greysmom

Bumping

One of mine is currently going through a bit of this. She had a "trauma" (she got accidently bumped into the door jamb by her brother!) and now will knot come though any doorways unless it's completely free of people and dogs! If she won't take treats from you to be lured inside, you need to go out and get her. Either leash walk her for times when you need her to be quick, or let her decide when to come in. When she comes to you in the yard, have a nice quiet party with a *REALLY YUMMY* treat - her favorite thing. Up the treat value to close to maximum - roasted chicken, cheese, smelly liver treats, canned food on a spoon -whatever is the best thing ever for her. Same when she comes in on her own. Really reward her for doing what you want and ignore the behavior you don't want. And give her some time and patienc. It can take some dogs many months to work through issues like these in their new homes. Good luck! And Welcome!

Some are, sone aren't. Sounds like you do have one. I agree with the strategy of using peanut butter to sooth her wounded soul! In my house the same action would get me a load of stink eye, and that bone would have been snapped right up!

Yes, it's very normal to have successes and failures and starts and stops - each dog is an individual with their own quirks and personality traits. It's like having a stranger move into your house, trying to get used to everything. But the panting and digging aren't. I would consult a vet about possible parasite infestation as hookworm especially can cause pain in the gut. Even if he's been treated before and you've had a negative fecal test. Hooks here in the states are developing quite a resistance to treatment, so I would not be surprised if you were experiencing some of this as well/ I would also get a DAP (Dog Appeasing Pherome) diffuser or two to put around your house to help him adapt (if it *is* a behavioral issue). It will help him relax and feel more at home. Keep your daily schedule very strict for the time being. Greyhounds do best when they have a schedule to follow so they know what's coming up. I would also limit his exposure to a lot of new visitors until he's a bit more sure of himself.

Yes, its fine to give her whole carrots. We used to do this with our Danes. You can even freeze them in the summer. Not every day though as they don't really digest raw carrots very well. I probably wouldn't leave a pig ear with her when you leave either. If you want to occupy her, freeze the kong after you stuff it.

My advice is much the same as above. Though I tend to focus not so much on "how much" and more on maintaining a healthy weight at his level of activity. So if you are walking him every day for potties and exercise, he *may* very well need more food. But I doubt it! Puppies ALWAYS think they are starving, and your dog is still basically a puppy in an adult size body. So discuss this with your vet and see what you want to do. And congratulations on your adoption!

What's wrong with people jerky????? Whichever route your choose, it's going to get worse before it gets better. This is a longstanding habit and it's going to take some work to change it. You basically need to train him to start his morning until he hears a certain signal - your alarm, a radio going off, some house sound - whatever will be a consistent indication to him that his people are getting up. Set/manage this sound to go off a few minutes before he usually begins his morning whining. Let it go off, get up and let him out or whatever he needs to do, then go back to bed. Do this for a week or so, so he becomes attuned to this sound starting his morning. Once this happens, begin moving the sound a few minutes later every week. If he starts getting up before the sound, go back and set it for earlier and restart his training. You and your husband (or whoever) should probably take turns nightly or weekly - whichever makes sense for you - so at least one of you is getting a good night's sleep for a few nights in a row. After a while you should be able to sleep your entire night. Thank you for adopting this sweet boy! Congratulations!

Is he getting enough exercise? Whether you need to walk for potties or have a yard, he may need a little more intentional play time and moving around. It's hard to do during this time of the year with it getting dark so early, but try playing games and doing short training sessions to keep him engaged mentally and physically. It will also help you bond with each other. If he continues to pant a lot you also might consider a vet visit to rule out something being painful. A DAP diffuser can also help with his nervousness.

If it is a nerve issue that's a pretty low dose of Gabapentin. I would have expected your vet to at least try out a higher one. The drug itself is a human drug developed to prevent seizures, but it's gained more widespread veterinary use recently for issues involving nerve pain and impingement. It has a huge safe dosing range and has few serious side effects. You might talk with him/her about giving it another trial.

What dosage of gabapentin did you try? I'm not overly surprised to hear the Galliprant isn't working if you have already tried another nsaid (meloxicam). Sometimes switching to a different one will help, but not always. It can also take a day or two or three for the swelling to reduce enough for relief - every dog is different so don't take one or two people's time line as set in stone. You mentioned needing relief from "neck pain." What is her actual diagnosis?

Make sure you give it to her after a full meal to minimize any gastro effects.

Several people in GT have used Galliprant successfully. I don't believe anyone has mentioned any adverse side effects. You can search here for threads/mentions of it in the forum.

Make sure you have a nice little treat and praise party for her each time she comes back in - especially when she comes inside on her own. I have had several retired racers who prefer the outside to the inside. Mostly they just want to nap until they get cold!

Her body will acclimate to the gabapentin in a few days. If you do need to walk, a supportive bootie might help her be more comfortable.

I'm so sorry Greg. Two special souls will be waiting for you, along with all their brothers and sisters who flourished in your home.

Did she come to you with the corn or has it developed since her retirement? Was she in a home prior to coming to you? In a kennel? On a farm raising pups? I'm asking to see if anyone else has been treating her or if this is all since shes been adopted? Frankly, at this point, I would get a nice cushy boot that fits well, maybe pad it with a toddler sock, and have her wear that when walks are necessary. Stop dealing with the corn all together for a while. I know this sounds counter productive, but some dogs just need a sort of "benign neglect" when it comes to treating them. My Corn Dog hates having his feet messed with. If I can get his nails cut I feel like it's a huge success! I've found that just leaving his corns alone is best for both of us. He doesn't have to walk anywhere except in our yard, and when we do I use the above described boot method to make him more comfortable. If he goes to the vet for anything hes sedated for our vet will hull and treat them when he's out. If you haven't yet, join the "Greyhounds with Corns" group on Facebook. Tons of advice and experience and support.

I would see how she does unless and until it's causing her more trouble - limping, tripodding, licking that toe to sooth it. Then you may need to bite the bullet for an xray at the evet to see if it's broken. If you can get a boot on her it would help support that toe a bit.

Despite its name codeine sulfate is an opioid, just like tramadol. None of my dogs have experienced a heavy sedative effect for either drug, but reactions are very individual to each dog. The spaciness will go away after a few days to a week of dosing. I would also talk to your vet about getting some 100mg gabapentin so you can go up in mgs more slowly and customize it more to his needs. Gabapentin has a *huge* dosing range, so the doses you mentioned aren't necessarily too large. The other option is dosing every 6 hours instead of every 8 hours. If he has hind end weakness or LS or any kind of nerve issue affecting his back half that would account for his inability to hold his pee. Getting control of his nerve pain/issue will help with that.

Yes. Have your vet check her feet/toes really well. Could be an on-and-off dislocation, or a bruise somewhere, or maybe she stepped on a rock or other sharp object. If you have a padded boot I would try that as well, probably on both front feet. If it's something like this an actual pain reliever might help more than an nsaid. Tramadol if he responds to that, or codiene sulfate, or whatever works best for your boy.

DONE! If you need an extra person, or for a late sign up, I can do that!

Off to sign up!

I agree with your vet. I don't know of any studies per se, but just from using it on several of my dogs, I've had to nearly always shorten the dosing time. Plus, there are several drugs like gabapentin, that greyhounds rend to metabolize faster than other breeds. My current pain reliever of choice is codeine sulfate (I think the pills are 30mg). I do still usually have to dose every 6-8 hours, but it does appear to be effective without too much sedation.

Whatever she wants.....

If he has set times he licks then schedule something else for him to do at that time. Give him a longer lasting chew like a bully stick (or whatever is your preference). Take him for a walk. Let him outside and play ball or get a lure pole. Do a series of short training sessions or play sessions. Give him a Kong. Basically, keep him active doing something else during that time. It's basically a holdover from his kennel days, so you need to break a longstanding habit with a different, more productive activity.

You might have your vet check his prostate, and see if his neuter incision/result is all OK. If you have access to someone who does ultrasound, you might also request one of his lower abdomen, urinary tract, kidneys, bladder. It has to be super cold for my crew to get coats on - like, low 20s or teens farenheit - just for potty breaks. Get him outside as soon as possible, especially if he can go out into a yard. It's much harder if you need to leash him up for a potty walk - then I would suggest the belly band as he would need to wait for the human! Let him out to pee and get some of his yips out with morning zoomies, and he should be much better to focus for breakfast (remember to let him cool down if he runs a lot before feeding).