Sixth and Final Bandage Change

Another volunteer graciously took Roxie to her vet appointment on November 18th. At this visit, her surgeon was there to see her and lo and behold, he did remove the bandages and splint and decided she could go without them at this time!

What excellent news indeed. Roxie has been steadily bathing her leg ever since. She has little mobility in the wrist joint but we expected that and will work with her to help her gain strength back in that area. Daily small walks along with some hydrotherapy and she should be getting back to normal soon enough.

She is still restricted to the x-pen with no jumping, etc. allowed but we’re definitely in the home stretch. Let’s hear it for Roxie!! 👏👏

color is good

another view

almost there!

Fifth Bandage Change

And here we are again. This visit included an x-ray. Another volunteer picked Roxie up and took her to the appointment. I have to say everyone has been wonderful during all this to help out with her doctor appointments. Kudos to everyone who has helped!

So, the x-rays showed that the healing is progressing. The vet who reviewed them indicated she could see a bit of the break still but that she was doing remarkably well.

Here are some shots from that visit. Another bandage change with the splint and we are to return on Monday, November 18th.

Roxie waits her turn . . .

Looking good!

Improvement!

The surgical site.

Roxie looking terribly bored by this whole ordeal!

Fourth Bandage Change

This bandage change occurred on October 28th. A volunteer came by and took Roxie to the vet. All indications are that all is healing as expected. The bandage and splint were changed. Here are a few photos of that visit. Roxie continues to be a model patient!

We get a little reprieve in that Roxie’s next appointment is two weeks from now! Whoo hoo!!

The leg is looking much better!

Crusty elbow.

More healing.

More of the leg as it heals.

We are to continue doing what we’re doing and that is to give Roxie all the love and care that we can to help her get completely well and on her way to her new forever family! She is doing so well!

Third Bandage Change

Roxie’s third bandage change occurred on Monday, October 21st. Unfortunately we did not get photos of the leg during the bandage change, however, the vet did indicate she is healing quite nicely and to continue the good work.

That progress is due entirely to Roxie being such a good patient. It is a pleasure to be her caretaker during this convalescing period.

Watch for more updates as Roxie continues to heal! ❤

Second Bandage Change Post Surgery

Here are photos from Roxie’s second bandage change. The leg looks much better. Her report from the vet (Dr. Wagner this time) indicates everything was dry, clean and intact. Yeah!! As well they removed the staples as the incision had healed.

She is recovering quite nicely. And what a good patient she is! We are all ecstatic for this wonderful girl. She is so sweet, giving me kisses every time I put her back in the x-pen after a potty break! Love her to pieces!

Soon this will all be a faded memory for Roxie and she’ll be enjoying her retirement to it’s fullest.

Thank you to everyone who donated funds to help pay for her surgery. Thank you to everyone who continues to support Roxie during this convalescing period. She feels the love every minute of every day! ❤

First Bandage Change Post Surgery

Yesterday I took Roxie for her first bandage change since the surgery a week ago. Her surgeon said she is healing quite nicely. And she is doing great. Hard to tell that from this picture. I did ask about the coloring of her leg. They indicated that was normal and the darkness would begin to lighten up throughout the coming weeks. There is still some swelling there and, of course, no fur. The staples will come out at the next bandage change.

Overall she is doing quite well. She’s getting a little stir crazy, loving her short leash walks for potty breaks in the back yard. Other than that, she is confined to a slumber ball in an x-pen set up in my bedroom. She does have other Greyhounds to keep her company and I check on her frequently. She’s normally sleeping.

She really is a good patient!

Roxie resting comfortably

Updates from the Surgery

I’ve been a bit busy caring for Roxie and others so am a bit behind in posting updates. So, I took Roxie for her appointment with the surgeon on Friday, fasted her that morning with the intent that surgery would occur that afternoon.

After Dr. Little at Veterinary Referral Surgical Practice reviewed her existing x-rays and new ones he did Monday a week ago, he recommended a biopsy to rule out osteosarcoma. We waited for the results which were ready on Thursday. Dr. Little called and indicated the results were NEGATIVE! Hip hip hooray! I was so thankful as I had been on pins and needles waiting to hear those words.

X-ray of break before surgery

So, the next step was surgery which was scheduled for this past Monday, I waited for a confirmation which never came. Monday I withheld food and water anticipating they had her scheduled. Well, they did but not at the Marietta location. Her appointment was at the Roswell location. So, once that was made clear to me, I loaded up Roxie and drove her for her appointment.

Repair after the surgery

Whatever it takes . . .

The surgery was uneventful but complex as the break was pretty complex. She ended up with a plate and six screws. The staples will be removed in a few weeks. The other hardware will stay with Roxie.

So now, we simply convalesce. She is doing well. She is a good patient as she now knows the routine. She has a slew of meds to take for a few weeks and then those dwindle at that time.

There will be several bandage changes during the coming weeks and close observation of the surgical site for any significant changes. We hope all changes are for the better, of course. The surgeon indicated there is no reason that Roxie would not make a full recovery and live a normal retired live as a former racing Greyhound.

As her foster Mom and caretaker, I can tell you she is the sweetest girl. This is the look I get when I go to check in on her. She is confined to a slumber ball within an x-pen with leashed potty breaks. She knows she has me wrapped around her little paw but she also knows she is here as a foster pup and patient and will not become a permanent family member! That doesn’t stop me from showering her with lots of love! ❤ And she’s very receptive to such.

What a keeper for whomever ends up adopting her!

Obviously, SCG has taken care of her medical bills which have accumulated to near $6,000. I have to say she is worth every penny and we would do it all over again, if needed.

We could use some help though, as that is alot of money to such a small adoption group. Donations can be made directly on our website at https://www.secondchancegreyhounds.org/donate. We thank you and Roxie thanks you!

Chase is Now Roxie and She's Back

Roxie leaving the emergency clinic

Roxie was recently returned to us from her previous adopter after almost two years. She is such a sweet girl. She immediately went into a foster home. About a week from then (this past Saturday), she was going down the stairs from the deck to go potty and mis-stepped, breaking her wrist on both sides of the joint.

She was rushed to Cobb Emergency Veterinary Clinic where the leg was Xrayed and splinted to stabilize until a surgeon could review the Xrays on Monday. I took her back to Cobb Emergency Veterinary Clinic for the surgical consult. Actually, they intended to perform the surgery that day but after the surgeon reviewed Xrays taken Monday, he recommended a biopsy of the bone be performed first. So that procedure was done and Roxie came home afterwards.

So, we wait for those results. She is fairing pretty well with the splint, hobbling to go potty otherwise staying confined to a Slumberball within an x-pen, resting comfortably.

If you are so inclined to help with her vet care (and those expenses continue to rise), we would greatly appreciate the support.

Donations can be made directly on our website. We thank you and Roxie thanks you!

Bye-bye, sweet puppy eyes!

Chase's final week has been pretty relaxed. Her trainer pretty much treated her like a pet and just hung out watching television with her. It was mostly weekend football, but she seemed to enjoy the time together. Her trainer thinks she's a little bit of a tomboy. One thing to keep in mind - establish your ground rules and boundaries immediately, because those puppy dog eyes will trick you into spoiling her!

Gimme the Squeak Toys, and Free my Soul

It's swap week here at Second Chance Greyhounds Academy. Swap week is where the teams swap greyhounds for a week and during that time they test the dogs for separation anxiety and see if they do well taking commands from other trainers. This swap week, one of the trainers was lucky enough to get assigned a beautiful black and white greyhound named Chase. Chase is such a sweet bundle of energy. She loves playing with toys, especially squeaky toys. They always end every training session with a fun play session. She will do all of her commands for a toy or a tasty treat. Chase has been a joy to have on swap week and her swap week trainer knows that she'll make her new family very, very happy.

Curious Girl

Chase has been such a good dog in training. Her trainer can tell that she is very social and loves to play and he would recommend hard toys and supervision while doing so, because she is a power chewer! She genuinely will eat anything! Her trainer has been trying to find ways to keep her entertained in the kennel so that she isn't so vocal when left alone, and so he usually leaves a Nylabone or treat with her to keep her occupied. These remedies seem to be working and he'll do more experimenting to see how it progresses as training proceeds.

Learning Every Day

Chase has continued to do well in her training. Her trainer has been working with her with distracting situations and environments to see if he can draw her focus and get her to obey commands even if it means giving up something she'd much rather be enjoying. She has been doing very well! Her trainer works mostly in toy exchange, patience with food, and recall at playing and running time. She usually does very well and her trainer is not surprised considering her primary desire is food and treats. She expects to be rewarded when called and she does a pretty good job of responding in a timely manner.

Top of the Class

Chase has still managed to show some improvement and her training. She knows all of her commands very well so they've been working on her ability to hold her sits, downs, and stays with tempting distractions. Chase already loves to be active so this is actually a bit of an accomplishment for her. Chase continues to impress her trainer with her ability to learn and obey. She's becoming quite the pet and her trainer knows that she'll make a wonderful addition to her forever home.

Small Girl, Big Personality

Chase's training has lightened up a bit this week. She has learned all of her basic commands and now they are polishing up her response time and increasing the duration of time that she holds her positions. Chase has become very fond of her play times. Her trainer says that he must point out that she needs to be supervised while she has toys, as this past week she ate a leg off of a chew toy in just a matter of seconds. Luckily, they were able to notice and respond quickly. Chase is a very playful, cheerful dog and is so loving. She has quite the personality!

Enthusiastic Learner

Chase is a well behaved girl and has continued to improve her response time to all of her basic commands.  Chase knows them all well, so her trainer will keep practicing them until she knows them like the back of her paw.  She is very attentive when it's training time and she's always eager to please.  She loves food, but is also very fond of a squeaky chew toy.

Chase is going to make a wonderful pet in any house.  She is a sweet, smart greyhound that will win over anyone's heart.

Your Best Gal

Chase has improved greatly during this past training week. She has learned all of her basic commands and is very responsive to them. She tries to anticipate at times when she is really excited, but when corrected she understands what needs to be done.  Chase behaves well on as well as off leash. She always seems to be happy and in a good mood. Her energy peaks at feeding times, and although she is not a very large dog, her appetite sometimes seems bottomless. She will play with toys and she especially loves the toys with squeakers in them, but will ignore it all if she catches sight or smell of treats or food. Chase is a very friendly and playful dog. She even gets mildly vocal at times, almost as if she is giving you a piece of her doggy thoughts. So far her trainer is having a great time training her and knows someone will have a great time with her as a pet. She's friendly, fun, loving and is quite the intelligent girl.

Right On Track

Chase has been introduced to all of the basic commands this week and is on track with her training.  She is doing fairly well with hurry, let's go, wait, heel and bed.  She is improving every day with her leash walking. 

Chase still doesn't seem too interested in toys, but that could change as the training session progresses.  Chase is a cute bubbly girl ready for anything.  

Smart Bubbly Girl

Her trainer has used these first few days with Chase to get her familiar with her new environment and establish a bond. He's just starting the actual training part, but through consistent leash walking, he has found that she responds to correction quite well and catches on very quickly to requested actions. Chase seems to be a higher energy dog than most Greyhounds and she is quite the eater. He is so excited about beginning his work with her and hopes to make it just as enjoyable on her end!