greysmom

Just wanted to add there's no shame in choosing any of the options open to you. It's a highly personal and individual decision that has to be right for your dog and situation. Also, I wanted to say that the amp/chemo route is not cheap, even if you have insurance. Ten years ago we looked at nearly $20 thousand for Dude's hospitalization, amp surgery, follow up care (including two further surgeries), drugs, chemo. He broke his leg the last week of January and we lost him to metastitization in his spine at the end of October. Just to give you an idea - vet costs do vary a lot with your geographic area. So, unfortunately, cost does have to factor in your decision.

Andi was just approved to join the ranks of the blood donor cohort at our local emergency hospital. I have to admit, I don't know all that much about their blood itself. I didn't know they had 43 blood types or what that even means! The clinic said she was a Universal Negative blood type (DEA negative 1,5,7 Positive 4) but again, I don't really know what that means. I'll research myself, and ask at the clinic, but I thought I'd put this out there for the GT hive mind, too! Thanks a bunch!!!

Here is a link to the most recent Osteo Thread. Just be aware that this was started in 2016, and some of the medical information and links to other pages and forums may be out of date or non functional. It should still give you some guidance in the questions you asked above. Osteo Thread #9 Someone will need to be home with the dog for at least two weeks post amp, if you go that route, or until his stitches are taken out. Those first two weeks are the hardest and you will second guess yourself constantly. After they start to heal up and learn how to get around and manage on their own they would probably be ok to be left (though I would be absolutely freaking out!). Each dog is different, and you'd have to evaluate your own dogs recovery and ability to be by themself. Both of us were retired when our dog had his surgery, so there wasn't any question for us about him being home without people. There is literally no way of knowing how long your dog will have, whether you amputate or not. In general, amputation followed by chemo gives the longest survival time and palliative care only the shortest, but that's certainly not a given and there's no way to judge how his quality of life will unfold either way. The one thing - the only thing - that's certain, is that the end is coming. If you choose palliative care the biggest thing to remember is that you don't have to worry about long term side effects, or being conservative with dosing, because your one and only goal is for him to be as pain free as possible for as long as possible. Osteo is hideously painful, and Greyhounds are very stoic, so if your dog is limping, whining, restless, panting or exhibiting other signs of pain, it's probably pretty bad. When deciding about surgery it's important to understand how your dog reacts in a clinical setting. He will spend A LOT of time in a clinic or hospital, and a dog who freaks out at the vet may not be a good candidate. Front leg amps do seem to have a bit of a harder time learning how to get around post surgery. Greyhounds carry most of their weight in their front half, so they need to learn how to navigate completely differently. Many helper harnesses also don't work as well on front leg amps as most of them use the front legs to anchor to the body. Choosing a time to end the pain and send him on his journey across the Bridge is a personal and individual decision only you can make. You know him best, and will most likely know when he's telling you he's had enough. Better a day too early than a day too late. I'm so sorry you're joining this club with so many of us. {{{hugs}}}

Oy. I'm sure starting chemo sooner helps - the sooner the better - but, man, I would not have wanted to add that on top of everything else we were dealing with right then. Dude had two more debridement surgeries within the first three weeks post-amp, and a raging infection. The chemo would have been too much for his system!

Hope she's doing well today!

Yes, she needs to be seen by a vet for a complete evaluation. Normal blue dog eyes do pop up in greyhounds, now and again. It's a recessive trait linked to certain coat colors, and can be perfectly normal. But a cloudy eye of whatever color needs to be seen by a professional asap.

Honestly, it could be a lot of things, that may or may not have anything to do with past exposure. What it sounds like you have to me is a dog who is highly anxious in his "normal" state, and he had an episode of fear response to ... whatever it was that scared him. In the greyhound world, we sometimes call those dogs "spooks." It's not a learned behavior, but the result of genetics and brain chemistry that isn't right. You can see evidence of this in his leash reactivity with other dogs. He also may not respond readily to his name, be unable to calm himself after he goes over his anxiety threshold, refuses to take even very high value treats in stressful situations, engage in repetitive actions like pacing or licking, withdraws from household activity to spend time by himself. If this sounds like your dog, I would urge you to do a search in Training and Behavior for the numerous threads on "spooks," and "anxiety." We deal with this fairly frequently and there's a lot of information you can read through. Even if not everything applies to your dog, there will be lots of tips and tricks and advice to help you help him. Good luck!

Miss Wiki is not only a she's a great artiste!!!!

Unfortunately, I don't think there are any strategies to help negate the effects of Pred. It does work. It does help. But I hate it for what it does to greyhounds. Hopefully, your boy will have bounced back enough to begin tapering it off soon. You might ask if there's any other options for treatment such as a different immune suppressant like Imuran, or even a different steroid like budesonide, if he needs a long term option.

Oh, Jan! No!!! Not sweet Aiden!!! I'm so sorry it was his time to leave............

Oh Don, my heart just dropped when I saw Petunia's name in Remembrance!! I'm so sorry for your sudden loss of Petunia, especially following so close on losing her sister Broodie. Big hugs to you and Chris

All good news, well, except the actual diagnosis. Go Sweep!!

If you want a good all purpose training book, and ine to get you more comfortable interpreting his behavior, try "The Other End Of The Leash" by Patricia McConnell. She also has a great book about Leash Reactive dogs and dogs that are more anxious - just about anything she's written will help you. The one thing - well, two things - you want to try and not do: 1 - Don't take his behaviors personally. He's trying to figure this all out, the same as you all are, and he only has a very small toolbox of natural instincts and reactions to help him. The more you reward the behavior you want, and ignore the behavior you don't, the faster he will learn. 2 - Don't punish him for reacting in the only way he knows how. A growl - or a bark, or running away, or even an air snap - don't have any hidden meaning behind them. He's most definitely NOT (at this point) reacting aggressively. So listen when he growls, and try to figure out what he's trying to tell you. Punishing him for trying to communicate will only cause him to escalate to a more direct approach, which may cause harm to whoever didn't listen to him.

All of what you're describing is very, very common behavior for a newly adopted retired racing greyhound. We can give you all sorts of advice, lots of training books to read, and strategies and behavior modification routines to try. But the bottom line is if you don't trust the dog you're not going to be comfortable going forward with him. My best advice to you is to return him. If you would like to add another medium-to-large breed dog to your household I would say get a golden or labrador from a creditable breeder who breeds for good temperament. They are much more easy going and forgiving, though be aware, any dog from any breed can show the behaviors you're describing with your greyhound. If you would like to keep trying with Slick, and move beyond your fear of large dogs, I would suggest getting hands-on advice from a certified animal behaviorist who's familiar with retired racing greyhounds. This person should be able to observe you and your family and your dog interacting and help you work through these issues using positive reinforcement techniques. Your vet may be able to recommend someone, or your adoption group. To address some of the behaviors you wrote about: > The jumping and snapping during play is just the way greyhounds are with one another. It's the main reason they wear muzzles when turned out together - they play rough and they like it! > Many newly adopted greyhounds take days to weeks to months to settle completely into this new place that is living in a "normal" home environment. They've been removed from the environment they've known their whole life and plopped down in a completely new place, with strangers, lots of weird things like windows and stairs to learn about, new food, new routines, new e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g!! It's overwhelming and scary and sometimes they get grumpy about being touched or approached unexpectedly - something that NEVER happens in the kennel. They always know who's coming to the door of their crate. They are not ever approached by surprise. They are never touched when they are unaware of who is touching them and why. Whenever you - or more specifically, your child - wants to pet or give attention to the dog, make sure he's awake and aware before getting really close. A better strategy is to call his name, wake him up, and call him over to you, so he's on his feet and away from his bed. If you want to sit out on the porch with him, make sure he has a safe place to lay out of the path of travel and away from feet or anything that might accidentally touch him. Give him a dedicated space that he's directed to whenever you're out there - and maybe surround him with a short x-pen for everyone's safety. No rough playing without your dog being muzzled. Good luck to you and your family and Slick!

At 12 years old she's earned her retirement!!! A nice short walk a day as she can tolerate them, and if it's not too hot or too cold out. If you need to walk for potties that should be enough, but she'll let you know. One thing to consider is how your kids will react to losing her. Our sweet seniors can be fine one day and then go downhill quickly, and be gone, in the space of a few days. Just one more thing to think about when you adopt an older dog. And have a vet lined up as soon as possible so you can have her in for an initial exam. She'll likely be a bit confused, and even grieving, from the loss and quick change over to a new family, so if she's doing OK (eating, drinking, and toileting) don't worry if she's quiet and withdrawn initially - that's a very normal reaction in new adoptees of any age - but she'll need to be seen sooner rather than later. She deserves to spend her senior years with a family that loves her. I say go for it!!

Just be sure that any OTC human meds you try don't have artificial sugars secreted away in the ingredients list.

Or put that leg in first. Or get jumpers without legs and use boots. Definitely needs a vet visit.

Great job Sweep!!!! Sounds like she's on the upswing!!!! Good job Mom and Dad too!!!!

1 - as long as she's not in danger of falling down from the meds, she needs to learn to manage on her own, so yes and no, depending. 2 - You might consider a cooling mat for her, or a spritz with water and a fan, to better help her keep her temp under control until she's recovered. 3 - I would say yes. Keep a close eye on it to make sure it's healing properly and keep her on softer foods. for Sweep!!

I second contacting The Sighthound Underground. There's also the American Lurcher Project (formerly the Ohio Lurcher Project American Lurcher Project ). A lurcher is a greyhound cross and many of their dogs are rescued from various off-book racing and hunting contests. They do have some purebred greyhounds, as well. There are also a couple Galgo rescue organizations available if that breed option is acceptable. With the closure of the tracks in Florida, there just aren't enough retired racing greyhounds to meet all the adoption demands. My group here in Oregon is flying dogs in from Ireland! The geographical area closer to Florida and the Midwest does seem to get more dogs more frequently though. Get on any waitlists you can and keep in touch with the volunteers there (and volunteer for them if you can, to keep your face in front of them). If you have special needs, like cat tolerant or specific gender, it makes the job harder. Either way, if you want a retired track dog, you are in for a wait. If you want to try another way - not necessarily shorter, but with more choices - you can search out a registered breeder and purchase a purebred puppy. There's quite a community on Facebook in the group "Greyhound Puppies" who can help you locate a breeder with available litters. There aren't a lot of them every year, but it may soon be everyone's only option for purebred greyhounds. Good luck!

Does she have a fentanyl patch or oral pain meds??? Fentanyl can really mess them up, so you might talk with your surgeon about switching to oral, if so. She looks loads better in that last pic!!!

Greyhounds do fine with all normal activities following a toe amp. Everyone makes a big deal about weight bearing toes, but I've never found it to make a difference. Maybe because greyhound toes all impact the ground anyway?? But if the pad is so compromised it's making daily activities difficult, or is an ongoing medical issue, I would amp it. Just tell her to be aware that corns may then pop up on the adjacent toes due to altering the gait of the dog even more. Have her join the "Greyhounds with Corns" Facebook page so she can find out how to take care of her dogs corn herself at home - it's safer, easier on everyone, and cheaper!

I would still seek out the advice from a lawyer qualified to analyze this issue in your jurisdiction. You might consider reaching out to your adoption group, or the Greyhound Trust, for a recommendation. Even for us here in the US, it's an extremely complicated issue, as each HOA, city, county, and state all have their own laws and regulations. Good luck!

Just remember to breath, and do the next thing, one thing at a time. It will get better, and Sweep will get better, and this two weeks will be behind you! Small (small, small - like a spoonful or two) amounts of food given more often helps with nausea. Very bland and not highly smelly. Dude would only eat off a paper plate with the food all spread out so he could lick up minute amounts at a time, in the beginning.