Archived Documents 3rd Quarter 2007

Update 31 December 2007...

Happy New Year from Angela & all the residents @ TAILENDS

Secret Santas - I am very grateful to all the Secret Santas who sent gifts for the Tailends dogs this Christmas. I have tried to thank everyone personally but would just like to mention a few people here. Firstly a big THANK YOU to everyone involved with the gifts organised through GGLL - Jan, Birdie, Chris, Elkiehound, Tazza, Kirsty, Wendy, Matty, Mollysmum, AnnK, Delfin and Amyjo. Also Al and all at TRPD, Yvonne for the gifts for ARFA'S STOCKING, Denise, Ivy at Cosycoats, Anne, Jean and David, Tina from the Pancake Bar, Jenny at the Cats Whiskers and everyone who brought or sent treats, toys, food, coats, homemade dog biscuits, snoods, beds and duvets, blankets, collars, leads - even a scarf for Gloria which she loves and a lovely jumper for Amos - ideal for chilly days. Every dog had a parcel and it was lovely and so generous of these kind supporters of Tailends. It was particularly nice as we know realistically that many of the dogs here now are unlikely to have another Christmas at Tailends. We only have five dogs who were here last Christmas so it is nice to give them as much joy as we can in their final months, particularly as every one of them has had a very hard past.

On a personal note I would like to thank the kind person who sent a gift for me which was very sweet and so thoughtful.

Sadly one parcel sent by Jan did go missing in the post and this is very disappointing after she went to so much trouble. We live in hope that it will eventually turn up - hopefully by next Christmas. Thank you Jan anyway.

Gloria is causing us much concern at the moment. She loves to run up and down the dunes and race around the beach and who could tell her that she is too old for such games? However she has somehow managed to damage her back and we noticed her limping and dragging her back left foot along the sand. She saw the vet on Thursday and was found to have a Grade 2 slipped disc in the lumbar/thoracic area of her vertebral column. She has to have complete rest for two weeks and is having Tramadol and Previcox pain relief alongside Seraquin and fish oil. Our long-nosed princess is not amused as she loves her walks. Fortunately she has some nice treats to enjoy and distract her while others are going on their walks. This could be very serious so I have to be very strict. If her back is damaged further she could be paralysed. She will return to the vet in two weeks or earlier if necessary. If she has not improved we will have an X-ray done to confirm what is going on. Please keep Gloria in your thoughts.

Ben accompanied Gloria to the vet on Thursday 27th December accompanied by a urine specimen to find out exactly what was going on and to ensure whether there was any diabetes after glucose was found in his urine. Happily it was found to be simply a bad urinary infection (cystitis) which was being dealt with effectively with antibiotics and we will continue these for a further two weeks. Our vet thinks the presence of glucose was just secondary to the bacterial infection and not diabetes. Ben's urine will be checked by the vet again in two weeks.

Holly has made a complete recovery from the condition which was affecting her balance and causing sickness. She is now back to normal and enjoying her walks and tucking into her weetabix again each morning. She is a little senile but happy and sleeps well at night unlike Dolly who likes to potter around the garden at unearthly hours while I shiver in the doorway!

Ted continues to make progress. He is learning the routines and gaining confidence. He is still having five or six meals a day but the weight is going on and he has lost that horrible emaciated look.

Molly is doing fine. She is due to go for another checkup at Exmouth with the Ophthalmologist on 11th January. She is still having lots of drops in her eyes three and four times daily but her vision has given her so much more confidence and she goes for much longer walks now. I have avoided the beach so far just in case the wind blows sand into her eyes but hopefully she will see the sea before too long.

Lopez - Today we especially remember our dear Dopey who left us two years ago tonight. This big brave Greyhound did not want to leave us and fought so hard against the horrible Leishmaniasis to remain here, but sadly lost his battle on 30th December 2005. He was very special and was loved by all who met him and many who never did. It broke my heart to lose you. We will never forget you Dopey................. until we meet again.

Update 24 December 2007...

A SPECIAL REQUEST... If anyone has any spare warm fleecy material and can find time (after the holidays of course) to make it up into some bed covers we would be very grateful We are particularly short of memory bed covers which need to be 44 inches by 54 inches with an opening full width (they are too big to squeeze into a restricted opening) and preferably a deep envelope type closure or long strip of velcro (poppers tend to come open). We also need more fleecy covers 44 inches by 30 inches to help keep the dogs cosy during this cold weather. Charlie has a serious continence problem (associated with the fits he has) so the covers are constantly in the wash. We would be grateful for any offers of help to make some more. Please give a ring or email if you can help. We will pay for the fleece material if necessary as we realise it is not cheap to buy.

Ben's Cushings disease is deteriorating as is his kidney problem. He is still happy enough but does need to get up five or six times during the night in order to drink large volumes of water and then visit the garden. He is such a dear little boy and a real character - so different to the traumatised dog who arrived here in September 2006. Unfortunately Ben does not respond well to the treatment for Cushings so we have discontinued it on the advice of our vet. It is no good prolonging his life if he is ill and miserable in the process. We just hope that Ben will be strong enough to enjoy his life here for some months to come. We cannot imagine being without this funny little boy who is so independent but simply adores his mum and follows her everywhere.

Update 22 December 2007...

Happy Christmas from Angela & all the residents @ TAILENDS

We can never thank you enough for all the support and help we have received over the last year. We used to worry every time we faced bills for veterinary surgery but now, thanks to some very kind people, we are able to concentrate on the health of the dog without this burden. We are also grateful to those who have donated items such as blankets, coats, treats, food, medications etc which all help us to continue helping these dogs. We would like to especially mention Judy Zatonski who runs our sponsor scheme so efficiently and helps and supports us in so many other ways and also provides a help-line for me when panic sets in. Thank you Judy. We are forever in your debt. Jan McAllan has been a constant support this year and has raised money for us far and wide and also organised and run the dog show at Gloucester to support us.

A special thank you must also go to Dave Lee who set up and runs this brilliant website completely free of charge. I do not know what we would do without him. This site has become invaluable for us and this has been especially illustrated by the brilliant success of the Mollie Fundometer enabling us to get her sight restored. It also helps us to spread the word about the plight of homeless dogs, particularly greyhounds when their racing life is over.

We have recently been supported by a cattery! Jenny Webster runs the Cats Whiskers cattery and has kindly been fundraising on our behalf with her staff and clients. We would like to thank them all for the recent donation of food, treats and the generous cheque which will be used for our veterinary expenses, which have been very high due to the poor state of dogs arriving here recently.

We have so many people to thank this year and I hope you will excuse me if I do not mention everyone here.

Thank you to everyone and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas. With love and gratitude to all our supporters. You are helping us to help some very disturbed and needy dogs. Angela.

Mollie had her eye surgery on 13th December to restore her sight. They replace the lens in the eye so the surgery is quite complex. She has been having drops in her eyes 17 times a day (and night) which has been quite an ordeal, but we managed. She was so excited to return home the day after her surgery and bounced all around the house and garden with sheer delight as she met all the other dogs again and could see them for the first time.

Mollie went for a check-up on December 21st. The surgeon was delighted with her progress and she does not have to return for three weeks. She is a different dog now that she can see and is so much livelier. It has given her a new life. Thank you so much to everyone who generously donated to help Mollie. We will put further updates on her progress on the website. We are particularly grateful to Ronnie Calegari for kindly transporting Mollie back and forth to Exmouth to the ophthalmic surgeon.

Holly suffered a sort of seizure on Wednesday evening (December 19th). She seemed to lose her balance and was unable to stand. She also started to vomit yellow bile whenever she moved. Our vet advised that this was likely to be a syndrome, which often affect older dogs (though strangely we had not come across it before). Apparently the condition usually lasts for only a few days, but if Holly does not improve within a couple of weeks then there is a possibility that it could be a brain lesion. She is not in pain and is comfortable. Today (22nd December) she began to eat again and was able to go outside with assistance though she still leans towards the left hand side so has a tendency to fall if not supported. She is drinking normally and has had three small meals of chicken breast and scrambled eggs. Most of the time she just wants to sleep. We are hoping that Holly will make a full recovery but will monitor her closely and call out our vet if she deteriorates. We are giving her tablets for motion sickness and they certainly seem to help. Please keep our sweet little girl in your thoughts at this time.

Ted is making slow but definite progress. He is gradually becoming more secure and confident though it will take some time yet before he totally relaxes. He is a very disturbed dog and has been through hell in his previous life. He needs a lot of time and patience but we will persevere in the hope that we can give him some joy in his old age. He likes his walks and needs plenty of small meals throughout the day. Poor Ted is such a bewildered boy but I do think there are now signs that he is happy with us.

A SPECIAL REQUEST... Tailends is very grateful to everyone who supports us in any way. Currently we are experiencing real problems now that the days are so short and we have a lot of very needy dogs to care for. I am asking for your understanding with regards to emails, letters and visiting, as our time is so limited. The day begins before dawn and extends well into the evening with also the need to get up during the night to tend to dogs several times. This is the situation seven days a week, no weekends or bankholidays here. Please be aware that we have no staff, and all the dogs are cared for by me with help from George. We cannot deal with visitors during the afternoon and have very little time to spare during the morning so it is imperative that visits are by arrangement and are brief. I do hope everyone will understand that the dogs needs must come first and we are currently having to take dogs to the vet most days which puts an extra strain on the time left to feed, walk, groom, give medication, clean teeth, do routine tests and injections etc. In addition we have dogs like Clegg who are bowel incontinent and need extra care and generate much work in changing bedding and washing, drying etc. There is also the routine cleaning and poo shovelling. Your kind understanding will be very much appreciated. Thank you for everything which is donated. We really appreciate your kindness. Angela

Mollie Update 15 December 2007...

Just a quick note to mention that Mollie had her eye surgery on the 13th and is now home and able to see again thanks to everyone who generously donated to her eye fund. More details in update next week.

Update 6 December 2007...

CALENDARS & CARDS
We have three Tailends calendars left for 2008 and a few Greyhound and Lurcher calendars also, along with a few remaining Christmas cards. If you would like one please email first to check availability. The calendars are £6 each and the cards are £1.50 for a pack of 5. We also have Tailends notelets (£1 pack of 4) and various greeting cards (blank, birthday, etc.) at £1 each.

Tweenie had a dental on 28th November. Her heart was checked first and found to be very good, so her medication has obviously been doing its job. She needed to have several extractions but made an excellent recovery and is back to her normal feisty self despite her 16 yrs.

Holly has recovered very well from her dental and is much more comfortable without those back teeth which were a constant problem. She is such a happy little girl and enjoys every minute of her day.

Ted is giving me some concerns. I do not think he is senile but he is very disturbed. He is used to roaming the streets and going without food for days on end. I am feeding him on demand to try to get him used to eating again as his stomach has become unused to big meals. There is some improvement and he seems to enjoy his walks to the beach. I do hope we can make a breakthrough and gain his trust. Ted is going to the vet on 7th December for castration and further checks.

Denise is now fully integrated into the Tailends family. She lounges relaxed on the sofa and races around the beach each morning. She was very confused when she first arrived but is now enjoying all the freedom and comforts available to her here. She actually has almost reverted to the puppyhood which she probably missed out on when she was young.

Mollie is booked in with the ophthalmic vet for surgery on 13th December following recent glucose curves. It has been a long wait but we had to be guided by our vet and wait until Mollie was fit enough to have the surgery. It was hard to be patient as we cannot wait for Mollie to be able to see again. However, unless anything unforeseen happens, she will be off to Exmouth on Thursday next week with Ronnie Callegari who drove her to Tailends the day she came from Ireland. She will go for another glucose curve with our vet a couple of days before just to check everything is alright and she remains stable. We will keep everyone informed of her progress so fingers crossed for the 13th!

Clegg - It is with much sadness that we have to write to tell you that our dear old Cleggie left this world at 11am on Tuesday 27th November. His mobility had been deteriorating for some weeks but he continued to enjoy life and was always eager to go for a ride in the car whenever anyone went up to the vet. He loved any outings. His eyes were always bright and Cleggie was so full of life and energy though his poor old body was becoming worn out as a result of serious injuries in his past. On Monday I saw a change in Cleggie. His eyes seemed to be telling me that he knew he was coming to the end. He was not in pain and we kept him comfortable on Previcox and Tramadol along with vitamin and glucosamine supplements. He was still enjoying his food but I knew there was a change in him and I would soon have to make a decision to help him. On Tuesday morning I knew the time had come so I rang my vet to come out and within an hour they arrived. Clegg had his favourite breakfast before they came and ate every scrap of his sausages, roast lamb and scrambled eggs. He did not suffer but had just come to the point where life was a burden and his body was totally worn out with legs and back which did not work anymore. He lay on his comfy memory bed in the morning sunshine of the conservatory, wrapped in a fleecy blanket with his head on a favourite cushion as the needle entered his vein. He slipped away silently and peacefully with no fuss or worry. He just left us quietly as I gave him a last cuddle. Farewell my dear old Cleggie. It was such a privilege to share your last nine months with you and we will never forget you. Go now to join the other spirits running free and happy, joining us unseen as we walk the dunes and beach nearby.

Ronnie - I cannot find the words to express how we feel at the news which we have to give you regarding our new boy Ronnie, who came to Tailends from a Rochdale dog pound on 17th November 2007. Ronnie had his surgery to remove a large testicular tumour on November 19th and we had hoped that he would gradually improve and be able to enjoy his time at Tailends, but it was not to be. We were concerned about his mobility and the fact that urine tests continued to indicate the presence of blood so arranged for him to have a scan and x-rays on Tuesday 4th December. Our vet rang later that morning with terrible news. Ronnie's pelvis was in a very bad state with large areas disintegrating and clearly showing the presence of aggressive bone cancer. Our vet did not know how he was able to stand, let alone walk. The x-ray was one of the worst they had seen of the pelvis. In addition Ronnie's prostate was very enlarged and had been pushed into a different part of the abdomen. Obviously the testicular tumour had been malignant, which was very unexpected. The cancer had spread from the testes to the pelvic bone and the prostate. We were told by the vet that his pelvis could shatter at any time causing excruciating pain. We could not allow this to happen so we agreed with the vet's advice to let him be put to sleep while he was still asleep from the anaesthetic. I never got the chance to say goodbye to Ronnie and we are so very heartbroken that this very special dog had only 17 days with us. It was the last thing we expected. I know he is at peace now and free from pain. He deserved better than this after a life of so much suffering. How could his owner have turned him out on the streets in this state? My vet stated that had he been castrated he would have been alive today. If this story of a dear affectionate dog makes just one person decide to get their dog neutered then he will not have died entirely in vain. Neutering is not just about preventing unwanted litters, though this is of course very important. It is also about preventing a needless premature death. I am so sorry we could not have known you for longer dear Ronnie. We will see you again one day.

SAUNTON SANDS RNLI FAIR 2007
Tailends had a stall again this year at the RNLI Craft Fayre held at Saunton Sands Hotel in North Devon. Tricia Bristow and Lesley Phillips made the trek in the early hours of the morning to set up and do battle to part visitors from their money. It was so early both commented on what a lovely moon there was that day!

We had some really lovely goods to offer: many so kindly donated or hand-made with such care. Trish crocheted three mini-greyhounds from a pattern designed by a greyhound-lover who lives in New York! They created a lot of interest and sold very well. Lovely dolls with lacy costumes, knitted Santas and Mrs Santas too; gorgeous hand-made cards and calendars from Judy Zatonski, and natural festive table decorations made from locally-gathered larch cones and conifer branches. There were also some wildlife photographs taken by John Howells of Exeter, along with greetings cards printed from them.

We’d like to thank greyhound-lovers and supporters for attending and calling in to chat with us. It was lovely to make new friends and to see the faces of friends we only knew by email addresses. And especially thanks to the three brave greyhound-girls, Lydia, Cassie and Grace, who valiantly undertook to meet ’n’ greet. They stirred hearts and even helped one young girl who was terrified of dogs. She eventually led Grace around the room on a lead and was so happy to commence that irreplaceable relationship we’re all addicted to. For this young lady and her parents, it was a life-changing day.

With Tricia’s hard work selling raffle tickets to visitors, stall-holders and hotel staff, we eventually raised £142.63 which will help with veterinary fees in the coming weeks.

Tailends are very grateful to Tricia and Lesley for giving up their precious time to raise awareness and donations to help with our work.

A WONDERFUL DONATION TO TAILENDS
Tailends would like to thank Sighthound Welfare Trust who hosted an auction recently on our behalf. We were delighted to receive a cheque for £810 as a result. This money will help towards our recent huge veterinary expenses. We are very grateful to Wendy and everyone involved with this magnificent result. Thank you on behalf of all the doggy residents at Tailends.

Update 24 November 2007...

Ronnie arrived at Tailends with Ted on November 17th 2007 from Rochdale dog rescue who had asked us to take him as he was serving his week on death row in the pound. He is a large black and tan lad, possibly with German Shepherd, Rottie and Collie in there somewhere. He has a lovely personality and is just like a cuddly teddy bear. Like Ted, he was in a very bad condition when he arrived and it will take a while to get him to full health. His thick hair was coming out in clumps and after several grooming sessions there is still a long way to go. He had a huge tumour which weighed several pounds hanging from his rear end completely concealing the testicles. He also had a growth on his right eye and deformed dew claws on his back legs which had grown into his flesh. The tumour, dew claws and eye growth were all removed on Monday and he is now recovering. He has obviously been kept outside and is now learning to live indoors with proper routines of feeding, walks etc. There is a problem with his back and hips which we will investigate further when he has been here a bit longer and has fully recovered from his recent major surgery.

Update 21 November 2007...

Ted is a medium sized crossbreed dog who arrived at Tailends on 17th November 2007. He came from Rochdale where he had spent his statutory week in the dog pound and was due to be put to sleep on Saturday 17th if he had nowhere to go. He is extremely emaciated and very bewildered. His previous owner was allegedly a drug user and Ted was usually left to roam the streets and not fed for days on end. He was apparently left in the house when it was set on fire recently so this dog has really been through very bad times. He has been checked by our vet and had a blood test which just showed what we would expect – anaemia, raised leucocytes etc. Ted needs lots of TLC and reassurance. It will take time for this poor dog to feel relaxed and enjoy life. He is at least comfortable, warm and fed nutritious food. He is unable to eat much at a time but we will get there hopefully.

Mollie had a glucose curve done on 15th November. Disappointingly the reading did not fall below 20, which is rather high and our vet wants to repeat the curve on 29th November before she can allow her to have her eye surgery. We are very eager for Mollie to see again now that we have received the total amount for the cost of the surgery but we have to try to be patient as Mollie's diabetes must be totally stable before she has the anaesthetic. We must all wait BUT she is doing brilliantly and eating very well and she has put on 1.5 kilograms. Hopefully we will be able to give definite details of a date for the surgery in our next update.

Holly has had an urgent dental procedure this week following bleeding from the mouth. We brush her teeth twice daily and she had a full dental just five months ago but none of this prevented her need for treatment again so soon. We hope Holly will be more comfortable now.

Clegg is doing very well. We decided, after discussion with our vet, not to go ahead with surgery on the anal adenoma but to continue keeping him clean and using anusol cream. He is bright and happy and enjoying life although his mobility is restricted.

Poppy has developed several large fatty growths on her side and chest but they do not seem to affect her in any way and our vet is happy to leave them alone but just keep an eye on them in case they change appearance.

Charlie is giving cause for concern. It is likely that the problem is in the brain or nervous system. He is now on a low dose of medication to reduce the chance of a fit. He is slowing down on the walks and all we can do is to monitor him closely and keep him comfortable.

A Visitors View of Tailends...

We phoned Angela before we left our cottage and it was decided that we should give her a ring when we entered Croyde and on arrival we would help unload the back of the car as we had chucked some of our stuff in with it at the last minute. This time you could see out of the back window but there was an awful lot of all sorts of stuff. The 40 odd Kg of tinned food that was in between the spare tyre and the dogs we would leave for them to unpack and put away. Thank heaven we did not get a puncture!!

We arrived to see George waiting for us in the garden with Dolly. Dolly is an elderly Bedlington with mammary tumours that bother her not at all at the moment. She was busy wagging her whole little body at us. The along came La Marquesa, Lady Gloria the now elderly Galgo, she gave us the once over and stuck her very long snout thru the gate bars. Loud barking announced that the very overweight – and none to happy with her slimming diet – Labrador by the name of Judy was coming to join the fun. She was followed by Denise recently rescued from Ireland. She had raced, produced 8 or nine litters and as she did not become pregnant again she was surplus to requirements and was to be put down. Angela dispatched reinforcements to collect her. She is a pretty little brindle bitch who is very very thin, but putting on weight as she eats properly and has learned to relax. She was followed by another stray from Ireland, Mollie Collie. She was found in a car park having been left to look after herself and was found to be diabetic and going blind. She has been stabilised and is to have surgery. She wandered around waving her little tail and smiling. George by this time had 2 large sacks full – ((we had emptied all the bags we had been given because that way we could get everything flat on the back seat)) so far – in one there was a mixture of stuff the other had blankets etc and we were still unloading. Then all hell let loose! a bundle of white arrived, a poodle who is 16, blind and deaf and in charge. The next we know is she is up on the sacks shadow boxing and she fell off into the next sack and found a small bag of prescription biscuits. Angela said to watch out and quickly grabbed them. Her name is Tweenie and she was here there and everywhere barging into all the other dogs, up on 2 legs and then falling over. She went to Tailends when she was 10 and has been there 6+ years.

We then took our 2 to the beach where Mollie took avoiding action when approached by young men wearing flappy rubber gear and carrying surfboards. When we got back we went in and met Clegg, lovely old fellow. Charlie who showed me all his teeth, he has 3. Amos still sleeping off facial surgery and stretched out on his bed, Holly who looks very healthy but is quite dotty and does not always seem aware of anything or anybody. Ben, the terrier, had his lunch – they all eat separately in the kitchen and then have an afternoon sleep and Poppy who does not like strangers sat in her crate and barked at us.
All the time we had Dolly and Tweenie jumping all over us!! It was great fun. Gloria poked one side of me with a long bony paw if I stopped stroking her and Charlie waved his rear leg in the air in case I forgot he was there. When it was time to go some of them came out to see us off including Charlie who is one of our sponsored ones.

Update 10 November 2007...

AUTUMN NEWSLETTER 2007
The newsletter is rather large to put on the website but if you would like to receive a copy please email your address to tailends@atlanticbreeze.co.uk and we will send you a copy.

CHARITY AUCTION
Sighthound Welfare Trust will be hosting an online auction in order for the charity to make a grant to Tailends. SWT would like to make this Christmas a little bit more special for them. The auction will run from 7pm Thursday 15th November to 9pm Tuesday 20th November. In order to take part in the bidding you will need to register as a member on the SWT forums.

Registration only takes a few moments to complete click here to visit. For more information, please feel free to email

Clegg - Although Clegg's mobility is severely reduced he is so full of life and is bright and alert. He is not in pain and enjoys trips in the car and is receiving plenty of mental stimulation. He does have an anal adenoma which has been bleeding regularly. Our vet examined him this week and is happy to remove the adenoma to make him more comfortable. This has been a difficult decision to make but as his heart is fine, we have decided to go ahead with the surgery next Thursday. At present I am using a couple of tubes of anusol cream a week trying to keep the area clean and prevent further bleeding but this is not an ideal solution. Hopefully we are doing the right thing for Cleggie in getting the adenoma removed once and for all.

Charlie is doing very well and has not had another fit. I am giving him daily selgian and this seems to be doing the trick for now. He is off lead and follows us closely on his walks to the beach. He does get confused sometimes but this is mainly during the evening. We will obviously continue to monitor him closely.

Denise has changed completely since coming here and she is now completely relaxed and calm. She understands the routines and is now being allowed off lead in the morning on the beach. At first she was very bewildered and just stood watching Gloria racing around in circles not knowing what to do. She is getting more confident every day. She is such a sweet girl and gets very tired by the end of the day. She has fitted in beautifully with the other dogs and gets on with everybody.

Holly is happy enough though very confused. She needs a helping hand as her sight is now very limited but she enjoys her walks and eats well. She has decided to go to bed early these dark nights and so sets off for the bedroom at around 6pm each evening where she sleeps soundly until around 8pm next day.

Gloria has been sent a large box of Christmas presents by her Secret Santa and she could not resist opening just one of the presents. It is a lovely green and red scarf with a red bobble on the end which she adores and I don't think she has taken it off since she got it. I do not know what I will do when it needs washing. She shows it off to all the others in great glee. She is showing Denise how to run on the beach and where the best rock pools are.

Ben is doing very well despite his failing kidneys and Cushings Disease. He is a happy little lad who enjoys his food and likes to be with his mum in the kitchen when the food is being prepared.

Amos is doing very well after the surgery to close the hole in his mouth. He is enjoying every comfort and tries out every bed in every room before he decides on which one to settle in for his nap. He has decided to opt out of the early morning walk now but prefers to go out to the fields a bit later when it has warmed up a bit.

Click here for an update on Mollie's progress...

Special Appeal for Mollie...

Tailends is trying to raise the money to give Mollie her sight back. This little girl has suffered terrible neglect and was found wandering in a pub car park in southeast Ireland. She was seriously underweight as she was unable to find enough food to sustain herself. She was suffering from Diabetes and was totally blind due to cataracts on both eyes caused by the disease. Our vet is optimistic that these cataracts could be removed thereby restoring her sight on a permanent basis. Tailends often has dogs with cataracts resulting from the natural aging processes. These cataracts worsen over a longer period giving the dog time to adjust to the limited vision. It is usually not (in my opinion) in the dog's best interests to put them through surgery to remove such cataracts. However, in Mollie's case it is likely that the diabetes related cataracts can be successfully removed. Mollie probably went blind almost instantly, which left her frightened and confused. It would make such a difference to the quality of her life. She is healthy apart from the Diabetes and with her sight restored she would be able to enjoy walks on the beach. I think she deserves the best we can give her. Unfortunately these operations do not come cheap and the cost of surgery on both eyes will be £2,000. If you can spare a small donation to the MOLLIE FUND it would be much appreciated. You may like to hold a coffee morning or car boot stall etc to help her. Thank you so much. We will give details on this site of how the fund progresses with names of those helping Mollie. (Unless you prefer that we do not.) The surgery, if performed, would be carried out at Exeter Veterinary Ophthalmology Referrals located at Exmouth. Please send cheques (made payable to Tailends) to the address above, or perhaps use the PayPal option to donate safely online - many thanks. Mollie is very grateful to the following people who have already donated to help her see again:- Mollie is going to see the ophthalmologist on Friday morning at Exmouth for a consultation. Ronnie has kindly offered to take her and we would like to thank him for his kindness to Mollie. We are hoping that if all goes well, she can have the necessary surgery to restore her sight in October, with your help! Mollie is at vet having glucose curve today (20 September) so fingers crossed it is stable. Update - 21 September - Mollie has now had a consultation with the ophthalmologist who found she is a good candidate for cataract removal surgery. Thanks again to Ronnie Callegari for transporting her to Exmouth for us in great comfort and taking such good care of her on the journey. Update 10 November - We have now raised all the money for Mollie’s eye surgery! This is brilliant. Thank you so very much to everyone who donated money to help this little dog. You are very special people and we really appreciate your support for this poor girl. Mollie is so unassuming and if she could understand she would be overwhelmed that so many people care about her. Mollie's life has been so tough and she has had little comfort or attention. Everyone who has met her has fallen for her and realised that she is a very special girl. I cannot wait for the day when she will open her eyes and see again. What a fantastic moment that will be. I will keep everyone informed via the website of the date of her surgery and her progress. We are currently hoping that it will be done before the end of November but need to make sure she is stable and our vet is happy for the surgery to go ahead at this time. Mollie has been very ill recently and was kept at the vet on a drip with intensive nursing for five days when her diabetes became completely unstable and she was very ill. However she is now absolutely fine and eating well. She is also going for her walks and happily integrating with the other dogs especially Judy who seems very fond of her. She is going back to the vet on Thursday 15th November for another glucose curve to ensure that her blood glucose levels are not dropping too low during the day. If all is well we will then confirm a date for her eye surgery.

Update 27 October 2007...

Mollie became very ill at the beginning of the week and had to be admitted to the veterinary hospital where she remained for 3 days on a glucose drip. We initially thought she had had a stroke but fortunately this was not the case. She had gone into hypoglycaemic shock as a result of a change in her insulin requirement following her spay. She is now home and not having any insulin at all for the time being. She will go to the vet on Monday October 29th for another blood glucose test and a decision will then be made as to how much insulin she will need in the future. Sadly this means we have had to postpone eye surgery planned for 1st November, but it is important to get her stable before this can safely take place. We have made a provisional date of 8th November for surgery depending on how soon she stabilises. She is happy and eating well. The vet nurses became very fond of this sweet little girl while she stayed at the hospital. Her little tail wagged every time she heard someone nearby. We cannot believe how many kind people have donated to help Mollie to see again. I cannot thank you enough and she would be so grateful if she understood what you are doing for her. The eye surgeon said that her sight will be restored within hours of the surgery so it will be amazing for her.

Amos is making excellent progress since the operation to close the hole in his mouth. One flap of skin was folded down to cover the hole and another was stitched over this with a mucosa surface on the outside. He seems to be none the worse after the surgery and was back to normal the next day, going to the beach and eating as before. I am sure he feels more comfortable now that he has not got a large hole through to his nasal passages. He will go for another check on Monday 29th October.

Clegg has been causing me much concern in the last few days and I feel he will not have much longer here. However every time I think of making the decision to call the vet out he bucks up and starts to bounce around. His eyes are very bright and he is still enjoying his food and his jumbone. He has critical spinal damage which has deteriorated and we are keeping him pain free with analgesics and tramadol, which seem to work well. He loves to go in the car so goes for a ride whenever the car goes off to the vet or to the next village.

Denise was spayed on Tuesday 23rd October. She is doing well and seems much calmer and more relaxed since the surgery. She has produced so many litters of puppies since her racing life ended but now she is safe and has her teddy bear instead to cuddle up to. Denise is fascinated with the amount of rabbits she sees on her walks. She has had a lot to learn after a life of institutionalisation. Now she has lots of mental stimulation and home comforts, regular long walks on the beach and plenty of good food. I am so glad we were able to save this dear little girl.

Charlie suffered a fit on Monday 22nd October at 1pm. This was the first one he has had though he has always appeared to be slightly retarded - maybe as a result of the suffering he endured in the kennel in Scotland where he came from. He is covered in scars from some serious injuries in the past. He had another fit at 2am the next morning so we took him to the vet for tests - particularly on the liver. The blood tests were normal and we await the external test result. We need to monitor him closely as I am fairly sure that there is some sort of brain deterioration.

Update 14 October 2007...

Amos is having surgery on Tuesday 16th October to close the hole in the side of his mouth leading into the nasal passages. Please hold him in your thoughts and prayers. He has waited six months to have this done until my vet felt he was fit enough for them to go ahead.

Mollie has had her stitches out and is provisionally booked in to have her eye surgery on November 1st. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to her fund. Not far to go now and we will be there. We have started putting drops in her eyes four times a day in preparation for the surgery.

IN MEMORY OF SERGEANT
Last week we were asked by our friend in Ireland, Mary Jane Fox, to take an old greyhound who had been rescued from a dog pound over there and who was in a very bad condition. He had an old break in a leg which had not healed properly, had a bad case of cellulitis, pressure sores and very painful toes. MJ had not seen the dog, but was in touch with the woman who had him by telephone. We were in the process of arranging transport to bring him to Tailends, when Tor, a friend of MJ's visited Sergeant to check on him and take some photos on Saturday 13th October. What she found horrified her and led to her immediately bringing Sergeant back to Mary Jane's rescue. He was in great pain and unable to walk. He was severely dehydrated and had not been treated by a vet with antibiotics or pain relief. He was also filthy. This "rescue" was frankly a disgrace and was overtly failing to care for the dogs adequately. When he arrived at Mary Jane's rescue, she gave him every care she could, made him comfortable with duvets and called her vet. Sadly Sergeant suffered a massive heart attack and died before the vet arrived. His life had been so dreadful, so hopeless, and this was his first chance of peace and quiet, comfort and love and all the things he had never had.

We never met him but we grieve for this old black greyhound who had suffered so much. We thank Mary Jane for giving him some kindness and love in his final hour on this earth.
I will think of his spirit being here at last with us, though his body could never get here. He will run on the beach unseen by our eyes but free at last and will join the other beloved spirits who keep company with us. I know they are out there with us somehow. They have to be, as to lose them forever would be too terrible. Why is life so cruel to the innocent?

Update 4 October 2007...

Ben had his Cushings test on Monday and the results were not good so we have had to stop his Vetoryl treatment again. We are still waiting for the results of the bio-chemistry test to check on his kidneys. He is not suffering in any way and still enjoys his little walks.

Mollie was spayed on Tuesday and she is making an excellent recovery. We are continuing to monitor her urine glucose levels. If she continues to make good progress we can then plan her eye surgery.

Denise had her dental yesterday (Wednesday) and had fifteen teeth removed during a long and complicated operation as the teeth and roots were badly entangled in the jaw bone. Amazingly, she devoured a bowl of chicken and rice last night. She must have been suffering terrible pain with such a bad mouth. Now she is comfortable and has a lovely clean mouth.

Amos went to the vet this morning for blood tests and an examination prior to proposed surgery to close the hole in his mouth. We await the results. If all goes well he should have the surgery at the Roundswell Hospital in the next week or so.

Judy went to the vet for x-rays today to investigate her laboured breathing and restlessness. Last week, blood tests showed an increase in urea levels possibly indicating kidney disease. Her general demeanour has been giving us cause for concern so hopefully we can resolve her breathing problems soon.