greysmom

You all are doing so AWESOME!!!! Keep up the good work!

There are so many choices out there and everyone just has to try and do the best they can finding what works for their individual dogs. Everybody wants to feed their dog a nutritious diet. Just don't fall into the hype machine that tells you lies about what that is. The grain-free issue is a real thing across breeds and food brands. As mentioned above, the FDA is still studying how and why, but right now you really need to avoid any food that replaces all/part of any of the ingredients with legumes. That rules out most boutique brands and those marketed specifically as "grain-free." Also as mentioned above, dogs are not obligate carnivores, they're omnivores just like people, and they need a variety of proteins, whole grains, vegetables, and other essential nutrients in their diets to remain healthy and happy. In racing kennels dogs are fed a combination of kibble, vitamin and mineral supplements, some sort of additional veggie/grain stew or canned food (usually a trainer's proprietary recipe! ) twice a day. Sometimes they add in goat's milk or buttermilk as a probiotic source. Sometimes they add a raw piece of protein, or some organ meat. Many give raw bones to help with dental health. When looking at kibble you want to stick with brands that have been around for a while, who do long term palatability and nutritional testing, who source from consistent providers. Most greys do best around 20% protein. Unless you're doing amateur sports or are an especially active family providing a lot of daily exercise (hiking, daily jogging or biking, active dog park dates) they don't need higher than 25-28%. Purina, Iams, Science Diet, a couple others are reputable brands. Kirkland brands that include grains can also be good. Remember you don't have to buy in person - many vendors will ship the food you need. Years ago we had Great Danes, and fed them a food we bought directly from the breeder because it was supposed to be "better" for them as giant breed dogs. We took her word for it and did no research of our own. Until we discovered it was one of the foods involved in the melamine contamination scandal and we'd been poisoning our dogs for years. Lesson learned. We now feed our greys Purina ProPlan Sensitive Stomach, salmon and rice. Price and availability have been iffy at times due to the worldwide supply chain problems, but we've always found it somewhere. We currently get it delivered from Amazon, but Chewy has also been a reliable source, and most big box pet stores will have it. Good luck!

Definintely, if she'll let you. You might ask about a short course of antibiotics, just to keep things in check. Though anecdotally, we used to say, that dogs that get post-op infections generally do better at fighting off the cancer for longer. Something about the infection activating the dog's immune system - though you'll be doing a lot more activating with the Torigen.

It could be part of a puppy phase she's going through. Some continue their fascination with rocks into adulthood, though. If she is actually chewing on them enough to damage teeth you're going to need to take drastic action sooner rather than later. Get her a muzzle, with a stool guard, and have her wear it whenever you're not home and she has access to the rock area unsupervised. When you're home, close the dog door and be outside with her for all turnouts so you can catch her in the act and consistently redirect her away from her rock habit. Teaching her a "leave it/drop it" command is going to help too. You're going to need to get her accustomed to muzzle wearing first, since she didn't receive this training growing up. Smear the inside front with a bit of peanut butter before you put it on her, then remove it when she's done. Do this a few times a day, for a couple days, then start varying if there's peanut butter or not and extending the PB-less time. She should tolerate a muzzle fairly easily and quickly.

I think it's going brilliantly!!

Now we start for her chemo and immunotherapy!!!

Good job to both of you!!

I don't remember exactly, but soon - maybe a couple weeks or so. Mostly I was concerned with phantom pains and general pain control, and the acupuncture seemed to help a lot with both those issues. We have a water PT place fairly near to us, but he couldn't do that until his incision healed. Then he got an infection and had to have a couple more debridement surgeries. So when he was finally healed we just moved to massage instead.

I would say it's not an emergency, and it's "probably" nothing, but I would get it looked at sooner than later. Even if it's nothing serious, it's in serious danger of getting knocked off in that location, which could cause a lot of bleeding. And if it is "something" it's better to get it taken care of before it has a chance to spread.

We did weekly acupuncture for a couple months after Dude's amp, then switched to weekly canine massage. If you have easy access to a good PT clinic I would think it would be really helpful. It's all about helping keep their muscles supple and strong, and their spine and structure aligned for proper motion.

It's difficult for us to diagnose things like this over the internet - we weren't there, we didn't see the entire incident. Sometimes people in your situation are too close to observe the whole picture, or leave out a detail that may be key. But going from what you describe, I would *guess* that he is beginning to feel comfortable in your house, and he's beginning to express his wants and desires now that he feels more bonded to you. Remember, a growl - which to us sounds quite scary - is just one of the limited ways a dog has to verbally communicate with us. He was trying to express something, and we humans just don't speak dog as well as dogs speak human. Again, just guessing, but I would say your speculation may be correct. He wanted what you had - or at least a treat, or some sort of reward. Have you ever given him anything from your plate/bowl/glass in that situation before?? Even once?? It could have lead him to believe he was entitled to some every time. Or he *really really* liked whatever it was you had. It could also be that he wanted it so badly that he felt he had a right to "resource guard" your smoothie from you. Getting up and walking away was fine as a response - removing yourself and your smoothie from his space - which was probably why he snapped as a last sort of comment, and attempt to gain what he wanted. In the future, particularly if you decide you do NOT want to keep him in your home, DO NOT give him the privilege of sitting on the furniture with you (or anyone). This will help break his resource guarding habit and make it safer for whoever does adopt him. In calm moments, teach him a command to move him off the furniture - off, go to your bed, leave it - whatever words work for you - so you don't need to physically touch him to remove him from where he shouldn't be. Use yummy treats to lure him to his own bed and reward his compliance. And don't ever give him any food from your plate while your (or anyone) are eating. If you want to give him a treat or a bite of steak, or whatever, save it til you're done and give it to him in his own food bowl, so he stops looking for food during meals. My husband lets one of ours clean out his yogurt bowls all the time, and now she is practically in his lap the entire time he's eating. This issue is exacerbated because we eat in our living room on our laps or tv trays, so the food is right there! Good luck!

Everything is normal right now. A new normal will kick in in a few weeks, then you'll be able to judge her mood and pain level better. It's also a series of steps forward and steps backward, good days and bad days. What meds is she taking now?

I've used a different head halter, but I would be leery of using it as a single attachment point to a strong, leash reactive greyhound. Head halters are occasional correction tools, not regular walking aids. They can easily slip out of collars if motivated by anxiety or prey drive, and head halters are not very secure, so I would probably use it in conjunction with a harness at all times. If you want some further help, get the book "Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash Reactive Dog" by Patricia McConnell. She's an excellent trainer/behaviorist with good, step-by-step advice for working through behavioral issues.

There was a time when we were going through full and active Osteo threads every 2 months. I don't know if it's the GT viewership that's fallen off, or simply less traffic, or less need for it, but this particular Thread has been going since 2016. If we can be of any help, offer any support, we're here for you. Plus, though it's sad in a way, my experience with osteo was back in 2011 with Dude, and not much has changed regarding treatment options since then. I'm hoping you'll keep us informed along the way as you go through this immunotherapy treatment! Go Tessie!!!

I forgot to add above, (another) one of mine suddenly refused to eat out of his usual bowl in his usual spot - where he'd been eating for several years with no issues - after he was there when a large metal pot got dropped on the floor. Not anywhere near him, and it wasn't dinner time, but he was leery of the whole kitchen for the rest of his life after that. He ended up using a plastic bowl like the one above and eating in an open section of our living room - away from all walls and furniture so he didn't feel trapped at all - the last two years of his life.

Great update Lauren!! You go Tessie!!!

Try a wider, plastic bowl. Wash it really well if you buy a new one so it doesn't smell "plastic-y" and maybe soak some kibble in warm water in it for an hour or so before you try and feed her out of it. Something like this one (sorry for the size!). Heavy weight non skid bowl And let her eat wherever she feels comfortable - especially if she's losing weight. You might also try putting some DAP diffusers around to see if that alleviates some of her anxiety. I will tell you I fed one of my own twice a day with a spoon - like a baby - because she would not eat standing at a feeding station out of a bowl, so I am maybe not the right person to ask!! Good luck!

The Black Bandit is planning her next caper!!!

I think a lot of times they get scared and anxious when they start to do something normal and it's not normal anymore. Plus, she may be experiencing some phantom pains. How'd her check up go??

This is a really common injury in dogs that do field trials and lure coursing, and can happen when our pets do zoomies in the yard and large parks. They just run the "stopper" pad (which is what that pad for the dew claw/ "thumb" is called) right off during the turns and sharp stops. Have your vet tech show you how to properly wrap the area to protect his stoppers and see if that helps him.

It *will* get better. Little steps every day!

It's definitely shedding season. And it's a myth that greyhounds don't shed. Keep brushing and the undercoat should be gone in a week or two. If he's a BIG shedder, you may see some very thin areas, or even down to the skin on his belly and thighs. If the skin is crusty or very dry or itchy get in to see your vet, otherwise he should be fine. The fur may or may not come back when the weather gets cold again.

The first two weeks are horrible, hands down. But you both will get through it to a better time on the other side. Remember she's only a couple days from a major surgery, Where she lost a whole leg. She has to adjust to that reality and learn how to do everything all over again - it has to be scary and disorienting, and screaming with anxiety and pain is sometimes the only solution. Phantom pain and feelings are definitely a thing! Keep ahead of the pain as much as you can, especially now. Beneful Prepared Meals was is the go-to in our house for getting dogs to eat something. {{{hugs}}}

The price of Amicar has skyrocketed since the company was sold several years ago. They also had/are having production issues having to do with the patent I think. It literally pays to shop around and use whatever coupon and rebate sources you have available to you.