GeorgeofNE

If your 14 year old dog is pain, please get her to the vet. Don't just give her whatever meds you have on hand. It could be ANYTHING. Hope she's feeling better by now.

My dog stays on Heartworm as well as flea/tick year round. You do not need to bring in a stool sample to put them on flea/tick. The check for heartworm is, as you know, a blood test. You cannot get a prescription from most vets without the annual "snap" test which includes heartworm. Most flea/tick treatments are available with prescription. I buy my Frontline Plus on either Amazon.com or 1-800 Pet Meds. It's way cheaper than at the vet.

Don't we all whine a little throughout the day? She sounds like she's doing great. Don't worry.

Well, get to it! Any book on basic dog training will teach heel. The key is to pick a technique and stick with it. They don't just learn that automatically. My George was HORRIBLE on a leash when I first got him, but it didn't take to long for him to realize that whoever the pushover who had been leading him was GONE and never coming back! Buck was pretty good on a leash, until he got scared. Then he did what you'd expect a scared little kid to do. But once he is exposed to something a few times, he relaxes.

Your vet actually said that? That certainly gives me pause. Dogs don't use urine as a weapon or send messages about their feelings on the seasons with it. So not only is it absurd in that way, but...it makes no sense. If she was "done with winter" she'd want to go OUTSIDE and enjoy the weather. Just what tests did your vet run to determine she doesn't have a UTI?

Nerve pain. Or fleas. Just because you haven't seen one, doesn't mean it's impossible. Do you own a flea comb? If so, go over her from top to bottom with it. Just ONE flea can drive some dogs nuts.

Vet-- And just my own opinion--treating a dog who was once abused as a "poor dog who was once abused" is a huge disservice to the dog. She has a new life with you. Make her NOW the best it can be. Forget about her past. Good luck!

Suggest you read Patricia McConnell's "The Other End of The Leash." Many dogs don't like to be hugged. It's not a normal behavior to them. To her, you're trying to restrain her. Greyhounds have a particularly keen "fight of flight" response. Restraining her eliminates "flight" so all that is left is "fight." McConnell is very helpful explaining how dogs see some of our body language and also details how to interact with your dog in a way that she will understand. NEVER use the crate as punishment. It's supposed to be her safe zone. Never bother her when she's laying in the crate or on a dog bed. And she's made it clear as mud she doesn't like you looming over her--so stop doing it. There are other ways--call her to you, for example. Also note: some greyhounds sleep with their eyes open. My first one did. I learned the hard way to ALWAYS say his name and clap my hands when he was on his bed to make sure he actually was awake. He had sleep aggression, and that's how I learned to deal with it. What was her racing name? I'd love to look her up and see if she happens to be related to my George!

My Dad taught me how to remove a tick when I was about 6 years old. Grasp tick as close to dog's skin as possible. Pull straight back. Done. You're not going to get the plague if you touch a tick! Nor is a tick key any more effective at removing a tick than your hand. And all these things you squirt on a tick...some of them take hours to work. The longer the tick is in your dog, the more chance it has to pass disease. Just pull it out.

We lost a dog to bloat (a Labrador) and we did NOTHING wrong. Sometimes bloat just happens. To me, a fit healthy dog having a quick run around the yard is not "vigorous exercise." A competitive race would be. A long jog would be. The concern with exercise if if they get panting and sucking in large amounts of air (as in gasping for breath). Your mileage may vary--

If you haven't already done so, every newly adopted dog should be taken to the vet, who can recommend appropriate and safe treatments for your area. Your dog may or may not have been tested by your adoption group. Unless you have proof of a negative heartworm test, if heartworm meds are required in your area, you won't get a vet to prescribe them. The test is easy and inexpensive. Depending on your area, your dog may or may not need a Lyme vaccine, which it is unlikely he will have been given. Also, you should, as a matter of course, have his or her stool checked for parasites. Through not fault of their own, many newly adopted dogs of ALL breeds arrive carrying visitors you'd just as soon they be rid of. And you need to have your vet see the dog healthy! So, off you go!

I had horses when I was young, and we had dogs. Our horses were (like Battersea Brindles) on our property. The primary interest our dogs had was in eating horse poop. There is really no benefit to your dog in bringing him to the barn. You can't just let him run loose like other people apparently do, so assuming you are there to ride your horse, how could possibly tend to your dog and ride? You can't tie a Greyhound up (it's really not safe) and unless you close both the top and bottom of the stall door, Nancy is right. The dog can jump out. Not to mention no matter how well you clean the stall, do you really want to pen up your dog in a stall? With horse urine and poop likely hidden in the shavings?

It's probably amusing to you because your girl came out on top this time, but she does that to the wrong sort of dog, and it turns on her, she'll be at the e-vet before you can say "there goes Swifty." Add me to the list of dog park avoiders with my greyhound with tissue paper skin!

Take her to the vet for a check, and throw away the rug.

Sorry, and please don't take this as an insult, but BACK OFF! Let her be. Bonding isn't something you force on a dog. Just speak kindly to her, pet her when she's near you, but let her be. I had my first Greyhound for 7 years. In those 7 years, if you total up all the time he spent playing, it would equal less than an hour. Some of them NEVER play. She is very, very new to your home. You are a stranger. She is in a strange land. And there you are, forcing yourself on her! Imagine you're the new girl in school, and there's a boy who just won't leave you alone, and that's probably how you're making her feel right now! The wagging and the following you around will come in time. Walking the dog is a really great way to bond in a more subtle way. Rides in the car can be fun too. Rest easy--her behavior is totally normal for a newly adopted hound, and six months from now you won't even recognize this reserved girl!

There is vomiting you worry about, and what many vets refer to as "uncomplicated vomit." Dogs puke. It's USUALLY not a big deal. For what it's worth, I think that's a lot of food for a 65 pound dog. My boy weighs about that, and I feed him half that amount. Although he also gets two large Milk-Bones a day.

There isn't anything you CAN do. And I doubt very much that anywhere that it's know ticks carry Lyme they would send a tick out for testing. Did you draw that red circle, or is that from the tick? Cause I've never seen a bullseye rash on a dog, but that sure as heck looks like one, so your vet might just start him on antibiotics.

If you're already medicating the dog at that level, what harm could light sedation for an x-ray do? If he were mine, I would get the x-ray, and if it IS osteo, I would let him go now. Imagine how HE feels right now. And if it is osteo, you could well come home to a dog whose leg has broken. And then how will you get him to the vet?

Since you require a service dog that actually DOES things, I wouldn't look to a Greyhound since there are so many other breeds out there that, by their nature, would perform better.

When the snow melts, you can join the play dates at GPA-Mass. which are in Middleboro. Greyhounds only, fenced in large field, muzzles provided if you don't have your own! Lots of nice hounds and people! You don't have to have gotten your dog from them either! Check out their web site and/or Facebook page.

I think most of us would agree if we had a nickle for every time a new hound owner thought their dog was "depressed" we'd all go out for a nice lunch! To me it sounds as if he's comfortable in your home now, and what he wants to do is what a huge number of greyhounds do--sleep! They are, for the most part, extremely lazy dogs. This is not a Labrador you adopted, who wants to be part of everything going on. As to his food, do NOT just leave it down. Give him 10-15 minutes to eat it, then take it away. Don't give him more food until his next scheduled meal. Catering to a healthy dog who starts turning his nose up at things is a really great way of creating a picky dog. As long as his eyes are bright and clear, he seems to enjoy his walks, and his output is normal, I think you should just let him be. He may start interacting more, or he might not. Some Greyhounds truly love nothing more than doing nothing at all! I think my boy (and he's only 3) sleeps about 20 hours out of 24! He's happy, he's healthy, and he's all mine!

It depends on the vet, but I find it worrisome that your vet didn't even suggest x-rays given that you brought in a Greyhound with a limp of unexplained origin. For the hips, the dog has to be sedated or they can't get all the right angles. For the lower leg? Shouldn't need it, but some vets just insist.

He's having fabulously exciting dog dreams!

Sounds like allergies, possibly. Could be anything from the detergent you use to pollen. And I agree--no dog needs to be bathed monthly except certain hairless breeds as they are oily and stink if not bathed! This is according to my friend who has them! See the vet--he will probably prescribe an antihistamine to try. If that works, you'll know its an allergic response. Never heard of a dog losing hair and scratching due to stress...