Kathy

I was a single almost 40 female living alone (well with a cat and rabbit) in an apartment and my greyhound was my first dog. I lived on the ground floor but I took my greyhound in the elevator to "see" how it would go and she had no reaction (I also did that with another mixed dog since and same result). I worried about off leash time but each time I took her to a family friend's yard so she could "run free" she had no interest - you had to keep at her and then she would do one lap, look at you for permission to stop and lie down or go back inside. Zoomies inside with a squeaky toy were all she ever wanted, along with her regular leashed walks. I advised the adoption group I was not "dominant" and wouldn't be good with a headstrong hound - my hound also came to work every day with me (perhaps this will turn out to be an option for you) - and they selected a "bounceback" for me as well so she already knew the ropes of living in a household. As you mention, I wanted a dog just to go everywhere with me as I am not a people person but wanted companionship. I participated in the greyhound sitting group and would highly recommend that for when you travel - the greys I looked after had no issue settling in when there was another hound there. That said, non-dog owning relatives were always offering to look after my greyhound, and she was fine being left with "someone she knew" as well....if the dog bed was there, it was all good! I worried I would not get approved either, but the agency was happy to find a hound that would match my living needs. Also re emergencies....you can ask for a hound you can "carry" - some of the smaller females would qualify. I had open hardwood stairs to deal with (not 8 floors) but I carried my larger (65lb) hound up and down multiple times a day at work for years. Some people in the apartment building where afraid of the "big dog" but quickly learned how docile she was - in these cases though if someone if really nervous, you can always wait for the next elevator, or they can wait for you to pass in the hall (same with if there is another dog). Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion on the video - I wouldn't have thought of that but that will be perfect. And for the reassurance it is better to check this out than just leave it. And she seems to limp less on grass - and yet I've checked her feet for corns and asked the vet to check again at the vet appointment a month ago - but maybe one is just starting to appear now and that is it.... I lift her into the car myself when her limping seemed to be worse and I thought it would be less painful, but then she pushes ahead to "get in herself"....like "no! I'll do it myself....but then she'll pause and "psyche" herself up and doesn't normally hesitate - she comes to work with me so is in and out of the car for that - I carry her up and down the stairs (a fear thing, given open hardwood stairs) so she doesn't have to deal with those at all. If I left her at home she would be upset since she always comes wherever I go. I totally understand letting her be quiet and rest - but she doesn't want to be left behind. Even when she is out limping on the walk, she is annoyed if I turn her back to make it a short loop, because she wants to be out and "smelling stuff" .....while at the same time it hurts to walk. Hopefully the vet will have positive news tomorrow.

Thank you - I called the vet and booked an appointment.

My greyhound is 11 years, 3.5 months old. Since I've had her (adopted at 4.5 years) she has hurt her back once and pulled her neck a couple of times. She has a draggy hind end and the vet has been watching this re arthritis and using Metacam as needed the past couple of years. At her vet checkup one month ago, he didn't note any items for concern and did the bloodwork for her dental - her platelets were low but he thought it was from clumping in clusters and they had always been lower so no cause for alarm. He pulled three teeth out at the dental two weeks ago and she had the painkillers and antibiotics and Metacam for those. In the week before her dental, I thought she was limping on a front leg too but post dental it seemed better (once the anesthetics in her system that she doesn't do well each year with wore off). Now, the past couple of days I think she is limping on the front again. And I think I know which leg....but then I start to wonder if it is the other. I *think* she is for sure favouring one and wants to go for walks (to smell stuff) but seems very unhappy about walking. And yesterday she seemed very unhappy (in pain?) - I am with her 24/7 so can notice when she is different. She is eating fine re the dental extractions so don't think it is mouth pain (she's still on soft food a couple more days). She is in and out of the car at least 2-3x per day and seems to be hesitant with that...now I can't tell if it is the front or hind legs (arthritis) that she is worried about when hopping in (on the floor then up on the seat). Should I wait for vet x-rays? I know osteo limps show suddenly and are osteo is very painful and fear that given her age. But perhaps it is just the arthritis and me being over-anxious in constantly watching her walk - or the still not full recovery post dental and stress of being at the vet. She definitely seemed unhappy and limping yesterday...today, not as unhappy but still some (I think) discomfort walking. If it is osteo, I want to get her the pain meds ASAP (and treatment). But if it really is just a minor pulled leg or arthritis, I don't want to stress her out again with the vet visit (she already had to return once since the dental surgery day re a cut leg from the IV to have it treated and shakes like a leaf the whole time she is there). Is there a set time before you check out a limp? And how am I going to explain I don't even know for sure which front leg? And in the past when injured and they bring her to the parking lot to "show them" she prances around like a puppy...."nothing wrong here...no siree..." so you can't even tell.... I just don't know what to do but don't want her in pain if I can help her. The Metacam isn't needed for dental now, but I gave it to her for arthritis purposes so she already has that and it isn't "fixing" the pain enough I don't think....

Freddy Girl - I found a used stroller online just like the one you were using for Bobbi - I was worried the seats might be providing some support/helping to distribute weight since they hang from the top bar - was the board you put in right on the fabric base, or did you put padding between the "material floor" and the board so it wouldn't rub? Thanks!

The vet said he could "punch" out the area to remove it when he has her under for her dental in three weeks. I asked him if it would be more pain "healing" than irritation she feels from having the one in her ear. Sometimes she claws at it with her paw. He thought the healing would be no big deal but it is strictly optional - he is neutral on the issue. The cost is about $100 to have him do that. Do you think she would be better off having it removed? The ear seems so delicate that having a hole out of it would really sting/hurt/ache in my mind....

Thanks for the replies! I grind her nails every week and the vet has confirmed that they are short enough. She just had her vet checkup a couple of weeks ago and he checked her feet and they were fine (no corns). He said maybe arthritis was setting in and I have her on arthritis food now and metacam - he said we would see if that perked her up at all (it didn't to any noticeable extent). She has always hated walking though (I got her when she was 4.5 and she is now 9.5) - it is just worse now and she will drag her feet so you hear her nails on the ground - and she will crash into my thigh and try to get me to stop walking and just give her a butt and belly massage. She is black so hates the heat as well - it is definitely an easier sell when it is cooler in the morning. I think it is part (mostly) motivational - because there is a lady in the neighbourhood that gives her cookies and if she thinks she sees "cookie lady" 10 blocks away - she will trot and prance and pull the whole way, until she is close enough to confirm whether it *is* in fact "cookie lady"...and if it isn't, we return to the walking behind me 6 feet (the full extension of the leash). She is like a horse to walk - she follows behind me - there is no tension on the lead (I am not "pulling her") but she is definitely just plodding along behind me (and I walk very slowly so I don't pull her) with her head down - unless she is trying to "cut me off" to make me stop walking all together. She will only walk by my side if I ask her to (and that will hold up for about a minute until she can fall behind me again if I don't insist on it) or ahead of me if she is looking for a spot to poop.... She takes about 5 minutes to poop - so this all starts any time after that. She'll sniff a few other dog pees (and offer her own comments) at the start of the walk and then her interest is non-existent. Sometimes she'll just stop and eat grass for 10 minutes (better to play cow than have to walk...) She doesn't care for other dogs, or squirrels etc. We have tried pavement, gravel, grass, dirt/sand as different path surfaces. As for giving her treats - that would work - she is a treat girl. The problem with that is, it is impossible to get her to eat her food (even with salmon, liver, roast beef etc. on it, even with different kinds of kibble, treats mixed in the kibble etc.) so I don't like to "fill her up on treats" - because if she can get by without eating her food (ie eat enough treats so she isn't hungry enough to have to eat kibble) she will go with that. And I have tried feeding her kibble "as a treat" by hand - no go. She shares genetic material with "Bill" I do believe. The vet is not concerned with her weight though - she isn't too skinny. I love her dearly and accept her for who she is. I think encouraging her to walk herself is a lost cause though. That stroller is a possibility - or if I could get a dog bed in a kids wagon with sides on it. Of course, I can just imagine the glare from her if she gets jostled when we go over a bump or down a curb!

Has anyone had any experience with a stroller/wagon that would comfortably fit a greyhound so they could still go on long walks with you even when they don't actually feel like "walking"? My dog wouldn't care if passerby's laughed at her because as long as she didn't have to expend energy and could just smell the smells and see the sights, she would be happy. She HATES walking once her "business" is done, but she hates being left at home as well. Thanks for any advice or suggestions!

Thanks for the responses - when googling "cutaneous horn in canines" it came up with some images and one looked EXACTLY like what my grey has had. I'm glad to know what it is.

I don't know how else to describe them. Has anyone else seen these on their greys? In the summer, my grey had a bump on her ear and something that I thought might be a stinger from a bee or a splinter from a twig "grew" out of the skin - I thought it was the skin "forcing" the foreign object out with time. But during the winter, another "grew" out from the ear spot. And she just had one "grow" out of her shoulder. It is....like a flat whitish toenail - there is no blood, or infection-like pus - it is just a hard thing...and you can snap it off once it is out from the skin. I feel the "bump" under the skin still where they have been. I asked the vet about her ear one but he seemed to think because it was such a small bump that it was hard to locate to show him that it was of no concern.

My grey had (another) dental in August, 2010 - yesterday we were back at the vet as her gums are red and inflamed and she drools out "blood" as she sleeps - 5 months later. The vet recommended the Healthy Mouth over the Biotene...I "think" the other was Biotene, but maybe I'm wrong about that - he said the Healthy Mouth was the only one that had "certification" as to results. Yikes - now I hear my grey might not drink the stuff?? I will keep that option in mind of using it as the water for the food if that is the case. My vet said he tasted it too and it tastes like "nothing"....I won't mention to my grey that others won't drink it because then she'll flat out refuse too!!

About a month ago, I horrifyingly closed my grey's tail in the car door and she had to have surgery to get it stitched up. The bandages came off after one week and then the stitches came out after the second week. After the stitch removal (a couple of days), my grey then had a little stumble on the bottom steps (when heading up) open hardwood stairs (that I have mats on to provide her with traction). I was right there to stabilize her and get her back with four feet on the ground again. She has had a LOT worse stumbles in the past (when I have also been there to catch/stabilize her). In the past she has never baulked at just continuing up and down the stairs as if a stumble/fall had never happened...ie previous falls never spooked her on the stairs. She did not cry when I was righting her footings after the stumble - and she is a "crier/screamer" so I don't think she hit her healing tail when she stumbled. Similarly, I don't think she twisted/hurt her legs/back because this was a minor stumble (vs others) and again, she did not yelp/cry at all. However, that day she refused to go up the stairs again. And the next day. I could not force her and she was completely terrified (to the point of shaking) when you took her over to the stairs. So I gave her several days off from even trying them. And I did not note any limping or crying in pain on any of the legs during these days. Then I recarpeted the steps completely to cover all the holes in the "open steps" and to provide absolute full grip power on each step (which is how I taught her to climb stairs initially - two years ago). It was a very very bad fight to get her to go up...I practically had to drag her. Her very favouritest people and/or treats/food would not even convince her to go up. And she would fall to pieces with anxiety any time you tried to take her any where near the stairs. Note however that had no issue at all coming back down the stairs. Anyway - I took her to a relative's for a week so she could avoid this stair case (and reprogram her mind to forget whatever the trauma was). At the relative's, I had a difficult (but not impossible) time getting her up the carpeted stairs, but managed quite a few times. And every time, going down was no issue. I brought her back to the open stairs a week later (after not having been in the building where they were)....and she had a complete anxiety attack again - the week away did not erase her memory. So I asked greytalk how to "carry" her up the stairs and have been doing the lamb carry ever since. And she comes down perfectly fine on her own. Each time I attempt to bring her near the bottom step on her own though, she falls to pieces - shaking so bad her teeth chatter and she'll fall to the ground, belly up in the complete submissive position....so I haven't even tried for two weeks to make her do it herself (ie to try to drag/push her up with food etc.) And I am watching her walk all the time....but I don't think I see a limp anywhere...but I have been staring so closely for weeks now, that it is hard to know when I think maybe I see something if I am imagining it. She has done a few outside stairs with no issue, and sometimes will do carpeted stairs elsewhere with coaxing. And steps into buildings are ok (ie 2-3) And yet today, she outright refused another set of outside stairs after the first landing and had an anxiety attack again. She wants to go up when I ask her, but she just "can't"....and it is only the "up"...and there is hesitation (sometimes a lot, sometimes a little) on other staircases to go up....and outright refusal at the hardwood stairs. Her tail seems to continue to be healing fine and be no issue. She can get in and out of the car ok. She will still run in the yard and when she wants to on walks, will take off trotting really quickly on a mission to find the perfect poop spot. And at the end of longer walks, she still isn't limping at all, or crying or looking like she is any pain. So I can't say that she is limping (for sure) or in pain (no crying). And yet there is a definite problem with the stairs and going "up"...that both food and time don't seem to fix. I would be happy to take her to the vet to look at her - but what do I say? I don't feel bumps/lumps anywhere, she isn't crying in pain, she isn't limping...but just "look at her" anyway? Or take xrays of her whole body? (that can't be good for her with all that radiation can it?) In the past when she hurt her back, they wanted to see her move around the parking lot outside to see where she favoured herself (she was crying at the pain back then - more than a year, year and a half ago)....but if they take her into the parking lot now there will be nothing to see... I don't know what to do. I can keep carrying her up the stairs. But I would like to "fix" whatever the problem is...so she doesn't have the anxiety around the stairs and can be free to move around again as she chooses.

The trusted vet isn't in until Tuesday - I asked the office if anyone else worked a lot with greyhounds there and what about waiting the extra day for the bandages since they are supposed to be off Monday - the receptionist took my number and called me back in an hour after checking. The other vets recommended waiting for Tuesday for my greyhound vet and for waiting the extra day on the bandages. I might still just take her somewhere tomorrow anyway to have the bandage opened and redone - the receptionist said yes, that could be done...rebandaging. I think I may go back to the nearby vet on Monday so he can look at the work he did and then, even though he looks at it...take her to my trusted vet on Tuesday so he can look at it anyway. Thank you for all your feedback and for letting me know I am not just being silly for worrying.

I slammed my greyhound's tail in the car door (and will never get over it but that is not the issue) on Tuesday. The vet I trust that deals with greyhounds was too far away to go to, so I took my greyhound immediately to a near-by vet. I don't trust the near-by vet because I know a dog who went there and her post-spay stitches were put in too tight so they caused the dog pain and later had to be fixed (re-done). The near-by vet has several vets working there and I don't know whether the vet that saw my greyhound was the one that made the other dog's spay stitches too tight. The vet I saw has over 20 years experience. He said he knew what to do with greyhounds (re anesthesia etc.) when I told him I was concerned he wasn't a "greyhound vet". It is now Friday - the 4th day after the surgery. The bandages are supposed to stay on until Monday when they will either be changed or removed, depending how things look. I am worried the bandage is too tight and that the tail will need to be amputated because of that, if they aren't loosened in time (perhaps it is already too late). I am worried the tail should have been amputated immediately. I am worried that the sutures/stitches done by the vet aren't "right" and so the tail will have to be amputated. My question: Should I take my greyhound out to the trusted vet to have him look at her and see if the bandage is too tight (so he can loosen it)? Or will he not be able to do anything anyway since the bandages (according to the other vet) shouldn't be taken off until Monday? If the tail does need to be amputated (either from the car door, or from what the other vet did) wouldn't it be better to have my trusted vet tell me that now and get it over with. My greyhound does not show any signs of pain (the crying stopped 11 p.m. the night of the surgery) and is back to herself in temperament, eating, walking, playing. I don't know whether I am wasting everyone's time worrying when this is just a human anxiety issue - or whether I am making things worse by not getting her to the greyhound vet ASAP so he can fix whatever needs to be fixed. The other nearby vet does have 20 years experience and I am sure the greyhound vet couldn't criticize another vet's work anyway...and would wonder why I was. Help....I don't know whether to book my greyhound an appointment with the trusted vet for today or tomorrow (Friday or Saturday) - or wait to go back to the nearby vet for the scheduled bandage removal on Monday? Or maybe on Monday I should go to the trusted vet instead???

YOU ARE BRILLIANT! IT WORKED! However, next time we roll in the leaves, we are going to make sure we get sap just a liiittttlllleeeee bit lower because we practically broke our neck bending it around to reach the spot where the sap (and peanut butter!) were this time! I will save cleaning the feet for another day!