MaryJane

The others on the thread have noted most of the usual things, so these are more unlikely but still possible ... Is she on a different dog food than she was on before? Sometimes a food allergy can trigger drinking more water than usual. Also, my boy will urinate more if I increase the protein in his diet -- his specific gravity also runs lower.

I think you've answered your own question.

I stopped using a crate years ago for my fosters - if I crated a foster, they cry all night. My two are not crated (ever), they are destructive to themselves in a crate because they are frantic to get out and would hurt themselves (think bloody noses and paws).

I agree that the primary concern is keeping the dogs safe. When I moved, my dog stayed at my parents so I didn't have to worry about the movers letting him out. Otherwise (as others have stated) my dog adjusted fine - all he needed was me, his dog bed and his dishes and he was "home". Just a brief note that you want to make sure that any fumes are gone before you move in with the dog - greyhounds seem to be more sensitive to solvents (like used on wood floors) and the like.

I agree with this post - your dog is probably house trained to your house and doesn't see your parents house as a "house" too so, you'll need to do house training 101 again. Whenever I have greyhounds visit here and they have never been here before - I watch them like a hawk because they are going to sniff and they just might pee. Usually just takes one or two corrections and they understand.

How long has he been on the antibiotics and how long was he supposed to be on the antibiotics? Has this been a recurring infection? I'm tempted to say finish the antibiotics but, in this case I think more information is needed.

There is a melatonin derivative that my mother takes that helps her to fall asleep at night but, it does not work all the time but enough so that she sleeps most nights. It's a prescription so you know that the amount of active ingredient is regulated (unlike the OTC drugs). I don't know if it is used on animals though ... The name is rozerem - link too website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000321/ Also, Valium is highly addictive as I'm sure that you know .. you won't be able to just stop it and even gradually decreasing the dosage might cause withdrawal.

Mine love apples, cantaloupe, bananas, peaches, watermelon, and even romaine lettuce and cucumbers. Lucy (silly girl) will pick her own raspberries from the bushes and she even taught my boy Larry to do it - except Larry is not smart enough to just pick the ripe ones

As others have suggested, get a behavorist to identify what are the trigger points for your dog. Once you know what sets him off you can then work on resolving the issue. It sounds like nothing has been taken out of this dog's mouth until the incident at the park and after that it seems that issues are starting to increase so, as others have said, I'm more likely to think this is a fear reaction setting in from that first incident but, it's hard to tell without seeing the interactions in person. If it is fear, it will take awhile to build trust both on your and your dog's side. You mentioned growling on the couch -- the dog should not have any couch privileges at all until issues are resolved. As a side note, I have fostered quite a few dogs and usually I go through a whole set of tests while the foster is at my house .. I have the "hug test", rawhide chew test, stuffie test, feet test, and the food test which are the major ones but I have more. The intent is that I do it very slowly and calmly and measure the dog's reaction which tells me what "needs to be worked on". For example, most greyhounds do not like being hugged at least at first - I usually start very slowly by being over the dog (bending over slightly) and having my hands placed lightly on the neck area and see if the dog tenses. if the dog passes that then the next day, I sit down and put my arms more around the dog's neck and see if we have any tenseness. If that dog passes that then the following day I will then hold the muzzle very gently and bring more of my body into the hug and see if there is any tenseness -- you have to hold the muzzle because this is a great time to get bitten. If the dog passes that then the next day I will actually do a quick gentle squeeze when I have him in a hug (again holding the muzzle) and see if there is any tenseness. The next day will bring more of the same with me holding the squeeze a little bit longer. You may think that this is crazy but, I would not bring a dog to a meet-n-greet if they didn't pass my "hug test - too many little kids that might come flying up and try to hug the dog. I am not suggesting that you do the "hug test" as you would probably get bitten if you did as your dog is already displaying signs of fear/aggression when someone is close. I only bring up the steps I go through over the course of a few days so that you can see that you went through them in a matter of seconds when you tried to pull something out of your dog's mouth. As stated previously, a behavorist should be able to go through their own series of tests and identify the trigger points and how to go about resolving them.

I have always had great luck in adding oatmeal (5 minute long cooking type) to the food. It has fiber which helps bind up the stool and .. if you notice, most of the sensitive stomach dog foods now have oatmeal in them. I usually add about 1/2 cup of cooked oatmeal to the morning meal. You can also try giving an apple once a day - slice them up (take out the core) and smear some peanut butter on them. Keep the skins on as those also have fiber. If you still keep on having issues, I would suggest just going to a "home-made" diet of hamburg and rice (or noodles) with some veggies tossed in. Some dogs have problems digesting rice in the beginning but, if the rice is cooked more it might be OK. A home-made diet allows the gut to settle down and after about a week or two you can start switching gradually to a new food. If the new food doesn't work you can go back to the home-made and then try a different dog food. It can take a month or more to find one that will work but, the nice thing about this method is during the time you are finding something, your dog's GI system is on the "easy to process home-made food" and hopefully is slowly healing itself.

I guess to me it sounds like you are willing to make whatever changes are necessary to try and keep your dog at home so, I'm of the mind that you take all the precautions that you can (gate and muzzle) and see how it is for a few weeks especially as you are still working with a behaviorist and the other doctors. In any circumstances, parents should never leave a dog alone with a baby or child even when the dog is a happy-go-lucky one so I guess I'm not seeing much difference here with a dog with a known problem (at least you know you have to watch). Both of you sound committed to making it work and that goes a long way towards having a good outcome - doesn't guarantee it but, you never have guarantees. When you have a dog that has snapped, you are going to be more careful -- contrast that with a dog that has never snapped but, one day it has a bad day and it snaps. There is always the potential with any dog -- you are just going to be more aware of it. Re-homing is always a possibility but, as I think you know .. the chances of a seizure dog getting a home quickly or even not so quickly is going to be tough. During the time that the dog is at the adoption group he would likely be in a cage most of the day .. so I think if you need to confine him more at home that would be a good compromise. Sometimes if you let a situation develop a bit more (of course making sure appropriate safeguards are taken), the path (and maybe other options) that you should follow becomes more pronounced. As to the medicine - is it zonisamide? If so, you can get generic for about $25 or so a month. (edited to add - that is for 120 pills each being 100mg)

Can his bed be placed in a different room where he could still see interactions - maybe like a dining room. Could you get a carpenter to put in a wrought iron type of gate that screws into the wall? You could separate him when he is sleeping and then when it is time to interact with the family, put the muzzle on him and let him into the living room. Maybe not the ideal situation but, it gives you a chance to see how it will work short term. I also have a space aggressive seizure dog and if I had small children I would be in the same position as you -- so I can feel your pain.

You mentioned that you don't think they are --- care to elaborate why not

It's unusual but, sometimes too much protein (like the kind found in real chicken/meat) will cause a dog to urinate more (at least that's what happens with my boy Larry). How much chicken are you giving daily?

Good to hear that he is home and doing well.

Good to hear that Jimmy is out of surgery and stable - hoping for a quick recovery.

Raw trout can have parasites (like worms) so, I hope that you were planning on frying up. Once it is cooked, I would think that you could put it in a food processor to mash up the smaller bones ...

Can you update us if you do follow up and get more information about doing a root canal and a cap. I would be very interested in what they have to say.

This is a really good point about salmon and bears repeating again. Everyone does seem to think that salmon is a great food but, the salmon that is probably in the dog food is the one that is farm raised not the "wild" - the "wild" is great for people/dogs. The farm raised salmon seem to get more "antibiotics" to keep them healthy since they are raised in such crowded conditions and this closely resembles how chickens are raised today with just too many "antibiotics" given. If I'm going to give salmon to my dogs I give the canned wild salmon and for some of my dogs, it has been too rich.

Good to hear that there is something definite that you can follow up on and get rid of.

You might want to just stay with the home-cooked if cost is not an issue. Both of mine are fed home-cooked because Larry has some serious food intolerance to chicken and noodles and most dog foods have some chicken in them unless it is a "limited ingredient". Lucy, my other greyhound, has seizures and there is some thought in medical circles that some of the add-ins to processed dog food can exacerbate seizures. It doesn't take much more time than feeding regular dog food if you make a few days worth of food each time. You also have to supplement with calcium and vitamins to ensure a balanced diet. Otherwise, processed dog food can change their ingredients and what worked a few weeks ago may not longer work and then you are back to square one again.

Congrats! You might want to try Science Diet light - it has about 10% fiber so it tends to firm up the loose stools but, the ingredient list is not really good. I currently have a foster on it and he's also one where rich foods like the Natural Balance & Solid Gold didn't work but, Science Diet Light is working. I've had him about 4 weeks and he was very thin when he arrived and the diet has allowed the GI irritation to settle down so that he's gaining weight steadily.

It's simple .. if he gets the dog trained then take her --- otherwise, just take yours. It sounds like he is trying to make you responsible for his dog and being passive aggressive about it by asking you to step up to the plate and get his dog trained so that you can take her places and if you can't do that, to leave your dog at home. Not sure whether you are trying to make a life with this guy but, this situation should make you think a bit.

I'm so sorry .. losing two in such a short period of time is devastating.

Vet visit. The reason for that -- it's been three days and she has not gotten better and might be a bit worse.