greysmom

I think that's a little broodie stink eye in that first picture!

Very sweet!

You can also try getting him some more exercise. A tired dog won't have the energy to pace! Put him on a potty schedule and be pretty strict about it. Also get him checked for worms, which can cause restlessness and increased need to go poop. Try redirecting him to his bed, with a command and a nice treat, and give him something to do like a small chew stick, long or toy. If it's *really* bothering you, last resort, you can try and block his circuit with a long xpen or gate.

If I'm remembering correctly (and it may be I am not!) it's not the actual protein, but an antigen or histamine part *of* the protein that causes the trouble for some dogs. Hydrolyzation just removes that particular part of the protein to make it more digestible by the body. I can't comment on the efficacy of hydrolyzed diets in malabsorption problems, but for issues where the body *can't* process, say, chicken, due to IBS or some other allergic/immune system reaction, a hydrolyzed diet is essentially a short cut to doing a full blown food trial. I don't remember if you tried a food trial, or had it suggested, but it's usually the way to figure out a food that the dog can process. Lots of dogs have allergies/intolerances to chicken. Our vet told us corn and chicken are the two most allergic foods. Some dogs can't tolerate any "normal" protein, which is why there are so many novel (non hydrolyzed) protein diets out there like venison, kangaroo, bison, and rabbit. There's even a hydrolyzed diet made out of chicken feathers that's supposed to be completely non-allergenic. FWIW, our chicken intolerant dog cannot tolerate *any* chicken, even hydrolyzed chicken protein. She cannot have the hydrolyzed food preservative made from chicken fat (which is in nearly everything). Fortunately for us, she is not intolerant of any carb source, or other protein, so finding a food she would eat was more about her pickiness and nausea than being intolerant and reactive to it. Once we found a food she began to get better immediately, but it took a long time and LOTS of intense label reading. We've had to switch foods twice due to recipe shifts that began to include chicken, usually in the preservative. So, ultimately, you need to talk with your vet about the purpose of a hydrolyzed diet for your dog, and if he might be better served by a novel protein diet, or even just one without any chicken. PS - Lilly won't eat kibble so she just gets canned food. There's no law that says a dog *must* eat kibble, it's just cheaper and more convenient. She gets two cans of Blue Turkey Meatloaf, and one 5 oz can of albacore tuna in water every day.

We've never had an indoor spinner - our house is small and there's not enough open space for a really good spin! - but we've had several outdoor spinners!

I have not seen or heard that that is a common symptom in greyhounds.

Everything's totally normal! Remember, literally everything you're introducing him to is new and exciting, so you should expect some inability to calm himself down for a while. FWIW none of my dogs would ever lay down in the hubbub of a pub and with that many new people around to meet! He might be having some on and off space issues - again not uncommon - hence the jumping up when he's getting attention. Sometimes they just get overstimulated to a limit of tolerability and feel the need to get up and leave. If you haven't yet, get the "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies" book. There's tons of great info, though mostly geared for US consumption so some things are different.

Lots fo folks use RMB (raw meat bones) to keep their dog's teeth in shape. Something like chicken wings or legs, or pieces of backbone cut up - parts that are more bony. None of my dogs actually *like* RMBs ( ) so we use Dentasticks and Whimzee bones, a smaller size, after every meal. Sort of like tooth brushing! But really, a lot of how your dog's teeth will turn out is based on genetics. I had greys that could have had a full dental every 6 months, and some that had never had a dental since we got them. And all fo them ate the same food, and got the same treats.

Funny! And true!

Write down her schedule in detail and ask him to adhere to it as closely as possible. Then tell him not to panic if she completely ignores him, stops eating, and/or wont go potty! Then again, she might be just fine!

:yay :yay

First of all, give everyone some time to calm down. You are running on adrenaline right now and not thinking properly and calmly. Just sit down and breath. Then... Remember and think about the fact that your dogs didn't do anything "wrong." They were excited and aroused, and the spaniels were being spaniels and jumping around and probably jumping on your dogs (your male even tried to warn you and the other dogs by growling and neither of you listened), and a very natural thing happened. It's events exactly like this that are good examples of why greyhounds and dog parks don't mix well. Everyone made mistakes and fortunately no one was seriously hurt. The spaniel owner should have put his dogs on the leash as soon as one of them was growled at - when it became apparent his dogs were too riled up to play nicely. And you should have left sooner. At the very least by the time your dog was aroused enough to growl. A that point you stop people socializing and get your dog out of there. But... Things don't often happen the perfect way. So, yes, check on the spaniel and pay for anything that's your fault. That's the responsible thing to do. And might stop a call to animal control by the other owner, particularly if you are acquainted. Don't blame your dogs for reprimanding another rude dog. They will likely be perfectly fine around all manner of dogs in the future. Yes, high prey drive can be difficult to deal with, but it doesn't sound like your dogs have a super high prey drive - you would have known it way before now. This incident is also a perfect example of pack mentality - one dog starts it and all the others jump right in. And also a perfect reason why small dogs and big dogs should never never never be allowed in the same off leash dog parks. So... breathe. And hug your dogs. They didn't do anything wrong, and don't understand why you're angry with them.

We don't have to deal with insurance so I don't keep invoices generally, unless it's for some specific procedure. Medical records I tend to keep at least until I don't have the pet anymore, and maybe longer if I think I might want/need to reference them in the future. I do keep hard copies of vaccination records and general health info with us when we travel.

Yes, it could definitely be thyroid, or some other medical issue. So have her thoroughly evaluated by your vet first and foremost. Idiopathic Fear and Withdrawal in Greyhounds http://www.greyhoundinfo.org/?page_id=930 The author of this article is a renowned greyhound trainer. About halfway through the he begins to talk about greyhounds "spooks." It's not a greyhound-only phenomenon, but we do it quite frequently in newly adopted dogs. Once they are removed from the environment where they have spent their entire lives, they seem unable to function like a normal dog. Spooks are a lot like autistic kids. They thrive on routine and a strict daily schedule. They do not like doing anything new or novel or having "adventures." The smallest upset or outlier in their routine can knock them off their game for days. They often don't respond to their name, even though you know they know it. They will often have repetitive routines to calm themselves like licking or pacing (or in your case, isolating herself on her bed). They are not food motivated at all. Once they become anxious they cannot calm themselves down. They often won't appear to have bonded with other dogs OR with their humans. They don't respond to normal comunication cues or commands (like calming signals). There's no magic cure for a spook, and they can be difficult to have as a pet, as you've seen. As the former Mom of a spook I can tell you absolutely that our girl was the most frustrating and the most rewarding dog we've ever had. There were days I literally cried over her inability to deal with life, then there were days I cried because she actually did something "normal." The first time she came up to me on her own for petting was a huge accomplishment (and I cried!). So I hear your concerns about your girl. Some things that can help: >Routine routine routine - don't change it, don't vary it. Do the same thing at the same time every single day. >When she's having her spells, let her alone. Set up a safe space for her to retreat to that's near the rest of the family, but out of the direct hubbub of the house. Let her stay there. Sometimes it can help to push her out into the home, but your girl isn't there yet. >Try feeding smaller, more numerous meals of something really yummy. My girl LOVED Beneful Prepared Meals. Not the best nutrition, but when your dog hasn't eaten in two days you'll take whatever she will eat. And she would only eat about three spoonfuls at a time. Then in two hours another three spoonfuls, dropped in her bowl. Early on I tried the "tough love" thing of not feeding her until she was hungry enough to eat - I stopped that after 4 days of her not eating a thing - spooks are not like normal dogs! > Talk with your vet about anti anxiety medication. You can try some non-rx things like DAP, L-Theanine, calming chews, and Rescue Remedy. Sometimes they do help, mostly they do not. We tried 4 or 5 different anti anxiety meds (off label uses of human medications like paxil, xanax, prozac, etc) before finding a pill and a dosage that worked for our girl to give her some normality (Trazadone was what we finaly settled on). >Lower your expectations for what she will be able to accomplish and when she will be ready to accomplish them. >Use her leash, or have her wear a support harness so you can have a handle to grab her and help her up. Especially for potty trips. Though I have to say, of all the dogs we've had, our spook never once had an accident in the house. We also had to keep her on leash outside in our yard because she couldn't go inside. I leash walked her for 8 years since I couldn't trust her either to come to me, or go along with the other dogs. Having a spook can be very rewarding but it's not for everyone. If you don't feel up to the challenge, and you don't feel your home is conducive to her best interests, she will be better served by returning her to her group sooner rather than later. We knew exactly what we were getting into before our girl came to us, but most spook parents don't. Hipefully you have been in contact with your adoption gorup about your girl's issues already, so they are aware of what's going on. Good luck!

Yeah, I'd say it's related to whatever was causing the itching in the first place. You may want to talk with your vet about a referral to a canine allergist or dermatology specialist.

It's not expensive, and my girl only takes one a month (after a loading dose).

So you've moved twice already in a year and you wonder why she is anxious about going outside?? Did you move from a more rural place to more urban place? Or vice versa? It sounds like she's just scared of something out there - a new noise or scary tree or something. Is she going in the house during the day when you're gone? Or only when you're home? In the same place? By the door to the outside or another place in the house? Have you had her examined by your vet and tested for a UTI? She may still be telling you she needs to go, but her cues have gotten more subtle and hard to read. It also may be that she needs to go out more often. My young dogs all go out about every 2 hours when we're home. They have no issues overnight or when we leave the house. Hopefully others with more experience house training will give you some more info.

First of all, true aggression in dogs is very rare, and what you described was not that. Growling and snapping are just ways dogs communicate, which greyhounds do very well together, so you don't want to correct or discourage it when it happens. If you do, she may jump right over the growl/snap warning and go for a more direct correction which is usually more serious. You and your brother need to spend some time with the dogs away from both homes. Since she was the first dog, and spent time in both places, she likely sees them both as "hers" and sees him as an interloper. She is essentially "resource guarding" areas of the house and the humans she views as hers. So having them bond over a nice long walk someplace strange to both of them will help. If she does growl as you described, she needs to be removed from the situation quickly and calmly. I would probably leave a short leash attached to her for a little while when the dogs are together. Then, when she resource guards you or your brother or a room you can calmly take the leash and lead her to another part of the house for a short time out. When you get to her time out space, praise her and give her a little treat and leave her alone for a few minutes (until she calms down if she throws a fit). Number two - the male may still have enough testosterone in his system to make her a little defensive. Time and patience will help take care of that. Number three - hooks and the treatment to get rid of them can be painful and upsetting to a dogs system. She may just feel crappy and not up to being sociable and nice to the new guy right now. Again, time and patience. Number four - be *very* careful with proin. If you search through the Health and Medical section you will see many serious issues with greyhounds and that drug. You might want to talk with your vet about switching her to D.E.S which is a hormonal drug that should do the same thing with fewer side effects.

I'm all for using appropriate medication for anxiety when it's warranted, but it sounds to me like you need to take it more than your dog! She peed *once.* In her crate. Early on in her new adopted life (I'm assuming, which may be incorrect as you haven't said how long you've had her). Which *could* have been from just being in the crate, or being left alone in the crate, or separation anxiety - it's hard to know exactly with new dogs. And her separation anxiety behavior since then is, really, fairly mild from what you described above. How long have you had her? Have you done *any* alone training without meds on board? It sounds like you can watch her when you leave, so how long does the panting and pacing go on? Does she ever settle and lay down? Has she ever peed or pooped in the house when you've been gone (other than the one incident you described)? Are you still using the crate with her? How much exercise is she getting daily? Most importantly, why are you considering changing her to Paxil from Trazadone? I defer to your vet, but, FWIW, my experience is only going the other way. We tried many drugs with our girl, including Paxil, with little to no positive results, but Trazadone was the one med that worked to help her lead a nearly normal life. If you are just looking for some medication support for the short term I would think the Trazadone would be a better choice. For *most* dogs it's very safe, with fewer side effects than other anxiolitics, takes effect faster, and, she's already on it at a clinically effective level. The key for the summer will be to keep her on the same schedule as a normal school/work week as much as possible. Sucks for the humans, I know, but Greyhounds thrive on schedule and routine, and if you can get her over this little SA bump at all, she should be fine. There *may* be some regression in the fall, but you will know how to help her through it, and she should settle back into "work" mode quickly.

For training purposes your treats should be small - @ 1/4 inch - just big enough to taste and swallow in one bite. Cat treats work really well, along with dry cat food, as they are really smelly! Which is what you need to hold your dogs attention for this kind of behavioral desensitization.

Hookworm meds can definitely cause restlessness for the first few days. My first thought is to just rule out a UTI by taking in a sample from her first pee of the morning. Then you can go on to other reasons with a clear conscience! My other thought has to do with her free feeding. Lots of people with only one dog do it and there's not really a downside until you co e to something like this - you don't really know how much or when shes eating and drinking, so it's not clear if she needs intervention food-wise. In the absence of any medical cause I would probably pick up her food and water after a certain time each night.

:yay