GeorgeofNE

I've had George for a couple of years, and aside from the occasional 30 seconds of flipping a stuffy around, George has NO interest in playing. I don't let it bother me. He has the toys if he wants 'em!

$1,600 to x-ray then split a toe???? That's outrageous, and I have finally heard of a vet who charges more than mine!

Rather than attempt to get his Omega fatty acids from FOOD, just give him the supplements in oil or gel cap form! Then feed him whatever works. George has high Creatine; always has, always will. As long as the urine is normal, and the BUN is within greyhound normal, Dr. Couto told me not to worry about it. Not sure what the connection is between a high protein dog food and arthritis? The Omegas will help with that to an extent, but depending on the severity, only NSAIDs will really help.

Valerian root caused George's liver enzymes to go through the ROOF. My vet later apologized for suggesting them as their is little to no research on their use and safety in canines. Just my 2 cents.

I have never used traditional clippers on George because his nails are shaped differently than I am used to. The former Pres. of my adoption group had cut them REALLY short before I got him, so I have just been Dremeling along the lines she cut, and it's great!!

Let me just add that I think EVERY dog owner should have at least a basic "home veterinary guide" type book on hand! The one I have and love is called Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook--gives you all kinds of basic, important info., like normal temp, etc. Book on Amazon.com They make one for cats too, fyi!

I can only dream that George was EVER "lethargic." Nothing slows him down, from 20 below zero to 95. Although his tongue does drag on the ground when it's hot!

I can tell you what the specialist told me--and don't flame ME anyone, this is what someone with extensive training (not just a "plain old" vet) believes: Steroids actually don't do anything for the compressed nerves of the spinal column (the real problem). They only work on the inflammed tissue AROUND the spine. There can be serious side effects from injecting steroids, and once their injected, there is no way to "turn them off." While relieving the inflammation around the spine may provide temporary relief in some dogs, it doesn't actually treat the condition. Only surgery fixes it. She believes (quite strongly) that the risk are not worth the very temporary benefits. She believes that simple pain relief is best. Older vets may be more willing to do it since they haven't done the more recent research is how I took her comments. She told me it was more or less "bad science." I even sent her the article on it, and she said she had already read about it and would not do it. Period. So... Given that she is considered the expert in this area in serious issues like L.S. (and is a greyhound owner herself) I have to hope she knows what she's talking about. ???

Another Greyhound would be the PERFECT companion!! But seriously! There's no reason to think they can't get along. You'd have to put them together though, to really know for sure.

I see no similarity between Ridgebacks and Greyhounds. Other than they both have good eyesight! However, despite what you might believe if you hang around here long enough, Greyhounds ARE actually DOGS, and I think any dog, given the right circumstance, might protect its master. Or not! My last dog was a Pit Bull mix, and I always assumed if I was ever in need of protection, he'd step (he would have walked through fire for me--we were very close). Then one day it actually happened--a drunken fool tried to break my condo door down. As I stood there, paralyzed with fear, I looked over at Kramer, who also stood there, not paralyzed, but clearly not interested in doing anything. Who was upset? Miss Parker! (See tri-colored cat in my signature). I thought she was going to fly at the door! Kramer the tough guy did nothing!

We are a new adopter too.... we purchased a doggy playpen.... and leaving her alone in it for a few hours doesn't seem to get her going Do you mean an x-pen? A free standing set of panels? Because those can EASILY be knocked over at which point they collapse on the dog. Make sure you've secured it with weights or something! As to the original poster-- It's WAY too soon for you to be terribly concerned about one bad day, but my dog HATED his crate. I kept using it...and then one day I video taped him when I was gone. He spent the entire 2 hours of the tape howling at the top of his lungs. I put the crate away, and he hasn't made a peep since. He's never chewed anything either! Make sure your cats have a safe escape route, and consider perhaps baby gating him into one room that you've dog proofed. Oh, check his tail. The blood is possibly from smacking his tail on the crate.

Interesting! The specialist that I took George to would not do it either! Since she was a greyhound owner herself, and did her surgical residency at a clinic in Jacksonville that some of the severe track injuries go to, and has studied extensively in pain management and stuff (a very impressive resume--not a typical garden variety vet!) I listened to her. She said something odd too, "You'll have to find a much older vet to do that procedure for L.S." ??? She told me the potential side effects of Depo Medrol simply outweigh any temporary benefit.

Uhm, geese are a protected species (US Fish and Wildlife) We had one attacking people at my old condo--two people actually broke bones! And we were not allowed to do ANYTHING about it because of their protected status. Don't know who told you it was legal...there may be certain places where there is a goose season, but you need a permit and such. As far as the Sheriff goes, I wouldn't assume he'd just do something if he heard the noise. If he thinks no one cares, he frankly probably has bigger fish to fry. I would definitely call!

Suggest in the future you baby gate her into a room when you have service people over. You really don't want her "going after" people that are in your home because you've permitted them to be!

I think it's just a dog thing! George is very much the same!

I got a kitten who had it, and rather than test my dog and other cats, we just treated for it. We retested the kitten, and it was gone. It's pretty common, and really doesn't seem to me to be a big deal.

Sounds like she's done with the crate. They're not necessary for all dogs for all that long. George was out of his after a month and there's never been a single problem!

Ditto the bleach idea.

George was five when I got him. It never occured to me he would "get into trouble" at night. He's not a puppy. He gets plenty of exercise during the day. He sleeps at night! I crated him at night for the first few weeks only because I have cats and needed to make sure all would be safe.

Judy always says the smartest stuff! Just my 2 cents; I assumed my George would "outgrow" this problem, but I've had him for over two years and he has NOT. My entire family knows not to touch him, ever, if he's sleeping. I make sure I speak to him, clap my hands, or even toss a sock at him before I give him any kind of cuddling. Please don't be afraid! Can someone post for this lady that piece about living in a home from the retired racer's point of view? That's a great piece. Oh! Never mind! I see someone already did!!

If he's just making NOISE, have you considered the possibility he's just "talking" to you? Clearly if he wanted to or intended to bite or even snap, he would have by now. Just a thought!

Go check out the photos in the thread looking for pictures of hounds and kitties! There are lots and lots of us who have both a Greyhound (or more than one!) and a cat (or more than one!) and do just fine. Caroline will be just fine! I'm sure it was a hard thing to decide, but it'll all work out.

There are many potential side effects to cortisone--which is why my vet won't use injections of steroids casually--once you've given the injection, there is no way to stop the effect of the drug if it doesn't go well. And I'd say yes, panting could have been from the shot. I hope he's feeling better now. Having had many a cortisone shot myself, I can tell you that it doesn't "kick in" immediately, so perhaps the delayed reaction was due to that. I've found it can take up to 24 hours to feel the effects, which typically last for weeks or even months!

I believe they've done some fairly conclusive studies that magnets don't do anything for human arthritis. There are safe and effective medications to help with arthritis. Keeping your dog slim and giving him regular gentle exercise to keep his muscle tone up are very important. That goes for people too, FYI!

George has a signal. I just rarely figure it out! Cause in his mind it is no doubt perfectly clear that when he starts to pace around the apartment, he has to pee. See, I'm waiting for him to, oh, I don't know, go to the door and look at me. No. That's not clear to HIM. I must say, however, I have him on a schedule. I know when he has to poop, and I know how often he needs to get out to pee. The few accidents he's had were when a medication or something else threw off his system. Maybe you can figure out what went wrong with his scheduling??? Did he get an extra treat or bone or something? There's usually a reason for an unexpected poop!