DocsDoctor

I am very sorry for your loss. She sounds such a special girl - run free, pretty funny Star Ken and I will play "Nice One, Kenny!" (in which I throw his fuzzy ball and he cleverly catches it, still in mid-air) in her honour when he wakes from his afternoon nap.

A party trick/ fun game I taught my old guy Doc was a doggy version of the old "Hunt the Lady" card trick. You need three small containers (mugs, patty tins, yoghurt pots) and a treat. Turn them upside down, and show your girl that you are hiding the treat underneath one of them. Then swirl them around on the floor until she gets confused as to which is which. Then invite her to "find the treat". She will soon learn that she can do this by sniffing the pots. In my experience lots of short training sessions work better than one long one. Bear in mind too that greyhounds were bred to be independent hunters, unlike say gundogs or sheepdogs who were always bred to want to work with people. So they are less "trick-minded," in my experience, though for sure they need to learn the commands that will keep them safe - come, stay, bed, etc. Again, something I found helpful with my first greyhound was to attend a mixed-breed obedience class with a good, positive trainer. We had fun and it was a greyt way for him to learn about other breeds and me to learn about dog body language in a controlled setting. Also - is she getting out enough? Needing more exercise? Both Doc and Ken (my current greyhound) would agree that the best and most interesting antidote to boredom is a nice walk! And do a search on Greytalk for "lure poles" - greyhounds love these and they are a greyt way for them to get the kind of short, intensive burst of exercise they also love..

I am very sorry for your loss of your lovely girl. Run free, sweet Tosca!

I am so sorry for your loss. But bless you for giving her such a peaceful, loving home for her last days - and such a peaceful, loving send-off. Run free, Dottie B - young and strong once more

I used to feed Ken the Dodson and Horrell Pet Greyhound Food too, and he also did well on it. However when he was diagnosed with mucocutaneous lupus I felt I should switch him to a grain free food, so he's now on the same maker's Autarky white fish and potato - and loves it. I buy it online - Feedem is a reliable supplier, and usually has the best deals. The greyhound rescue he came from also now feeds grainfree - the Bailey's range from Surrey Pet Feeds, who help sponsor the kennels. Greyhounds are usually served some kind of add-in with their food in racing kennels and greyhound rescues - traditionally some kind of simple meat and veg stew. Ken always loves this when he goes back for holiday kennelling - as soon as I take him in he starts making big eyes at whoever is stirring the vat! Here at home, my usual add-ins are a spoonful of plain yoghurt, plus a tin of sardines/ a raw egg/ a bit of leftover veg and meat stew. When my previous greyhound Doc got old and skinny my vet said that the best way to maintain weight was a bit of extra protein - some raw, fatty mince and scrambled egg both proved very popular! Most supermarket tinned dog food is best avoided - full of cereal and additives, if you read the labels. The only one I have used is Butcher's - stick to the original "tripe loaf" recipe tins, as that contains no cereal. Doc loved this, Ken doesn't care for it much. Forthglade do nice handy packs of frozen mince too, but they are not cheap. Ken's favourite treats are the own-brand tripe sticks and pigs' ears from Lidl - reasonably priced and 100% natural, and the frozen goats' feet that I buy for him from our local halal butcher, £2 for 5. These look a bit gruesome -not just a foot, but the whole leg up to the knee - but he loves them best of all!

from me and Ken in London. And Joe, you are a very handsome chap!

Massage by a physio could be helpful - it really helped my old boy who had a couple of compressed vertebrae in his lumbar region in his last years. You need to find someone who is properly qualified though - it is the kind of thing that can do more harm than good. Ours was a vet physio, who only got to work after seeing the xrays from the vet. There are chiropractors too - here in the UK I wouldn't use one, because their qualifications are a bit dodgy, but I think that might be different in the US. Have a chat with your vet anyway. My physio was actually one recommended by the greyhound rescue, but my vet was happy to work with her.

I am so very sorry for your sudden loss - what a horrible shock it must have been. So pleased to hear that both you and your wife feel that you want to investigate adopting again soon. As you say that will be both a kind and a practical way of honouring Moonshine's memory, and healing your own hearts.

I am so very sorry for your loss. I always loved reading about Rocket, who reminded me both in looks and character of my own old boy Doc. Your tribute is beautiful, I can see from it just how good care you took of him and what a special bond you had. Run free, Rocket, young and strong once more

Just to say, if you find they won't settle downstairs you can always try having them in your room just to begin with, until they've gained confidence. This was what I ended up doing with my first dog Doc - he didn't want to sleep alone downstairs, but I didn't particularly want him in my bedroom either. (Not enough floorspace!) What worked for us was him sleeping in my room for the first few weeks, then when he'd grown more confident moving the bed into the back bedroom. Eventually when he became old and arthritic he had to be banned from using the stairs but by then he was happy to sleep in the living room anyway. It helped to leave the bedroom door open, too, so he could hear me moving about. Ken on the other hand settled happily down on the back bedroom bed from the first night. Like Doc before him he will come running in to me when he hears the alarm clock go off, which makes a very nice start to both our days!

When Doc was old and arthritic and had a bad back (he had a couple of compressed vertebrae, and some nerve pain) he got regular home visits from a veterinary physiotherapist. She was a firm believer in cold laser treatment, and had a portable machine which she would use on him after massage and manipulation. The whole package certainly had a very good effect - really increased his mobility and quality of life. And, like smurfette, the physio said she also found it helped speed up the healing of open wounds.

nice to have a relative in common!

:welcome2from me and Ken in London, and we will look forward to seeing photos of gentle Grace soon! I usually use this site for posting photos on Greytalk: https://postimages.org/

This came up with Ken initially: he wanted to gulp down water in big quantities, especially when feeling nervous. The vet and I decided that possibly he had had to compete for it as a puppy/ while in training. It didn't help that he initially also had a persistent bladder infection, which it took several rounds of antibiotics to shift. Nothing wrong now though he is still a bigger drinker than Doc ever was. I had to keep a water diary and measure his daily consumption, for the vet to check. The calculation that vets use is that "Normal water consumption usually will not exceed approximately 90 ml/kg/day in dogs." Ken's fell within this parameter in fact, even when he had the infection. There is a lengthier article about the figures and the basic formula here: http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/ins-and-outs-polyuria-and-polydipsia edited for clarity

Done. No new dams, but dear old Doc was Wilby, rather than Pilot

I agree with everybody else - you absolutely did the right and best thing for your dear Raffle. What she would have asked you to do, if she could. Many condolences on your loss and thank you too for the good sense and courage you displayed on her behalf in that last crisis.

That sounds like greyt progress! Bless you for all your patience and understanding with her.

I'm in the UK but suspect many of the same issues apply. My old greyhound, Doc, was insured from adoption (at the age of four) until he turned ten - at that point the policy premiums rocketed, because of his age, and I gave it up feeling it would be better to pay for any future treatments out of savings instead. He was a pretty healthy dog and the one major claim I had made was for cutting out a corneal ulcer, developed after he scratched his eye on a bush. He also had a "borderline malignant" lump removed from inside a toe. Overall I had probably paid more in premiums than I got back in claims. After that he did develop some "old dog" health issues - arthritis in general, more particular problems with a couple of compressed vertebral discs and nerve damage in the lumbar region. He wouldn't have been a candidate for surgery at this point and instead we managed his problems with supplements, painkillers, careful exercise, and regular visits from a vet physio. He lived happily on to the grand old age of thirteen and a half. Ken, my current dog, I acquired three years ago. Initially I took out for insurance for him with Petplan - usually regarded as the gold standard for UK pet insurers. The first year that more or less paid for itself, sorting out a long-established bladder infection and also a persistent limp (turned out to be caused by a small deep corn). However I ended up cancelling the policy in the second year after he was diagnosed with a long-term condition (muco-cutaneous lupus, causing bleeding nail beds). They wouldn't cover that going forward and it was where his healthcare costs were coming from, so.... That let me in for some rather expensive vet bills initially (dermatologist consults, course of immune suppressants) but he is much better now and in the longterm needs only some inexpensive vitamin supplements and (for the time being only I hope) antibiotics. I am pretty sceptical about pet insurers, these days. They are businesses, not charities, and are looking to cover their costs over the lifetime of the dog/policy. Maybe worthwhile if you have a young accident-prone dog, but if you have savings and/or you have an older dog or one with a chronic condition otherwise I would not bother.

from London and good luck with both your greyhound and your car search. The right dog will find you I am sure with the rescue's help, our local one is brilliant at 'match-making'. Can't make any car-suggestions as here in town I don't need one - Ken very much enjoys tavelling around on the train, bus and tube instead!

That sounds like progress, Wabisabi! Once you get the allergy thing sorted out, she will feel much more comfortable, and that can only help. Good idea to get the behaviourist in too-coming to it fresh s/he may well spot some easy tweaks to her environment that you've missed. I suspect one of the most important things you can do is keep every day to a pretty regular routine. Knowing when to expect walks, meals, etc (as in her previous life in kennels) can only reassure. Do you groom her? Again, this (rather than petting) is probably the positive human contact she most regularly experienced in the past and it may well help now. Just lightly, at least to start. Both my guys have always loved being groomed-Ken's just had his Sunday morning session-a going over with an old rubber glove, followed by a hound glove-a nubbly rubber thing-followed by an old silk scarf. He goes all squidgy and silly about the silk scarf in particular!

No - I hadn't see that. Someone else on here had recommended it and it seemed nice and simple to use... So that's useful to know, thank you Susan. I'll probably continue to use it, but with care.

Very true. My neighbour was laughing with me only the other day about the time my old dog Doc and I went next door for a drink, and how fascinated he was by the tiny fluffy toy on a keyring she kept hanging on her wall. We had to take it down and hide it away to stop him gazing at it, hoping I think that it was going to start to move.

Suggests to me that she's settled in well with you and is now showing how happy and confident she feels! My old boy Doc used to do this a lot and always looked very pleased with himself afterwards. I did discourage him from doing it at home, because it made a mess of the lawn, but permitted it while we were out and about. It could also be that she has recently observed another dog doing it, so wants to imitate. Ken doesn't do the scratching thing, and is much less keen on marking with wee too - but when we went out for a walk recently with his friend Frank the terrier, who is forever peeing on trees, Ken 'remembered' about marking and also wanted to mark every tree!

Excellent progress!

She's lovely!