Emma - (Tailends 08.02.2008 – 07.04.2009)

Emma arrived at Tailends on Friday 8th February 2008. She had been picked up by the dog warden in the Wrexham area of Wales and then transferred to a dog pound in Staffordshire where she served her statutary time. The conditions in the dog pounds are very grim with very small pens and just a plastic bed to sleep in with no bedding or any comfort even for an old dog. They are often cold, wet and miserable in these places. Emma was a 12 year old white and brindle greyhound girl. We knew nothing of her past and how she had lived since racing/coursing/breeding. She was a very affectionate dog who got on very well with the other dogs here. She just loved having a nice comfortable bed to sleep on and gobbled down the food which we gave her. Emma went for a nice walk after her long journey and enjoyed looking round at the lovely countryside and beach from her vantage point on the dunes. The next morning she was taken on the beach and back through the dunes followed by a nice breakfast of Nature diet and scrambled eggs. She was totally overwhelmed by the freedom and comfort which she had here. Emma was booked in for a check at the vet on Monday 11th February, but her health seemed to be fairly good, apart from being a bit underweight and minor damage to her tail and hock which happened in the dog pound.

Emma’s blood tests were fine so we booked her in to be spayed. She settled in very well and was soon learning the routines of Tailends. She was much calmer now that she was having regular walks on the beach. Emma was such a sweet girl and did not deserve to be abandoned on the streets. (Not that any dog deserves this fate. Perhaps a few humans do though!) Emma was a real “foodie” and gobbled down her food too fast so I had to give her smaller amounts at one time. She also went down the bin and scavenged around the garden and kitchen for anything she could find to eat or rip up so I had to make sure everything was well out of her reach. We find this is very common among dogs who have lived as strays and is very soon remedied once they have regular meals. She had a little arthritis in one of her hind legs but it did not seem to affect her too much. She was very biddable and I thought she would be able to go off the lead in a few weeks when she was thoroughly familiar with the area and proved she had acceptable recall. She watched me all the time when on the lead so the signs were all good for letting her off lead.

Emma was spayed and all was well. She was a little subdued for a day or two but soon recovered. Emma was such a happy girl. She had a positive animated personality and was always eager to please. She was only allowed off lead for short times as she had a tendency to forget everything in her excitement to explore her new environment and I do not want her to get lost in the dunes.

Emma began to suffer pain in her back when walking. X-rays showed that this was due to bulging of a spinal disc. She seemed fine after a period of rest and anti-inflammatories. She has blossomed since being here and was soon a good weight and a picture of health.

I kept Emma mainly on the lead since she came here in February. I have let her off a few times on the beach early morning without too much trouble. However one morning in June 2008 I let her off the lead and she decided to race around the beach with Denise at high speed and up into the dunes where she subsequently collapsed. She was rushed to the vet by 8am where she was anaesthetised and was found to be running a temperature of 108 degrees. She recovered after being given oxygen but our vet found that she has laryngeal paralysis - just like Jack did. Emma would now need costly surgery to pin back the larynx to ensure this did not happen again, especially with the possibility of hot weather arriving.

Emma had the surgery to pin open her larynx on 30th June and all went well. She made an excellent recovery and was soon almost back to normal. Blood tests revealed that Emma had thyroid deficiency and she was therefore put on treatment to keep her stable. She would have a further test a month later.

Emma's thyroid check showed that the problem was still not totally resolved. I increased her dose of Forthyron and arranged another check in a month's time. Emma was a delightful girl. She was so good-natured and loved everyone. She got quite tired and could not go on the longer beach walks every day. A shorter stroll around the fields suited her better then.

Emma sometimes became quite confused but was nonetheless very happy and seemed to be healthy and content. She was such a sweet old girl who loved a cuddle and was no trouble to anyone. Recently Emma became a little lame on her front left leg and was having difficulty walking. The vet recommended complete rest. She only went for a short walk twice a day normally and was always on the extending lead so I thought (wrongly as it turned out) that the injury took place when she was running around in the garden. She was on anti-inflammatories though I knew it would probably be a long time before she felt completely better.

Our darling Emma died tragically and unexpectedly on Tuesday April 7th. The previous evening she got up from her bed awkwardly and at first I thought she was having a fit. However it soon became obvious that she was suffering pain. I gave her tramadol - which are a very strong analgesic but she did not seem to get much relief. By midnight I knew that I had to get her to a vet as there was nothing I could do to make her comfortable. I rang the vet and Emma was immediately taken to the veterinary hospital where she was put on morphone and monitored overnight by the veterinary staff there. Alison, our own vet, examined her in the morning and found a hairline fracture of the humerus. There was only one explanation for this as she had not been involved in any sort of accident. Alison x-rayed her and found confirmation of her suspicions. Emma had a bone tumour. She rang me and said there was nothing to do but put her to sleep while she was still under the anaesthetic. It was a horrible shock and totally unexpected. I did not even get to say goodbye or give her a last cuddle but it was better for her not to be revived with such a painful terminal condition. Her bed and cushions lie untouched at the bottom of my bed and I am desolate at the loss of my big gentle girl. Emma was such a lovely girl and was never a bit of trouble. Always keen to please and so affectionate with everybody, we all feel her loss and the other dogs are very quiet. Dear Emma I so hope you are with the other souls who have left here and that Gloria is showing you the way and looking after you as I feel she is also looking after me now.