greysmom

Oh yah! Mine will *bark* fiercely when someone comes to the door, so I really don't worry about someone breaking in - though if they *did* actually get in the house they'd be the ones getting mugged - for pets!

If you have an unused crate for the dogs you might try setting it up in a quiet part of the house and use that spot as the cat's "safe zone" away from the dogs. You can confine the cat while still allowing him to be a part of he house so he gets more used to the new dynamics he's living under now. A squirt bottle is very useful, though if he was a stray he might not be water-averse like most indoor cats. I know I'll catch heck for suggesting this, so go easy on me people! In our house we allow more dog-cat contact than many here on the board. We have three very (very very) dog-savvy cats. They were all raised from kittens around and by our three Great Danes, so they are used to big dogs and not scared of them at all. All three of them are quite capable of swatting a dog if they feel threatened or uncomfortable and we've used them to cat-test with our group because they're pretty fearless. The cats will occasionally get a wild hair up one of their collective kitty butts and start playing with (as in harassing) one or more of the greyhounds. The dogs are allowed to tell them to "knock it off" when this happens, as they are much more effective than we are. The dogs don't chase the cats (who are totally indoor all the time) and would be stopped if they ever started, but my philospophy is that the dogs can say what is OK with them - up to a point which all of my dogs know. Most of the time the dogs just get up and move to another room out of the line of fire. They can also growl and bark at them which is usually enough for the cats. Very rarely will one of the dogs actually make any sort of physical contact, and it's most often to nose them away. I've never had one of my dogs - current or former - ever hurt one of "their" cats. (Outdoor cats are a completely separate issue.) I'm just saying... Please don't flame me!

If you can, you might try it when he's laying down. Toni HATES having her nails clipped outside standing up, but she'll tolerate it if she's inside laying down. I have no idea why. I'm just grateful for small favors as her nails are like bear claws and grow like weeds!

She doesn't sound like a true spook to me, just a grey who's taking her time adjusting to a completely new life. I think they just need to be a bit more patient with her, and let her go at her own pace. She's come a long way in just four weeks, which isn't really a very long time. And she's also still very young - still a puppy really - so she needs some extra patience. One thing they might try is to lessen her negative response to the leash. They should start carrying it around the house with them - wear it like a belt, or have it at hand, set it on the floor where she can see it. If she's at all food-motivated, she should get a yummy treat when she shows interest in the leash or even is calmly ignoring it. She needs to associte the leash with something she thinks is really great, and not the scary "walk in the park." This will also desensitize their other dogs so they don't get so excited when he leash appears. She's not going to fade away from missing a meal or two here and there. If she doesn't want to eat with the others (my spook doesn't always), they can feed her later when it's quieter, or simply feed her in her crate. Then she can gradually be integrated into the feeding routine as she gets more comfortable.

Hugs to you and Kendra! No experience, though it does sound like her deafness and blindness could be at least part of the issue. Age related doggy dementia might also be playing a role in the sudden aggression. If you haven't done it in a few months, it would be worth seeing what her thyroid values are as well, as thyroid can play a part in aggression issues. Hope your vet can help you figure it out.

Does she only do this while she's leashed or when she's running free too?? You might try PMing the user "Giselle" who I know has worked with her leash-aggressive dog. The only suggestion I have is to try and use the distraction method - be really vigilant and try and locate the problem dogs before she reacts, distract her with a *REALLY* yummy treat by using "watch me" or another command, hold her gaze and the treat until the on-coming dog has passed the danger point, then praise praise praise and give treats!

One interpretation: Something small and squirmy, making prey-type noises (whining, goo-goos, baa's), being held up by a food giver. He's obviously interested. Another: A small, alive thing he's never seen before, that smells different and which is making puppy-like noises, and getting lots of attention from one of his pack leaders. He's obviously interested. Only you can tell which is more likely from his reaction and body posture. If he's whining and has a fixated gaze that you can't distract him from, is chattering in excitement, drooling, tail held high and stiff (could be wagging though too), an upright and forward body position - he's likely having a prey reaction. But a more relaxed and curious posture, wih a low tail and head, maybe still some whining and sniffing - could be more curiosity and interest. If you're unsure about your dog's reaction to small children (or baby animals) then you should ALWAYS err on the side of caution. It only takes one accident. My boy Dude, come to find out, is not small dog or outside animal tolerant. But he LOVES babies and small children and will literally pull me over to strollers and babies in arms. Fortunately, these parents have all known Dude! He just buries his nose and sniffs these reeeeaaaallllllyyyyyyy long sniffs - like you would with a sweet smelling baby! And he loves to lick there feet, mostly because I think it makes them laugh and he loves that too.

Each adoption group will have its own standards and adoption requirements, so I think it's mostly how comfortable you are working with each group. I will say that the more honest and truthful you are with the adoption reps about your lifestyle and wishes, the better match you'll get, regardless of the group. It sounds like you've thought about this a lot and that's only a plus. Make sure you're committed to giving these dogs a home for life and not just to "rescue" them. Both my husband and I have had dogs (big and small) all our lives before adopting our first greyhound. There *is* something very special about this breed! But they're not necessarily dogs for people with very active lifestyles. I always tell people they're like cats with really long legs! Obviously, not all greyhounds are complete couch-potatoes, and many love love love to get out and go. For the most part, I would say that they love doing things WITH their people, and not just to be doing something. They are very much companion animals. What I would suggest is asking the groups (or whichever one you feel most comfortable with) if they have volunteer activities that you can help out with so you can have some contact with the breed. Go to meet-n-greets in your area and talk to actual greyhound owners. Pet their dogs and see if they feel like the right breed for you. Then, once you've determined 1) if you can afford two, and 2) if you *really* want two, you can discuss adopting with a group. Returns are way more common nowadays due to the economy and they are a great way to go for first-time adopters. Good luck and keep us posted!

The trick to distraction is to not *just* distract him with a good thing - bark bark bark give a toy. Give a command that he knows that you can reward him for - watch me, or sit, or something else that requires him to *do* something else. Toni is a big barker and we've worked on teaching her a "quiet" command. This works great for her as she's extremely food motivated and will do literally anything for a treat - even be quiet!

How's our little fairy princess doing this morning?? (Or afternoon, I guess!)

Sleep startling is a very common greyhound problem. Though some people have had some success in desensitizing their hounds, there is no real "cure." Our first greyhound was severely sleep aggressive and bit both my husband and I - drawing blood both times - in the first two weeks she was home. She did get better over time, but I would never have left her alone and asleep with a child, even though she LOVED kids when she was awake, and was the sweetest dog I've ever had. Some tips: > NEVER wake up your dog by touching him. Call his name from a safe distance until he is awake and aware, then ask him to do what you want. > Don't let him sleep in your bed or on the furniture. He should sleep on his bed in an out of the way place where he won't be disturbed by accident. If he can sleep in a crate I would definitely encourage him to do so. >In general, with ANY dog, but especially sleep aggressive greyhounds, NEVER leave your young child alone with a dog. PERIOD. >Teach your child as soon as possible to NEVER TOUCH THE DOG WHILE HE'S SLEEPING OR ON HIS BED. NEVER. Kids can learn good manners and respect around their dogs at a very early age. Chance doesn't do this because he's angry or wants to bite. This is a very normal response from an animal that has slept on his own, by himself, and is never disturbed when sleeping, his entire life. You can do a lot to make sure he doesn't bite you, your husband or your child, but you have to be diligent and remember to NEVER touch the dog while he's asleep. It takes time to make this a habit, so start now!

Definitely ask for a class at a quiet time. Not only does the noise distract and bother them, there's just too much movement for a sighthound to be able to focus. And make sure there aren't any littles in the class if your grey isn't small dog tolerant.

Thank you all so much!!! I really appreciate all the opinions and the links! I'm one of those people who likes to run everything up the flagpole to see what everyone has to say! Batmom, I do think it might be worth a try to see how she does on less medication. I will probably begin (very) slowly stepping down her dosage anyway. Also, I didn't say it before, but Cash's behavior really became a lot better when we adopted Toni. I had discounted the effect of having another girl here, as she had two other greyhounds (Dude and Copper) who happen to be boys. But adopting Toni, a female only a year younger than Cash, really had an almost instantaneous effect. It was like Cash finally decided this was her home now that she had a female companion. I keep telling my DH that we should try adopting *another* girl to see how much that helps Cash!

Thanks everyone! Let me see if I can clarify her reactions and answer someof your questions: Regarding homeopathic and naturopathic options - I'm not opposed, but Cash has had very little positive response to any of the remedies I've tried. I have not yet tried accupuncture, though it very well may help. What issues she still has - I have no test results for this, just my feeling, that she has some sort of chemical imbalance. She'll be fine, absolutely fine, until "ZAP" something scares her. It can be a noise or a visual cue that sets her off. It's like her system gets a shot of *something* and sends her out of balance and into a complete fear flight response. I have spent as long as 4 1/2 hours out in the yard with her loose and running because she's too afraid to come to me or go inside. She won't do either until she's completely exhausted. She's not just not coming to me - we've worked on recall training and she's fabulous unless she's scared, then all bets are off. She won't let me walk up to her, and when she does stand still, she's is literally shaking out of her skin to the point I'm afraid she's going to collapse. So I really never let her off the leash at all, even in our backyard. She will become obsessed with watching a thing or a place that upsets her to the exclusion of everything else. She is extremely NOT food motivated, and I'm sure she would nearly starve herself if she was scared. She will stare compulsively at our stairs - her escape route to her safe place in our bedroom - and refuse to eat, even though there is nothing different at all about the room/feeding set-up/food/time of day. Many times I never know what it is that has set her off at any particular time. And things that she is fine with one time will scare her other times - all quite random as far as I can see. I know there must be something, I just can't see/hear/smell what it is. She continues to be scared of our deck and back door. The only way in and out of the fenced back yard. Most of the time. Sometimes she's not scared and will take a treat from me right by the back door. Most of the time, she acts like a tree is going to fall on her if she sets foot on the deck. Unless she doesn't, and it's OK. These "freaked out" sessions have become MUCH MUCH less frequent and of MUCH shorter duration. A thing that would have sent her hiding in her safe spot for a day or two will now just incapacitate her for minutes. She is bouncing back faster to "normal" and doesn't seem nearly as affected physically. But these lesser "freak outs" still happen everyday. Her current medication - I'm not especially concerned if she's addicted to the alprazolam, except as far as it increases the difficulty of getting her off it. She IS doing better, but, given that I feel she does have some sort of brain chemical imbalance, I think she will need some sort of on-going drug intervention. Like I said, she's good now about 90% of the time, but I'd like to see if I can help her get the last 10%. She can't take any more alprazolam, which is why I'm considering switching her at all. She's so darn FUNNY! and CUTE! and ADORABLE! and SMART! when she's doing well, and I'd like her to be able to be like that all the time - for HER sake, not for mine. OK - I think that's it for this round. Does this change anything for you??????

I want expert opinions so - of course! - I come to Greytalk! Plus, I needed to write it all out to see if it made sense to me! Background: Cash came to us at Christmas of 07. We already knew she was a spook and were prepared to deal with her issues whatever that took. We researched remedies, read books, and talked to vets and our greyhound mentors. I hadn't yet discovered GT. Cash was a first-class spook. In her foster home prior to coming to us, she was reported as "scared of everything" and obsessed with certain objects including the ceiling fan and stairs. She didn't bond at all with the couple. She also escaped from this foster and ran around loose for five days before being caught. So she came to us and was a foster for about 5 minutes before w knew she was staying forever! She actually did pretty well with our pack at the time - our Angel Libby, Dude and Copper. She was relaxing and learning everything she should have learned already, and doing really well with her fear issues. Then, after we had had Cash for about a month, in the matter of a week or so, we lost Libby. She was our matriarch and the rock of Cash's world. DH and I were devastated. Cash went to pieces. Everything terrified her - inside, outside, new things, old things, literally everything. We couldn't change the pictures on the wall in the living room without her refusing to go there for a week. She wouldn't come to me or go with the other dogs when it was time to go inside, so she was only outside on-leash. It got so bad that she was spending 99% of her life cowering alone up in our bedroom. We tried everything we could think of before deciding she needed medication. On the advice of our vet, Cash was started on alprazolam. It was a godsend for her and changed her life for the better. She has been on this drug since March/April of 08 and, with the help of behavior modification, obedience training, and adopting another female greyhound, she's come a long ways. Cash is now actually a "normal" dog for 90% of the time. We can move the furniture, change the pictures, vacuum, make loud noises, and do other things Cash would have found extremely scary 1 ½ years ago. She even can go places like our recent vacation without too much stress. But she's at the max dose of alprazolam, and still does have severe issues that can occur daily. The research I've been doing suggests this wasn't and isn't the best drug to have her on. What I think I know: Alprazolam is a fast-acting, benzodiazapine tranquilizer. It works, basically, by reducing the communication between excited brain neurons and therefore has a calming effect on many of the functions of the brain. This is why it's helpful in the case of separation anxiety and thunderstorm phobia - it's fast-acting, metabolizes out of the body quickly, and helps keep the brain in a calm state. Interestingly, it is also sometimes used in conjunction with phenobarbitol to control seizures. What I believe would be more helpful to her is for her to be on a class of drugs called SSRI's - a Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor. This class of drugs inhibits the re-absorption of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain associated with mood elevation and reduced aggression. Increasing serotonin in the brain means less anxiety and a happier attitude. By inhibiting the brain's system for removing used serotonin, SSRIs cause serotonin to linger, lasting longer. The more serotonin we have in our brains, the less anxiety, obsession, and depression we get. There are several drugs of this class now approved for veterinary use: Clomicalm (clomipramine - Anafranil), Reconcile (fluoxetene - Prozac), and Buspar (buspirone hydrochloride). Basically, I think, she doesn't need a drug to tell her brain to not be scared, but a drug to help her brain be happier and calmer. Alprazolam is extremely addictive and I'm concerned about how to manage any switch that involves taking her off this drug. There can also be issues with liver damage, though Cash's blood tests have all been fine since starting the drug. What I need help with: >Do you think this is an accurate assessment of the problem? >What more info would you (as a relatively well-informed greyhound owner) need to make an informed decision? >Are there tests that I should ask about (beyond the normal bloodwork and other routine tests)? >Once I believe I have all the info I can gather, where do I go from here? I really like our vets. The practice has three vets who see patients as they come in and I like all of them and the way they deal with the dogs. But they're really just a dog and cat clinic, not even up to doing surgeries more complicated than a neuter/spay. The vet who prescribed Cash's alprazolam was not familiar with anxiety problems, and, while I think she did do research, she didn't go with the most common drug to begin with - either the Clomicalm or off-label Prozac. >So how do I approach this subject with the vet(s) at our clinic? >What kind of specialist could I ask to be referred to if it comes to that? Neurologist? Internist? >Should I just try and find another vet or is this something I can work with a less-informed vet on without being disrespectful? >In your experience, and beyond the obvious, what questions should I ask about a new drug? >How do I decide between the different SSRI's? Are there advantages and disadvantages to each that I didn't find? >What about managing withdrawal from alprazolam? >What questions or subjects am I forgetting to factor in? Thanks in advance for, first of all, reading all this! And second, for your advice and experience! Gters are WONDERFUL!!!!

We have a couple of scheduled, depending on if the DH is home or working. He works a weird schedule, so when he's home, he's up in the middle of the night for norma people! No DH 7:30am - everybody up and outside for pees and poops 7:50am - breakfast and back outside for any leftover potties 10:30am-12:pm - anytime in this window outside for sniffs, maybe play, maybe potties 2:30pm - outside for afternoon playtime, usually potties, lots of running, playing and digging 4:45pm - dinner, and outside right after for leftover potties 6pm-7pm - chew bone in this window of time, outside for whatever right after 10pm-11pm - last potties, and go to bed Dad home 5:30am-7am - breakfast in this window, outside right after same schedule rest of day additional outside for potties around 1:30AM-2:00AM with everyone spending some night time time with Dad If we have shopping or errands we usually run them midday which widens the break between morning and afternoon outdoor time. They can go 6-8 hours if necessary but we don't usually leave them longer than 4.

Definitely get a second opinion from a different vet, including a complete physical. make sure they do a *complete* thyroid panel and not just the customary one (which won't tell you much you need to know for a greyhound). Yo can also go to the Training and Behavior section and search out threads on anxiety, separation anxiety, thunderstorm phobia, for other suggestions. In the meantime, keep a log of your dogs day to try and pin down what, where, or who might be triggering his attacks.

Dogs can get chemical imbalances the same as people, that require medication to even out. Why would you want your dog to be deressed and anxious when you can easily help her??? Don't expect miracles, even if you do give her the medicine. It can take 2-3 weeks for it to develop a constant theraputic level in her system. And, also like with people, some drugs work for some dogs and some drugs won't. Prozac is the easiest place to start since it already has a canine counterpart - clomicalm. All other anti-anxiety drugs are off-label uses of human medicine. You may also need to adjust the dosage level once it's begun to take effect. She will likely be lethargic and have some decreased appetite until her body gets used to the dosage.

Voting for the Pepcid to. When my girl was beginning kidney failure the vet put her on this due to the acids building up in their systems - it upsets their tummy's and makes them not want to eat. One regular, generic famotidine an hour before eating. She also didn't want to eat in the early morning, but would almost always eat around noon.

Kid's sunscreen is totally non-toxic - as they may ingest itas well - something you can't find in adult varieties. But I imagine if you put it on and wipe it off right away when you come back inside you can use it. Baby stuff you wouldn't have to wipe off every time. I think most baby sunscreen is waterproof, though I don't know that for sure. Spray is just easier to put on if you have to do it a lot, and less messy for the applicator. I've used both and don't find an appreciable difference in coverage. I use it for Dude in the summer since he has no hair undeneath his belly and his back legs at all. It really helps him.

Welcome! And early congratulations!

I've done it both ways - vet and stitches, and letting it heal on its own - with no significant difference either way. The important thing is to keep it clean and dry, though I also second the epsom salts soaks twice a day if possible. Let it air dry *completely,* then wrap up with some padding between the toes to help the air circulate. Baby socks are great for in the house, and a heavy duty ziplock for outside (cut a couple slits through the top, thread some gauze through for a tie, and use it to tie around the leg) to help keep it dry. A lot of this depends on how comfortable you are treating wounds, and how comfortable your grey is letting you fuss with his feet. If there's any question, take him in to the vet.

My ten year old could have dentals every 6-8 months - it's just the way he is. My other three can go more than a year in between full dentals. They all eat the same, get the same chews, etc., so it must be an individual thing. Do you do any dental care at home like brushing? Does he get anything to help remove the tartar - dental chews, hard kibble, dental toys? Both these can help increase the time in between. You can talk to your vet about the new dental vaccine too (do a search here for threads about it).

Poor Aladdin! It's hard not knowing how he got hurt since you can't fix it and will always wonder if one of the others could get hurt the same way. Hope he feels better soon!

Give him time. Remember literally EVERYTHING is new for him and he just neds to get used to it. He doesn't hate you - dogs don't think that way - though he may still be a bit wary. Be calm, be consistent, don't hover (if he won't take a treat he's not likely to take anything off the counters or get into stuff - that'll come later!). If his crate is not in the room where you are, go in there and just sit with him. Near but not too ear and on the floor at his level. Read a book, the newspaper, watch TV - but ignore him. Maybe throw him a really super dooper yummy smelly treat, but don't talk to him necessarily. You can't teach him anything until he is in a space where he can learn - relaxed, focused and trusting you. He's not there yet. Time and patience. Patience and time. The greyhound you have today won't be the one you have in 3 months. He will calm down and relax. Give him the ability to go at his own pace. Congrats and good luck!