greysmom

Yes, if it wasn't clear, buckle collars are not secure on greyhounds for much the same reasons. To make it tight enough to be secure it has to be really too tight. Go to Etsy, or your favorite online shopping spot, and do a search for "martingale collars," or "greyhound collars." There are tons of vendors to choose from. I prefer 1 1/2 inch wide collars for my average size greyhounds.

Huh. I wrote this yesterday but it never posted. Here you go. It's more than likely the freezing on walks has nothing whatsoever to do with the type of collar she's wearing. For newly adopted greyhounds, freezing is their way of saying they are overloaded at the moment. Most greyhounds are not accustomed to the normal city/suburb environment with sidewalks and cars and loud noises and strange people walking around. It's a completely new and scary place for them, on top of having a completely new and possibly scary living situation. Freezing is an anxiety and fear response and NOT a "stubborn dog" being naughty. Usually, if you let them be for a few minutes they will decide they're ok and will be able to start walking again. Don's strategy of walking and turning will also work, along with walking at less busy times of the day. I would go back to her original equipment, but really evaluate if it's too heavy, or makes a lot of jangly noise, when she's walking. Change it out for thinner leashes, a padded harness, use tag bags or scraps of fabric to quiet noisy chains and tags, and make sure the harness fits properly so it's tight enough without pinching her anywhere (armpits especially). She's also probably not used to having a harness on with the extra weight and pressure on different parts of her body. I know they can be a valuable safety tool, so you may want to have her get used to wearing one by having it on her when you're just hanging out around the house (never leave a dog unsupervised in a harness). A slip lead can be a proper tool for other breeds of dogs, but not so much for greyhounds with their skinny heads, which allows the greyhound to back out of it too easily. Slip leads can get too loose during regular walking unless you keep tension on them all the time, which can be dangerous and uncomfortable for the dog. A properly fitted martingale collar fulfills the same purpose without getting too loose during normal walking. Most of all just be patient with her. Remember the rule of 3 - 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months. Those are general time frames for how new dogs settle into a new living situation. Your individual dog will have her own timeline, but she still needs time and patience to figure everything out. Good luck!

Thank you to everyone for participating again this year!! We received so many lovely cards!! Ours will probably stay up until Spring, so we can see everyone for a few months yet!!!

@Shannon What brand do you use now???

Not just a regular vet, but a canine eye specialist if possible. Pannus isn't one of those greyhound-specific diseases. A competent vet should already know and understand this problem. At the very least you should have gotten antibiotic drops, and a referral to an eye specialist. It doesn't sound like your vet offered ANY treatment????

Yes, Leah, the ornament was perfect!! Thank you!!

Be friendly to everyone and never be bored. Be like Specky!! Words to live by!!!

HEY!!!! THAT REMINDS ME!!! We haven't seen the Santa ornament story yet!!!

Well, it's that time of year again. My picture memories and Facebook memories are full of love and adventure this time of year. Today, in 2011, I set off from my house to drive to the Washington State side of the Canadian border to pick up two greyhounds - an adult and a PUPPY. This was entirely arranged through Greytalk, and friends and contacts from here!! It was totally awesome!! You can read about the experience in this thread from a past Anniversary post in 2020: The 9th Anniversary of the Great International Houndie Handoff Both Whiskey and Lilly have gone over the Bridge now - Whiskey 4 years ago and Lilly almost 2 years ago. It's both a happy and a sad day for us.

Yeah, there was a recall over the summer - or at least a warning not to feed certain lots of products from Olewo. I think it was a salmonella issue??? I had one bag that had a funny color, but it smelled fine, and no one here got sick. I was almost through with it when the notice came around. But huh. Not seeing anything about it now, though I clearly remember something.

OH Ducky. I'm so sorry. Fly free sweet girl........

If you've fasted her for 24 hours and she's still having diarrhea she needs to go to the vet. Take in a fresh sample. If the vet decides thay don't need it, it's easy to throw it away. It's hard to get a sample right when you need it! Always re-introduce food with a bland diet. If she's OK with that (no vomiting or diarrhea once she's eating again), begin mixing in her regular food slowly after another 24 hours.

Yes. You want to fast at least 24 hours until the diarrhea stops, then gradually re-introduce bland food 1/4 cup at a time, every two hours, adding an additional 1/4 cup each time. Stop immediately if the diarrhea starts again and get her into the vet. Make sure to collect a fresh sample of her stool to take with you so they can check for parasites and giardia. Ask them to check for hookworm, even if she's had a negative test previously (search here for threads on hookworms for more info). A bland diet consists of a low fat protein source {poached or roasted chicken/turkey, well-rinsed ground beef (or chicken/turkey), poached white fish (tilapia, cod)}; and a high fiber carb source (overcooked rice or pasta, oatmeal, couscous and other grains). If her diarrhea is something abruptly new, without any recent changes in diet, stick with the protein and carb in her main kibble. If you did recently change her food, try a different combination as she may be intolerant or allergic to the new food. Do not include any other supplements or additives at this point. Once she's back on track, and cleared of any parasites or bacterial issues, you can consider a probiotic and/or adding fiber to her diet. And get to the vet ASAP if you see blood in her stool or she begins vomiting (with or without blood). Dehydration is an issue, so make sure she has fresh water available. Good luck!

My cards will be out the next day or so!! For some reason UPS sent them to a completely different city before rerouting them to the correct address.

I couldn't always find the Salmon oil, so I had to switch to the Pollack oil. Then that got hard to find so I had to switch to what they're calling Omega Health. It's a blend of Salmon and Pollack oils plus some other stuff. I don't think they're making just the straight salmon oil anymore. Grizzly Omega Health But we didn't have any upset here from the switch. We hardly ever do though, so your experience may vary.

Looks like I'm getting mine today!!! Thank you!!

Wiki!!!

Yes, it does sound a lot like Lupus or another/combo of auto-immune disorders. This is fairly common in greyhounds. See what kinds of specialists are available in your area and ask for a referral. A dematologist maybe but definitely an internist that understand auto-immune disorders. Don't be surprised if it takes a *really* long time to schedule an appointment. Every vet I know is understaffed and overworked and doing the best they can. Lupus and other diseases in this vein usually don't respond to allergy treatments or creams. Some can be managed with OTC supplements, but some needs immunosuppressant drugs to really get on top of. Good luck

Many greyhounds don't do well with boutique foods. They are usually too high in protein and don't have enough fiber. While it sounds counterproductive, sticking with a brand like Iams or Purina actually works better for 99% of our dogs. Get the results of the testing FIRST though, because it won't matter what you feed him if he still has hooks. Keep him on the food he's eating until you can get three clear tests results, post-treatment - one at 2 weeks, one at 5 weeks and one at 8 weeks. Then see what the state of his digestive tract. Many of us have had good success with the various formulations of Purina products. The Senstive Stomach might work the best for you right now. Try and keep the protein percentage at 25% or lower, and make sure it includes a non-legume carb source like rice or a grain. It's quite common for pumpkin to increase diarrhea. I wish people would stop recommending it since it does NOT work for every dog. If adding fiber is going to help it (usually) needs to be insoluble fiber like that in Metamucil, or Olewo carrots. But again, I would wait until he's hookworm clear before experimenting. Do go ahead and add a probiotic, since that will help keep his gut in order through any treatment. There are loads of good products out there (you can search the threads here for ideas since there are a lot of them with suggestions). Congrats on your new boy!!

Don't be so sure he can't tell what day it is. They have the ability to pick up on really subtle cues. I've had dogs that tell the difference between trousers and jeans, whether I put makeup on or not, if I take a shower, if I eat cereal or toast, whether a morning paper is delivered or not - it's crazy. I generally try and keep the schedule exactly the same but they know somehow!! If he's OK being left alone, I would just let him stay on the couch. Try taking him out at a different time of day, maybe by himself, maybe through a different door, go a completely different way, go somewhere to walk by car. If you really need him to walk at that time then start using really yummy treats - not hard crunchy ones, but, like, roasted chicken pieces or cheese, very high value - and praise and treat when he completes each task in the "going for a walk" chain, particularly the collar and right before starting off. Keep things happy and moving along so he doesn't have a lot of time to think about where he's going or doing, and praise and treat randomly throughout the walk. Good luck!

Thanks Don!!