Sadly, Edsel had to be euthanized due to a rapidly advancing lymphosarcoma
Edsel finished his ASFA FCh.on 4/9/89 with 2 Firsts and one Best in Field. He started his running career on 12/10/88 and finished his FCh. on 4/9/89. He finished his LCM on 9/2/95 with four Bests of Breed - two of them from the new Veterans Stake. The new Veterans Stake began the weekend of 10/1/94 and Edsel was Best of Breed on 10/2/94, and as far as I know was the first BOB from the new stake in Region 7. He finished his LCM with another BOB from Veterans 11 months later on 9/25/95 and may have been the first Whippet in Region 7 to earn an LCM with points and placements from Veterans. From 10/1/94 to 8/31/97 Edsel ran in at least 60 (maybe more) ASFA trials as a Veteran. All in all, Edsel ran in ASFA trials from 12/10/88 until his last trial on 8/31/97. I got Edsel from Susan Hetrick on Memorial Day weekend 1988. I first saw him as a young puppy but at the time didn't feel I could take another dog, but I really liked him. When Susan offered him to me on a co-ownership the next year, I just couldn't refuse! I hoped to show Edsel, but he had a very gay tail and just wasn't competitive enough to show seriously - so he "retired" (quickly!) from the show ring and filled his time with lure coursing. Edsel was my hard luck kid. After a great beginning - he was 1st in Open, Best of Breed, Best in Field and the first winner of the Vernon Dill Challenge Cup (!) at his *first* field trial. He finished his Field Championship easily, but then he started having trouble with his feet. He suffered 2 bouts of bursitis - one in each front foot. With his first bout he got where he couldn't even finish a whole day's running. So I held him out, waiting for his foot to heal. After about 6 months he finally was free of pain and could go back to running, but he had lost some of his speed and was not really competitive. Then he started having trouble with his other foot. I didn't really want to hold him back another 6 months, so I explored acupuncture. I found a good veterinary acupuncturist - Dr.Harold Rand, DVM of Horse and Hound Hospital in Marietta, GA. Dr. Rand assured me acupuncture would help and we started Edsel on a course of 6 preliminary treatments. After the *2nd* treatment Dr. Rand began urging me to start running him again! I was unsure, though, and held off until after his 3rd treatment. He ran fine - finished the entire weekend pain free. After his last 2 treatments it was clear that Edsel didn't need anymore -- and he was pain free after Nov of 1991. He didn't get to run much, because I couldn't see driving a long way to run a dog that loved to run, but was no longer really competitive - Edsel was, by this time, over 4 years old. He ran for fun at local trials - but all told, for a long 3 year stretch he either couldn't run, or ran, but earned no placements over NBQ. Then when he was 6 Edsel suffered 4 seizures in 6 weeks. He was diagnosed as epileptic and low thyroid and placed on maintenance medication. I also had him neutered. He responded wonderfully to the medication and we were able to reduce his dosage to half it's original level. He was seizure free after the last of those 4 seizures. When ASFA approved the new Veteran's Stake in 1994 I returned Edsel to competitive running and he did well. He finally finished his LCM at age 8 years with a Best of Breed at the ACC trial September 1995. 4th of July, 1996 weekend, at the AMUCK Nighthound Lure Trial Edsel ran in the Veteran's Stake as usual. He was the only Veteran entered so he got to run for BOB. He didn't win, but he gave it a good try! 10/7/96 - Edsel had a great weekend at the GOGLCA ASFA lure trial - got First in Veterans both days and picked up 28 more points. Eddie ran several times after the fall of 1996 - he had 1 first place and almost 300 points towards his LCM2 when he died.
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