greyhead

We've switched to Wellness Core Low-Fat, mixed with Natural Balance canned and amended with Missing Link (probiotics and Omega-3's). Now our two greys have the best poops imaginable! We were using Iams Large Breed kibble, but hair started coming out in patches. Vet said the brand had been sold and the formula had changed.

How are you treating him? I have the impression that diet management alone may be all that's needed if the condition is caught early. We have the same issue with one of our greys, age 5. For months he consumed lots more water than the other dog, was peeing a lot, and sometimes had leakage. He also doesn't have much stamina for walking and overheats easily. It has taken a year for his lab tests to show all the abnormalities of kidney disease, though. (His creatinine has always been a little high, but the vet said that's not necessarily abnormal for greyhounds. Now the BUN and specific gravity are beginning to be wonky too.) We'll do a complete blood chemistry tomorrow, paying special attention to his phosphorus level. He's not going to do well with a veterinary kidney diet because he doesn't digest grains well. So I'd rather keep him on the food he does well on, found through lengthy trial and error, and just use a phosphorus binder if appropriate. I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I thought your reply might be of interest to others, while we're on the subject. Mary

Thanks so much for posting this video. Now I know what that kind of injury looks like if it happens to our pups. Glad yours is getting taken care of! There were some other interesting greyhound videos posted, too. (We were just in Ireland this spring, and what I'm learning about greyhounds there from the Web is making me want to move to Ireland and pitch in to help those dogs!) All the best, Mary

Glad to see you're stopping in Buffalo, WY. It's a great little town! Have a great trip. Mary

We just got one of our grey's urine tested yesterday, as it happens. Vet said normal kidneys, which is what we're looking at, produce urine with a specific gravity of 1.035 or higher. (She didn't say that this number is greyhound-specific, but I know she checks all his results against greyhound norms, so I'm sure this # is applicable to greyhounds.) Our guy's # yesterday was 1.021, but that was okay for the time of day (afternoon). Testing urine from the first catch of the day gives a more accurate picture of how well the kidneys are concentrating waste products in the urine. So we will repeat the test soon with a first catch. Hope this tells you something you wanted to know.

So very sorry, hon. Our thoughts are with you. (Especially when my youngest grey is at the vet right now, under anaesthesia...)

We also have a hypothyroid grey. I thought he might have had some small seizures back before he was diagnosed, and then again later when his dose was maybe too high. But he also had an ear infection at the same time, and there has been an ongoing hookworm problem. Recently he is also doing the moves that I thought might be seizures. But I'm not sure. Can you describe what your dog's small seizures looked like? (I'm just researching this a bit before I call the vet!) Many thanks, Mary

We started using it on our two greys at the beginning of August. After treating them for hookworms for a year, using various meds and various timing, one of the dogs still has them. So our vet's parasitology professor from Cornell told him about Advantage Multi and was "very excited about it." No problem so far. Hopefully, a product like this that is used once a month will knock them out. Mary