GeorgeofNE

My dog is the same way. He is a HUGE grump. Which is weird, because when he isn't grumpy, he is the sweetest, most loving boy ever! But he does growl a LOT for very silly (to me) reasons.

I have it on good authority (from a vet) that they are the exact same vaccine. It's sort of a game where they WANT you to come in annually even if your pet is healthy, so they tell you the pet needs his rabies every year because "the three year is more likely to cause...." (for cats they say tumors at the vaccine site). Since you have to have proof of rabies in most states in case your dog is picked up, or you want to board, or whatever--it's a great business method of getting you in for an annual visit even if your pet is perfectly healthy. I know some of you don't mind that, but I don't want to drag a healthy cat into the vet to be tortured if I don't have to! I ask for the three year on my cats, and it seems like Buck always needs at least one shot a year, so I don't so much care about having to take him in.

I find discarded whiskers all the time. Unless your pooch's muzzle appears bald, I wouldn't give it another thought!

My dog had a plate in his leg, and he got a bone infection and almost died a full year after his surgery when the plate was put in. He wasn't a greyhound, but dog bones are dog bones, more or less. He didn't heal and didn't heal and didn't heal. I knew something was wrong, but since I was using a fancy board certified orthopedic specialist from a well known teaching hospital, I was confident in the doctor. More and more time passed, and my dog was STILL limping. One day I came home and the dog was in dire straights--very high fever, screamed when I touched him--I raced off to my regular vet who admitted him immediately and put him on IV fluids. Turns out he had a bone infection all along, and on top of that, one of the screws in his tibia had broken. So they went in, took out the plate and screws, drained all the infection out of the joint, and put him on a powerhouse antibiotic regime for three months. Total cost for both surgeries and aftercare? $15,000. (Thanks Dad.) Now as to your dog--it COULD be something like arthritis. It could be That Which Shall not be Named (but I'll hope not). And it could be any number of totally different things. If the specialist has ruled out cancer, bone infection, and arthritis, I would suggest testing for tick borne diseases (which can cause persistent lameness) if you haven't already, and I would suggest trying an NSAID for a couple of weeks. If that helps a lot, it's probably just arthritis.

It doesn't make the slightest bit of difference. If it helps, your dog was raised eating out of buckets or pans on the ground. No raised feeders at the farms or the tracks, and no reason to believe they're necessary at all.

That's not a greyhound thing. It's a dog thing. Your dog is not housebroken. He does not understand, or care, about your morning routine at this point! Maybe it's just me, but the FIRST thing I do in the morning is take out the dog. I know how I would feel if I was 100% dependant on someone to allow me to relieve myself! As you two learn each other's routines, things will ease up. But for now you'd probably be best off setting an alarm and taking him out BEFORE he resorts to pooping inside. Cues can be very subtle, and this dog has NO IDEA he has to wake someone up and tell them "I have to poop." You need to take him out before it's urgent.

Many hounds, including those who race in Florida, are actually born and raised in the midwest, so they might not be as clueless about cold as you imagine! 20 isn't even that cold to me. Right now it's 5 degrees, well colder with the wind, and it wouldn't even occur to me to alter my daily outing schedule. On Thursday when we are having a blizzard, yes, I'll cut it short a bit!

Stop allowing him to be finicky. A dog isn't going to expire if he elects to skip a few meals. But he's got you trained now, to give him something new when he decides he wants it! Are you feeding him two cups TWICE a day, or only once? Cause I think 4 cups is too much for a retired dog of that age and activity level. If you meant once a day, I'd start feeding him twice a day so he doesn't go 23.75 hours between meals. As a reference, my dog is a little smaller and a little younger, but I feed him one cup of food twice a day. No add ins except water. He does get treats, but all he needs to maintain his weight is two cups a day. My mutt dog that I had years ago used to eat 5 cups of kibble a day. As he aged, it was gradually reduced to two cups, and two cups is what he ate his entire senior life. He was a 75 pound very active mixed breed, but every dog's metabolism is different. It COULD be your dog is being over fed and he's just not that hungry, or he could be spoiled and likes variety!

I would suggest you adopt an adult cat. Kittens are unpredictible and silly, they can do dangerous and stupid things that even the steadiest dog might react badly to.

What Batmom said. Try and put yourself in her shoes. You're not going to die if your sleep is disrupted for a few days! It will all be fine, it just takes a little time!

You really should find out where the dog came from and let the adoption group know that the person they entrusted the dog to has given it up. It's probably that original adopter was required by their adoption contract to return the dog to the original group and NOT just pass it along to someone else. I feel certain you'd be allowed to keep the dog, but you really NEED the support of the people who chose that dog for the family they chose it for, particulary if you have young children and a dog who has a disposition that could not be more different from a greyhound! But that is totally normal dog behavior and I would stay out of it for now. Your children should be nowhere near a sleeping dog, particularly one you barely know. There are lots of threads on this board talking all about it and how to work around it and keep everyone safe.

I'm glad you liked your vet. None of those issues are serious or even unique to greyhounds. One yeasty ear on one visit does NOT scream "allergies" to me (disclaimer: I am NOT a vet), and you should understand that a dog, like a person, can be allergic to literally anything. One yeasty ear is a POSSIBLY indicator of an allergy, but I'd treat is, see if it clears up, and only if it comes back would I start to wonder about allergies. Many retired racers have assorted scars and bald patches, which anti racing people love to tout as evidence of abuse and/or neglect, but are more a commentary on how fragile greyhound skin is. I've actually never heard of a retiree having a fungus right there (because it is likely a bare patch from his muzzle that will fill in eventually), but it's not a big deal if it is. And I would not worry at all about your dog barfing once after what was undoubtedly a stressful trip (that's an extremely LONG time to spend at the vet for a wellness visit). Now, where it the photo of this fine fellow??

I'm sorry, are you SURE he didn't say osteosarcoma? I have never heard of any dog of any breed with osteoporosis (the loss of calcium post menopausal women often have to deal with). Regardless, I am so sorry for your loss.

Actually, yes, it can be done that you always go out with her. There are plenty of us who leash walk 100% of the time! As "Lbass" said, get a turnout muzzle and add a stool guard. Also, if it's just the one dog you have, I had good luck using a product called "Forbid." You sprinkle it on their food, and after they digest it and then try to eat their poop, it makes their stool repulsive to them! Worked great for me with my mixed breed dog--completely cured him after one attempt to eat "Forbid" tainted poo!

There is no reason to assume if she has an allergy it is to FOOD. There are so many other possibilities. My brother had a dog that was allergic to grass. I had a dog who had seasonal allergies to just about every kind of pollen.

Seems clear to me that YOU are anxious. Please try and relax. It's a DOG, not some mysterious creature from outer space! You've got this! I've been leash walking 365 days of the year in New England since 1995, minimum 4x a day. Not one of my dogs has ever worn boots. She's not going to dislike you if she experiences incidences of mild discomfort from time to time, such as the ice melter stuff. Sure, she might not really like it that much, but you don't have to coddle her. Greyhounds are actually damn tough animals. We adopters tend to treat them like they're hothouse flowers, but it's simply not true. If she LIKES the boots, by all means, carry on. But if she doesn't, why would force the issue? Surely you've noticed most of the other dogs you see out and about on your daily routine are NOT wearing boots. Most greyhounds have their nails clipped with traditional clippers from a standing position when they're "working." She may have never seen or heard a dremel before (and any yahoo can call themself a "professional groomer" which is why I wouldn't let one near my dog with a 10 foot pole). If you can't do it, I'd suggest you take her in to the vet and ask for a vet tech to do it for you. It might cost a couple dollars more, but they tend to just get on with it. You may wish to NOT be there and just have it done so you can relax. Enjoy!!

What you describe, in general, is not a "calm" greyhound AT ALL. Sounds like you got one of the more rare big, bouncy boys. It also sounds like you've never had a dog before. This is all normal dog behavior not really related to his greyhound self. He's way to big and bouncy to be allowed free access to a two year old. You should probably consider a baby gate and let him chill in a room rather than stuffing him in a box which he is no longer used to and expecting him to just behave in it. Sure, he might. He also might ruin your party by howling his head off. Baby gate him into an room you don't need the kids in, and make sure to give him stuff to do, and visit him, and then put his muzzle on and bring him in on a leash, and let him be part of things in small bites. If he's good, he gets to continue. If he's a pain, put him back in his room CALMLY and patiently. This is all new to him, and he's very young. Have fun!

My limited experience is with two males, but oddly the one labeled as timid and fearful is FAR more comfortable home alone all day than my very outgoing boy who had a long career at the track and loved adventures and fun. He had a TERRIBLE time alone, although he did manage it after a struggle in the beginning. I've always found that odd.

I happen to have a fearful dog. He was retired after 9 races because he kept coming in last. If there was even a shred of truth to it, ALL of the top racers would be fearful dogs, and that is most certainly about as far from the truth as you can get. Sounds to me like you have adopted a clever fellow who has figured out how to get himself extra snacks!

I've had a pinched nerve. I went to FOUR doctors. None of them could do jack squat for me. Then one evening it just went PING..... and unpinched, and the pain went away instantly. If it were me, if he continues to have trouble, I'd insist on some x-rays.

Most of the tracks still operating in this country are in Florida. That should give you an idea how completely and totally normal it would be to own a greyhound in Florida.

I'm a dog owner who has multiple cats (and have now had multiple dogs with them). Her behavior would not concern me at all. Sounds like a normal dog being aware that another pack member is moving about. She doesn't need to behave like the cat doesn't exist to be cat safe.

I'm guessing the answer of "let him sleep in your room" isn't going to be acceptable for you, so I'll just echo that punishing a dog for this sort of behavior (which is a clear indication something is wrong) is counterproductive. And 7 isn't particularly old, so please discard the notion that you just have an old dog with issues. Does he get any exercise?

I am not going to touch your statements on vaccines, but it is NOT normal for your dogs to all be pooping that much, and virtually impossible that three dogs would react in the same manner to a vaccine, if that's what you are contending. Sounds to me like you have a parasite of some sort and all three of them are infected. I hope you get it sorted out.

There is really not much chocolate in a Hershey's kiss. A greyhound size dog could probably eat the whole bag and not get sick. It's a specific ingredient in chocolate that makes dogs sick, and it's found in higher concentrations in stuff like baking chocolate. Things like "chocolate" cookies have virtually zero actual chocolate. Most of our "chocolate" covered items like ice cream bars are actually "chocolatey flavored" or such. I would encourage you to buy a book on canine first aid and read it. Lots of valuable information and you could put an end to needless worry if you had some facts on hand!