DocsDoctor

If you're going for a general checkup it's not usual to take in a stool sample. If you're sure you want a stool test done by all means take one with you. If not you can discuss it with the vet and drop the sample by later. It should be fresh (that day) and they don't need a huge amount. Some kind of rigid plastic container with a tight lid, e.g. old hummus pot from the supermarket, is the safest way of transporting it!

Yes, though I always add water to the dry food first as that is what the adoption kennels recommended - I think it is always fed wet in racing kennels too. I would try doing that too if you aren't already, it should slow Merlin down a bit and aid digestion. My dogs have also always been spoilt enough to get some other stuff added in to their dry food - tinned dog food/ sardines/ an egg/ yoghurt.... You might like to try yoghurt too, for the stinky gas. Just a tablespoonful or so of plain live natural yoghurt. My guys love it but a word of warning, some dogs' digestions are intolerant of dairy products so in that case it would be counter-productive! Some of it may well be down to the stress of adoption, and will hopefully go away as he settles into his new life.

Hi Nicola Ken does well on 'Pet Greyhound' from Dodson and Horrell. It's made in collaboration with the RGT and £1 on each bag goes to support the charity. It's £25 for a 15kg bag and if you order two they are discounted to £40 including delivery: http://www.dodsonandhorrellpetfood.co.uk/dog-food/greyhound-food/pet-greyhound Dogs are individuals and you may find you need to experiment a bit to find a food that suits Merlin. I remember when I first adopted Ken's predecessor Doc it took quite a while to find a food he did well on. The best one for him proved to be Dodson and Horrell's economy working dog food, Gusto - he stayed on that for the rest of his long life, but it didn't suit Ken so well. It's cheaper than the Pet Greyhound: http://www.dodsonandhorrellpetfood.co.uk/brands/gusto/gusto-adult You could also take a look too at a UK site called 'All About Dog Food', which has analyses and reviews of lots of different brands: http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/ That said, the Dodson and Horrell foods which rate highest on there are the Autarky ones, which didn't suit either Doc or Ken. Both the Gusto and the Pet Greyhound contain beet pulp, a byproduct of the sugar making industry which is good for firming stools. Another easy thing to try for that is raw porridge oats, available from any supermarket. Just sprinkle a tablespoooonful or so into each meal.

from London and congratulations on joining Greytalk - you will find it a greyt place for greyhound advice. Merlin looks to be a sweetie, I bet he is enjoying settling into domestic life with you!.

What a darling she is! Again, check out with your vets whether they can do home visits and whether there is a local 'animal taxi' service. I used both when Doc became old and wobbly. I don't have a car and was actually surprised how inexpensive both proved to be here in London. The home visit charge was £30 I think, the taxi around £25. That was a converted van with a driver who helped me get Doc in and out and waited at the vet's to drive us home. Worth every penny for the weight it took off my mind, and for making it easier to relax and focus on Doc's health needs when talking to the vet.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Run free, sweet Sadie Roze!

Yes - Ken had a UTI that was hard to shift (took two rounds of antibiotics) and left his wee still rather dilute. While we waited to do another test and see if there was another issue going on, I put him on human-grade cranberry pills (my idea - vet was sceptical, saying there was no evidence of it helping for dogs) and glucosamine (vet's suggestion - apparently it is good for the bladder as well as the joints.) His wee is much improved now so we will be stopping the course in a few days when the current bottles of pills run out.

Poor Iker! Ken did this recently, but not badly so I decided to let it heal on its own. We washed the foot twice a day in a solution of Hibiscrub. It took around 10 days to heal completely. It didn't seem to bother him and he didn't try to lick it, which must have helped! One of the problems as I understand it is that the area between the toes gets sweaty (dogs perspire through their toepads, don't they?), and the dampness slows down healing. If there were any scope for leaving him bandageless some of the time for the wound to dry in the open air (say in the evening when he is lying on his bed and you are around to prevent licking etc) that might speed things up. But if the vet is doing the bandage changes that is out, I suppose. If the whole foot is wrapped you will also want to be watch out for chafing, as one long bony toe rubs against another - when Doc had to have a toe bandaged the vet was always very careful about padding it out with cotton wool for this reason.

Thank you!

No, don't. Fluoride, which is found in most human toothpastes, is highly toxic for dogs. And some contain Xylitol (artificial sweetener) I gather, which is also dangerous. Buy a purpose-made dog toothpaste - or you can make your own using baking soda (lots of recipes if you google).

You won't find anything on the same scale, the biggest would be the RGT Great Greyhound Gathering which is held every September. Meanwhile some of their other events are listed here: https://www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/about-us/events There is also the Great Global Greyhound Walk, which started off as the Great British Greyhound Walk. The next one will be in June 2017: http://www.greatglobalgreyhoundwalk.co.uk/ And RGT branches and other local greyhound charities will hold their own fundraising events of course. Ken and I sometimes help ours with meet and greets, and also went to a very nice 'end of summer party' down at the kennels the other weekend

No experience but lots of good thoughts for pretty Grandy:

Congratulations - he is lovely! Welcome home Sully! Both Doc and Ken were stressed initially but found things a lot easier once the first twenty-four hours had passed and they could see what the new routine was going to be. I never used a crate for either but then greyhounds in the UK aren't so used to them (they live in kennels, usually paired up). For alone training I think I left it until the second day to go out and leave them on their own, just for a few minutes. Ken coped really well from the outset, Doc found it harder but we got there in the end!

What is it that she is doing to disturb you, if she is not barking? Has she not yet got the message yet that nights are for sleep? They do go to bed and get up early in kennels and it may be that she has not yet reset her clock. If she is is whining and it is not because she is cold/ has an empty tummy/ needs a loo break you need to be firm and consistent about telling her 'quiet' or 'settle' and ignoring her until she does. Keep the room dark should help too. It may take a little time, but you will get there. Usually now I only hear my dog (he sleeps next door but with the doors open) if he has a dream, and does a bit of yipping as he chases a dream-squirrel. Or if he wakes and gets up to shake himself before resettling. Either sound might wake me momentarily, but are actually rather nice to hear. And in the morning he has learnt to lie quietly waiting for the alarm clock goes off - then he comes zooming in to greet me. We both enjoy that.

Three or four I think, with Doc. Then we settled on one that he liked and did well on and I fed it to him for the rest of his life - so around nine years. It continued to suit him though I would always add in some extras for variety. A bit of extra protein in particular was necessary as he got old and skinny. I tried Ken on the same one when he first came here last year but it didn't suit him. Then on a couple of others before finding one which he does well on. So long as this continues to be the case I won't change it. Again he gets various extras for variety, though he is actually a much greedier dog than Doc and I have never known him leave anything in his bowl! With both dogs I would buy a big bag of the dry food (10-15kg), do a gradual changeover from the old one over about a week, and continue on till the bag was finished - usually 4-6 weeks. That felt like a fair trial. I will add that it really is a question of finding something that suits your dog's digestion. Neither of our preferred options is a posh food, both are made by a British manufacturer: http://www.dodsonandhorrellpetfood.co.uk/ Dodson and Horrell's 'Autarky' is the one which usually gets recommended in dog food reviews, but it didn't suit either of my chaps. Doc liked 'Gusto', which is their economy range, and Ken prefers 'Pet Greyhound' - which is not much more expensive, and £1 from each bag I purchase goes to support the Retired Greyhound Trust.

Well done Sasha and Johnny! She looks so relaxed now - and in so much better condition. And I bet over the coming years she'll continue to develop, and to surprise you, as she settles into domestic life. These dogs are such characters! Here's to many future victories, and (even more important) happy times for the two of you

My heart goes out to you both. Such a horrid decision to have to take but like Hubcitypam I believe it is the right one. You have tried so hard but at the end of the day city life is always going to be too stressful for him. He will be happier in a quieter place.

Poor Aiden! I think it can be a struggle to get toes to heal because they are so boney (especially greyhound toes!) and so mobile. Maybe a manuka honey dressing would help, I know it did for Doc though that was a rather different issue (lump on the inside of a back toe). The manuka is very good for encouraging granulation.

Hi Jonny. I use human fish oil supplements for Ken, as I did for Doc before him. It's convenient, and it's cheaper. I often suspect that the manufacturers of pet health products operate some kind of price cartel - things like dog toothpaste too always seem to cost a fortune compared to the human kind. (That said you really mustn't use human toothpaste on a dog, the fluoride is a no-no.) I do prefer to give fish body oil ones, rather than codliver oil, because as I understand it the high levels of vitamin A in the latter can be a problem for dogs. But to be honest I don't think this is likely to be an issue for a big dog like a greyhound having one capsule a day. And indeed Ken is actually on Lidl codliver oil right now because there were no fish body oil capsules in store last week! Here is quite a helpful article on the subject: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_9/features/Fish-Oil-Supplements-For-Dogs_20600-1.html I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating - if Sasha is young and healthy and bouncy and her coat is gleaming, then carry on as you are. But when she gets older and her bones begin to creak, then she will probably benefit from a more specifically targeted doggy supplement. Meanwhile have you tried her on sardines? Ken gets a little tin of those (just the Asda Smartprice ones) with his breakfast a couple of times a week instead of the capsule and absolutely loves them.

I would also go with how they handle your dog, and the general ambience. Are they welcoming? Is the vet gentle? Mine went to a lot of trouble to make my (initially nervous) greyhound more comfortable with vet visits. As he put it, 'I would much rather build his trust when he is well than when he is sick or injured'.

Possibly urine scald? In which case I would clean and gently dry the area daily, until you see the vet, and maybe apply something like Sudocrem - a medicated cream used in the UK for nappy rash, etc. When my old chap Doc came to me he had a red spotty patch on the point of his sternum (where it rested on the ground when he sphinxed - i.e. lay down in that characteristic greyhound crouch). Sudocrem was what the kennels recommended for that, and it worked a treat. Or could it be fleabites? Has she been treated for fleas recently? Edited because it was Doc and not Ken who had the red spotty patch!

Don't panic! It's all so new to him. It's not so much separation anxiety, just that he's feeling overwhelmed by all the strange sights and sounds and smells. It actually doesn't sound as if he's that nervy a dog (a spooky one will 'statue' when it feels overwhelmed, yours is obviously eager to explore once he gets out and has peed). Things will improve but you will have to be patient and give him time and space. I live in the inner city too and Ken found our neighbourhood alarming when he came here, especially the noises - traffic, sirens, suitcases on wheels, you name it. Things improved with time, as he got to know the place and to trust me. Walking together is actually one of the best ways for the two of you to bond. Meanwhile avoid scarey stuff as much as possible, but if you do encounter something worrisome keep calm and confident and address him in a jolly-hockey-sticks voice. 'Yes, an ambulance! What a lot of noise! Nothing to worry about!' I also kept a small bag of treats to hand so I could give him one and tell him what a good boy he was when he had been brave about something. It sounds as if he has never been taught to walk nicely on a lead, so now you will have to teach him. I favour the 'tree' technique where when the dog starts pulling you just stand there until he comes up short. Make sure you use a properly-fitted greyhound harness or collar - greyhounds with their narrow heads can back/pull their way out otherwise, if they panic or get excited. Your boy likes his crate so that is good. Let him use that as his safe place and observe you and your girlfriend and how you live your life. He is watching and processing it all. Don't overwhelm him with pats and hugs, again he is not used to that - though he will be used to being groomed, which again is something enjoyable to do that builds trust. And treats as you have already discovered are also good news. You can begin to teach him the basic commands which will keep him safe - i.e. come, stay and bed. Over the coming months you will see him come out of his shell and settle into his new life. Time and patience and love is all it takes.

I give Ken a fish oil capsule with his breakfast five mornings a week. On the other two he gets a small tin of sardines (Asda Smartprice ones in tomato sauce) instead. He loves both, and his coat is lovely and glossy - and not greasy at all. The Omega 3 in fish oil is good for joints as well You can get special salmon oil for dogs but human ones are readily available, and cheaper. I use 'Omega 3 fish oil' capsules from Lidl. I would avoid cod liver oil, which I have read is not so good for dogs, but a fish body oil like the Lidl one should be fine.

Ken is on antibiotics for a UTI at the moment. Asked the vet just this but about his boy bits obviously, as they were looking a bit sore. He suggested applying an icepack, and if something else was needed, vaseline. But nothing else, in case it messed up Ph levels in the area.

from Ken and myself in London. Sasha sounds a darling - please do post some photos of her when you can!