ripley488

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We give every dog Drontal Plus when they arrive in our program. We have never had an issue with worms.

I adopted a pair of littermates when they were about 5-6 weeks. They turned 2 earlier this month. They still play like that. Exercise is your best friend with pups & remember Greyhound pups do not mature quickly. They are not my first Greyhound puppies & I had a trainer tell me once they really don't mature until they are about 4yo. I have found that to be true. Yesterday mine did not get enough exercise because it rained all day. At 1am this morning they were up running from one end of the house to the other chasing each other, running over furniture & other dogs. Today I let them outside as much as possible to run off the energy. They ran with my new foster dog, dug some new holes & are now resting quietly after dinner. When the girls play roughly I rarely intervene. They are siblings & they play like them. They never hurt each other - just noisy for the most part. They don't get to play that way with my other Greyhounds however. They don't like it so it is not allowed. Sounds like you have energetic pups...they just need exercise.

Congratulations on the new addition. He is very handsome!

I have had 3 hound with kidney disease. Your best treatment is sub-q fluids at home daily. That will manually flush the toxins from he kidneys just like dialysis in humans. Sounds scary, but it is really easy to do & really extends their life expectancy with this diease.

Hip Dysplasia is pretty easy to see on an xray...the ball of the hip is not in the joint. You can google xrays online to see what it looks like. Once I knew what it looked like I could quickly see it on Lincoln's xrays.

I adopted an 11wk old Oops puppy who did have hip dysplasia. By his first birthday Lincoln was having difficulty walking. I had xrays done & my vet called & said he had hip dysplasia. I said Greys don't get that...try again, but I did come by & look at the xrays. Sure enough..it was. I contacted Dr. Couto & he said he had never seen HP in a Greyhound & I overnighted him the films. When he got them he called me and asked me to bring him up for a consult. After a day of workup from Dr. Couto & the Orthopedic Surgeon Lincoln was scheduled for a Total Hip Replacement. Neither doctor had ever seen this is a Gryehound. He was younger than most dogs that get the surgery he was 14mos), but because he was having so much trouble they recommened doing it right away. They kept him 5 days instead of the normal 3 days post op since he was their first Greyhound. Lincoln did great & today you would never know he had it done. Dr. Couto got to see Lincoln again last year at the Greyhound Festival of the Bluegrass & was amazed at how well he did. He said he still has never seen another case. He also has no idea how Lincoln go it. HIs incision... He had to walk with a sling for a few weeks post op

Reagan - adopted at 12wks Lincoln - adopted at 11wks Scout - rescued at 16wks Trouble & Chloe - rescued at 5-6wks In my opinion - having raised the Greyhound puppies listed above - retired racers are much, much easier. Puppies are puppies regardless of breed & they have to learn everything. I like puppies & have enjoyed mine, but they are more work than a dog that comes with the training a retired racer does. Reagan only ever had one accident, but chewed like crazy. Lincoln was very difficult to housebreak & chewed any & all wood. Scout was pretty good all around until I got the twins (Scout was 10mos) - then she reverted. Trouble - well she earned her name - and Chloe is a barker (very loud & obnoxious.) Two at once was double the work. We don't place many pups, but when we do I give 2 pieces of advice - exercise & socilization. Those are the 2 best things you can give your pup. Exercise makes for a tired puppy & a tired puppy is good. Once they get all their shots (usually 4mos) take them everywhere - walks, meet & greet, fundraisers. Expose them to everyone & everything. I have found that really helps as they mature.

Thoughts & prayers sent...

My number one rule with CRF dogs is keep them eating. All the best food in the world won't help them if they won't eat it. Feed them what you need to until their appetite improves. Fluids are a great way to help them flush their system. Ask your vet about a phosphorus binder. The fluids help a lot but a phos binder can be a huge asset if your dog doesn't want the low phos renal diets. I bought aluminum hydroxide gel powder from a compounding pharmacy. It was money well spent. Completely agree. I don't like the prescription foods at all. I home cooked for my last dog with kidney disease. However when he went off of that you feed whatever they want to get the calories in them. He would always eat boiled hamburger. Not he best diet for him, but better than nothing when he refused to eat. I was terrified the first time I stuck my dog, but it does get easier. Once you get the hang of it - it is easier for both of you. I just had to resign myself that it had to be done & I did it. The two dogs I treated got comfortable with it. I'm not saying they liked it, but they knew at that time each day they got their fluids. A few hours after the treatment - and a nice big pee pee - they would be very hungry. With them I saw results quickly from the sub-q's.

I started sub-q as soon as they were diagnosed. When you get the diagnosis you have already lost 70% kidney function. The sub-q's help to flush out the toxins that the kidneys are not. Once the toxins are removed from their system they get a boost of energy & a desire to eat. Loss of appetite is a real challenge with kidney dogs. As the disease progresses - and it does - you increase the frequency and/or the amount of fluids.

You don't need a GIF tube - just give her sub-q fluids. I did this with 2 of my dogs & a friend is doing them daily for her Ridgeback mix right now. Once you get the routine down it is no big deal. The needle just goes under the skin & the fluids really work magic with flushing the toxins out of their system. Sadly it is not a cure, but will make them much more comfortable. I had Houdini almost 2 years after diagnosis with giving sub-q's. We started twice a week at the end it was twice a day. The first time is scary, but it gets easier.

We use it on everyone of our dogs who has surgery. It was given to my Lincoln by Dr. Couto when he had a Total Hip Replacement. I asked Dr. C about it & he said he recommended it because of Greyhounds being "bleeders." It is inexpensive & worth the peace of mind. We lost a foster girl after spay & we want to do everything we can to avoid that happening again.

Can't help you with the other, but Longevity is 1 scoop per 40lb. You may want to try 2 scoops a day - that is what my hounds get.

Someone in our group just lost one last month to Osteo in the pelvic bone. He was diagnosed 10mos ago, so she was lucky to have him as long as she did.