kudzu

So they used to go out with no apparent problems or aversions to dew on the grass but will not now? And as far as you know the circumstances like location, how wet the grass is, how long the grass is, etc. have not changed? If so, I have not much to offer but the 4th of July theory sounds like it has merit. Here the closest experience I have had to this. I had a little spaniel mix. She really would have preferred not to walk on wet grass but would do so rather than pee in the house. BTW, she would splash through puddles & wade into a lake in a heartbeat. I took her with me to visit my sister in Orlando. They were in an apartment complex with nicely kept lawns, plenty of excellent potty spots. Or so I thought. My dog did not concur. She put one paw on the grass & withdrew it. She would not pee inside, on concrete or asphalt. Would not go on the grass there & the only other spots required walking on grass to get there. She held it for 18 hours. Finally I had had enough. Picked her up & walked a few feet onto the grass & plopped her down, not allowing her to leave until she pottied. She figured it out & for the next 36 hours we repeated this with me plopping her down, her pottying rightawayquick & then taking a giant bound back onto the sidewalk. It was totally bizarre. The only reason I could think of was St Augustine, the grass not the city. It feels different to me so maybe it just creeped her out. The one time we went outside, I walked her to the edge of the grass, start to pick her up to carry her out into the grass & then... pad-pad-pad... she walked out onto the grass with no problem and did her business! Then she wanted to walk across the grass to sniff some bushes!! They had mowed the grass that morning. It was much shorter. I could feel a big difference. Next time we visited they had just mowed. She had no problems. We went farther South for a couple days & came back through Orlando. Dog wouldn't walk on grass. It now had days of growth & was visibly longer. Dogs just do not approach things the same way we do & notice things we either don't notice or pay little attention to.

Sounds like between what you are already doing now & have planned for the future she should be able to get enough doggie time. Think you are right to just keep walking. If she were mine I would want to help her learn to accept that sometimes, perhaps most of the time, she will not get to greet the passing dogs. I do not mean correcting her for whining. But perhaps the trainer can give you ideas for exercises that will help her to feel calmer & not so whiney. I wonder if the Look At That game from Control Unleashed would help. That way she knows it is OK to look at the other dogs but also learns to turn & look at you instead of continuing to stare & whine. Not sure this is quite the situation this exercise was designed. It is meant for reactive dogs. Though she is sort of in the category of reactive albeit maybe not in a fearful or aggressive way. It's worked for many people in a variety of circumstances. Basically you teach your dog to look on command, "Look At That", at whatever it is that sets off her reaction. Then you click & treat her for looking. That allows her still look at the oh-so-interesting doggies going by but she then looks right back at you. Could be enough to cut the whining & take the edge off the excitement over the other dog. So the sight of other dogs is still a good thing, may still be interesting, but not in the same way. The dogs may become a cue for her to look at you. Just an idea.

Gee, I hate to toss the D word around & I am certainly not a behavior expert but what you are describing sounds like a dominant dog. I do not mean dominant in a bad way. This doesn't mean she will be taking over the house or acting aggressive. Dominant dogs can be wonderful companions, loving, affectionate, but with self confidence. If this is the emergence of her bossy side I'd say as long as she has rules & consistent training all will be great. It sounds like, with the exception of air humping & too much insistence on petting, she is becoming even more of a delight. Go Maddison! "What the heck is wrong with this lady today? Has she lost her mind? Does she have a fever? Is there a full moon?" Poor little, Maddie. Things won't always go your way, pretty girl.

In general I think dogs greeting on leash is a bad idea. However, like so much other great advice, there is a lot more to it than just do you or don't you. So much depends on the people and dogs involved. Sometimes a potential nice greeting is ruined by the humans actions. If you want to avoid on-leash greetings, you will be in good company with many of the top trainers & behaviorist out there. More & more, the trainers I know & respect are recommending no on-leash greetings. Read or listen to Jolanta Benal's explanation here. Dogs can still meet new dogs while on leash & get the benefit but it doesn't have to be the type of dangerous, in-your-face greetings so many people allow. Yes, of course, always ask the other person first but let's be honest here. Many people really seem not to know or are at least loath to admit that their normally nice & well socialized FrooFroo just doesn't like on leash m&g's. Parallel walking is the best substitute I know for the usual on-leash greetings most people allow. Used it a lot with dogs fresh from the shelter before anyone actually got to get within physical contact distance. Then we evaluated things & may allow off leash greetings or not depending. In the last few years I have come more & more to believe we are much better without the greetings on leash because there was just way too many people now who allow dogs on leash to just rush ahead of them & straight up into other dogs faces. Though I prefer my dogs not have the up close & in your face greetings that so many on leash greeting are, I do want my dogs well socialized & able to tolerate that, even if only long enough for me, Ms. Oblivious, to notice there is a rude dog in their face. I did a lot of careful socialization of my Greyhound when I first got her to make sure she experienced a wide range of dogs. Though not so much against the on-leash greetings idea at the time, we still avoided it when possible until much later. She was often quite near the other dogs, perhaps even stretching her neck past my leg to catch a wiff of eau de derrière. [bTW, use caution when searching for the correct spelling of derrière & do not randomly click links with pictures. ] We did a lot of walking side by side, standing calmly within sniffing distance while the humans talked, and some off-leash visits with certain dogs. That expanded more & more over time. To be honest she never had any problems with on leash greetings but it pays to be cautious & take things slowly. In your case in particular, some caution and further education may be warranted if you are new to dogs & your dog is new to the big wide world. The suggestion to learn more about canine body language is a very good one. Wish I knew more & in fact have a video on order for just that reason. Now I will admit to this & actually just mentioned it to someone at an M&G Sunday. All this rules & cautions? I toss them right out the window when we are meeting up with a groups of Greyhounds from our group. And I really do not adhere to them so much with Greyhounds in general though I keep an eye out for signs that a new dog isn't comfortable. If a Grey in the group gets snippy, which is rare thing, my Greys just back off. So have become rather lax where other Greys on concerned. After all that, here is a word of caution. Do not get tense or worried about greeting other dogs as that tension runs down the leash & effects your dog. Also, do not keep your dog on a tight &/or very short leash all the time. That's no fun for anyone. Assuming she walks well on a loose leash, if you see another dog coming just take up the slack in the leash to keep your dog in something like a heel position and just keep walking. If the other dog is one out on the end of the leash, especially straining on the leash, just move over a little, try to calmly move between your dog & the other or go in a different direction. Again, parallel walking with other people and dogs is the best for socializing on leash. As time goes your knowledge, experience & confidence will build and on leash greetings can become an unusual but safe thing.

What a hard time for this family. God speed, Roy.

Puddy sounds like a wonderful cat. Yes, 15 years is too short. Very sorry for your loss.

What a beautiful girl. I am so very sorry. Though they are all special & we love them all, some become companions of a higher order, our soulmates, our familiars. It seems Luna rose to that level. I am glad you got to experience that kind of relationship but so very sorry it was not for longer.

I love them all but none more so than the seniors. It sounds like Sally proved how wonderful, surprising & capable seniors can be. What a lovely age to live to, still being able to attend and enjoy events. Farewell sweet Sally. Certainly your family is glad you tagged along.

So young, very beautiful and clearly so very loved. I am sorry.

To avoid all the bathing after she gets muddy, do you have a safe place to stash her until she is dry? You will likely find the mud easily brushes off. I would use a ZoomGroom, then a soft brush, then follow it with a microfiber cloth to remove the last bits of dirt. My Greys rarely require bathing though I really like the look of their coat when bathed monthly, even when they did not appear to need it. My favorite shampoo is DVM HyLyt. We have it at a local livestock supply store, though in the last couple years they have definitely gone high end on the pet section. Not surprising they would have this shampoo since they sell the HydroSurge as well. So you really think plain water is less drying than using a good shampoo? Am not a groomer so not knowledgeable but it just seems from my vast [cough *knot*] experience that with my two Greys, plain water is less drying than some shampoos but more drying than a good moisturizing shampoo. For the retrievers it seemed water was less drying than any shampoo. Figures too since the Greys for the most part wipe clean after dirt dries on them but the retrievers would always still need a bath. Maybe my Greys have been the exception.

Did you take his temperature?

We have no set feeding time. Only time I get bugged is when it is late, none of us have been fed yet & I finally head to the kitchen. Then a hound or two at a time will come in to see what's up. No real excitement or bugging starts until I pick up their bowls & head to the food bins.

DM is simultaneously over & under diagnosed. Meaning it is frequently misdiagnosed. It is a disease diagnosed by excluding other possibilities. So many different things share symptoms. Various things can cause myelopathies & the symptoms are shared with some neuropathies, spinal disorders, even arthritis, and various endocrine disorders like hypothyroid, Cushing's, parathyroid diseases, etc. can cause symptoms. Putting a foot at an odd angle could be something that takes pressure off a certain painful area. One question I'd try to answer is is he doing this intentionally or does he just not realize where he is putting his foot. If he is standing & you curl his toes under does he right them? If his feet are in a normal position & you spread his toes out does he draw them back together? If you lift a hind leg, hold his knee area & kind of gently shake his leg forward & back a bit, not too far, does his foot dangle a bit like floppy foot? Any of those may indicate a neurological motor problem. However, it doesn't tell you the cause. Blood work, xrays, MRI, EMG/NCV (which can be done while under anesthesia for an MRI) would go a long way to answering these questions. If your regular vet can't identify the prob, I may go to an orthopod next. A good one can help narrow down things. That is how we found my dog had a neuro prob not ortho.

Hopefully your girl will improve quickly and that eye pressure will go down rapidly. As someone who has experienced many allergic reactions, including rashes, muscle pain, eye pain, even anaphalaxis, what you are describing sure does sound like a severe allergic reaction. As already pointed out, other stressors prior to the reaction could have contributed. It seems these can put a system into hypersensitive mode. At that point, something that normally isn't a problem can flip a switch and *blip* all heck breaks loose. That same item may not be the actual root problem & may not cause trouble if reintroduced later. However, *if* her system is very sensitive right now & *if* that last trigger is still around then the continued exposure might keep the reaction going. (A lot of if's, I know.) My father, a sister & I have all had situations like this. Treatment & removal of that last trigger cuts the reaction. After things have settled down, it may never cause a problem again. Our immune system is a strange & magical thing, so hard to predict with a seemingly infinite number of variables. So my mind is swirling around the if's: - As others have written, I would still be suspicious of TBDs. - Am wondering what that "small bedding shift" was? Any cedar, pine, down, etc. involved? That could do it, especially cedar. - Anything go with her to Grey sitting, but that you didn't give to her right away? (This one seems like a very remote possibility.) OMG! First, I am not saying at all that I think this is part of your girl's problem so please don't get scared. But PhillyPups post is only the second time I have heard of a paraneoplastic syndrome related to hemangiosarcoma so I had to comment. The first time I'd heard of that was this week when my friend's dog who had been having something that appeared to be a severe allergic or similar immune reaction, turned out to have not only hemangiosarcome but also a peritoneal cancer. The outward reaction was paraneoplastic syndrome. So sad for both of these dogs. So sorry. But that isn't going to be the case for Ms. LumpyBumpy. Chase is just reacting to cedar or peanut butter or someone's new colgne or a different shade of lipstick that got on her during a loving & her body decided the color was a poor match & so is rejecting it.

Am so sorry your Stanley has had problems that lead to this diagnosis. It is frightening and frustrating, I know. If a vet diagnosed my GH with DM without extensive testing, which I am not necessarily suggesting you should do, my concern would be a misdiagnosis. There are just so many other possibilities. (That's one of the reason I really hate neurology.) Same question from me. There would need to be A LOT of testing done to be able to accurately predict that a dog had DM & not something else. These include xrays, MRI, myelogram, EMG & NCV, full blood work usually including thyroid & TBD panels. DM can only be confirmed at necropsy so it is more like a diagnosis made through exclusion. Also, what are his symptoms? How did this start? DM shares symptoms with many other conditions. Degenerative myelopathy really just a description, a degenerative disease of the spinal cord. Lumbosacral stenosis could ultimately lead to a myelopathy if it becomes bad enough to damage the spinal cord. Advanced LS can also cause cauda equina syndrome. DM used to be diagnosed primarily in GSDs & later a few more breeds. Folks tended to think of it as a specific disease, something akin to MS in humans. Dr. Clemmons at Florida State was in the forefront there and came up with a flash test though I do not know what the follow up shows as far as accuracy. Now it is being diagnosed in many other breeds & research on the Corgis is leading to the conclusion that may or likely has different causes in different breeds. Some more recent thinking is that DM, or at least some types, is akin to ALS. Dr. Coates of Univ of Missouri was a leader there & she along with several others also identified gene. There is a genetic test for that as well. Again, I cannot say how accurate that is. It is a simple swab test available through this OFA_Link Note that Greyhounds are not on the list of breeds the test is recommended for. That doesn't mean you can't try it. Am not saying it couldn't be DM but I certainly hope it isn't. Keeping a dog with DM up & going is a lot of work. It is worth every bit of it but if there were something else going on, something treatable, I would sure love to see you find it.

Have had two Greys. Both had T4 below 1.0. Both treated by same vet. One was asymptomatic & did not receive treatment. The other was symptomatic with 0.8 T4 & did receive treatment.

Here is a website with a variety of ideas. Ahimsa Blog I like the Silky Leash idea. Though I have not actually trained using this particular method, it is great to have a dog who responds to the slightest pressure when walking on a flat buckle collar. It's fab & that is what the Silky Leash method produces. Sounds like that would be a big help to you. You may not have enough time to get this solid in the situations you describe but start it anyway, inside or anywhere there are minimum distractions. Hopefully one of these will help you.

Any dog is capable of protection. Greys would seem less likely than some other breeds but that doesn't mean they would not when push came to shove. People sometimes fail to consider that sometimes what they interpret as protection is actually fear based. This is why the scaredy-cat dogs will sometimes be the first to put on a big display, particularly at home. That isn't guarding in the sense most of us imagine it. That is a dog acting from a feeling of personal fear, not protecting the family. The question then isn't whether or not they would defend you from real, defensible danger but whether that dog will either run & hide, my preference if it was my dog, or misperceive &/or overreact to a danger. I would rather my dog run & hide, remaining safe, than misperceive & overreact with possible unnecessary injury or death of my dog being the unfortunate consequence. Just food for thought if your dog is usually timid or outright scared of people but prone to sounding protective. Am not referring to a simple alerting bark that visitors are here or just a startled wuff while running away. I mean a growling or barking dog moving towards people. That's not a good thing, especially away from home but also something with potential problems even if it only happens at home. And yes, I have one who does this at home.

It seems typical of new Greys. Either they take a while to adjust to their food or in some cases they are sensitive to the food they are getting. You may need to try others. Particular grains or even grains in general may be a problem. Also, probiotics can really help. For years I had long haired, heavily shedding dogs and the one just prior to adopting a Grey had lots of GI issues sometimes creating terrible gas problems. We loved him & missed him but not the smell. So next I adopt my little girlie Grey. And they say Greys have little to no body odor & shed only minimally. I thought, this is going to be wonderful. I get my big dog with an easy going personality & my BF gets low shedding & low odor. It's his due for all he's put up with from my dogs. BF drives us in his car to the kennel to pick up my petite flower of a Grey. My dainty, delicate, little lady was shedding profuse amounts of her kennel coat as she gets into his car. A few miles down the road the most horrible smell wafts forward from the back seat. My BF's pained expression will always stay with me. All he could manage to say, in a bit of a breathless whisper was, "Not again." Now my girl is gas free for the most part though too many treats with grains can cause the stinkies. She also sheds very little. Gas, it is the Greyhounds smelly little secret but it isn't forever once you find the right food.

All my current dogs, 2 Greys & a Shag, stretch more than any other dogs I've ever had. One though, Venus, stretches A LOT. When getting up, just before laying down, as a greeting, when she doesn't want to do something, when she can't figure out what I want her to do, before meals, after meals, when the wind changes direction... OK, it just seems like the last one. We have a saying for her apparent approach to life, "When in doubt, stretch."

Prayers on the way for very boring biopsy & cytology reports plus an update on how splendidly he handle the surgery. I know it was more than you expected to hear but if it takes care of the weird breathing along with the dental issues that's great news. Still leave you with some mixed emotions though, at least it would for me. All will be well... all will be well... all will be well...

Good job, Lisa. Great detection work. Summer is a lucky pup! Wishing you both many years of health & happiness together.

"Her main issue really is insecurity on lead--if she perceives a threat she'll teeth face..." - Does she still does this? If so that is a big red flag. "Re the psych facility, for the most part..." - But not entirely? If not & as it reads in the rest of your post it has been quite a while, then she really shouldn't still be there. It's not her thing. "We had one incident about a year ago; a guy was getting down on his hands and knees and in her face and I saw her lip curl." - How did you work with her after that to ensure it would not recur? How much time did you wait & what situations did you observe her in before trying therapy work again? "We decided that the best course of action was to work with this patient and train him to give her room and to be gentle." - Which is great, honestly, but does not change Stella's feelings or how she responds. Hopefully you did work to help her with her issues as well but it must not have been enough for her. "One year later, today, though, ..." - I realize you have probably had lots of great visits in between this but if your dog gave you so many warnings along the way from then to now... well, why is there a now for therapy work with her? I am not trying to be mean & am normally not so staightforward & blatant but this is a matter of human safety & Stella's as well. Also, you clearly care and I am sure it would upset you terribly if the problem escalated. It can and not just at a therapy visit. "He was "forward" with Stella..." - And you tried to help the situation, which is really a good thing but... "Since she seemed skittish with him I tried to turn her around so he could pet her..." - She was skittish so it was time to leave. Really. She was trying to tell you it was time to leave. "At some point during this process, Stella, "air snapped." " - She doesn't want to hurt anyone but she doesn't want to be there. And honestly she shouldn't be doing a reading program with kids either. Especially, not with kids to be even more blunt than I've already been. "So I am thinking Stella picked up on something that I didn't." - Absolutely! Will you listen to her now? "I wish I could figure out what I missed so I could feel confident about remedying it." - Of course you do & that makes you a good, loving dog owner. You want the best for your dog and others. You are to be commended on that. Have you considered getting a qualified animal behaviorist to help you decide if Stella can be helped to feel comfortable enough to be safe for pet therapy? You clearly want to do this & as someone who wishes her own dog was comfortable enough with people to enjoy pet therapy, I totally understand your feelings. Stella isn't in the right place, emotionally, to be a pet therapy dog at this time. Find someone to help you help Stella feel more comfortable with people first. That alone will improve Stella's quality of life. After that you can decide how to expand that to more stressful situations. Then hopefully someday she will be a good therapy dog. And please do not be mad at me for speaking the truth. You can see Stella isn't comfortable and that there is danger here. Please listen to her. "Thanks so much for listening." - Thank you for wanting to help your dog and other people who could really use the help. I hope you are able to work this situation out so you can later take up pet therapy again with a confident dog who loves the visits as much as you do. The right behaviorist can help you make that decision. And again, I am not trying to be mean. Am just worried about everyone's safety, plus the feelings of both your dog & yourself.

My guy had one that was removed during an otherwise routine dental. Because the tumor was attached to a ligament that held a tooth in he lost the corresponding tooth. Biopsy came back benign & has had no other probs. We just found a similar lump in my parent's dog, non-GH. She had her dental, lump removed, biopsy benign. Yep, it needs to come out & have the biopsy but don't start worrying. Easy to say, huh? Remember, B9 rhymes with K9. Of course, it never hurts to Just don't conjure up bad ideas that are most unlikely to be true. 'kay?

Oh, ditto what Pam said. I do this all the time. And if I am short on good treats when headed to class I am "forced" to stop for a burrito on the way. Order it with the meat on the side, even double meat all on the side. I get yummy veggie burrito plus treats. Use napkins to soak up excess moistures from meat then mix with kibble. By class time you've got fab treats & way better than kibble for pretty good treats. Will second what others have said like the chicken breast, Zuke's minis & cheese. Frozen, grilled chicken strips are great. Just pull them out & they defrost on the way to & during class. If needed, nuke a few for a minute before heading out. And gross but grain free & adored by most dogs are Vienna sausages. Have you tried the Tuna Fudge recipe using potato flour? That's next on my list to try.