Sunday 23 July 2006

Picked up Katy from Albert’s house in Rockcliffe.

No real problems sharing the back seat in the car with Cassie, but this needs to be sorted out better for them, as Katy lies down lengthwise taking up most of the room.  Cassie will go into a “donut”.

Katy could or would not climb upstairs for bedtime, and was very nervous on the landing at the top; Cassie dictated that Katy would sleep at the foot end of the duvet (on the floor next to my bed).  As expected a difficult first night, Katy cried a few times, but quickly settled after a bit of TLC.  Had to let her into the garden twice during the night for a wee – with the consequent problem of the stairs.

Monday 24 July

Katy has quite an appetite, but that is to be expected for a few days.  Very happy to take short walks (c.10 minutes) with Cassie, but she attracts many flies around her mouth whilst out during the day – due to her bad teeth and smell.

Apart from her teeth (and/or gums) that need attention, Katy has a thick coat; she is getting groomed 4 times a day, and also had an anti-dandruff shampoo with Cassie.  She has some eyesight problems but I think it depends upon light, shadow etc.  Also problems with her legs, which are stiff at times and cause her difficulties with lying down etc.

Had a short trip to Castle Douglas, no problems but the two dogs cannot sort out their seating arrangement yet, but we have a cunning plan for Tuesday!

Much better night, just one cry about 3am for a toilet visit.  Now manages to walk okay down the stairs, but not up!

Tuesday 25 July

Took Brian to Southern General Hospital in Glasgow for his 2-3 day stay (150 mile return trip).  We lowered the “two-third” seat at the rear and put another duvet in to create a “letter L” into the boot.  Very successful with Cassie on the lowered seat, and Katy partly into the boot – their choice.  Journey went very well.

On return home there was a dash from the car into the house by both dogs, Cassie wanted to lie on her lounge duvet for a good sleep, but Katy stood by the food bowl until food arrived.

She is eating well with light-to-easy meals every 4 hours from 8am to 8pm.  Natural non-fat yoghurt on portion of wet (skimmed milk) Weetabix for breakfast, fresh chicken with rice for lunch, meal and meat for tea, and finishes the day at 8pm with portion of fat-free ice cream on sugar-free biscuit!  We are giving her a small portion of corn oil and PlaqueOff in lunch.

Two surprises, about 7pm she was in the garden kicking her legs in the air and generally running about with Cassie.  They seem to be getting on very well quite quickly.

Later that evening she woke up after a snooze and panicked because she couldn’t find anyone (I was upstairs and Brian is in Glasgow of course) - lots of whimpering as she ran room to room downstairs with Cassie running around with her wondering what all the fuss was about.  Got a good greeting from her when I call to her – she ran up the stairs!

She is really fitting in well and very quickly.  Just a pity about her bad breath – and the flies she attracts!

Slept all night and no problems.

Wednesday 26 July

Katy doing so well on early morning walk (leading the pack), that I extended it from ½ mile to 1 mile – no problems.  Possibly this is her favourite walk of the day due to their being no flies, but could be that there are more rabbits around, Cassie spots them well in advance whilst Katy only sees them when they run!

Tucked into her breakfast as usual, that followed by a nap, and after that wanted to go out on a walk again.

Generally eating well and looking much brighter.

Trip to vet in afternoon for full check-up.  Reported stiffness in joints and signs of cataracts, some skin flaking and thick coat (but this is being dealt with), somewhat underweight, but apart from her teeth the vets said she was in good health for her age and very alert.  No chip (old or new type) detected, They prefer to leave her to settle in, put on some weight and improve her coat and walking and they will appraise her in 4 weeks (including blood test) to ensure that she could be given a general anaesthetic for dental work, or just a relaxant for teeth scraping.

Stopped at a forest stream on way home for dogs to have a paddle.

Katy still has a good appetite and enjoys her walks and play.  She does have some anxiety about being left alone, for example she cried quite loudly when she woke up after a nap and found Cassie had gone (into the garden) and I was in my office.  Another good night with no interruptions.

Thursday 27 July

Now having a 1 mile walk in the early morning, before the heat and flies; with 2 short walks in the day and a waterside paddle/walk in the evening.  She eats as much as Cassie and I’m sure she would overeat if we let her.

Brian returned home from Glasgow in afternoon (our neighbours were in Glasgow and picked him up), good welcome from dogs.

Another good night, Katy has settled in well quick quickly.

Friday 28 July

Katy eager to start the day, early morning walk followed by breakfast, then after a nap her twice daily brush down.  Hairs still flying off her, but pleased to say there are signs of a healthy coat coming through.

Saturday 29 July

Good hour’s walk in Polmaddy Forest (Galloway Forest Park). Eating, walking and sleeping well.

Sunday 30 July

First long day’s drive (with us).  RSPCA Show at Otterburn for DGR.  A 212 mile return trip.  Took it well, lots of exercise at showground, with breaks each way.  Katy needs to pee quite frequently during the day.

Monday 31 July

After early morning walk, she had a snooze then came running out to kitchen for breakfast when her name was called.  Still did a little cry later when she thought she was alone in the house (we and Cassie were in the garden).

Quick visit to Tesco and pet stores in Castle Douglas, leaving dogs in car (sheltered position) for no more than a few minutes each time – I was surprised that Katy already stands up and looks around for me when the electronic unlock is pressed for the car.  One week and she really has settled in well.  Gave her part of a pigs-ear to suck on when we got home; it’s sad that she is not yet able to chew on anything.

Saturday 12th August

4 weeks ending Saturday 25 November 2006

A quiet time of the year as winter sets in, but Katy grateful for the remaining warm days up to the beginning of November so that she could spend a little time in the sun on her favourite lawn.

Her trip to Pembroke in October seemed to have started up a love for the sea. On a journey to Largs a couple of weeks ago, Katy and Cassie started a commotion in the back of the car when we reached the Firth of Clyde coast at the end of the Ardrossan by-pass – crying that they could smell the sea!  The only way to settle them was to make an unscheduled stop and give them a break on the beach – fortunately empty at that time of anyone else.  Katy ran up and down with tail wagging for several minutes in the waters edge chasing seagulls whilst Cassie ran round us in wild circles.

The Dumfriesshire Greyhound Show & Christmas Fayre was very much enjoyed by Katy, although she was tired out by the time came for her entry into the Competition for “Veteran in Best Condition”.  We were surprised and delighted that Katy received 1st prize – although on her part she only wanted to sleep!  Her trophy and ribbon has pride of place in the glass cabinet until next year.

Katy we think has now reached her healthy peak; she still has stiffness in her front legs but despite that trots along, and can attain a short spurt in the right conditions.  She remains a slim dog despite having eating very well, and enjoys a good variety of suitable food.  She enjoys chew treats and doggy biscuits but because of gaps in the teeth it does take her much longer than Cassie to get through them.  Her only problem is incontinence, but that has been overcome that by ensuring she has frequent exercise and a nocturnal trip into the garden about 3am. Her bed is protected by an incontinence cover just in case!

4+ weeks ending Thursday 28 December 2006

Katy has stood up to the wet and windy December weather very well and enjoys her daylight walks, but not so keen on dark evening walking.  Both Katy and Cassie now choose to go upstairs to bed about 10.30pm, and apart from being let out for a nocturnal toilet break about 3am, they stay in their bed until it gets light or they hear the rattle of their collars and leads!

Both dogs now share a blow-up single bed which they both enjoy laying on once they got the hang of not sliding off.  It has an incontinence cover, under-blanket and throw-over.  Just one mishap, I was awoken one night by a “pop” sound followed by a slight hissing.  One of the dogs had managed to puncture the bed when moving about; as it was about 5am I didn’t bother to take any action and continue to lay in my bed, watching the two dogs slowing sinking to floor level – they just slept on!  A supplied puncture repair kit did a good job, and the whole bed is now wrapped around with a double under-blanket to stop direct contact between their claws and the bed’s rubber surround.

Katy still plays about on our lawn, which she has now reduced to a balding flat grass area.  On wet days she rubs her chops in the muddy bits which involves a clean-up on entering the house – but she enjoys it so much that we really cannot put the mangy remains of a lawn out-of-bounds.

Both dogs received Christmas presents from neighbours, including a doggy stocking and other chewy things and generally had a quiet but contended period.  We took them to various beaches on a number of occasions, they especially enjoy Nun Bay near Kirkcudbright which has a couple of good sandy stretches at low tide, and is safe enough for them to run free.  Cassie runs around at top speed in a circle, never venturing too far from us, and Katy attempts to follow but in much smaller laps – “like a bouncy lamb with a smile on its face” as one passer-by said.

We shall be staying at the Perth Travelodge (greyhounds welcome) for a few days in mid-January, visiting relatives and friends in Montrose, Aberdeen and St Andrews.  Hopefully, subject to weather, Katy will be introduced to the fantastic sandy beaches and dunes around Montrose and as well as some beaches that we have never seen in the St Andrews Bay area.

Katy’s weight is now just 24.02Kg (subject to confirmation); we doubt that she will put on much more despite having a good appetite.

Month ending 31 January 2007

The New Year period passed quietly and despite the bad weather Katy stood up well to the wet and windy walks along the loch shore and on the exposed hillsides.

We spent a few days over the 2nd-3rd weeks of January in the north-east. We decided to use the Perth Travelodge as our base as it was easy from there to get to relatives and friends in Aberdeen, Montrose and St Andrews, plus it has good surrounding land for convenient exercise for the dogs.  The Travelodge kindly gave us the first room on the ground floor, so it was no problem to get Katy (with Cassie for company) out for her necessary toilet in the middle of the night.  I made the mistake on the first night of letting them off the leads when I got them back through the fire door into our corridor – I think it reminded Cassie of Arthur’s greyhound run in Waterbeck, and she took off at high speed with Katy in pursuit for the full length of the corridor and back again. That would normally have been quite funny but it was about 3am; the sound of galloping animals must have woken a few guests - fortunately I got them back into the bedroom quickly and apparently there were no complaints.

A great time was had by Katy and Cassie on the beaches, despite the high winds.  Montrose beach was a joy for them, especially as we had it practically to ourselves; it was warm and the waves dispersed on the outer sand banks so the dogs were able to “speed-paddle” safely.

Among the other beaches that we took the dogs to, Katy enjoyed a short visit to the East Beach in St Andrews where she made friends with a lurcher dog, and much to the amusement of the owners she wanted to get into their car with the lurcher, and she really didn’t want to come home with us at all!

Despite all the beaches that Katy had enjoyed, when we got home she still made that rapid bee-line from the car for to our now muddy-patchy lawn.  She bounded around it jumping up in the air and smacking the poor grass with her front paws.  I think she was saying “I’m home again!”

Month ending 28 February 2007

Katy showed signs of stiffness in her front legs during the first few days of February, she was slowing down from her usual brisk pace and really didn’t want to walk very far at all, so a visit was arranged to the vet.  Nothing serious diagnosed, just the onslaught of old age and the winter months taking their toll.  She was prescribed a small measure of Metacam to be injected into her food once daily.  Within 3-4 days her condition had greatly improved, and it wasn’t long before she was chasing companion Cassie around on the beach again.

Sunday 18th was a beautiful clear day; we were in the Largs area and decided to take the dogs and car over to Great Cumbrae – any excuse for us to have an ice cream at The Ritz café in Millport!  The dogs enjoyed the breaks at the small rocky beaches around the island, a stroll around the cathedral grounds and around the summit.  A really nice day that broke up the dreich month of February.

When out on one of our early walks last week Cassie found an old rabbit hiding in roadside undergrowth and quick as lightning she crabbed it. Katy took exception to that; she grabbed the rabbit off Cassie (who lamely let her do it) and turned back wanting to return home with the prize. This is the only time that I have witnessed any sign of superiority or inferiority between the two dogs.  As we were by the side of the road with traffic was passing I tried to get Katy to drop the rabbit but she was locked tight onto it.  The rabbit was hanging from Katy’s mouth showing no sign of life so back home we went, with rabbit flopping about for all to see and Cassie walking carefully watching Katy in case she let her have it back.  On getting home I wouldn’t let them into the house, and Katy refused to let go of the rabbit, so I had to gently press her nostrils to get her to open her mouth.  She did, and as she dropped the rabbit I made a grab for it, but that rabbit suddenly came back to life and ran away down the drive and though a hedge!  The two dogs were chasing up and down the drive, and we were left standing at the back door aghast!

Month ending 31 March 2007

Good news this month, Katy has ceased being incontinent, no problems for 3 weeks now and she doesn’t need to (or want to) go out during the night.  She’s having a good diet, exercising well with 4+ walks/sprints a day, and is very much more alert; she is getting more affectionate with quite a bit more tail wagging.  She used to keep herself-to-herself for the first few months, unlike Cassie her companion who would always be under our feet.  Now Katy will come up for frequently for a gentle “ear massage” or just to lean on you, and generally keeps within eye-shot of us all the time.

She takes herself off to bed about 11pm and won’t get up until about 8am even when called.  The only thing that gets her moving in the morning is the rattle of her collar and chain!

Had a few days of stiffness in her rear right leg with some limping, but her daily dose of Metacam cleared it up quite quickly and she is back to her normal self.

Only one incident this month, Cassie caught a pheasant who was pecking around in the garden, naturally Katy rushed up and took it off Cassie and then proceeding to shake that pheasant by the neck until it was nearly bald – feathers everywhere!  When Katy had a mouth full of feather she let it go and that bird flew off squawking – it was last seen running up the cow field shaken but uninjured, but half naked and very annoyed!  I witnessed all this from my upstairs bedroom window so was unable to intervene immediately, I came down to find the dogs excitingly running around looking through the hedges hoping it would come back; I spent the next half-hour raking up feathers.

We are all off early Sunday (1 April) to spend a few days based at Inverness; we’re going to take the dogs to some very remote beaches in Wester Ross – well off the normal tourist routes.

Month ending 31 December 2007

At the early part of the month we took Katy (and Cassie) for a short break based at Perth. We travelled up via Rowardennan, Aberfoyle, Loch Earn and Crieff on a beautiful clear but cold day with frequent stops for short walks or runs. Upon arrival at Perth, both dogs made their way into the room and without so much as a by-your-leave climbed onto the settee to crash out; they appear to know the general layout of a Travelodge room by now. After a few minutes we had prepared the lower pull-out section and managed to lift Katy down a level, Cassie took a bit longer to remove to her corner-suite.

During our stay in the area the dogs had good runs on the Aberdeen and Montrose beaches, unfortunately the short afternoons limited the playtime on the sands – the bitter cold breeze not helping much either.

A quiet Christmas and New Year period for all, but a number of small excursions were made including trips to a wedding at Symington near Kilmarnock (the dogs watched from the car) and Boxing Day to Carrick Shore on Wigtown Bay to walk and watch the waves.

Katy remains in splendid form despite her age and sporadic stiffness, and even appears to have put on a little weight.  She maintains her nightly ritual of asking to be let out about 10pm then making her way upstairs to bed where she remains until 7am – and never more than a few minutes variation either side.  She’s very good at telling the time!

Month ending 31 January 2008

A very quiet month for Katy, she has not been happy with the January wet weather and prefers to stay at home in the warm.  She has been somewhat slow in walking and her exercises have been kept to a maximum of 15 minutes - usually about 3 times a day, with little gallops around the lawn when it’s not raining.

Cassie her companion is very patient with Katy, keeping to her pace, but she gets a good extra run immediately after Katy is returned home.

However Katy remains quite fit and has an excellent appetite; but like many an old lady she likes to go upstairs to bed by 10pm latest, and puts up a “Do Not Disturb” notice until about 7am – only on rare occasions wanting to be let out during the night.

We have taken the dogs out several times during the month, but they have only wanted to run briefly on visits to the seashore, the wind being generally too chilly.

Katy has very fast growing front nails, these require trimming every 4 months or so, and she will be visiting the vet the first week in February for a check and trim.

Month ending 31 March 2008

Katy had a healthy but quiet month with frequent short trips out and about; one full day was spent in the Glasgow area; and another travelling around the beaches and hidden corners of the South Rhins. She really enjoys a run on the sands and wetting her paws in small waves; but most of all she prefers to sit in the warm sun on the remains of our back lawn. We have fenced off with bird netting half the lawn and re-seeded the patches worn away by Katy’s jumping, but she has that found that it is possible to jump over or push over the netting to get to the sections that we are trying to revitalize!

At the end of April we are taking Katy and companion Cassie on holiday to the Isle of Wight; now possible without dog accommodation problems with the opening of the new Travelodge in Newport.

Month ending 30 April2008

Katy enjoyed the successful DCGR event in Rockcliffe Hall and whilst there had a quick check with the vet; he noticed a bad tooth with some surrounding infection.  An appointment was made with our local vet after the weekend and Katy was prescribed a course of antibiotics, a review of her teeth is to be made this week.

She and companion Cassie had a day trip to Edinburgh with us and they had to spend a couple of hours in the car whilst Brian was in the Western General Hospital for an appointment.  The car park attendants very kindly allowed us to park under a large sheltering oak next to a patch of waste ground, so I was able to let them out every 20 minutes or so.  A picnic and good exercise was possible at a couple of places on the way home.

We left on Saturday 26^th April for a break in the Isle of Wight. As we were visiting friends on the outward and return journeys we had a night at Travelodges in Blackburn and Alton down and at Kidderminster back, with 3 nights on the island at the new smart Travelodge in Newport. Dogs made very welcome at all stops.

Surprisingly we came across quite a number of rescue greyhounds on the island, especially in the Sandown-Shanklin area. Katy especially took to Ollie, a 6-month old rescued greyhound who apparently was discarded because he had no interest in running very fast or far. That made him an ideal but brief companion for Katy with her little spurts of speed.

Month ending 31 May 2008

Katy remains in good health with appearances at the Meet a Greyhound Day’s during May at Lockerbie, Gretna, Rainton (Cream o’ Galloway) and Newton Stewart. She also joined us on several day trips around the region as well as a day trip to Ikea at Braehead – don’t knock it, there are splendid bush enclosed grass runs around the north and east side of the car park!  But wherever Katy goes she is always happy to get home and set about trashing our grass on the back lawn.

Katy has her diary fairly full with more Greyhound events to attend, plus a short break in the Isle of Anglesey.

Month ending 31 July 2008

In early July Katy had problems with her gums again - the infections had returned; so following a visit to the vet it was decided that there was no alternative but to extract the teeth that were the cause of recurring problems. She was put on antibiotics for a week to clear up the current infection, then after the week we reported to the vets that the gums had cleared up, together with a related stomach upset that she had.  The operation was scheduled for 16 July.

Given Katy’s age, there was some anxiety all round, but two senior vets took her in hand on the morning and asked us to call back at 3pm unless they called us earlier. Thankfully there were no upsetting call from the vet and we returned at the given time; we were told that the removal of teeth had been made and that it was just as well because of their deteriorating condition.  However, Katy had not yet woken after the anaesthetic so they asked us to return in 1 hour saying that if she had not woken by then it might be advisable for her to be kept there overnight.

At 4pm we returned and were told that Katy was still in a deep sleep; this obviously was of some concern and we asked if might talk to her – so for 2-3 minutes we were on knees by the recovery cage whispering into her ear about going for a walk, or her having a roll on the lawn, how about a nice chicken dinner, a trip in the car, etc.  Suddenly her eyes opened and she staggered to her feet.  We were all delighted when she then gave a wag as her lead and collar were produced - she was more than happy to make the short walk to the car parked outside the door.

Our instructions were to offer her light food a little at a time, but let her eat what she wanted. By 8pm she had consumed a whole fresh chicken which we had cooked that morning.  At 10pm she was rolling about on the lawn and after a night’s sleep she was off next morning with friend Cassie on their early morning constitutional.  Within 2 days she was back on solid foods plus a couple of gravy biscuits.

On the last weekend of the month Katy and Cassie had a break at Scotch Corner Travelodge visiting friends around Ripon; on the way to Scotch Corner they had a fun hour at Brampton meeting more greyhounds at Maggie’s place.

A couple of days later we picked up a collected a friend at Prestwick Airport, and on the way home a stop was made for the dogs at an enclosed rural recreation area where they showed off their very best by racing at top speed around the empty football pitch – Katy proving she is more than back to normal.

Month ending 31 August 2008

A fairly quiet month for Katy, she made appearances at the Border Gathering, Galloway Country Show and Moffat Agricultural Show to show her support as well as meeting up with friends – two and four legs.

Katy is slowing down a little, she enjoys her 3-4 short walks a day but doesn’t wish to walk for more than 10-15 minutes; she prefers to lie down – especially on the lawn when dry.  Inside she lies down where she can to watch what is going on, usually plonking herself somewhere totally inconvenient for everybody else.

Took Katy and Cassie with us to Edinburgh as Brian had an appointment at the Western General Hospital, by coincidence we parked there next to another car with two greyhounds – so mutual observation kept them occupied. Had two suitable breaks on the journey each way for the dogs, plus there were suitable areas within the hospital grounds for a couple of short promenades during the visit.

We all had a short break in Argyll at the end of the month, a tour via Oban before visiting a friend by Loch Awe. Unfortunately the weather was not conducive for touring, but we made the most of the brief dry spells – Katy was quite impressed with Loch Awe and enjoyed paddling at various places.

Months ending January & February 2009

Katy coped with the long cold spell but found walking on untreated icy roads and pavements quite scary, so naturally we did our best to keep her on grass, sand or fresh snow to avoid the dreaded greyhound splits.  Even after the cold spell finished and the snow vanished she continued for some time to dip her paw gently off a kerb on to the road surface to test conditions, rather like a child testing out water temperature with the toes.

Despite the cold weather she has remained active, enjoying short gallops around local fields and along the earth dykes.  We have not been too far in the car this last couple of months, but the dogs have had trips to Dumfries, Kirkconnel Flow, and the beaches at Mossyard and Sandhead.  On the final full weekend of February we had visitors, and took them with the dogs on a circular via Megget and Talla Reservoirs which turned out to rather windy, this of course starts the dogs off on their crazy circular runs.

Since we moved to New Galloway in December we have discovered that Katy will not walk in unlit areas at night, we have tried a small evening circulars around the village, but she comes to a complete stop in an unlit road and won’t proceed any further.  Apart from picking her up and carrying the only solution is to turn back regardless of distance, even good torch light won’t persuade her to continue.  When travelling in the car at night we now only stop in a lit-up area to give her a break, otherwise she refuses to get out of the car.  Her eyesight is obviously not what it was, for example she has on a few of occasions appeared to have lost sight of me when I stop and stand for her to catch me up on our safe local walks in shady woodland, but a quick call and movement from me gets her to look in the right direction.  Cassie her companion can spot a deer across the water meadows but Katy hasn’t a clue what she is looking at, she just watches Cassie watching!

Apart from our concern about her eyesight, Katy enjoys her life and her new address.  She has discovered the new cupboard where the dog treats are stored and has perfect hearing when that cupboard is opened. I think that both Katy and Cassie will be delighted to see the summer coming and the start of the new season of DCGR events.