GeorgeofNE

Brandon, We've (mostly) all been in a place where money is tight and choices have to be made-- Just want you to know that I understand that! Also that I have NEVER seen anything like that, but it sure looks like a nasty reaction to some sort of bites. Good luck, and let us know what the vet says!

It doesn't say the gashes were near the TIP of the tail--and if they're not, it should be a LOT easier than actual "happy tail" (bashed up tip from wagging it into stuff). I must say, never heard of one dog gashing another's tail with their toe nails! Ouch! Poor pup.

I recently went through the same general thing with my 12 year old boy. It was so painful to make the decision, but he was ready to go. Sat on the floor with him and my vet, and we both cried, but he just closed his eyes and moved on to the next world in peace. Sometimes it is far kinder to let them go than make them fight.

Oh! We've all been there! I think my last vet visit--one cat, rabies shot, my greyhound, rabies shot, ran me $400! Why you ask? Well, the cat's "veins collapsed" when the vet was trying to give her a shot. I didn't really care all that much--I know that sounds AWFUL--but the cat is 13, never been sick a day in her life, clearly in the pink of health. I figured it was just some fluky thing. Well, the vet talked me into a clotting factor test. She didn't tell me that the test alone was $99! She charged me the full exam fee for George, even though he's been examined four times already, once within two weeks of this visit. You can imagine that I was not all that made at George when he decided to pee on the reception desk while I was having a mini heart attack over the bill!!!!

YOUR name is Sula? That's cool! One of my old dog's best friends was named Sula Peace! I've never heard the name before, or since! If the stool samples come back normal now, I'd suspect that the FOOD could be making her loose--perhaps temporary, or perhaps it simply doesn't agree with her?

Hi Diane, I lost my beloved Kramer at the end of April. I adopted my hound two days later. I INTENDED to wait, but it was too painful being alone. George has keep my mind off of the gaping hole in my heart left by Kramer. Then I lost one of my cats in literally 30 seconds--he was fine and happy, and then he was dead. It was shocking and so unbelievable I still can't process it. I don't know how I would have handled it without having George needing me-- I'm sure when you're ready, the most wonderful houndie will be there for you!!

Welcome! Secret is a doll--you might consider reading "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell. It helped me a LOT when I was new (well, I am still new to Greyhounds)!

Scary! Thank goodness it sounds as if it was a false alarm. Perhaps he learned how to scream from the others? George crys in the morning too, if I hang around too long and don't give him his Kong and get the heck out of his "me time."

Hi! If this is your first Grey (I got mine at the very end of April--not my first dog, but my first Grey, and first adult dog adoption) you may be as baffled as I have been by some things--my guy SEEMED to be housebroken, then started to pee in the house. His urine was checked twice--no infections. I started to use a belly band, and that worked great. He peed in it once or twice, then realized "ick" and didn't anymore. He went SIX WEEKS 100% dry in the band, so I took it off. He went almost three weeks--then one day I came home and he had peed! What I'm finding is that he is not a stupid dog at all, but it takes him a LOT longer to learn things than I would have guessed. He peed at the pet store the other day--it clearly didn't even occur to him he shouldn't be peeing on the displays! I was grateful for the opportunity to tell him "No!" when he did it, as he has never peed at home while I am there. He also peed on the vet's reception desk--but I was happy about that because they had just handed me a HUGE bill...but again, he didn't even consider NOT peeing. He easily could have held it until we left, it just didn't seem WRONG to him. So maybe your girl is a little bit like that? She's just as soon go outside, but hasn't quite registered yet that inside is NOT ACCEPTABLE! What I'm doing now is keeping my pockets stuffed with kibbles (about half his morning meal) and when we go out when he tinkles, the SECOND he is done I say, "Good tinkle!" and I give him a kibble. I used a clicker for a while, but that was too much. George requires two hands on the leash, and then I needed a hand for treats, and short of using my teeth to work the clicker... He enjoys this so much he'll even fake pee! But it really helps to empty him out in the morning (I work too, and George is home with the cats all day! Cannot afford a dog walker, although I did do that for a while in the beginning) and I guess he just needs a LOT more reinforcement than some dogs would. George was almost five when I got him--three solid years at the race track--so I guess it shouldn't have been such a shock to me that it would take him so long to "get it" when it comes to the housebreaking. But he's REALLY made huge progress, and I now know they make Nature's Miracle in a 1.5 gallon size with a battery operated spray nozzle! Fingers crossed--I left him "naked" today after two more weeks of dryness with his band on!

I just went through the same thing with George, and got the EMT gel recommendation. I ended up making an irritation on his skin from the band-aide that bothered him much more than his cut! Bad mommy...

And who is this guy or gal??? That is such a funny picture! Come and get it fellas...I can just hear her saying!

Hi! Just wanted to say that when my Kramer was about that age, the same thing happened. Rivers of pee! I took him to the vet, and his urine was EXTREMELY dilute--a switch to Hill's K/D for his kidneys was all he needed--and of course lots of monitoring. It really helped a LOT. I can't afford a daily dog walker myself. Kramer lasted two more years, and after his initial bout of accidents, was able to hold it all day again! George says hi to Otis. Susan

My family has had English Setters FOREVER, used for both hunt and show. My father REFUSES to neuter the males, but has zero issues with spaying the females! When I got my old dog, a pit bull mix, and had him neutered as young as Angell Memorial would do it, he was absolutely blown away that my dog was not a wimp. Dad is in his 70s, and grew up in a time and place where it just wasn't something you did. Obviously they feel differently about this, and many other things, in other countries, but add my vote for NEUTER! No reason not to.

If I might attempt to assist you! My former dog, a mix, had a SEVERE case of happy tail which eventually resulted in having two inches of his extremely long tail amputated (primarily because he was having surgery anyway...). My Grey came to me with a case of happy tail, and I intended to have the tip removed during his dental, but ended up getting it completely healed with no surgery, and it's been three months with no problems. Here is what I used very successfully (my bandages stayed in place on average three days at a time, and you really don't want them on longer than that anyway. My vet's stayed on for two hours...): 1) Clean, apply some antibiotic ointment (OTC is fine). 2) Use human Band-Aides to cover/pad the area. Stick it right to his fur! Cut if necessary 3) Cover that with Vet Wrap. Keep the whole thing as LIGHT as possible. If it's really messed up, use a light layer of gauze over the band-aide and under the vet wrap 4) At the very top of the vet wrap, use waterproof first aide tape, and make sure you STICK IT TO THE FUR! I think it's very tempting to really pad the bandage up, but the heavier you go, the more it annoys the dog, and the greater the tendency for the weight of the bandage to actually work it off! The foster who had my dog had taken him to her vet for his bloody tail, and the vet shaved it. That makes it worse, as it removes the cushioning! Had I gone ahead with the amputation, I never would have known George's tail is white on the end! You can do it!!! Good luck! I feel your pain.

Welcome! Charlie is a beauty! I also lost my "long time companion" recently. Kramer was put down on April 20, and I brought George home on April 23. It's never going to be the same, but George and I are doing great, and I'm sure Charlie is helping to fill the hole in your family.

My old dog had a thyroid problem and NO disposition change whatsoever. In fact the ONLY symptom he had was his coat turned very dry and brittle. A regular blood panel should be enough to see if any further thyroid testing is warranted.

Yes, there are a LOT of us without dog doors. We don't all live in houses! I'm in a third floor condo! No dog door... No yard! Well, we have a MAMMOTH yard. But dogs are not allowed on it. Heaven forbid...

I have given shots to my friends diabetic dog, and he barely even noticed!! Find some loose skin, poke, plunge remove, COOKIES!! No big deal!

Welcome! Just a quick FYI, I was advised NOT to let my Grey run on hard surface tennis courts because their feet can get "torn up" because they are not accustomed to running on that sort of surface, and the speed at which they travel! I was disappointed, but better safe than sorry. I would hate for you to have a bad experience right away and end up at the vet, so I'm passing on the advice my adoption group gave me. I'm new too!

My George had his first boo boo recently, and the very smart Meredith recommended EMT Gel or spray. Sort of skin glue! I suggested they hand out a tube with every new adoption!!! I ordered it on line. George's cut was like a slit, and it was moving around and gross, but not really bloody. Having had animals my whole life, I tried very hard not to over react and race him off to the doctor! It's fine now-- I did the Betadine wash, then I used some Bacitracin, and a big band aide. It turns out the band aide ended up making a sore where it was sticking to his "thigh," but it did hold the skin together somewhat. Welcome to Greyhound parenthood to BOTH of us!

You'll see Peter again one day! And he will know how much you loved him. You made me cry at work, darn it... I'm so sorry. I lost my darling Kramer in April. I take solace in knowing that I loved him every day that he was mine.

I believe this is the same gal who has already surrendered the foster back to the group because it didn't work out with either the cats or her children... Bummer!

I'm sure those folks actually involved in racing on this board can give a better answer, but it seems highly unlikely that LONG toenails would be desireable in racing. The risk of toe injuries would no doubt increase a lot. I've noticed in a lot of the pictures people post here nails I consider way too long. A lot of people have trouble doing it themselves I think. The vet clinic I go to offers "tech" appointments for $15, and they take the dog off your hands for two minutes, clip 'em up nice and short for you, and off you go! The dog doesn't hate YOU, and the problem is taken care of! I'm not sure which wonderful Greyhound Welfare person clipped George's nails before I got him, or if they were still short from the track, but I just follow the group's advice and tend them once a week. I got a Dremel "MiniMite" on Amazon.com (cordless, but rechargeable!) and I'm just following the shape they were in. So much easier to do it regularly than to have a big fuss once they're too long!

My former dog, not a grey, suffered a complete rupture of his ACL. I was told that at his size (75 lbs. of pure muscle! My darling boy...) the only realistic option was a TPLO (tibial plateau leveling ostomy???). Long story short, the surgery cost $2,700, the dog was in agony and would not heal. The 12 week recovery turned into 9 months, and one year, almost to the date, I woke up to a dog burning up with fever screaming in pain! It was a bone infection that had been festering all that time--which is why it wouldn't heal. What a nightmare. Another surgery, to remove the hardware they put in the first time, drain the joint, try and clean out the infection. With meds--that one ran about $3,000. Another 3 months of recovery, and TAH DAH! He was good as new! MOST dogs do very well with a TPLO. My poor guy just happened to be unlucky. Bone infections happen, they take a LONG time sometimes to make the dog sick enough for you to figure it out. Both vets were board certified orthopedic surgeons, by the way. It was a rough time. He could not use the leg AT ALL, so there really wasn't an option to wait and see. It was bizarre too. He was just running on a flat grassy surface, then yelped once, and that was that. I hope your Grey recovers quickly and fully!

I always keep Ascriptin on hand for the dog. It's asprin, but it has a buffering agent (I believe Maalox!) in it, and a coating that makes it easier on the stomach. I've asked, and it's safe to give a Grey. I give one twice a day if needed. If the pain isn't gone after that, I call the vet unless I know what the problem is. I hope your pooch feels better soon!