Updated info on 'Healthy Solutions' page. (Sharav's story)
 ,One of these was just disappearing under the front gate in the drizzling rain yesterday. Its a fire salamander. I was just going to take the dogs through for a short walk but they were so busy jumping around they didn't see it, thank the Lord, for they most certainly would have grabbed it and bitten into it if they could. The result of that would have been convulsions and paralysis and probably a life threatening situation if no vet could be found quickly.
See 'Healthy Solutions' for update on auto-immune disease and see below for Sharav's condition a year on from suffering AIHA..... We have to leave this beautiful house and woodland garden in Lunigiana, Tuscany. I rented with a view to buy but the pandemic got in the way and now the owners have retired and want the house back. I am dreading moving Sharav (see posts below) as the move here nearly killed him. He survived but at 13 and a changed hound will he get through another move?  My favourite picture of Sharav in old age. Photo: Karen Hargedon-Feeney.com
 Sharav in the sun this morning, just turned 13, one year on from being diagnosed with sudden and chronic anaemia, not expected to last the weekend. We prayed for one more precious year and here he is, thank the Lord.   This was 3 months after being so close to death (early this year) -So much better - but will he make it? We need to get through until October 18th.....
The move to Italy was very traumatic and after 2 weeks Sharav seemed very ill. A local vet took many tests and advised Sharav was so anaemic he needed a blood transfusion and the chances of survival looked very poor. We were further advised that a transfusion should not be given without specialist examinations to find the cause. The specialists could not (would not?) see us over the weekend so we returned to the house to face Sharav's almost certain demise. We tried to feed him small pieces of liver and other food and prayed hard. On Monday onwards we made many visits to a facility a long journey from the house. Both the journey and the horrid exhaustive tests left Sharav permanently nervous and terrified of car trips. The tests revealed no internal injuries and all organs were sound and in working order for a dog of 12 years old. They seemed confused by the fact that his bone marrow was still producing red blood cells although he had suffered severe anaemia. Surely they should have considered an autoimmune disease? It can be triggered by emotional trauma. It was only later, when Sharav was recovering (see blog entry below), that a local vet reviewed the stats that it was diagnosed correctly - Sharav should have died. I recently read of a beautiful 8 year old Saluki who did not survive even given correct emergency treatment. Mercifully, prayers and TLC worked in our case. He is the last of the line - so utterly loved. More about this disease will be posted up soon. Anyone who has had a case please respond..... I have at last joined the world of social media in a big way! So expect a new blog from now on - please contribute anything Saluki/Sighthound/canine health and welfare related. Sharav in old age - survived nearly a year after AIHA trauma (autoimmune haemolytic anaemia) - with no help from the specialist vets (lots of money, lots of horrid tests, no results, local vet correctly diagnosed after reviewing later on , Sharav already recovering). We gave - iron tablets from the local pharmacy, iron-rich food foods , TLC (loads) and prayers (essential).  This page will shortly be altered to a diary of past and recent events with the accent on health issues that may affect your saluki too - or any other breed - please call back soon............
New Home: Tuscany New salukis: Aliki and Skylar (Davina salukis) Old salukis: only Meval Sharav left now. Frantically putting up new (additional) anti-snake fencing although Golly's loss was a bit of a freak as we have lived with, and survived, the rare dangers of snake bites for many years here and in the Holy Land. Big dogs like ours would normally survive a viper bite anyway but Golly didn't display the usual reactions and seemed to have died of a kind of anaphylactic reaction to a mild amount of venom. Some Saluki friends have told me of the horrid bitchiness and blame meted out by other owners when they have lost a Saluki due to some tragic reason or another in spite of every degree of love and attention. How cruel. This is one of the reasons for this site - to try to prevent tragedy but we cannot always succeed. Michael and I (especially Michael) feel strangely tired all the time and keep needing a nap! We think its a reaction to grief at this unexpected loss. When my brother died suddenly I slept for long hours night or day blotting out the pain. Not the same I know but grief is grief and we miss our problem but beloved Golly.
After a birthday weekend of some happiness, also shared by the Salukis, Michael (with Golly) returned to his house and slept into the afternoon. Apparently, when he got up Golly seemed to have been stung by something on his ear- a fairly common occurrence for this dog - always snapping at wasps and bees or sticking his nose in ant nests. An anti-histamine and half a canine painkiller usually resulted in rapid recovery. Later, he seemed to have a swollen mouth and nose but was otherwise OK and went for a short walk quite normally, no wobbling, frothing, moaning, shaking or signs of collapse which would have meant a trip to the vet at any hour. Michael swabbed the affected area but Golly just settled down to sleep without complaint in his little outhouse where he always chose to spend the night. In the morning he was dead and had been some time as rigor mortis had set in - all a terrible and miserable shock for Michael. Only later when he took Golly to the vet for cremation did he discover via the vet's close examination that Golly had been bitten by a snake. As with his mother Carmel - all the signs associated with a critical condition were not evident. Carmel's was discovered in time, Golly's tragically was not. We are both heartbroken and full of regret. I have spent a long time and a lot of money with fencing, wiring etc. to deter snakes in my garden and Michael has a solid high wall unlikely to be climbed by a viper and even a deterrent to the less harmful whipsnakes. I constantly check out all the boundaries and corners of the yard every night and keep a close watch on the dogs at his time of year but neither of us expected Golly to be bitten and his death is a terrible shock. For the last year or so this problem dog had finally been happy living with Michael where he felt unthreatened and secure. He was a joy to Michael and his sweet and loving temperament surfaced when he was unafraid and peaceful - they were a contented pair and now he's gone and we are bereft.
A lot has happened since Christmas with the Salukis but mostly worrying - owners and precious ones are all aging now. Recently there were 2 big scares. Carmel seemed to be having what I wrongly assumed to be a 'blind' season but she was very perky and leading the 'boys' on so was removed to Michael's mountain hovel, sorry, house. After a day or two Sharav seemed off but again I put it down to hormones. Soon it became apparent that he had rear end problems and an infection which was serious by the time the vet saw him. Drips, antibiotics, creams etc. etc so I was not fully focused on Michael's concern for Carmel who had suddenly stopped eating and had become very lethargic. The next day (Saturday of course - extra charges) he was really worried - she had become floppy and unable to stand properly. When he brought her down to me I saw her swollen belly and guessed pyometra which in my ignorance (really, after all these years!) I did not know of the 'closed' sort that only shows at the later stages. The internet told me and the vet confirmed and she was rapidly prepped for surgery and under the knife in half an hour. She was spayed of course to save her life and whole bucket of pus removed - ugh! Drips/antibiotics etc.etc. and she recovered in no time. We look forward to some more happy time with her but anticipate it will be a fat and furry problem after spaying - well, who cares, she's already 12 and we are all the Ancients now. Will be writing up more about pyometra etc on the revamped site in a couple of weeks.
After fights and fury water is flowing again and some repairs effected. However, although the fight was won, the 'cost' is high and for the Salukis not much has been improved - especially for poor Roman, struggling for breath in very high temperatures, still without any of the air conditioning units working to help him. For myself - finishing my latest Nomoni books for children, based on mythical versions of the beloved ones, in sleep-inducing heat has been difficult but I have had the support and help of a friend from church (Denise) who is wonderfully creative even if she is unaware of that fact. So, perhaps at last I can move forward from this long and miserable phase and finally get a more fulfilling life for all of us.
For three months now there has been a stalemate over repairing the water system and I have been without running water all that time - plants and flowers have died and the garden, already with a layer of fine sand uncleared from when I moved here but retained by Saluki request, now has the look of the Negev, only palms surviving in the intense above-average temperatures.
Nothing works properly so there is no air conditioning as well as no water. Michael and friends bring me plenty of carboys of fresh water and we manage. The landowner gushes water everywhere in his olive/fruit grove and offers me none. Being in Jerusalem in both Arab intifadas, as well as having landlord disputes there too, I am well used to dealing with this but my Salukis are the worry as usual. Roman is a constantly panting wreck most of the time and only gains a respite late in the nights, sleeping on the cooler floor between two fans. I have had showers and managed to do basic washing at other homes but keeping the dogs, dog bedding and other dog things clean has been a challenge. I am angry most of the time, frustrated the rest. I try to concentrate on writing and have new books coming out soon - this prevents me from going crazy - just. One benefit, I thought - erroneously - was that I would be less likely to be bothered by snakes. Ever since a couple of blunt-nosed vipers invaded some summers back I never keep water outside but the tank often overflows (when the pump actually works) and the watering system for the garden leaks - so this year I should have been free of these deadly creatures. Not so! I found three Salukis standing over a hissing huge horror by the rubbish bins. I somehow got them away and then stalked the thing for half an hour while it hid in some old netting but remained loudly aggressive until I threw a rock at it to get it in the open whereupon it disappeared through a tiny gap into the open country. A few nights later Shavav found a couple of feisty hissing young ones and since then I have had a nightly patrol every hour or so until the dogs are confined on the veranda or in the house for the rest of the night. I have remained hysterical about this problem and harangued the house owner to check sheds etc, and spray a deterrent - this last costs money so of course has not been done but he has put down some (probably illegal) poison inside the nearest shed which could possibly destroy my hounds quicker than the viper. So, anyway, I only have 4 Salukis now - I had nine once. Golly lives with Michael but visits often. Before he used to fight with his brother, now they don't speak. Paschale's loss is still keenly felt and I know I must steel myself for more losses in the future as the rest reach the fullness of canine years - but not yet, please Lord - I love them so much. I have just read an interesting article about Saluki health problems which highlighted cardiac cancer and other heart abnormalities - I hope to add a link to that in the near future. I shall also be adding more pages in the hope of other contributors out there adding their knowledge/stories - many view the site but few seem interested to write anything - please do! |
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