greysmom

It cost me nearly $2000 at the E-vet for the Dude's toe amputation (xrays, bloodwork, meds, bandaging). I know my vet would have charged less, but they weren't open. greysmom

It's all an individual thing. Copper gets so much gunk he has a whole potatoe patch in a few months, and we clean his ears about every 4-6 weeks. The other two are fine with the once yearly cleaning at the grey wash fundraiser. I always thought it was partly due to the fact that Copper will lay down flat out, on any surface, if he stands still for more than 30 seconds - he's the laziest greyhound that way - so he lays in dirt (or less clean spaces!) a lot! greysmom

What is this miracle product and where do you get it???????????????????? greysmom

Stitches probably wouldn't hold on her wrist anyway. Keep it clean and keep her from licking. You will have to go to the vet if it gets bigger or gets infected. Most vets will be compassionate if you're having money trouble and your pet needs care. greysmom

I usually tell them not to stitch them up, as the stitches fail more times than they help. Greyhound skin is so thin that the stitches rip right out. It does leave a bit of a scar sometimes where the stitching usually won't. Sounds like it's going to be OK - keep up with the compresses, and maybe add a bit of hydrogen peroxide (I use a 1 part hydrogem=n peroxide to 3 or 4 parts warm water) to help keep it clean depending on where the wound is. greysmom

Have your vet check really deep in their ears. Especially if they are outside in grass at all. We used to get small grass seeds in our Danes ears and they acted just like that. Once the vet had to sedate one to get the seed out, it was that deep in her ear. greysmom

We got ours at Fred Meyer/Kroger, but you could probably get it at any big drug store type - Walgreens, Rite Aid, WalMart. It's in the specialty hand cream aisle usually in a small square green metal container. It's pretty goopy, so we did what someone here suggested and put baby socks on Dude after we put it on him. The socks fell off by morning, but the goop didn't get all over. Dude pads were really hard and crusty after being in a splint/bandage for 5 weeks after his toe amputation and they were really painful. It only took two or three applications to make them soft again. Now our problem is hardening them up so he'll walk on his foot outside - no concrete or asphalt for Dude for a while. greysmom

The Dude, for all his coolness, is an inveterate and unrepentant poop-eater. So we scoop at least once a day. Cash doesn't eat it, but she doesn't seem to see it either, so we scoop so she doesn't step in it! Copper doesn't eat poop or step in it, but he does eat dirt, so, again, we try and keep the yard clean. It's both harder and easier as the weather warms up. The poops dry up and get unsmelly faster, but the flies and other disgusting crawlies find it faster. We double bag and put it in the trash (yes, that's what our trash company said to do), and twice or three times a week in warm weather. My favorite time of year is cold and windy - they just dry up and don't weigh anything so the bags are real light. greysmom

If she is otherwise healthy and in good spirits, and your vet is committed to taking proper precautions and monitoring her, then I would probably do it. We had a 12 yr old foster who had most of his teeth removed and he did fine. He felt better and was actually able to eat better because his mouth wasn't sore and painful. He had other issues and we couldn't put him on an all canned diet, so I ended up crunching up a meal's worth of dry kibble in the blender and mixing it with some water to make kibble gruel. He could just lap it up and he did great! greysmom

It all comes back to each person taking personal responsibility - whether it's for how we treat each other, or how we treat our pets, or how our nation relates to other nations. Every living creature deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. We had steak last night - I'm obviously not a vegan! And I don't think the "natural" way for humans to eat is with no meat whatsoever, we omnivores afterall - I make sure we buy only from facilities/farms that treat their animals the same way I would if I had raised the steer on my own farm for my own family's table. No feedlots, no growth drugs, no tiny little stalls where they're force-fed. But that's expensive - ironically! And not everyone can afford it. So we have meat from feedlots, and milk cows amped up on growth hormones - there are simply too many people to sustain on an agronomic level, a fact that's going to get more and more sticky as we have more and more people to supply. But that's an entirely different topic!!!! Humans have to take responsibility. Particularly for the animals we have taken out of the wild and changed completely to suit our needs. Dogs are not wolves, domesticated cats are not lions, the farm animals we commonly use for food and clothing have only a little in common with their wild ancestors. Laws exist for those who don't want to or refuse to take responsibility for their actions - society must step in and punish the guilty and make amends to repair the balance between people. And laws set the basic limits of actions and behaviors where there are a wide variety of opinions - such as in the case of laws for the humane treatment of animals. As one poster said - if those of us on this Board, who all ostensibly are on close to the same page about one topic, can't even agree, how can we expect a wider population to come to consensus easily?? greysmom (BTW feemandvm, my usual fee to go to my vet is about the same as my trip to my doctor!)

Looks like what you described - she's rubbed or scrapped it raw, maybe on the wire crate door. Poor little mite! This one would be a good candidate for Neosporin cream if it's bothering her, though I'd try to rub it in a bit so she doesn't lick it off. If it's not bothering her I wouldn't worry about it so much. It probably looks worse to you than it feels to her. greysmom

Cash is taking Alprazolam which is generic Xanax - same anxiety pill as for people. We get it at the Safeway pharmacy under her name, it just says (K9) after it. I even have to have the required pharmacist consult because it's a controlled substance. Her prescription cost with their vet discount is $9.99. The one time the DH picked it up they made a mistake and charged him the people price - $38.99. Even if I'd been able to get it under our drug/health care plan our co-pay is $15 per prescription. I wonder if they'd believe a dog is on birth control pills!!!! greysmom

Animal protection laws vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. What is abuse and neglect in some is not in others. The ability of humane law enforcement officials to enforce these laws also varies widely - from being full police officers to just investigators with no recourse themselves to help any animal in distress. Punishment for the same abuse varies from a wrist slap fine to jail time. So I think the first change that would have to be made is evening out these inequities. ""If you do the right thing, you don't do it because it's convenient or because it makes financial sense, you do it because it's the right thing to do."" This is a good theory, but the whole point behind having laws in the first place is that NOT everyone does the right thing because it's the right thing to do. If we all lived by the Golden Rule and treated all our fellow living creatures with kindness and compassion then we wouldn't need to have this discussion. I'm not saying everyone needs to be a complete vegetarian and join PETA, but we ALL know someone who treats their animals or their kids or their co-workers or their spouses with respect and dignity less than what we would consider to be acceptable. If we can't even treat our fellow humans with respect, how can we have the audacity to think we can decide how to treat any other living creature? greysmom

It's incredibly sad that the only value we can legally assign to anything in our society is monetary value. Though in the case of couches - whether they are handcrafted antiques or just a crappy old couch - the replacement value is something that is readily and acceptably definable by an appearance on Antiques Roadshow. The value of companion animals has not yet been so defined beyond their value as "livestock." How much can you buy a similar breed and age of dog with similar training on the open market - which may have nothing to do with the animal's "value" as a companion to the owner who has suffered the loss. The trouble comes in trying to equitably determine that value both for punishment and redress. There is a huge gray area between the value of the loss of a couch and the value of the loss of a human life. Another difference between property and companion animals is that property can be insured against loss. Unless you have a particularly valuable show or breeding animal it is virtually impossible to include them on an insurance rider - and in fact, having some breeds of dogs may cause your insurance to be cancelled. I seriously doubt if anyone ever lost their homeowner's insurance for having a certain brand of couch (though I've seen some that should have qualified!). It is an incredibly complex question, and an interesting discussion! greysmom

Things are already changing. In this instance I believe the value of the media is a huge factor. All the Animal Planet programs that follow humane investigators, and the numberof hoarding cases reported all serve to bring animal issues to the eyes of the general public. Attitudes are changing. Our laws here in Oregon are along the lines you mentioned already. Pet owners are required to provide appropriate food and shelter and vet care for their pets, and the pets can be seized if humane investigators deem the owners have not met the requirements set out in the law. Bad cases are felonies, not misdemeanors- and fines and jail time are stiff. This includes farm animals and other livestock as well. Seizures recently in our news have included rabbits, donkeys, horses, and exotic birds along with the usual dogs and cats. The vets I've been to and gotten to know are mostly great about working with owners for payment of expensive treatments, and there are several groups that help people who can't afford vet care. Two shelters in our area are starting pet food banks - like people food banks only for pet food - to help low income and elderly folks keep their beloved pets. And one local Meals on Wheels chapter also delivers pet food. Our lawyer didn't bat an eye when we put language in our wills about the dispensation of any pets we have at the time of our death, and our executor knows that they are his first priority. Pet insurance is creeping into the main stream - with one national company even advertising on TV that your pet is covered in auto accidents. We have recently had a couple of high profile cases in which a family pet has been run over/killed. The law states that owners can't be compensated beyond the material value of the pet - several hundred dollars in most cases. But legislation has been introduced to change the definition of property as it relates to "companion animals" which will most likely pass (if it hasn't already). Court proceedings and apeals are ongoing, too, so the law may be behind the judiciary soon. These issues are only going to become more complicated as animals become integrated into society as companions instead of property. I think that tipping point has been reached already. We can only hope and pray that common sense and compassion will come out on top. greysmom (BTW we are currently watching the case of a family belonging to a particular religion whose son refused medical treatment on religious grounds and died. His condition would have been easily treated with a simple procedure, not even requiring hospitalization. In Oregon, children over the age of 14 can so refuse treatment on religious grounds. Under 14 the parents are required to provide normal medical care to their kids. Interestingly, this boy's niece (15-18 months old) died last year of a treatable pneumonia. The baby's parents were arrested and are facing trial, but the older boys parents will likely not be charged.)

When this happened in our house the vet said to withhold food for a good 48 hours to let her digestive system calm down. She could drink all the water she wanted - which meant she had to pee a lot! Then start again with SMALL amounts - like a couple tablespoons - of plain rice (the color didn't matter) and a few bites of protein. The protein could be meat baby food, or a few chunks of lean chicken/turkey breast, or a spoon of ground meat (rinsed of as much fat as possible whether beef or chicken/turkey). And to feed this 4-5 time the first day as long as no diarhea resulted, gradually increasing the amount, and ultimately mixing in her normal food over the next few days. Hope your baby feels better soon! greysmom

One of my boys will let me see his water a second time frequently - if he drinks too much too fast he does a kind of "burpy" thing and - voila! And they all kind of yak out of the blue - sometimes during the night, sometimes after eating grass - fortunately not usually food! There are a lot of ways to help slow him down when he eats. Everything from hand feeding a bit at a time to putting big rocks in his bowl. If he's eating raw you might consider feeding smaller portions more often, or break up the feeding somehow. greysmom

The edges look pretty clean and it doesn't appear to be ripping any further. Yes, it's probably through the skin and to what's underneath. Deciding to go to the vet is partly your comfort level. If this is you first big boo boo you should go in and talk to your vet about what and how to go forward. We do this - well, not a lot, but often enough to have experience - and stitches usually fail at our house, so I opt to treat it as an open wound and go for secondary healing protocol. It needs to be kept clean with a diluted hydrogen peroxide wash (I use 1 part Hydrogen peroxide and 4-5 parts water) a couple times a day or as needed. The first couple times might be ouchy. I usually have some antibiotics leftover from something and give that as well. Most vets will have you come in for a look to get them, but my vet knows me and my greys and I don't have trouble persuading them not to put stitches in. By the way, if he does need stitches they might be able to put them in without any anesthesia - all of mine will stand for it (at least up to 4 or 5 stitches) without and it helps save money. Two things to watch for - if it looks like it's getting bigger AT ALL go to the vet right away; and if it looks infected AT ALL go to the vet right away. That being said - it's always most prudent to seek medical attention if you have any doubts or questions. greysmom PS - I've seen gory-er pics and bigger boo boos - you get used to it!

Mine do it all the time. I sometimes think they're like chipmunks and keep a few bits stored in the back of their throats to hack up when they want a little snack! Seriously, I think that small things like treats and grass blades just don't get all the way down sometimes and it takes another go at it to swallow it. greysmom

The biggest problem is that the two major chip companies - Avid and Home Again - do not have compatible scanners/frequencies. If you have one kind of chip, the other kind of scanner can't read it or even register that it exits. There was a big controversy here a couple years ago when the local humane society started chipping with Avid and none of the local vets (or the county shelters) had scanners for them. Even if shelter workers can identify a greyhound and know about the tattoos, they are sometimes very difficult to read. I can't read the ears on two of mine and I know they're there. greysmom

All mine are microchipped and I wouldn't hesitate to do so to any I adopt. Just as a cautionary tale, however, my group had a couple fosters have life-threatening, and in one case, deadly consequences from receiving a microchip. Both had severe internal bleeding after having them injected. I would definitely be sure your grey has appropriate blood clotting factors and that your vet is experienced in "installing" the chips. greysmom

We just lost a toe at our house too. The Dude broke it doing zoomies in the yard with his brother and sister. He's a drama queen and hobbled around looking pathetic and hopping on three legs. Dude had a splint and large bandage for 2 weeks after surgery. Make sure you keep it really dry and go back to your vet right away if it starts smelling funny or seems to have slipped at all. I didn't follow my mommy-instincts and Dude got an infection which meant another 3 1/2 weeks of weekly bandage changes and antibiotics and pain meds. He's fine now, and the surgery site looks fine. Our biggest problem is that he too weeny to use his foot much! Though he is beggining to get back to normal FINALLY! Good thoughts are being sent your way! greysmom

It's hard to tell from the picture, but Cash is a gorgeous lilac blue brindle. Her face is kinda gray-ish, but it's mostly because it doesn't have any stripes! greysmom

Hello Everybody! I think I've got it worked out, so here we are! Libby (Everlast) - our first grey adopted in 2004, who's now across the Bridge VooDoo (TNJ VooDoo) - our second grey, and our second foster, 2005, he never left! Copper (Kid's Copper) - was also a foster who never left, was part of the Mexican Rescue in 2006 And Cash (GSI Payncash) - our fourth foster though only for about 2 hours, 2007, I think I see a pattern here! Florida residents may know her as the 2006 Ebro Racetrack Derby Champion Plus my husband and 4 cats! I think we have a really great looking crew! greysmom

Our adoption group feeds Nutro mostly, and we started with that when we adopted our first GH. But it's kinda spendy and we couldn't (at the time) buy it at our local Fred Meyer. We swtitched to Pedegree dry/canned and have been very happy with it. Especially because it was one of the only "commercial" foods NOT involved in the pet food scandal last year. Plus we like their support of pet adoption and other pet charities. Our three (male 8 yrs, male 6 yrs, and female 4 yrs) get between 1 cup and 1 1/3 cup Adult variety kibble at each meal with a heaping tablespoon of various canned flavors for variety and some water for gravy twice a day. We're a big treat household and have a whole cabinet well-stocked with a variety of biscuits and treats. They also get some sort of chew bone every night for teeth cleaning purposes. greysmom