Whelp Date:  3/18/00     Sex: Male     Color:  Red Fawn

Temperament: Torpedo is a playful and loving greyhound.  He is curious about everything he sees.  He has shown some intolerance to other breeds, so we prefer to place Torpedo in a home with other greyhounds, preferably female. He is getting along well with the 2 male and 1 female greyhound in the foster home.  He enjoys car rides, walks and meet-and-greets, and he adores being the center of attention!

Torpedo has special needs because he has megaesophagus and inflammatory bowel disease, which can cause regurgitating and/or soft stools.  He does well when kept quiet at least one hour before and after each meal.  His foster parent elevates his food bowl by placing it on the 4th step of her stairs.  He is doing well on ProPlan or Authority canned food (chicken & rice) and Biljac Adult food, eating 1/2 can and 1.5 cups of dry per meal, twice a day.  He is hypothyroid and takes 0.8mg of soloxine per day.  The above regimen has stabilized him and he has gained weight and looks wonderful!  He is ready for adoption to a quiet household with at least one other greyhound.  No cats, small dogs, or other small pets.

If you are interested in adopting Torpedo but worried about potential costs due to his medical condition, please contact us for more information on our "Care for Life" program!  (However, Torpedo has been well managed on the regimen described above and his annual cost of care is approximately the same as any other greyhound).

Torpedo, dreaming of a home

Whelp Date:  9/19/03     Sex: Male     Color:  Black

Temperament:  Now that Onyx is feeling better and has gained more confidence due to the training techniques mentioned in our newsletter (please see www.great-greyhound.org/newsletters/april2007.pdf), he has become much more confident, outgoing & happy.  He is much happier with other dogs than he is by himself, so we will only place him in a home with at least one other dog.  He gets along well with other breeds, large and small, and is also fine with cats.  Onyx is gradually becoming more confident around children and men and has turned out to be a wonderfully playful boy, who loves to run around in the back yard with his foster siblings!  Onyx is also a Kong-aholic and loves nothing more than to settle down with a nice stuffed Kong and clean it out!  He is a tall, handsome boy, with a beautiful shiny black coat and a sweet, loving personality.  Onyx is truly ready for his forever home! 

Onyx does have 2 easily treated medical conditions:Diabetes Insipidus (not the more common Diabetes Mellitus – for more information about DI, please see http://www.mirage-samoyeds.com/diabetes2.htm) & hypothyroidism.  Soloxine for the thyroid condition costs about $15 per month.  Diabetes Insipidus is well-managed with small amounts of desmopressin acetate, given as an eyedrop.  This medication costs about $40 per month.  Onyx also has a sensitive digestive tract and therefore we have been feeding him a prescription kibble.  He is doing extremely well on this food, and we hope that eventually he will be able to go to a non-prescription “sensitive stomach” food. 

If you are interested in adopting Onyx but worried about the cost of his medication, please contact us for more information on our "Care for Life" program!

Whelp Date:  1/28/00     Sex: Female     Color:  Brindle

Temperament: Cat-friendly.  Believe it or not, this pretty girl is Onyx's mom and like him, she is a total sweetheart!  Prior to coming into foster care, she was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy, and we will be doing some additional testing to determine if the diagnosis is correct and what medical treatment will be best for her. 

Meanwhile, we have found Arapahoe to be a very affectionate & loving girl, wanting nothing more than to be petted. Due to her condition making her a bit unstable on her feet, she does best on carpeted area and not in small spaces. Her foster family has had to be particularly careful that she does not step on the other greys while they are on their beds. She has good house manners and will whine to say she needs to go outside. Her appetite was light at first, but she is eating better each day and beginning to take a treat from her foster mom’s hand. She is a chewer so she loves her kong, nylabone and stuffed toys, which don't have stuffing left after she is finished with them!  She enjoys riding in the car, but needs some help to hop in.  

All & all she is a real sweetheart. Everything is new to her, but she is adapting well to home life.

The following special needs dogs are up for adoption through Greyhound Adoptions of Florida.  They are posted here in order to spread the word about these two wonderful dogs, and to help them find their forever families.  We'll have more information on them soon, but if you would like to speak to someone about either of them, please contact Marilyn Varnberg at 352-671-5333 or email her at mvarnberg@earthlink.net. 

Whelp Date:  4/29/01     Sex: Male     Color:  Fawn

Temperament: Dash is a special needs dog because he has seizures, which are controlled by daily doses of Phenobarbital.  We will have more information about Dash soon!

Whelp Date:  12/1/03     Sex: Male     Color:  Fawn

Temperament: Luke is a special needs dog because he has seizures, which are controlled by daily doses of Phenobarbital.  We will have more information about Luke soon!