis and Cleo will lock eyes from across the yard. Then, they start approaching each other very slowly... stalking each other like a lion. It is SO cool to watch... they are able to walk without making their top lines go up at all.

Then... all of a sudden, they both break and start rushing each other... playing and having fun!

-----------------------------------

On a Saturday in April of 2007, Isis was having fun in the back yard when she slipped and fell (not unusual) but this time did something to her back and was paralyzed. I was not home, but Bob rushed her to the vet. I called Kathy while I rushed home. The vet gave Isis steroids... shots and then pills.

Kathy told us to be sure to give Isis time to walk again... at least 2-3 weeks. She said that most vets try to rush this and if they aren't trying to walk in a week try to push you into surgery. We're so glad she gave us that advice... cause that's exactly what happened.

The Monday after the accident - Isis developed a slight cough... which turned out to be a symptom of Congestive Heart Failure. Evidently, Isis had just started developing this -- and then the steroids accelerated it so that is was a horrible case. We weren't sure she would live thru the night. At this time we had found a different vet - as we just were not comfortable with the first.

As of today -- February 8, 2008 - Isis is still with us!!!!! She has outlived what the vets had predicted by many months! She's walking and running again too! We gave her LOTS of time, and did lots of physical therapy with her...After 6 weeks she was walking by herself very well!

Here's a photo of Isis jumping AFTER the accident!

Isis is taking 10 pills a day for her heart condition and is on a low salt diet too. We know our time with her is limited... but we are enjoying every second we have with her!!

If you want to read the diary I kept during her recovery, you can find it here. Just scroll down to the bottom to start reading as the most current entries are at the top.

Athena - Kamada's Goddess of Wisdom

2008-02-07T08:24:00.000-06:00

Athena is our second whippet. She's also known as "The Little Brown Mouse" - or Mouse for short. Yes, she knows that both names refer to her.

Cleopatra was 1 year old in February 2001. Bob and I were supposed to be going snowmobiling one of those February weekends, but on that weekend, it was sunny and 65 degrees! Not great weather for snowmobiling!

We decided not to go (big surprise, hard to snowmobile on mud!). The big IKC Kennel show was going on at McCormick Place in Chicago that weekend. We decided to take the Sebring convertible with the top down, into the city to attend the show. We needed to buy whippet stuff! It's hard to find whippet stuff in shops as the whippet is not a common breed.

Naturally we had to find the whippets while we were there too :) Bob got ahead of me and when I caught up to him, he was talking with Kathy and Debbie Davenport of Kamada Whippets. They lived nearby - in DeKalb! (remember, this is an international show - so there were people there from ALL over!)

Turns out they had puppies that were going to be ready to go home in a week -- and they still had a few that needed homes. We talked for quite a while at the show -- asking us questions and such to be sure that their puppy would be going to a good home.

Later in the week we visited Kathy and Debbie to see the puppies - and were interviewed some more. (ALL good breeders will do this! Judy did the same thing with Cleopatra) When they decided that we could adopt one of their pups, we brought out this little red girl who looked so sweet!

She was kinda getting pummeled by her brothers... but once out on her own in the grooming are (Kathy and Debbie are groomers, show handlers, and breeders) this little pup was out and about exploring everything!!! We fell in love with her and they said we could bring her home the next week.

Kathy and Debbie had not given the litter their AKC names yet, so when we picked the name "Athena" - we were also able to give her her official name "Kamada's Goddess of Wisdom".

We introduced Cleopatra to Athena in neutral territory and then brought them both into the house. Cleo absolutely LOVED "her" puppy!

One thing we did incorrectly though... was to stop Cleo any time she tried to push down on Athena. Whenever she did that, we'd tell Cleo... "Cleo, don't squish the puppy!"

Later we found out that Cleopatra was trying to teach Athena some manners. So now... Athena is a little Princess. But I tell ya, a prettier Princess could not be found anywhere ;)

Actually, Athena is NOT badly behaved! She's a VERY good girl. She does have a VERY high metabolism though and so does not have any fat on her - no matter HOW much food we give her! And so, she gets chilly more often than the other girls and now "peeps" for a blanket.

Athena and Cleo shared their toys and chewies VERY nicely!

Cleo has made a wonderful "momma dog" taking care of "her" puppy -- but she still loves to play.. and with Athena she certainly did play!

Athena has grown up into a very lovely and wonderful whippet girl!

She is certainly "all whippet" but it's been fun to see her own distinct personality develop!

For one thing... Athena is all about comfort and food! Bob plays a game with the Girls sometimes where they have to find the milk bones on him. Cleo just sits and waits... but not Athena! She's right in there searching everywhere to find those delicious milk bones!

When Athena wants something... she figures out how to let you know. For her blanket, she "peeps". She's not annoying about it, it's just one quiet "peep". If you are not sure, she'll look right at the blanket - or the blanket chest if the blankies are not out - and then look right back at you.

When it's dinner time... or close... Athena will stand near where the food is kept and look real hard right at the food bin and then right back at you... back and forth.

Sometimes in the summer, she might not be too cold... but her nose may be. No problem... she can take care of that herself!

At the old house, we had a fireplace. Needless to say... that was Athena's FAVORITE place!

Athena is the proper little lady... she even sits like a dainty princess! One paw... just slightly up!

We love our little Athena!! Thank you so much to Kathy and Debbie for allowing us to adopt her!

Cleopatra - Our First Whippet

2008-02-06T08:04:00.000-06:00

Cleopatra was our first whippet. This is a photo of her at 5 weeks from Judy Lowther her breeder.

Cleopatra came to live with us at 12 weeks old. She was a very pretty puppy! Here she is at 4 months....

Cleo LOVES to give kisses! She started when we picked her up out of the pen in OH, and hasn't stopped since!

I sometimes think she kisses in her sleep. I tell ya though... the other Girls are VERY clean with all the kissing that "Mama Dog" does!

Cleo likes to be near "her people".

Now that she's a bit older, she likes to know where they are, but she is not one who likes lots of cuddling (normally... there's always exceptions to the rule LOL!) As she was our first, she knows that she is the "momma dog". She knows she was the first.

Cleo will be 8 years old this month (Feb 08). Sometimes she behaves like an old lady who doesn't want to be bothered by the other Girls.... but other times you'd think she was still a puppy! She loves to run in the back yard and play ball......

If Cleopatra wants to play, and no one wants to play with her - that's no problem! Cleo will actually throw the ball herself and then go chase it!

When it comes to pain, however ... I have to admit she's a bit wimpy. The slightest discomfort and she's looking for sympathy. Of course, that's probably my own fault LOL!!!

For the first month that we had Cleo, she never barked! Then, we brought her to a race meet near our home as Cleo's breeder would be attending from Ohio. That's the day she found her voice, and never forgot it LOL! Her favorite thing to do is to throw her head up and back and "Roo roo roo!!!" She reminds me a lot of "Snoopy" - Charlie Brown's dog when she does that ;)

Cleopatra is definitely a morning dog. The second that alarm clock goes off, she's up, stretching and ready for the day! Probably a large part of the reason for that is breakfast!

Cleo, Athena, Isis, Pandora... same yet different!

2008-02-03T14:01:00.000-06:00

Cleopatra, Athena, Isis & Pandora are all whippets. Although there are generalizations about dogs within a breed -- they also have their own VERY distinct personalities... just like people! I thought I'd start writing up some short biographies on our Girls.

Pandora The Great Brindle Hunter!

2007-11-06T10:04:00.001-06:00

Pandora
Originally uploaded by Laura Lynn - Teddy Bear Artist

This morning I took the Girls out first thing to do their business. Cleo and Isis did what they needed to do and ran back to the door. It's chilly!

Then I went and got Athena & Pandora. Pandora did a quick one... but then was on the scent of prey!

We still have some hosta plants along the back of the house, albeit wilted from the cold. Well, Pandora heard something in there and was relentless!

Athena got in on the excitement too - but only for about 5 minutes. After that she got bored LOL! Athena finished what she needed to do and was ready to go inside for breakfast... but not Pandora! I could NOT get her way from those Hosta plants! I went inside to get her treat... nothing!

I then realized I'd have to go GET her. So I grabbed the leash from the wall and went back outside. When I went back outside I saw Pandora was not hunting in the Hosta anymore - she was looking puzzledly (is that a word? LOL!) at the grass about a yard away.

I walked over, slipped the leash around Pandora and saw - and heard what had her attention. It was a small shrew lying on it's back looking up at Pandora... and scolding her like you wouldn't believe!

NOW I understand why they use the term "shrew" for "a woman of violent temper and speech" Holy cow this tiny animal was mad! I held Pandora in place and the shrew righted itself and scurried away as quickly as it could... it was pretty hilarious! This little creature was smart too... it did NOT go back into the hosta plants... is escaped to the yard behind us under the fence!

How is Isis doing? See for yourself? :)

2007-10-12T12:32:00.001-05:00

Isis leaps for the ball
Originally uploaded by Laura Lynn - Teddy Bear Artist

I took this photo yesterday as Isis leaped for the ball I threw for her. Pretty good for a paralyzed dog with a heart condition, huh? :)

Yesterday was a lovely fall day. Isis really likes the cooler days better now - she FEELS better and is very playful.

I decided to take the Girls into the backyard and take some photos. You can see more of them here.

It's Pedicure Time!

2007-09-18T11:03:00.000-05:00

Well, it's way past pedicure time... but I finally did it today.

With 4 whippets, I do their nails myself. That's 16 paws' worth of nails LOL! Takes me about 45 or more minutes.

I can't use a clipper anymore.. I've accidently gotten the quick on each of the Girls and if they see the clipper, they RUN - litterally!

Here's what DOES work for us!

First, I use a Dremmel tool. I pictured it here with the exact attachment I use. When I first found out about doing dogs' nails with a Dremmel, I couldn't figure it out. Turns out, I was using the wrong attachment!

Since whippets have short fur, there's no danger of getting their fur caught in the tool.

Second: I bribe them! There is one treat that they absolutely LOVE and they ONLY get it at pedicure time. It's a sugary paste called Nutrical. They only get a little... but they are crazy for it. I give them a few licks before we start, and then another few licks after each paw. If I try to speed it up and try to do 2 paws before a treat... I hear about it LOL!

Third: We do this in a small room... the hall bathroom. This helps keep them from trying to get away. I spread one of the thick dog blankets on the floor to make it more comfy for both the Girls and myself. I sit crosslegged on the floor, get each whippet to sit in my lap and take a paw.

I may be making it sound a lot easier than it is.... I need to keep them in my lap, keep them from pulling their leg away (without breaking their leg), keep their nose and tongue away from the Dremmel as it can cause major damage (ask me... I did it to MYSELF! - but never the girls!) and I also need to be sure not to sand the cord as I'm trying to keep each girl from wiggling away.

Oh yeah... you should use safety glasses too cause boy does that nail sand fly!

All that said, this really does work best for us. Doing it this way I am able to give their nails rounded edges so they aren't lethally right after being done.

As each Girl is finished, I open the bathroom door to let her out, and call the next one in. Believe it or not... they actually DO come in! Gotta be that Nutrical LOL!

I'd say Cleopatra is the best about this. She just lies there resignedly knowing that the less she wiggles... the faster it gets done!

Isis is just doing wonderfully!

2007-09-15T18:12:00.001-05:00

Yep, this new drug is wonderful! Not sure if it is only the drug, or also that it is cooler outside - but Isis is having a ball and has more energy :)

I was very conservative... would only let Isis out to play with either Cleo or Athena... certainly not all 4 at once! I didn't want her to run too fast.

But yesterday Bob said, she may as well have fun since we don't know how much longer she has. Boy has she got a sparkle in her eyes! We've been letting her out with Cleo, Athena AND Pandora - under close supervision of course! "Momma" is ready to step in at a moment's notice LOL!

Well what do ya know... just 2 days of a little running with her sisters, and Isis has no problems jumping up on the big bed and into her top crate!

Isis had an episode... but is doing fine

2007-09-04T08:37:00.001-05:00

Our sweet Girl appears to be OK now... but Saturday night she had a few coughing fits and then very rapid shallow breathing... both bad signs of heart problems.

We called our vet at 4:30 in the morning- they are a 24 hour vet.... and they gave us some advice for the rest of the evening. She did get a bit better - no more coughing and the breathing much better - but they had us come in to see if her medications needed to be adjusted.

I am happy to say that although her heart sounds very bad (which is not new) her lungs and still clear!!!!!! Her pulse is good too :) They have us a newly approved heart drug (which has been in use in Canada & Europe for years) that they think will help her even more.

So Sunday... we had planned on going to the Renaissance Faire - but I am more than happy to stay home with Isis and the other Girls to keep an eye on her - and Bob took our two adorable neighbor twin boys to the Faire.

UPDATE.... WOW... this new medcine is doing wonders for Isis! (knock on wood to continue of course!) But after the first 24 hours, she is more active than she has been in a long time. I had not realized she wasn't as active before... till we saw the effects of this new drug!

Also... the name of this drug is Pimobendan

Pandora the Huntress

2007-07-20T10:06:00.000-05:00

We've had this chipmonk... or... 13 lined ground squirrel... who lived in our backyard.

He'd go from under the deck, along the workshop and into the woodpile...

He'd often sit outside on the deck... in front of the Whippet Girls, but safely on the other side of the glass door... teasing them. In fact, we heard he used to do this to other dogs before we moved in.

Pandora was crazy for this little thing. As soon as she's allowed outside... no matter how badly she has to "go"... she goes looking in all of the chipmonk's hiding places.

Well, on Friday the 13th... this little guy should have stayed inside.....

I had Pandora and Cleo out for a potty break... and Pandora was at the woodpile looking for him frantically... again... then out she comes with the poor thing in her mouth!!

I chased after her to get her to release... and she did... the poor chipmonk started running... but then Pan picked him right back up. I finally got her to release again... then picked HER up to bring her inside.

This probably all this happened in 15 seconds... but it seemed ages!

I went and got the shovel... that little chipmonk wasn't moving this time... so I put him by a tree outside the fence at the side of the garage. Probably will be some coyote's dinner tonight.

Oh well... he should have known better when Pandora almost got him a few weeks ago! Guess he was a little full of himself and figured he was too quick for her... surPRIZE!!!

Isis is still wonderful!

2007-07-09T08:34:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post before I run out again...but I wanted to let you all know that Isis is doing wonderfully! I know I have more pictures somewhere... I'll have to find them and post soon. She appears to be back up to her normal weight!!

:)
Laura

Isis is doing GREAT!

2007-06-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

I apologize for not posting in so long!! You probably thought we had major problems with Isis.... but in actuality... I'm just trying to do too many things :)

Last Saturday we DID have a scare... Isis jumped down from bed in the morning so I would take her outside to go potty. I got dressed (I can do this in 4 seconds flat!) and picked her up to go out.

Within seconds.... her rear legs went straight and stiff... and then she went into a seizure! We didn't realize at first that it WAS a seizure... we thought she was dying!!! But it only lasted a minute or so... and then I layed her down on the bed. She looked kinda dazed.... but within 10 minutes was back to her normal self like nothing had happened! She sure gave us a scare, though!

She just seems to be getting better and better. I'd say she has good days... and great days :) On her great days she tries to get the other Girls to play rough with her ;)

I'll have more photos soon.... I just went with a pro Flickr account with my main account... so I can upload all the photos I want to :)

Isis was RUNNING today!!!

2007-05-29T19:56:00.000-05:00

WOW!!! I took Isis out into the workshop so she could visit Bob today. It's a nice evening... so the big garage door was open. No worries... I can walk and catch her anyways.

SURPRISE!!! After she said "hello" to Bob she wandered out into the front yard. I was close beside her... then she got to the edge of our small road... and started running to the main road!!! FORTUNATELY.... she's not up to full speed so I was able to catch her! But I had to run TO catch her!

Collar goes back on and always on a leash in the front yard again!

I'm not so sure she should be running... with her heart!?? But it was great to see that she wanted to... and could!

Pictures finally!!

2007-05-28T15:21:00.001-05:00

I've finally uploaded some photos of Isis taken in the last month! Here's one..... and if you click on the photo rectangle on the right side of the page - you will go to our Flickr account for our whippets!

Isis is doing GREAT!

2007-05-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted about Isis in a while... she's much more mobile now so it takes more time to make sure she's not getting into trouble!

Earlier this week.... she was in the office with Bob. The Girls' crates are in the office... and Isis' is a top crate. Her crate door was open... and she looked like she wanted to get in. (She LOVEs her crate!) Well, before Bob could stop her... she jumped up to try to get in. Unfortunately... she missed and so fell backwards. FORtunately she was not hurt! But she is definitely feeling like herself again to want to try!

She's been walking MUCH better! Earlier this week we described her walk as like a drunken sailor :) This morning... we watched her and felt she's walking like a cowboy now LOL!

Jen's boyfriend Peter was over on Monday... and he came over again on Thursday and he said that he noticed that Isis made a lot of progress in those 3 days!

The only time Isis wears a diaper now is in bed (yes, she's in the "big bed" with us every night now!) and also in her crate if we have to leave her unattended.

She's eating 3 regular size meals a day now!! So much easier than spreading them out over 25 meals, that's for sure! She's starting to fill back out again too.

Hopefully I'll have pictures next time.... the pictures are from a few weeks ago... I took them and never got a chance to work with them yet.

Isis Claims "Her" Chair

2007-05-21T10:02:00.001-05:00

Last night... we decided to watch a DVD. I was sitting in my LazBoy, and had Isis up on my lap for cuddles. Well, part way thru the movie she shifted a little... from on my lap to next to me in the chair.

She was comfy for a little while.... then got restless..... just couldn't seem to get comfortable.

I got up so I could adjust both of us... but as soon as I got up.... Isis TOOK possession of the entire chair!!!! LOL!!!!!!! I went over and sat down on the couch and said... "I can't believe she wanted me OUT of the chair so she could have it ALL to herself!"

:)

Isis is doing well!

2007-05-19T10:11:00.000-05:00

Isis is doing very well! She's walking more... and is able to walk on her rear pawpads more and more (as opposed to walking on the tops of her rear paws). She's "insisting" on spending the evenings on the couch with us like she used to :)

Thursday night... she got up at 1am to go outside (she hardly ever wets her diaper anymore!). Then she got up again at 3.... so I took her again.... then she woke AGAIN at 4! I knew that it was probably NOT because she wanted to go outside.... but wanted back in "the big bed". I brought her to bed and she stopped figeting :)

We've been having her sleep on a dog bed on the floor... with a pen around her (to keep her from wandering). Now that she's started feeling more and more like her ol' self.... she wants to know why the heck she's sleeping on the floor instead of in the bed!

Last night.... she slept in bed with us :)

Taking Care of Isis

2007-05-17T09:58:00.000-05:00

What's it like to take care of Isis? Well, there's a lot... but she is worth EVERY minute!!!

She is taking 8 pills a day. I can't hide them in food.... she finds the pill and spits it out LOL! I have to give them to her the old fashioned way... open her mouth, put them in the back of it, close her mouth and rub her throat. She's getting VERY good about it! We do this 3 times a day... 4 pills in the AM, 1 in the afternoon and 3 before bed.

Eating.... at this moment, she is finally hungry! But her system is NOT used to food... so I have to be careful about how much I give her at a time. As of today... that means giving her a little about 1/3 cup of kibble a day... spread out over about 25 very small meals! (She was used to a full cup of kibble a day... just twice a day!) I give her "treats" of a small bite of chicken breast or her RX canned dog food here and there too. I eventually need to wean her off the Eukanuba and onto the RX food... because the RX food has less than half the sodium of her regular food... and is also low in another nutrient... phosphorus I think. The salt is not good for her heart!

Although Isis IS starting to walk again (whoooHOOO!) she's still VERY wobbly... and needs to be carried outside to go potty. I carry her, open the doors with one hand, try to keep the other 3 whippets inside... close the door.... get her outside, take off her diaper and set her down. That's probably 6 times a day ... sometimes more.

Yes, in that last paragraph I said "take her diaper off"! One of the medications Isis is taking is to rid her body of excess fluids... to keep the fluids from building up in her lungs and heart. She takes this pill 3 x's a day. So.... she wears a diaper. YES, a regular baby diaper!! I'll show later how it goes on (in case that helps anyone else!) I have found that Pampers are MUCH better than other brands... even Huggies! I do not have to change the Pampers as often as I did the Huggies. Isis could feel the wetness right away with the Huggies. Boy was I tired with all those diaper changes!

Sometimes, Isis just couldn't hold it... especially at night... and her diaper would get soaked, soak thru to her bed. Thankfully, I've been using doggie "pee pads" to help protect her bedding - a crate pad with a blankie over it. But there were many times that both Bob and I had to get up, and I'd clean up Isis, Bob would change the bedding.

As Isis continues to get better, she tries more and more to not wet the diaper... cause she knows she should not pee in the house! She's also not going "constantly" like she used to. She is SUCH a good girl! That is really nice cause BOY... diapers are sure a lot more expensive than when I used them 18 years ago! LOL!!!

Isis is now recognizing even at night that she needs to go.... around 1 or 2 in the morning. She just can't make it thru the night. But taking her outside at that time and putting her back into bed is much easier than doing a complete bedding change! And ususally she makes it outside without wetting her diaper! She's such a good girl!

I want to say... a HUGE thank you to ALL of my collector friends... past, present and future!!! If it were not for you....I would not be able to care for Isis in this way - and she'd probably have had to have been put to sleep a while ago... THANK YOU!!!!!

Isis is doing well after a couple of setbacks...

2007-05-17T09:43:00.000-05:00

Isis was getting her appetite back! She was enjoying the RX canned food and boiled ground beef... and she's SO skinny! So I let her eat more than I should have in one "sitting"... and she got sick. After that she showed NO interest in food! She really cannot afford to not eat!!

But then I had the thought to boil some chicken breast. (After boiling either chicken or ground beef... it is drained and also rinsed very well in hot water to get rid of the fat. The fat will cause a dog to get sick also!)

Tried that with Isis... and she LOVEd it! Later I tried a few kibbles (litterally! I only gave her 3!) of her regular food... Eukanuba... and she loved that too! By the end of the evening she was begging for food.

It's hard now... to not give her all she wants... but as I've learned.. that will make her sick! So I've been feeding her a little bit all day long. 2 days in a row... everything has stayed down!!

Now some good news!!!

2007-05-11T16:44:00.000-05:00

Boy what a roller coaster of a day!

She's gotten a little of her appetite back.... and while I was trying to get her to eat more baby food (with RX kibble mixed in) She said "Mom, enough is enough! I'm thirsty!"

Then she got up... used her front legs to get her moving... and yes... she MOVED her rear legs!!!!!!!! Not a lot, but she DID move them! Her paws were turned down so she walked on the tops of her paws...

But she walked BY HERSELF to the water dish and took a drink... all by herself! Neither Jen nor I helped her at all. We wanted to see how she'd do by herself. WhooHOOO!!!

This morning... not so good...

2007-05-11T09:01:00.000-05:00

Well, this morning was not so good. We did have 3 good days though... I'm so happy for those!

During Isis' checkup this past Monday, the doctor said we could try to back off some of the meds. We cut the heart meds in half and the diuretic by 1/3.

By Tuesday, I could tell by Isis' breathing that she needed the full dose of heart meds. So after talking with the doctor, we put her back. She was not coughing though! Coughing in this case is a sign that her lungs are filling up with fluid. That's why she was taking the diuretic 3 x's a day.

This morning - Friday morning however, her cough came back :( I gave her her normal morning dose... she did have her night time one last night... and will add an afternoon one to her schedule again. We can tell she's just not feeling right at the moment - my poor Girl! We'll see how the meds help her....

Jen's Home!

2007-05-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

Jen's home from college now - she came home last night. Boy was Isis really happy to see her! Jen actually made an extra trip and visited for an hour the night before... to see Isis... just in case.

Isis does have some good days!

2007-05-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Isis has had a couple of good days! She's starting to act like her ol'self :) We do realize... as the vet said, she could go even when she'shaving a good day. On the other hand... she could surpise us all like other whippets have :)

Today I was working in the office and brought Isis in with me. I put her on a blanket on the floor...I heard a rustling... and turned to see my Sweet Girl pulling herself into her crate!!! (we keep the doors open when we are home) When crates are used correctly.. (ie: NEVER for punishment!) MOSTwhippets LOVE their crates! It just makes me feel good to see her doing things that are normal for her :)

One thing I am VERY grateful for is that I work from home... so I am able to be with Isis all day long. (I am a teddy bear artist). Funny thing is that Isis came into our lives the day that I quit my regular job to stay home to do this full time :)

Isis' Check up... not good news...

2007-05-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

Thank you EVERYONE for your kind posts and private emails!! They aregreatly appreciated :)

We took our Girl in for her check up on Monday and her prognosis wasbad. Her heart is in really bad condition. We were told we have days or weeks... if we are LUCKY... months. Of course we cried buckets again.

Isis is still alert, enjoys ground beef (boiled and rinsed) and rice,takes her pills like a champ and loves to be loved. She loved just lying in the grass yesterday for about an hour - in a sunbeam,watching things around her and sniffing. I can tell she's gone backwards a little... so we'll just love her till we know it's time.

We are SO lucky that Isis came into our lives!!! She came to us as a 19 month old VERY submissive whippet needing an understanding home. When we first met her, she belly crawled across the floor to us...and then curled up in a ball in our laps as we sat on the floor.

She would not hold your gaze. It took a little over a year... but eventually this scared little girl transformed into a very confident young lady! We are honoredthat we were able to provide her a home in which this transformation could take place!!

If, when we first adopted her, we knew in advance that things would turn out this way... we'd do it again in a heartbeat (no pun intended)

Thank you again for all your good thoughts and wishes!!!:)
Laura, Bob, Jen, Isis, Cleopatra, Athena and Pandora

One week later....

2007-05-05T08:31:00.000-05:00

Isis is doing very well... heart meds seem great. She will be going in for a check up next week.

We have her in a partial ex-pen right now. I was out running errands and Bob was home with her. Isis wanted to go out.... and Bob justwasn't responding quickly enough for her. She pushed her way out ofthe ex-pen (not hard... but wow) and started making her way down thehallway. Bob got her outside and she was able to stand by herself to go!

Our Sweet Isis Girl....

2007-05-01T09:27:00.000-05:00

On Saturday afternoon ~ April 28th, one of our Girls - Isis, had a bad accident while running in the back yard. This accident left her back legs paralyzed. It was a spinal injury.

The treatment for this is cortizone shots and then oral steroids. Unfortunately, 2 days later we discovered that Isis has a very bad heart condition.... The steroids almost killed her (but was the only treatment for the spinal injury!)

At the time of this posting... Isis is still with us! We are not sure how long she has... could be days, weeks or months. I decided to start writing down the experiences with our Girls... to help us remember every wonderful moment!