GeorgeofNE

I wouldn't even consider an herbal supplement before having the dog looked at by a vet. "Natural" does not mean "harmless," and most of that stuff doesn't seem to do a lot, and you need to find out if he has a health issue BEFORE you consider such "might help" remedies. I'd mention that taking a swing at him with an object in your hand when he's already fired out might have been a stress reaction, but one that COULD escalate the situation. I'm sure you wouldn't do that again if you thought about it, right?

Thyroid panel? The dog wanted food, the roommate made a threatening gesture (kicking at the sandwich) and the dog bit him. Medical issue doesn't even make my top ten list of possible causes. Harnesses are great at keeping a dog from slipping a collar, but they allow the biting parts to be freely out and about. For that very reason, I rarely use George's harness, as he is not other breed friendly, and I find that I have ZERO control over the only dangerous part with a harness. Most any dog will go after food. Imagine it from his perspective--there's tasty food just laying there. He does the natural thing--tries to eat it. He's yelled at and man handled by two people. They manage to get it away, and he can still see it. He goes back for it, and sees a leg flying out. How is he supposed to know your roommate is kicking the sandwich and not him??? I'd say his reaction, although unacceptable, is pretty darned natural. And if you really need to spend money, I'd suggest you spend it on some sessions with a behaviorist and not on a thyroid panel. I'm sorry this happened, but I also suspect if Miles had actually wanted to hurt your roommate, there would have been a much worse bite. This sounds like self-defense FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE.

I've been wondering where you've been neighbor!

What a beautiful tribute to a beautiful boy. I'm so sorry for your loss.

It took George 18 months to get on the bed, and only after I picked him up and held him there a few times. Now I can't get him off! So don't give up!

How scary!

Agreed. And the fact that the poster is "scared" leads me to believe this dog belongs elsewhere. Nothing personal--just not the right fit.

My old dog was a mixed breed (pit bull/Shepherd type). When he was 5, he suffered a total rupture of his ACL (running gently on a grassy field!!!). He was a 75 pounds. The options for a large dog are (or at least WERE) totally different than those for a small dog--and the orthopedic specialist we went to told me he needed a TPLO (tibial plateau leveling ostemy). This is when they remove the destroyed tendon completely, cut the tiba, move the entire joint into a new position, and bolt it to the tibia with plates and screws. You then confine the dog to an x-pen and only take it out on a leash to go to the bathroom--no other exercise--for 12 miserable weeks. My dog's leg didn't heal, didn't heal, didn't heal--12 weeks turned into six months and hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of antibiotics. Eventually it seemed OK. Almost exactly one year to the date of surgery, he spiked a massive fever and was in so much pain that I couldn't even touch his leg. Rush him to the animal hospital where they immediately admit him for fluids and IV antibiotics--and it turns out he has a bone infection (probably been festering all that time). Phew. $750 more antibiotics and a second surgery to remove the hardware (one of the screws had broken off in the bone) and drain all the infection out-- 12 more weeks in the x-pen-- Eventually he recovered. It was a total nightmare, but actually a rare very bad outcome. Total cost was well over $7,000 (thanks Mom and Dad, for paying for paying for every penny of it). He did recover full function of his leg after the nightmare ended. He went on to live to be 15 years old. In retrospect, I often think amputation would have been kinder--but MOST dogs do just great. They really do! I think if you Google "TPLO, Kramer" you will probably get to the web site a gal I used to know started where she talked lots about the TPLO and all sorts of stories and results are posted.

George takes 50 mg (half a chewable) of Deramaxx daily. No side effects at all! Has helped with the pain from his L.S. Vet even suggested we drop the dose down a bit for long-term use. On days where he seems very uncomfortable, I also give him a Tramadol at bed time.

I believe you said the cat "came down the stairs." So what I'd do is put a gate at the bottom of the stairs--the kind with a cat-sized door at the bottom, and NEVER take it down. That way the cat has an escape route. Never leave the dog loose in the house with the cats, and consider keeping the cat in your bedroom. I'm so sorry this happened. I'm sure it was very traumatic. Best wishes to kitty!

He could easily be developing some senility. My old dog did. Just my opinion, but I would not withhold water from a dog that age, ever. If you have to, belly band him, but they to be able to drink when they need water--my old dog also had some peeing issues, some sort of kidney problem, and my vet was adamant about not restricting his water intake.

Agree with this 100%. I don't want to sound mean, but did you research Greyhounds before you adopted one? There is a reason they're referred to as the 45 mph couch potato. While my dog does follow me from room to room, he doesn't DO anything most of the time! He has tons of toys--plays with none of them. He sleeps most of the time, or begs for food, or begs for walkies. That's just the way it is! I'd suggest you set up a schedule of walks and such that mimic what her life would be life if your job was in an office outside the home. Do your morning thing, take her on a nice long walk, then give her a Kong and tell her to go lay down. Then do your work. When your work day is over, take her for a nice long walk, interact with her, but don't push yourself on her. I have learned to appreciate George's quite stillness for what it is--a living, breathing companion animal who has his own ways, who spent 5 years on a highly regimented schedule and has been expected to learn to live a TOTALLY new life where not one single thing is the same--and he's done quite well! He's nothing like any dog I've ever had--and my family has never been without at least one dog in my 48 years. They're really a lot like giant cats!

If both dogs were leashed, then this is, unfortunately, not really going to get animal control's attention, particularly in New York City. One should maintain control of one's dog, and sadly, just having it on a leash doesn't mean it's under your control... I would definitely speak to the owner of the other dog about your vet bills.

Oh, depends on the cat!! Two of mine absolutely get it, and now typically give George a wide berth. For some reason, he is not terribly tolerant of Tiger and Miss Parker, and yet he puts up with all KINDS of rubbish from Mister Bigglesworth! Now, Mister Bigglesworth could not care less if George growls at him! Perhaps there is a connection? Perhaps it's because Mister Bigglesworth arrived after George as a kitten, and the other cats wanted nothing to do with him, which left him to bond with George. I don't know. But just last night, Tiger walked up to George, who was enjoying an ear rub courtesy of me. I didn't notice him, and suddenly George let rip with a scary snarl and I turned to see Tiger bolt from the room. So yeah, I think that means he gets it! Your cat might not CARE, but I imagine they understand.

I'm not seeing any notes about what your HUSBAND is doing to work this out with HIS puppy that you didn't want???

Yeah, but the person would be ON the horse! Not sure how common leashes were in the days that horses were primary transportation??

That's more food than George gets! He's 65 pounds, and I feed him one cup at breakfast and one cup at dinner. He does get a few treats throughout the day, but every dog is different. If she's not losing on 2.5 cups plus wet food, then it's more calories than she needs!

It's be very worried, as greys are extremely prone to post surgical bleeding to the point that Dr. Couto now gives all greys a special enzyme pre-surgery. Good luck!

Why not? Too hot.

A lot of dogs just decide they've had enough of the crate. My dog howled like a wolf for hours on end in the crate! I too live in a condo--fortunately when he was doing that I was the Chairman of the condo board, or I would have been in serious trouble! I was really undone by the complaints of noise, and I video taped him. It was a nightmare to watch his misery! I considered returning him, but my group asked me to please consult with a behaviorist first, so I did. She asked me, "Honey, if he howls in the crate, why do you keep putting him in it?" and I told her my group insisted. Well, since they're the ones that recommended her, and her recommmendation was "ditch the crate," I did. He never chewed anything, destroyed anything, or made another peep except a bit of whimpering when I first leave! Oh, I tried the baby gate thing too. That was actually the worst day of complaints! Although we like to consider the crate a familiar environment, at the kennels, dogs are surrounded by other dogs also in crates. It's a very different thing to be locked up in a wire box all alone in the condo. Sounds to ME as if your fellow is making it clear he's had enough. If he's housebroken, and hasn't shown signs of being a chewer, I'd suggest you give him a LONG walk before work, leave him with a Kong and some nice gooey stuff in it, and see what happens.

I doubt it. Dogs are typically trained to walk on the LEFT since most people are right handed; the tradition goes way, way back to times when the right hand would in all likelihood be carrying a shotgun! When they march them down the track in Jacksonville anyway, the dogs are all on the handler's left. I can't imagine why they'd swap sides... FYI, my George was five when I got him, spent a lot of time at the track--acted like he'd never been on a leash in his life for the first few weeks!!! Good gravy did I have a sore lower back from all the jostling we did with each other trying to impress upon him that he was going to walk on the left!! Phew! It's all good now!!

My old dog was on Soloxine, and I ordered big bottles of it from Omaha Vaccine for a FRACTION of what my vet wanted to charge. My parents' English Setter is also on it, and they pay a fortune buying it from their vet! Omaha Vaccine is great!

Hmmmm. I live in Massachusetts too. I use Frontline Plus, monthly, from about NOW through November,and George has NEVER had a flea, and neither did my last dog who I had for 15 years. I have seen ticks WALKING on George (Frontline doesn't repel ticks, it just kills them eventually once they attach). Anyone with cats--stay away from Advantix. It's good stuff, and you CAN use it on a Greyhound, but it's toxic to cats so my vet won't even prescribe it to me since she knows my Evil One is all over George!

I would not put neoprene boots on a dog for any extended period of time--there are lighter weight, more breathable choices if it were to come to needing boots. George did this in my new condo--and actually ripped the carpet (very cheap builder grade carpet used in the "Flip" of the property). I ended up putting tile by the door since that's where he was doing it, but now I have a cheap comforter for him where he was scratching (and brand new carpet). He just wanted to nest, and the carpet was all he had to "dig" in!

Lots of dogs will try this--clearly it's worked for her! Set schedule. Consider taking her out first thing in the morning, then take her for a decent walk about 30 minutes later--then sit down and work! You don't have to take her out again until let's say lunch (to start with--many dogs go all day without a break!). Take her out for 10 minutes or so, just to go the bathroom. Make sure you praise her when she goes, and then after another minute or two say, "Let's get back to work!" and go inside. Perhaps, even though you're home, you might give her a Kong with a little something inside at this point--to keep her entertained while you finish up your day. When your day is over, another break. And of course the before bed break. My boy goes out four or five times a day--period. But if I let him, he'd also go out every 10 minutes! One note: I work outside the home Mon-Fri, so he is home in from our last walk (finishes around 7 AM) until I get home (around 4 PM). Don't let DeeDee dictate your schedule. You're the one with the thumbs, after all! If she REALLY has to go out, she could also have a UTI. I'm assuming she's fine and she's just manipulating you, but it's something to keep in mind.