GeorgeofNE

You have to treat him EXACTLY as if he's a puppy. He has no clue that he's supposed to ASK for anything. He's basically been waited on hand and foot his entire life thusfar, and never had to make a decision. You MUST keep him in sight at all times for now. If you don't want to follow him, keep him on a leash wherever you go in the house. I know it sounds extreme, but if you're stressed about this after a week...you really want to use this 3-day weekend to your advantage. I believe this is known as the umbilical cord method? Batmom's schedule is spot on. Don't despair--it won't last forever! But this really is a prime time for you to make an impression on Marvin. And you need to make sure you have cleaned and cleaned and cleaned the places he's already gone--and make them inaccessible if possible. If you really don't want to try the leash thing, then get baby gates and confine him to whatever room you're in and don't let up. Once he's got it, he's got it. And don't expect his "signal" to be what you're expecting--you know, going to the door and whining. For my dog, his signals is picking up his stuffy and trotting randomly around the condo. Took me a while to figure that out, believe me! My last dog went to the door, looked at his leash, looked at me, message received. Remember--EVERYTHING is new to him about being in a house, so consider the stress he's feeling trying to figure this all out, and make it as easy for him as possible! Good luck! You can do it!

I'm so sorry. She looks like an amazing girl--and beautiful! I loved the video. Run free Scout.

It's amazing the spaces a frightened cat can fit into, isn't it? I made the mistake of turning my first Siamese kitten lose in my condo right away, and didn't see him again for days! Like you, I pushed food and water under the bed (where I'd last seen him) and I knew he was eating it, but I couldn't find him! I'm sorry she had to leave you so soon. It always hurts to say goodbye even when they're too sick to save.

Xan, did she have gastric torsion? We lost our Labrador that way. I felt sort of the same; that Josh lived life at full throttle, and it would have been devastating to watch him die, inch by inch, the way so many of our beloved pets (and parents) do. He was gone before I even knew he was sick--I got the sad call after it was all over. She was a special little girl that won't be forgotten.

I'm very sorry. It's hard to say goodbye, but he will know how much you love him.

Exactly! That's ridiculous. Allergies can make a dog miserable, and this seems to be prime allergy season in New England (where I see you're from). I somehow ended up with two dogs in a row with seasonal allergies. My current dog is easily helped out by Benadryl. My last dog suffered horribly for months--he scratched his ears until he had massive hematomas in them. He had to wear a cone, have drains put it. It was a nightmare that only steroids would help. My last dog needed to be bathed with medicated shampoo at least once a month. There are hydrocortisone sprays for topical relief. I'm just flabbergasted that your vet did nothing.

Agree with most of what's been said, with the addition of--keep him leashed and with you INSIDE until he's gone OUTSIDE. Take him out, walk him. If he doesn't poop, take him inside, don't just let him go--keep him with you. You're both housebreaking him AND getting him to go on a leash. He WILL do it eventually. He has to. But if he gets the chance to go somewhere in the house...you're training him in a different way! Obviously if you work this can be problematic, but oh joy! We have a three day weekend coming up! Great time to do this.

I don't have a child, but I can tell you that when my guy was in pain, his disposition changed fairly dramatically. He has always had sleep aggression, so I respected that. I NEVER touch him when he's asleep (and I don't know about your dog--if you'e had him for 2 years, and he's only 4, then he wasn't at the track long, if at all, but mine was there for several years) and I learned right away he DOES sleep with his eyes open--not as much now, but when I first adopted him he did frequently. I always clap my hands, or even toss some socks on him before I touch him. He started up with growling and snapping at me last year. It took me a long time to figure out that his snapping was related to a spinal condition he has (or this is my best guess!) that is sometimes painful, and sometimes probably just gives him a weird sensation that he doesn't understand. His way of expressing this was to get grumpy as all get out! Now that he's on a different set of medications, he's back to his old self. I'd guess that whatever is causing him seizures is perhaps also making him feel weird or uncomfortable. That and his entire world has just changed with the addition of a baby. Hopefully someone is able to make time just for him, take him on nice walks, maybe a car ride, make him understand he's still important!

It's not the end the world! This happened to me too, ironically the first day I started night school for a CIS certificate and I survived both the smell and the embarassment. I sat in the back of the classroom (unlike your children, who I assume have had no involvement whatsoever with the clean up, I had to take care of the dog!), and the professor said, "Come on down here and join us!" and I said, "Uhm, well, you see...my dog got skunked today, and I stink!" and the class had a laugh, and that was that. I've never known tomato juice to actually work, although it's constantly recommended. They make commerical skunk odor removers--not sure what's in them--but that's what worked on my dog.

Ah, nature! Circle of life and all. Gross to you, perfectly natural to a dog. They were hunting dogs long before they were racing dogs. Not sure about any health issues, although I personally wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure others with more experience can help there. My last dog killed more chipmunks and moles than I could count, but I never let him eat them.

You'd need to see an eye specialist to have her vision checked--not just have the vet shine the light in her eyes. It's like going for your annual physical; you don't see the same doctor to have your annual eye exam. But you make a good point--although it's probably safe to assume it was very dark in Missouri, but in Chicago there are LOTS of street lights, headlights, etc.? For my dog, pitch black was better than city lights. But as I said, I may be way off base.

That just sucks. I'm so sorry.

My advice is have her vision checked. My last dog (a mutt) developed a minor eye issue that caused him to have poor night vision which made him somewhat skittish on our night walks. I could be way off base, but it's worth considering.

Well, you trained him to perform a trick, essentially. That's not training him to be affectionate. His increased affection is no doubt due to the passage of time, and yes, trust. Greyhounds can take a really long time to adjust to home life. My dog took over a year to settle in to who he is now.

You said that you can "leave her outside" when you go away. Did you mean she's outside, unattended, in the yard and no one is home? Perhaps the digging and whining is simply a different manifestation of SA. She's digging either because she's a dog and she likes to dig, or she's bored and lonely, or stressed out. Who knows? The simple solution is not leaving her outside unattended. Don't get me wrong--I'm not against a dog having the run of the yard. But I do think if she isn't able to get back in the house, it's probably not all that good an idea to leave her outside when you're not there. She may be whining at the door now because her new signal that you're leaving is being put outside. Or she may spend half the day at the door whining while you're gone cause she doesn't like being out there. You've already gotten great advice about the children, and I have nothing to add to that portion of your question.

I agree--it seems rather clear that she doesn't care for the wet cedar. I'd get rid of it. Until then, I'd walk her on a leash away from it. You don't want it to become habit, obviously, using the house as a toilet. Also, make sure you clean, clean, clean the areas where she has gone inside.

Without knowing how old this dog is or how long you've had her, I would say that crates just aren't the answer for every dog. My dog was utterly miserable in a crate. He has never done any damage (I never though a five year old dog would!) or gotten into any trouble. I say just dog proof, remember anything that's remotely food-like needs to be put AWAY, make sure she has plenty of exercise, and see how it goes.

You must have a REALLY big bedroom! :lol

Any chance you brought a bug home with you from one of your trips to the vet?? I don't mean an insect...I hope that's clear!

Ahhhhhhhhh, OK! Well, we've had dogs my entire life, and never had one that rolled over in a submissive fashion. A combination of hunting breeds, mutts, and now George. George hasn't got a submissive bone in his body that I've seen. If anything, I think he secretly mocks me as an inferior being!

I agree. If your vet suggests asprin, please do it. And I personally would not be introducing anything into the system of a dog on several meds like essential oils. Just because it's "natural" doesn't mean it's harmless.

Oh, I'm so sorry--for all of you--Steak, of course, and your family. I wouldn't do another MRI. It won't change the course of treatment, will it? Sometimes I think our vets forget that we're paying for the tests and if they're only to satisfy their curiosity...

I agree with Batmom. Any time something is happening with digestion, if my dogs is taking anything "extra" I stop it. For what it's worth, I tried taking some probiotic stuff myself a while back, and quickly stopped as it had undesired effects on me.

Look into Solid Gold's Mmillenium formula; it's beef and barley, I believe. George loved it!

I meant to ask the other day in another thread--you know you shouldn't give her bones that have been COOKED, right? Only raw ones? The get brittle when they're cooked.