Brindles

I can't stand using a coupler. Harder to correct them individually. I use one leash per dog no matter how many dogs I'm walking.

What is it, exactly? Probiotic pills? Why not just yogurt? Dazzle's had some terrible gas that has subsided slightly with a change in diet + Activia. But Echo's gas yesterday was so bad that my boyfriend left. No joke. It was foul.

When Julio was first put on Soloxine, my vet had me bring him back every month to have bloodwork done to make sure the dosage was correct. It took 3 or 4 months to get it right. I agree, the dosage may just be too high. Jumpiness/overactivity is a symptom of hyperthyroidism.

A muzzle is way cheaper than a $200 vet bill for torn skin, take it from me! When the weather is nice mine tend to get rowdy and I'll put muzzles on them. Most of the time they don't need them, though. No harm, no foul.

For what it's worth, my girl Echo has always had tender feet/pads no matter how much we walk and what surface we walk on. She's never cut a pad, though.

If it's a sudden and frequent thing like you're describing, it could very well be a UTI. Greys do get them!

Most ex racers that didn't race officially were at least trained to race. So even though they didn't race, they still have a lot of the background that experienced racers have. In my experience, the ones with lengthy careers have been much more laid back than those with short careers.

Yes. The good thing about ex racers is that they are adult dogs and therefore physically able to hold it. Letting them out every 2 hours or so is arguably essential at first just to get them to learn where they are supposed to go. They are already crate trained, and most know that outside time = potty time. It may take a while to get them on your schedule (amount of time depends on the dog) but crating in the beginning helps a lot with that. Mine can hold it 8 hours right now with no problems, and they have held it for much longer when I haven't been able to get home on time.

I live in a condo and don't have a fenced yard. I take mine to the dog park when I can. Yes, there's risk involved, but the benefits far outweigh keeping them cooped up. Greyhounds are tall dogs, but they are low maintenance and they sleep a lot, so they really don't take up that much room. In my experience, having enough room for another one is hardly an issue. Having enough time and money to take care of another one is what you want to focus on. And yes, they absolutely can live with small fuzzies!

I LOVE the new skin. Looks great. Love love love love it.

Still itchy today, but the Benadryl is helping. The spots on his butt are gone! O.o

Yes, I've been giving him one in the mornings for the past couple days. Nope, no swimming. I have boarded them down here a couple times this summer though. Which spot? The main reason I don't think it's allergies is because it's only on certain (and very few) parts of his body. All the spots are shown in the pictures. His skin is clear everywhere else. Also, Echo is showing the same signs, and it seems unlikely they'd develop an allergy to the same thing at the exact same time. Puzzling. I'll get him to the vet on Monday if I can. Thanks for the responses, guys.

Dazzle and Echo have been shedding profusely this whole summer. In the 4 years I've had them, they've never shed this much, and especially not Dazzle. They spent a lot more time outside last winter than they usually do and they grew a really thick, fluffy coat, so I thought they were just shedding it out. But within the last month they've gotten really itchy, and within the last 48 hours, Dazzle has developed a lot of red spots on his skin. Echo is showing the same signs, just not to this degree, and she doesn't have red skin like Dazzle does. They are both on Kirkland Chicken & Rice and fish oil. They've been eating the same food for almost two years with no problems and (previously) great results. Dazzle's coat has started looking dingy. A shedding shot this morning. He had a bath yesterday afternoon. I tried to get a picture of the red skin on his hip area. This is a scar that used to be black from the sun. It has now developed tiny red spots. More red spots on his butt. This is under his front right arm. Yesterday it looked more like a bruise from him biting himself. Another coat shot where you can see how his hair has fallen out and become patchy. Only about 15% of his skin seems to be affected, but the affected areas are really itchy and he's uncomfortable. Also, there are no fleas or flea dirt. Any ideas as to what is going on? How can I remedy this? Is it worth a vet visit? Also Also - he's had two hot spots this summer so far. Both have healed.

Yesterday would have been Julio's 12th birthday. Happy birthday, my sweet ol' man!

So it's been over a month now and it still hasn't "hit me." At all. Of course I miss him. A lot. But how am I supposed to be sad when all of my old pictures of him are this happy? He was such an incredible dog. It's still weird to think he's gone. He was such a huge part of my life for such a long time.

Thanks very much for the responses, guys. Can anyone else tell me how much acupuncture cost you? I just want to get an average figure in my head. She had bloodwork done last year at her annual checkup and everything was within normal ranges. She and Dazzle are both on Glucosamine/Chondroitin and she has shown no improvement. Dazzle hasn't shown a change either but he is never achy in the first place. You could be right. But I feel like I'm being pretty rational in this case because this has been going on for quite a while. Actually, there was a point last January where she wasn't doing well at all, and I thought I might actually lose her before Julio. But then she started feeling better, and has only been minimally achy up until about a month ago. I'll definitely send Dr. Gillette an email though. It's probably worth a shot. Do you pronounce Gillete like the razor? I don't want to sound like a dummy on the phone, haha. I live literally right across the street from the vet school. Yupper just like the razor First name is Rob and here is a website for him and also he has his email that you can contact him by HERE He use to run hounds with Alan Olsen at B'ham and he would come down once a month and go over dogs that Alan had questions on. He's so easy to work with and chat with. I know you will really like him and if anyone can figure out what is going on with Echo it would be Rob Rob is like the head of sports medicine with animals at Auburn or something along those lines. Thanks Heather! Does he know you personally? Can I mention your name in the email?

It's probably worth a shot. Do you pronounce Gillete like the razor? I don't want to sound like a dummy on the phone, haha. I live literally right across the street from the vet school. I used to walk over there all the time but now Echo won't move fast enough to cross Wire Rd. in time to avoid traffic. And that's even when the light changes in our favor. It's a short light, though, in her defense. (I'm seeing a funny irony - Echo failed at racing (she finished OOP on her only race) and even today she literally can't "cross the wire." Haha. Bad joke. Sorry.) How much does acupuncture typically cost? I've never had a vet check her for it, but I do remember the possibility crossing my mind a couple years ago. She has a lot of trouble laying down and not quite as much trouble getting up. I remember reading about several dogs who had so much trouble getting up that they would drag themselves along the ground while trying to stand upright. She has some trouble but it's nothing like that.

Echo is only 8, but really starting to show her age these days. She is built really long and she's had back trouble the whole 4 years I've had her, though no vet has been able to pinpoint it exactly. She's getting out of shape and she has a little bit of trouble at the end of only a half mile walk. She doesn't play or run as much as she used to. She looks and acts a lot older than 8. I guess it's about time to put her on Rimadyl. Maybe it's because of what I just went through with Julio, but it feels like Rimadyl is just the beginning of the end. I guess this post is more about me expressing a concern than looking for advice. Three months ago I had 4 dogs. Now I'm down to two. I'm not ready to lose another one.

Every vet will tell you that there's no substitute for brushing their teeth. I give mine raw bones, though. It's more fun for them.

Stomach cramp?

I'm so sorry. I lost my first horse to colic.

My dogs are playing cruel tricks on me. I've only lost one pet before - a horse named Amaretto. Amaretto used to take her hay and soak it in her water buckets. I was always having to clean them out and refill them. The first time I went in her stall after she died and found clean water buckets, I lost it. As I mentioned earlier, Julio used to scratch up the rugs to make himself a pillow. He would do this every night and every time I was away from the house. The greyhounds have never participated, so this is unique to Julio. I thought I would have the same reaction when I came home to un-scrunched-up rugs as I did when I found Amaretto's clean water buckets. Twice now since Julio has been gone, I have come home to a scrunched up rug. The greyhounds have never messed with the rugs before. Why did they have to start now?

Awww, Nancy... For those who don't know, there was nothing in the world that Julio loved more than pizza. Before I took him to the vet, I went to the store and got him a frozen pizza and cooked it for him. He got to eat the whole thing.

It's just weird, you know? Julio has been a part of my life for almost 12 years now. We got him when I was 10 years old. I've spent more time with Julio than I have with any of my friends, even my closest long-term friends. A month and a half ago I had four dogs. Now I'm down to just two. It's weird to think that it's just us now. Although I guess in the long run it will be easier. It still feels like I need to go pick him up from the vet or like maybe my mom is keeping him for the weekend. Julio used to scratch up the rugs and make himself a pillow to sleep on. I was always constantly flattening them back out. Today when I got home the greyhounds greeted me at the door as usual, and the rug by the front door had been scratched at and made into a pillow. Not to the extent that Julio always did it, but the greyhounds have never ever messed with the rugs, so I'm not sure what to make of that. As much as this sucks, his... passing? I guess... was just like I wanted it to be. It's just weird to think he's gone.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and well wishes. I really appreciate the comments. It still hasn't really hit me yet. I feel like I'm treading water and trying not to sink, even though I know I will sooner or later. How long do you have to wait? This sucks.