DocsDoctor
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You could ask his current owners if there is anything he especially likes? Otherwise I'd say try a few different things to begin with, until you know his tastes, and just in small quantities until you know what his digestion can cope with. My Doc loves anything meaty, cheesy or fishy, but spits out biscuit treats and dog choc drops. I found very small cubes of hard cheese (cheddar, size of my little fingernail) worked well for training for us but they don't suit some dogs stomachs. Little bits of cooked chicken or hot dog would be another idea. For big treats, raw chicken wings, dried tripe sticks and pigs ears are popular here but I think there may be a problem with contaminated pigs ears in the US. Anyway I expect some US Greytalkers will be along soon with other ideas for you.
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What a handsome chap! It sounds as if the trial is going well, so I hope it all works out!
Love! Love! Love!
Not that you want an unsolicited opinion.....
but I would name him Goliath....if I were so lucky!
I hope it all works out...
I think Goliath is a great name - some other unsolicited ideas that popped into my head when I saw him, on the giants/heavyweights theme: Hercules, Samson, Cassius (for Cassius Clay/Muhammed Ali)!
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I love my oldies, medical issues and all. They can be expensive, messy, obstinate and contrary, and to many people they don't look pretty anymore. I usually don't notice the moth-eaten fur and so on, but I think I'm in the minority. It's very sad, but I see very few really old dogs out and about.
This struck a chord, though Doc at 13.5 still looks pretty good until one sees him move. He is arthritic, and wobbly, but he still looks forward to walks 3 times a day -even if they only last 5-10 minutes now. As we totter along
I fairly regularly have to explain to people we meet that yes, he is an old chap, a wobbly chap, but also a happy chap - and that getting out is an important part of that, both for his morale and to prevent his joints seizing up. And when we are back at home he still eats like a horse
, and romps with his teddy bear, and wags his tail. These are things he has always done, but like others I have noticed a new depth to his love. He loves more than ever to be cuddled, and sung to (even though I don't sing well!), and each evening after dinner now he comes and settles on the rug beside me on the chaise longue - something he did very rarely in his youth.Goodness knows how much longer he has got. The vet told me 'I think he will let you know when he has had enough', which I would hope is true. It is painful to see him getting weaker, but I am also happy that for now I can continue to watch him carefully, keep on doling out his medications, and experience his excitement still each morning when I come downstairs and another new day begins
. Well that's enough, especially as I can hear him squeaking about a lunchtime walk from downstairs! Cherish your oldies, everybody!
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You are in the UK I take it? There are lots of different supplements available for arthritis, though I haven't heard of that particular one. Doc takes on one called Stride - as recommended by our vet, who had used it for his own old dog - and it does seem to help though by now at 13 and a half he is rather a wobbly old boy. If your current one isn't helping by now I would definitely try something different - with the Stride the vet advised me it would take 3-4 weeks to take full effect, though I could see it beginning to help before that. Here's a link if you want to check it out: http://www.vetuk.co.uk/joint-supplement-powders-stride-powder-c-5_4_2004_2013/stride-glucosamine-chondroitin-msm-500g-powder-p-2579
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Such a pretty girl, I send you many condolences on her loss
Run free, Betty Joan!
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Just give her a bit more time. Life with you is still quite new and rather strange, to her. Some activities I would suggest to help with bonding:
- Walks exploring the neighbourhood, which you already know she enjoys.
- Daily grooming -see if you can get a 'hound glove' which will is probably what will have been used on her in the past. They slip over your hand and are made of rubber and sisal, and will give her a bit of a pleasurable massage as well as grooming her coat effectively.
- You can also start teaching her the commands she needs to keep her safe - come, stay, sit if you like though this may be more difficult as greyhounds are not really designed to sit. Use some special delightful smelly treats which appear only at that time, e.g. small bits of cheese or hot dog, and keep the sessions short - just a few minutes.
- In time the two of you might also enjoy attending some mixed- breed general obedience classes with a good (rewards-based) trainer, but I'd leave that a couple more months until she's more settled in. Meanwhile I would avoid the dog park - too much, too soon, may kick off her prey drive and all too easily end in tears. In fact I know many US posters avoid them always (we don't have them here in the UK).
- But do start introducing her to some nice wellmannered dogs in your neighbourhood - on leash, doing a bit of parallel walking. Remember she has probably not met other dog breeds before and will take a bit of time to adjust to them and learn their body language.
I'm pretty confident that soon she will start wagging her tail and doing some greyhound zoomies, even if she doesn't want to play with toys (not all greyhounds do). With Doc a couple of months in he became much more comfortable and started 'testing the boundaries'. I can still remember the expression on his face when I turned round and found him, much to my surprise, up on the chaise longue. I was hard put to it not to laugh as I adopted a stern voice and ordered him off. (It's fine to let dogs on the furniture btw if you want to, I didn't as there was never going to be room for two!).
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Is there somewhere you can walk where you can regularly see horses and pass them, to get him more used to them before you start on the full-on experience of a stable yard or horse show? Like others I think it only responsible to keep my dog leashed around horses always, other livestock too. When Doc was younger and fitter we used to walk in Richmond Park, which has horse riders and herds of deer, and also occasionally the New Forest which has wild ponies, deer and pigs in the pannage season. He is a dog with a strong prey drive but I will say that they didn't kick this off when they were close up - only when they were 'small and far away' (to quote Father Ted).
Here Doc demonstrates how to meet a Shetland pony safely. This was on a walk in Wales and they were both definitely curious about each other! The pony looks even smaller than it was, as the field was on a slightly lower level than the path.
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I expect it depends on the dog. With Doc (a confident soul) a rumbling stomach and diarrhoea indicates that he has eaten something that is now disagreeing with him. Or, on a couple of occasions, that he has worms. Could she need worming?
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I'm very sorry for your loss. What a character he was! Run free, Huston.
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How old is George? Bear in mind that this area of the spine works like a big hinge, opening and shutting as the dog gallops, so is always likely to be the first to experience wear and tear. Possibilities going through my mind would include a pinched nerve, a pulled muscle or compressed vertebrae.
Anyway, yes, a couple of years ago Doc was evidently in severe pain in his lumbar/hip area. X-rays revealed a couple of compressed vertebral disc spaces there, and some associated symptoms of arthritis (bone spurs). His right hip was especially painful and the vet thought something was probably pinching a nerve there, though that obviously wouldn't show up on the x-rays. He was so miserable that I remember saying to her as we stood in the surgery 'if we can't sort this out PDQ we must put him to sleep'. But happily he responded very well to rest, painkillers (tramadol) and anti-inflammatories (metacam).
He was ten or eleven then, and is thirteen and a half now. The problem hasn't gone away, and indeed a second x-ray a year or so later revealed some calcification of the vertebrae in his shoulder area, now that he was taking more weight on his front end as he moved. He is now on gabapentin as well as tramadol, and the metacam has been swopped for a small daily dose of PLT, which worried me initially (it is a steroid) but he seems to tolerate it well. He remains a very happy old chap, eating well, romping with his teddy bear and enjoying short walks.
He also takes various supplements and enjoys a home visit from a veterinary physiotherapist every couple of weeks - she massages and manipulates him and gives him some cold laser therapy too. In between we do various daily exercises to keep everything moving. After he was first diagnosed he also did a course of hydrotherapy, on a water treadmill at the vet's - good for rebuilding muscle though he didn't enjoy it much!
That is a formidably long list I realise, but depending on your dog's diagnosis some or all of it may be helpful for giving you ideas. If it is a muscle/ nerve issue I would certainly recommend finding someone like our veterinary physio, who knows her way round a greyhound's body (she helps out at our greyhound adoption kennels, which is how I found her). There are also chiropractors but in the UK at least I am wary of those - their qualifications are less well recognised and their treatments more drastic.
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Off topic - but looking at the greyhound-data site - DocsDoctor - did you update the photos and bio on there? very cool
I did, after joining their forum. But it was a while back, and I think that now security has been tightened up and you would need to be an 'authorised' user to make any changes. If you emailed the Greyhound-Data folk with your photos and details, I'm sure they'd do it for you - they like their records to be up to date!
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Adding on to the last, here are three games that I used to help teach Doc a recall while out on walks:
1. Greyhound catch. This requires a second person, and some excellent treats. One holds the dog, the other walks to a distance. First person releases the dog when the second one calls. Dog comes and is rewarded with a treat. First person then calls the dog back, and gives him another treat. With practice this can be built up by increasing the distance, adding distractions like other dogs, etc.
2. Hide and seek. Wait till your dog's attention is elsewhere, then hide behind a tree. Wait until he notices. and begins to worry. Then call him, again rewarding him with a treat. Use this one with discretion as with practice your dog may get the idea so well that he starts hiding himself in his turn (known in this household as 'you fool me, me fool you').
3. Not exactly a game, but for the times when you have his attention but he's not yet convinced it will be worth his while returning. (This tends to be an issue with sighthounds, as they were bred to hunt independently, not retrieve game or whatever.) Stoop down, and get terribly excited about some small moving 'creature' you have discovered in the grass. He will probably come running over, to help you check it out....
Does your dog have a strong prey drive? Because if so, you need to regain his attention before that kicks in - otherwise it is more or less impossible. With Doc I got awfully good at 'thinking sighthound', scanning the horizon and spotting the squirrels etc before he did. Otherwise once his ears went up I had just a split second to say 'Doc!' and regain his attention - otherwise he would be gone, galloping at full stretch. (He is a wobbly old chap of thirteen and a half now so all this is no longer an issue.)
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I have a 13 year old too, and would advise blocking off the living room - you will both sleep better.
I went through a similar thing with Doc a couple of years back, when the vet told me he shouldn't do stairs any more because of his dodgy back. I was worried about whether he would settle on his own downstairs, but she said to me 'You know what? You are worrying about this much more than he will. Just make sure he has a super-comfortable bed downstairs, give him a nice treat, say goodnight, and go up. You might have to block the stairs for a night or so, but I promise you, within a week he will have forgotten all about trying to come upstairs.' She was quite right
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With many many sympathies for your sudden loss.
Run free, dear Morty - knowing how well you were loved and cared for
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I add a tiny bit of (relatively low grade) manuka honey to Doc's dinner each day, in the belief that it helps the old chap's digestive health and immune system.
As Hawthorn says, if you are giving it as a treat, bear in mind that it is basically sugar, and don't overdo it!
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Poor chap, he does sound nervy still! John F's suggestions sound good, I do think oatflakes (as above) might help too - they are said to have a calming effect on the nerves as well as helping with digestion.
He is lucky to have you now and I am sure with time, patience and calm surroundings everything will settle down in due course. If you can establish a fairly regular routine for feeding, walks, etc that will help too. Bear in mind that his kennel life would have been quite regimented, and for a nervous dog in particular it is reassuring to know what to expect and when each day!
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It's normal for poos to get softer as a walk progresses - the exercise loosens everything up - but you don't want it to get to the water stage.
I doubt it's stress by now, unless that is manifesting itself in other ways too - is he an anxious sort of dog, would you say? Or a typical laidback greyhound?
And is he a keen marker? Sometimes dogs will use poo as well as pee to mark - could he be squeezing a last poo out on walks just to show that 'Kilroy woz ere', as it were? I have certainly known Doc do that.
Somebody suggested trying adding a bit of oatmeal to his food. Here in the UK I would try getting just a bag of porridge oats from the supermarket, and mixing a tablespoon or so of the raw flakes into each meal.
I also wonder if you could be feeding him more than he needs - in which case undigested food will probably be making his poo look rather yellow - or if the canned food maybe doesn't suit him?
If none of that helps, I would try worming again.
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Amber, if you're anywhere near Hillingdon or Uxbridge there's a vet called Daniel Doherty who is a greyhound specialist and has apparently devised a highly successful, non-invasive method of corn removal.
Here's a link to a thread about corns on the Greyhound Gap forum, mentioning Daniel Doherty: http://greyhoundgap.proboards.com/thread/59496
And to his surgery website:http://www.myvet24-7.co.uk/about-us/
I've not used him myself, being carless and on the wrong side of London, but quite a few adopters from our local greyhound rescue rate him highly enough to make the trek up to Middlesex!
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Winnie is very pretty! I'm sure the vet's would be happy for you to pop in just to weigh her - our vet will always let us do this, though I do ring first to check that the scales will be available, as they are kept in the consulting room. Ask the vet nurses to make a bit of a fuss of her too, and give her a treat - that will encourage her to see the vet's as a nice place to visit again. The first thing my old chap does when we go into the consulting room is look for the jar of liver treats on the counter!
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I do think their digestions change with age, and it is worth a bit of experimentation to accommodate this. Doc was always a bit 'meh' about breakfast, but ready to eat by lunchtime. So for years his regime was a small lunch in the middle of the day, and a large dinner around 6 p.m. But now he is 13 he prefers equally-sized portions at those two meals, and may not always finish his dinner - in which case I keep the leftovers, and offer them to him for breakfast - when they will get gobbled up! That is fine by me, on the principal that more, smaller meals add interest to his life and seem easier for him to digest. So it might be worth experimenting a bit with portions/timings for your girl too.
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I am sorry, it sounds as if you have both been having a rough time. But if he is eating well that is a good sign - I am sure he is much happier back home and with you than when he was at the hospital, and that can only help with his recovery
. Drinking lots is probably good too - helping flush any nasties out of his system. Hang on in there, and order in more pizza for both of you if that's what you fancy! And please give your brave boy a little kiss from me.
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It'd be helpful to teach her to wee/poo on command. I use 'get busy' for Doc to get him to poo on walks (as he is a male and heavily into marking on our walks there was never any need for a wee command!). I began this process by capturing and rewarding the action - i.e. as he squatted to poo saying 'get busy', and telling him he was a good boy and maybe giving a small treat as a reward afterwards.
Also - it sounds to me as if the pair of you need to work on her leash manners. How long have you had her? She should know that when you say 'come along', she needs to do just that, not keep sniffing. I hasten to add that this is not best achieved by pulling/dragging! Rather keep an eye open for food debris/ another hazard (with Doc it was cats or squirrels!) so you spot it before she does - and avoid it. You set the route, and the pace. Use your voice, as well as the leash -a cheerful no-nonsense 'jolly hockey sticks' tone works wonders. And hopefully you have already taught her a leave command, at home? That is absolutely basic to any dog's safety, just in case it does get into something dangerous. If not search on here for 'trading up' (i.e. getting the dog to give up some forbidden delight by offering something even better.)
Of course you don't need to proceed at a route march the whole time on your walks. Again with Doc he got to know that we would walk briskly to the park, pausing briefly for him to mark in the same few places, and then once we there he could wander around, check trees, etc etc. (These days he is 13 and arthritic so all walks are more of a potter!)
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I have no experience of flax seed, but slippery elm bark powder has worked well here, for an irritated stomach lining. But like GreyTzu I would worm as well.
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These are not exactly 'sprinkles' but are popular add-ins for my skinny old chap: a couple of lightly-scrambled eggs; a portion of chicken boiled up in water then stripped off the bone, with the broth; a small tin of lovely smelly sardines (I think in the US you can also get something called jack mackerel which is even smellier?!); frozen green tripe (again I think you can get pure canned tripe in the US?); a bit of raw beef mince - cheaper fatty stuff is fine; left-over human soup or stew, if not too highly seasoned.
I find extra protein works better than extra carbs or fats for adding/keeping on weight - and the vet told me it's the easiest for them to metabolise.
I fairly regularly have to explain to people we meet that yes, he is an old chap, a wobbly chap, but also a happy chap - and that getting out is an important part of that, both for his morale and to prevent his joints seizing up. 
, and romps with his teddy bear, and wags his tail. These are things he has always done, but like others I have noticed a new depth to his love. He loves more than ever to be cuddled, and sung to (even though I don't sing well!), and each evening after dinner now he comes and settles on the rug beside me on the chaise longue - something he did very rarely in his youth.
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Joint Aid Supplement
in Food and dietary discussion
Posted
Jointaid is a well known brand here in the UK, where I think Matt B is also based? I've not used it myself, Doc gets Stride powder which is similar, and was recommended by our vet who had used it on his own elderly dog to good effect:http://www.viovet.co.uk/Stride_for_Dogs/c394/?sct_t=1428853671&sct_q=stride&sct_r=1