greysmom

If another greyhound is not on the cards right now, I would not discount the benefits of medication to help get him through this adjustment period. I would also try leaving him uncrated, baby-gated in a secure and easy-to-clean area, and muzzled. Another thing to try if you've got a web cam is to set it up so you can talk to him. Some people have left their cell phones on counters and used them that way too (I expect you'd have to have unlimited minutes though!). I don't think I've ever heard of the second dog getting SA from the first. I'm sure it happens, but the whole definition of SA is that they don't want to be alone. Having a companion works both ways. Make sure your group knows that you need a calm, easy-going, greyhound with no SA issues. You should see improvement quckly, though it might get worse short-term.

No advice. just some good thoughts for your girl. Be patient. You have a plan and it sounds like a sound one. The Board is slow on weekends so you may not get a lot of responses. Good luck!

Sounds like she's ettling in fine and now beginning to push her boundaries a little. All completely normal behaviors, and all should be addressed. LOTS of greys don't like to walk in even a little heat. If she's showing reluctance, you might cut them down a bit in the summer. If you need her to walsk either for bathroom or exercise then begin by trying to lure her forward with a yummy treat when she stalls. You can also turn her in a circle to keep her going and then begin forward again. Don't try and pull her straight forward - she's much stronger than you are! - try and jiggle the leash, go off at an angle, try the circling route. And treats! As someone said - reward good behavior, ignore bad behavior. I might be inclined to say she thought you were playing when you took the can from her. Either way, teach her a "drop it" or "leave it" command so she has a positive command to do instead of trying to keep the can. Trading up - a yummier treat for whatever you want to take away - is also a good strategy. If she's prone to doing this on walks you might consider muzzling her so she can't get to things on the ground. In the yard, call her away when she begins getting uppity with the neighbor dog. She could, again, be playing, but if you don't like it, don't allow it. If necessary, hook her leash on to lead her back in the house. It might also be worthwhile to try and arrange a meeting with this dog and his owner away from both yards on neutral territory, so she gets to know and sniff the neighbor. Only allow polite interactions - it might take a few meetings for this to occur. Again, reward her when she's acting apporpriately, and don't when she isn't. Good luck!

Don't discount something small like a grass seed down far in the ear. That's a common problem in the summer if your dogs are laying in the grass a lot. Allegies would be my first thought. You might try a couple daysof benadryl to see if that helps. Follow dosing on the bottle.

My Toni broke her hock in September 08 and was in a cast when she was transported back to the farm here in Oregon. Out of the cast in October. We got her at the end of January 09 and it was fully healed. That leg is kind of curved below her hock, but it doesn't slow her down any at all! I keep some rimadyl on hand just in case but I've never had to give her any since the first couple weeks (due to other issues also, not just her hock). She gets salmon oil every day and I might start giving her a joint supplement in a year or so.

Second this! It doesn't sound at all like any rage syndrome I've heard about. You mention in the first sentence of your post that Lucy has some issues with dominance and it sounds to me like you have a *dog bully* on your hands. Growling is a warning - the first step in the way your dog tells you it doesn't like something. It's also the way dogs intimidate others into doing what they want. She doesn't like you making paper sounds, so she growls, and because she either feels she's the boss of you, or because she's afraid of the paper sounds, she escalates sometimes to growling and lunging. If she had actually wanted to hurt you, she would have. Period. Definitely figure out the thyroid thing. That's the first and most important step. If this escalation has come on suddenly it's likely that her thyroid is involved. Either too much or too little can cause aggression and anxiety. And if she's truly *afraid* of paper, you can try some de-sensitizing techniques to try and lessen her fear to the sight and sound. If you discover it's a behavioral issue you need to take steps to re-establish order in the household and Lucy needs to NOT be in charge. Obedience training can be helpful in this regard. Also, doing more intensive Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) training can help. Basically, she doesn't get *anything* she wants until she does something *YOU* want. Handfeeding every meal, no furniture or people bed priviledges, clear and consistent rules and boundaries - this is what she needs. If she's laying quietly and acting nicely while your reading, she should be rewarded for her good behavior. Ignoring bad behavior usually only works proactively on problems like jumping and barking, and then, only if you consistenly reward good behavior and ignore bad. Ignoring doesn't work on it's own as the dog doesn't understand why it's being ignored. Also, many won't agree, but I do not allow my confident, dominant dog to growl for no reason. I know her and how she operates, and if she growls to try and bully either me or one of the other dogs, she gets corrected. A sharp "AH" and maybe a loud handclap is all it takes to let her know she's not the one in charge. If she growls over a bed or furniture she gets moved off (use a leash or teach her a command like "off" or "down" - don't ever physically grab her collar to move her). If she's too barky and loud and crabby in the yard she gets re-directed with a command and a yummy treat, so she knows she gets something good for changing her behavior. You want to reward for positive behavior so she understands what it is you want her to DO, not what you want her to stop. Replace the bad behavior by reinforcing good. Good luck!

He raced at 74 lbs and he weighs almost exactly that now. If I feed him less he gets ravenous. The food is quite good and he has a very low stool volume. I have tried other foods and this is the only one he stays firm on. Obviously he *doesn't* have a low stool volume if he still has enough left to go in the house that much. First step - up the exercise and decrease his food a bit. Mine would eat 24/7 if I didn't monitor them. He doesn't sound overweight, but it still could be too much for your dog. He should have a nice tummy tuck up and you should be able to see his last three ribs. You're going to need to really try and walk him or play him tired in the morning before you leave. A tired dog is a happy dog. Think about leaving him with a stuffed, frozen Kong or other treat toys to occupy him (reduce his regular food intake accordingly). Try using baby gates instead of closed doors - many greys don't like being shut in with solid doors - into an area that has been dog-proofed and is easy to clean like a tile floor kitchen. Second - really look at your home situation and try to see if something has changed to cause him to suddenly begin having anxiety. Have you added or subtracted from your household? Do you have noisy new neighbors? Is there contruction going on near your home? Has your schedule changed recently? Did he have a fall or minor tumble when playing or out in the yard? Has he begun any other new behaviors around the same time? Third - take him back to the vet and have the vet run specific, thorough testing for thyroid values (free T-4 is what you need, not the quicky test that's usually done). Low thyroid can set off new anxious behavior. Take a look at the "Greyhound Health and Wellness" site at Ohio State University for info on thyroid in greyhounds. Fourth - don't discount the value of prescriptions in cases like sudden onset anxiety. Not every dog or dog parent will need them, but they can be a valuable tool in helping you get your house back in control. Talk to your vet about the options of clomicalm and other anti-anxiety drugs if you need extra help for your guy. Good luck.

Same way as with a human - Muzzle your dog first of all. Even a sweetie will snap when he's in pain. Use a nice straight object like a stick or broom handle and place it like a splint where it makes most sense to keep the leg from moving around during transport. Tape or wrap the leg and splint together gently. Transport to the nearest e-vet immediately. If your concerned about what to do there are several good books on dog first aid, an the Red Cross offers Pet First Aid classes and kits. It should be mentioned that the example you stated was of a dog who had an existing cancerous lesion in the bone already, causing the bone to be weaker and prone to breaking. Most healthy greys can jump around quite a bit without any injuries, despite how delicate their legs look.

He might also be getting a little hungry. You might try giving him a light snack - large milkbone, 1/4 or 1/2 cup of kibble - and see if that helps him. I would definitely try and have him in the room with you. The short term anxiety about doing the stairs is better than the long term whining. Also, he'll become accustomed to them soon enough if he has to do them - use the leash, and *SUPER* yummy treats (whatever his most favorite thing is - the smellier the better). One of you above with the leash and one below him urging him on. You may need to move his legs one at a time and support him under his butt. Treat and praise like a maniac! Eventually he'll get the hang of it, especially if he knows he gets to be with you at the top.

Sending lots of healing prayers!

My four get fish oil at breakfast, and yogurt for breakfast and dinner. Copper (my ten year old) gets a joint supplement called Joint Oats from the Grizzly people. Seems like it helps him so we're continuing it.

I don't know if they're contagious, but they do seem to be regional in some way. I've had dogs for years and been with greyhounds since 2004, and I'd never ever heard of dogs having corns until I came to GT and saw the posts by people in other parts of the country. I've also been involved with our foster program for several years and none of the dogs whelped here in Oregon have ever had corns (that I know of anyway).

Sorry that there's still a worry there for you. I'm sure she feels as bad about it if she is as good to Merlina and Sagan as you say. I would imagine her staff has heard about it big time, and this "mistake" won't be made again. Watching and waiting are the two hardest things to do when you care so much for your kids. Try and not stress about it *too* much!

Sorry I didn't see this til now. He's so adorably cute! I bet he's going to be PERFECT!!! And I love that William is trying to play with him already! I think you should donate a bottle of puppy breath for the Miss Nellie auction! That would bring in the big bucks!

Our Great Dane used to get grass seeds in her ears in the summer all the time. The home cleaning may have dislodged it, or it could be down lower and require a vet to remove it. It could also be an infection. If she's still being bothered in a day or two I would get thee to a vet.

You got a deal..and this place is going to flooded with a Bijou-palooza of pics over the next year.. Bijou-Palooza!!! LOVE IT!!! Can't wait!!!

Run fast and far sweet Ryan. We'll look for your new star in the heavens tonight.

Poor baby girl! No help, but I'm glad to see her smiling face! Don't discount a food allergy because *you* haven't changed food. The way companies work now, the food could have changed formulas and it could be bothering her. Give Arrisa her a kiss from me and her sis!

Someone mentioned this in Lindsay's thread about her Sophie's seizures too. What a weird thing! I wonder if there is any correlation with human supplements? Off to The People's Pharmacy!

My Toni is like Zuki - a total dog bully, especially outside or about her bed. She will sometimes growl at one of the other dogs more than ten feet away. She wants to be the "dog-in-charge" and I think really enjoys pushing any and all boundaries. Toni just turned 5 years old. Contrary to what others might say, I do scold her for growling at other dogs for no reason. If you subscribe to pack theory, an older dog would not let her keep doing that behavior and would correct it in a doggy fashion. Since I'm not a dog, I do the best I can. There's a big difference to me between scared-growly and bully-growly. I know her and I know my other three dogs and if she's growling to try and push her agenda and their buttons, and not because she's really hurt or anything, I do correct her and make her move from the dog bed she is on. If she growls over a treat, the treat is taken away. If she starts bullying outsde, she goes inside by herself (which she hates!). I don't have trouble with her over feeding times as she's too focused on shoving all her food in her face as fast as possible. I do NILIF with her as much as possible, and we're constantly working on commands that reinforce her trust in me, and my position in the house. She's smart and she's stubborn and she's extremely confident so we're doing this all the time. If she "wins" even once, I have to go back and step up the training. I also exercise her much more than the other three. She's much more amenable and nice to everyone when she's tired! I would probably feed her in her crate after all the others have eaten and left the area. Then I would put her bowl in her crate and dribble the kibble in little by little as she remians calm and not growly. The other thing you can try is to keep everything the same and just use a squirt bottle on her when she gets obstinate and growly in her crate. Good luck!

I'm sure someone will have more experienced advice, but here's my two cents. I would never have a partial amp toe for just the reason you're stating. The remaining bone can cause problems by not healing properly, sticking out and having repeated injuries, causing an altered gate as the dog tries to not hurt when walking. My Dude's complete toe amp was completely healed in two weeks and he's had no problems with it since. I'm not sure what you can do at this point. If he does need to go back for surgery, I would have the rest of the toe taken too. Hopefully someone will have something more to say.

I've never had a grey who trances until we got Toni. She has certain bushes she likes to use for it, there are other used for rubbing against, and others she ignores completely. I can;t figure out her ranking system or I'd plant some of the ones she likes in more accessible areas instead of right next to the fence!

It's heart-breaking. And Dude started limping a few days ago that rimadyll (sp?) doesn't seem to help. I'm so scared.

I'm so sorry. However hard it is, I know you'll do the right thing for your girl. You will all be in our thoughts and prayers.

YEAH!!!! Now we start the B-9 chanting!