GeorgeofNE

I give it to George, and like Swifthounds, for its anti-inflammatory properties as well as the benefits to his skin. I also take it myself, although I'm currently taking Krill oil. I buy a big pump bottle of Grizzly Salmon oil from Amazon.com and give him 3 pumps once a day.

A healthy 7 year old dog should have no problem getting through the night, particularly if you take her out at 11 PM (unless you sleep until 11 AM!). I would have her urine tested. Both for signs of a UTI, and the specific gravity. Even George, who has some troubles holding it all day while I'm at work during the week, can hold it all night.

And on the other side of this "coin," my dog gets diarrhea from yogurt! I think the OP may be on the right track; the food that George was getting when I adopted him didn't agree with him. He had loose stool the ENTIRE month he was in foster care, but he was being fed what the rest of the dogs in the group were fed. I've not found rice all that helpful; rice is good when a dog has been sick and needs super bland food for a bit. For poo firming, I learned here on GT that pumpkin is great! Maybe try that? Also, I'd suggest that if you haven't already taken him to the vet for that "new doggy" checkup, you probably should, and bring a stool sample. He could easily have Giardia or some other parasite.

I also wondered what made your adoption group think this particular dog was right for a home with small children after already failing to do well in another. Greysmom's response was terrific, and I don't have much to add beyond saying my dog was extremely sleep aggressive when I first got him. He would NOT have been a good dog to have around a child--but four years later, it's all but disappeared, so your guy MAY change as time goes by.

Have his vision checked. My last dog was fearful at night, and it turned out he had some a vision issue that ONLY effected his night vision. Also, check every inch of your yard, as it's possible there's an animal living back there you don't know about--perhaps a nocturnal one?

I LOVE Dr. Mason!! She was my vet before I moved to Canton. Right next door to Dedham Veterinary (Where Dr. Mason works) is Boston Veterinary Specialists. There is a female surgeon there who not only did her surgical residency in Jacksonville, FL (where many injured racers are fixed up!) she owns a Greyhound. Oh, her name....hold on...Catherine Biere. Here's a link to their site: Boston Veterinary Specialists I would trust her with George's life! She has multiple degrees, and specializes in pain management as well as surgery. Dr. Mason has gone above and beyond for George. She has worked with my CURRENT vet on the phone, since she is more Grey savvy than my present vet. Really, terrific folks! Dr. Kara Rycek, in the same practice, is also wonderful! Dedham Veterinary

18? Wow! My vet told me at George's last visit (he's not quite 9) that I could discontinue heartworm preventative if I wanted, since he's "likely not to live as long as it would take the heartworm to make him sick." I was horrified! And I kept him on it! But at 18? I wouldn't give it to her. I've never heard of a setter living that long! Amazing! Pictures????

A week without you would be WAY more stressful! He'll settle down. Anyway, if this is a trip you take semi-regularly, you have to start sometime! Just make sure you are SUPER careful when you stop. Keep a dish (those foldable nylon ones are nice) in the car (mine lives in the car) and bring a Thermos bottle of water for him.

I totally get where you're coming from, but... Is there nothing you can give her to control the pain?

Ouch! George fell on the stairs once, and his skin split open in four places. A dog could also, I imagine, break a leg falling down the stairs. Those stair tread things are a great idea! The holes from any tacks you use would be REALLY small. You can still see enough of the wood to have the appearance so many people like (I'm probably one of the few people left alive that LIKES carpet!)!

I would put a baby gate or something else in front of the window. That way he can SEE out, but he can't accidentally break the window (if he actually COULD). Or those things people buy when they have toddlers and windows on upper floors? Not sure how you can stop the behavior, but you can protect him. It's all so new to him--he might settle down with the passing of some more time.

Unfortunately for the deer, I think had she been determined to do so, she could have taken it down. Isn't that one of the things Greyhounds used to do? Chase down and kill deer for their masters?

Oh, it's a game all right. It's called "stop having fun right now" and referred to, as you see from above, "the fun police."

Well, that's not separation anxiety--that's "I hate this crate" anxiety! And I've yet to meet a dog of any breed that likes being closed up in a room with a shut door! Suggest two things: one, if he's housebroken, you don't need to use the crate since clearly he doesn't like it. Two, you buy and read the Patricia McConnell booklet "I'll Be Home Soon" and do some "alone training" as it is called. That'll help eliminate any possible SA he does have--but I'm guessing he's just trying to tell you "enough with the crate." In my experience, puppies chew, not so much adult dogs who are given proper toys to chew, if they want to chew, and sufficient exercise before being left for the day. However, if you have a known chewer, many folks use the muzzle. My dog never chewed a thing, not even paper, from day one. Maybe I was just lucky? But it really never entered my mind that a five year old dog was going to chew things. That's key, IMHO. Dogs who stay home while their human works (including mine! so please don't think I'm against that) REALLY need a good, long walk before you leave. A tired dog is most likely going to sleep most of the day, especially if he has his favorite comfy place to sleep (not the crate in your dog's case--and my dog howled for HOURS in his crate, so I know what it's like!), and perhaps a Kong toy with a generous dollop of peanut butter smeared around the insides to keep him busy while you depart. Good luck! George had an absolutely miserable start to home life, but once I ditched the crate and he learned I was ALWAYS going to come back, he settled right in! Oh, make sure anything edible (food) is PUT AWAY. That includes boxes of crackers on the counter, fruit, anything! To avoid the temptation to "counter surf" while you're not home!

Sneezing is not a typical reaction to allergies in dogs. I would check as carefully as you can for a foreign body stuck up her nose! Seriously. Could be a seed, a bit of grass, etc. Happened to one of our dogs once.

That was scary. We lived in the LA area many years ago, and my brothers and their friends took great joy in driving to Mexico to buy their illegal fireworks. Our town (Rolling Hills) had a fire started by kids playing with fireworks. 11 houses burned to the ground. This was a long time ago, but I'd say at the time they'd average $500k each. That's a heck of a lot of loss over stupid fireworks! I don't even get the ATTRACTION. They don't make pretty "ooooh, aahhhhh" worth light even. Just some sparks and a lot of noise. Someone around me shoots them off fairly often, but fortunately, they don't phase George at ALL.

First dog? Dogs of all breeds, shapes, and sizes make weird noises when they sleep. George makes 10x more noise asleep than when he's awake.

Agree. My last dog took this medication for quite a long time (horrible allergies). It didn't do a thing to him. Except help with his allergies!

My answer would be no--I've never heard of any antibiotic causing excitability. And my dogs have been on a LOT of them, and often for a long time! What is he taking it FOR? I suppose the others are probably on to something--maybe he feels better?

I've messed with the amounts in the past. Right now she gets 1.5 cups dry in the morning, and 3 cups dry with a little wet food or pumpkin for dinner.. At that amount (when she decides to eat well for 3 weeks or so), she maintains the 60 lbs. Any less and she just drops the weight. She is quite thin.. not grossly so, but you can see nearly all the ribs and the hip points are very prominent.. that's at 60 lbs. So going down in weight is no good. Hmmmm. George weighs 64 pounds, and I give him one cup in the AM and one cup in the PM. He does get treats throughout the day. 4.5 cups seems like an awful lot for a 60 pound girl. And she doesn't look underweight to me at all. Gurgly tummy sounds like excess acid, perhaps. Have you tried a daily Pepcid (with your vet's approval). That helped my last dog a LOT. He used to vomit ALL THE TIME until I started the Pepcid.

George was sleep aggressive when I brought him home (I personally doubt that his foster home had anything to do with this--unless he was there for a LONG time!), and is much, much better now. I think TIME is what he needs, and since you have other hounds to consider, he needs a safe space so that he isn't disturbed, and he doesn't accidentally hurt someone. George also sleeps (sometimes--less and less often now) with eyes open--so I made sure to NEVER touch him when he isn't actually wide awake. I had to emphasize this over and over to my father who has Alzheimer's. I just told him "never touch him when he's laying down." Clapping my hands and saying his name is enough to wake him up! As to "nightmares," I don't know that George's loud and vigorous dreams are BAD dreams, or just exciting ones! I often wonder, but it seems to me as if he's reliving his prior life, races and all! He makes 10x more noise asleep than when awake!

You should not assume he's housebroken! I have no idea where dogs in prison programs are housed, but I would just treat him like an unhousebroken puppy until you're sure!

Nooooooooooo! Sending all my good thoughts Judy.

There are, but my vets (three) have refused to do it, and it generally does NOT help with incontinence. Once it's progressed to that stage, it usually cannot be reversed. If the nerves INSIDE the spinal column are pinched or damaged, my vet says all the steroids in the world injected NEXT TO the spine won't do a thing. That's why none of them will do it for George. Not my words, theirs, so please don't anyone jump all over me!

What you're describing is over-enthusiastic and happy, not aggression. I have no idea if a dog can tell if a person is pregnant, but I believe this new behavior is related to the dog relaxing and feeling more at home, and nothing to do with pregnancy! What generally works to curb this is if the dog actually makes contact, she should yelp (as if hurt) since that's how dogs signal to each other "that was too hard."