juliemac

I'm of the "let them be a dog" school, and since "painful limp" is a phrase that causes my heart to stop, I would make sure I worked with my vet to have guidelines to know when to bring a hound in for further evaluation. Good luck with your sweetheart.

OK ... the good news is that it is something that is IDENTIFIED and temporary. You're going to have a rough few weeks, but how wonderful that you're also going to have years to enjoy each other after this is all over & done with. I'm so relieved for you both. Keep us updated on the surgery!!

praying for you little girl!

prayers for a long life together ... and some good news tomorrow.

I stopped traveling with my (now angel) hounds when they were 12.5 ... mostly because we were going to events that required a lot more walking than either of them enjoyed. If you're traveling to something that your hounds will not be stressed at, I would enjoy every moment together than you have. I would, however, do some additional planning. I'm guessing that you already travel with all pertinent medical records and documentation about special bloodwork values for greyhounds. I would look for emergency vets along the route in case I needed medical help, and would actually reach out to Greytalk members who might be near the travel route for additional help & support. Since you can't see your girlie while driving, I might consider getting a baby monitor to hear the back of the vehicle. And since she seems to have trouble getting comfortable, I've purchased orthopedic foam for my hounds to have more support without having too much difficulty climbing out of the bed (I found Serta orthopedic beds with bolsters online about a year ago ... great additions when the slumber balls were just 'too much'). When I was traveling with my seniors, I made sure I had extra meds and scrumptious nibbles for my picky eaters (and gas generators). good luck!

I'm so very sorry.

Hi everyone! I didn't want to hijack the other worm thread, but do apologize for another wormy discussion! I just adopted my newest 2 greys last Saturday, and one of them has confirmed hookworms (I found a note in her records that she had them back in Nov2016, so clearly they weren't erradicated). Both hounds are now dosed with Drontal Plus, but since I was unaware of the issue, I only picked up the yard twice in the last week. Can anyone help me understand how bad my risk is for having contaminated the soil? I often have visitors, and wanted to know if I need to quarantine the yard for the next few months. sigh. thanks!

To prepare it yourself ... pull out your crockpot. Put double the amount of liquid that your rice calls for (I use a mixture of broth and water, since that gives some flavor). I also like to add some basic italian seasoning (because I don't think bland has to be tasteless). Add your protein and cook on low overnight. You can use whole proteins (e.g., skinless chicken on the bone) to save money. The chicken will fall right off the bone after 8 hours in the crockpot, or if you cook it for 16 hours, you'll probably see that most of the bones will be crushable with your fingers and then they can be left in the mix (pick out any hard/sharp ones, though!) The rice will fully cook and will absorb as much liquid as it can hold, leaving you with a soupy consistency (which is just fine, and will make it a bit easier to transition back to kibble). I used to cook food for Riley, and I cooked volumes of protein this way -- i'd fill the crock pot with 4-5 # of chicken or beef with organs (livers, hearts) and then freeze the cooked meat in smaller portions, which I mixed with other items (veggies, bone meal, etc) to make a balanced diet. For temporary diet, though, the organ meat and other items are less critical. You may find that adding Olewo carrots, Olewo beets, or canned pumpkin to the mixture will help firm up soft stools faster. Good luck!

how lovely that you've opened up his world to all of these exciting, fun things to see & greet! Sounds just perfect start to your relationship, and I can't wait to hear how things change over the next 3-6 months!

Thank you all for your advice! I am getting ready to adopt two retired girlies in the next week (yippee!) and I thought i would consider insurance for these 2 hounds. how lucky to find an active thread on the topic!

oh my ... I think I'm glad to hear this (but not as much as you!)

woohoo! Congratulations! And watch your posts ... once you hit 50, you can post pictures for us to see!

Sing for us, too, Jan!

sounds like he's doing quite well. If he's food motivated, you could sprinkle a few treats throughout his 'safe' room for him to have something to do for a few more minutes beyond the end of the kong. I also freeze the kongs (fill them the night before and tuck them in the freezer) ... it takes another 2-3-4 minutes to finish the treat. If you think he's upset, though, you may need to leave a tv on rather than the radio ... the sound of voices seemed to calm my Riley more than the radio (I just hated that he learned to dial QVC and order packages while I was gone, though).

i'm so very sorry ... Egypt, you were loved!!

Belle was so lucky to share her last weeks with you, being loved and spoiled. i'm so very sorry it wasn't longer.

fans from afar ... enjoy every minute together!!

lovely -- thank you for the greyt update!

Can I ask how the appointment went? I'm so sorry that you're having to make such decisions. Please keep remembering that whatever decision you make, it is the RIGHT one for you and your new pup. And under ALL circumstances, Belle will spend her last days knowing that's she's loved.

Enjoy having a boy visitor! You might ask to borrow a belly band for him in case he likes to mark ... and hopefully Lily will enjoy the company and familiarity of having a 4-legged friend!

My (now angel) seniors didn't like raw diet even though they had liked it when they were younger. My boy Riley needed his food cooked medium, while Baby preferred medium rare. (sigh). good luck!

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost Riley 6 weeks ago, and 3 other greys before him. Only one of those lovely animals would have benefited from early ultrasounds, but ONLY if we had caught "the right spot". In fact, Picadilly had bone cancer of her spinal column, and even though she had shown signs for several months that she didn't like even medium length walks, the vets couldn't find anything wrong (until he did, and then i had 2 weeks with her). Picadilly was 3 weeks shy of her 5th birthday, so even if I started a regimen of regular testing of "seniors", I wouldn't have started the practice. Gosh I pray for a cure ... or a vaccine or even an early indicator!

Such good news -- I'm so glad for both of you! I hope you get some relief and/or answers soon, and that your event (next week?) is fun for all!

Welcome to Greytalk! We're here to answer your questions, so please keep asking (and don't expect us all to agree ... perhaps the understatement of the year). You might enjoy writing down these questions (and taking a picture of Magic) and building a scrapbook ... you'll probably enjoy looking at it on her 10th birthday, and it would probably be a nice pictorial to share with future adopters if you decide to become active in Meet & Greets. And when you get enough posts (I think you need 50), make sure to post pictures, please <its the RULE! )

Welcome to Greytalk! I​ personally would work with the group that you enjoy more ... I personally found that the relationships I built with the human caregivers for the greys was invaluable (especially when you want to talk about POOP, which all greyhound owners seem fascinated with). If you decide that you have a strong preference, I would bet that the group you choose to work with can help you achieve your goal (maybe a bit harder for a group that doesn't foster to find you a foster family unless you take a bounce, but still do-able). Please also remember the RULES when you do adopt pictures are required!