Archived Documents 3rd Quarter 2009

Update 28 September 2009...

Charter Vets' Open Day 20TH September. (by Tracey Holland) This event was postponed earlier in the year due to awful weather, but this time we had an absolutely stunning day which brought out lots of dogs and their owners to look around the stalls and take part in the events. Our stall had a great view of both the dog show and dogs trying their paws at the agility course. I think I saw more humans jumping the poles than dogs! I am glad to have been part of the day and to have raised some money for Tailends. We are very grateful to Tracey for running the Tailends stall at this local event in Barnstaple and raising £48.76 for the care of our old dogs.

Tailends Calendars - Once again our calendars are proving very popular. We are able to order more if necessary but it would help to know what sort of quantities are required as we do not want to disappoint anyone, but equally do not want to order too many as they cannot be sold once the year has turned. Please contact Tailends asap if you would like to order any now, or reserve in advance, giving quantities required.

Alfonso - We are delighted to have a date for Alfonso's ferry crossing to the UK. Unfortunately it is not until November 20th so again we must be patient. The spanish pet passport system does seem to be very slow but it is essential that his papers are all in order to prevent any last minute problems. We will make sure that he has anything he needs to keep him warm and comfortable on his journey to Tailends.

Nellie - is thriving at Tailends. We are delighted to report that her chest x-rays were clear so our vet was able to go ahead and spay her. She made an excellent recovery from the surgery and did not need to wear the buster collar which came home with her. She loves her new bed which was kindly bought for her by June Heath. Nina Kwasniewska has also bought her a new winter coat with her name on so she is a very lucky little girl.

Denise - has again been having problems with her right eye. Our vet found that she had an abscess so she now has eye ointment and drops is several times a day which has successfully improved the problem.

Jack - I would like thank everyone who contacted me following the death of our dear old boy last Saturday. It was a great comfort to read such kind words and know how many people cared about this wonderful greyhound who had suffered so much until he came to Tailends in February 2008. It was a delight and a privilege to share the last 19months of his life and he will forever have a place in our hearts.

Update 20 September 2009...

JACK. Tailends 10.02.08 – 19.09.09 Jack had a bad night on Friday and seemed to be having breathing difficulties. He covered up his breakfast bowl of chicken to tell me to save it for later but I could tell that something was very wrong. He lay stretched out on his memory bed but his eyes were clouded and had lost that brightness which always showed how content he was. I rang the vet to come out and check him over. He was always traumatised by travelling to the vet and I was not going to put him through that now. The vet arrived at 1pm. He checked Jack over and said his heart was failing and his breathing was laboured. I knew already that the time had come, but it was so very hard to say goodbye to my special boy. I wanted the vet to wave a magic wand and make him better again but he was too frail and had not the strength to carry on anymore. I stroked his lovely soft ears as he slipped away from me forever. There was no sound or movement. He just quietly passed from this world leaving an enormous gap in my life. He was devoted to me as I was to him. He was so distressed when I went into hospital recently and was delighted to have me home again. Jack gave me his love simply and unconditionally. I gave him the comforts and care which should have been his for the 11years he languished in a barren kennel with no companionship, just like his brother in the kennel next door. Now they are together forever waiting for the day when we will all be reunited. I know that Gloria is now taking care of these two frail old boys as she did in life.

I miss you so much my dear boy but your poor old body was worn out and you needed to leave it behind. Fly free again in the sunshine and watch over us until we all meet again. We will always love you very much and you will never be forgotten. A new star will shine brightly in the sky tonight.

Update 11 September 2009...

Report on Tailends Stall at the Northants Greyhound Rescue Gala - 6th September 2009 at Towcester - By Mary Quinn.

'The alarm goes off at 4.30am, nothing unusual in that for a work day, but this is Sunday! No ordinary Sunday though, this is The Greyhound Gala day at Towcester for NRG and myself and my partner have volunteered to run the stall for Tailends. So up sharpish and walk Sal and Meg, our Lurcher and Greyhound. A shower to wake us up and quick bowl of Special K and then we are on the road at 6.30 and at Towcester by 7.30, arriving about the same time as Mandy, from NRG, who directs us to our pitch. With the gazebo up, resplendent with the new banner that was a gift from Suzie (K9cookies), we set all the merchandise out and are ready for the greyhounds and their owners to arrive. Once the doors open, it soon starts filling up, with people eager to check out the stalls and to meet up with old friends and exchange Greyhound stories.

The tombola tickets soon start disappearing and people are keen to win that elusive bottle of wine, 6 tickets for £1 is the order of the day, for adults and children alike. Suzie’s K9Cookies start selling like… well, hot biscuits! Lots of people who don’t know about Tailends, are eager to find out more and the newsletters are taken and a chat about Angela and the brilliant job she does is imparted, so hopefully word will spread and sponsorships and donations will follow. Alison, who popped over to give a hand, was exactly the right person to get interested parties even more interested. The Tailends calendars are also a good seller, who wouldn’t want those gorgeous Tailends dogs to look at?

Annette Crosbie spoke about the plight of those racing Greyhounds still on the track and the regulations so geared to the racing industry and not to the welfare of the dogs it exploits, and she urged everyone (once parliament are back from the Summer break) to write to their M.P.’s in protest. A rousing, emotional and fervent call to arms!

The day passed so quickly and at times was a bit of blur, with so many things to keep an eye on, the raffle, quiz, name the dog and pin the tail on the greyhound, all in their own way, ticking up the total raised.

Sal and Meg had enjoyed all the attention (not to mention the many treats) too. They had been so good and we were so proud of them. A fine example of their breed! When the crowd had abated, their shrapnel all spent. It was time to say a fond farewell to Towcester and count up the generous donations from the throng of sighthound lovers. A heart-warming £320 for Tailends. A tiring, but wonderfully satisfying day for us!'

We are very grateful to Mary and Terri for a supreme effort in raising such a magnificent sum for Tailends dogs. This money will be used for the treatment of the new dogs which have arrived here in recent weeks. Thank you to everyone who sent gifts for the stall or helped in any way before or on the day itself. I am so glad the weather was kind and everyone enjoyed the day. We are so lucky to have such wonderful supporters. Angela.

Nellie arrived on 6th September 2009. She was driven the 400 miles in stages by Nina Kwasniewska, Elaine Ball, Graham, Julie and Marianne. I am very grateful to these kind people who gave their time freely at very short notice to help Nellie get out of her kennel where she was very unhappy and begin her new life of comfort and care at Tailends. She loves it here and settled in straight away. The other dogs accepted her immediately without so much as a raised eyebrow!

Nellie has been to the vet and had blood tests which showed very slight kidney deterioration and raised leucocytes. Her heart murmur and leaking heart valve have not yet caused heart failure but we will monitor her closely. She is currently on antibiotics but if she is still having breathing difficulties in a week she will have a chest x-ray in view of the mammary tumours.

Nellie loves her walks and stands staring at the views from the top of the dunes. She gets very excited when she gets to the beach and cannot believe all the open space and the sea. I am so glad she came her when she did as she really was very stressed and unhappy in the kennel where she had just a piece of blanket to lie on and no bed. She loves her cosy bed here and curls up happily after her walks. Thanks again to Mal for telling us about her plight and getting her out of the kennel.

Update 7 September 2009...

Nellie - Another sad old girl - I have agreed to take another old lady from the north west where there is a serious problem with unwanted oldies. Nellie is an 11 year old crossbreed who had 3 mammary tumours, a grade 3 heart murmur and leaking heart valve. She is desperately unhappy in the pound and is not eating. She trembles all the time and has only a piece of blanket and a water bowl in her kennel. Hopefully she will be arriving at Tailends during the evening of 6th September thanks to a number of generous people who have agreed to transport her for part of the long journey of approximately 400miles.

Boris - went up to the veterinary hospital on Friday 4th September for blood tests and a scan of his prostate. He has not been eating and was becoming very lethargic. He was on a course of antibiotics following a severe urinary infection last week but I suspected something else was going on. I was shocked to hear that his kidneys had deteriorated drastically and were now failing to keep his blood clean. There are few options. The only thing we could do was to try him on a drip to try to clear the poisons from his blood and buy him some time. This acts like a form of dialysis. He is much brighter today and has eaten a little KD diet food which is brilliant news. However we know that this can only be temporary but if necessary he can have this treatment again in a few weeks if it works for him. He will be blood tested again on Monday.

Cindy - there is good news on Cindy. She went up to the veterinary hospital on Thursday to have a dental and check up. There is no evidence of the cancer spreading although she does have a few small lumps on her abdomen which have not grown any bigger. She is now back home, waking me up every morning at 4am to ask if it is time to go to the beach!

Todd - is much improved though the vet wants to extend his antibiotic course for a further two weeks. He is not struggling to breathe when walking as before and seems to be happier - eating well and sleeping all night peacefully. He will be checked again in two weeks. Hopefully the fluid on his lungs has been dispersed and he is now on the mend.

Judy - had her last Cartrophen injection this week. She will have another course in six months. There is noticeable improvement with her mobility. She does not sit down quite so much when out on her walks along the footpath and she seems brighter and more eager to exercise than before. She still loves going out in the van to accompany anyone going to the vet.

Nancy - continues to make good progress. She came into season a week ago so at least we now have confirmation that she is not spayed. She will not be spayed because of the cancer but she will probably have delvosteron injections to avoid further seasons. She is now going to the beach every day as she becomes stronger and capable of longer walks. She is such an affectionate girl and really loves being here. She is eating normally now and not trying to scoff it down as if it were going to disappear.

Dog Show - Barnstaple - We are delighted that we have had a kind offer from Tracey Holland to run our stall at the dog show on 20th September. If you live near enough do come along and enter your dog in one of the fun classes as well as visiting our stall.

Wham Show - Don't forget this great show on 27th September. It is held at Hylands Park in Essex. This is a really friendly event so bring your dogs and come along. Don't forget to visit the Tailends stall run by Frank and Hazel Brown.

Paragliding for Tailends - a local Paragliding school has offered to take someone on a sponsored paraglide for Tailends. Is there any brave soul out there who would do this for us? The instructor is one of the UK's top chief flying instructors at Devon's only Paragliding School. The views of North Devon's glorious coastline are stunning so why not take advantage of this chance to have a go at an exciting sport and help Tailends dogs at the same time. Experience the thrill of flying like a bird over spectacular countryside. You do not need to have any particular level of fitness. Email Tailends if you are interested. (We also hope to get the local press to cover the event.)

Update 18 August 2009...

Todd - had chest x-rays on Thursday 13th August following problems with breathing. Changes in his left lung indicated fluid in the lower airways/lung tissue. This could be inflammatory fluid, infection or blood. There is no evidence of a heart problem and no obvious tumour could be found so he is initially being treated for pneumonia infection with three weeks antibiotics and anti inflammatories. This may be a long standing problem which was not treated in his past. He will be checked by the vet in two weeks to see if there is any improvement or if further x-rays need to be taken. He is such a lovely old boy and so happy to be having some home comforts for the first time in his life. I am hoping that his problems can be resolved and that no permanent damage has been caused to his lungs.

Calendars - the 2010 calendar is now available, having been received from the printer this week. We are very grateful to Judy Zatonski for her generosity in getting these done at no cost to Tailends. Please let me know if you would like to order some. We are really pleased with the calendar which depicts 12 Tailenders both past and present with a little piece about the featured dog. I am sure they will be very popular. They are £7 each plus £1 p&p.

New Email Address for Tailends - our new address is angela@tailends.co.uk for all general enquiries. [The old address (Tailends@atlanticbreeze.co.uk) will continue to work for a few weeks.] All sponsorship requests or enquiries should be sent to Suzie on sponsorship@tailends.co.uk I have tried to notify several people of the change but my brain was not working too well and you may have received the email 2 or 3 times. I do apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Veteran Car Rally Parking - I just had to include this lovely photo of our wonderful supporter, Alison and her two greyhound friends, Daisy and Alfie, who raised £70 for Tailends by charging parking for these veteran cars in their paddock last weekend. Our thanks go to Alison for donating this money raised in a very different way. Our funds are very low at present so we really appreciate such fund raising events on our behalf.

Tailends Stall Request - We have been invited to have a stall at a Dog Show and Open day organised at our local veterinary hospital on 20th September at 2pm. One of the veterinary nurses and her partner were going to do this on our behalf but unfortunately will not be able to do it on this date due to holiday commitments. (It was originally scheduled for an earlier date in July, which had to be postponed due to bad weather.) If you live near enough could you help us by running this stall? We will provide all the merchandise, literature etc for the stall. It is to be held at Charter Veterinary Hospital, Roundswell, Barnstaple.

Nancy - she continues to make excellent progress and you would hardly recognise this sweet girl when compared with the sad emaciated creature who sat waiting her fate in the dogs' home just a few weeks ago. She is fascinated by the rabbits in the fields and by the stream, beach and expanse of dunes and ocean. It must be such a total change from her urban life on the streets struggling to survive. She remains happy and healthy so I can only hope she continues to do so for a long time to come.

Update 10 August 2009...

TAILENDS CALENDAR 2010 - Judy Zatonski has kindly arranged to have a quantity of calendars printed for Tailends this year and she has very generously donated these to help us raise funds. The calendar will feature some of the Tailends dogs – both past and present – with a little text about each dog featured. It will be available in a few weeks but if you would like to email Tailends to express an interest and state how many you are likely to order, it will help us to ensure that nobody is disappointed and avoid the usual rationing. The calendar makes an excellent Christmas present and also raises money for the Tailends dogs. They will be priced at £7 each plus £1 post and packaging. PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY YET.

Nancy - I am delighted to say that Nancy is making excellent progress in spite of her diagnosis. Sometimes we do have miracles happen here and I will go on looking for one for this lovely girl. She continues to put on weight and grows stronger each day. She is now capable of longer walks than initially so she can enjoy the countryside and new surroundings. I will continue to do my best for her. She is a joy to be with.

Jack - is currently doing well. He had a difficult couple of days earlier this week when his chronic intestinal problems flared up again. However he is now managing to eat his favourite chicken roasts again and sleeps peacefully during the night with no more bowel problems. He does not go far on his walks and will decide for himself what he feels up to doing but he seems happy enough and is fully alert.

Evie - had a dental on August 6th – just two months after being spayed. She is doing really well here and thoroughly enjoys her toy box and paddling pool.

Judy - went to the vet for a consultation on Thursday 6th August. Her back right leg is now very weak and she cannot walk too far, though if she goes to a new location she does make that bit of extra effort. Mental stimulation works wonders sometimes! She had cruciate ligament surgery in April 2007 and we needed to take advice as to whether there is anything else we can do at this stage to improve things for her. She is still a feisty old girl so we will take advice from our vet so that she can have the best possible quality of life. Unfortunately there is little more which can be done as her arthritis is very bad in her hips and knees. We have decided to try cartrophen injections for 4 weeks to see if there is any improvement. They may help the arthritis a little and slow down the rate at which the joints are deteriorating. Judy cannot take normal anti inflammatories as they all seem to cause side effects which upset her digestive system. She does take various supplements including Litozin and seraquin to help her as much as possible.

IMPORTANT DATES...

September 6th 2009 - Northants Greyhound Rescue Greyhound Gala will take place again to raise money for NGR who do a wonderful job rescuing and rehoming greyhounds in the east midlands and beyond. Tailends will be having a stall so do look out for us if you are going to be there. The Gala takes place at the Towcester race track and is an event not to be missed if you can possibly get there. Mary Quinn will be manning our stall so if you have any items which she can sell, please do email Tailends asap.

September 27th 2009 - The WHAM Show will be held at Hylands Park in Essex. This is a friendly show which has a terrific atmosphere and is becoming a regular feature of the Doggie calendar. Frank and Hazel Brown will be running the Tailends stall so do come along and visit them if you are able to come along.

Please support these fund raising events if you can. This has been a difficult year for all rescues with the continuing uncertain economic climate. Tailends has also been affected by the decline in general donations so fund raising is crucial to the provision of the best care and veterinary treatment for our dogs. We are very grateful to all our loyal supporters without whom we could not continue to exist.

Update 1 August 2009...

Nancy - I heard about this dear little lurcher girl from our friend Amanda in the north west of England last weekend. The photos of her in the pound moved me to tears and I immediately emailed to say that I would take her as soon as we could get her down here. Her seven days in the pound were up on Monday 20th July so Mel got her out and Amanda took her home for the night while four noble souls agreed to give up their day on Tuesday to help transport her down to North Devon. I would like to thank Ronnie Callegari who immediately came to our aid to drive her from Bristol to Croyde even though he had builders in and it was really not terrible convenient for him. Could I also thank Nina Kwasniewska who took the day off work to help Nancy just two months after driving Evie from Manchester to Birmingham on her way here. Lastly a big thank you to Frank and Hazel Brown who live in Cambridgeshire but drove across the country to collect Nancy from Birmingham and took her all the way to Bristol to meet up with Ronnie. I really don't know what we would do without these selfless people who give up their time at no small cost to themselves and help dogs get to Tailends where they can be cared for and given veterinary treatment and everything they need to make them comfortable. We are forever in your debt.

Nancy was full of fleas and worms when she was rescued. She also has a serious eye condition and we will consult with our vet as to the best course of treatment. She is painfully emaciated and eats as if the food will disappear any minute. She has arthritis in multiple joints and a large mammary tumour which we think may be malignant and which will be removed as soon as possible. She has a chesty cough so we will get her x-rayed to ensure any cancer has not spread to her lungs. We can only hope and pray that Nancy will be able to have many months of happiness and care at Tailends and that all her health problems can all be resolved. She is a delightful affectionate girl who is so very grateful for everything we do for her. We will post updates here on her progress.

Nancy Update - 28.07.09 Very bad news today! Nancy's blood tests were clear but X-rays today have revealed that both lungs are affected by the cancer. My vet found that the mammary tumour was very nasty as I had suspected and was also in a bad position very close to the lymph nodes. She did not therefore go ahead with removal of the tumour (on the mammary gland), but hopes she might still have a few months to enjoy her life here. Her eyelids are turned slightly inwards and possibly would need surgery, but in view of her condition she did not advice proceeding to a consultation with the eye specialist. My vet does not think she is in pain and she is not struggling to breathe or showing any symptoms of the lung tumours yet. She just has an intermittent cough which does not bother her too much. Nobody knows what the future holds for this dear girl but I will do my best to give her all the love and care she deserves and make her remaining time happy. At least she does not know any of this so will remain positive. It is so terribly unfair as this poor girl has suffered so much. I was optimistic at first as she has gained weight and is now 23.3kg which is amazing considering how emaciated she was.

Jack - continues to worry me though he is making good progress and is now eating much better. A urine test last week showed the presence of blood and protein and a blood test was done to investigate further. He is drinking large quantities of water so I am suspicious that his kidneys are failing. However he sleeps well and does not show any signs of pain or distress. We will continue to monitor our special boy very closely. He is such a delightful affectionate old chap who has been through so much in his life.

Evie is developing into a real character - so different from the frightened girl who came here in May. She can often be heard outside splashing around in the paddling pool or playing with her toys and throwing her ball around the garden. She absolutely loves toys and especially squeaky ones though this can be a problem at 4am as the other dogs all get excited and want to join in!!!!! She is off lead on all her walks now and runs around the beach in glee each morning.

Todd is such a charming old lad and is always so desperate to do the right thing though I try to reassure him that he can do no wrong here anyway! He loves going out to watch the rabbits though he cannot walk very far so a wander round the fields off the lead suits him best. He loves his food and adores his plush bed with the thick memory foam cushion. He has now stopped coughing and is no longer breathless as he was on arrival. This may have been due to the straw on which he slept in his kennel. His infections have also cleared up and he is in good health apart from the inevitable arthritis.

Update 18 July 2009...

LONGLEVENS DOG SHOW - REPORT BY JAN MCALLAN - The Greyhound Rescue Support Group's Greyhound Rally and Dog show was very well attended, even though there were 3 other shows on at the same day. We had more entries than last year and a lot more stalls. The weather was very hot, but the judges did their best to get through all the classes as quickly as possible. I have pleasure in sending Tailends £500 toward the care of all the Tailenders.

We are very grateful to Jan and her team of helpers in Gloucester for a magnificent effort in raising £500 for veterinary treatment to the Tailends dogs. I appreciate all the hard work which went into arranging a show on this scale and the amount of time involved to make it such a success. Brilliant! Angela

Update 2 July 2009...

WHAM DOG SHOW 2009 Frank and Hazel Brown have very kindly offered to run the Tailends stall at the Wham Show in September. Please do come along with your dogs to this event if you live near enough. There is always a great friendly atmosphere and you will have a lovely day out. Make a note on your calendar now.

TAILENDS SPONSOR SCHEME. Judy Zatonski set up our Sponsor scheme in the autumn of 2005 and has done a brilliant job of running it with amazing efficiency ever since. However she is now in need of a well deserved rest from the demands of managing this scheme so we are delighted to welcome Suzie Scott as our new Sponsorship manager. Suzie has been a very loyal friend of Tailends for some years and has been supporting us in lots of ways but is now taking over from Judy as from July 1st 2009. We are very grateful to Suzie for volunteering to undertake this demanding task which raises much needed funds to support our elderly dogs. In future please send application forms for sponsorship to Suzie as detailed on the sponsor page. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Judy for all she has done to make this scheme so successful over the last 3½ years. Her record keeping has been meticulous and nobody could have done a better job. She has gone the extra mile to make our sponsorship scheme the envy of others with her prompt response to new applications, renewals and the preparation of the update, Valentine and Christmas cards. Judy will continue to help Tailends in other ways which are not quite so pressurised hopefully. She has kindly offered to do our calendar again this year so the 2010 calendar is currently in preparation and will hopefully be printed in September. Judy has been a true friend of Tailends and we hope she can now have a little more time to enjoy her retirement. I am sure the hand over will go smoothly as Suzie is very enthusiastic and eager to take up the reins. Judy is kindly liasing with Suzie to ensure hiccups are kept to a minimum during the transition period.

Jack is becoming a very frail old lad and does not go far on his walks nowadays. He does not like the hot weather but I keep fans going and use wet coats to try to ensure he does not overheat. He is still enjoying his food though the damage to his intestinal walls means he does absorb all the nutrients and consequently does not put on weight He sleeps well and is a happy lad who is very attached to me and does not like it if I have to pop out for a few hours. He is such a lovely old boy and I hope he will continue to enjoy life for some time to come.

Wilfred had a dental last week to clean up his teeth and gums. He has made a complete recovery and is now spending his free time lounging on his sunbed outside.

Tweenie had a strange "turn" a couple of nights ago in the early hours when she became very confused and unable to sleep. She did not have a fit but was very disorientated for a few hours. However she soon recovered and is now completely back to normal trotting around the fields and tucking into her food with gusto. She is a very old lady and her health is generally excellent with her heart condition completely controlled by medication but I would not be surprised if her brain function is sometimes impaired.

Judy is also becoming very frail. She is another extremely old girl with various health issues but she still likes going for trips out in the van and has a very good appetite. Her legs are not good and she cannot manage to walk further than a few yards now. She goes out onto the footpath, has a ramble and a sniff around, plays with her squeaky toys and rolls about on her back before slowly heading back home for a lie down.

Please note: All previous news items, are to be found on the Archive pages.