greysmom

Friday Afternoon Update: I saw Cash this morning after she had a really good night. She's eating like a champ and improving by leaps and bounds. Her tech actually WALKED her out to the lobby to meet me! She's wearing a support harness, but just the fact she can get up and around at all is a miracle. She'll walk OK for two or three steps and then go all wonky - hence the support harness. And she gets tired very easily. But I layed down on the floor on a blanket with her and she snuggled right up against me and went to sleep! We're being cautiously optimistic that she will come home on Saturday. The vet said she could come today, but I really want her to be as good as possible befor returning here to the chaos that is our house. With four other greyhounds, three cats, stairs and other issues, she just needs some more time to "cook" I think. I'm waiting now for a call from her vet and will probably go and see her again tonight. On aside note, it's been interesting to experience how much of our daily routine revolves around dealing with Cash and her fear/anxiety issues. Taking care of four "normal" greyhounds is a relative piece of cake.

To answer your basic question, yes, Hermes is acting like many greyhounds act at this point in their adaptation to home life. It's really too soon to say if his personality is going to turn the happy/playful/interactive way or if he will stay more aloof and restrained. For some greys, it can take literally months and months for their "true" personalities emerge. Yes, some step into a home directly from the track and are completely relaxed and available for their people. You did not get one of those greyhounds. I'll say again what many others have said - it's too soon to know and you need to STOP fretting about it! Greyhounds are bred and trained to perform their basic genetic functions - hunting and running - completely independently. They hunt by themselves, not in a pack (usually), and when they race, it's everybody against everybody else and they have to have the desire to run on their own and win on their own. They don't care about pleasing the human that catches them at the end. They care about running really fast, eating and sleeping, and doing it all again the next time. Make sure you're not projecting your emotions onto him. When he's standing in the hall looking around, he may just be thinking about what he wants to do - Hmmmm. Should I lay on *that* bed or go get a drink of water? By calling him to you, you help him decide. But I doubt he's really sad or indecisive at that point. Mine will often stand around, and if I leave them alone, they will go do what they want - lay on the bed, or get a drink, or step on somebody else's head, or some bug me for pets. As much as we anthropomorphize greyhounds on GT, they really don't feel emotions like sadness - they deal in the here and now, and sometimes the near future or the near past. Short story: I have some friends - a couple with a 5 yr old boy - and they wanted a dog. Many of their freinds have greyhounds, so they looked into them and eventually adopted a wonderful young male. The greyhound was great with their son, very patient and careful for all his big size, and things seemed to be going smoothly. The greyhound had some SA issues, and because they had the room and the means they looked into adopting another dog. The husband would have been happy with another greyhound. He loved the one they had and felt their personalities were good for their house and situation. But the wife wanted a dog that was more interactive. She wanted a dog who would play with her whenever she wanted, not just when the dog felt like it. She wanted a dog that would come when she called. She wanted a dog that would snuggle and be into physical contact. She wanted a dog to wrestle and play with their son. So, to keep the peace in the house, the husband gave in and they adopted a year old lab mix. This couple just ended up re-homing their lab mix with the wonderful and extremely active home of the man who they had to ask to come in and walk the lab every day. The lab had to be crated when they were not home because he destroyed their house. He needed way more exercise than the two of them could provide with them both working full-time jobs. He played too roughly for their son. He wanted to be in the wife's lap whenever she sat down. The lab did help the greyhound's SA, but the cost was more than they could handle. Moral of the story - Be careful what you wish for! ETA - if you want a greyhound that will be more "labby" they do exist - I have one! You have to be very specific with the adoption group and define what you want and need and not settle for a dog that's NOT. I'm not saying your group did a bad job, but a larger group might have more variety to choose from for you.

Yes, Ruth, she's at NWVS. It's the closest Evet to us, though still 20-25 minutes away. We used to have to go to Tualatin which was more like 30-40. She never would have made it to Tualatin. They're taking very good care of her, and her tech this afternoon has a greyhound of her own, so she's in good hands. She was hungry tonight when I went to see her! She'd eaten a bit late in the afternoon - some chicken, some cottage cheese, some baby food - and she ate half an Arby's sandwich for me and wanted more! They will feed her several small snacks throughout the night to minimize the shock to her system. It was much quieter tonight and she was calmer and not so jumpy. Hopefully it'll be a slow night in the ER there and it will stay quiet for her so she can rest. Her next big hurdle is to be able to walk at least a little. The vet is pretty clear that it was the oxygen deprivation to her brain that is keeping her from being coordinated enough, and that just takes time to resolve. On of her back feet is still knuckling a little, but the other legs are OK. She's tired and hasn't eaten much yet so that doesn't help. We'll see how she does tonight and tomorrow. I'm thinking it's going to be Saturday before we even consider her coming home.

Thursday early evening: I went and saw Cash today around noon and sat with her for 40 minutes or so. The vet is really pleased that she is continuing to make progress, little by little. While I was there, Cash actually managed to stand up on her own, which she hadn't done til then. She couldn't stay standing for very long as she's really weak, but she managed to do it three times! The environment there is really hard for her with her spookiness - very noisy, lots of commotion and banging, lots of people moving around and talking. I did also get her to eat a few bites of chicken and cheese - another victory! I spoke to the vet a little while ago and Cash did eat something later this afternoon. Yeah! She's still not walking yet, but the vet said she thought Cash might try harder if I was there, so I'm going in to see her this evening. I'll update again when I get home.

Thursday morning update: Evet just called and Cash is doing really really well! She's bright and alert and seems to have all her functions working properly. She won't eat, but that's not unusual for her. The only other concern is that she can't walk yet. She has feeling and strength and can move all her legs, and she can stand if the put her on her feet, but just can't coordinate enough to walk. Cash is apparently very adept at "army crawling" around her kennel though, so the vet feels it's just a matter of time. If she doesn't improve by this afternoon she'll be seen by a neurologist. Cash will be at least one more night in the hospital. I will definitely be calling my regular vet to see what brand of rabies vaccine they used. Thanks for the link to Havoc's thread - it sounds exactly like what happened to Cash. I'll be reporting it to the USDA or whereever. I'll also mention it to the vet today when I go in to see my girl. Thanks everyone!

Wednesday night update: She is awake and alert. Not trying to get up yet, but that's a good thing - the vet doesn't want her taxing herself too soon. She's looking around and responding appropriately and seems to have all her neurologic functions. Plus, her bloodwork all came back fine, so her organs didn't apparently suffer any damage. Her blood count is low, but not overly, so they're just going to watch it. No news is going to be good news tonight while they monitor her and keep her hydrated and comfortable. We'll get another update tomorrow morning. She will likely stay there at least one more day/night for observation, but they said we can visit her whenever we want! Thank you all again!

Thank you all for your chanting and prayers! I think they helped! Cash is awake and the ventilator tube is out. She's breathing on her own and all organs seem to be working. Her heart and lungs sound very good, and her kidneys are flushing busily. She's raising her head and looking around, and her pupils are reactive and "perfect." She's on some pain meds, some gastro protectors, some sedation still (but not unconscious, just to keep her quiet), electrolytes, and other IV fluids. The vet is pretty sure she had a super bad reaction to the vaccines. These were normal shots, and she's had them all before, even given at the same time, so there's no real answer as to why she had a reaction this time. The vet says she's not completely out of the woods yet - overnight will be the critical time - but things are looking exactly like what they should at this time. Her prognosis is guarded but generally positive. I'll hear from the vet in a couple hours and we'll see how she's doing then. Thank you all again and again and again!!!!!! Chris Cash's Mom

She's sedated for an hour or so. Will know more when they try and wake her up. Hopefully it's just a bad vaccine reaction and she'll pull through. She was in complete arrest when I got here. I can't lose my girl..........

Had cash at the vet for shots. She started seizing on the way home. Help.. at the evet now.

No help, but I'm glad EZ wasn't *much* worse. Hope the new rx helps him.

Poor Jake! Hope he stays healthy and this doesn't cause a flare up of his issues. Hugs to you and your family.

Sometimes I think Dude would rather talk smack than run. Toni will also growl and sound like Cujo when she runs and plays, which is intimidating for everyone including me. The boys head for the safety of the deck and Cash presses up against my legs. Interesting though, because Cash and Copper, who were the best racers of my four, are nearly totally silent when they run. Dude flunked out of training, and Toni, while not a complete loss, probably wasn't going to race much longer (she broke her hock which ended her career).

Fast her for several meals - make sure she keeps drinking to stay hydrated. Give her the immodium (generic version is fine and less expensive) that Energy11 recommended above. Then start up feeding with a small amount of rice or pasta with some boiled chicken. Let that sit for a while to see if the D returns. If not, another bland meals or two and then begin mixing in her regular food.

I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, but I do think you're trying to go too fast for your greyhound. It can take months before some are able to accept any form of training. Everything is so new and so scary to some that they just need extra time and patience. She has actually made some really great progress, and you should feel good about what you've been able to accomplish. I would definitely slow down and take the pressure off her though. She isn't ready to go any faster. The leash can be useful to get her out of her crate as that is what they're used to. If she wants to stay in her crate, let her. Male sure she eats, drinks and potties, and give her treats whenever she's in a frame of mind to accept them. The treats tell her it's OK to come out of her crate and that's what you want to teach her, so why not do it? If she is calm and interested, then try some low key clicker training - as you've been doing - just do a couple repetitions at a time. Then a few more a little later. Greyhounds can't concentrate for long periods of time (remember long race is only 40 seconds long!) so short sessions are better than longer ones. You want to give her things to do that she CAN be successful at, to help build her confidence, not necessarily what *you* want her to learn. "Watch me" is a great thing because it teaches her something to do, and also that it's OK to look at you, which is a very dominant behavior for dogs. It will help build her trust in you. As she becomes more comfortable you can begin to restrict her access to her crate a few minutes at a time. If you use the crate for when you leave, then teach her a separate command for that. Calming signals can be useful but only if she's in a receptive frame of mind. Most greys seem to do better with the "ignore the scary thing" approach. They really take a lot of cues for behavior from their people so if you remain calm and keep walking, then she will eventualy get it. Remember she's never seen or been around anything she's seeng on walks, so it's all new for her. She's taking longer to accept these new things, so be patient. It's great that you take her for play dates. It sounds like she really doesn't play much yet. I would keep going, but not let her off the leash. She's not playing and it will eliminate chasing her around when she won't come to you. She will still be socializing, just at a distance she can handle. Time and patence. Patience and time. She'll come around and the greyhound you have right now will not be the one you have in several months - they change and grow so much! Enjoy all the small steps and encourage her to take more as she's able.

Sorry - stupid double post

They seem to easily distinguish between wild prey and cats-as-part-of-the-family. Seeing a little wiggle thing basically right in front of her is just too much for her genetic heritage to ignore. But indoor cats that she has already been introduced to are not. As long as her rabies vaccin is up to date you shouldn't have problems. Check her mouth.snout/throat area to make sure there areno scratches. Clean any there are really well and apply neosporin. She'll be fine. You? Not so much.

Maybe - MAYBE - if she were running really hard, like a race, and then came right off the track, all panting and uppity, then, there might be a possibility of running being an issue with microchipping. Just normal dog park or grey play date, running shouldn't be an issue. Especially if there's a break/cool down period in-between. There is always a danger on bleeding if your grey is prone to that. If she has been spayed or had a dental recently, and there were no problems, there shouldn't be any problems. Seriously, the needle is HUGE though and waaaaaaaaaay scarier for the person than the dog! Take a valium yourself first if you haven't seen it done and get queasy easy!

She gets that (2 cups of kibble plus wet food plus chicken) twice a day every day?? Might simply be too much food. Unless she's *very* active or working really hard at something like training for a marathon, that's a lot of food. Even if that's the total amount for one day, it might be too much. My four get (twice a day) 1 cup of kibble plus one spoon of canned plus one spoon of yogurt (with enough water to make gravy). Everyone holds their weight well and eats well every meal. They do get plenty of treats, including some people food once in a while, but it's only a bite or two. Since kibble is better for their teeth and has more bulk, I would cut back the canned food and extra chicken right away. The other idea is that some greys just eat less in winter. Don't know why, they just do - hybernating thing maybe. As long as she is eating, drinking, going potty, and acting right - and holding her weight at a good level, NOT overweight - I wouldn't be *too* concerned. You should be able to see her back three ribs pretty clearly, and have a nice tuck up in front of her hind legs. Some greys also show some spine on the tail side of the middle and that's totally normal and natural.

Awesome! Good work Garry! And good work Mom and Dad!

They will often not settle at night to go to sleep - up and down a lot, restless, acting like they have to go O-U-T but they really don't. A blanket if they lay mostly quietly hen sleeping or jammies for the ones that change positions a lot during the night. My two girls never get cold outside - I wimp out long before they do, even in a pouring rain. One boy, Copper, doesn't get cold but he hates the rain so will almost always want to go inside when he's done his buisiness. Dude does not get cold outside - loves to run around in the deepest snow with no coat! - but is pretty pathetic inside when sleeping. He will usually curl up against one of us before the night is over, even in jammies.

Yep. Do it whenever I need to, even though our vet doesn't charge extra for it. Just means I don't have to schedule another visit for something so simple. I was worried the first time, but it really is easy.

First, Hal has really only been with you a very short time. Five weeks is still into the settling process. He may appear to trust you - and he may totally - but sleeping and his bed space are going to be two of thelast things to come around. Mostly because it is an unconscious reaction. He may get over it, he may not. It just depends, and you likely won't know for several months more. There are some things you can do. First, duh, don't pet him when he's sleeping. Or even might be sleeping. Or could be sleeping. Train yourself to wake him up and/or get his attention *EVERY TIME* before you pet him. Say his name from a few feet away or throw a sock on him, or a light stuffy - not towards his head, but towards his butt and feet. You want to wake him easily not cause him to have a heart attack. Once he's awake, you can approach him for pets and attention. Keep talking to him while you do it so he doesn't fall back asleep. If he is awake and is growling/snapping, make him get off the couch right away as that means he's probably guarding something - you, the couch, the pillow, the air around him - and you don't want to let him do this. Teach him "off" or "down" and just be matter of fact. You growled, you lose. DO NOT grab him to move him as that can cause him to snap. A verbal command, clap your hands, pull the blanket, but don't touch him. If you really need to, get a treat and lure him off - the treat is for following the command not for growling. And he looses his couch privledges for a time. The fun of having him on the couch with you is greatly outweighed by the danger of an inadvertent bite. It's not really a big deal after all. He's a great dog and you already love him. Just a few precautions and training yourself will solve the problem.

My Cash has the same thing. She's a blue brindle, so her teeth match her color. Not appealing, but they are otherwise in great shape. She hasn't needed a dental in seveal years.

Even a plated fracture should be healed by now, given normal circumstances. He really needs an orthpedic specialist to look at him, and x-rays are a must. My Toni fractured her hock pretty badly to end her racing career. She was in a cast for 2 months and was basically healed 3-4 months later - so a total of 6 months. She has had no problems for some time.

My Angel Libby and Dude were our first two greys and they were both comfortable from day one. Libby was a bounce, as was barely two-year-old Dude, though he only lived in his first home several weeks. Dude walked through our door and went and layed on the couch and fell asleep. He's been there ever since! With short breaks for breakfast and dinner, and the daily zoomie session. He has recently started being a major stuffy de-stuffer, so I guess his personality might still be changing after 5 years! Copper came from the Juarez track rescue, and we got him only ten days or so after he'd left Mexico. He's a pretty easy-going guy anyway, but he settled in fine. Of all our five greys we've had, his personality has been the most stable. He is who he is who he is! His biggest settling in phase was learning English. He really only knew Spanish words when we got him. That week, our neighbors had a new roof put on, and the roofers were mostly latino. He would goout in the yard and just stare up at them while they were talking and working. He also loved the Mexican radio station that was playing. I still talk to him in my limited Spanish when I can. He seems to still understand it. Cash, my spook, was a mess when we got her. She continued to be a mess for months. Even after putting her on anxiety meds, it was only after we got Toni last year that she really started to blossom. She's had so many of those eureka moments this last year my heart just overflows for her! The first time she played with me, the first time she asked for attention, the first time she came to me in the yard when I called her, the first time she came inside on her own - so many things I take for granted with the others. Toni, who's been here since Feb 09, had a hard row before we got her. She was emaciated and had horrible pressure sores down to the bone, but she was sweet as a sugar cube even when she could barely stand! She seemed to settle in fine but we have enjoyed watching her personality really emerge. She's goofy and smart and vocal and whiney and sweet and affectionate. And even with all that happened to her she is soooooo outgoing and simply loves people - any people and all people. She is the ultimate meet-and-greet dog.