greysmom

Happy Coming Into Canada Day Kibo!!!

Get the booklet "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnel (comes in inexpensive paper or e-book). Step-by-step help for dealing with SA.

There's no evidence that dogs eat their own stools due to any sort of dietary imbalance. It's just a, rather unsavory, habit that they can get into. Though it does seem that many dogs begin eating weird things in spring, for whatever reason. I know if I'm going to have tummy troubles with any of mine it will usually happen between 4/1 - 7/1. Keep your yard picked up and very clean. Get a stool guard for her muzzle, or cover the front and bottom with duct tape. Monitor her in the yard so you can interrupt the behavior when you see her begin to be interested. FWIW, I've had several poop eaters over the years and I've tried everything at least once. Nothing works reliably on every dog, though you may be lucky and find one of the myriad of remedies that works on *your* dog. The pineapple trick mentioned above seems to be the most popular. Just remember it needs to be fresh pineapple and not canned (the heating process seems to destroy whatever it is that makes it work).

Time and patience. Lots of both. Lots and lots of both. Everything you're experiencing is really normal for a new dog. Just keep repeating to yourself that his whole life has just been turned upside down and inside out - twice!!!! - and he's basically having to learn about EV-ER-Y-THING for the very first time. Don't overload him with too much newness at once. Keep a strict schedule - one you will do every day, even after you go back to work. Keep his world small - one room, one walking route for potties, one place for his food and water - and only start expanding as he gets more comfortable. Which is very individual for ea h dog. It could take days, or weeks or months depending in how flexible he is. Get some Adaptil diffusers and a collar to help him feel more comfortable. Use his muzzle when necessary, just be aware it's not magic and he can still destroy things if he tries hard enough. If you have room for a crate, see if your adoption group can loan you one. Pick up the training booklet "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell to help you through his Separation Anxiety. She has several great training books you might find helpful. By all means, sleep downstairs with him during this adjustment period until you can teach him stairs down the road. He just wants to be with you as you're the only stable thing in his life right now. Give him and yourself a break and make this part easy. Time and patience. Lots of both! Congrats and good luck!

Hard to say at this point. Even purebred greyhounds change greatly between 8 and 14 months. She looks to be stockier, heavier, squarer (?) than a grey right now, but she could stretch a lot as she grows! Pretty sure they have those dog DNA kits on Amazon. They're not too expensive if you're really curious. This is our greyhound puppy Lilly at 12 weeks. Not great pics but you can see the difference in head shape. IMG_0339 by Chris Harper, on Flickr Lilly 11 by Chris Harper, on Flickr This is Atom - he's about 13 weeks old here. IMG_20180622_190518.jpg by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Unfortunately, this is going to be the norm now rather than the exception. The number of greyhounds avaiable for adoption has plummeted since the end of racing in Florida. All the adoptable dogs have already gone to closer groups and those of us who live in states west of the Mississippi have a really tough time finding enough dogs to fill a haul. Yet the demand for them is even greater. So months-long wait times are not uncommon. If you don't mind a mix, take a look at the American Lurcher Project, and the Sighthound Underground. There is also Save a Galgo Espanol (S.A.G.E) if a different type of sighthound might work for you (they have a CA group). Good luck!

Get the training booklet "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell. It will walk you through the process of getting her comfortable staying alone. You can *try* cbd, but don't expect too much. Quality and the amount of cbd in any product varies wildly as there's no regulations or quality control. Get a few Adaptil diffusers and possibly a collar to help her feel more comfortable at home. There are also plenty of calming treats and potions out there avaiable over-the-counter which have a longer time of use than cbd. If she gets too destructive or might hurt herself, though, you need to talk with your vet about a trial of a prescription anti anxiety medication to help her get through this period of time while you work on her Alone Training. It's NOT a quick fix - you still have to do the work with her - it just puts her brain in a state where it can accept reconditioning.

It's not going to be an overnight fix. Slow and steady, time and patience. Just keep working with her in short sessions several times a day. And no, she's not going to be happy about going out for a while, but it has to be done, so make it matter of fact and as fun/non-stressful as possible. Keep it short, keep it simple, reward her for going potty with a happy-voice "good dog!!!" and back inside, where more treats happen. Remember too, this isn't going to be your (or her) life forever. She *will* get used to her new routine and setting - it just. takes. time! BUT if you feel unable to let her go at her own pace and deal with her quirks, you need to return her NOW, rather than later. Some dogs just aren't apartment/city dogs, though most do quite well. If you haven't contacted your adoption group about her issues, you should. They may have some ideas to help her settle in, and they should know asap if you are thinking this isn't a challenge you can meet. It's not a failure on your or her part, it just means this placement didn't work. There will be a perfect greyhound for you and a perfect home for her out there.

A two month wait to see an onco is not acceptable. You might ask them if they can recommend another oncologist for you, since this is such a time sensitive disease.

Time and patience. I know it can be really frustrating when things aren't seeming to go well, but she's very (extremely) new to your home and her entire world has been turned upside down. She's likely never been in a city or on a street before, never seen stairs or an elevator, never even been alone in her entire life. She's anxious and scared and doesn't have the tools to respond other than to try and make it stop. You need to keep building her trust and confidence and helping her settle into her new life. Remain calm, don't speak sharply, and just let her be limited in her outdoor activities for a while. Play with her in the your apartment, or, if she's not into that, just sit with her and read a book or magazine out loud. Work on *simple* commands like "watch me" or "leave it" (lots of good videos on Youtube about how to teach both), and remember to use positive reinforcement only techniques. Consider getting some Adaptil collars and diffusers to help her feel more settled at home and out and about. Congratulations and good luck!

My girl was leaking in her sleep and put on DES which helped stop it. But a few months ago she began having "spells" of crying and urgency to pee with nothing coming out when she squatted. I think we tested her three times before it finally came up as a UTI with the bug "proteus." The lab has to let the samples grow extra long with this one, and the first two just did the quick turnaround testing. 10 days of ABs (Simplicef) and she's back to normal. FWIW we also did an ultrasound to check for stones or tumors, and my vet looked up her urethra with an otoscope (which was *very* red and inflamed).

I'm so sorry. It's never easy, even when you know why. I agree it sounds like a brain tumor though. If that's the case you can know you did the right things for her and gave her all the love in the world. {{{hugs}}}

Whew!!!!

Cherry!!!

Is she vomiting undigested food or yellow bile liquid? Does her stomach made loud sounds around the time she vomits? Is she trying to eat non-food items or a lot of grass? Did your vet suggest trying fasting and a bland diet for any period of time and did you do that? Which flavor Pro Plan are you feeding have you tried the Sensitive Stomach formula? When they did the ultrasound did they look over the whole digestive tract or just one portion of it? Did they look at any of the organs for abnormalities? Unexplained vomiting is tough and can take a specialist to properly diagnose. You might research of you have a good specialty hospital or clinic with a good gastroenterologist practising there.

Cletus!!!!

It looks to me like the dog in the picture could get a foot up to his eye area. It seems more designed to keep the dog from turning their head rather than keeping away from the face. Something like a "Comfy Cone" (a soft elizabethan collar) might work better for your purpose with Cletus. I think they also come in a "long" version that extends outward more.

Best resource to find current and new medical knowledge is going to be your oncologist. I will say I haven't heard of anything recently coming up or in the works. There are several trials going on of new vaccines, in various stages, but most of them require amputation first. I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this again. {{{hugs}}}

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE THE GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have one that can't tolerate Tram, for whatever reason, but does fine on Codiene Sulfate as a pain reliever. They are both opioids, just different enough in how they are metabolized. Gabapentin is a really safe drug (for the most part) and has few side effects or drug interactions. If Peggy is sensitive or more sensitive due to her health issues she could take a couple days to get used to the dosage.

Greyhounds are excellent people trainers!!! I feed one of my dogs her food with a spoon, like a baby human. Two meals a day, every day. Because it was the only way to get her to eat before we got her IBS/food intolerance under control. Now I think she just likes it.

I would wager that she's still in the settling in phase with you. It sounds like you're doing all the right things - giving her time and space to work through her anxiety. Since she's still being so reactive you would probably benefit from the help of a good certified animal behaviorist who could come to your house and observe her interactions. It could be leash reactivity, resource guarding, sleep startle, or all of them of none of them. She just might be one of those anxious dogs whose first response to stress is growling and snapping rather than running or hiding. You might also benefit from this book: The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell She's an excellent trainer who gives really sound advice in a straightforward, easy-to-understand manner. Her books are short and really goal based and can be had in paper or Kindle formats. She also has another book specifically about Leash Reactivity to other dogs which also may be helpful. Regardless, I think avoiding her triggers is the safe way to go at this time. She may never be the social butterfly you would like - greyhounds are often breed snobs - but hopefully she can learn to be less anxious in her daily interactions.

I haven't bathed my greys in - years probably! They get in their pool in the summer and that seems to do the trick. Agree with the thoughts above about overbathing causing more harm than good. If one bath didn't work, three or four are not going to help. It could be a skin issue or allergies or an anal gland issue or thyroid or even bad teeth. Have her in for her initial wellness check at a good greyhound savvy vet sooner rather than later. Get a good bristle horse brush or canine Zoom Groom that will pull out the old hair (she will shed massively) and bring up the natural oils in her skin. Add in some natural nutritional oils high in omega 3s and 5s to her food (salmon oil is common, but any kind will help). Start small with just one tablespoon or squirt each meal for a week or two and then work up the amount slowly to 2 or 3 tbls each meal so you don't overload her system with fat (causing a different problem). Congratulations on your new family member and welcome to the cult!

You can ask your vet but I think it's just normal changes in pigmentation. Could be seasonal, could be permanent - like changes in spots on their bodies. Unless there's a specific injury or small bump/tumor going along with it it's probably benign.