silverfish

The only advice I have is that sometimes the dog who was there first is favoured over the newcomer, despite their natural feelings. In other words, if Stella is going to be higher in the pecking order than Greta, and you're favouring Greta because she's been with you the longest and you see her as the 'senior' dog (not just in years), then you may be making the situation worse, without realising it. Have a think about whether that could be the case. If so, try to be more balanced with your attention and the way you treat them both. In some circumstances it's worth actually favouring the new dog - giving treats first, letting them choose their own bed etc - until things have settled down. But yes - most definitely muzzle or separate when you're not there to supervise. Things can escalate, especially if neither dog is sure of their position yet.

Very sorry to hear this. Rest in peace, Shawn.

That has been our experience too, and ours are the same with not rushing out when leashed up, but waiting for us to step out first. I've taught them the 'Wait!' command and they know 'Uh-uh!' which means 'stop what you're doing immediately'. We have had one or two who wanted to bolt out of the door when we first took them on, but with training they stopped doing it. Now, though they can be a pain wanting to greet visitors before they're actually inside, they don't run out. On the rare occasions when they did get over-enthusiastic and get out to greet someone, a word has called them back in with no problem. They don't take off running. I'd say my two are not much different to any other breed with regard to open doors. We don't take stupid risks, and tradesmen are always told that if they let my dogs out they might find themselves going home missing bits of themselves (JK), but really and truly it's not something we need to be paranoid about day to day. Of course, our door doesn't face anything interesting. It may be a different matter if you have a door which opens to a vista of woods and deer, rabbits, etc. If ours poke their noses out they can see cars passing, maybe people walking, the occasional dog, but nothing they might want to chase. It makes sense to be overcautious at first, till you see what you're dealing with and how trainable/settled/calm your particular dog is - at first it's probably worth assuming they WILL run out. Then assess your own situation carefully and go from there. I have to say that there are many other breeds which are more easily trained to keep themselves safe than sighthounds are, but sighthounds are incredibly rewarding, and also very peaceful and calming dogs to have around. You don't find many who get under your feet all the time or who are constantly on the move, as (for instance) terriers are, or who need your attention all day. OK, at first you may well find you have a velcro dog who follows you everywhere (including the toilet) but as they settle they generally stop doing that quite quickly!

DogLeggs do hock supports but I doubt they are comfortable for running in and could potentially cause problems of their own with rubbing. I would use VetWrap and swallow the expense. If it's no more than slight scrapes, I agree with Cleptogrey, let him run without - I think it's worth at least giving them the chance to learn to take better care of themselves! If it's to do with the surfaces at the dog park, maybe try to find a different one?

Let us know how she does. Poor sweetheart.

'Lay down' is the first thing I teach my new hounds, using this method. I believe it's called 'capturing the behaviour'. You can use it for anything that they do naturally - I've taught all of mine to bark on command using it, too, and also 'quiet', though that is harder for them. You can also teach 'wait' by capturing the behaviour, naming what they're doing and rewarding it. None of mine would lay down if you were holding a treat, either. I just carried on capturing and naming and rewarding until I thought they'd made the connection, and then I'd name the behaviour as they were thinking about doing it. If they carried on and did the lay, down (or whatever) they got the treat, if they didn't, no treat. Might take a bit longer than a few hours, but what's the hurry?

The pheromone diffuser may be what she needs right now. You can also get a collar to put on her when she leaves her home. Can't hurt, might work magic! Good luck!

I'd give him whatever he'll eat for now. He's probably not used to raw and some take a while to accept it (as you probably know). Leaving that for a little while will remove one stressor for him.

Oh... that first picture made my eyes leak ... what a gorgeous, sweet old face! I can imagine how terrified the poor old gentleman must have been. Hard to see from the way he is lying, but his general condition looks good, from what I can see. Do you know who he was (racing name)? He's very handsome and alert, isn't he? Welcome home, Benny!! You're going to love your new home!

She does, but it could be that this one overwhelming fear is making her avoid the situation by refusing to go out at all ... that was my thinking. Normally, I'd suggest going to places where the scary thing happens but keeping a long, long way away - beyond the distance which would trigger the fear. But poor River doesn't seem to have a safe distance at the moment. I do agree that the only thing to suggest about walks is that they bundle her into the car and take her somewhere where there is no traffic noise and no possibility of noisy equipment, just for the time being. But I don't know how practical that is. You're also right that because River's people are novices it might be wise to ask for help. It's great that you managed to de-sensitise Lilly so thoroughly! Just shows it can be done, huh?

Oh, poor Eddi ... I agree. She is probably confused and grieving, poor soul. She also clearly has medical issues and probably some pain. If she has a UTI, she will indeed be very uncomfortable, so that will add to her unhappiness. Give her some time on the whining - she may be a talker - but do get her to the vet ASAP. Let us know how you get on!

If she has one particular specific fear - skateboards - you can try desensitising her, as we are doing with Jeffie and his terror of bouncing footballs. But be warned: it can take a very long time indeed. We have been working with Jeffie for months and he is much improved but he still fears footballs flying through the air. He doesn't buck and leap and try to back out of his collar now, but he is still very afraid of them. What we did with the football fear was to go and buy a football and just place it in the lounge on the floor, and ignore it for a week. Then very gradually, we would just move it with our feet just a few inches, keeping it well away from Jeffie. As time went on and he became used to that, we rolled it nearer and nearer to him, and picked it up and gently touched him with it. When he accepted that without flinching or moving away, we began to bounce it (again well away from him at first). Now we can bounce it to the ceiling indoors, and he doesn't care. it can touch him and he doesn't care. However, although he is very much better about footballs being used outside, he still needs work when they are flying through the air in the park accompanied by whoops and shrieks. If I were you, given River's current state of terror, I would buy one and just place it somewhere in your living space. Don't let it move and don't be in any hurry to progress to the next stage. You must take it at the pace of a sick snail who hasn't slept for a week. By all means work on her normal freezing and walking and stairs issues in the meantime, but IMO, she needs particular help with this one fear. Over time, you can begin to pick it up and put it in a slightly different location, or make it move just an inch or two. Try not to let it make noise in the early stages. Later you can add in a little clack of one wheel by touching it and letting go, etc. You'll probably need to do each stage several times a day for at least a week - but make sure you stop and go back a step if she shows any sign of anxiety and reward her with praise and treats when she copes well. What you do not want to do is make her afraid of her house, so make sure that she has somewhere to go to sleep and to eat where she cannot see or hear the dreaded skateboard. I hope that helps! Oh - and a pheromone collar might help, too - Adaptil do one, don't know the brands in the US anymore.

Personally, though I hate to put the older dogs through anything unnecessary, I really think I'd let the vet take a look. It could be nothing, or it could be so many things: heart, lungs, stomach, pancreas - even liver or kidneys, because if either of those is 'off' it can make the dog feel very sick. Even brain or ear issues can make a dog (or person) feel sick. If you've been using Pepcid for a while without a consultation and it's getting worse so that Pepcid is no longer working, I'm thinking it's time to get one. JMHO. I wouldn't just add omeprazole. It's also possible to cause problems by reducing stomach acid too much so that you get into a vicious cycle - PPIs for people don't have such a bad name for nothing!

Goat's milk - and even cow's milk - will not give pancreatitis to every dog, or even most dogs. In England and Ireland cereal and milk is a traditional breakfast of long standing in greyhound kennels, and we've always given our dogs milk. Funnily enough, the one dog of ours who did get pancreatitis was not given milk (we didn't have her very long) and hers was due to kidney cancer (so the veterinary specialist said). It's always wise to check with vets: mine are quite happy about our dogs having milk, especially goat's milk. It seems to be less contaminated than cow's milk, perhaps because they're less intensively farmed, and in fact that's why I drink it myself. Milk is a valuable source of calcium, and according to what I've read, pet dogs are often lacking in dietary calcium, especially those who are not fed solely on a high quality commercial food with no tit-bits or special treats or add-ins - which I think is most of them!

I know how you feel. We thought we would lose Sid twice - once was when he was put on a painkiller (Vetergesic) which didn't agree with him. I had never seen a dog so miserable, scared and plain 'out of it' and depressed. The vet thought he'd had a stroke. He was back to his usual self after he got it out of his system, thank heavens. The second time was when he was in so much pain with the huge corn on his single back foot and on multiple painkillers. He was so NOT enjoying life and I knew that if we couldn't find the problem and deal with it we'd have to let him go because of the pain and distress he was in. Thank heavens for the vet school that dealt with that for us. You are in such a difficult position. Nobody wants to drag out their beloved dog's existence if there is no joy and no hope, and yet we must not give up too soon if there's a chance we ca help, once a dx is made and the right treatment found. I truly hope that the vet can come up with something very soon to dx and deal with Polly's problems, poor girl.

UMF used to be the only scale/quality check, but other countries (other than NZ) have begun to label their honeys in different ways. UMF simply stands for 'Unique Manuka Factor', but it's been discovered that some rainforest honeys have a similar type of non-peroxide antibacterial activity, so they have started their own grading system - like The Active Honey Company. MGO seems to be a kind of rival manuka honey rating within NZ.

I second that. It would help to clarify if there's a kidney problem or if the protein was not significant/due to something else. High bacteria count in the urine can cause a protein reading.

Yep, females can be as bad, or worse than two competitive males. Everything I said applies just as much to two females - and in fact would also apply to a male and a female given strong personalities. I'd rather have two boys than two girls. But again, some have two or more girls with absolutely no problems. It depends so much on the characters and personalities of the dogs you choose.

Fingers crossed for her tests!! We have a skinny boy who eats more than Sid (who is also in danger of becoming a sausage - and would, if I let him)!

Welcome from England! Our first greyhound was white with brindle patches, like Vinnie. Vinnie looks a bit like him in that third picture - very, very handsome!!

I have two males. They are not really aggressive with each other but are highly competitive. There is a lot of snarking and growling and posturing and sneaky behaviour (trying to get the other one's treats or food, for instance, and trying to get out of the door first). I would agree that it depends on the dogs, but please do not let your desire for the big blue boy colour your judgment when you let them meet. If they seem not to like each other, don't go through with it. If they do seem to like each other and/or seem indifferent to each other, I would give you one piece of advice: do NOT be influenced by your personal preferences or notions of the way things should be, but let the two dogs sort out their own pecking order. It could be that the new boy will be 'in charge' as such and you would only store up trouble by trying to alter that by interfering. You cannot be there every minute of every day to sort out disagreements and if you support the 'underdog' he will continue trying to challenge his housemate when you're not there - this can have serious consequences. So it's important that the two dogs decide for themselves once and for all and then they'll know where they stand. Of course, it could turn out the other way and your existing dog will be the one who seems to be the 'leader', or you could have a situation (as we do) where it depends on the situation. Sometimes one dog will be the 'decider' or 'chooser of the best bed', and sometimes it will be the other.

It might show all kinds of things! Kidney disease, blood disorders, liver disease, infections, endocrine disorders like Cushings, Addisons, diabetes, mineral imbalances ... I feel for you and Polly. It's not easy treating an old dog with multiple problems and a bad mouth that she can't have fixed. I guess what the Doug is really saying isn't 'what would it show' but 'what, realistically, could we do about what it shows'. To me, that is not a good reason for not doing the blood panel. I think we need to know what we are dealing with in order to make the best possible decision - even if that decision ends up being 'do nothing'. Good luck with Polly.

He looks fine, though some would say if you can see that much of the hip pointers he is underweight. Having said that ... If I used that analogy for Sid he'd certainly be fat! He is an odd build, but then quite a few of our greyhounds don't conform to the 'norm'.

Great news!

I agree, she could do with a little more weight. Some pups do run a bit thin, and she's only ten months, but I would definitely offer her more food and see how you go. The bowed head thing, it could be submissive, or she could simply be politely asking for affection. What does she do if you pet her? Some greyhounds will do this and stand quietly while you pet them, and then if you stop they'll nudge you with their head to ask you to continue.