greysmom

Just like with Happy Tail, you need to stop the ear from flapping around and spraying blood everywhere. No agent is going to keep an end-of-ear split from staying an open wound as long as the dog can force the blood to the end of it and out the wound. Use a snugger head wrap - end of a nylon (do any women wear nylons anymore?) or the leg part of a tube sock or arm of a Tshirt/Sweatshirt. If that doesn't do the trick, try vet wrapping the ear flap to the head. Or paper tape. I've had the best luck coating the wound with Neosporin, then using the larger squarish Bandaids over the end of the ear, then a piece of some kind of medical tape to hold the Bandaid(s) on, then wrapping the ear to the head. If it's a large tear you may need two Bandaid pads to sandwich the ear. All my dogs have tolerated the wrapping better if only one ear was secured, and the other one was still operational. I do think they panic a little when they can't use their ears properly. I also try and secure the ear in a "natural"-ish position. A cone may be needed if they won't work through fussing at it and tolerating the wrap eventually. ETA - I've done this with three of my greyhounds. Learned from my Great Dane breeder when we had two puppies healing from cropped ears.

My first thought was perhaps the rock caused an ulcer or other internal issue that was causing some sort of pain spasming. It does look a bit like hiccupping spasms or really fast reverse sneezing spasms, but with no sound coming out it's super weird. I think hiccupping is related to a nerve spasm, so perhaps it's more that sort of thing. Are his abdominal muscles engaging during a attack or is his abdomen more soft? I think all those things - lab work, urinalysis, fecal too - are in order, along with an ultrasound and maybe a quick xray just to be thorough. Next time it happens see if you can check his heart rate while it's going on and compare it to his normal resting heartrate. Can you feel a femoral pulse? Is he ataxic at all during an episode? Is he responding neurologically or totally checked out like during a seizure? Temperature change? Drooling? Nystagmus or other eye movements? What's his recovery period like afterward? Are they all the same length? Just some questions off the top of my head.

Contact the American Lurcher Project. They have a good number of dogs - some purebred greyhounds, some various kinds of greyhound crosses (lurchers and longdogs) - and adopt all over the country. I think their kennels are still in the Ohio area, which should be fairly close to you. Most sighthounds are going to be "similar" to one another. Greyhounds are just the most sighthound-y because they've been purpose bred for racing for so many centuries. Other sighthound breeds have been relegated to field competitions and amateur racing (and underground competitions in the case of some), so there are a lot less of them around. All AKC bred puppies are going to be about the same cost. It's mostly about how hard you have to search for a good breeder, how long you have to wait until they breed a litter, and how long you have to wait in line to get an available one. Of the breeds you mentioned, I've met and interacted with most of the sighthound breeds at coursing trails and LGRA racing meets. Which are really good places to get to know people involved with maintaining their breeds. And most people are more than happy to talk about their dogs and let you pet them. If you're considering a coated breed like Zois or Salukis, just keep in mind the added care all that fur takes. They could be muddy messes by the end of a rainy day of racing! One group I've been following closely is the National Borzoi Rescue Foundation. When I started following them several years ago they were mainly focusing on importing Borzoi in need from Asian meat markets and Russian rescues. Recently they have been instrumental in getting Borzoi and their families out of Ukraine and into safe situations across Europe and the US, and providing food and care to ones still under the threat of war in their country. But they are still placing rescue Borzoi. Good luck!

Our group in Oregon has been getting both Irish and, recently, Australian dogs. I am not involved in the arrangements personally. We began getting just a few dogs from Ireland by piggy-backing on the hauls coming in with another, established and experienced group(s) out of Seattle. They were getting 8 or 10 dogs and we picked up 2 or 3 from the flight. I think most of the Irish flights go into Chicago. Same with the Australian dogs, coming into LA. Once our group had some experience meeting the flights and maneuvering the dogs through customs and all the paper work, volunteers from our group began making the trips on their own to pick up our own hauls (though we still mostly are sharing dogs between two groups). I know there are at least a couple groups - one in Florida and another in ...Ohio-ish???) flying in spanish galgos under a similar arrangement. From what I can gather, most of the expenses for the flights are covered from the groups of origin and your figure seems in line with what I am hearing from members of my group. We do pay something, and it is much more substantial, but the dogs come already completely vetted and ready to go directly into foster or an adoptive home. Our adoption fee has increased to help cover the cost ($700 I think, up from $400 for the last US dogs we adopted out).

Yes. Unfortunately the GEM Store is closing. They may make you a good deal on their remaining stock. Halemar is wear most groups get their bulk muzzles, I think. We get really nice Irish coursing muzzles from JetCityWoman's Hound Safe store.

This would be worth asking for a consult from Dr Couto. He can help answer your questions re anatomy and treatment going forward.

Sweet girl!!!

{{{HUGS}}} for everybody!!!!

Im sorry to say that an amputation isn't going to help with simple aging problems. Given what you've described it's likely something like lumbosacral stenosis, or even just arthritis impinging somewhere in his sacrum or hips. If you have the extra cash, investing in thorough xrays of his spine would be in order (or an MRI if you can afford it, though he'll really need to be sedated for it). Nsaids, Gabapentin, and even a tolerated opiate are the most used combo for these symptoms, which are mostly related to nerve issues than skeletal ones (except for any impingement). That and keeping him moving as much as possible. And begin to keep a close eye on his quality of life. {{{hugs}}}

Wki and Paddy!!! Andi and Felicity are pretty good riders. Andi does like to stick her head/snoot out the window, so that does delay the laying down part.

One of our first greyhounds was a poop eater. It's the main reason we muzzle our dogs for every turnout and always have. There's is nothing grosser. Hope everything comes out fine for Mark!!

We do see cases like this here on the board. Usually true aggression in greyhounds (or most dog breeds) is really rare. If you haven't yet, do a search for threads in this section for terms like: aggression, sleep startle, leash reactivity, resource guarding. You can read through them for more search suggestions and what we have recommended previously. Also, don't get tied into any certain cause for these incidents. It could be any of the things you imagine, or it could be none of them. You will likely never know. You need to focus on moving forward and helping him be a safe and happy member of your home. A lot of what you choose to do for/with Colin is going to depend on how committed you are to helping him. It will take time and energy and possibly money over the long term to get him back on track. It's also perfectly acceptable to decide this isn't the dog for you, and to return him to the adoption group. From your speech patterns, I'm guessing you may be located in the UK, or outside of the US (where many of us here on GT are based). Attitudes towards training and behavior can vary greatly from country to country, so you may need to adjust your thinking, or advocate for Colin more forcefully with your vet for certain treatments, or look a bit harder for a certified animal behaviorist in your area. RSPCA Find a Behaviourist Talk with your vet first and really have him/her give your dog a thorough evaluation for any pain. Not just his leg, but over his entire body. I also want to mention the *possibility* of some sort of neurological issue due to the rapid development of his behaviors. We do occassionally see brain tumors causing such problems. An MRI is the only diagnostic tool for this. Also, low thyroid can cause aggression, so he needs to have his thyroid levels tested. You can read more about this by doing a separate search. Greyhounds have weird thyroid so read up! Ask your vet for a recommendation for a Certified Animal Behavourist - NOT a "trainer" but someone actually trained and certified in evaluating and treating behavior issues in dogs. They usually have medical certification and can write prescriptions for meds, along with being excellent trainers. Use the link above if your vet doesn't have any suggestions. Find one that uses only positive reinforcement only techniques. You may - probably will - need to put him on a course of treatment using anti anxiety medication. This doesn't necessarily mean he will need to be on medication his entire life, but he may. His issues are complex and wide ranging so his treatment will likely be the same. Please keep us updated on your progress moving forward! Good luck!!

Just wanted to add for the OP if she comes back - please talk with your vet, and perhaps do an ortho consult, to make sure your boy isn't dealing with osteosarcoma. If that's the case the bone will not heal properly, and any delay in treatment can make everything harder.

That totally sucks. I'm so sorry!!! Just wondering why they chose the fixator rather than put a cast on the leg?? Is the break towards the top and the cast would be in his groin??

Andi's leg has changed significantly, but our experience has been quite a bit more involved. She basically shattered her R hock at an amateur racing meet two years ago. She spent 3 months in a cast, and only had 6 months before her plates started to cause trouble and had to come out. Following that removal we had trouble getting the joints and fractures to fuse - and she went into a fixator last June. She had to have two rounds of bone grafts to try and get her bones fusing on their own, and, as I said, just got out of the fixator before Christmas. I expect her leg to continue to change shape as she continues healing. Here's a pic I took of her last xray, 2 weeks after the fixator was removed. She had 7 or 8 pins through her leg and 2 titanium rods on either side holding everything stable. 20221210_120504 by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Yes. Our girl got her fixator removed 12/22 after 6+ months. She will walk on it slowly, but if she wants to go faster she tripods. All completely normal according to her surgeon. It's going to take a while for him to begin using the leg again. Which is fine, since you don't want very much (ie ANY) stress on the bones until the pin holes fill in and all the muscles/ligaments/tendons are healed. We were told to leash walk only for several weeks. But check with your orthopedic surgeon for specifics for your dog.

Chicken and all!!

Without seeing it it's hard for us tell for sure. It could have several causes, and none of them are really "fixable" by whoever is on your side of the fence. Wiki's not doing anything wrong except responding when the other dog goes off. She may be the cause, but any dog would be. If I had to say just going off your description I would guess the older/longer resident dog is either feeling protective or feeling threatened by seeing Wiki out when the younger/newer dog is present. Are either/both dogs fixed/neutered? That could be a possible source of tension, as well. Especially since it only happens when both other dogs are out at the same time. The behavior *might* extinguish itself as the newer dog gets older. Or it might not. I don't think you can count on anything you can't control. So... Easiest is to just not let Wiki out when both dogs are out, or call her in until the coast is clear. Second would be to establish a visual barrier between the dogs, either with hardscaping or landscaping. Though I will tell you a 6 ft solid wood fence between us and the two shepherds behind us doesn't stop them from barking at Andi and Flizzie. Hardest is to teach Wiki to ignore them. I've got my two to the point where I can call both of them to me when the barking starts from next door. From there we usually go inside for a while. If they haven't done what they need to do, we just ignore the barking as much as we can and go in as soon as we can. FWIW, the barking doesn't set mine off anymore, and we can usually get the job done without too much trouble. I have a harder time with the golden next door through the chain link fence. They both love River and would happily run up and down the fenceline barking and jumping around like fools - it's definitely play behavior with River and not a fear response. Fortunately I can distract River with treats, and once she's not running anymore I can get my two away and inside. If the folks behind you don't object to your feeding their dogs treats, you can try that strategy. I taught River to sit through the fence that way and she's a champ at it now!! I don't see the shepherds often enough to try the treat/distraction game with them, but if I can get them to focus on a hole under the fence and toss a treat through I can usually calm things down. Good luck!

Most people seem to think every dog likes every other dog and there should be no issues meeting any strange dog at any time, anywhere. That's certainly not true. It doesn't really have anything to do with aggression or prey drive. It's about trust and being comfortable and relaxed. If you've never heard about "leash reactivity" now is the time to do your research. There are numerous threads here about it to give you a start. There's also a wonderful training booklet by Patricia McConnell called "Feisty Fido." It can give you some tools to help your dog be more comfortable meeting other dogs. If you're walking in a muzzle due to these incidents, I will say that it's probably not helping. The more a human tries to put obstacles between dogs, the less useful they are. Greyhounds are used to wearing them around other greyhounds, but not around other dogs. Greyhounds - especially newly retired ones - often don't recognize other breeds as dogs, and can become anxious upon being introduced to them and act out of that fear. So be your dogs advocate and protect him during this critical phase of settling into adopted life. Take off the muzzle (if you legally can), and use distance and positive reinforcement to let him know things are going to be OK.

We sometimes use plain oatmeal in bland diet meals. The dogs love it!

Awesome shot!!!!