greysmom

I'm so sorry. What a crappy year. And sweet Diva... {{{sigh}}} Sending all our good thoughts to you and Chris and Mark.

Interrupt the behavior and redirect to either a different activity (toy or treat) or to a better spot for the same activity. I've never had greyhounds that don't dig so we have one big ongoing "construction project" in the middle of the yard and they run around it. The hole was begun in 2004 by our first greyhound going after a mole (she was the best mole hunter ever!), and subsequent greys have continued the legacy. Even the tripod stood in the hole and added to it! I tried to stop it in the beginning - filling in the holes constantly, chasing them away whenever they'd get that look on their face - but finally gave in to the inevitable and let them have *one* spot. What started out as a mole hole is now a 10 foot by 10 foot complex of holes that gets filled and redug over and over again. The only way to stop them from digging is to block access with rocks or boards. Lots of people have created sand boxes for digging, but in our neighborhood it would turn in to a very large litter box for all the outdoor and feral cats. They seem to like digging in dirt, so that's what we do.

Nevermind. Click on the tweet. That just looks like a standard Doxie to me. They do have a regular "hound" head after all, and they come in all colors. Is there supposed to be a picture with the tweet?? All I see is the text.

Seems to me I have something in the back of my memory where other folks have had issues with the IDEXX SDMA readings being abnormally high when they really weren't. Maybe. Something. See what the urine sample looks like, but I might ask for an ultrasound anyway, just to check on things. It's the easiest, fastest way to image organs without sedation.

It really depends on the dog. I've had greyhounds I could give a full dental to every 6 months, and some that had a dental when they were in the adoption kennel and then not again for years. With the three we currently have, we are in the process of running everyone through for one, Lilly after 4 or five years, Felicity after 3 years, and Andi after 2 years. We give a dental chew after meals, and they do get lots of crunchy treats to help with keeping their teeth clean, but I do no brushing separately from that, or add anything into their water.

I had trouble most of the day until just now. Thanks for whatever you did!!

HP laptop running Windows 10 and Chrome, all updated this week. I made a post this morning, but when I hit Submit, a strange notice came in my browser that said I had to install some "Invision" software. Once I got that window to close, I restarted my laptop, and cleared my cache and browser history. Now I get a notice that the Greytalk URL isn't found in "the server." But I can get here on tablet and phone. Help!

Yes, it's that time again!!! But this year is special!! Today's 10th Anniversary means our sweet "puppy" is 10 years old this year (born on September 27th or 28th). Ten years ago - 2011 - was a tough year for us. We lost my MIL at the end of 2010, and dealt with 2 dogs with 2 deadly diseases throughout 2011 - Dorie passed from Protein Losing Enteropathy on 10/5, and our heart dog Dude succumbed to Osteo a week later. We so needed something happy and life affirming! And when I found Dude's half brother, in a kennel run by one of our friends, it seemed meant to be!!! But Whiskey was in Vermont and we live in Oregon, so the big question was, a) could we actually adopt Whiskey from this group way across the country, and, b) how do we get him from there to here?? The adoption question was answered fairly quickly, though I still believe there was some arm twisting going on with the directors of the Vermont kennel!! We filled out the application, paid our money, and - voila! - he was approved to come to us!! The "how" question was more difficult, but eventually - with the help of *very good friends* we had a plan!! Whiskey would go to Donna in Montreal overnight, then be picked up by Deb, then flown to Vancouver BC, then across the border to Washington state. Phew!!!! (At the time, I did NOT have a passport, so I couldn't go to Canada. I actually still don't have a passport!! ) The day of transport was getting closer, and we were getting excited! When I opened my email one morning to a picture and a single sentence from Deb: "I can bring two as easily as one!" IMG_0313 by Chris Harper, on Flickr OMG!!! A puppy!!! It took us about two minutes to decide a puppy was exactly what we needed!!! The four in the above picture were the ones left from a litter of 14! We picked the girl in the upper right and named her Lilly and began adjusting our travel plans! Deb was bringing Whiskey from Montreal, and her husband, John, would pick up Lilly. They were bringing a few of their own kennel's dogs to Vancouver for adoption at the same time, so everything worked out! The day of the transport, I left my home in Portland to drive to Blaine Washington, on the northern border, to meet up with our friend Jennie, who we were going to stay with overnight. We would meet Deb and John in the Peace Arch Border Crossing park and get the dogs. Jennie, with Deb and John in the background with Whiskey and Lilly!! Peace Arch by Chris Harper, on Flickr Meeting Lilly for the first time!! Peace Arch 4 by Chris Harper, on Flickr Me, Jennie, Deb Peace Arch 9 by Chris Harper, on Flickr Jennie was a LIFESAVER!!!! She stayed up all night and monitored the two dogs while I got some sleep for the 7 hour drive home the next day!!! Whiskey and Miss Jenn 1 by Chris Harper, on Flickr L&W with Miss Jenn 1 by Chris Harper, on Flickr Whiskey and Lilly really bonded during that night and the trip the next day. Whiskey became Lilly's "dog nanny" and I don't know what we would have done without him to play with her during the next year!! She was a little stinker - like most greyhound puppies!! IMG_0339 by Chris Harper, on Flickr Whiskey was perfect from Day 1 and fit into the household seamlessly. whiskey 3 by Chris Harper, on Flickr It hardly seems possible that Lilly is 10 years old this year!! But she's sweet as pie and still super silly!!! 20211201_141449 by Chris Harper, on Flickr She and her two "sisters" are doing great and enjoying life!! All in all, the best International Caper ever!!! 20211201_141336 by Chris Harper, on Flickr

You got this!

IMO, any vet that won't make *any* accommodation for a nervous senior hound deserves to be left in the rear view mirror. I know it's difficult right now in the veterinary field with staffing issues and with COVID procedures, but helping you help your dog - and them! - is something they should be on board with 100%. As far as the xray itself - meh. I would probably wait a couple days anyway, and administer whatever meds she's had in the past that helped, as a soft tissue injury is probably more likely than cancer, particularly if she has presented like this before. But I would probably only proceed if the results will change your dog's treatment in an appreciable way. Meds aren't going to help forever, though, and you need to have a serious conversation with your vet about what your options are going forward considering her age, her anxiety, and her overall health. An nsaid is fine, as far as it goes, but at some point you're likely to need an actual pain reliever. Stay very far away from Tramadol and Fentanyl, and most other opioids, as greyhounds don't process them very well. The one exception is a drug called codeine sulfate - which is an opioid, but much better tolerated and useful. And, finally, you have a 13 year old dog with multiple health concerns. You need to really be considering end-of-life issues *now* so you don't feel forced to make a decision at the spur of the moment in the middle of a crisis. No one wants to think about losing their dog, but she's been your faithful companion and deserves not to suffer a day when you can give her the last gift of release from any suffering.

Be like Specky!!!

All mine went out on Thursday, so you should be getting them soon!! Thank you everyone for participating this year. It's one of the highlights of the season for us!!

Why did you lock him in the bathroom??? He won't learn anything from that, and it won't solve any question you've posed. Dogs are living being, not stuffed animals. They have personalities, and likes and dislikes, and sometimes they change their minds about things. He was sleeping soundly, you woke him up by hugging - which he's probably not that comfortable with anyway - and then proceeded to try and haul him out of bed - which he probably didn't want to do either. And instead of reading his less drastic cues and uncomfortableness, you persisted, so he had to try something more drastic you would listen to. Lesson learned. Hopefully. And quit locking him in the bathroom.

If you've had Pharaohs you know how stubborn and persistent sighthounds can be. They are also excellent people trainers because they are SO persistent that people usually give up before they do!!! This is really (really, really) common behavior. Right now, you're his rock of stability in a world he doesn't recognize anymore, so he wants to be where you are constantly to be reassured everything's fine. If you just keep on removing him from the kitchen, he will, eventually, get the idea. The behavior will probably also diminish the more comfortable he gets in your home and with retired life, If you want the less-work way, use a baby gate to keep him out. Adding a nice chew treat or Kong to keep him busy when you're in the kitchen will keep him occupied. Me? I'd probably put a bed in the kitchen to at least keep him out from under the cutting board. Some place he could see me but not be right underfoot. The same could be accomplished if there's a place he can see you from another room. Make that his "kitchen bed" and have a command to train him go there when you're in the kitchen working. He's adorable!!! And Welcome!

Completely normal.

I was going to reference Mia too. I would definitely have a long talk with the surgeon about her post-surgery mobility and recovery, but it sounds like she should do OK with that. If she handles the anesthesia without issues, I would probably do it. Maybe be sure to have up-to-date rads of her lungs taken to check for visible metastices (sp ?). And the cost is always a factor to consider.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Gotcha Day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When does her new brother arrive???

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's always the black dog!!! Sometimes Dude would bake himself so long I couldn't even touch his fur, it got so hot!!!

Congratulations!!!! He's adorable!!!

She's still very new to your house and to retired life in general, so unless you're dealing with a different behavioral issue that necessitates giving her a lot of extra exercise, I would stop the day care for the time being and concentrate on getting her settled into home life. If she needs toileting walks due to your work schedule, that's what I would limit her to right now. Also, paw pads need to be slowly toughened up after adoption. They are accustomed to being on soft sand mostly, so concrete and asphalt just rip them up. Definitely have your vet take a look at them in case of embedded grit and infection, and see what they recommend for her paws. There are loads of commercial balms for moisturizing and toughening paw pads, but I would hold off on those until the wounds heal. Get some good-fitting boots so you can keep her feet clean and dry while they heal. She probably doesn't want to do the stairs because it hurts. Let her stay downstairs unless there's a real need and see how she does. All my dogs know how to do stairs, but they each, for one reason or another, choose to stay downstairs most of the time. Make sure your stairs aren't slippery by adding treads, and cover the backs of the risers if they are open. Congrats and Welcome!!

Yeah. No. To this. ^^^ "Getting physical" with a greyhound, or any dog, is never the solution. The only thing they learn is to fear you. As to the rest, it really depends on how much time and energy you're willing to commit to helping your girl work through these issues. I'll say some things, with the disclaimer that no one here saw the incidents, so I'm just going off your descriptions. Diagnosing behavior issues on the internet is difficult. First off, understand that all these actions are very common. She's not being aggressive or extremely fearful. She's a puppy, having untrained puppy reactions to too much stimulation. At two years old, your dog is still a puppy in an adult dog suit. She has an adult's size and muscle, but her brain hasn't caught up to her physical maturity. Biting and pushing and wrestling are how greyhound puppies usually play together - it can get loud and dangerous and scary when a group of them are really playing. Most of the little nicks and scars you see on retired greyhounds don't come from track or training scrapes, but from puppy play back home on the farms. They can also still be going through "fear stages," which are a normal part of puppy development where they can become anxious or scared by things/actions they've been completely fine with previously. These usually last a few weeks and then they move on to a more normal reaction. A greyhound will continue to develop into their adult personality until they are three or four years old. What to do now? Use all of that to your advantage. Yes. Contact a certified animal behaviorist in your area who is familiar with greyhounds - your adoption group should have some recommendations for you. Make *sure* they only use positive reinforcement techniques, and run away fast if they ever mention shock collars or punishments as part of their "training." They may suggest anxiety medications, but really talk with them about their necessity. Sometimes meds are called for and sometimes not. Since I didn't see what happened and can't see your dog, *I* don't know, but someone there watching your dog might have a better perspective. See about getting her into a training class, public or private, to really use that plastic, young brain to your advantage. She's ripe for learning new behaviors, and definitely needs to learn some self control. Training can also benefit you all bonding together. Your group, again, will hopefully have some resources for you about good trainers in your area. Again, positive reinforcement training techniques only. It might be better if you find alternatives for your dog rather than attending your monthly family gatherings - doggy daycare or staying with a greyhound friend, say - until you have a better handle on these incidents. If you do need to take her, keep her on leash and by your side so you have better control over her interactions. Don't allow people to stand over her, hug her closely, or get her too excited. She's not a Lab or a Golden that will put up with a lot of things from people with no reaction - just generally as a breed greyhounds are more contained and reserved. This goes double and triple if there are any kids at these family get-togethers. If people come over to your house, it will be best if she's kept away from the main gathering - in a quiet back bedroom, or baby-gated away from people. If you use a crate with her, that's a great place to give her some time outs so she can decompress. Use the leash again to help you keep in better contact with her. And if all this sounds like a lot, definitely contact your group and discuss returning her. There's no shame in that, and everyone involved should want what's best for the dog. Good luck!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have an answer for everything!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS PUNKIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!