Brindles

My two (9 and 10 years) are on Pro Plan Chicken and Rice Shredded Blend. I've bought several of the Pro Plan varieties and they do extremely well on them.

I thought it was common knowledge that exercise immediately before or after a meal would increase the risk of gastric torsion. Bloat is not as common in Greyhounds as most people tend to believe.

Too many raw can interfere with the binding of Biotin, though I'm not exactly sure of the mechanism. Just repeating what the Biochemistry professor said. When I had chickens, my dogs got a raw egg 3-4 times a week. They loved it!

Congratulations!!

"Coprophagy" is the correct spelling. My dogs started that habit when I switched them to the 4health food at Tractor Supply Company. No problems since we switched back to the old food. I do agree that it's partly a nutrient-related issue, but I completely disagree that dogs "need" to be fed feces. Absolutely not. Also, the feces of herbivores is completely different in composition from the feces of dogs and cats.

What color is the vomit? How often do you feed her? What time(s)?

My retriever with PRA lost his sight very gradually. The only thing that changed for him was his tolerance of energetic puppies. We also made a habit of clapping and calling his name before touching him. When he did get startled, I made sure to keep petting him and reassure him instead of vanishing and confusing him.

Oh my GOODNESS she is cute!!

How so? Meat (from skeletal muscle) is largely protein. How can adding more protein not be adding protein? If you feed a dog 100% of his daily caloric requirement as raw beef, you've just fed the dog five times its protein requirement. A wild dog's diet absolutely contains plant matter. Wild dogs prey on herbivores. When a wolf pack takes an animal down, they go straight for the rumen. What's in the rumen of an herbivore? Fermenting plant matter. Dogs aren't true carnivores, and contrary to popular belief, they do require carbs on top of fat and protein. Yes, carbs (and other sugars) are hydrophilic molecules and require increased water intake. But fresh water should be available at all times, anyway. Plus, we're talking about a pet dog, here. Not a high-performance working animal. I'm certainly not advocating they be fed immediately before or after exercise. I hope that goes without saying. What are the risks you're referring to? We do it in horses all the time. Feed an increased amount of concentrate when exercising, and cut the feed on the days when they don't.

I was going to ask about the dew claws as well. When a dog is running at full speed and changing direction (like they do at dog parks) their dew claws can clip the inside of the opposite back leg. Greyhounds have paper-thin skin which facilitates the tearing. People who lure course their hounds will wrap or tape them before they run. Some pictures to help illustrate: Adding more meat to the diet isn't actually the best option. Our dogs get enough protein as it is and it's not the most efficient energy source for them. Better to feed extra carbs (cooked pasta) or fats (vegetable oil). Or better yet, just feed her an extra cup or two of food on days where she expends a lot of energy. Greyhounds can lose weight extremely fast because they have so little body fat. We see it all the time on the track, and I see it with mine at home, too (my male used to have occasional anorexia spells). It could have also been just water weight that she lost, so make sure she has fresh water available all the time. Hope that helps.

Tramadol helped my old retriever immensely with his arthritis. It did not help Echo; it made her anxious and she lost 3-4lbs.

There was a canine influenza outbreak here (south Alabama) over the summer and it started at our humane society. Now all of the boarding kennels here are requiring a flu shot. I've yet to get my three done. My vet said it doesn't actually prevent the flu, it just decreases the amount of virus shed in the beginning stages and lessens the symptoms. That being said, the flu hits Greyhounds much harder than other breeds. I was having a conversation about it with the state vet at Southland. The first couple days it presents like kennel cough but then progresses to hemorrhagic pneumonia.

Tena, I am so incredibly sorry.

Keeping my fingers crossed for your boy!

The pills are about $2 each. Fecal? $25 I think. Where do you get the pills? The fenbendazole I found was $25. The fecal was $16.

I only deworm if I see tapes in the stool or if the fecal is positive at the annual checkup (which has never happened). If you're really worried, you can take her in for a fecal. It's inexpensive to test.

Their ribcage enlarges as they get older. Almost all dogs are like that. Very normal. There's no cookie-cutter answer for quality of life for a dog. It's very much an individual thing. I'm having to evaluate every so often right now with my Echo, so I know how you feel. The cliché answer to your question is "he'll let you know." Believe me when I say it's more than likely true. My old retriever was so stoic, I thought for sure he'd just suffer through the pain even when it was too intense. But when the day came, he let me know. I'm sorry you have to go through this.

Been there! It happens. Try and find an all greyhound playgroup. I wouldn't muzzle unless all other dogs are muzzled. The number one reason for that is safety. The number two reason is people will assume your dog and therefore all greyhounds are vicious. My Dazzle picked up someone's Yorkie when I first got him. He won't start a fight, but he'll bolt across a field to join in one.

Yep, it worked for one of my dogs. I'd definitely suggest using a babygate.

I'm so sorry, Pat.

I'm not sure about before a dental, but my dogs have almost always been prescribed Antirobe (clindamycin) afterwards.

Did she tear her web? Those bleed a lot and heal slowly. Vets say to keep it open so it can scab over and heal. If you must wrap, don't wrap too tightly or you'll make it worse. The best thing you can do is keep it clean and keep her quiet. Don't let her run around or it'll just tear more.

Personally, I LOVE sleeping with my dogs. But I dislike sleeping in dog hair more, so they aren't allowed on the bed anymore.

Julio, It's been a year and a half now, and it still feels like you're just on vacation. I miss you, buddy.

Same boat here! I was prepared for the worst, but Diego is really a very good puppy. About as perfect as pups come. I think a lot of it has to do with good dog ownership, being diligent, and puppy-proofing. Make it easy for them to do the right thing and you'll save yourself a lot of frustration.