greysmom

Stop letting her dictate where you go. Walk quickly, with purpose, out the door and down the street the other way. Keep her close to you and a firm hand on the leash, and moving right along - walk with purpose. If she starts to hesitate or try to head in a different direction, give the leash a shake, and tell her to "come on girl!!" in a happy voice. Once she's moving along with you again, give her a (normal) treat and continue. Keep encouraging her to keep up with you as you go along a way you've mapped out in advance, so you don't have to stop and think about which way to go (preferably a way that does NOT go by your car at all). If you want/need to give her time to potty or sniff, wait until you're outside of your familiar neighborhood area. Set a goal of getting her to a spot and then let her have her head and freedom to go where she wants. As long as it's not back towards the car!!

This I don't know. You might give them a call and ask. They've always been super helpful and informative, but we've never called them until it was time. Just explain you're struggling with the decision and whether one of their staff could drop by and see Leo and help guide you. If they can't, all you've lost is the time of a phone call.

At some point, you can't stop time. If you have a vet you trust, or his rehab staff, ask them for their opinion. Talk about his real level of pain and if you can help lessen that any further. Talk about his level of physical deterioration and if there is any realistic and concrete steps you could take to get him any better. Really evaluate how you could/will manage as his condition deteriorates even further. And I always think about what *I* would want to have happen if I was in the same physical state. Considering euthanasia isn't a failure. Releasing them from a body that has become a burden to them is the final gift we can give our companion animals. And I will second what's been said - better to let them go a day too soon rather than a day too late. A day spent with them feeling (relatively) good, rather than scared and in pain at the e-vet from a medical crisis. Are you actually in Portland, OR?? Or is it the Maine one?? If you're in OR, we have used these folks both for dogs and cats, and have loved their gentle direction and compassionate service. I will use this way every time I can as it's much calmer and easier on everyone. Compassionate Care - In Home Euthanasia

No. Vomiting and diarrhea don't happen without something being wrong. Could be simple like Giardia from a mud puddle, but it could also be a more serious issue. Take in a stool sample when you go to the vet.

Not Tramadol. It can cause the same issues as the Gaba, and is questionable in treating pain both for humans and dogs. The best opioid pain reliever we've used has been codiene sulfate. Gabapentin *will* be useful to you down the road, but see if your vet will give you a smaller mg capsule so you can customize her dosage better. It's really helpful for phantom pains, and nerve pain in general. She probably will be able to get up and out for potties now, and you've found a good trick to use to motivate her. I usually try and keep them on a pretty strict pottying schedule just because greyhounds seem better adjusted to being on a schedule, but she may have other ideas. You might get some puppy pads to have on hand to put on top of her bed when she's having issues getting up to go. But it sounds like she's doing well over all!! Good luck!!

Are you using baby diapers or doggies diapers?? Make sure you measure correctly. Something like this that's adjustable should work. Washable dog diapers Huh. I apparently forgot to hit Reply to this yesterday.

I'll send Felicity right over. She likes eating spiders!!!

Decide whether you're going to feed in the crate or outside it, then decide if you want a raised feeder. Unless you get a giant boy, a 48 should be plenty big enough. FYI - Most greys eat on the floor of their kennels at racing facilities, so no raised feeders. But they do look rather like giraffes when eating off the floor, and seem to be more comfortable having the bowl at least knee high (dog knee, not human knee! ) There's no science behind the statements that raised feeders prevent or exacerbate the probability of bloating, so it's almost entirely about comfort. Research vets in your area who have experience dealing with greyhounds. Ask in your local greyhound groups social media, and most groups will have lists of vets they recommend on their website. Depending on timing you might try and get in and talk with them casually, and see how you like the doctor and the feel of the clinic. Lots and lots of them are not taking any new clients, so finding one to take you might be an issue.

Generalizations about cat or small dog tolerances, or exercise requirements are just that. Individual dogs reacts individually. My group has been adopting out both Irish and Australian greyhounds for several years now, and there are plenty of both that are quite fine with living with smaller companion animals. I do think you may need to wait a bit for the right one to come along, but it's certainly possible. Just to put these other options into the mix: 1) The American Lurcher Project rescues and rehomes greyhounds and greyhound mixes mainly from the Midwest where they are used in a variety of hunting and racing competitions. They do have purebred greyhounds from racing kennels, too. And they adopt across the country. 2) The Senior Sighthound Sanctuary brings in many different breeds of sighthounds and adopts over a wide geographical area. 3) The Sighthound Underground does much the same

for Tessie!!!

Yeah. Stop. Just stop. He can't handle any of this and is completely overwhelmed and scared of all the changes he's had. Don't take him anyplace. Don't force him to go anywhere. He's not even ready for freedom in the yard. One safe place in the house - let him stay there as long as he wants except for eating and potties. Yard on leash for very quick potty outings - praise praise praise with yummy treats (really really yummy - like, roasted chicken or other real meat or cheese - if he'll actually take a treat). If he can't accept treats yet just lots of verbal praise and calm petting - don't overwhelm him further. He'll be fine with limited exercise for a while. He's burning up a LOT of calories with anxious energy. Keep up with the trazadone for at least a month, while continuing to limit his world. He needs to understand he's safe before he can understand the rest. If you don't see any changes in behavior you may need to try another anti anxiety medication (or two) before finding the one that works for him. It's also possible that he's just one of those dogs that can't be an only dog in a home. If that's the case you should be in touch with your adoption group asap.

First place to start is with your local adoption group. Most will have a vet list on their website. If the group has a local Facebook page you can ask actual greyhound owners in your area where they go. But, as mentioned above, be aware that it may not be an easy search. My vet - who is the owner of the multi-vet clinic where we go - has not been accepting new clients since Covid started. At the end of 2019 she had 8 vets (including herself) and a whole slew of techs and assistants, and she'd just finished a remodel of the clinic to make more room. Now they are down to four vets and are constantly searching for more staff. It also takes weeks to get in to see a vet due to so many clients and so few doctors. So be prepared for an extended search, and to perhaps compromise in the short term with a "big box" but available vet, over a more personal smaller clinic. When searching for this vet, I did ask other greyhound owners, and this one was recommended highly. She had worked with the (now long closed) local race track vet, and was familiar with the differences that greyhounds can pose for treatment. It was also important to me that my vet and I have a more collaborative approach to care for my dogs, not a my-way-or-the-highway doctor who wouldn't listen to my concerns or to my experience with my own dogs. If you can, I would always urge going in to chat with a new vet and just get a read on personality and how they manage an appointment. Good luck!!

Yes to all the above. Start by scheduling a vet visit. You want to rule out anything physical causing pain or tingling in his feet or dragging his feet. As you wait to get in start wiping his feet off with hypoallergenic baby wipes when he comes inside in case it's some sort of allergy or other reaction. Also, do a bit of research on his food and treats to check and see if they've changed anything in the formulation recently. Companies aren't required to report when they make changes to established formulas so you may need to email the company and ask.

It's really common to have to work up to a higher dose of gabapentin. I haven't heard of a dog not adjusting over time - it can take as much as a week to ten days for them to get used to a dosage. It depends on how your individual dog reacts and what kind of time frame your on. Some start with half doses, some use a schedule similar to what you describe.

I would think about this a bit more. Pack dynamics can change drastically with a change in health of one of the members. Any physical changes in the house set-up or routine? I would say, if she's not asserting herself with Milo, it's because she's decided she OK with that end of the exchange. Now she's trying to sort out a new power structure below her. Do a bit of NILIF with her, and some one-on-one walking, if you can, just to reassert things in her mind.

It sounds like you're doing a lot - more than I do anyway. Ultimately, I think a lot of it comes down to genetics. I've had greys who could go years in between full dentals, and ones who couldn't get through 6 months without needing another one. All of them have eaten the same food, got the same treats, chewed the same dental chews. It just depends on the luck of the draw. I'll just add, unless you have an indication that a dog has had previous issues with anesthesia, actual mouth issues are worse than the *possibility* of having anesthesia issues. If a dog is generally healthy and hasn't had problems before, it's almost always better to get the dental done rather than let things slide. (This is always assuming your vet uses greyhound-safe anesthesia protocols and monitors their recovery closely.)

The address in the initial post is correct. Her friend had mistyped it.

I saw that announcement. Very exciting!!

Three days. Three weeks. Three months. Those are the general timeframes of a new companion animal settling into their adoptive home. She's now comfortable in her new environment, and feels bonded with her new humans. She knows what the daily routine is - even how it changes on the weekends - and can anticipate what's going to happen. She may be a bit anxious that your wife is leaving, or she may just be getting excited for knowing something is going to happen, or she may just want to go out for a quick walkie-sniffie and is letting you know. I have one greyhound now that if you do an action or change the routine just *two times* - even if it's not on consecutive days - that means it's a "rule" now and should always happen. So if you've taken her out when your wife leaves or walked her to the car or bus stop once or twice, your girl might be anticipating - expecting - doing that every day now. She's also getting comfortable enough that she's starting to express her opinions and desires - when she wants a treat, when she wants a walk, when she needs to potty, when she wants you to leave her alone so she can nap in peace ( ). Greyhounds are *extremely* good people trainers, and they can train a human faster than we can train them!!! So if you're sure there's no other reason for her to need to go out right at that time, set a boundary, tell her to lay down (use this time to teach her the command to "go to her bed"), and ignore further attempts she makes to get her way (whining, pacing, barking, scratching, pawing - though don't let her destroy your door moulding or carpet - interrupt that behavior quickly and calmly). She will, eventually, get it, and settle down, but it might take a couple weeks. Greyhounds are also extremely persistent!

Is he actually peeing (making the effort to urinate, assuming the position, etc) or is he leaking (just dribbling out)?? Couple thoughts - my (female) dog was having trouble with uncontrollable leaking. My vet and I investigated everything, for several years, before she hit on a solution. We discovered Felicity has an issue with the sphincter from her bladder to her urethra spasming incorrectly and causing retained urine to leak out. She had been on D.E.S (a hormone) for a "lax urethra" issue, but then began leaking again. We added in a drug called Prazosin, which calms the spasming and regulates it better, ending the leaking and urge to urinate all the time. Second - some sort of issue caused by his neuter surgery - a nick or stitch in the wrong place can sometimes cause leaking in male dogs. Third - prostate issues, bladder or kidney cancer, colon issues causing pressure on the bladder system. Fourth - if labwork and imaging are not revealing anything it's time for an abdominal ultrasound

Looks like this one is the closest to what we used to use. But any cream used for "repair" or cracked heels or foot cream or rough hands - ultra moisturizing cream - will work. Burt's Bees Hand Salve

Use a couple tablespoons of epsom salts to a cup-ish of hot water and dissolve. Soak a wash cloth or other cloth in the solution (leftover can be saved) and wrap her foot. Cover with a plastic bag and secure the bag so water doesn't leak out - vet wrap is probably the easiest. Soak for as long as she'll stand it. I personally wouldn't do it for longer than it takes to cool off, but some folks do it overnight. Moisturize the pads afterwards with Burt's Bees Hand Cream, or other non-petroleum-based moisturizer for cracked heels (not petroleum jelly or paw wax) If you can manage this at least a couple times a day it helps draw out and loosen the corn. The biggest "new" thing is a product called Animaltex. Use it like you would the duct tape. The recently developed surgery called Flexor Tenotomy seems to be finally offering some permanent help for corn sufferers. It essentially cuts the flexor tendon to the affected toe creating a "sprung toe" effect. Many people report complete healing within about two weeks. The issue being experienced is that additional corns can pop up on adjacent toes or other feet, and while additional tendon surgeries don't necessarily have a down side (multiple sprung toes occur naturally on retired racers all the time), it is something to take into consideration.

It sounds like a good theory, but that's always how they rope you in, right??? I keep going back to what someone said to me years ago - when the low carb diet craze for cancer was going on - if this really worked, it would be EVERYWHERE in human cancer treatment. If it really worked as promised, everyone in the world would know about it and use it. Mammal biology isn't that different on the cellular level, so if it works for dogs it would work for people, and visa versa, which is why they can cross-purpose research between human and animal medicine (like how her targeted DNA therapy was developed). Other than adding a LOT of fat to a diet - which could cause it's own problems - there's nothing that would "hurt" her, but there's also no reason to think this is any more effective than any other feeding strategy, or just regular food.