greysmom

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!

I'm sure she picked up quite easily that you were angry with her, even though you didn't yell. She already knew she'd done several somethings wrong - but she doesn't have any other way of expressing herself. Most likely, she bit because she felt the situation had already escalated beyond her usual protest. I think if she had wanted to really hurt you, she would have. I don't generally have them do a command (like "sit") as a punishment. Bad precedent for future requests to do the command. Same with using recall when I'm visibly/audibly angry - not a good way to get them to come to you. It's super hard in those situations to put your emotions aside and deal with the dog calmly, but it's really necessary, especially with a timid or fearful dog. If you can't do it at the time, ask another person in the house to come and hold or watch the dog until you can. It's hard to say if this will cause a regression to her former behavior. I think not, but you'll have to see. Most aggression is not caused by dominance but by fear. You might do some work to help her increase her confidence level, and some further desensitizing training. Maybe go back several steps and start again from where she can tolerate the handling. Some NILIF might also help her to come to trust you more.

I agree with trying out muzzling both dogs and leaving them together. Can her crate be set up downstairs? I would do that, muzzle her, leave her Kong, and put Anubis down there with her (or someplace where they can see each other). Does she have a problem with vomiting regularly?? I know it can happen, but you may be over-estimating the danger from that. If it's a choice between preventing her from killing herself by chewing and eating inappropriate things and the remote possibility she'll vomit and suffocate, I would definitely be thinking hard about that choice. Also talk with your vet about trying a course of anti-anxiety medication. If she is that destructive even after all your work, she needs some additional help. The other thing that hasn't been mentioned is getting her some additional exercise in the morning before everyone leaves. This may mean getting up earlier for a long, brisk walk and/or play session, but a tired dog is a good dog. At ten, she's not going to need as much exercise as a puppy to tire her out. This should help empty her out more too.

There's always anxiety anytime one of our kids has to have surgery. It's perfectly natural and everyone of us understands it!!! We'll be sending all our good thoughts all the way across the country tomorrow!

Sending good thoughts for a better result than your vet thinks. Please give that pretty nose a kiss from us!

My Dude broke his toe - bad, so no option of plating, it had to come off. Healing time was two weeks and he's had no problems since. I don't think I would ever opt for surgery on a greyhound toe. High risk surgery vs low return of healing. Many geys break toes and heal fine with only taping or buddy bandaging, and no activity. But again, with amputation your hound will be able to at least leash walk an play a little after 3-4 weeks, whereas with taping you need to keep them quiet 6-8 weeks. I know which option my greys would want! Though they don't have to go under for surgery with the taping option. Good luck and keep us informed!

How's Bijou doing today and looking for a vet update?????????