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DocsDoctor

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Posts posted by DocsDoctor

    Am I Too Responsive?

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    My sympathies. This must be tricky, especially with neighbours whom you don't want to have disturbed!

     

    My gut feeling is that they're not so much 'taking advantage' as that both you and they have got into a state where routines and boundaries have become unclear. You're stressed because you're not getting a good night's sleep, they're picking up on that. And then because there are two of them, they're probably egg each other on ... end result: everyone feeling a bit insecure and acting accordingly.

     

    Somehow you need to reset routines, and thus their internal clocks. I would be inclined to ignore some of their demands at least, but if you can't (because of the neighbours) just let them out but without making a big deal of it. Don't say anything, just be a 'door attendant' who lets them out and then in again. You might consider separating them, for a night or so at least, to see if that helps.

    In Denial

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Hugs. I don't think dogs necessarily 'tell you they are ready', and I have even heard it said that if you wait until they do you have left it too long, because they can be so stoical about long-term pain.

     

    What my old chap's eyes were telling me on his last day, as we waited for the vet to come to us at home, was 'I love you and trust you to do what is best.' And what the vet said to me is 'You made the right decision. Now is the right time. There is no need to wait until he is unhappy.'

     

    It is a painful decision to have to make, and I found I had to go down deep and access my best self to reach it, if that makes sense?

     

    If you need help, and you trust your vet (as I do mine), ask what they would do if Vinnie was their dog? You should get an honest as well as an informed answer.

    General Health & Maintenance

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Everyone else has already given you greyt advice, and I agree that just a yearly vet visit for booster jabs and a health check is fine, if she's healthy and happy.

     

    However I would give the vet's a call about flea/worm/ etc preventatives now, if I were you. This is because the situation varies from area to area even within the UK, and your vet will be aware of local risks. Down here for instance mine checks whether we walk in any of the Royal Parks (which have deer herds = possibility of ticks), lungworm has also recently become an issue. So that means I need to apply Advocate (prescription-only) monthly and give a wormer every six months.

     

    You don't have to buy the preventatives from your vet, it often works out much cheaper to buy them from an online chemist. If you need a written prescription your vet must supply this though s/he can charge - I paid around £12 for one for a year's supply of Advocate, well worth while as it was so much cheaper online.

    Working Dogs, Active Dogs, Maintenance - Confused Over Dietary Require

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    Be aware that in the UK the label 'Working Dog Food' is largely a tax dodge - a product labelled as such is exempt from the VAT (17.5% is it?) charged on pet food.

     

    A useful site for analysing the content of different British dog foods is http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

    but I think as greysmom says it's about finding what suits your dog's digestion, not to mention your pocket.

     

    Ken does well on 'Pet Greyhound' which is made by Dodson and Horrell to the RGTs recipe and with a contribution going to them: http://www.dodsonandhorrellpetfood.co.uk/dog-food/greyhound-food/pet-greyhound. it's not expensive and his predecessor Doc preferred their Gusto which was even cheaper.

    What To Do With Newish Dog While On Vacation?

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Of those two options, I would go for one of the foster homes. If he can't be with you, he would much prefer to be with other greyhounds! Having been brought up together in kennels they do appreciate the company of their own kind. I board my own chap, but only within the holiday kenneling offered by our greyhound rescue. Not so comfortable as home, but he slots back into the old routines quite happily with his friends around.

    Infected Paw Pad After Corn Hulling?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Yes my vet recommended Epsom salt soaks for Ken's corn too, and also rubbing Vaseline into the pad, again to soften the skin.

     

    Ken had his corn hulled by the vet several weeks ago, and the problem we had at that point was that there was still quite a buildup of hard thick skin on the rest of the pad. Most of that is gone now thanks to the Epsom salts and Vaseline, plus some gentle filing by me with a ceramic foot file. There is still a small black spot left, but we are hoping that it is the 'root' of the (pyramid-shaped) corn coming to the surface as the skin wears down and is renewed. If so it should eventually disappear. Anyway he is walking much more comfortably than before.

     

    I've not had to deal with an infection though - good luck with that!

    River (Jt Red River Blu) 9/18/11 - 3/28/16

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    I am very sorry for your loss :f_white

     

    He was a lovely boy, and that was a lovely tribute you wrote for him. How sad to lose him at such a young age! Reading your words it is clear just how much he loved his life with you, and how he lived each and every day to the full.

     

    Run free, brave River! :gh_run2

    8 Year Old Greyhound Stopped Eating Very Much

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    I think she's too young to call a senior yet awhile - 'pension age' for greyhounds is more like ten, I would say.

     

    How is her weight? Is she too skinny? If not, maybe she just doesn't need as much food as you've been giving her. The manufacturers guidelines are often overgenerous. And while some greyhounds will carry on and on eating, others are 'self-regulating' and won't eat more than they need. My old chap was like that. I know now that initially I was trying to feed him more than he needed, but at the time it was worrying to see food left in the bowl so you have my sympathy.

     

    Also, how are her teeth? If she has any problems with those, this may well make her reluctant to tackle dry food.

     

    The 'stew' sounds a good way forward, if it's not too much bother for you. I must say I've never fed dry food on its own. Here in the UK at any rate, greyhounds in training are used to eating theirs soaked, and with a special stew of meat and veg added in. So I've always wetted my guys' dry food, and then added in something extra - a bit of canned food/ dollop of yoghurt/ a raw egg/ can of sardines/ chopped offal/ leftover human soup or stew.

     

    HTH

    Nail Bed Infections - Any Experience? Guidance?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Just an update to say that Ken's paws have cleared up nicely now, on the Hibiscrub/ Surolan/ Clindacyl regime :) . It is useful to have these other recommendations to hand though, just in case it comes back.

     

    And the limp :gramps turned out to be due not to arthritis but a corn in one toepad! A smallish one, growing inwards and difficult to see, but the vet got it out last week, while Ken was having a dental. He is now walking much more comfortably and we are treating the remaining hard skin with Epsom Salts and Vaseline, so :goodluck it won't come back.

    Body Failing But Spirit Is Not...what Do I Do?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Agree with the previous posts. Pal was 14.1 and while his mind was still sharp, his body was failing. He had a grand, wonderful last day and just moments before he left he let me know that it was ok, he was ready. Given the choice, I would prefer letting them go a day too early rather than a day too late, avoiding a crisis situation that would be the last memory for both of us.

    +1. This was what I did for Doc. On his last day he had a sardine breakfast and a couple of wobbly little walks and some treats and a little sunbathe on the lawn. Still a happy boy, but he was going downhill fast. As we waited for the vet to come to us and we looked at each other his eyes told me 'I love you and I trust you to do what is best for me.' I have held onto that.

    Nail Bed Infections - Any Experience? Guidance?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Thanks everybody - this is really useful information to have to hand!

     

    the antibiotics and keeping the nail beds dry should work. have your vet cultured the infection to see if he is prescribing the right antibiotic???

     

    the experiences that i have had were when felix was young his nail beds were red and inflamed after crazy running at the beach. i was told to keep them dry with a medicated foot powder. it did work, powdered them a couple of times a day and they healed up pretty quickly. at another point he and my female both developed fungus at the nail bed and the webbing....again camping and the beach and soggy ny weather. the fungus was scraped off the webbing and the nail beds were cleared up w/ an athletic's foot cream. go know....???? i personally wouldn't get crazy thinking about SLO until nails start falling off. good luck w/ the arthritis.

    No, I'm not thinking about SLO either, given that his nails remain firmly attached.... We haven't cultured the infection yet but I can certainly suggest this if the current treatment doesn't work out. And once we've got it cleared up the athlete's foot cream/powder sounds like a useful product to have on hand, if I spot the early stages of a recurrence. Thank you!

     

    Desi had miserable nail beds for a couple of years. He actually developed bloody sores around several. We soaked, we cultured, we treated with

    antibiotics and then treated for fungus. Then tried treating it as a food allergy & the next year spent on food trials with little to no success. Finally, out

    of desperation, we tried treating it as an immune issue & he took cyclosporin. His feet were much better within a couple of weeks and by 30 days had

    cleared completely. He stayed on twice a week cyclosporin for over a year, then weaned back to once a week, then at that low dose, I started to forget

    and eventually he wasn't taking it at all. Knock on wood, those lesions have never come back.

     

    I'd continue wish your vet's recommendations for the time being, but if you get really desperate in the future, it's something to consider.

     

    Best wishes for Ken, I know from bitter experience how frustrating treating feet can be.

    Again, cyclosporin sounds like a useful remedy to bear in mind - thank you!

     

    Mama Seabird had 2 toes that had something like that. The oral antibiotics did not work but a spray on containing Triclosan did pretty much fix it. I would spray it on for a week or so-making sure it got around the nail good. The inflammation etc would go away; after a week or so sometimes a dry black scab like stuff would come off; and then she would be fine for quite a while. It only flared back up every blue moon and always resolved quickly with the triclosan spray. The product I used to use is not on the market any more(I think it probably worked too good) but maybe your vet would know of another product that contains the triclosan.

    Triclosan - I will remember that too. Many thanks! GTers are the best!

    Nail Bed Infections - Any Experience? Guidance?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Ken has this problem unfortunately, not for the first time, and I am wondering if any kind GTers can provide advice or guidance to help get him sorted out.

     

    I know that when he first came into the greyhound rescue in April 2015 his feet were in a very poor way, with inflamed and bleeding nail beds. The rescue thought this was probably as a result of having been left kenneled on wet bedding :(. It took several visits to a specialist greyhound vet and a course of pretty hefty antibiotics (antirobin) before it was sorted out. I met and adopted him just after that.

     

    I have always kept a careful eye on his feet - he was understandably touchy about having them handled initially but with time and patience that has improved. They are quite long and flat, compared to Doc's neat little 'hare feet'. Initially his nails were also very long, though I have now managed to reduce them to a more respectable length with a nail grinder.

     

    For a long time we had no problems but a few weeks ago I noticed some of the nail beds starting to flare up again - after we had some very wet weather, which probably didn't help. Initially I tried treating them myself, cleaning them with TCP solution and then applying Sudocrem, but when that didn't help we went to see the vet. On his advice I have for the last ten days been bathing Ken's feet twice daily in a solution of Hibiscrub and then treating the affected beds with Surolan cream. I should add perhaps that the vet also suspects that Ken has some arthritis in his shoulders, and prescribed him a short course of Carprieve (anti-inflammatory) but wanted to try and sort out the foot infection with antibiotics before taking any xrays, etc.

     

    We went back today because Ken had started limping. It turned out that while the nail beds I have been treating with Surolan have improved, another couple had decided to flare up. So the vet's given us an eight-day course of an oral antibiotic (Clindacyl) to take while I continue with the Hibiscrub and Surolan.

     

    I should add that the vet also suspects that Ken has some arthritis in his shoulders, and prescribed him a short course of Carprieve (anti-inflammatory) on his first visit, which does seem to have helped with movement in that area. He would like to investigate further but wants to try and sort out the foot infection before taking any xrays, etc. I'll speak to him again at the end of next week to report progress and we'll take it from there. I confessed to him that I'd been worrying about the possibility of bone cancer, but given Ken's otherwise good health (weight, heart, temperature, appetite, digestion and general demeanour all as normal) and the specific location of his pain he thought this highly unlikely.

     

    I trust his opinion, so it's really the nail bed infection that I'm after advice about right now. I am beginning to suspect that this may be something poor Ken will always be susceptible to, but jjust wondered if anyone else had experienced this problem and had any advice to give. It would be nice to think we could sort it out for good and all :).

     

    Chasing Small Animals While On Lead.

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Hopefully they will become less exciting as they become more familiar!

     

    Meanwhile you can help the process along by being vigilant and learning to spot the critters before she does. Then stand firm and say to her 'oh look- squirrel!' or whatever in a pleased voice. Allow her to watch for a bit, if you like, but not chase. Praise and treat her as she learns to stay calm. The more you do it the easier it gets.

     

    I found this worked well for on-lead walks with Doc and now Ken when I first adopted them, and they wanted to chase any thing that moved. They soon learnt that this was no go, at least while on the lead.

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