Hawthorn

Seems highly suspicious to me that you just applied the Advantix II yesterday. Do you have a data sheet to check the side effects? There seem to be a few stories online about dogs having neurological problems when using this. If he were my dog, I'd wash it off asap.

I'm so sorry you had to say goodbye to your special girl.

I'm so sorry you lost Jazzy, and so suddenly too . Rest in peace, Jazzy, loved and remembered always .

I'm so sorry ... Rest in peace, Bert

It strikes me that 10mg prednisone twice daily is a very low dose for a dog who is thought to have two serious autoimmune diseases. I don't have any experience with these particular diseases, but my boy became very ill with another autoimmune disease (IMPA) a year ago. His vet put him on the same dose of steroids as yours is on. He initially showed some improvement, but within a few days began going downhill again, at which point I requested an emergency referral to a specialist as he was extremely ill. The specialist (after doing a whole load of tests) upped his dose to 100mg per day (he weighed 88lbs at that point) and within 24 hours he was much improved. Unfortunately we had further problems as he then relapsed badly when the specialist reduced the steroids too soon but improved again when put back on the higher dose for a longer period. I have no doubt that the high (immune-suppressing) dose of steroids saved his life. We tried Azathioprine with our boy in addition to the steroids, but he reacted very badly to it, so we managed him just on steroids (and gastro-protectants - these are essential). I think I'd want some input from a specialist at this point, but if this is not possible I'd definitely be considering upping the dose of steroids.

I'm so sorry you had to say goodbye to Sahara.

I'd probably put a blob of cream or vaseline on it immediately prior to a walk but not wrap it. Also might be worth considering if leaving the adjacent nail a bit longer would prevent rubbing. Also maybe you could round off the edges a bit more? I have to do this with one of my boy's nails, otherwise he gets a sore on the adjacent toe.

I'm glad you found each other, too, and am very sorry you had to say goodbye to your precious boy.

I'm so sorry ... Rest in peace, Corey

I am so sorry you had to say goodbye to your beautiful girl so young. Rest in peace, Heidi, loved and remembered always.

So sorry for your loss ... Rest in peace, Fletcher

So sorry for your loss of Mercedes and so soon after Ellie too .

I just wonder if she had a high enough dose of antibiotics. My reason for saying this is that many years ago I had pneumonia which was treated by my GP with antibiotics but I did not get better until I was admitted to hospital where they doubled the dose.

So sorry you had to say goodbye to your Ellie.

That was lovely ~ very touching ~ especially that "last" photo.

What a beautifully written tribute to your special girl ~ so sorry she had to leave. Rest in peace, Daisy, loved and remembered always.

So sorry for your loss ~ rest in peace, Spud .

I've had a couple of instances with different greyhounds where they had pain / lameness issues and our regular vet couldn't determine where the problem was. In each case, after various periods of rest and anti-inflammatories, I eventually took them to an experienced greyhound vet (one who sees a lot of track greyhounds) and in each case this vet found the problem area within a matter of minutes (in one case a partially ruptured tendon and in the other a spinal misalignment). In both cases I was amazed at how quickly and thoroughly this vet examined my greyhounds and how quickly he was able to pinpoint and diagnose the problem. So if rest doesn't cure Oakley's problem, I'd be inclined to seek out an experienced greyhound vet for a second opinion. Is he on anti-inflammatories too? These can be very effective.

I like that website too, and also have a couple of her books, which make interesting reading even if I don't necessarily agree with everything she says. I started using titre-testing and minimal vaccinations a few years ago. Our current vets still advise annual vaccinations, but I told them when I registered that I don't do annual vaccinations and they've never tried to push it (unlke previous vets).

She sounds like such a character ~ so sorry you had to say goodbye to her .

I'm so sorry you had to say goodbye to your baby girl . Rest in peace, Jet .

I'm so sorry you had to say goodbye to her ~ she sounds like such a sweetheart . Rest in peace, Echo, loved and remembered always .

It's too soon to be leaving her at all IMO but if you're determined to do so, please warn your wife to be extremely careful on returning to the house as in her highly stressed state your dog will be an escape risk. Obviously I don't know the layout of your house, but if your wife will be returning through the front door, and you have a front garden with no or low gate, then this is an especially high risk. If this is the case, it would be best to go in through the back door if possible. Many newly-adopted greyhounds are lost in this way by new / inexperienced owners.

She sounds very scared. I'd avoid leaving her at all for the time being as this will just make her anxiety worse. Can your wife take her with her when she collects the children? Can someone come and sit with her at other times, just for now? She needs time to settle in and learn to trust you and her new home environment. Once she's feeling secure, you can start alone training, but take it very very slowly. It may take months, but there's no reason why you shouldn't eventually be able to leave her for a few hours. I personally wouldn't use a muzzle, as this is likely to make her even more anxious. I wouldn't shut her in anywhere either, for the same reason. If you do the alone training slowly and carefully enough, she won't be left alone for long enough to become anxious or do any damage. If you don't want her to go upstairs, couldn't you baby gate the stairs off, and leave her with free run of the downstairs? I agree with letting her sleep in your bedroom if she wants to, as this is likely to make her feel more secure. I've used Zylkene in the past for one of mine who was slightly nervous when she first came home, and I felt it helped. You can get this from your vet, or cheaper on the internet as it's non-prescription.

I am so sad and angry to read about this. As someone whose first dog died as a result of a dog attack more than 30 years ago, I completely understand how traumatic it is. I know I have never completely recovered from the trauma and to this day am extremely wary of other dogs and their people. We have a few people/dogs that we know and trust, but apart from that we do our best to walk in places where we are unlikely to meet off-lead dogs, but I know this is not always easy and there is always the potential for the unexpected to happen. I do hope that Betty's wound heals nicely and that you both recover from your trauma .