silverfish

Mine have had all that (except the Chinese, since we simply don't eat it ourselves) but only as add-ins. Dogs are naturally scavengers, so it shouldn't surprise anyone too much that they can do well on 'leftovers'. Trouble is that as a permanent thing, unless you know your nutrition, they are going to suffer long-term from deficiencies/metabolic imbalances, and the vulnerable ones - as you say - will suffer gut upsets and maybe pancreatitis. But it's interesting to bear in mind that in the past most pet dogs (here in England at least) were always fed that way - nobody bought 'dog food', they just fed the family dog with whatever they had handy. I'm not even sure how long 'dog food' as such has been around - but of course, in the days before 'dog food' was available we didn't eat the way we eat now, and there was no fast food. AFAIK it's where the expression 'As fit as a butcher's dog' comes from, because on that kind of diet the only dogs that were truly fit were working dogs (which were usually fed better) or the butcher's dog, because the scraps the butcher's dog ate tended to be leftover meat scraps, including the 'non-organ' innards, etc, and raw bones. They were doing 'BARF' long before we were!

The only other thing I'd be asking is why Optimus has these episodes only while staying with your brother. I'm just wondering ... not if your brother is neglectful, but if there is a source of some kind of poison which could mimic an ischemic attack. Many which act neurologically could, in theory cause vestibular-like symptoms. Is there anything at your brother's house which is not at yours, and could cause this if eaten? Human drugs, plants, glues, fumes, etc .. What houseplants does he have? Does he use any of the older rodenticides like Bromethalin? If the answer to all those is negative, well, I agree with the others. Many dogs have vestibular episodes and recover. Some have repeated episodes and recover, then relapse. If it's a stroke or a tumour, all you can do is take the best advice you can, do what you can, and hope for the best. I really hope it's not a tumour.

The only other thing I'd be asking is why Optimus has these episodes only while staying with your brother. I'm just wondering ... not if your brother is neglectful, but if there is a source of some kind of poison which could mimic an ischemic attack. Many which act neurologically could, in theory. Is there anything at your brother's house which is not at yours, and could cause this if eaten? Human drugs, plants, glues, fumes, etc .. What houseplants does he have? Does he use any of the older rodenticides like Bromethalin? If the answer to all those is negative, well, I agree with the others. Many dogs have vestibular episodes and recover. Some have repeated episodes and recover, then relapse. If it's a stroke or a tumour, all you can do is take the best advice you can, do what you can, and hope for the best. I really hope it's not a tumour.

Here's a link to the short piece I wrote for our adoption kennel about separation anxiety and how you might begin to deal with it. Click here. I'm afraid it's on Facebook, which is where our member's group is. Or you can find it here. I'm afraid there is no easy, quick-fix. Alone training takes time and it takes effort, but in my experience it works very well. If it doesn't work within a week or two, you have a more serious problem and should consult an expert - a vet for anti-anxiety meds, maybe, but certainly a good behaviourist. One who doesn't use the old-fashioned 'dominance theory' stuff which will do more harm than good. Training should always be gentle and patient, and kind. Bottom line is that some dogs do much better with a companion, although it's fair to say that it doesn't fix every case of separation anxiety.

Great update! So glad she's improving! Try hiding the antibiotics in something strong-tasting like Milano salami - this is one of the less spicy ones (we get it from Sainsbury's) and it's sticky so it doesn't fall off the pills if you fold it over & squeeze it round them. Not the healthiest treat perhaps, but it works for us.

But yes, best to check, because some do, and calcium interferes with the absorption of a number of them including some that I take. I have to be careful not to take antacids within an hour or so of taking my little arsenal of medications. Also, many vets over here would be pretty annoyed if we started giving over the counter meds to our dogs while they were on something they'd prescribed, unfortunately. I think our laws are different on this one. But back to the original question: Sid has had a similar reaction to Cephalexin. It wasn't an acid problem, but more that it completely wiped out his gut flora. He had colitis within a few days which resulted in much screaming as he tried to produce goopey, liquid, bloody diarrhoea. Now, we always ask for some Protexin Pro-Fibre pellets to give alongside any strong antibiotics and that does the trick. If Chancey isn't eating at all at the moment, the vet should have it (or something similar) in paste form in a syringe that you can squirt in the mouth.

Are you sure you have the right dog? That is only a half-joking question. There have been mix-ups before during transport and distribution. Before you assume he hasn't learned anything, check his tattoos. After that, well, sometimes if a dog hasn't been taught thoroughly, they will know these commands but only seem able to apply them in the place where they were taught. The classic example of this is when a dog is taken out of the house - perhaps to visit another house with his owner - and won't 'show off' his party tricks. This is because the dog only thinks that (for example) 'sit' means 'place your hind end on the ground while keeping the front of yourself upright' when the command is spoken in the large, blue room with the stripey sofa and the birdcage in the corner, and has no idea he is supposed to do the same thing everywhere. But I agree with those who said that you can't rush into training with a new dog. You need to take time to bond a little with them first and gain their trust. But I definitely wouldn't use any kind of force, and 'capturing' will probably be the way to go, here. If he really has been taught the basics, all you'd be doing is reminding him and reinforcing what he already knows - perhaps also teaching him that the commands he has learned are to be applied everywhere that he hears those same words spoken.

You should be able to hotlink a picture if you have something like Photobucket or Flickr. Yes, the gallery here is for subscribers only (I believe) but you are already a member - you have a name and a profile - so you should be able to hotlink.

This is basically the way I look at it. You've not had her very long and it could be that she has yet to come out of her shell and really show you what motivates her. Having said that, different things motivate different dogs - and it's true that some are really difficult to motivate at all. I had one who wouldn't work for food, but she'd work for praise and the touch of a hand on her. She adored being touched above all else. My Jeffie is the same; out on a walk I am training Sid to come or wait etc with food treats, but Jeffie won't touch them while we're out. However, a hand on his shoulder to tell him he's done well has him practically drooling with pleasure. I don't let Jeff off the lead for that reason, among others (he's also half blind, elderly and he's inclined to panic if something scares him). Clicker training may work for your girl because the sound of the clicker is its own reward, once you have trained them to think so. Of course, you still have to find a way to teach them this in the first place, but if she is one of those who will work for the pleasure of being stroked, or an ear rub, a toy, or a really high-value treat (about which, more later) it can be done. Another thing to bear in mind is that many greyhounds find the noise too much at first, even on the lower setting. What you do then is to wrap your hand (holding the clicker) in a towel and hold it behind your back. This will muffle the noise enough that you can get through the first teaching phase and onto the good part. All the dogs I've used the clicker with got used to the loud CRACK it makes really quite quickly, even the ones who hi-tailed it out of the room at first. High value treats. That's quite a list you've tried! I can only suggest you keep trying. Don't buy stuff specially for her, but keep an eye on her when you are preparing food for yourself. Two things that even Jeffie finds irresistible are Italian prosciutto crudo and warm, cooked sausages - the ordinary 'pork butcher' type of sausage. If they have yeast and garlic in them, so much the better. Watch her reaction when you're cooking and see if you can spot a flicker of interest. If so, try her with a little piece. The other thing to remember is that training treats are to be kept ONLY for training sessions. If you give her that piece of warm cooked sausage outside of the training session it will lose its value. The treats must be rare and special for them to keep their appeal. And yes, as others have said, train while she's hungry, not after a good meal. Not necessarily. It could also be that she is too tired to jump into the car or that she hurts after a long walk. Some of these dogs have injuries from their racing days, that may be healed enough for them to be adopted but may still pop up and trouble them from time to time. It also may be that it's simply too hot for her. Greyhounds do not tolerate heat terribly well, especially not combined with exercise. Does she jump in after shorter walks, or in cooler weather? Is it mostly when it's hot, or you've been out for longer and walked further? Might be worth watching to see if you can see a pattern. Another thing may be that something about the area she's jumping into isn't very inviting for some reason. Might she slip on the floor or the bumper? Are there any holes she may have caught a toe in? In summer, it may be that the car is really, really hot. Have a think. I'd also like to ask how you have been doing the 'capturing the behaviour'. With any training, you have to be consistent, and you have to do it right. For instance, if you're trying to teach her to lie down, make sure she really IS going to lie down before you tell her to do so. If when you say 'lie down' she stops and looks at you, or she changes her mind and wanders off, the spell is broken and she'll learn nothing. Don't worry about it, just carry on, over and over with the same command, capturing the exact moment her bottom sinks (or her front end goes down, whichever way she does it) and giving the OTT jolly, excited praise when she completes the action. She will look confused. This is normal! But eventually it should sink in.

There is also the factor of 'new home' stress. You've only had your new dog for two months. Many new adoptees lose weight - sometimes quite dramatically - before starting to put it back on once they realise they're in a good situation and it's all OK, even though it's so different from what they're used to. I'd certainly worm again, but I'd be cautious about ramping up the food intake too quickly because that in itself can cause digestive issues. The rule is to make changes slowly, whether it's the type of food or the amount you're feeding. I'd also agree that with the Forti-Flora you don't need yoghurt as well, though it does add a few calories and if your girl likes it, and it doesn't make her worse, why not? And yes, I have had several dogs who do better on the more basic foods than the premium stuff. Conversely, I have one now that needs the higher quality stuff or he becomes skeletal, because he won't eat enough to get the calories into him. If I offered him 8 1/2 cups of anything it would be a joke. He'd maybe eat two, no matter what it was, and walk away. The bottom line is that there are several things you can try, but not everything works for all dogs. And if after your dietary adjustments, worming, giving her time to settle into your home etc doesn't work, then you may have to return to the vet and do the bloods. A blood panel is always a good idea for new dogs anyway because it gives you a bseline to refer to in future.

So were we! The recover for a tripod was not easy, but much easier than we thought it would be.

Try soaking his foot in warm water for 10-15 minutes. It's how I saw Sid's corn, which was well and truly hidden. After his hydrotherapy session one day I saw a darkish circle on one of his pads. After much consultation with the vets over many months, I was finally able to point to something and say 'I think he has a corn'. Well, the vet didn't really believe it, because after he'd dried out it was no longer visible, but he agreed to send me for a consultation to Cambridge vet school and told them to check everything ... so we saw a general medicine guy, then a neurologist, then an orthopaedic guy and finally he was admitted to have corn surgery. They took out a horribly deep corn that was between half a centimetre and one centimetre long, and spindle-shaped, with a 'glassy' core. They didn't think there was a foreign body in there, it was just compacted, hardened tissue. Sid's mobility issues can be difficult to diagnose. For a start it can be difficult to tell he is limping at all, since he's a tripod, but we knew he wasn't walking right (even for him) and eventually took a video of him running along quite nicely on the grass verges, and slowing to a crab-like crawl over the intersecting driveways. In the part we showed the vets he almost collapses onto his backside just before he reaches the safety of the next grass verge .. and they now use this for teaching at Cambridge University. So that's another thing to look for: is there a difference between the way he walks on hard pavement, and the way he walks on grass and soft surfaces like carpet? Adding the vid: Click here

Yep. I understand it can trigger seizures if you suddenly stop it without slowly reducing the dose.

Hooray! So he didn't eat any sharp pieces of plastic or metal then. I remember several of those stories ... and also a particularly embarrassing one about something being vomited up in Petsmart.

And it's also worth remembering that these ARE communication snaps - what we might call 'air-snaps'. If these dogs had meant to do damage, damage would have been done. What often happens, though, is that the person moves fractionally and gets hit with the teeth. This is not a bite, as such, but because we humans are fragile, the effects are similar. Bottom line is that if all you have is grazing and bruising with perhaps a nick or two, this was not a bite. At least, not in the dog's mind. Air snaps can be playful, happy things too. I have a couple of wonderful-but-scary photos of my lovely old Renie air-snapping at me playfully while I was rubbing her belly. She looks like something out of 'Alien' but if you look more closely you can see that her eyes and the corners of her mouth are soft. If, however, I'd moved a little toward her while she was doing it, I could well have ended up injured.

I'm so sorry for your loss. We too adopt older dogs, knowing our time with them will be short, and I know how it feels to lose a recently-adopted but very much loved oldie. She was very lucky to be with you in her final years - they may well have been her sweetest. (If you want to post a picture here you have to put it up on a third party host site which allows hot-linking, like Photobucket or Flickr. Then you can grab the 'image' tag and paste it into your reply box)

Dogs need to know their place for sure and boundaries need to be set in a benevolent, understanding and gentle way. But I do disagree with correcting this one, because if this is genuine sleep startle or a fear reaction, correction will NOT help, and will simply confuse the dog. The last thing you want to do with a new and uncertain dog is to give him the idea that his humans are crazy and unpredictable. The OP was gentle and reassuring with a dog that she could see was scared and distressed by what had happened. IMHO, this is absolutely the way to go in this situation. It's what I would have done. As to the Leerburg site, I can only give you my personal and heartfelt opinion. I do not trust a dog training site that sells aggressive 'training aids' like the 'dominant dog collar' and a wide range of electric shock collars. This tells me that the training methods you will find there are old-fashioned, out-dated, and disproved by all modern behavioural science and I would emphatically not recommend them. The very fact that the 'leadership' video has a picture of a child crouching over a dog and hugging it round the neck while leaning on its head tells me more than enough - it is something no child should be encouraged to do. These methods may get you many things but they will not get you a happy, well-adjusted family pet.

Neither allergic reactions nor insect bites first appear as pus-filled bumps. Both can become infected later, but if this is sudden I'd suspect a skin infection. Sorry, edited to add missing bit to my sentence.

Yes. If your husband only has bruising, grazes, and/or slight nicks that don't require stitching, Lester was showing good bite inhibition. It was a warning snap that connected rather than a true bite. If your dog had meant to nail him, your husband would now be wearing quite a few stitches, and might be on the list for plastic surgery. Incidentally, some people on GT have trained dogs out of sleep startle by a little gentle 'stuffie tossing'. They've started with something light and soft like a pair of rolled socks just tossed onto the back end of the dog's body while he's sleeping, and when he's used to that, have progressed to small stuffed toys and then larger stuffed toys. The idea is to get him used to being suddenly touched while he's asleep, so that it becomes routine and no surprise. The way greyhounds are kept in the US means that nothing and nobody touches them while they are sleeping and they get plenty of warning of anyone approaching. Here, we don't have quite the same problem because they are kept in pairs and share a bed, so they are all used to being touched while sleeping ... you do get the odd grumpy hound who doesn't like it and has to be kept kennelled alone but usually they can find at least one companion whose touch the grumpy one doesn't mind. Yes. I've 'bolded' the parts which I feel are particularly important, but I agree with everything Jennifer has said here.

Gabapentin is clinically proven to be more effective used with an NSAID. If your dog is unable to take Tramadol, it's worth trying the Gabapentin/NSAID combination. Good to know Jackie is feeling more herself today! That's great news.

I agree. But it might be worth contacting the adoption agency and let them know how you feel, and tell them what you have told us. Dogs that have bitten are usually very, very difficult to adopt out again, so it may be that they would be willing to hold him for a while for you while you think seriously about this. It does sound as if you really, really want him back and realise that the situation could be manageable knowing what you now know and having experienced this, but do think very hard. If you bring him back and can't cope, will you take him back a second time? Will you feel better for having given him another chance or worse for putting him through the stress all over again? I have had two dogs which gave me serious warnings and I know I am lucky to have escaped being bitten. I was quite convinced that I'd never be able to snuggle with Jeffie because he was so spooky about close contact and growled at me a lot in the early days, but in fact he is now the biggest fan of being hugged and I can actually lift him bodily and move him while he's on his bed (I have to do this sometimes so my tripod can get past him to lie down). I have learned to watch body language very, very carefully and make sure he's comfortable at all times - but that's worth doing with ANY dog. In fact, if you haven't already done so, I'd advise that you get a good book on dog body language and social signals and read, it bearing in mind that greyhounds can give much more subtle signals than other dogs. Sometimes it's literally no more than eye movement to indicate emotion. As they relax into your family, it all becomes more obvious, but in the early days watchfulness is definitely the way to go. Did anyone tell you that many greyhounds sleep with their eyes open? The two books I usually recommend these days are 'The Other End of the Leash' by Patricia McConnell and 'Bones Would Rain from the Sky' by Suzanne Clothier I agree with this, too.

That doesn't make sense to me, because surely, in survival terms, the last thing a healthy dog needs to do is get close to one with rabies, especially in the 'unpredictable behaviour' stage. If there were one thing that dogs had evolved to do to deal with rabies, I'd expect it to be 'get as far away as possible and stay away'.

Yes. This is exactly the sort of reaction Sid has to Vetergesic, which is an opioid. He is fine on 'normal' doses of Tramadol, though it does Zombie him out a bit, but on Vetergesic, he is wild-eyed, panting like a steam train, unable to settle, won't eat, and does a very good impression of being in intolerable pain. Once Vetergesic is out of his system, he is back to normal. I hope it's that in your girl's case. See if you can find out what drugs they gave her.

Neither would I!

Almost anything which has - or could have - sharp edges could be the culprit so the milk bone may well be it. I take it he's not the sort to go stealing and eating things made of plastic etc or playing with sticks in the yard?