Kevin was badly injured during schooling on November 7, 2003.  The trainer called GPA and said he would not be able to have his leg repaired. He had never raced.  The next day he was taken to the vet, who took x-rays and bandaged his leg.  The Vet said his foot was broken in four places and he required surgery.  If he did not have the surgery,  "euthanasia" was the only other option.
   On November 10,  Kevin was taken to a vet who specializes in orthopedic
repairs and has operated successfully on many Greyhounds.
   Kevin is now recuperating and is doing well with three pins in his foot.  He is receiving injections of antibiotics daily as one of the broken bones had poked through the skin. He is alert, eating well, and seems quite content.
    The total cost of Kevin surgery and after care is $1,367.27 which will be paid through the Emily Griffin Injury Fund.
  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

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Einstein
GPA Springfield, Mo

Last October, Einstein broke a hock at the Woodlands Greyhound Track in
Kansas City.  His surgery was $516.  A trainer at the Woodlands (Einstein was not in his kennel) volunteered to rehab and foster Einstein for free.  Einstein was there 3 months and he arrived at GPA Springfield in February. Einstein's registered name is Seen It Before.  He is a sweet sweet boy.
Einstein was adopted by the Blauvelt Family of Springfield, MO on March 3rd.

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GPA Central Florida applied for funds from the  Emily Griffin  Memorial Fund for a greyhound named Dharma.  She is a 4 year old brindle female and weighs in at 58 pounds.  Dharma was the 26th greyhound to suffer a break during this racing season at the Melbourne Greyhound Park.  Up until now GPA Central Florida had managed to take care of the vet bills involved; however, Dharma had such a bad break that they were referred to an Animal Specialty Hospital.  The cost for repair was over $1700.  GPA Central Florida feels very
fortunate to have been able to apply for the grant to help cover the Veterinary expenses.

 

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BB's Cider

BB’s Cider was injured November 6, 2003 at Jefferson County Kennel Club, Monticello, FL.  The initial diagnosis was a simple hock fracture.  In fact, his injury was much more serious.  He had no broken bones, but had ruptured all the tendons and ligaments supporting the hock joint.  Our local vets attempted to fuse the joint, but complications developed and the repair was unsuccessful.  Thanks to the Emily Griffin Grant and our friends at Greyhound Adoptions of Florida, BB’s Cider went to a specialist for a second surgery, which successfully fused the joint.  Bob and Marilyn Varnberg (GAF) cared for BB’s Cider through his recovery and he was adopted in May 2004.

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Henry

Grant Received February, 2004 Amount $1,500

A note from Henry's Adoptive Home

Henry, our three-year-old greyhound was adopted in August 2004.  He came to us just after the plate and screws
were removed from his rear leg.  He thought he was doomed to a life on a leash forever.  He now enjoys his freedom and rewards us with a display of powerful yet elegant sprints.  As reserved as Henry was in the beginning, he is outgoing and playful now.  He loves his outings except for Tuesday, trash day, when he shows his intense fear of garbage trucks.  Henry turns his whole body around and pulls for home.  At night when everyone is in bed, it is likely to find Henry cuddling one of his giant stuffed toys.  Henry has come a long way in a short time.  He has totally engaged our family and won each and every one of our hearts.

Crossfire
Female, Brindle
 

Grant Received February, 2004 Amount $1,500

Bobbie Sox
Female, White with Brindle
 

Grant Received July, 2004 Amount $500

Shaina
Female, Brindle
 

Grant Received July, 2004 Amount $1,500

Greg
Male, Black

Greg is a very energetic 3-year-old small black male. He is fun loving and could entertain himself for hours with a tennis ball. Greg is currently being monitored for epileptic seizures in his foster home. Greg has a serious type of seizure called cluster seizures, but at this point they appear to occur only every few months. He is on medication and the dosage is being adjusted to ensure maximum benefit. Greg gets along fine with other dogs and with cats.
Greg first came into the foster program on August 20,2003 after having had several seizures at the kennel. He had been hospitalized for 3 days and had had seizures at the veterinary office. Greg was medicated with a loading dose of Phenobarbital and was released on 8/19/03. When he came to his foster home he was very drunk from the medication and could barely stand.
Greg’s blood work before being put on Phenobarbital indicated elevated liver values, which needed to be rechecked. Greg’s blood recheck showed liver values within normal range, but elevated creatinine and ph levels. A tick panel was negative. Greg was maintained on 64 mg. of Phenobarbital following his hospitalization. We learned that Greg’s first observed seizure was in early July, 2003.
Greg has proven to be a fun-loving, playful little guy. He is a small black greyhound who loves to play with toys, but more than anything loves to play with a tennis ball. A tennis ball can keep Greg entertained in the yard for long periods of time. It was while he was playing with a ball that we noticed Greg’s recovery after exercise is prolonged - it takes him much longer to stop panting than the other dogs. So, chest x-rays and an echocardiogram of his heart were done by a cardiologist and showed his heart to be within normal limits. The potential that he might have developing laryngeal paralysis was raised - this is something that would need to be checked out when he was under anesthesia when he was neutered. After a visit with the neurologist, Greg was maintained on the same level of medication.
In January, just as Greg was getting ready to go to an adoption event, he began having a cluster of seizures. On January 26, 2004 he had seven grand mal seizures within approximately an hour. Valium was given, but his seizures were too close together and he was having some difficulty recovering his breath, so he was taken to Dove Lewis for intensive treatment. He had another seizure during his hospitalization and was released the next day. At that time the neurologist increased his Phenobarbital to 100 mg. twice a day. Greg had gone five months without a seizure.
A month later, once he was sufficiently recovered, Greg was neutered. At that time, we learned that Greg’s larynx appears to be normal. He continues to be monitored.
In late April 2004 Greg had another serious seizure episode and had to be taken to the emergency vet again to be stabilized. The next day he saw the neurologist and his medication was adjusted and a new medication, potassium bromide, was added to his treatment. It typically takes several weeks for the new medication to become effective. Ten days later Greg had another seizure episode but this time, although the seizures were very intense, he only had three in a cluster. He was medicated with Valium at home and did not have to go to the emergency hospital.
Greg has now had an MRI scan of his head to determine whether he has a brain tumor or other brain abnormality that could be causing his seizures. He had a spinal tap to check for brain disease and he also had additional testing done to determine whether the new medications were at effective levels in his bloodstream. The results of the MRI were that he has no tumors or abnormalities of the brain and his spinal fluid test was negative. This is good news for Greg and means that he now has an official diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy. That means that there is no underlying physical disease causing the seizures and that he can be treated for the seizure episodes as they occur. We did discover that his medication dosages were too low and we have increased the dosage to a more therapeutic level.
Greg recently went seven weeks without a seizure and in the first week of August had another Cluster of seizures. This time they were manageable with medications in his foster home and Greg did not need to be hospitalized. He recovered in a few days and is back to his normal, playful self.
Greg lives with cats, who he pretty much ignores; other greyhounds, who he gets along fine with; and Dalmatians, one of whom he loves to play with and chase. Greg can be a little bit dominant at times, but most of time will cuddle with any human, dog or cat that’s near. He can also be found sleeping with his head or paw on a rubber ball or Kong. Greg is currently learning to play with a Frisbee - although he likes to chase it more than bring it back.
Greg is a fairly high-energy greyhound with a playful personality. He travels well in the car and loves going places. He’s very friendly and loves meeting new people. He likes being petted and hugged, but he particularly likes to cuddle.
After nearly a year in foster care, Greg has been adopted into his home-for-life. He now lives with other greyhounds and Dalmatians and is quite settled into being the leader of the pack. Greg's seizures are still being managed at home and he continues to do well on his medications.

Grant Received July, 2004 Amount $1,500

Billy
Male, Brindle

Grant Received September, 2004 Amount $1,500

Chicken Salad
Female, Brindle

Grant Received September, 2004 Amount $1,500

FloJo
Female, Black

Grant Received September, 2004 Amount $1,500

Grace
Female, Brindle

Grant Received October, 2004 Amount $1,500

Regal Roast
(Pooh)
Male, Black

Grant Received October, 2004 Amount $500

Update on Pooh Feb 2005
Pooh is doing very well, he doesn't seem to be favoring his
injured leg at all..  He's very easy going and a treat to around. 

 

Viola Snow
Female Brindle

Had surgery on Feb. 14
Grant received March 2005

Update on Viola
Viola is doing very well and has been adopted by her foster family.
 

Andy
White and Red Male

Feather
GPA Daytona

Solitaire
GPA Tampa Bay